Chapter One
A year and a half later
“W hy must I lose everything?” Elena cried when Selah had confronted her in the High Desert Tours office trailer regarding the family budget.
Selah tapped a pen impatiently on her desk as she tried to keep the conversation from going off the rails, since her mother had been kind enough to bring her an iced coffee midway through her workday. “I’m not asking you to give up everything, Mom. I’m just asking you to not renew a magazine subscription that no one reads. This is about being practical, that’s all.”
“But it was your father’s favorite!”
“I understand, but if he could say something right now, he’d probably tell us to not waste money renewing a subscription for Pacific Northwest Fisherman .”
This response elicited a gasp from Elena, as if Selah spoke sacrilege instead of the truth. While her father had enjoyed the sport and been an avid subscriber to the small magazine for as long as she could remember, he’d become more obsessed with ballooning than fishing after starting the business. It was beside the point, anyway, because they needed to cut money from wherever they could these days, and this was one of the easier decisions.
“Where the hell is Hailey?” Selah asked when the business line interrupted their conversation, ringing at the next desk over, the same one her youngest sister was supposed to occupy.
She’d swear to God, out of all the sisters, Hailey had the easiest job to maintain for their business, and yet she struggled the most. All she had to do was answer phones, book tours, and keep an eye on reservation requests sprinkling in from the upgraded website their dad had paid someone way too much for. The job wasn’t hard, especially for a twenty-three-year-old who still lived at home and didn’t have any other responsibilities to worry about, like rent money, enjoying a free ride, courtesy of their mother.
“Mija, don’t be mean. Your sister had a rough night. She didn’t go to bed until late. And she said she doesn’t like to answer in case it’s another call from Soaring Over Oregon.”
Selah gritted her molars together due to her mother continuing to make excuses for Hailey. Knowing her sister, she was probably up too late doing something on Loop, a video-based social media app, which always took priority over everything else, even while the rest of the family pulled together to keep their father’s business afloat. Hailey, when not goofing off, was either sleeping, posting video content on Loop, or being in a dark mood because she was mad Elena kept Robert’s urn beneath clutter on her bedroom dresser. While Selah could understand this complaint, she had enough on her plate. It was hard enough trying to get her mother to drop a useless magazine subscription, and Selah didn’t need anything more.
The second part of Hailey’s excuse, about not wanting to deal with Soaring Over Oregon calls... Well, Selah didn’t really blame her sister in this.
The first few months after Robert went to bed with a horrible headache, only to never wake again due to an undetected rupturing cerebral aneurysm, were some of the hardest for the Moreno family. It was the same as walking through a chaotic tornado of information and emotions.
God bless him, Robert was amazing in a lot of ways, but Selah quickly learned how unorganized and messy he was in the financial part of his life and how much she truly hadn’t known the extent of it.
Her mother, while she could pull herself up and be strong in some aspects, completely fell apart when it came to shouldering the responsibilities Robert normally took care of, like the business and household finances. Instead, she’d rather pour herself into cooking, baking, and spoiling her family, ignoring the harder stuff. Selah spent the first month trying to hack into accounts under his name, so things like the internet bill could continue under her mom’s name. Depending on her mom to help with things like missing passwords and making decisions became “too hard,” which would only produce tears from Elena.
Paying bills was one thing. Taking over her father’s business was another thing entirely. As the Moreno family emerged from the chaotic, engulfing grief that arose from an unexpected death, to move forward instead of just trying to survive the day, they were faced with the question—What should they do with High Desert Tours? There hadn’t been any flights, since all tours had been canceled after Robert’s death.
In digging through her father’s finances, Selah saw a new picture emerge, one that made her stomach churn with queasiness. The new envelope, the one replacing The Blue Wonder , was the tip of the money iceberg her dad had poured into the business shortly before he died. It was the balloon, a larger gondola, the office trailer, the website, the new top-of-the-line laptop, and weather gadgets. It was like her dad had woken one day and decided the business needed to be bigger, more polished, better.
The problem was, there wasn’t a lot of cash to invest in the company. Getting High Desert Tours running in the first place had already put him in the hole, as he’d loaned against their land and home. The original business, the alfalfa crop, had been “let out to pasture,” so to speak, many years before, as her father no longer saw himself as a farmer. Now they were all stuck. When Selah had found out, she’d excused herself from her mother’s kitchen table, locked herself inside a bathroom and spent several private minutes being mad at him, an emotion she’d rarely experienced before and then felt guilty about it.
She was almost grateful when the calls from David Selene at Soaring Over Oregon came, regarding buying the business and removing them as their biggest competition in the area. It made everything easy, and it made sense. High Desert Tours didn’t have a captain, and Selah could never replace Robert. She wasn’t sure she could shoulder that kind of pressure—to climb out of the same hole her dad couldn’t climb out of. What else were they going to do? They needed the money. The temptation to say yes and walk away from the whole operation was right there on the tip of her tongue, except the decision wasn’t entirely hers.
“You can fly The Blue Wonder !” Hailey had insisted through tears. “How hard could it be? You already have your piloting license. Why wouldn’t you want to be the captain? Why would you destroy dad’s dream like that?” Her youngest sister had taken the matter personally, growing strangely stubborn and insistent, especially after being the one to answer Soaring Over Oregon’s latest call, now coming from David’s son, Ryland. She freely referred to them as a family of vultures. “I would rather starve to death than give them the business. I hate every one of them.”
Naomi jumped in, also hating the idea of selling the hot-air balloon business. The friendly rivalry and faux hate with Soaring Over Oregon had turned into the real thing, as though their father’s honor was on the line. They didn’t understand that this wasn’t Robert’s ultimate dream. It was something he’d settled on. When their mother started crying, too, Selah hadn’t the energy to fight against them.
She promised the family two years. Two years, she’d help get the business back on its feet, two years to find its real captain. She wasn’t staying, because between her and her dad, one of them was going to be a pilot of a real aircraft with an engine and, with him gone, it only left her. This roadblock wasn’t going to stop her. Fate wasn’t going to win.
The office phone rang again, reminding her that if the business was going to continue, it would seem she’d have to do it all herself. “Oh, for God’s sake. I’m not putting up with this. You need to tell Hailey that if she really wants Dad’s business to keep going, she needs to start pulling her weight. I can’t do everything, and you need to stop babying her.”
“Don’t talk about your sister like that. We’re all trying. I just want you to love one another.”
Her mother’s tolerance at handling family strife, including small disagreements between siblings, was low since Robert’s death, as if this was a sign the whole family was falling apart. It was better if Selah dropped the matter before her mother started sobbing again. Muttering a half-hearted apology, she rolled her office chair to the other desk, snatching the phone receiver up.
“High Desert Tours,” Selah answered on the fifth ring. She watched as her mom moved toward her work laptop. “Don’t touch that. It’s going to crash. Remember?” Her mother pulled her hand away as though the laptop was a live wire.
It was questionable whether the laptop would actually crash simply from her mother using it, but Elena had a habit of treating it like her personal Facebook-checking device. With her mother’s gullibility for clicking on random links, Selah didn’t want to take any chances. Robert’s laptop was set up exactly how she liked it and, as one of her most valuable piloting tools, she didn’t want anyone to mess with it. Selah found that if she told her mom touching it could crash it, her mother’s natural fear of electronics kept her away—if only she didn’t have to be constantly reminded.
“Oh, God. Is this a direct line to the hot-air balloon? I’m so sorry. Don’t worry about me. Just keep flying... floating... whatever. I’ll call back later,” a male voice said on the other end of the phone line.
“I’m sorry?” Selah responded to the caller, completely confused.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t that important. I don’t want you to crash your hot-air balloon.” The words stumbled out in a nervous ramble.
Understanding this person mistook the words said to her mother, Selah found the situation hilarious, and a laugh sprung out, her first lighthearted moment in forever. It was strange and, yet, somehow freeing to express some other emotion besides grief, responsibility, or obligation. The man had sounded genuinely worried for her. “Oh my God. No, I’m sorry. I didn’t... I’m not, um, currently in the air.”
There was a short pause before he replied, “Are you sure?”
Selah watched as her mother left the trailer before turning her attention to the call. “I’m a professional pilot, sir. I’m pretty sure they’d revoke my license if I couldn’t distinguish between when I’m on the ground and when I’m in the air.”
“You’re the pilot? I can’t believe that.” His tone was friendly, but her own posture straightened, expecting some form of misogyny to spring into the conversation. It wouldn’t be the first time since she’d started on her path toward becoming a pilot.
“And why is that, sir?” Her attitude shifted to cool professionalism, expecting a demand of her qualifications, certifications, and number of flight hours.
“Oh, I didn’t mean...” He took a beat before continuing, “I just mean that you have a lovely, clear voice, one that doesn’t sound at all like this...” Over the phone line, he mimicked the sound of static, his voice switching to an even lower octave and becoming muffled, as if he was partially covering his mouth. “Uhhhhh, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen... this is your captain speaking. We’re at a comfortable, uh, cruising altitude of ten million feet. Sit back, relax, and ignore the gremlin on the wing of the plane.”
If, at that moment, she’d been drinking the coffee Elena had brought her, the walls of the office trailer would have been painted with it as the result of a spit take. This man had the stereotypical, smooth piloting cadence down pat, even to the point of extending the length of his uh’s —and not only did he make her laugh, but he’d said she had a lovely voice. Selah never had a call like this, especially one which was supposed to be all business. Her insides were warm and light instead of knotted and stressed, a nice change of pace for once.
“That’s because pilots only use the piloting voice when they’re piloting. Passengers find it very calming. I can’t be wearing it out when I’m off duty. I’m currently using my, uh, phone voice.” For some reason, she thought it necessary to say phone voice in a breathless, sultry tone, as though it was the sexier version. Her cheeks warmed at the implication, and she smothered a giggle because professional pilots weren’t supposed to blush or giggle.
“Really?” He sounded intrigued. It was as though, through the phone, they were able to move closer together, turning this into an intimate conversation—something it most definitely was not. It was a regular business call. Period.
“I think I might need to hear an example of this,” he said in a way that made her heart flutter within her chest.
“O-of my piloting voice?”
“Of course. How else am I going to know I’m booking with a legit pilot? I’m surprised everyone isn’t asking you for your piloting voice before they book. Didn’t you do a whole course of this in flight school or something?”
Selah bit back another grin, leaning forward onto Hailey’s desk and nibbling on the edge of one of her nails. Why was this office suddenly so warm? At this point, she was glad her younger sister was late. In fact, she hoped Hailey slept the whole day away. “You think you can handle my piloting voice?”
“Well, now I have to hear it.”
Sliding a glance to the other side of the office, she confirmed there weren’t any witnesses. Talking to a potential customer about her piloting voice wasn’t at the top of the list of what she’d consider to be inappropriate behavior. And, yet, something about it did feel this way. If this conversation were recorded on some hidden black box and re-played in one of her aviation courses, as an example of pilot and client interactions, she’d go straight to skydiving without a parachute in shame. Luckily, no one was here but her and this funny mystery man on the other side of the line.
Cupping a hand over her mouth, she made her own static-like noises before deepening her voice as much as she could. “Uhhhhhhhhh...” The monosyllable sound vibrated from her much longer than his, like she was trying to break a record. “This is your pilot, Selah Moreno, speaking, and we’re at a cruising, uh, floating altitude of two thousand feet. If you look north, you can see Smith Rock, and just below us, you can see two alpacas getting it on. Nothing like a little nature to inspire your day.”
The whole thing was quite goofy, but she was rewarded with a deep laugh, making it all worth it. The sound filled her insides with giddy bubbles. “Selah.” He said her name as if he was saving it in his memory. She liked the way he said it, as though it was the name of someone important, someone he shouldn’t forget. Both syllables were pronounced the way she liked it, something she appreciated. She knew her name was unusual for the area, even more for someone of Latina descent, and she was used to spelling and pronouncing it for people.
Her mother had named her Selah because she’d heard it meant rock. She’d been told the name had other meanings, but her mom stuck with rock because she liked telling her daughter, Always be strong and steady like a rock, mija . And that’s exactly how Selah strived to be. She felt like she needed to, especially now.
She was equally curious about the name of this man, wondering how she could slyly pry it out of him without having to turn the conversation weird or make it into a boring business inquiry, hoping he’d volunteer it without asking.
“With that demonstration, I’m convinced you’re an excellent pilot—and you also have a very nice phone voice.”
Her skin flushed at having pleased him, but she kept her voice casual, not wanting to reveal too much emotion, doing her best to tamp it down. “Thank you, sir. That’s such a relief to hear.”
“I work there, you know.”
“Where? Here at the farm?” As soon as she said it, Selah realized how ridiculous it was. It’d been a while since her parents had hired extra farm help... unless her mom had hired someone without telling her because she knew Selah would be mad since there was no money for it.
Besides her family, there was only Boone, who was part of the balloon chase crew, along with her middle sister, Naomi. While Boone was inarguably good-looking, he wasn’t really her type, and imagining having a flirty conversation—not that she was flirting, but someone might construe it that way—Anyway, whatever this was, she didn’t want it with Boone. This man’s voice was quite different, though: warm and comfortably deep, a little scratchy, unlike Boone’s voice, which always seemed overly confident and smooth.
The man laughed easily. “No. Smith Rock. I’m a park ranger here.”
Her relief was immediate. “Oh!” she exclaimed too brightly, as if this was the most amazing news in the world. “That’s really... cool.” Cool being the single adjective she could squeeze from her brain, making her sound very uncool. “I love going there. What’s your name?” She asked as though she were familiar with all the park rangers. A cynical person would never fall for such an easy, obvious ploy.
Fortunately, he didn’t act suspicious at her attempt to pry his name from him. “Dex,” he replied. “Dex Westerly. I’m originally from the Bay Area, but I moved to Central Oregon about two years ago.”
Stretching, Selah pulled the work laptop from her desk to Hailey’s, and quickly typed Smith Rock and Dex Westerly . This wasn’t internet stalking, she told herself. Instead, it was curiosity, as she wanted to put a face to the voice. One of the first results was a Welcome Ranger Dexter Westerly article on the official Smith Rock website. His picture was posted at the top. It wasn’t the work of a professional glamor shot, but it was a nice photo all the same.
In the image, he leaned against a wooden split rail fence. Behind him was the jagged, majestic view of the Smith Rock landscape with the large, orangish-yellow crags and mountain-sized rocks jutting skyward. A lush creek snaked around the giant, rocky formation, surrounded by dried brush and juniper trees. It was a familiar landscape, as Selah had visited the area many times, both on the ground and from the air.
Dex looked like the kind of guy who’d been a skinny geek in high school and had morphed into a taller, handsomer version of a geek into adulthood. In the photo, he held a tan ball cap in one hand that rested on the fence. His other hand was partially stuffed into the pocket of his mountain-green hiking pants. He wore the short-sleeved park ranger uniform on top, but this was partially covered by a fleece vest. He wasn’t looking directly at the camera, but down and to the side, with a slight grin on his face as though the camera person said something he found amusing. Dex was somewhat on the lanky side with light-brown, neatly trimmed hair. Selah was disappointed he was clean-shaven, as she preferred a little scruff, but he still had a nice face.
She had to admit, the guy was cute. Cuter than Boone, for sure. For the first time in her life, she investigated whether there was a wedding ring on his finger. She figured he would be married, as he had a friendly husband-next-door vibe, one married to a woman named Ashleigh, who would post pictures of autumn, scarfs, and pumpkin spice lattes on her social media... someone Selah definitely was not. In a miracle of all miracles, the left hand had no wedding band visible. Her heart lifted with good fortune.
It was a silly exercise, though, because there was no way she’d get involved with someone—not at this point in her life. She remained partially wounded from her last relationship, regretting getting involved with a guy she met at the airport where she had attended flight school, someone who’d recently split with his wife. She’d mistaken a real relationship for a rebound one and had been cast aside after a few months. Never again.
Despite this, she wouldn’t mind talking to Dex some more because he seemed nice and someone who could distract her from her current worries of keeping her family from sinking into bankruptcy and losing her father’s only legacy. Simple, uncomplicated stuff like that.
“Hello?” Dex said, snapping her from her unserious speculation.
“Yes. I’m sorry... I was just... sorry.” She stumbled at not being able to tell him where her thoughts had turned.
“I was just wondering if it was more appropriate to refer to you as Captain Moreno. I’m not sure what the proper protocol is here.”
“Oh, yes! Sorry,” she replied, flustered. “You can just call me Selah—I don’t really care.” On one hand, she’d already decided he could call her anything he wanted. The bigger truth was, she hadn’t adopted the title vacated by her dad. She was a pilot, but he was the captain, not her. She was still Number One, holding the spot open until a real captain could take it.
“Well, Selah, as much as I enjoyed talking to you, my lunch break is coming to an end, and I think I better book my hot-air balloon excursion. I’m planning on proposing to my girlfriend, so I wanted to see what you had available and how the process works...”
Well, crap.
She’d never been so disappointed to discover that what was happening on the phone wasn’t a flirty conversation after all. Dex had merely been friendly, and she’d read way more into the situation. She was ashamed and embarrassed because, of course, this was for an engagement. Something about hot air and altitude inspired love and romance and... wow, she was such a clown. He wasn’t married, but it was close enough.
Dex Westerly wasn’t for her.