Redwood Bend

He forced himself to block any further thoughts of her body.

He couldn’t figure out what had turned him around on a back road and sent him hurtling like a rocket back to her front porch to kiss her. He didn’t understand why she responded to the kiss—hadn’t she more or less said she was done with all that? Concentrating on her family? And he was turned on beyond his own comprehension. He’d been turned on a hundred times, but not like this. He felt as if he’d better get a lot of miles between him and Katie Malone or face dire consequences. And he had no one to talk to about this. So he rode hard for the rest of the day, stopping off to visit a couple of small airports as he went.

That was one thing Hollywood would have to recommend it—girls. There were plenty of the kind who would put their careers ahead of any relationship, but they still liked to have a man around from time to time. Brief, impersonal, nonrisky hookups.

The thought left him feeling just as empty inside as ever.

He remembered when Lang found Sue Ann, a Prescott, Arizona, girl. They’d been in college there and Lang, being a good-looking guy, was a great one to go running with; he always attracted women. But then he met this girl, this pretty but not flashy girl who was full of confidence and just wouldn’t be played. And good old Lang took a dive. He glazed over, saw no one but Sue Ann and his days of running with Dylan were over.

And Dylan was grateful that hadn’t happened to him, because he was convinced he wasn’t good for the long haul. Not that he wanted it to be that way. It just was.

Dylan stopped off in a small town near the coast where there was a little fixed base operation. He went inside, introduced himself to the airport manager and asked if they had a charter operation or any aviation instruction. The story seemed to be the same everywhere—people were chartering less often, this particular airport was sending people interested in pilot instruction to other airports. Dylan learned there had once been a couple of instructors there as well as a charter pilot who operated a six-seater and had done a respectable business, until fuel prices soared and he moved on to other work. Now that airport offered storage, maintenance and fueling for a few private plane owners and the occasional inbound flight.

He had a lot more looking around to do, but that was enough for one day. Since he was in a good area, he took the opportunity to phone Jay Romney. He was a little surprised to find that Jay took his call even though his assistant warned Dylan that Jay was in the middle of a meeting.

“Dylan!” he boomed. “If you’re calling me, I’m optimistic! How can I help you?”

“You can tell me if you have any acting work that I qualify for.”

“What? You’re coming back?”

“Not exactly, but I’d consider taking a leave from my business in Montana for the right project. And let me save you some time—no silly TV reunions or game shows or commercials.”

“Can you tell me what you are looking for?” Jay asked. “Because there are a lot of projects under option.”

“I can’t,” he said, inwardly shrugging. “A movie. Something that resembles what I’ve done in the past, even though it’s been over twenty years. And above all, I want a good experience.”

Dylan still had a lot of family in Hollywood and, Dylan was all too aware, Jay wouldn’t have interrupted a meeting for any of them. “Maybe you have something you’re interested in that will make a break from aviation seem worthwhile,” Dylan told Jay.

“And why the break?” Jay asked.

“The charter business is down, given the economy,” he said honestly. “A little movie pocket change can help me making a living and suck up some of the boredom of waiting for things to turn around. That is, if you have anything. I’m not looking for a favor—I’m only looking for honest work.”

Jay Romney laughed. “I’d be happy to do you a favor, Dylan, but I won’t have to. You’re still a big name around here. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“I’m spending a little time in the mountains, Jay. My cell reception is spotty. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

“Good enough. And hey, nice talking to you. Give my regards to Adele.”

“Absolutely.”

As a kid, Dylan had been cast in an incredibly successful sitcom from the ages of eight to fifteen. He’d also done a couple of big movies, Disney features. His father had been a famous actor before his death when Dylan was twelve and his grandmother, Adele Childress, was still very much alive and working at the age of seventy-six. He was Adele’s only biological grandchild.

Back in Payne, once Dylan accepted there was no way out but to try it Adele’s way, he settled in. He first learned to ride a horse. Then he went camping with the old guy who managed the ranch and was still on their small property to this day. As time went on, Dylan took to driving to Helena and hung out at a small private airport, just watching the planes and gliders take off and land for hours. He talked someone into a ride in a little Cherokee and fell in love. He’d been looking for freedom for years and found it in the sky. He chewed the fat in the little tower and in the airport office and found out how the pilots there got in the business. And finally he screwed up the courage and told his grandmother he wanted to learn to fly, get his pilot’s license.

She said, “Talk to me when you bring home straight A’s and I like your chances.”

He’d never worked so hard, and that was the beginning of his new life. After high school he went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona, and while logging flying and instructor hours, got himself a degree in aviation management. And that’s where he met Lang.

When he learned to fly, life really turned around for him. And here he was, considering going back to that insane movie life. But, at least this time he had a good reason.

There were more airports to visit and Jay would need at least a few days to come up with an idea that might put Dylan to work. And during those few days, Dylan thought he might have to see what could happen if he ran into Katie Malone again.

Five

Dylan hadn’t timed it, but he wasn’t entirely amazed by the coincidence. There seemed to be some invisible and unconscious forces drawing him to Katie Malone and when he got back to Virgin River, she was just coming out of the little prefab schoolhouse at the end of the street, a child on each side of her. She was walking toward her SUV when Dylan pulled right up to her. He cut the engine on the bike, though he stayed astride.

“I’m running into you all over the place,” he said to her.

“I’m not so sure you’re running into me,” she said. Then she pushed her boys off in the direction of her car, telling them to get in and buckle up.

“Totally by chance,” he said. “But I’m glad I did because I wanted to ask you something. Should I apologize for…you know…earlier?”

“Oh, please don’t,” she said, giving her head a shake. “That would make it seem like you regretted it. We are thinking of the same thing, right? The kiss on my porch?”

He nodded his head. “Oh, man, you’re going to get me in so much trouble…”

“Why?” she asked, stepping toward him. “You said you weren’t married. Oh, no, is there a girlfriend? A fiancée?”

“No…”

She grabbed a piece of his shirtsleeve and, lowering her voice slightly, asked, “Are you gay?”

“No! Jesus, did I seem gay?”

“I’m no judge of that,” she said.

“There’s no one,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just that…” He straightened and tightened his hands on the bike grips. It made him very nervous to pretend to be normal. “Listen, how’d you like to go out for ice cream?”

“I can’t,” she said. “I have the boys.”

“We’ll take them.”

“What are you going to do? Put me on the back of the bike with one under each arm?” she asked.

“Sounds like fun, but maybe we should just drive. You have a car.”

“Where?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Fortuna? It’s an adventure. What about it? You don’t have to recalibrate an engine or anything, do you?”

She made a face; it wasn’t unusual for people to tease her about her mechanical skills, especially men. “I suppose we could meet somewhere, if you had any idea where you wanted to go,” she said.

“How about if we really get crazy and go in one car?” he returned.

She looked at her watch. “I don’t know, Dylan. It might be a little too close to dinner to give them ice cream. I try to get a couple of nutrients in them before they pack on the sugar.”

He was stumped about what to do for a minute, looking at his own watch. “Well, how about pizza or burgers and then ice cream…?”