Page 7 of Trouble with the Mountain Man
"I can stop the immediate problem. Full repair will have to wait until morning." He's already reaching for his toolbox. "Where's your water shutoff?"
"I... I don't know."
"Basement?"
"We don't have one. Just a crawl space."
He nods and heads outside. Within minutes, the water stops flowing. When he returns, he's covered in mud but grimly satisfied.
"Water's off. I'll patch the pipes temporarily, but you'll need a plumber for permanent repairs."
"I can't afford a plumber right now."
"I know a guy who owes me a favor."
He works quickly and efficiently, climbing into the damaged ceiling to assess the situation. I watch his sure movements, the competent way he handles each problem, and feel something warm unfurl in my chest that has nothing to do with gratitude.
This is what security feels like. Having someone who shows up without question, who knows how to fix what's broken, who doesn't make you feel like a burden for needing help.
"Mommy?" Ally appears in the doorway, rubbing sleepy eyes. "What happened?"
"Pipe broke, sweetheart. But Mr. Flint is fixing it."
Ally pads over to where Flint is working, unafraid despite the chaos. "Are you magic?"
He pauses in his work to look down at her, something soft crossing his face. "No magic. Just tools and know-how."
"My daddy says you're taking advantage of Mommy."
Heat floods my cheeks. "Ally!"
"Your daddy's wrong," Flint says simply, returning to his work. "I'm helping your mom because that's what neighbors do."
"Are we neighbors?"
"In Silver Ridge, everyone's neighbors."
It's such a perfect answer that I want to hug him. Instead, I settle for herding Ally back to bed while Flint finishes his temporary repairs.
When I return to the kitchen, he's sweeping up the worst of the debris. The immediate crisis is over, but the damage is still significant. My ceiling is half gone, my kitchen unusable, and I have no idea how I'm going to pay for proper repairs.
"Hey," Flint says softly, seeing my expression. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"It looks pretty bad."
"Ceiling's cosmetic. Pipes can be replaced. Kitchen will be better than before when we're done."
"We?"
He sets down the broom and faces me fully. "I'm not going anywhere, Maple. Not until everything's fixed."
The certainty in his voice, the steadiness of his gaze, makes something tight in my chest finally loosen. For so long, I've carried everything alone—every decision, every crisis, every fear about Ally's future. Having someone share that burden, even temporarily, feels like being able to breathe again.
"Why?" I whisper. "Why are you helping me?"
He's quiet for a long moment, studying my face in the dim light. "Because you matter," he says finally. "You and Ally both. This town is better with you in it."
"Flint..."
