Made for the Rancher Read online

  “I know.” She had promised him. But since then she’d become less sure about their relationship. “I’ll fly with you this one time, Rob, but that’s it.” While they were on this trip, she’d tell him she would rather not be at his political rally.

  Rob stowed her case in the rental car, and they took off for Riddick Field Airport in Philipsburg where he’d flown in from Helena. She saw a plane she didn’t recognize sitting out on the runway.

  “That’s yours?”

  “It’s a Cessna 177B single-engine plane.”

  “You got a new one?”

  “That’s my surprise!” He grinned at her, reminding her of a kid on Christmas. “Nothing but the best when you buy a Cessna Cardinal. She’s a four-seater and a real honey of a serious cross-country machine. She’s got 180 horse power. You’re going to love it.”

  Before long they reached the parking area. He walked her to the shiny blue-and-white plane and introduced her to his mechanic. They shook hands. “You’re going up on a beautiful day, Ms. Telford.”

  “It is gorgeous out.”

  Rob helped her onboard. “As you can see, there’s a lot of room in a Cardinal. Take out the back seat and you can fit camping gear for three weeks. It’s really amazing. We can get two folding bikes, kid seats and a cooler behind the back seat for a full-family day trip, or fit a family of four in here with all the ski gear, no problem.”

  Whoa. His mind was taking their relationship to a whole new level. When he’d said this outing was important for his career, she hadn’t realized she was a part of it. Whatever he was leading up to, she wasn’t ready for anything that serious. Jasmine still didn’t know him well enough yet, not after three months. And what she did know raised certain concerns in her mind.

  Pretty soon they were settled and both put on their headgear. He turned to her with a smile. “We’re flying to Seattle and won’t be back until Sunday.”

  “The whole weekend?”

  “I have a little business to do there. How does that sound?”

  “You’ve surprised me. I haven’t been there in years,” she said to cover what she’d really wanted to say, that she’d rather not go.

  “Good. I have it all planned out.”

  Rob was a planner with enough drive for three people. That was why he’d been so successful in business and politics. Besides his good looks, he had many admirable qualities, but that drive he’d inherited from his parents made her nervous.

  Did he ever slow down? Have a quiet moment? Maybe spending the weekend with him would help her figure out if he could just be still and enjoy life. So far she suspected he was a workaholic. Jasmine wondered if she could live with a person like that, never mind that he might take exception to her more laid-back personality.

  After starting the engine, he was cleared for takeoff. Soon the land receded, and they headed into a picture-perfect blue sky. Philipsburg lay below between two mountain ranges filled with mining ghost towns and lakes that made the scenery a never-ending tapestry of beauty.

  “We’re flying over a portion of the Sapphires on our way,” he explained after they’d reached cruising altitude. “Did I tell you we’re finally showing some real progress on getting rid of the pollution from the old mines?”

  “Yes.” She chuckled. He couldn’t help talking about his ideas for cleaning up the rivers to help the fish population thrive.

  “I’m happy about the decline in the wolf population, too. Wolves are on a downward trend in the area. It means the tools we’re using to manage them are effective. The impact we’re making there is positive, and there’s more good news. The bill to reintroduce grizzlies into the area was postponed for a month due to pressure from our side. That particular ranching coalition is a tough group, but we’ve prevailed so far.”

  “I know you were strongly against it.” Jasmine looked down at the green canopy below.

  When she was young and on a hike with her parents, she remembered seeing a grizzly with her two cubs up in the Coffin Lakes area. Her father had whispered, “Isn’t she a magnificent animal?”

  Her mother had replied, “And she’s a good mother, too.”

  “They have no place in today’s world.” Rob kept talking while she was still thinking about that campout with her folks. “There’s enough trauma without inviting more. Fortunately, enough of my constituents agree with me.”

  She felt like changing the subject. “When was the last time you took a real vacation?”

  “It’s been a while, but there never seems to be enough time.”

  “That’s because you thrive on work.”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Not in the same way.” It wasn’t a career that consumed her day and night.

  “Why do I get the feeling you resent me for it, and that’s why you haven’t flown with me until now.”

  “That’s not true at all,” she said. “Please, don’t think that. To love your work makes you who you are. I’m so impressed by your energy and excitement.”

  “Impressed enough to want to be my wife?”

  There it was! The question she’d been dreading. She hadn’t expected it right this second and clasped her hands in her lap.

  “Rob—”

  After a silence he said, “That wasn’t the one-word answer I wanted to hear. I knew you were the one for me when we first met. Surely you’ve realized I’m in love with you, Jasmine.”

  She wished she could say the same, but she couldn’t. “I care for you a lot, Rob. Otherwise I wouldn’t be with you now, but—”

  “But your feelings aren’t strong enough to say you’ll marry me,” he broke in on her.

  “I need more time to commit to a decision that will change my whole life.”

  “How much more? I’d hoped we’d return from our trip with the engagement ring I bought for you on your finger. I want it there when we attend the rally in three weeks. It’s a good thing I know your feelings now instead of at dinner when I’d planned to propose to you.”

  Her heart sank. “I’m so sorry, Rob. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I’ve always been slower to make any important decision. It’s my nature. You know I think you’re wonderful, or I wouldn’t have come with you.”

  She felt horrible and wished she hadn’t agreed to come with him. Now she’d ruined the weekend. In the silence she suddenly heard a thump and then there was a burst of feathers in the cockpit. A bird had crashed through the windshield. The propeller fluttered before the engine died.

  Jasmine cried out Rob’s name, but his focus was on the controls, pushing in knobs, pulling out others. He turned to her. “We’ve hit a hawk, and now we’re going to have to put her down in the mountains.”

  “We’re going to crash, aren’t we?”

  “Afraid so, but we have about ninety seconds before we reach the treetops. After impact, we have to get out as quickly as we can. If I’m unconscious, remember to pull these latches to get out of your seat belt and get me out of mine. You need to get away from the plane as fast as possible. Now I want you to cover your head with your arms.”

  She turned straight forward in a state of shock while she heard him call, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.” Jasmine couldn’t believe this was happening to them.

  “Look—right over there. A logging road that might open into a small meadow. I’m going to head for that. Let’s pray she glides to the opening, and we don’t hit the trees.”

  While Jasmine was praying with all her might, she heard him repeat, “Come on, come on. I don’t know if we’re going to make it, but we’re going to try.”

  The next thing she was aware of was the crush of branches, and she realized the tail was raking through the trees. All of a sudden she was thrown forward in her seat, and the plane hit the ground. In that horrific moment it slid up a slope to a stop.

&
nbsp; Amazed she was still alive, she turned to Jim. His head lay against the side window. She cried his name, but he didn’t respond. He’d been knocked out, but she didn’t see any blood except some cuts on his hands and arms. It took her a minute to think.

  If I’m unconscious, remember to pull the latches to get out of your seat belt.

  She followed his instructions and reached for the latch to extricate herself. Then she pulled his latch. He still wasn’t moving. She felt for a pulse. He was still alive, thank God.

  She had to get them out of there, but when she tried to open her door, it wouldn’t budge. She tried again before realizing it had been dented on impact and would need force in order to pry it open.

  The only thing to do was climb out the shattered windshield and jump down so she could pull him out of the plane on his side. First she had to push out the broken glass so she wouldn’t cut herself exiting the cockpit.

  With her adrenaline gushing, she cleared it enough to get through, then climbed up on the seat. After gripping part of the dented frame, she swung herself through and took a leap. The ground came up hard, almost knocking the wind out of her. Nausea swept through her. When she could find the strength to stand, she hurried around to the pilot’s side of the plane.

  She reached for the door handle and opened it. Jim was six feet and a dead weight in her arms. She tried to work him out of his seat belt. If he had internal injuries or a broken neck or bones, she had no way of knowing. All that mattered was to get them as far away from the plane as possible before something exploded.

  Chapter Two

  Wymon had been driving along one of the logging roads in the Sapphires for about ten minutes when he saw a single engine plane plunge into the trees directly ahead of him.

  His heart almost failed him. He reached for his phone and called 911. After identifying himself, he gave the coordinates of the crash. “I’m headed to the site. Send an ambulance and a Bronco with a tank of water ASAP.”

  Another minute and he reached a clearing where he saw a wrecked Cessna and a blonde woman working to pull the pilot from the cockpit. No fire had broken out yet—there was just a trail of ripped-up ground made by the plane when it came down. Amazed that part of it was still intact, he knew a crack pilot had been at the controls.

  He jumped out of his truck and ran to help. “I’ll take over, but first I need to get you to safety. My name is Wymon Clayton.” He picked up the woman and carried her to the edge of the clearing.

  “Thank you. He still has a pulse,” she yelled after him as he ran toward the plane.

  Wymon pulled the pilot free of his harness and dragged him as fast as he could toward the woman. The poor guy was covered in cuts from the broken windshield. Oddly enough, he looked familiar to Wymon. Once he’d reached her, he began CPR.

  “Come on, Rob. Wake up,” she cried.

  Rob. This was Robert Farnsworth, a state representative who’d been vocal about the drainage cleanup from the mines. Wymon could understand that, but more recently he’d been against the grizzly reintroduction issue which went against what Wymon was fighting for.

  He continued giving him CPR. In another minute the pilot came to.

  “Oh thank God, you’re awake!” the woman said and smoothed the hair off his forehead.

  “Jasmine?” he said faintly.

  “Don’t move, Mr. Farnsworth. An ambulance is on its way.” He looked into the woman’s beautiful spring-green eyes. She’d survived an ordeal that should have knocked her out too, or worse. Cuts covered part of her arms, as well. “Make him lie still while I run for a blanket.”

  Wymon raced to the truck. He pulled two blankets from the truck bed where he always kept his camping gear for emergencies and reached for a can of soda from the rear seat. When he returned, he put one blanket over the pilot to keep him warm, and then told the woman to sit down. He was surprised she hadn’t gone into shock already. Once she’d done as he asked, he wrapped the other blanket around her. In the process, his face brushed against her sweet-smelling hair.

  “Drink this. You need the sugar.”

  “Thank you,” she said in a quiet voice. “If you hadn’t come when you did...”

  “Don’t think about that.”

  He moved over to the pilot and hunkered down next to him. “The paramedics will be here any moment. Are you feeling severe pain anywhere besides your head?”

  “No. A hawk... It flew into the propeller and shattered the windshield.”

  “You deserve a medal for getting both of you out of this crash alive. There aren’t that many open pockets in this area.”

  “Rob’s an incredible pilot,” his companion acknowledged. “He told me exactly what to do.” She took a few more sips of the drink.

  He glanced at her, noting that she wasn’t wearing a ring. “You were brave to try to pull him away from the plane.” As he spoke, several ambulances from Stevensville and the Bronco he’d called for drove into view.

  The driver recognized Wymon and called out to him. Quick as lightning, two of the men with him started draining fuel from the wings of the plane in the hope of preventing a fire. Another one got busy removing the battery.

  To Wymon’s relief, the paramedics came running over to take care of the crash victims. “I’m all right,” the woman said. “It’s Rob who needs help.”

  “He’s getting it,” Wymon told her. “But you need to be checked out, too. Let the paramedics do their job.”

  They worked with both of them while getting names and addresses. Wymon discovered the woman’s name was Jasmine Telford. She lived in Philipsburg. The name Telford rang another bell. He knew why when one of the paramedics murmured to his partner that she was related to Commissioner Telford and did legal work for a friend of his.

  Digesting that information, Wymon hurried over to the plane to take pictures inside and out with his cell phone. Soon the patients were placed on stretchers and ready to be transported to the hospital. He recovered his blankets and walked beside Jasmine to the ambulance. “I’ll follow you to the hospital and make sure you and Mr. Farnsworth get your luggage back.”

  “Thank you again for everything you’ve done.”

  “I’m only glad I happened to be driving up here today.” He’d been on his way to meeting with some rangers, but that was obviously not happening anymore.

  The paramedics lifted Jasmine inside the ambulance and shut the door. Wymon walked over to the other ambulance. “I’ll see you at the hospital, Mr. Farnsworth. Anything I can do, just let me know,” he said, not expecting a reply.

  Wymon got into his truck and followed the ambulances down the logging road that led back to Stevensville.

  A sigh escaped him, and he thought that you never knew what was going to happen when you got up in the morning. He checked his watch. Eleven thirty and he was suddenly headed for the hospital. When he got there, he’d call the ranger station and explain why he’d never made it.

  Once in town, he pulled in to the hospital’s public parking area and entered the emergency entrance behind the paramedics. While both patients were transferred to cubicles and attended to, Wymon held on to their luggage.

  Two police officers who knew him came inside to ask him questions since he’d been the one to call 911. After they’d talked to the patients, they left, leaving Wymon to wait until the doctor had seen to both Rob and Jasmine. It was Dr. Turner, the husband of a close friend of his brother Eli’s wife. They’d met at Eli and Brianna’s wedding in March.

  “Wymon? Good to see you. I understand you were the knight in shining armor. Ms. Telford’s words, not mine.”

  He scoffed. “How is she doing?”

  “Surprisingly well for surviving a plane crash. We’re cleaning up her cuts and will watch her for a while, but I expect she can be released in a few hours, barring any complications.
”

  Relieved to hear that, he asked about Mr. Farnsworth.

  “Representative Farnsworth suffered a blow to the forehead, but no broken bones or internal damage. So far, so good. We’ll do a CAT scan and an MRI, then put him in a private room. He’ll have to stay overnight, maybe several nights to recover from his concussion.

  “After what I found out in talking with her, they dodged several bullets today. She said he’d been a pilot in the military, and you pulled him out of the plane to give him CPR. Because you took care of them at the crash site, they’re both in amazing shape considering what happened.”

  “I didn’t do much. Can I go in to see her? I’ve got their luggage. She’ll probably want a change of clothes.”

  “Of course. We’ll talk later.”

  Wymon picked up the suitcases and walked down to Jasmine’s cubicle. “Ms. Telford?”

  “Yes? Come in.”

  He removed his sunglasses and pulled the curtain aside. His wandering eyes took in the sight of her lying in the bed with her blonde head raised. She was a natural beauty with her classic features. Even in a hospital gown, or because of it, her shapely figure was evident beneath the sheet. Her cuts had been tended to. She looked to be in her midtwenties, but age could be deceiving.

  “You don’t mind? I’ve brought in your cases.”

  “You’re our savior, Mr. Clayton,” she said with a warm smile. “The doctor said he knew you and wasn’t at all surprised that the head of the Sapphire Ranch was the one to help us.”

  “His wife and my new sister-in-law are close friends.” He set the cases by the wall before snagging a chair with his boot. “I understand Mr. Farnsworth will have to stay in the hospital for a few days, but you’ll be released soon. How can I help?”

  “You’ve already saved our lives.”

  “That’s nonsense.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “If you hadn’t called 911 and come when you did, I wouldn’t have been able to pull Rob out of the cockpit by myself. The plane could have burst into flames. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.”