“Because?”

“You were fearless once. You don’t forget what you are. Sometimes you just put it aside awhile.”

The dimples fluttered in her cheeks. “You’re right. I’ve learned that lesson the last few years.”

He showed her how to land, how to use him, her own body for a soft touchdown. He strapped the harness so she could get accustomed to the feel of it, and having his body against hers.

The little jump in the belly he felt had him relieved to remind himself she was married.

“Any questions? Concerns?”

“I think I’ve got it. I’m supposed to relax and enjoy—and hope I don’t scream the whole way down so the DVD shows me with my mouth wide open and my eyes squeezed shut.”

“Hey, Mom!”

They looked over at the group hovering at the edge of the field.

“The family. Do you have time to meet them before we do this?”

“Sure.”

He walked over with her, made some small talk with her son—he looked pale and nervous now that it was zero hour—her daughter, the three children, including the one watching him like an owl from his daddy’s hip.

“You’re sure about this? Because if—”

“Tyler.” Ella rose to the toes of her jump boots, kissed her son’s cheek. “I’m revved and ready. Best Christmas present ever.”

“Nana’s gonna do this.” A boy of about five shot the toy parachutist from their gift shop into the air. It floated down on a bright red chute.

“You bet I am. Watch me.”

After hugs and kisses, she walked off with Lucas toward the waiting Twin Otter. “I’m not nervous. I’m not going to be nervous. I’m not going to scream. I’m not going to throw up.”

“Look at that sky. It doesn’t get prettier. Until you’re floating in it. Here’s Chuck. He’ll be videographing your entire experience.”

“Chuck.” She shook hands. “You’ll get my best side, right?”

“Guaranteed. Nobody gives a tandem like Iron Man, ma’am. Smooth as silk.”

“Okay.” She blew out a breath. “Let’s do it, Iron Man.”

She turned, waved to her family, then got onboard.

She shook hands with the pilot, and to Lucas’s eye stayed steady and attentive through the flight. He expected more questions—about the plane, the equipment, his experience—but she played it up for the camera, obviously determined to give her family a fun memento.

She mugged, pretended to faint and surprised Lucas by crawling into his lap and telling her kids she was flying off to Fiji with her jump master.

“We need to go back for a bigger plane,” he told her, and made her laugh.

When they reached jump altitude he winked at her. “Ready to harness up?”

Those lips bowed up with nerves around the edges. “Let’s rock and roll.”

He went over the procedure again, his voice soothing, easy, as he hooked them together.

“You’re going to feel a rush of air, hear more engine noise when we open the door. We’re miked, so Chuck will pick up what we say for your DVD.”

As he spoke he felt her breathing pick up. When the door opened, he felt her jerk, felt her tremble.

“We don’t go until you say go.”

“I swam naked in the Gulf of Mexico. I can do this. Let’s go.”

“We’re go.” He nodded to Chuck, who jumped first. “Watch the sky, Ella,” he murmured, and leaped with her.

She didn’t scream, but after a strangled gasp, he heard her clearly shout, “Holy f**king shit!” and wondered if they’d want that edited out for the grandchildren.

Then she laughed, shot her arms out like wings.

“Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God ! I did it. Lucas!”

She vibrated against him, and in tune with her he recognized exhilaration rather than fear.

The chute deployed, a rush of wings, and the whippy dive became a graceful float.

“It was too fast, over too fast. But, oh, oh, you were right. This is beautiful. This is... religious.”

“Put your hands on the toggles. You can drive awhile.”

“Okay, wow. Look at Nana, Owen! I’m a skydiver. Thank you, Tyler! Hi, Melly, hi, Addy, hi, Sam!” She tipped her head back. “I’m in the sky, and it’s blue silk.”

She fell silent, then sighed. “You were right about the quiet. You were right about everything. I’ll never forget this. Oh, there they are! They’re waving. You’d better take over so I can wave back.”

“You have a beautiful family.”

“I really do. Oh, gosh, oh, wow, here comes the ground.”

“Trust me. Trust yourself. Stay relaxed.”

He brought her down soft.

With excited screams, wild cheers, her family jumped and waved. When Lucas detached the harness, she dropped into an exaggerated curtsy, blew kisses.

Then she spun around, her face glowing, and stunned him by throwing her arms around him and kissing him firmly on the mouth.

“I’d have done that in midair if I could have because, my God, that was orgasmic. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I think you just did.”

She laughed, made him laugh by doing a quick victory dance. “I jumped out of a damn plane. My ex-husband said I’d be crazy to do it, the jerk. But I feel crazy, because I’m going to do it again.”

Still laughing, she ran over, arms wide, to her family.

“Ex-husband,” Lucas managed. And the heat spread up the back of his neck again.

7

With the siren silent, Rowan spent most of her time in the loft checking, clearing or mending chutes. She’d caught up on paperwork, repacked her personal gear bag, checked and rechecked her own chute, readied her jump gear.

She remained first jumper, first stick.

“Going stir-crazy here,” Cards said when he got up from the machine.

“Aren’t we all. And the word of today is...”

“Fastidious. We’ve been doing dick-all but cleaning and organizing. The ready room’s freaking fastidious enough to suit my mother’s scary standards.”

“It can’t last much longer.”

“I hope to Christ not. I had to kick my own ass for cheating at solitaire yesterday, and I’m starting to think about crafts. We’ll be knitting next.”