the glass, she twisted around and stared out the window at the sky behind them. When she turned back, she saw some ground lights up ahead. “Anchorage?”
“Yes. The airport is closed to outgoing traffic but not to incoming. They have one runway they’re keeping clear as much as possible. But the front end of the storm has already dumped a few inches on the area, with more to come.”
A shudder rippled down Bree’s body. “I hate to think how long I would have been at the wreck if you hadn’t come to get me when you did.” Then she remembered the men from the helicopter. “For some reason I don’t think those guys who came when we left were there to rescue me or Jeremiah.” She turned her full attention on David, whose square jaw was set in a firm line. “So why did they come?”
“I suppose they could have thought Jeremiah was carrying a cargo and intended to rob him.”
“He brought some winter supplies to the village, but all he had in the cargo hold on the way back to Anchorage were two seals the Alaskan natives are allowed to hunt.”
“And you.”
“Yes. Jeremiah has flown me for the past—” A knot lodged in her throat making her voice raspy. She cleared it. “For the past couple of years since I became what I call an itinerant doctor. He told me when he started he did it because my dad would have wanted him looking out for me.” Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked. A couple rolled down her cheeks. “I’m going to miss him. He lived next door to me, so we saw each other every day when we both were in town.”
“Does he have any family? I’ve never heard him mention anyone but you. He was glad you were here in Alaska.”
“No, my family was all he had.” She barely choked out the last part as she thought of Christmas at the end of the month without Jeremiah. Without her parents, she realized she didn’t have any immediate family close by anymore. “He and Dad were best friends from childhood. They both grew up here.”
“So you’ve been living here all your life?” He looked toward her, and their gazes linked for a few seconds.
Bree stared into his gray eyes. In stark contrast to his black hair, eyebrows and lashes, their light color pulled her in and held her captive. Her mouth went dry, and her pulse rate spiked.
Finally he dragged his attention back to flying the plane, and she answered, “Except when I went to medical school. I returned to do my internship and residency here, though. Alaska is my home. I went to school in Oklahoma, where my mother’s family lives. It sure was hot there. That’s not for me. Even after four years I couldn’t get used to the heat.”
“Try the desert. I had several tours in places where temps rose to a hundred and twenty. That made me long for the time I spent stationed in Alaska. When I retired, I decided to come back and haven’t regretted the decision.”
“How long have you been here?”
“I was a pilot in the air force, and when I retired last year, I came back to Alaska. A good friend started Northern Frontier Search and Rescue and had to step down because of family obligations in the lower forty-eight. He asked me if I was interested in taking over. I wasn’t sure, but after a few months shadowing him, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
She tried to remember what little she had heard about him from Jeremiah. At the moment all she could recall was the respect that Jeremiah had for David Stone. “Do you have family here?”
“No. My wife died and my daughter goes to college in California.” He glanced at her. “Although my dad is here for Christmas. He decided to come for the whole month.”
David turned his concentration to landing the plane in the increasingly heavy winter storm. While he communicated with airport personnel, Bree tried to relax her body and not think of the last landing she’d experienced. But as the lights of the runway glowed through the falling snow, she couldn’t stop thinking of Jeremiah and the change that had happened in a blink of an eye.
They’d been flying and then suddenly Jeremiah was in pain, barely able to hang on and land the plane. She needed to learn to fly, especially if she was going to continue to visit the villages.
After a bumpy descent, the Cessna touched down on the runway, and Bree held her breath as the plane slid and fishtailed. Tension whipped through her as the wind buffeted against the aircraft. David fought to keep it from going into the deeper snow on the side. She grasped the edge of the seat and prayed. She’d been doing a lot of that lately, but she knew God was the only one who could do anything when things went out of control.
David managed to avoid the snowdrift to the right and keep the plane on the runway. As he taxied toward a hangar at the small airport, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Now I am. But I’m not eager to go for a flight anytime soon after the past few days.”
“With everything in life there can be risk, but this was worth it. You’re home safe now.”
“Not quite, unless I can bum a ride with you or get a taxi. Jeremiah took me to the airport.”
“Where do you live?”
She gave him the address. “It’s on the outskirts of town. If that’s too far—”
“Stop right there. I didn’t fly out to rescue you only to leave you stranded at the airport. I live in that direction, only a few miles away from you. It’s not out of the way.”
When the Cessna was parked in the hangar, Bree finally felt safe. It had been a harrowing twenty-four hours she never wanted to repeat. Her body and mind screamed exhaustion, but she still had to get through the snow to her house before the street crews had a chance to clear the roads.
While David exited the plane, Bree did the same on her side, so glad to be standing on solid, dry land in the hangar. Thank You, Lord. Now I hope You can bring Jeremiah home so I can lay him to rest.
She knew that Jeremiah had made her executor of his estate, which as far as she knew was only his small house next to hers and the aircraft, but that was probably beyond repair. Her main concern was recovering his body and having a memorial service for his flying buddies. A lot of people would miss Jeremiah, especially her.
David rounded his Cessna with her duffel bag. “I need to make a couple of calls to the authorities and to my team to make sure everyone got word you’re safe and they’re all home safe, too.”
“What about Jeremiah?” She wasn’t even sure where to begin with making arrangements to recover his body.
As if he’d read her thoughts, he said, “I can help you make arrangements as soon as it’s okay to return to the lake.”
Relief trembled through her. “Thanks. I’d appreciate any help you can give me. I never thought I would have to do something like that. Since Jeremiah doesn’t have any family, I’m it.”
“Come sit in my office while I make the calls.” He led her toward the hangar. “I’ve found that having the home base for the Northern Frontier Search and Rescue Organization is better near the airport. Saves time usually.”
Inside there was a couch and a couple of comfortable chairs clustered together at the far end. A desk was situated near the door where they entered.
“Make yourself comfortable while I make those calls.” David gestured toward the black leather sofa.
“Is that where you work?” Bree pointed at the desk with a computer and printer on it as well as a stack of folders next to the phone. A filing cabinet sat under a large, very detailed map of Alaska showing the rivers, lakes, mountains and highway system.
“No, my assistant does. My office is through that door. Ella Jackson is the paid staff for the organization and has regular hours. She makes everything run smoothly. I’m glad, though, Ella did as I asked. She hates leaving when a search is going on, but I wanted her home before the storm moved through.”
“You volunteer