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Patty.”
    “Do you tell Patty you’re afraid?”
    “Of course not!”
    Glowering around the kitchen, Curt shook his head. “Kids are like an antenna—they pick up on everything whether it’s spoken about or not.” And his daughter was exceptionally intelligent and sensitive for her age.
    “Miss Roberts thinks that part of the problem might be the fact you don’t see Patty very often,” Becky ventured softly. She forced herself to meet her husband’s gaze. “She feels Patty is reaching out for attention because she isn’t getting enough at home.”
    “I don’t believe it! Where does Miss Roberts get off saying that?” In his own family, his father owned a thriving brokerage house and was a workaholic. Most of the time, he wasn’t around for Curt or his younger brother, Jim. He hadn’t misbehaved in school just because his father hadn’t had the time to spend with him. Why should Patty?
    “She was an Air Force brat herself, Curt. Miss Roberts was raised in a military family and went to schools just like Patty’s going to. She knows what she’s talking about.”
    “Maybe.” Curt compressed his mouth. “How can I give Patty more attention, Sparrow?” It was his nickname for Becky because she reminded him of a sweet, harmless little bird. Sparrows had no defenses, no huge curved beak or talons like a hawk or eagle with which to protect themselves. Becky was vulnerable in many ways, and he tried to shield her from so much that could disrupt the ultrasensitive world she lived in. How could he shield her from his flying? Ever since he’d started testing, their marriage had been in a flat spin that he couldn’t seem to get a handle on.
    With a shrug, Becky ventured, “Instead of coming home, eating and going to study, you might take an hour and play with Patty. Miss Roberts said we need to pay attention to the school work she brings home, praise her and be interested in what she has to say.”
    “Great!” Curt rose, the chair nearly tipping over. “I don’t have an hour to spare in the evenings! Do you think I like going into that office and studying until midnight every night? Don’t you think I’d like to spend time with you and Patty? Testing’s different, Sparrow. It demands everything I’ve got to stay up with Stang and Holt. I’m number three in the standings. I’ve got to make it to number two in flight ratings to stay and be considered for other testing projects coming down the line later on. I can’t spend that hour with Patty.” And then, more softly, he added, “Or you.”
    Becky blinked back the tears and lowered her head so Curt couldn’t see them. “I know your back is against the wall. Being a test pilot means everything to you.”
    “Believe me,” Curt whispered with feeling, “I don’t like the hours, either. When I was a part of a fighter squadron, we had more time in the evenings to spend together. I’m sorry, Sparrow, but Patty is just going to have to roll with the punches like we are. She’s going to have to somehow adjust.”
    “There’s one ray of hope.”
    Curt came around the table and placed his hands on Becky’s small shoulders, feeling the tension in them. He began to massage her tense muscles. “What’s that?”
    Leaning back, Becky rested her head against her husband’s strong, lean body. “Miss Roberts recognized there’s special strains and demands put on Air Force children. Even though it’s her first year here since graduating, she’s going to fight hard for a new way of teaching the kids. It’s called outdoor education.” She placed her hand on his and absorbed his warmth, his love for her.
    “Outdoor education? What will that mean?’”
    “Miss Roberts wants the children outdoors more often. She feels to pen them up in a room for six or seven hours a day isn’t the best thing for them. You know how Patty loves to get up and move around.”
    Leaning down, Curt kissed her temple. “Yeah, that little pipsqueak of ours is a real