Free On Wings of Love by Kim Watters Page B

Glad you decided to wake up,” Hannah joked without her usual smile. Her hand rested on his dog’s fur longer than normal as if his small, squirmy body held some sort of miracle cure for whatever ailed her.
    Noah signed for the package. “Yeah, somehow he missed the attack first and ask questions later gene. I should have gotten a rottweiler.”
    “I’d like to see you get one of those up in your planes.”
    “That would be something, wouldn’t it? Might scare the passengers though.”
    The driver dumped the box of office supplies on her desk and slipped out the door. As Hannah slit open the box with a pair of scissors, Noah continued to stare at her. She’d gained a little weight, or had suddenly decided to start wearing more loose fitting clothing. Was Hannah pregnant? That would make sense, but to his knowledge, the single mother never dated, choosing to spend her time with her ten-year-old son.
    And it wasn’t for Brad’s lack of trying.
    Noah glanced at his watch. “I think I’ll keep Houston, though, right buddy?”
    The phone on Hannah’s desk rang. Noah noticed her fingers still trembled as she picked up the receiver.
    “Desert Wings Aviation, Hannah speaking. How may I help you?” The office manager flipped to a fresh piece of paper on her notepad and grabbed a pen. Beneath her desk, Noah could hear Hannah’s sandal click as she tapped her foot.
    “Thanks, Ruth. I’ll let Noah know. Goodbye.”
    Hannah’s fingers remained on the phone seconds after she disconnected the call. Her face paled further as she briefly closed her eyes. “Ruth Fontaine is ready to be picked up?” Hannah opened her eyes and quirked her lips into a mischievous smile. “Since when did we start a shuttle service for the employees of our contracts?”
    Noah squeezed the bridge of his nose, surprised that Hannah had relaxed enough around him after a year to tease him. He was going soft in his old age. “Since some of those employees have to work twenty-four-hour shifts and I figured it was safer to keep them off the roads. I think it also gives us an advantage over the other charter companies, too, don’t you think?”
    “Absolutely, Noah.” Despite her obvious discomfort, Hannah’s eyes danced in merriment.
    He wondered how Ruth would look if she allowed herself to really laugh. So far he hadn’t seen many reasons for that to happen, and suddenly, he wanted that to change.
    “I’m on my way. It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t you call it a day with pay and go spend some time with your son after school? Just forward the calls to my cell phone, and I’ll grab them when they come in. I shouldn’t be toolong.” Noah couldn’t really afford to let Hannah go early but somehow in the past week a certain blonde had broken a tiny hole through three years of anger and bitterness, allowing him to start seeing the outside world again.
    “Are you sure?” Relief flared on the delicate features of her face.
    “Positive. You need it.”
    “Thanks.” She blew out her cinnamon scented candle before she returned the pile of papers to her inbox and logged off her computer. When she leaned over to retrieve her purse, a tiny groan escaped her lips. Something was definitely wrong, but Hannah waved off his offer to help her up. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
    “Bye.”
    Noah stood by Hannah’s desk, staring at the saguaro cactus outside the window minutes after her compact car left the parking lot. He’d done the right thing, yet the emptiness in the office bothered him. As he grabbed his hat, whistled for Houston and locked the front door, he sensed his carefully constructed world was crumbling around his shoulders and he didn’t have enough emotional cement anymore to build it back up.
    Somehow, Ruth Fontaine was involved whether he liked it or not.
     
    A few moments after Ruth hung up with the woman who answered the phone at Desert Wings Aviation, she pulled the sleeveless black dress she’d worn too many times