Page 21 of Mountain Trial

“Me too. Clean, I mean,” Luc said, smiling. His expression sobered. “Not on birth control, but I don’t need it. My injury means I’m not going to be fathering any children.”

Kat opened her mouth to speak, but Luc went on before she could do so. “But there are a few other things we should talk about. And if at the end of the chat you tell me you just want to be friends, I’ll take the hint.”

Kat bristled at his words.

“Do I get to make up my own mind, or do you have that bit scripted too?” she asked, frowning.

This is hard for him.

Don’t be a bitch.

She smoothed her expression, placing her palm against his larger one, feeling his strength. Her eyes roamed past his wrists to his strong forearms. She’d never realized forearms could be sexy.

“I’m sorry. Tell me what―”

At first she didn’t recognize the shrill sound, then realized it was coming from her back pocket.

Damned phone.

She looked at the caller. It was Damien.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I have to take this.”

Luc nodded, giving her space. “Kat here,” she said. She listened intently to Damien’s voice on the other side of the phone and looked at her watch. “I can be there in twenty minutes, but I won’t be able to fly until four hours from now.” Regulations were clear when it came to alcohol intake, even though she’d only had one beer.

As she disconnected the phone, she looked at Luc, expecting to see a look of disappointment on his face―perhaps even anger. All she saw in his eyes was concern.

For me. He’s concerned about me.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“I understand. Please be careful.”

“Raincheck on the talk we were about to have?”

“Raincheck,” he said, smiling.

Kat wasn’t the falling in love kind, but as she left Luc’s place she couldn’t help thinking how easy it would be to fall in love with a man like him.

Chapter 9

Kat

Sunlight glinted against the nose of the Eurocopter EC145 helicopter. Kat pressed her hand against the smooth, hard metal. She loved this machine.

“You brought her back in one piece, Barreau?” a gruff voice asked.

Every time, the same joke.

Kat rolled her eyes at Jean, the station’s fleet manager. He was an older man, in his fifties. He’d been a pilot once, before his failing eyesight stopped him from flying, and now took great pride in caring for the gendarmerie’s vehicles.

“You know I always do, Jean.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she knew he was thinking about the time, just a few months earlier, when she’d crash-landed a helicopter. Remembered also how, at that time, Jean couldn’t have cared less about the helicopter―he’d just been worried about her and the team. Particularly about Jens, who’d ended up in the hospital.

“Except that one time,” she acknowledged.

Jean grunted.