Montana Hero

by Debra Salonen

  Kat’s knees trembled, more from relief than fatigue. She made eye contact with Brady and smiled. Her son burst into tears and Kermit moved aside to make room for Kat. Emotions she couldn’t even catalogue charged through her the second she held her baby’s shaking body.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy,” he blubbered, nearly incoherent. “I d…didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I know, Brady. I know. It’s okay. You’re okay.” Her gaze met Flynn’s. “Thanks to Flynn.”

  He nodded shortly, but the intensity of emotion in his gaze stopped her heart momentarily. They had a lot to discuss. Later. First, they needed to get Brady home safe and sound.

  “It looked to me like he fell or rolled off a ledge about forty feet above where I found him. He was unconscious for ten or so minutes while I was present. I have no idea how long before that. I kept his neck immobile until I could I check his pupils. No abnormal reaction. Swelling and tenderness around his left elbow. Could be a bone chip.”

  Flynn answered a boatload of questions—all ones she recognized as standard protocol after a rescue. The paperwork would take hours to complete—later. Much later.

  “Can we get moving, please?” Justin said, taking the words out of Kat’s mouth. “Another storm is coming. I’ll let the riders know we’re extracting overland. Who wants to be first?”

  First?

  To carry her son.

  Brady seemed reluctant to go with a stranger, but Flynn leaned down and whispered something in his ear. Brady nodded and looped his arms around Kermit’s neck. The pair made a flawless about-face and started re-tracing their snowy path. Flynn and Justin flanked Kat as if worried about her ability to make it out. She would have protested if she weren’t exhausted and so relieved she wanted to lie down and cry.

  Flynn took her hand and squeezed, as if reading her mind. “I didn’t expect to see you, but I’m glad I did. Brady was almost at the end of his rope. He needed a hug from his mom.”

  “Everyone tried to talk me out of coming along, but I know my son. He hides his emotions well, but when a meltdown happens, not everyone can handle him.” She looked at Flynn. “How’d he do last night?”

  “Good.”

  She doubted that was true but didn’t press for details.

  One foot in front of the other, she told herself.

  The mantra lulled her into the gait of a mindless drone—until she heard Justin tell Flynn, “The Zabrinskis want a meeting tomorrow at your office.”

  Kat’s toe snagged on something buried in the mushy snow and she lunged forward. How Flynn caught her she couldn’t say, but one second she was stumbling out of control and the next she was pressed tight to his chest, her cheek buried against the cold, slick material of his jacket. His strength enveloped her, making her feel safe in a way she hadn’t felt…well, ever.

  A small sob escaped her throat.

  He patted her back. “Everything’s going to be okay, Kat. You have to trust the process.”

  “I…I…can’t.” Nothing good had ever come from trusting others. She’d trusted her stepfather to do the right thing with her mother. She’d trusted doctors and caregivers, only to watch her mother continue to decline. She’d trusted her mother—her biggest mistake of all.

  He used one finger to nudge her chin upward so he could look into her eyes. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you or your son.”

  As much as she wanted to believe him, she knew it was up to her to take care of Brady. Brady came first. Brady would always come first. What man in his right mind would want a woman with the kind of baggage she brought to the table?

  “We’ve got you, sweetheart.”

  Flynn motioned to Justin and the two each took a side, creating a virtual sling between them. Pride, she realized, was a luxury she couldn’t afford. She needed their help and was damn glad to take it. The sooner she got back to the zip line, the sooner she could hold her little boy. Nothing else mattered—not even a Zabrinski inquisition.

  *

  Flynn stood in the doorway of the hospital room and watched mother and son for a good five minutes before either noticed him. Kat and Brady had both argued with the emergency room doctor who examined Brady and declared the need for twenty-four hours of hospital observation.

  Brady sat cross-legged on the bed in flannel Spiderman pajamas. He seemed his usual self. At least, he wasn’t the shook-up, frightened kid Flynn found at the base of the cliff.

  Kat had pulled up the lone visitor chair so she could rest her chin on her upturned palm while Brady moved a chess piece. She looked beautiful, of course, but exhausted. Was Flynn the only one who saw the fresh lines of worry and stress around her eyes?

  “Hey,” Brady said. “It’s Flynn.”

  Flynn walked in, the gift he’d bought behind his back. “It’s me. I hear they’re springing you today. Are you that difficult a patient?”

  “No. My brain isn’t bleeding. I can go home, now.”

  He started to slide off the bed until Kat stopped him. “Not yet, soldier. Not till your release papers come.”

  “Mom.” He used the three-syllable version of the word.

  Kat looked at Flynn. “Still one test result to come back, but he’s fine.” She swallowed. “Thanks to you.”

  Flynn produced the wrapped present from behind his back and tapped it to his forehead. “Hey, I can’t play hero if I don’t have people falling off mountainsides from time to time.”

  “Is that for me?” Brady asked.

  Flynn nodded. “I heard you’re supposed to take it easy for a few days. I thought this might come in handy.”

  He walked closer and handed Brady the package.

  Hunks of wrapping paper flew in every direction. A healthy Brady didn’t lack for exuberance.

  “Cool,” Brady said.

  The DVD was a recent release that came highly recommended by the store clerk. “Can I start it, Mom? Please? You know how long it takes to get things done around here.”

  Kat sighed and ran her hand across her face. “Okay.”

  Brady settled back against the pillows and balanced Kat’s laptop across his knees. A handy-dandy pair of ear buds provided Kat and Flynn a bit of privacy. She’d texted him earlier asking to meet.

  “Should I try to round up another chair?” he asked.

  “No. You take this one. I’ll sit on the window ledge. I spent part of the night there staring at the rain on the window, imagining what it would have been like for Brady on the mountain if you hadn’t found him.”

  “But I did.”

  “And you kept him safe. Justin talked about how you felt after the woman you tried to rescue died. He was worried that something might have happened to Brady and you’d be tortured by indecision. Stay put or walk out at night.”

  Justin had confessed as much yesterday when they reached the deployment area. They hadn’t talked for long because Flynn needed a hot shower and a meal before filing his incident report. He’d been brutally honest—except for the part about how and when he and Kat realized Brady was missing. He still felt bad about that, and according to Justin, Kat was beating herself up about being a bad mother.

  “I brought you a present, too.”

  “Me? Why?”

  He handed her the small, wrapped box. He’d spotted it that morning when he walked into the kitchen for his coffee. One of the jewelry ladies had been working on it and brought it out of the area where they did most of the work to share with the others. He didn’t recognize the type of stone but he’d immediately fallen in love with the design—a small heart nestled in the center of a larger heart, cradling the pretty bluish purple stone.

  “It’s Montana sapphire,” he said as she pulled out the ring to look at it.

  “It’s gorgeous. Is it Bailey’s work?”

  “One of her designers. She just finished it this morning. It reminded me of you and Brady.”

  “It’s fabulous, but I shouldn’t. I don’t deserve it. I’m a terrible mother.” The last came out with a
small cry.

  He shot to her side. “No. You’re not. You know that’s the truth. Not a parent alive can watch their child every minute of every day. Brady and I had a talk about choices and consequences. He made a choice and paid for it dearly.”

  She nodded. “He told me the two of you itemized every expense the search was going to cost. Fuel for the plane. Hay for the horses. The cost of transporting the horses to the staging area. Feeding the volunteers…” She looked up. “Did you know Sarah Zabrinski organized that?”

  “Janet told me. She said you and Sarah had a long talk, and Sarah gave you a bunch of papers.”

  Kat stared at the ring, but she didn’t make any effort to try it on.

  “Mom’s employment records. I couldn’t believe Big Z’s still had paper copies, but apparently Mr. Zabrinski is a bit of a packrat.”

  Mr. Zabrinski.

  “Bob came in today to file his log. He said his kids are organizing a summit—his word, not mine—for tomorrow and they want you and Brady to be there.”

  Her chin made a small bobbing motion. When she looked at him, he could see the dread in her expression. “Sarah told me Robert refused on principle to do a DNA test, and he didn’t want any of his children to step in and volunteer. He’s adamant that he could not be my biological father because he never had sex with my mother.”

  Flynn heard the same thing from the man himself. He seemed honestly baffled by the allegation. “I lived my life by the rules—just like a good man is supposed to do. To be accused of something this…immoral, this contrary to everything I believe in—just doesn’t seem right.”

  “He told me he didn’t even remember what your mother looked like until Sarah showed him an old photo she found.”

  Kat hopped off the ledge and reached for something from her back pocket. “Sarah gave me this. Mom’s in the middle.”

  Flynn studied the photo. “I can see you in her face. That’s Janet on the other side, right? Who’s the guy?”

  Kat let out a peep of surprise. “Janet?” She crowded in close enough to stare at the picture, too. “You’re right. I thought she looked familiar. I don’t know who the guy is, but he looks familiar, too.”

  Flynn studied it a moment longer. “Can I take this with me? I bet Janet could tell us.”

  Kat shrugged. “I guess so. He looks a little younger than Mom. Do you think maybe he might be the mystery sperm donor? They do look sorta chummy, don’t th—?”

  Her question was cut off by the arrival of the doctor. She let go of the photograph and hurried across the room. Flynn placed the photo in his hip pocket and walked to the window to stare at the vista. He tried not to eavesdrop, but his curiosity was two-fold. He cared about the little boy he’d rescued. He also had a vested interest in whether or not Kat decided to stay in Montana.

  He’d signed a loan application this morning. He was in the process of declaring this town, this state, his home. He planned to be here for the long haul, and he could see himself marrying again, maybe raising a couple of kids. He had no problem picturing Kat and Brady in his life. The ring he’d given her wasn’t meant to be a promise or pre-engagement. It was beautiful and the stone reminded him of Kat—precious and resilient. But, maybe, subconsciously, he hoped she’d read more into the gesture.

  “How soon will he be okay to travel?” she asked.

  “By air? Give it a week,” the doctor said. “By car, I’d suggest you hold off a few days. I’m confident he’s one hundred percent Brady, but why risk throwing a clot by sitting for long periods of time?”

  Kat rolled her shoulders as if to dislodge temporarily the weight of the world from its resting place. She judged herself far harsher than anyone else did, Flynn knew. Would anything he or the Zabrinski family said to her tomorrow change her mind about moving? He didn’t know, but there might be one person who could.

  He turned abruptly and hurried toward the door. “I have to get back to the office. I’ll catch you later, Kat.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. Then he left before she could give him back his ring and tell him she was leaving Marietta for good and they’d never see each other again. He wasn’t ready to hear those words. He’d never be ready to let her go.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‡

  “Janet,” Flynn said, stopping at her desk on his way to his office. “Do you have a minute?”

  She looked up. “Sure. Just finishing the last of the situation reports.”

  “Excellent. Thank you.”

  He looked around, and realized that although he’d thanked each person individually for his or her efforts to find Brady, he hadn’t made a public statement recognizing their tremendous group effort.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m not good at speeches, but I want you to know I was very impressed by your teamwork and efficiency. I know I can’t take the credit for that. You can teach me a lot.”

  “Like leaving the field work to your underlings?” Rebecca asked. “You’re supposed to be here bossing us around, remember? Not sleeping in a tent in the snow.”

  He snickered softly. “I can’t promise I’ll be that kind of boss. Old habits are hard to break. Firefighters are the guys running into the burning buildings not from them, remember?”

  “That’s what we figured. Plus, this one was personal,” Mike, the senior EMT, added. “Kat’s only been here a little over a year, but she’s one of us. You did us proud, Flynn.”

  A spontaneous applause made the heat rise in Flynn’s cheeks, but he tried to acknowledge the praise as graciously as possible. “Thank you. Let’s get back to work. First round is on me at Grey’s on Friday.”

  Of course, that earned more applause and a catcall or two.

  A few minutes later, Janet paused in his office doorway. “Now, okay?”

  “Sure. Come in. I just spoke with Kat at the hospital and she showed me this photo that she got from Sarah Zabrinski. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is you, isn’t it?”

  She stepped to his desk and took the photograph he held out to her.

  “Wow. An old one. Yes,” she said, studying the image. “That’s me on the left with…oh, what was her name? She only worked there a few months. Jenny? Goldie?”

  “Grace?”

  She frowned. “Gracie. Everybody called her Gracie. Is she Kat’s mother?”

  Flynn nodded.

  “Oh, man, I never put that together. Kat’s so businesslike and on the intense side. Gracie was totally laid-back. She had a Southern accent, but people joked that she came from California in a hippy van filled with pot.”

  “She used drugs?”

  Janet shook her head. “I never saw her, but she partied a lot with Rog.” She pointed to the young man in the photo. “Roger had a problem. Nobody blamed him, of course, after what happened to his brother and all, but he was pretty messed up at the time. The family gave him a token job at Big Z’s just to keep him out of trouble, I think.”

  Flynn’s senses went on high alert—the way they did when he was reading a fire. “Roger is a Zabrinski?”

  He looked at the photo again. Roger and Grace seemed pretty friendly. What if they had an affair, not Grace and Robert?

  “Yes. There were three brothers: Richard, Robert and Roger. All Rs. People used to do that, you know? Saved on monograms or something.”

  “Were? Past tense?”

  She plopped her hip on the corner of his desk as if that was a pose she’d assumed often with her previous boss. Flynn wasn’t comfortable with her looking down on him, so he got up and carried one of the two stackable chairs to a spot across from him. “Here. You’ll be more comfortable. You were saying….”

  “Richard, the oldest, was movie star handsome. Smart. Had a great future ahead of him. He came home from college for hunting season and…there was an accident. The story I heard was Roger tripped and his gun when off and Richard died.”

  “Oh. Damn. How old was Roger?”

  “Fifteen, I think. He was always a wild kid, but after that he got
into drugs and alcohol. His parents finally sent him away to a military school. He bounced around a few colleges. Then he came into an inheritance from his grandmother and wound up marrying a stripper in Vegas. I heard bits and pieces of the story when I was working at Big Z’s.”

  “So, he was married when this picture was taken?”

  She nodded. “I think so. It’s hard to remember. I just worked there one summer.”

  “Is he still alive?”

  “Yeah. We’re friends on Facebook.”

  He fought to keep from showing his surprise. “Really? Show me.”

  Janet lumbered to her feet and walked around the desk. Within minutes, she was on the home page of her friend, Roger Zabrinski. Flynn scanned a few posts and the information in the sidebar where Mr. Zabrinski described himself, his likes, and his employment. “He works for a movie studio?”

  “Semi-retired, now. But he built sets for movies. Has a ton of movie credits.”

  “I don’t suppose you have his phone number?”

  She gave him a look Kat would have called her Oh-So-Janet look. “You can message him. See that dot by his name? He’s online.”

  Flynn’s hands shook a bit as he composed his inquiry.

  “Hello. My name is Flynn Bensen. I’m Janet’s boss. We have a situation that you might be able to help us with. I’d really appreciate the chance to speak with you, if possible.” He included his cell phone number then gave Janet the universal thumbs up sign. “Thank you, Janet. You’ve been a big help.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She turned to leave, but paused a moment. “Kat’s a good person. I admit I was a little hard on her, at first, because Ken hated her. I think I know why, now.”

  He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he nodded. “I’ll tell her you said so.”

  His phone started to ring. Flynn could tell by the display the call was from out of state. He waited until Janet closed the door firmly behind her before answering. This dirty laundry wasn’t leaving this room. If Roger Zabrinski claimed he never had sex with Grace Adair, then Kat would never need to hear about this.