Read Online Touch the Heavens by Lindsay McKenna - Free Book Online
Authors: Lindsay McKenna
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me.”
Dan felt his stomach tighten. Calmly he looked up into her distraught features, compassion flooding his heart. “We’re in a messy situation,” he began carefully. “I could have Brodie kicked out now because of his attitude, and it would certainly ruin his career. He’d run screaming to every damn newspaper and magazine in this country. It would harm the opportunity for other women who want and deserve test-pilot status.”
Chris’s face paled. She clenched her fists at her sides. “You know exactly how to get to me, don’t you?” she whispered tautly.
Dan put the mug on the coffee table and got to his feet. Exhaustion showed deep in his eyes. “We’re all in this together, Chris. I don’t like it. You don’t like it. Nobody does. It’s simply the battle of the sexes over one more career position.” He rubbed his eyes. “And it’s not your fault you were picked to be the first woman. The first few women going through TPS as test-pilot nominees are going to draw the most fire. After a while, the furor will die down, and you won’t have men like Brodie overreacting to a woman being in class.” He spread his hands in a gesture of peace. “If it will make you feel any better, Brodie doesn’t get along with a lot of other people, including myself.” He searched her pained features. Shadows were visible beneath her large eyes, her translucent skin drawn tightly across her high cheeks, the corners of her mouth pulled in with unspoken pain.
“Raven, you’re an exceptional pilot. And right now, you’re number five in class standings. If you were a man, the Brodies of the world wouldn’t care. But you’re a woman and his kind are going to react. He’s going to keep sniping at you. He’ll train his sights on you from now on because you openly challenged him in class.”
She gave a shrug and sat back down on the floor. “I’ve always fought for the underdog. I guess I can do it for myself in this situation.”
“I’m beginning to understand where your sense of loyalty comes from. You protect your friends and slay your enemies,” Dan said, sitting down once again on the couch.
“Figuratively, not literally!”
Dan smiled at her. “You know, I named you well. Ravens are a clannish lot that protect their own kind with a fierce kind of courage. We have plenty of them here at Edwards. I’ve even seen ravens attack hawks or eagles if they get too close to their young ones.”
Chris sighed. “Just like I attacked Brodie in front of everyone.”
“He had it coming. I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to intercept and put a lid on it once and for all.”
She gave him a tender look, a soft smile appearing on her lips. “Don’t tell me there’s a little bit of the knight on his white charger in you.”
A careless grin came to Dan’s mouth as he regarded her in the growing warmth being woven between them. His heart stirred, his body craved her. “If Brodie heard that, he’d tell you I was Don Quixote, not a Sir Galahad.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Goes back to my days in Nam.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
Dan hesitated. He had rarely spoken about his two tours over the skies of Nam and Hanoi. It brought up too many painful memories. “Brodie was assigned to my squadron during my second tour. We flew the F-4s. I had a bit of a reputation among the marines up in the demilitarized-zone for hedgehopping. Brodie became my wingman.”
“Did he like you going down that low?”
Dan shook his head. “No.”
“Why did you?”
His eyes grew dark as more of those days in his life were dredged to the surface. “I guess I’ll always hear the radio crackling with the voices of pinned down marines on the ground screaming for help again. Chris,
I—” He hesitated, giving an embarrassed shrug. “This is going to sound silly.”
She leaned forward, her face calm, eyes penetrating. “No, it won’t. At least not to me,” she coaxed. “You risked plenty by going down on the deck, Dan.
Dan felt his stomach tighten. Calmly he looked up into her distraught features, compassion flooding his heart. “We’re in a messy situation,” he began carefully. “I could have Brodie kicked out now because of his attitude, and it would certainly ruin his career. He’d run screaming to every damn newspaper and magazine in this country. It would harm the opportunity for other women who want and deserve test-pilot status.”
Chris’s face paled. She clenched her fists at her sides. “You know exactly how to get to me, don’t you?” she whispered tautly.
Dan put the mug on the coffee table and got to his feet. Exhaustion showed deep in his eyes. “We’re all in this together, Chris. I don’t like it. You don’t like it. Nobody does. It’s simply the battle of the sexes over one more career position.” He rubbed his eyes. “And it’s not your fault you were picked to be the first woman. The first few women going through TPS as test-pilot nominees are going to draw the most fire. After a while, the furor will die down, and you won’t have men like Brodie overreacting to a woman being in class.” He spread his hands in a gesture of peace. “If it will make you feel any better, Brodie doesn’t get along with a lot of other people, including myself.” He searched her pained features. Shadows were visible beneath her large eyes, her translucent skin drawn tightly across her high cheeks, the corners of her mouth pulled in with unspoken pain.
“Raven, you’re an exceptional pilot. And right now, you’re number five in class standings. If you were a man, the Brodies of the world wouldn’t care. But you’re a woman and his kind are going to react. He’s going to keep sniping at you. He’ll train his sights on you from now on because you openly challenged him in class.”
She gave a shrug and sat back down on the floor. “I’ve always fought for the underdog. I guess I can do it for myself in this situation.”
“I’m beginning to understand where your sense of loyalty comes from. You protect your friends and slay your enemies,” Dan said, sitting down once again on the couch.
“Figuratively, not literally!”
Dan smiled at her. “You know, I named you well. Ravens are a clannish lot that protect their own kind with a fierce kind of courage. We have plenty of them here at Edwards. I’ve even seen ravens attack hawks or eagles if they get too close to their young ones.”
Chris sighed. “Just like I attacked Brodie in front of everyone.”
“He had it coming. I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to intercept and put a lid on it once and for all.”
She gave him a tender look, a soft smile appearing on her lips. “Don’t tell me there’s a little bit of the knight on his white charger in you.”
A careless grin came to Dan’s mouth as he regarded her in the growing warmth being woven between them. His heart stirred, his body craved her. “If Brodie heard that, he’d tell you I was Don Quixote, not a Sir Galahad.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Goes back to my days in Nam.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
Dan hesitated. He had rarely spoken about his two tours over the skies of Nam and Hanoi. It brought up too many painful memories. “Brodie was assigned to my squadron during my second tour. We flew the F-4s. I had a bit of a reputation among the marines up in the demilitarized-zone for hedgehopping. Brodie became my wingman.”
“Did he like you going down that low?”
Dan shook his head. “No.”
“Why did you?”
His eyes grew dark as more of those days in his life were dredged to the surface. “I guess I’ll always hear the radio crackling with the voices of pinned down marines on the ground screaming for help again. Chris,
I—” He hesitated, giving an embarrassed shrug. “This is going to sound silly.”
She leaned forward, her face calm, eyes penetrating. “No, it won’t. At least not to me,” she coaxed. “You risked plenty by going down on the deck, Dan.
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