Chapter 34
Emily sat in the right-hand copilot’s seat of the ranch’s King Air twin-engine turboprop plane.
They were flying over Nebraska before they even came close to having a plan to go with the three helicopters they had on the move.
The task was twice as hard as they had to plan over the intercom because Mark was flying.
Michael, Dilya, and Zackie were in the first of two clusters of four luxury seats.
Mark had purchased the same model of airplane that he’d flown as the Incident Commander – Air during their years flying against wildfires for Mount Hood Aviation.
He’d bought it so that he and the girls could come visit her at Fort Campbell at least once a month.
She also worked a week per month from home, gaining her two more weekends with the girls. Not this time.
“It’s the best we’ve got so far,” Mark pointed out.
When neither Michael nor Dilya made any further comments, Emily sighed. She’d welcome an idea from the dog right about now, but Zackie was probably napping. She checked the autopilot and area radar before telling him, “Do it!”
Michael called Claudia to send another request to the Secretary of Defense, this time asking a favor of His Majesty’s Royal Air Force.
Mark nodded that she had command of the plane, pulled out his phone, and dialed. “Howdy, Fay… Yeah, it’s me. How’ve you been doin’?” No need to introduce himself to the UK base commander.
Emily scowled at him and he paused long enough to lean over the radio console and kiss her on the nose before continuing. There was plenty of his history she didn’t know, but it didn’t mean that she had to like it.
“Had me this itch of a notion.”
She poked him sharply in the ribs to knock the Texas out of him. It didn’t work, of course.
“My Emily has a small flock of Hook helos she wants to give a bit of special training to. Also wants to be staged for a possible something I’m no longer cleared to know a thing about over to the continent. Mind us dropping in for a spell?”
He glanced over at her. If Trisha had done her job, which she always exceeded, it would be… Nine hours, she mouthed.
“Grand. That’s grand. We’ll pop round over in close about nine hours from now if you don’t mind setting up a bit of clearance for us.
Tell old Ralph to warm up the cards and have his cash handy.
” Mark winked at her though Emily couldn’t figure out why until he said the next line.
He was a step ahead of what the Brits would say.
“Oh, right. That’ll be close on 0600 your time.
Well, mayhaps we’ll be a-catchin’ up over morning chow.
See you soon.” Mark hung up. “I have control.”
Not that there was anything to do, the autopilot probably flew better than she would over the big stretches of the Great Plains—she’d never been a fixed-wing gal.
But his grin said the King Air wasn’t all he was pleased to have control of.
He may have retired after doing his twenty years, but he still enjoyed the game—especially when he was the one dealing the cards.