Chapter 1
Cate was in a state of shock when she had heard that her cousin, Rafe McCauley, had been ordered to engage in combat for England. He was like a brother to her and she couldn't even bear the thought of him dying, especially when his own country wasn't even in the war yet. She had overheard her Uncles talk about the war in Europe. She knew that it was inevitable that the United States would soon join forces with England and France, and that Rafe would have to fight eventually; but the fighting still seemed so far away.
"How could they have ordered him to go? He's in the U.S. Air force!" she had thought. It just didn't add up. Granted, he was well known for his flying skills but why would the U.S. Air force give up their best pilot?
When her Uncles had received the news Rafe was already at the train station that was to take him to his flight to England. On the phone he had said, "now C.C. ," for that was the nickname he had given her when they were seven, " I will not have you cryin' over me. I'm a grown man and the best pilot we've got. I'll be back in no time." That was Rafe, always the modest one.
Cate thought about their childhood. Ever since she was seven she would go down to Tennessee with her parents to visit her Aunt and Uncle McCauley. Rafe and his best friend Danny were four years older than her and they never let her forget it. She would always tag along with them even though Rafe and Danny never really liked the idea of playing with a girl and would often try to ditch her. Despite this she would always try her hardest to be more like them. Cate laughed at how much of a tomboy she once was. Her clothes were constantly dirty and she often got into fights with other boys who dared to make fun of her. God, she missed those summers. Her favorite was the last summer her family came to visit. She was thirteen, Rafe and Danny were seventeen. That's when she had learned to fly.
It was the most thrilling experience she had ever had in her life. Her parents never approved of their little lady flying planes and she got in the most trouble of her life for taking it out on her own, but she didn't care. She had discovered her passion. The adrenaline rush from the point of take-off to landing was the best high there was.
After that summer, her parents decided to send her to boarding school like her father. They thought that she needed to be introduced to good society and actually make friends with other girls. When her fourteenth birthday came around she was sent from Chicago to New York City. It was at St. Paul's Academy for Girls that she began to turn into the proper young lady that her parents always wanted. She never let go of some of her old ways, like her impulsiveness and her love of aviation, but she did begin to wear dresses more often and did enjoy the new attentions she was getting from boys. It was almost as if she lived a double life. One side of her couldn't stand the frivolousness of high-society, and the other enjoyed the attentions she received.
Boarding school and those summer visits, however, stopped when her parents died in a car accident back home in Chicago. Cate was devastated. The McCauleys were unable to take her in as they weren't able to take care of yet another child.
She was sent to live with her Great Uncles, on her father's side, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Uncle Jack and Uncle Joe spoiled Cate as they never had any children of their own. They were never really what you would call conformists. They treated Cate as they would any boy and even let her fly the plane that they used to rescue hikers and climbers that were trapped up in the mountains. As a result of this, Cate became an independent and intelligent girl, not to mention an extremely good pilot. She had often joined her uncles on one of their rescue missions and developed a taste for adventure. Her parents would've never approved of her Uncles' indulgence in this type of behavior. It was very much unlike the proper St. Paul's girl her parents expected her to be raised as.
"It's funny how things turn out," Cate thought to herself. Now, twenty-one years of age, she had grown into a fine young woman. Despite their non-conformist outlook on life, her uncles had still managed to turn her into an elegant young lady, never actually forgetting the idea that she was indeed a girl. She grew up to be kind, intelligent and outspoken, especially for her sex. She had a pleasing disposition, although it did unnerve some men that she was so frank. Her appearance was also what most would consider very pleasant. She had long golden blonde hair that she normally left down. Her eyes were a clear, striking ocean blue color. Her skin was tan and she had a tall, lean frame. Cate had always preferred trousers to dresses, but she tried to reflect her parent's upbringing by wearing the fashion appropriate to ladies her age.
It was funny to think that behind her perfect disguise she was a skilled pilot. She knew that one could not tell this at a glance. Men mostly figured she would just make a good house wife, something to enjoy coming home to. That appalled Cate. She had bigger plans for herself than to just cook and clean and take care of the children. What she really wanted to do was to become a pilot in the U.S. Air force; but who was she kidding? They would not even dream of letting a woman fly their precious equipment. No, the closest she would ever get to the Air Force, she decided, was to become a nurse.
So, once Cate found out that Rafe had enlisted, she resolved to do the same as a nurse. It was only two weeks ago that she got notice that they would be sending her to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was like a dream. Her uncles were admittedly less excited about it than her, but they gave up trying to control her years ago. Today, she would pack up all her belongings, and tomorrow she would be on a plane, ready to begin her journey. It was exciting, but she was admittedly a bit frightened.
"Be careful Rafe," she thought to herself, hoping that Rafe would receive this mental message.
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