Free On Wings of Love by Kim Watters

bridge of his nose. The air inside the plane grew uncomfortable, and Noah needed to move before he nodded off like his passenger.
    His nails dug into his palm. He concentrated on the pain and not the woman beside him. At the Rio Salado City airport, he’d noticed Ruth had dimples. Generous and deep, like the emotions he suspected she hid underneath her professional exterior. But it was an illusion.
    Ruth was a person he couldn’t understand. Another ambulance chaser, but she didn’t want a lawsuit; she wantedbody parts. Noah growled, causing Houston to jump from his lap.
    Unable to remain seated, he unfolded himself from the seat, strode to the door and then lowered the staircase. Noah whistled to his dog. “Come on, boy.”
    Ten minutes later he stood over the copilot’s seat. The longer he stared at the coordinator, the harder it became to remember Michelle. A connection lingered between them when he leaned over to gently shake Ruth’s arm again. “Ruth? It’s time to wake up.”
     
    Something warm settled on Ruth’s arm. She lashed out at the object disturbing her sleep. Funny. She couldn’t move.
    “Ruth, wake up.”
    That most incessant voice peppered her dream of running through the fields near her parents’ home near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Rachel. The Rachel that would always look eight years old, no matter how much Ruth aged.
    “Go away. Leave me alone.” She tried to turn over, but something constricted her movements. Panic set in and she started to thrash about.
    “We’re back in Scottsdale.”
    Ruth awoke with a start and stared into Noah’s eyes. For a second, her lungs forgot to function as she allowed herself to be carried away by the current between the two of them. Her gaze slid to his rugged lips. The unspoken question of how they would feel against hers fizzled in the stillness of the night. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Oh. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep. I’ll be out of your way in a second.”
    But when Ruth’s unsteady hands went to release the seat belt, Noah beat her to it. His thoughtfulness surprisedher until his remote expression distanced her. After grabbing her duffel bag, she stood and then threw the strap over her shoulder. She moved to the door. “Thanks for the lift, Noah. I’ll see you around.”
    As she clutched the handle on the staircase to keep from tumbling down the steps, a sense of déjà-vu engulfed her. With luck, only an impatient Houston greeted her and not another flat tire. At the bottom of the staircase, a huge yawn emerged. As long as things went right, she’d be home and asleep in thirty minutes tops.
    “So did you get any rest in Rio Salado City?” Noah spoke softly from the top of the steps as if afraid to upset the stillness of the night.
    Heat flared in her cheeks again. Her sleeping arrangements were not something she usually talked about with someone who wasn’t a complete stranger, yet not a friend either. “I managed to rest a little at the hospital and while waiting for you.”
    Noah raked a hand through his hair and descended the stairs. “That’s not enough. I’m almost finished here. Please let me drive you home.”
    Houston barked and jumped up on Ruth’s leg, his tail wagging furiously behind him, his tongue dropping out of his smiling mouth.
    “Look, Noah. I appreciate the offer, but that’s not necessary. Unless I have another flat tire.” Her sigh dissipated into the darkness. “I’m used to operating on little sleep. I’ll drive myself home. Besides, I have somewhere important to be in Phoenix tomorrow afternoon, and I don’t want to put you out or anything.” She wouldn’t miss her friend’s funeral no matter how tired she was. Margaret Ann’s loss had hit her hard. More sadness crept in and zapped any remaining energy. Her shoulders slumped.
    “It is necessary. It’s past midnight, and you look like you’re ready to drop. I’ll pick you up in the morning in plenty of time to get you where you