Page 4 of Moonlight Over Montana

“Mags?” Jed’s deep voice broke her sad train of thought. “Are you ready to leave?”

In the bright lights of the waiting room, she looked into his cool-gray eyes, crow’s feet at the corners from spending years in the sun which had bronzed his chiseled face. His dark hair was cut short and a well-trimmed mustache added to his rugged good looks. For tonight, Jed Steele had been her real-life hero and she was eternally grateful to him for being in the right place at the right time.

“Maggie?” It was only when he said her name again that she realized she had been staring at him.

“Sorry, it’s been a night.”

“It’s time to go. The truck’s just outside.” He slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and held out his hand to Susie, pulling her up from the chair. “Come on, kid. Let’s hit the pavement.”

She wrapped her arms around his midsection and began to sob, the deep gut-wrenching, heartbreaking kind. He dropped the bag to the floor and pulled her close to his chest and held out the other arm for Maggie, as if understanding they needed a minute to cry it out. She stepped into the safety of his embrace and put her arms around Susie and Jed, and she too cried until there was nothing left but hiccups. To his credit, he didn’t rush them or try to placate them with words like everything was going to be alright. He just remained silent and held them while they cried.

Unsure how much time had passed, Maggie pulled back and in one smooth motion, he pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and handed it to her. Susie was still clinging to him.

“It’s clean. Dry your eyes.” He ran his hand up and down Susie’s back, protective like a father would be.

Maggie’s gut churned just thinking of Cash Gordon, wondering what city he was in on the rodeo circuit. Not that it mattered; he had washed his hands of his daughter and her a long time ago and he was not any kind of a father to her girl.

“Sweetheart, Jed’s going to take us out to the ranch. Maybe a hot shower and some rest will help.”

Sniffles reached Maggie’s ears and her daughter looked up. Her eyes were rimmed from crying and her face was red and blotchy. “I don’t have anything to change into.”

Jed gave her a small smile. “With all the clothes you jammed into your bag, I’ll bet you have something to put on.” He was doing his best to lighten the mood, but Susie wasn’t going down that path yet.

“Jed, thanks for saving us.” She hugged him tight and Maggie was thankful the flood of tears didn’t kick in again.

“My pleasure. Now let’s take off.”

Maggie wasn’t surprised to see Susie keep one arm around Jed’s waist while they walked to the truck. She had been shaken to her core tonight and needed all the support she could get. Once Susie was settled in the back seat of the quad cab pickup, Jed opened the passenger door for Maggie.

He tipped her chin up with his finger so he was looking into her eyes. “You’re going to have a lot of help settin’ things right so don’t go gettin’ all tough thinking you can move mountains tomorrow. We’ll need to find out what happened, why it happened, and how bad the damage is, and then I promise you, we’ll get everything back the way it should be.”

“Jed, you’re the eternal optimist, but sometimes it’s harder to set things right.”

“But you’re not alone and that’s somethin’ I don’t want you to forget.” He gave her a hard hug and helped her inside. In a gruff tone, he said, “Buckle up.”

When he got in and the truck had rumbled to life, she asked, “Any chance we can drive past the diner?”

“Probably not. With the firehoses laid out, they’re not going to let traffic through tonight. I’ll bring you into town tomorrow.”

“Annie said I could borrow a truck or something.” Her heart constricted. The idea of seeing the destruction in broad daylight was a lot to handle but she could do it. She didn’t have much of a choice.

“Did you already forget what I said and meant? You are not the lone momma wolf with a cub in this world. You have friends. Lean on us to get you through this tough time.”

Maggie didn’t have to turn around to know that Susie’s eyes were locked on her.

“Me and Susie have been doing this a long time together so no worries, we’ll get through this too.”

Jed clenched the steering wheel with his hands. “You’ve had a shock tonight and it’s understandable that you’re ready to dig deep and fight like you’ve always done, and I’m not sayin’ you’re not one tough lady capable of rising to meet this challenge head-on. But this time you’re not going to. And if you won’t listen to me, just wait until Annie catches up with you.” He chuckled a bit. “You know, you and Annie are like twins from different parents.”

Maggie turned in her seat and stared at him. “I’m going to assume that is your way of giving me a compliment?”

“Absolutely. I hold Annie in very high regard.” A small grin tugged at one corner of his mouth.

She buckled her belt. “Then I accept.” Slumping against the seat, the last of her adrenaline evaporated. “You’re right, I can see the diner tomorrow. Susie needs some rest.”

“Mom, you do too.” She placed her hand on Maggie’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Jed backed the truck out of the parking spot. “Next stop Grace Star Ranch.”

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