Fool's Gold Collection Part 2. Susan Mallery

glanced to her left, then nudged Dakota. “Is that him?”

      Dakota turned and saw Finn walking toward them. He wore a leather jacket. His head and hands were bare, but he didn’t look the least bit cold. Probably because, compared to a brisk South Salmon spring, these temperatures were practically balmy.

      “That’s him,” she said. “Don’t embarrass me.”

      Montana freed her arm. “When have I ever done that?”

      “We don’t have enough time for me to start the list.”

      Montana started to say something, but mercifully stopped before Finn got close enough to hear.

      “Whose fool idea was this?” he asked. “It’s too cold for them to be out on the lake. Does anyone plan ahead?”

      Dakota did her best not to smile. “Finn, this is my sister Montana. Montana, this is Finn. His two brothers are on the show.”

      Finn glanced at them both. “Sorry. I was distracted.” He held out his hand to Montana. “Nice to meet you.”

      “Nice to meet you, too,” Montana said. “It doesn’t sound like you’re having a good time.”

      “Is it that obvious?” He shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t think I want you to answer that.” He glanced between them, paused, then looked more thoroughly. “You really are identical, aren’t you?”

      Dakota laughed. “Because we’d lie about it?”

      “Good point,” Finn said. “My brothers are identical twins,” he told Montana. “They’ve always said they have a relationship I can’t understand. Are they telling the truth?”

      “Sorry,” Montana told him. “But they are. It’s a weird thing to be identical to someone else. You kind of always know what they’re thinking. I can’t imagine life any other way, but I’ve been told it’s not like that for other people.”

      “I figured you’d say that,” he admitted. “Dakota said the same thing.”

      “But you didn’t want to believe me?” Dakota asked, not sure if she should be annoyed or not.

      Finn looked at her. “I believed you. I just wanted you to be wrong.”

      “At least he’s honest,” Montana said. “The last honest man.”

      “Don’t say that,” Finn told her. “I couldn’t stand the pressure.” He looked at Dakota. “I hear we’re going to Las Vegas tomorrow.”

      “Have you ever been?” she asked. Las Vegas didn’t strike her as a Finn kind of town.

      “No. It’s not my thing. I’m sure Stephen will love it, though.” He sighed. “Damn show.”

      “You’ll get it figured out,” she told him.

      “Want to tell me when so I have something to look forward to?”

      “I wish I knew.”

      He turned to Montana. “It was nice to meet you.”

      “Nice to meet you, too.”

      Finn waved, then turned and walked away.

      Dakota watched him go. She enjoyed the way he moved, his easy confidence. While she felt badly that he was worried about his brothers, there was a part of her that was looking forward to being with him in Las Vegas. She’d been there a couple of times with girlfriends, and it had been fun. She could only imagine what that town would be like with a man like Finn.

      “Interesting,” Montana said. “Very, very interesting. How was the sex?”

      Dakota nearly choked. “Excuse me? What kind of question is that?”

      “An obvious one. Don’t try to pretend nothing happened. I know you. You and Finn have had sex. I’m not asking for a lot of details, I just want to know how he was. Hardly an unreasonable request. It’s not like I’m getting any. Living vicariously through one’s sisters is a time-honored tradition.”

      “I, ah…” Dakota swallowed. She knew better than to try to fake her way out of telling the truth. With someone else she might have a prayer, but not with one of her sisters.

      “Fine. Yes, I was with Finn. It was great.” She smiled. “It was better than great.”

      “Are you going to do it again?” Montana asked.

      “The possibility is on the table. I’d like to.”

      Montana studied her. “Is it serious?”

      “No. Even if I was tempted, it can’t be. Finn isn’t staying. He practically lives on another planet and my life is here. Besides, neither of us is looking for anything significant or long-lasting. So we’ll be fine.”

      “I hope you’re right,” her sister told her. “Because sometimes when things are going really well, we find the one thing we’re pretending we’re not looking for.”

      “WHAT DO YOU MEAN the shipment came in early? All three hundred and eighty boxes? Are you telling me there are three hundred and eighty boxes sitting in our warehouse?” Finn asked.

      “Not boxes,” his partner Bill said. “Crates. Goddamn crates. What is he building? An ark?”

      This wasn’t happening, Finn told himself. It couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not while he was stuck here.

      The air charter company survived on contracts. That’s where the main money came from. The one-time deliveries were great, but the annual contracts paid the bills.

      One of their largest customers had decided to build a boat. By hand. He’d ordered it from God knows where and had arranged to have the pieces delivered to South Salmon. Now they had to be airlifted to his property three hundred miles north of town.

      When Finn had first heard about the project, he’d figured they were talking a half dozen boxes at most. Apparently, he’d been wrong.

      “The weight’s listed on the side of each crate,” Bill said. “We’re talking three to four crates per trip, at best. You want to do the math?”

      Finn swore. One hundred trips? “It’s not possible,” he said, more to himself than to Bill. “We have other customers.”

      “He’s willing to pay,” Bill said. “Finn, we can’t lose this guy. He keeps us going all winter.”

      His partner was right. The majority of their work came between April and October. But a hundred trips?

      “I’ve already put the word out,” Bill told him. “We’ve got the planes. I’ve shifted around the schedule. What we need is pilots. You have to come back.”

      Finn stared at the Southwest Airlines plane at the gate. The flight was already boarding. Stephen and the cougar were going to Las Vegas, and he had to be there to make sure everything was going to be okay. He didn’t trust that woman, or Geoff or anyone associated with the show. Excluding Dakota. Like him, she was doing what she had to.

      “I can’t,” he said. “Sasha and Stephen need me.”

      “That’s bullshit. They’re twenty-one. They’ll be fine on their own. This is where you belong, Finn. Get your ass back here.”

      He’d been responsible for his brothers for the past eight years. There was no way he could walk away now.

      “Who have you called? Did you try Spencer? He’s a good pilot and is usually available this time of year.”

      There was a long silence before Bill spoke again. “So that’s your answer? Hire someone else?”

      Finn turned his back on the other passengers and lowered his voice. “How many times have you needed me to cover for you? Before you got married, how many times did you have a hot date down in Anchorage or want to