Touching the Clouds: A Novel (Alaskan Skies Book #1)

It would be a long day, but Kate didn’t mind—Nena was with her. She glanced at her native friend. “I’m glad you came to Anchorage.”

“I loved it. I had very much fun.” Nena smiled broadly.

Flying beneath gray clouds, Kate left Cook Inlet and followed the Susitna River inland. “I wish you could have stayed longer.”

“It’s time for me to go. I miss my Joe and the children.” She glanced toward the back of the plane. “I hope they like their gifts.” She shook her head slightly. “I never seen so many stores.”

Kate laughed. “Too many.”

As she approached Bear Creek, her thoughts went to Paul. She hadn’t spoken to him in three weeks, not since the day she’d hurt her shoulder. She rotated it—almost no pain. It had healed nicely.

After the emergency run they’d taken, Paul had stopped meeting the plane. Kate missed him, and it hurt that she’d driven him away. In time, she hoped the rift between them would heal. She couldn’t imagine life without him being in it. Her emotions were so strong she wondered what her true feelings were—certainly more than friendship.

“It has been so nice to meet the people on your route,” Nena said.

“My friends Sassa and Patrick live at the next stop. They usually meet the plane. Sassa’s native—Aleut, I think.”

She set the plane down on the creek and steered toward the Warrens’ place. Patrick and Sassa stood on their dock and offered a wave of greeting. Kate powered back and glided alongside the platform. Her tail wagging, Angel waited at the door and rushed past Kate the moment it was opened.

Kate grabbed the mail, climbed onto a pontoon, and stepped to the dock. “Hello. How are you two?”

“Good.” Sassa’s eyes went to a package in Kate’s hands. “Is that for me?”

“It is.” Kate handed her the small box.

“I’ve been waiting for this.” The pitch in her voice rose.

“Makeup.” Patrick rolled his eyes. “She’s been waiting for weeks. Don’t see why she needs it.”

Sassa held the box against her chest. “There’s nothing wrong with using a little bit of lipstick and rouge.”

“And that stuff you put on your eyes. I know you ordered it.” Patrick tried to keep a stern expression, but his lips lifted in a slight smile. “As if makeup could make you more beautiful than you already are.” He winked.

Sassa smiled and leaned against him. “You’re teasing, but I like it.”

Nena stepped out of the plane and onto the dock.

“I’d like you to meet my friend from Kotzebue,” Kate said. “This is Nena Turchick. Nena, this is Patrick and Sassa Warren.”

“Good to meet you,” Nena said, offering a quiet smile.

“So glad to finally meet you,” Sassa said. “Kate has told us about you.”

Patrick gave her a friendly nod. “I suppose this is very different from Kotzebue.”

“Yes. There are trees and it is much greener.”

“Nena’s been visiting. I’m taking her home today.”

“Did you like Anchorage?” Sassa asked.

“Yes, very much, but it will be good to be home again.”

Kate handed Patrick an envelope. “Can you give this to Paul?” She glanced down the creek toward his house.

“Sure. Don’t see much of him these days. Keeps to himself mostly.”

“Is he all right?”

“Down in the dumps. Figure he’s wrestling with himself.” Patrick lifted his hat and used it to swat at a mosquito buzzing his arm.

“Can you stay a little while?” Sassa asked.

“I wish we could, but I’ve got one more stop to make before we head for Kotzebue. And with the days getting shorter, I’ll be hard-pressed to make McGrath.” She glanced up the river. “Clouds are thinning, that will help.”

“Nena, maybe you can come again some day,” Sassa said.

“I’d like that.” Nena smiled. “Next summer, maybe?” She looked at Kate for affirmation.

“You just tell me when.”

“Okay. We’ll count on it,” Sassa said with a nod.

Nena stepped back to the plane. Before disappearing inside, she waved farewell.

With one more glance at Paul’s place, Kate said, “Gotta go. Come on, Angel.” The dog came running and leaped inside.

“See you next week.” Patrick took Sassa’s hand and stepped back while Kate returned to the cockpit.

Patrick gave the plane a shove, and the Bellanca floated free of the dock. Kate turned the plane so it faced upstream and increased speed until she glided over the quiet water, and then lifted off, soaring over the trees. Glancing down at Paul’s cabin, she prayed for him. Lord, I don’t know what’s hurting him or why he’s hiding, but you do. Help him with whatever it is.

“The sun makes everything even more beautiful,” Nena said.

“You want to see something special?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Kate headed back toward the inlet. “Mount Susitna was hidden by clouds when we flew in, but she’s clear now.” When Kate was at the mouth of the river, she turned back so the plane faced the mountain. “Look. Can you see her?”

Nena studied Mount Susitna. “What am I supposed to see?”

“The Sleeping Lady.” Kate chuckled. “Look more closely. If you use your imagination, you can see a woman lying on her back, her face looking at the sky, and her hair flowing down around her shoulders.”

“Yes. I see her.”

“Some people see her lying on her side, but I like to think of her gazing at the sky.” Kate smiled. “Let’s have a closer look.” Kate headed toward the mountain. “This is one of my favorite places. It’s beautiful here, not as rugged as a lot of the territory. This is a gentle mountain.”

Lakes below sparkled like blue gems resting among the forest. “I drop off a lot of fishermen out this way.”

Nena wrinkled up her nose. “What is that smell?”

Kate sniffed. It was oil. Had she left an oily rag up front? She didn’t see anything.

Something splattered the windshield. Kate leaned forward to get a better look at it. Her pulse picked up. Oil!

She looked at the oil pressure. It was low. I better get us on the ground. More black splashed the windshield and smoke rolled out from beneath the engine.

The temperature gauge read hot and the oil pressure had dropped even more. She was losing the precious fluid quickly. If she lost too much, the engine would seize. There wasn’t much time. The plane bucked and trembled.

“What’s wrong?” Nena asked, her voice tight. She gripped the edge of her seat.

“Oil’s leaking.”

“Is that bad?”

“It’s not good, but we’ll be all right. I’ll find a place to set down.”

Oil continued to spew. Panic reached for Kate, but she forced her mind on flying and doing all she could to keep them in the air until she could find a place to land. Angel paced and whined.

Kate turned back, searching for the lake she’d just passed over. She couldn’t see it. Where was it? Why did I decide to go sightseeing today? No one knows where we are. And I don’t have a radio.

Smoke billowed out of the engine. The oil pressure no longer registered. She was out of time. The engine sputtered. Where’s that lake? The Bellanca shuddered.

“Nena, I’m going to have to put her down now.”

Gripping her seat, Nena nodded.

Panic rising, Kate searched for an open field. The pontoons would probably come apart, but open ground was far better than trees. Stay calm. You can do this. Lord, show me where to land.

She’d always felt like her Bellanca was a friend that would never let her down. But the engine sputtered and the plane vibrated violently. They were losing altitude fast.

“Come on. Come on.” Kate urged the bird to fly.

All of a sudden it was there—the lake, looking like a blue point of hope. She turned toward it and prayed the engine would hold up long enough to get her there.

It’s not far now. Come on, girl.

As she dropped down barely above the trees, Kate felt as if she were wrestling with the plane. Nearing the lake, she pulled back on the stick, trying to keep the nose up. The trees were close. Gripping the stick, she feared the belly would skim the treetops. The plane trembled. The engine seemed to gasp and then stopped altogether. Everything was eerily quiet. They were going down. Kate tried to keep the bird in the air. The lake was so close.

“Nena, grab hold of something!”

The nose dropped and they clipped a tree. The plane dove toward the lake. The day at Rimrock Lake flashed through Kate’s mind. Dear God, not again.

When they hit, the Pacemaker slammed into the water. Kate was thrown out of her seat and into the windshield. Pain exploded in her head. Her arm hit something and it felt like a hot knife had been shoved through it.

Nena screamed. Angel yelped.

The plane stopped.

It stood on its nose, and then toppled onto its back, dropping Kate and Nena to the ceiling.

When Kate fell, she landed on the side of her neck and felt a painful wrenching. She couldn’t distinguish up from down.

The plane floated for a moment, then shifted and started to sink. Disoriented and in pain, Kate called to Nena. There was no response.

“Dear Lord, no! Please no!” She grabbed her friend. “Nena!”

Blood coursed down the side of Nena’s face. Her eyes were closed. I’ve got to get us out!

Thankful Nena was tiny, Kate grabbed her beneath the arms and dragged her out of the cockpit toward the back of the plane. Water seemed to pour in from everywhere.

Still holding onto her friend, Kate scrambled through the upside-down cabin, ducking under the tops of the seats.

“Angel!” she hollered. She could hear the dog whining. “Angel!”

Seconds later the dog was beside her.

When Kate reached the door, she tugged the latch, but it wouldn’t budge. She yanked it and finally realized she was turning it the wrong way. She tried again. This time the bolt came free. She pushed against the door, but it barely moved. Water pressure from the outside held it shut.

She rammed her shoulder against it and pain flared inside her joint. The door moved only a couple inches. Icy water gushed in. As the depth increased, Kate continued to push, all the while struggling to keep ahold of Nena. She couldn’t let her die. As the water deepened inside, the door finally gave way enough to allow escape.

“Come on, Angel.”

The dog lunged past her and into the freezing water. Kate climbed out and dragged Nena free. Already below the surface, the plane was going down quickly. Hanging onto Nena’s shirt, she pushed off against the door frame with her feet and swam toward the light.

Feeling as if her lungs would burst, Kate broke through the surface and sucked in oxygen. She looked at Nena. Blood still flowed from a cut on the side of her head. Her skin looked pallid. Was she breathing?

“Nena!” Kate shook her. No. God, please not again. Please.

Kate fought to stay afloat while turning Nena onto her back. She looked at the plane. The bottom of the fuselage and the pontoons were just barely above water. One pontoon looked like it was smashed in front and the other was angled away from the cabin. With an ugly slurping sound, the Bellanca sank amid swirling water and bubbles.

A moment later, there was no sign it had been there at all.

Whining, Angel paddled in circles around Kate.

“It’s all right, girl. Come on.”

Thankful for the swimming lessons her mother had forced her to take, she headed toward shore, careful to keep Nena’s face out of the water. “You’re not going to die,” she said vehemently. “Not this time.”

Inch by inch, the shore came closer. Kate’s shoulder ached and the arm she had around Nena felt numb. Finally her toes touched the bottom of the lake. Just a couple more feet. She kept pulling, and at last she was able to get her footing.

For a few moments she didn’t move while she caught her breath. With her arm still around Nena, she waded through muck and slippery rocks toward the beach. As the water grew shallow, it was difficult to handle Nena. Finally Kate hefted her into her arms and stumbled onto a grassy shore. Shivering and exhausted, she laid Nena on her back and dropped to her knees beside her friend.

Pressing her ear against her chest, she listened for a heartbeat. It was faint, but she was still alive. She didn’t look like she was breathing. Kate rolled Nena onto her side and pounded her back. Water dribbled out of her mouth and then Kate heard a strangled breath. She continued to slap her between the shoulder blades until Nena’s breathing evened out.

She rolled her friend onto her back. “Nena?”

There was no response, not even the flutter of an eyelid.

Kate dropped back, sitting on her heels. All of a sudden, deep gulping sobs rose up from inside. She pressed her head against her friend’s chest. “Please, don’t die.”

Angel pushed a cold nose against Kate’s face. She wrapped an arm around the dog and hugged her, then pressed her face into the dog’s ruff.

Her sobs subsided and she turned to look down at Nena, hoping for some sort of movement. Angel walked a few paces away and shook out her coat, then set off to explore. Kate sat and pulled her knees against her chest and stared at the place she’d last seen her plane. She’d done it again. Tears trailed down her cheeks.

I’m still nothing but a lark about. She pressed her forehead against her knees. “What was I thinking?”

She looked at Nena. She needed medical attention, now. And everything Kate had that might help was at the bottom of the lake.

She shivered and took in her surroundings. Heavy forests pressed in on all sides. There was no sign that any man had ever been in this place.

No one knew they were here.