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What a lie. Jack wanted to kiss her until she forgot Doug Brown ever existed. But he forced himself to don a nonchalant smile and look Ernie in the eye.

“Because I won’t have her falling for a pilot. She’s too tender-hearted to live with that much risk. And I don’t want you toying with her heart.”

“I fully agree, and I would never do that.” At least on that, Jack was telling the truth.

“Good,” Ernie said at last. “You remember how hard she took it when Max Miller died in a crash, right? And then she was a wreck at Al Hoffman’s funeral. I still can’t believe she got that call on her first day of work. Poor kid.”

Constance wasn’t a kid anymore, not by a long shot, but she still took things too much to heart. Ernie was right to warn him away. She’d never get over it if she fell for a pilot and lost him. “I solemnly swear, I do not have designs on your sister. I want to see her happily married to Doug as much as you do.”

“Good.” Ernie nodded. The matter was closed. At least for now. Turning his attention to the slice of pie in front of him, Ernie wolfed it down in record time. “Listen, I have to get going. Millie is expecting me back in time for dinner.”

“Of course. Take care and fly safe. Oh, and give my best to Millie.”

“Will do.”

Ernie opened his billfold and left a few coins on the table to cover his lunch, then hurried off.

Jack needed to head out too, but he hadn’t touched his pie yet. Did he deserve pie? Probably not. He needed to do some penance for that incredibly inappropriate daydream he’d had earlier. But he couldn’t quite let the pie go. It was too tempting. And his willpower was only so strong.

As he took a guilty bite, the delicious, bright tanginess of rhubarb burst on his tongue, mixing with the silky-smooth whipped cream on top. God, it was good. How was he supposed to resist Constance when he couldn’t even resist a piece of pie?

But having taken one bite, he couldn’t stop himself from taking the next and the next…

He was going to have to stay away from Constance. That was the only answer. Because otherwise, he was eventually going to give in. If he was with her, he would want to get close. If he was close, he would want to kiss her. And if he kissed her…

The torrid images from his daydream began flashing in his head.

No. She’s Constance. I can’t.

He brought his fist down a little too hard on the table, startling Sheila, who’d come for the bill.

“What did that pie ever do to you?” She eyed him warily.

“Sorry.” Grabbing his wallet, he pulled out the coins for his portion of the meal and put them with Ernie’s.

Sheila swiped them off the table and hurried away, leaving him alone with the last few bites of pie.

“It’s just pie,” he mumbled, staring at the offending bits of flaky crust and gooey filling still on his plate. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

He hurriedly scooped up the last bites and shoveled them into his mouth. They tasted so good, damn it all.

You know what else would taste good? asked his filthy, filthy mind. Constance.

He stood abruptly, threw down his linen napkin, and hurried out of the restaurant.

Motion. Speed. That was what he needed. Anything to distract him from thoughts of her.

In no time, he was back in the cockpit, all fueled up and loaded up with mail. He gunned the engine as he took off, grateful for the buffeting wind in his face as he sped down the runway and lifted into the air.

Never had he been more thankful for the absorbing distraction of Hell’s Stretch. Even with full visibility, it took all his skill and attention to navigate around the mountain peaks while maintaining as steady a course as possible. Maps were useless for this section of the journey. The only way to navigate was by following visual landmarks he’d memorized.

He flew over the railroad switchback at Rattlesnake Mountain, then up over the ridge at high altitude. He had to keep a sharp eye out for Snow Shoe, a town with only four or five houses, where he could pick up the line of the railroad again and follow it as it wound between peaks to the town of Clearfield, marked by three reservoirs. Then it was thirty miles over high plateaus, following a white gravel road to the town of Du Bois. From there, he followed the line of the highway to Franklin where he crossed over an S-bend in the Allegheny River.

After that, he was clear of the mountain range, home free. Unfortunately, that also meant there was nothing to distract him from thoughts of Constance. The plains stretched out before him as far as the eye could see with nothing to draw his attention away from his churning emotions.

How had he allowed himself to be blindsided by this sudden attraction? For most of their lives, they’d been friends. Since when was he in love with her?

Because it wasn’t just attraction. Much as he longed to touch her, there was more to it. He wanted to wake up by her side in the morning, see her smile when he walked in the door from a work trip, hold her in his arms while she whispered her hopes and dreams. And he wanted to shove Doug Brown out a window and have her all to himself.