LITMIR.BIZ

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was nothing to do but wait.

      “How long do you need to keep the balloon inflated?” she called.

      “Until the crew can switch out the empty tanks with full ones, or we run out of propane. If that happens, I’ll need your help to keep the balloon away from the water and the trees.”

      “How long before they get here?”

      “Whenever they get here.”

      Amalia went to the water’s edge and gazed across the expanse. It was a large reservoir with wide cleared areas surrounding it. Obviously trees had been cut—stumps were scattered as far as she could see.

      Amalia took a deep breath. She relished being back on the ground. Somehow she’d have to convince Stefano to renegotiate the bet. She did not want to go up again. Though all things considered, it hadn’t been as bad as her imagination. No one had fallen out. The basket hadn’t given way. And she had been held closely for a brief moment by one of Barcelona’s most exciting bachelors. Not that she had bragging rights. But for those few moments she’d felt totally safe.

      She refused to think about the moments he’d held her hand and tried to charm her into joining forces with him. Best left in the past. It wouldn’t be repeated.

      Sighing softly for what could never be, she looked around, spotting a road winding down through the trees. When the chase crew arrived it would be from that direction.

      She walked back to the basket.

      “Now I’d like some thing to drink, please,” she said.

      Rafael tossed a soda to her. “Something to eat, too?” he asked.

      “In a little while. I’m hoping this will settle the butterflies in my stomach.”

      “You did fine, Amalia. No need to be afraid,” he said gently, leaning against the side of the basket, taking a long drink from the can he held.

      “Phobias aren’t something that go away on your say-so,” she said. She drank from the cold can, then looked around.

      “No, I guess not.” He was silent for a moment then turned toward her. “So why the Children’s Home, to make the check out to?”

      “You’ll really do that?” she asked.

      “I said so, didn’t I?” There was a hint of steel in his tone.

      She flashed back to the meeting in her boss’s office. Rafael had become angry with the slightest hint from Stefano that he wasn’t honorable. Obviously that meant a lot to him, which struck her as odd, given the ruthless nature of every successful businessman. Was Rafael a bit different? Unlikely.

      Amalia had never had such a generous gesture made for her. “My parents were both orphans. My mother actually lived in the Home for a few months when she was about eleven. It was a favored charity for them. Made in their name should bring hope to other children that when they grow up they’ll be happy, too.”

      “And were your parents happy?” he asked.

      “Yes. We did things together as a family. It wasn’t perfect. My mother had a real temper and she would let it fly rather than bottle things up inside. But ten minutes later the storm was over and they were hugging and kissing.” She smiled a bit at the memories. “I want a relationship like that if I ever get married,” she said, looking at the water, remembering the sudden storm that had swamped the boat they’d been on, ending their happy family life forever.

      She shivered.

      “I shall be happy to make the donation in their name,” Rafael said, watching her.

      The minutes dragged by. By feeding the hot air into the balloon periodically, enough to keep it from fully deflating and drifting to the ground, Rafael watched the gas gauge. It was getting lower each time he fired the burners. If the propane gas ran out, the balloon would gradually sink to the ground. If that happened before the rest of the team arrived, he’d just have to hope he and Amalia could control the deflating envelope enough to keep it from catching in the trees.

      Amalia drank her soda and ate one of the sandwiches Maria had prepared.

      “How far to the nearest town?” she asked, looking around.

      “I saw one toward the east before we came down. I don’t know, maybe ten miles.”

      Ten miles. Was there any traffic where she could hitch a ride? Now she wished she’d spent some of her time up in the air studying the layout on the ground.

      Just as she heard the burners fire up again, she heard the honking horn and turned to see the chase team racing down the narrow road, horn blaring.

      “They’re here!” Amalia said, jumping up from the stump she’d been sitting on for most of the afternoon. “We’re rescued!”

      Rafael laughed. “We didn’t need rescue. We’ll refuel and lift off again. This time you won’t be so afraid. You know how it all works.”

      By the time the balloon lifted again, Amalia hoped she would discover a way to be far gone.

      * * *

      But she didn’t. Working in perfect synchronization, the team swapped full propane tanks for the empties, keeping the envelope almost full. In less than thirty minutes one of the chase team called to Rafael that he saw the other balloon.

      “Oops, time to go,” Rafael said. “Come on, Amalia.”

      She wanted to argue, but the camaraderie of the ground crew and the pride she felt that she’d actually survived the morning mellowed her thinking. If all these people thought the event worth taking part in, maybe she needed to give it one more chance. And, truly, if she didn’t look down, she had grown used to the gentle movement of the gondola and almost gotten used to the sudden noise when the burners were engaged.

      She had not gotten used to Rafael, however. Still, she could do this, what choice did she have?

      She looked up and saw the other hot air balloon almost overhead.

      “They’ll get ahead of us,” she said as she grabbed the jacket she’d discarded and hurried to the gondola. By the time they rose enough to catch the current, Vicente’s balloon would have a slight lead.

      Rafael turned his head to smile at her. “We’ll catch them if they get ahead. Fire up the fans,” he called as he opened the burners and the roaring filled their ears. In only seconds the balloon began to rise rapidly.

      Amalia watched, her attention torn between their own efforts and the balloon sailing silently overhead.

      “They’re getting ahead,” she said. If her boss outdistanced Rafael the first day, would that settle the race? Glancing at the charged energy Rafael showed, she doubted it. He’d fight to the last second to gain even an inch of distance.

      “You come and take the controls,” Rafael said. “I need to consult the weather maps of the area. Keep the burners going until the temperature gets near the limit.”

      Amalia stepped closer to the center. She grabbed the lever and pulled down, feeling almost like a pro. They were gaining altitude rapidly now. Soon they were level with Stefano’s balloon, though some distance behind.

      Rafael glanced up from the charts and maps he was perusing and looked around. He jotted a note on the margin of the paper.

      The trees had dropped away, the surrounding hills were left behind. The burners roared and Amalia laughed in sheer delight. She’d done it! She wasn’t about to go near the edge of the basket, but she’d lifted the balloon from the ground. Looking at the other balloon, she saw they were rapidly passing it in elevation. Would a different air current sweep them past?

      She glanced at Rafael and found him grinning at her. “Told you it would get better,” he said.

      The euphoria she experienced allowed her to incline her head regally and agree. “So you did. How long

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