“It does get confusing sometimes when some of the other services wear the same shade of dark blue that we do,” Callie agreed.
“Did everything go okay at the doctor’s office?” Mary Lou asked. Since learning of Callie’s pregnancy, the woman had taken it upon herself to monitor Callie’s progress and well-being.
Smiling, Callie nodded. “The obstetrician did a sonogram and said the baby’s size is right on target for a four-and-a-half-month fetus.” She laughed. “But I doubt that I can get away with blaming my five-pound weight gain on my son.”
“No, that would be due to all those cookies you bake,” Mary Lou said, grinning.
As Callie walked down the hall to Hunter’s office, she decided that Mary Lou was right. If she didn’t stop baking, there wouldn’t be a flight suit big enough to accommodate her expanding form, whether she was pregnant or not.
Knocking on Hunter’s office door, she waited a moment before entering the office. “Do you have the time to fill me in on what took place at the staff meeting or should I come back later?”
He shook his head and pointed to the brown leather chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Not really.” His intense green eyes held hers as she lowered herself into the oversize armchair and tried not to notice how good-looking he was or that the sound of his deep voice had caused her insides to start humming. “Before I can order the new flight suits for everyone, I need to know if you’ve given any more thought to my suggestion that you ground yourself until after your baby is born.”
“Yes, I have.” She met his questioning gaze head-on. “I even discussed your concerns with my obstetrician this morning.”
“And?”
Hunter held out little hope that she’d changed her mind, but since it had been the uppermost thing on his mind for the past two days, he had to know.
“The doctor and I both agreed that as long as I avoid heavy lifting, eat a healthy diet and get plenty of rest, there’s no reason that I can’t continue as a flight nurse on the Evac II team.”
“But—”
“But nothing.” Her determined expression warned him that she wasn’t going to budge on the issue. “I’m not only capable of doing my job, I need the money I’ll make between now and when I give birth to pay for the doctor and hospital.”
He had to concentrate hard to keep his mind off the fact that she had the prettiest violet eyes he’d ever seen. “And there’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”
“No. But as I told you the other night, if my continuing to fly bothers you that much, pair me with your best pilot. That should eliminate some of your concerns about pilot error.”
Hunter took a deep breath, then slowly released it as resignation set in. “I anticipated your decision and I’ve already made arrangements for you and Corey to be switched to Evac I.”
“That’s your team.” If the dismay on her pretty face was any indication, he’d shocked her.
Not at all happy about the situation, he nodded. “George and Mike—the Evac III pilot—are good, but I’m better.”
“Don’t you think your assumption that you’re a better pilot is a bit arrogant?” She didn’t look any happier with his decision than he was.
He shook his head. “Not in the least. It’s a matter of experience. I have more flight hours in a Bell helicopter than George and Mike combined. Until he retired from the Air Force a couple of years ago, George flew Sikorskys. And Mike flew Apaches for the Army. I’ve flown a Bell almost exclusively for the past twelve years.” He stopped short at adding that if he’d been behind the controls of a Bell the day of the accident, instead of a reconditioned military chopper given to the hurricane relief organization for aid missions, his fiancée would probably still be alive.
“When does this reassignment take place?”
“Effective immediately.” Glancing down at the list of everyone’s flight suit sizes, he asked, “What size flight suit do you think you’ll need until after you have the baby?”
As he watched her thoughtfully nibble on her lower lip, sweat popped out on his forehead. The memory of Callie’s softness and sweet taste when he’d kissed her was doing a real number on his neglected libido.
Giving him the size she thought she’d need to accommodate her advancing pregnancy, she asked, “Was there anything else discussed during the staff meeting that I should know about?”
He sat back in his desk chair. “Mary Lou served your cookies, and everyone agreed that if you ever decide to give up nursing, you should open a bakery shop.”
She gave him a half smile as she stood up. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. I only bake when I’m…” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. What’s my new schedule?”
Hunter rose to his feet. “Instead of coming in this evening, you’ll need to be here day after tomorrow.”
“At the usual time? Or did you change that, too?”
“Six in the evening,” he said, nodding. When she turned toward the door, he said, “By the way, the other night I noticed you have a loose board on one of the porch steps. You’d better have your landlord fix it. You don’t want to run the risk of falling.”
“If I had a landlord, I’d have him take care of the repair.” She shrugged one slender shoulder. “But since I bought the place when I moved to Devil’s Fork, I guess I’ll have to buy a hammer and a few nails and see what I can do about it myself.”
For reasons he didn’t care to contemplate, he didn’t like the idea of her trying to make the repair herself. “I’ll be over this evening to fix the step.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She edged toward the door. “Upkeep is part of a homeowner’s job. I don’t think hammering a couple of nails into a board will be all that difficult.”
Hunter figured he knew what the problem was and, rounding the desk, walked over and put his hands on her slender shoulders. He realized he’d made a huge error in judgment the moment he touched her. An electric charge zinged straight up his arms, and he had to fight an overwhelming urge to draw her closer.
“Callie, about the other night—”
“Please, don’t.” She shook her head. “It was just a simple kiss and I’m sure it didn’t mean anything more to you than it did to me.”