Only when she removed her eyes from him, she didn’t feel the familiar twist in her gut as she had in the past. The ground was way the hell down there, but something about it had changed.
They moved over a hill and a herd of cattle started to run away from the noise. “Look,” she said pointing to the ground.
Trent’s voice sounded high-pitched through the intercom system muffling their ears.
“Up here, you can see them but not smell them.”
“Might wanna get used to it, cowboy.” They laughed, knowing full well that Trent wasn’t a hat-wearing cowboy. Though Monica did have a hat ready to give him when he left in the morning.
They circled the cattle again, then flew farther from Gaylord’s property and closer to Jack and Jessie’s ranch, which wasn’t far away. From their height, it looked much smaller than it was in person. “That’s Jack and Jessie’s place,” she said when it appeared Trent would fly past it.
“It is?”
She couldn’t imagine that Trent didn’t recognize it, even from the air. “Yeah, the red barn and corral beside the hill.”
“Oh, yeah.”
He twisted the helicopter around and flew over. Surprisingly, her stomach didn’t wobble with the helicopter movement. She removed her cell phone from her pocket to get a picture for Jessie.
Something on the hill beside the barn grabbed her attention. “What’s that?”
“Not sure,” Trent said as he moved closer. Long strips of yellow tarp flapped in the wind. It wasn’t natural, and it didn’t look like some kind of giant tent or anything. As they moved closer it appeared as if there were words written on the tarp.
“Something for Danny?”
Monica was peering at the ground, concentrating so hard on reading the words she’d all but forgotten she was staring at the ground from a hundred or more feet.
“Let’s get closer,” Trent said.
She squinted. Trent hovered over the tarp while she read aloud.
“Will you…” her jaw dropped. Her attention snapped to her pilot. “… marry me?” she whispered the last words.
Trent was smiling, waiting. “I love you, Monica. I want you forever.”
Even with headgear and a microphone covering his mouth, she couldn’t help but lean forward and find his lips. “You’re crazy,” she yelled, as she knocked the ear protection off of him.
“Is that a yes?”
She couldn’t think of a better way for him to ask. “Yes, Barefoot. I’ll marry you.”
He kissed her and still managed to keep the helicopter in the air.
He placed her hands on the controls. “Hold this.”
Some of the joy of the moment shifted to terror. “Trent! I can’t fly this thing.”
He reached into his pocket and removed a box and opened it. Inside, was a spectacular round diamond that rivaled her sister’s in a cluster of similar stones set in platinum. Monica let go of the controls and squealed.
Trent grabbed the controls and nearly dropped the ring.
“Ah!” Only instead of worry, excitement filled her. With one hand, Trent managed to get the ring on her finger, kiss her, and promise forever.
Feeling like a giddy teenage girl after her first kiss, the smile on her face actually hurt. She held her hand out and admired the ring he bought with her in mind. “You have class, Barefoot. Serious class.”
He was laughing.
Through her headset she heard Jason’s voice through the microphone. “Trent, your ground crew is dying here. Do we have a Yankee Echo Sierra or November Oscar?”
Living with a pilot, Monica had managed to look up some of their lingo and knew what Jason was asking.
They were back over Gaylord’s property and a crowd had gathered outside to watch them.
“Should you tell them or I?” Monica asked.
The cocky smile on his face never left. “I got it.” Trent pressed a button, and from the helicopter streamers fell in long sheets.
“What’s that?”
“Giant confetti with the word yes printed on it.”
Out the window, she noticed the pieces of paper hit the ground and the crowd pick them up. Jessie, with her hugely pregnant belly, and Katie hugged. The kids were running in circles with the excitement. Jason and Glen lifted their thumbs in the air.
Monica moved as close as she could to her future husband and kissed his cheek. “What would you have done if I said no?” Not that he could have had any doubt of her answer. Once she let herself believe in her love for him, there was no looking back.
“We are in a helicopter. I thought I’d keep you up here until you said yes.”
She gave him a playful punch to his arm. “You don’t scare me, Trent Fairchild.”
He leaned close and kissed her.