Chapter Four
Dan parked hiscar in the lot next to the hangar. The cooling engine ticked in the morning heat as he got out. He didn’t have to go to the office today, so he thought he’d check in on base operations before heading to the construction site at the ranch.
Thank God they only had two more weeks until their new house would be ready for occupation. He’d dreaded the thought of picking out furniture, and considered asking his mother for help, but Ryan had taken the bull by the horns—so to speak—and hired an interior decorator for the three separate units. That interview with the decorator had been brutal. Who knew there could be so many different types and colors of backsplashes and so many places to put them?
Gravel crunched under his boots. Alfalfa swayed in the fields bordering the airfield. Spring had been dry and the crop would be ready for the first cut in a few weeks. The stems would soon blossom, and bright purple heads would speckle the wide swath of green.
He rounded the end of the long, metal-clad building and strode toward the main doors with purpose. He had a second motive for coming here this morning at this early hour, one that had nothing to do with alfalfa. Jazz had dodged him for the better part of a month. The few times he’d dropped by the base, she’d been too busy to talk. That ended today. He understood why she didn’t want to be seen fraternizing with her boss, even if he’d gotten the distinct impression that wasn’t the whole truth behind her reluctance. For some reason, she just plain disliked him.
That was too bad for her. They had to communicate through more than the weekly email reports she copied him on.
For example, he was dying to see the new obstacle course Ryan was raving about, as well as the new washroom facilities. They’d come out of his operating budget, after all. And it bugged him that Ryan had authorized so much money. Worried him, too. Yes, they had an enormous net worth between them. Their income didn’t come from any one single source, however. It was wrapped up in investments in various businesses, and as one of those businesses, the Endeavour remained its own entity. They couldn’t take from one to pay off the debts of another, and right now, between the new house, the airfield, and the clinic, the Endeavour was racking up bills. He and Dallas had finally dug in their heels and told Ryan if he wanted a private helicopter so he could travel the whole ranch in one day, he could fund it himself.
Dan had slept a lot better at night when he was poor.
He pushed on the strike panel of the hangar’s steel door. Its smooth metal was already warm from the sun. Cooler air hit him inside.
The base was a far different place than it had been a month ago. Bright fluorescent lighting ran the length of the building. The materials handler Jazz hired had been installed in an office, and the inventory piled haphazard along one wall had been sorted, packed, and the packs stored until ready for use. She’d done a great job.
Dan followed the aroma of coffee. Jazz had turned another empty office into a conference/breakroom so visitors didn’t have to go upstairs to the small kitchenette.
He found her leaning against one wall of the breakroom with a mug in her hand, her back to him. She wore black track shorts that showed a long length of tanned leg, and a plain white tank top with a black sports bra underneath. The damp tank top stuck to her skin. Equally damp, spikey blond hair was another clue that she’d just returned from a run. He had a mental flash of her naked, and heat licked from his gut to his groin. Inappropriate?
Yes and no. He didn’t really consider himself her boss, because at the end of the day she didn’t answer to him, but she obviously thought of him that way, and he was in a position of power, so he conceded the rules likely did apply. Since only he knew what he was thinking, however, what the hell.
She was talking to Eli, the new materials handler, and Brody, one of the volunteer firemen from Grand. Brody had obviously come from a run, too, and it was very likely they’d been running together.
Annoyance nudged Dan. Jazz considered having dinner with him to be crossing a line, and yet an early morning run with a married man who worked for her was okay. He wondered what the man’s wife might have to say about that.
“Good morning,” Eli said when he caught sight of Dan in the doorway. “You’re up early.”
“I think you guys have me beat.”
Jazz twisted around at the sound of his voice and looked at him over her shoulder. Her cheeks, flushed from exertion, brought out the intense blue of her eyes. A narrow barrette clipped her long fringe of bangs off her face. She wore a too-bright, pretty much fake, friendly smile on her lips, and looked so energetic, so full of life, and reminded him so much ofAndy, that Dan had to catch himself before he said something foolish. Tension built at the back of his head, cramping the muscles in his neck and shoulders.
He admitted it. He wasn’t here to improve communications between them because of the base. He was here because he was attracted to her. Because she was his type. And maybe, deep down, he was here because he wanted proof that his type were all disasters. Once he had confirmation of it, he could finally give up on this unhealthy obsession with strong-willed women.
Because that was all this was—an obsession. He’d had unfinished business with Andy and his subconscious must have transferred his need to complete it onto Jazz, a woman who reminded him of her. The tension cramping his neck muscles eased. Acknowledging the problem was the first step to solving it. There was that small matter of her disliking him, too. That was one more challenge he chose to accept.
He was a great guy, damn it.
“I’ve got the day off and thought I’d take a look at this new obstacle course. It’s all Ryan’s been talking about,” he said.
“You’re in luck. That’s up next, right after coffee,” Jazz replied.
Dan considered himself fairly athletic, but her morning workout consisted of a long-distance run and then an obstacle course?
This, he had to see.
Eli offered Dan a cup of coffee too, which he accepted. He tried to keep his mind on the conversation and not Jazz’s damp tank top while he sipped it.
Then, he walked across the tarmac with Jazz, followed by Brody.
“My goal is to beat Jazz’s best time,” Brody said, bouncing on his toes. “I remain hopeful.”
“Good luck. You’re going to need it,” Jazz replied, cheerful.
Dan gaped when they entered the hangar. The floor of the building had been completely transformed. Where there once had been nothing but concrete and steel a complex, colorful obstacle course, all bright pinks, blues, and yellows, had sprouted like weeds. The course sprawled from one end to the other, and towered in places. Thick mats padded the floor—not that they’d do any good. What appeared to be a simulated helicopter fuselage took up the far wall, from the ground to the ceiling some fifty feet above. Jazz had been busy.