Page 55 of Wood Riddance
Competent men didn’t intimidate me. Parker had once referred to competence as my kink. Now I was beginning to wonder if she was right. The more I watched Finn fly this plane, the more hot and bothered I got.
The expert way he manipulated the flight controls and his relaxed posture in the cockpit were so goddamn sexy.
He was clearly good at what he did. And that was a problem for me.
Maybe it was because my job required total precision. Attention to detail and perfect calculations. My sister-in-law Alice called it my Virgo energy, but it was more than that.
I had spent so many years of my life learning and developing my skills. I knew what it took to be an expert at something: dedication, focus, and self-control.
So I valued those traits in others. And right now, Finn’s capability was setting off alarm bells in my brain. My lady parts were sure to follow.
“You love this,” I said after several minutes of unabashedly studying him and his every move.
He nodded. “Since I was a kid. Even then, there was nothing I wanted more than to fly. Still gets me every single time I’m up here.”
“I’m glad you found it. Your purpose. So many people never do.”
“I’m lucky, I guess. And that’s why I’m willing to fight so hard for my dreams. The thought of losing the one thing outside my daughter that gives me meaning and purpose terrifies me.”
I regarded him. The way his T-shirt hugged his broad shoulders, the sexy aviator sunglasses that hid his eyes, the veins in his forearms each time he moved.Damn.
We flew in relative quiet. The hum of the engine was the only sound as we soared over trees and rivers.
“Look down there.” He pointed at a small pond in a clearing.
A dozen moose were gathered near the water. From up here, they looked like ants.
“I wonder if Clive is there,” I joked.
“What is the obsession with that moose? He’s a goddamn menace, and you all treat him like some kind of cuddly town mascot.”
My breath caught in my lungs.How dare he?“Watch yourself Hebert. Clive is beloved.”
“He does nothing but cause property damage and mayhem. I’m shocked no one has turned him into jerky yet.”
I gasped. “You are on very thin ice in this town already. I can’t protect you if you disrespect Clive. And you better believe the pitchfork wielding mobwillcome for you.”
He laughed. “Does that mean youwantto protect me?”
“Of course not.” I shook my head and grinned. “I’ll be leading the angry mob. I’m giving you fair warning.”
He chuckled. “Thanks for the heads-up,” he said, checking his instruments and adjusting our altitude. “The Navy sent me all over the world. But one of the coolest places I’ve ever been is Alaska. It’s a lot like Maine, really, except bigger, colder, and way more wild. Lovewell may as well be Chicago compared to most towns up there.”
With a hum, I nodded. It was my dream to someday visit Alaska. I’d read dozens of books and watched every documentary about Denali National Park I could get my hands on.
“But other parts aren’t so different. They don’t have many roads, and the ones they do have are often destroyed by the weather. The best way to travel to those unreachable places is by air. I met several pilots while I was there. A lot of former military guys, but some who grew up in the bush too.”
He adjusted our course slightly, and the plane banked to the left.
“I saw how they made their livings. Some flew for oil companies, some delivered goods to remote villages, and others took tourists out to explore the wilderness. That’s when I realized that if I had to be stuck in Maine, that’s what I’d do. Share this place. The unreachable spots that only a plane can show you.”
His words were earnest and passionate. It was obvious he’d put a lot of thought into his plans and that they meant a great deal to him.
“Like Big Eagle Lake.”
“Exactly. Think of all the beauty in this area that isn’t accessible by roads. And think about all the people who visit Maine each year.”
“Lovewell isn’t really a tourist town.”
