Page 13 of Moonlight Over Montana

“Hot spots. We don’t want anything to flare up.”

She understood. Now it was about protecting everything around her diner. “Can I talk to the firemen? I’d like to thank them for all they’ve done.”

“Not right now. It’s not safe for you to get that close,” the sheriff said. “Maggie, I’m really sorry about this and I will do my best to make sure the person responsible is brought to justice.”

“You’re going to talk to Gasperini?” Jed asked.

“Yes.”

The word didn’t need anything more. Maggie had faith in Tye Blackstone’s ability to do his job. “Thank you. For the time being, we’ll be staying at Grace Star Ranch. Annie and Linc have given us one of the cabins to use as our temporary home.”

He gave a brisk nod. “They’re good people.” Tapping the brim of his hat, he said, “Make sure to call the insurance company. As soon as the arson investigator clears the scene, you could start rebuilding.”

“Thanks again, and when I’m back in business, make sure you stop in. Lunches are on me.”

“That’s nice of you, Maggie, but it’s not necessary. I’m doing my job.”

As he walked back to what seemed to be a muster point near the debris pile that had been their life, she said to Susie, “We’d better get some shopping done. We’re both going to need clothes, food at the cabin, and heaven knows what else.”

Jed fell into step next to them. “Do you want to drive into Bozeman or shop here?”

“I’m not going to completely hijack your day. We can find what we need for now in town, but maybe you could drive me to Bozeman to get a new vehicle later this week. I can’t be without transportation indefinitely.”

“Annie would be happy to lend you something in the short term so you can get Susie to school.”

Maggie’s steps slowed as they approached Clair’s Closet. “I know, but I won’t take advantage of her generosity. You know what they say about houseguests and fish?”

He smiled at her. “Quoting Ben Franklin this morning.” He leaned in and smelled her hair. “You don’t have to worry about stinking up the ranch, and for the record, Annie does what she wants.”

“I just want to feel normal, that’s all. Can you try and understand?” Once again, the tears threatened to leak out and it ticked her off. She was always in control of her emotions and took care of everyone. It was hard to be on the receiving end of kindness.

Jed held open the door, and Susie disappeared inside. “Mags, give it some time to discover your new normal. You’ve had a couple of big shocks—first, the actual fire and now learning it was most likely arson. I’m glad you’re going to be at the ranch since whoever did this is still out there, and I’d like to make sure you and Susie are safe.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “You know you’ve made all of this bearable.” His arms tightened around her as he held her close. Dang, this felt good.

7

Later that morning Jed carried more shopping bags and set them in the back of the truck. It all started at Clair’s Closet when Clair refused to accept payment for the clothes Maggie and Susie picked out. It had been the same story at the drugstore and even at the Trading Post, which had just about everything under the sun that a person could want, and where Susie insisted she get a pair of jeans and boots for her riding lessons. He wasn’t about to admit to the ladies that he bought all his jeans and shirts there; he couldn’t beat the price and the clothes Jeremy Morgan carried were durable, made for a working man or woman.

Once they got back to the truck, Maggie looked shell-shocked. “Can you believe what happened today? Not one single person would take money from me. How am I ever going to repay their kindness?”

Jed turned in the driver’s seat. “You’re kidding, right? Your entire life you’ve donated to church suppers, fundraisers, given away free meals, and heaven only knows what else. This is the town’s way of giving back to you. Maggie, people in River Junction love you and if the shoe were on the other foot and it was someone else who’d lost their business, you’d be in your kitchen right now cooking up trays of food to feed the firemen and anyone else who was hungry.”

Didn’t this woman know how special she was? A few shirts and pants were nothing compared to all she had done over the years, her parents included.

“I don’t want people to think we’re a charity case.”

He shook his head. “Is that how you’ve viewed it the times you’ve helped others?”

She snapped her head in his direction and fire lit her eyes. “You’re kidding, right? I help because I want to.” The words faded away. “Oh.”

Susie was sitting quietly in the back seat. “Hey, it might not be the time to bring this up, but what if, once the diner is open again, we throw a big party and invite everyone in town, a grand reopening and it will be like repaying everyone.”

Maggie shook her head and sighed. “A party won’t even scratch the surface.”

Frustrated, Jed exhaled. “Mags, before you know it, you’ll be back doing what you’ve always done and that will be all anyone in this town wants for you.”

She huffed out a breath. “Can we go back to the ranch now? I need to make some phone calls. The first one being to my parents.”

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