The Single Dad's Guarded Heart

“How’s Gordy Maclean?” The voice was familiar, but she didn’t immediately recognize it.

“Mr. Maclean is still in surgery. Who’s this?”

“Wylie. Ranger Ames. Mick transferred me. He said you’re upstairs with Josh. Oh, and he asked me to relay a message. Pappy’s about to go to bed, but he’s leaving a light on in the hangar.”

“Oh, well…thanks. Why don’t I let you speak with Josh?”

His answer was a low, rolling laugh. “Sure, but I was trying my level best to communicate better than a worm.”

Marlee choked on her soda, feeling the heat sting her face. She was going downstairs and she was going to murder Mick. “I…I…I…” She gave up trying to come up with something witty, and beckoned Josh over. “It’s RangerAmes,” she muttered. “Asking about your dad.”

Josh had barely said hello when a doctor in blue scrubs came into the room and headed straight for Marlee. “Mrs. Maclean, I’m Doctor Black. I was the surgeon on call when they brought your husband in.”

Josh dropped the phone, forcing Marlee to scoop it up. “I’m the Angel Fleet pilot,” she informed the physician. “This is Josh Maclean, Gordon’s son.” Into the phone, she hissed, “We should hang up. Mr. Maclean’s doctor is here to talk to Josh.”

“Wait. Take my number. Gordy and I are friends. I’d like to know his condition. If he’s likely to be laid up for months, I’ll organize help for his family.”

Marlee didn’t know Ames at all. She certainly had no reason to have formed a judgment against him. But she’d pegged him as a lone wolf. In a few minutes he’d blown that image to hell. “I don’t have anything to write on,” she murmured. “Can you call back on my cell in say, fifteen minutes?”

He hung up without answering or even muttering a goodbye. Definitely not verbose, she thought, turning to the surgeon, who was saying Gordon Maclean was in recovery. And after two pints of blood, his vitals had stabilized.

WYLIE WISHED he’d had longer to talk with Marlee Stein. He’d laughed when Mick told him what his sister had said about his lack of communication skills. Wylie knew he had the reputation of being a loner. It suited him to foster that with other rangers, especially after Shirl took off and left him to raise Dean. Friends were always trying to set him up. The rangers’ wives thought his son needed a mother. So, to get everyone off his back, he’d dated a couple of the women. But maybe he should heed what they said about how he needed to learn to trust again.

Oddly, after one meeting, Mick Callen’s feisty sister piqued his interest. She both disturbed him and revitalized a part of himself he’d kept locked up since Shirl. He’d met his ex after a long, lonesome winter.

It was spring, and she’d been a pretty, flirty waitress in town. Wylie had found excuses to visit her. But she’d played him for a sucker.

So maybe Marlee Stein made an impression only because she didn’t seem to give a damn if she interested him or not.

“Dad, didn’t Marlee get Mr. Maclean to the hospital in time?” There was concern in the boy’s voice.

Rousing, Wylie placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “She got there. I spoke to Josh. The doctor had just arrived to talk about Mr. Maclean’s condition. I’ll phone Jo Beth’s mom back later for a better report. Meanwhile, you go throw a change of clothes in a backpack. Josh said they have a rampaging bull loose at their ranch. We should leave at first light so I can help the Macleans’ hired hand corral it.”

“But I want to talk to Jo Beth. When you call her mom, can I tell Jo Beth I found my whole set of medieval knights?”

“We’ll see. It’ll all depend on how late it gets to be.”

IN THE WAITING ROOM, the surgeon laid out his plan for Gordon Maclean. “I’m sending him to ICU tonight. If he’s not too groggy, I’ll have the nurse give you a couple of minutes with him, Josh. Otherwise, you may as well go home. I make rounds at seven in the morning. If he looks good, he can go to the ward.”

Josh seemed panicky. Jo Beth latched on to one of his limp hands and Marlee the other. “The Maclean ranch is too far away for Josh to drive back and forth. He has relatives coming from Spokane. My daughter and I will stay with him until they arrive.”

“That’s good of you.” The doctor stripped off a mask that hung loose around his neck, rolled it and stuck it in a pocket sagging under the weight of a stethoscope. “You Angel Fleet people always go the extra mile. I don’t recall them having a female pilot before, though. Not that it matters. I grew up north of here, and I’ve seen some of the so-called landing strips.” He made a face.

“Yeah,” Josh said. “My mom worried that a plane couldn’t land at our ranch. Marlee did. But she scared the shit out of me taking off. Uh, sorry.” He turned red when Jo Beth let go of his hand and tsked.

“Mama, Josh said a bad word!”

“It’s okay, Josh. I’ll admit I had a few tense moments clearing those trees.”

The doctor was shaking his head. “Everyone believes my job takes nerves of steel. But I wouldn’t trade places with you.”

An older nurse approached. “Doctor, your patent’s alert. Should we move him now?”

Dr. Black turned to Josh. “Ready to see your dad? Come with me.”

The two started down the hall. “Marlee,” Josh called back. “I see my aunt and uncle coming. Will you tell them what’s going on and have them call Mom? And if Wylie phones again, will you bring him up to speed?”

Marlee didn’t want to be a go-between for Wylie Ames, darn it. But Josh had already slipped through the door. She turned her attention to the approaching couple and met them with an extended a hand. “Hi. Marlee Callen. Josh has been allowed a minute with his dad. Mr. Maclean’s gone from recovery to ICU.”

A tall, lean rancher-type stripped off a straw cowboy hat. “We’re Rod and Samantha Maclean. ICU? That’s not sounding good for Gordy.”

“A precaution, according to his surgeon. Your brother lost a fair amount of blood before we got him here. They’ve given him transfusions and stitched him up.”

“Ah, you’d be the volunteer pilot who flew Gordy out?” said Samantha Maclean. “My sister-in-law says you’re awesome. She’d read articles about Angel Fleet, and knew a family whose child the Angels flew to Seattle for a liver transplant. But she never dreamed they’d ever need Angel Fleet themselves. I guess no one ever does, huh?”

“I’m sure that’s true. I didn’t expect it, either. I was on a routine supply flight to a guest lodge when the call came in. My daughter was with me.” Marlee indicated Jo Beth, who’d retreated to a waiting room chair.

“She looks ready to drop,” Samantha Maclean whispered.

“We still have to drive back to the airpark, and then fly home to Whitepine. Josh said he’ll meet you here and asked if you could call his mom. I wanted to keep him company until Mr. Maclean came out of surgery, but I think we’ll be on our way now. If you’re going to help out around their ranch, I hope you steer clear of that bull.”

“Rod spoke with Gordy’s hired man when we hit town,” Samantha said. “A park ranger friend of theirs has arranged a kind of bull posse to chase down Chili Dog tomorrow.”

Wylie. Marlee pictured him astride a horse. She shook off the image, but couldn’t help wondering if catching crazed bulls was part of a ranger’s duties. She imagined he’d be capable of that or any outdoor activity. A few indoor activities, too.

“Jo Beth, honey, we’re going home.” Marlee lifted her daughter. Before she left, Marlee rang Mick’s room to say good-night.

He sounded tired, or else he’d taken pain medication. She didn’t keep him on the phone, but promised she’d be in touch the next day.

Jo Beth fell asleep before Marlee exited the hospital parking lot.

Thirty minutes later, they were at the airfield. When her phone played its tune and she answered, she wasn’t really surprised to hear Wylie’s voice. Marlee figured he must’ve gotten an update from Mrs. Maclean.

“Time got away from me,” Wylie said. “I’ve been organizing a few friends to help Gordy’s family. How is he?”

“Out of surgery. Out of recovery and into ICU for the night. I heard you were rounding up a bull posse.”

As Marlee unbuckled Jo Beth and locked the Caddy, she listened to his deep, thoroughly masculine laugh and couldn’t resist smiling.

“For being in the backwoods, news does travel fast. Bull posse, huh? Did Josh come up with that, or did his little sister, Carrie?”

This didn’t sound like the taciturn man Marlee had met. “Neither,” she said. “Josh’s aunt. I’ve left the hospital. In fact, I’m about to board my plane to fly home.” Unable to help herself, Marlee yawned. “Sorry. It’s not that late. Barely ten.”

“Late enough when you’ve had a long day. Mick said this was your first flight in a while. I could tell he felt bad that you had to deal with an accident on your first day.”

“If anyone could predict accidents they’d avoid them.”

“Right.” He was silent for a moment. “I figured you’d spend the night in Kalispell.”