Free A Down-Home Country Christmas by Nancy Herkness Page A

that the skirt paired with high-heeled black leather boots was the perfect outfit for flying. Claire had even talked her into wearing the red bra under a cream silk blouse, but Holly had made sure her winter coat was already on and buttoned when Robbie picked her up. “I’m nervous about being up so high.”
    Robbie shifted his gaze away from the planes lined up on the tarmac, turning those vivid blue eyes in her direction. “How about I give you a tour of the airport and the planes? Then you can decide if you want to go up.”
    His understanding almost undermined the courage she’d been shoring up all week. She took in a deep breath, catching a whiff of the citrus-scented soap he’d used that morning. She’d never before been this close to him when they were alone. Her nerve endings began to hum with awareness and anticipation. “I want to go up,” she said, hoping to talk herself into believing it.
    He smiled, his teeth white and even. She caught a hint of a dimple in his right cheek. “You’ll be glad you did.” He glanced back at the planes. “Everything looks different from up there.”
    Holly forced herself to smile as she unbuckled her seat belt. Robbie was out of his seat and coming around to hold the door for her before she had gathered up her handbag and climbed out of the car.
    White Christmas lilted from the loudspeaker as he pushed open the terminal door for her. “Let me pick up the keys from Crystal,” he said, leading the way down a linoleum tile-floored corridor lined with office doors. The walls were bright with cardboard Santas, festoons of green and red tinsel, and wreaths made of shiny gold Christmas tree balls.
    Robbie stopped in front of an open door and gestured Holly inside. Behind a metal desk, a woman with brown hair cut man-short spun her chair away from a computer screen. She was extraordinarily beautiful, but Holly was prepared for that. Crystal Detch had made a big splash as a model before she got her heart broken by some rich man in New York City. She’d come back to Sanctuary and taken over running the airport when her father retired from the job five years before. As far as Holly knew, Crystal had not been on a single date since her return.
    “First time up, I hear,” Crystal said to Holly as she plucked a key ring off the board beside her. “You’ll get hooked.” She handed the keys to Robbie. “The Cessna’s all fueled and ready. I checked her over myself. Not that I want to stop you from doing your own preflight check.”
    Robbie tossed the keys up and caught them behind his back, making his brown leather jacket pull tight across his wide shoulders. “You know I will. Precious cargo.” He gave Holly a sideways smile.
    “The Cessna’s a sweet craft,” Crystal said. “A little old lady only flew it to church on Sundays.”
    Holly forced a nervous smile. Was her anxiety so obvious that Crystal was trying to reassure her too?
    Robbie walked over to a row of clipboards hanging on the opposite wall, taking one down and flipping through several pages attached to it, his gaze intent. Holly must have looked puzzled because Crystal said, “It’s the maintenance log for the plane. McGraw here is one of the smartest pilots I know. He never goes up in an aircraft he doesn’t trust one hundred percent.”
    “Better safe than sorry at 15,000 feet.” Robbie rehung the clipboard. “Looks good. Let’s go see her in person, Holly.”
    “Who does the plane really belong to?” Holly asked as they walked toward the outside door to the bouncing melody of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
    “A guy who flies in to stay at his vacation home on the golf course at the Laurels,” Robbie said. “He doesn’t like the plane to sit around unused so he lets a few local pilots rent it when he’s in residence.”
    He pushed the door open and ushered Holly out in front of him. Although the sun shone in the brilliant blue sky, a chilly breeze whipped across the open tarmac. It caught the