Page 77 of Pain in the Axe
“Fine,” she huffed. “But you have to be on your best behavior.”
Chapter 21
Chloe
When I agreed to let Gus take me out, I had no idea his plan would involve a plane.
But when I arrived at the address he’d texted, along with a large backpack Karl had packed for me and insisted I not open, I found a yellow float plane tied up at a massive dock. He and Gus had established some kind of understanding, and I disliked it immensely. I was beginning to feel like Karl was trying to throw me in his path.
Gus stood on the dock with Finn. Although Finn was a little taller and had lighter, longer hair, they had the same blue eyes and similar sharp, rugged features.
“Good to see you, Chloe,” Finn said, his tone friendly and warm.
His brother, on the other hand, was frozen in place, staring at me. And, dammit, was he wearing aviator sunglasses? Asshole. He had to know that aviators instantly raised a man’s hot factor.
“This is my baby,” Finn said, holding an arm out toward the plane. “Well, one of my babies. I put the pontoons on for the summer season.”
I hefted the backpack over my shoulder. What the hell was in here? Bricks?
“Looks great,” I said. I was going for friendly, but the pregnancy nausea made it impossible not to cringe as I spoke. I’d already had eggs, toast, and an apple with peanut butter. Thankfully, I’d stashed a few granola bars in my car. So far, the only thing that helped the nausea was eating.
Gus motioned me over with a wave of one arm. “I can see your house from here.”
I squinted, looking across the deep blue water. He was right. The large roofline and my boathouse were visible from this spot.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” I snarled at Gus while Finn busied himself readying the plane.
“I told you. I want to show you something special. Did Karl pack your backpack?”
I nodded.
“Okay, good. Finn is going to do his preflight checks, and then we’ll go up.”
My instinct was to hustle back to my car and drive away. I hated surprises, and I was tired and cranky and had mountains of work to do. But it was a glorious August day, and my curiosity had been piqued.
Eventually, Finn helped me into the plane, belted me in, and gave me a headset.
I sat behind him, and Gus sat up front in the cockpit.
The plane was tiny, but it was equipped with six seats and a small cargo area. In the back, emergency supplies were strapped to the fuselage and clearly labeled.
I’d been in small planes before and was used to the drill. The vibrations, the noise, the jolt when the aircraft left the water. It was thrilling. Not that I would admit that to Gus.
As we flew, Finn pointed out Mt. Katahdin, several rivers and streams, and a herd of moose. He was great at this, flying,navigating, and narrating along the journey. I could see why he didn’t want to fly for the timber company. Leading wilderness tours was absolutely his calling.
“Where are we?” I asked as Gus guided me out of the plane. We were on a small lake that was surrounded by dense forest. There was another dock on the opposite side of the lake, but no houses, boats, or any signs of civilization.
“Big Eagle Lake,” Finn replied. “This is our side. Technically, your side, I guess. And over there”—he pointed to the other dock—“is the Gagnon side. This lake isn’t accessible by road, so we fly out here on float planes.”
“And what are we doing here?” I asked as Gus took a massive backpack, a soft-sided cooler bag, and what looked like some kind of pole out of the plane.
“Showing you your land, Dragonfly,” Gus said. “You bought it all, so you may as well enjoy it. Come on.” With a tip of his chin, he headed for a trail sign. “We’ve got a bit of a hike.”
As I shifted my backpack, Finn gave us a smile and a salute. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Bright and early.”
“Tomorrow?” I went rigid, looking from one brother to the other.
“Don’t worry,” Gus said, turning and grinning. “I brought supplies.”
