Holding On

by Jill Sanders

  “Who from?” Mike interrupted.

  “I’m not sure at this point. I thought it was someone from NewField. It sounded like a standard call from one of their dispatchers.”

  “About?” Mike asked.

  “A pump in distress, at least that’s what he said. I drove out, parked, before I took two steps, the first explosion hit. Blew me back a few steps.” Trey sighed heavily and reached for Dylan’s hand. “Things went to hell after that.”

  “Did you see anyone nearby?” Mike asked.

  “No,” Trey answered.

  “What happened next?” Tyler asked.

  “I knew the big one was coming, so I ran towards the water ditch, the one that runs down to the other side of the property. I floated, then ran, then floated until I ended up at Jensen’s place.”

  “You mean to tell us you spent your time floating down the river like a lazy river ride?” Trent asked.

  “It beat running in the burning woods.” Trey smiled. “Of course, the water was freezing cold.”

  “I’d take hypothermia any day over burning,” Tyler said softly.

  “Smart,” Mike added.

  “Not too smart. Something blocked the flow of water, and I spent half the night outrunning the fire in mud and cow dung.”

  “Do they know who they found yet?” Tyler asked, turning to Mike.

  “No, I’m heading over to the coroner next to see if we have an ID.”

  “You found someone?” Trey broke in.

  “Less than a mile from the blast site. On the side road, heading up to the Meier’s house.”

  “It was empty, right?” Dylan asked.

  “The Meier’s moved to Florida just before Christmas. The place was empty until they found renters,” Mike answered. “No one should have been up that way.”

  “Do you think it’s him?” Tyler asked, glancing over to his brothers.

  “Do I think it was Carl who lured me out there and tried to blow me up?” Trey was silent for a while. “Hell, every part of me is screaming, yes. But I just don’t know. Something about it doesn’t sit right. Why tell me he’s dying? Why the whole sob story?”

  “To throw us off?” Tyler suggested.

  “Instead of sitting around speculating, why don’t we get a healthy meal into Trey and let him rest?” Gail stood up.

  “We’ll head down and get something for him in the cafe.” Tyler took Kristen’s hand.

  “I’ll go with them.” Gail turned and gave everyone else in the room a look, and they all followed her out the door with their own excuses.

  Dylan found herself alone with Trey as the door to the room shut behind the last visitor.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked, suddenly nervous.

  “Come here.” He motioned to the spot next to him on the bed.

  When she walked over to the side of the bed, he reached up and gently tugged her until she crawled in bed next to him.

  “Now I’m better.” He sighed as he settled his arm around her carefully.

  “You might hurt yourself,” she warned.

  “It’ll be worth it.”

  She rested her head gently on his shoulder. “I thought I’d lost you,” she said softly. She’d cried all her tears, or so she’d thought.

  “Hey now.” He nudged her chin up with his bandaged hand. “If you do that, then I’m going to have to explain to my family why I spent this time alone with you wiping your tears away.”

  She smiled. “Yes.” She searched his eyes and waited until recognition of the unasked question hit the blueness of them. She was slightly surprised by the humor she saw behind them.

  “I haven’t officially asked, yet.” He wiped a tear away with his fingers and it soaked into the cotton bandage.

  “You don’t have to ask.” She took his face in her hands. “You never did.” Leaning slightly, she touched her lips to his chapped ones. “I can’t imagine my life without you, I don’t want to.”

  This time it was her turn to wipe the wetness from his face.

  “I’ve been looking for the words to tell you how you make me feel.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened again, they were focused. “The truth is, there are no words. You’re more to me than anyone or anything has ever been in my life. If you were by my side for two lifetimes, I doubt I’d have the right words to express just how you make me feel.”

  She placed a finger over his lips. “Thurston Noah McGowan the third, ask me.” He smiled at his name on her lips.

  “Dylan…”

  “Grace.” She supplied her middle name with a smile.

  “Dylan Grace McCaw, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said before gently placing her lips over his.

  “Finally,” someone said from the doorway, “now we can eat.” Tyler barged in, followed by the rest of his family.

  * * *

  Trey was glad to be back at home. Dopey was curled up at his feet on the sofa while he watched the news about the ongoing fight against the fire, which was now almost ninety percent contained. Dylan and his mother were in the kitchen making dinner.

  He’d gotten a somewhat clean bill of health, along with a bottle of pain pills and a request to return to the doctor in a week to check his progress.

  His brothers had updated him on the news that it hadn’t been their uncle in the charred car. The age was all wrong. The remains had been a male in his late forties to early fifties.

  The town was currently trying to figure out who was missing. More than a hundred homes had been evacuated on the far side of town. Half a dozen people were camped out at his mother’s place. The rest of them were crammed into the local community center, the town hall, and even the school’s gym.

  Television stations from all over the state and nation were now parked outside the mayor’s office. For her part, Martha Brown had done more television interviews than he was sure she ever thought she would when she became mayor of the sleepy old town.

  McGowan Enterprises had, of course, been associated with the fire, but it was being made clear by both the mayor and the police that the fire was not due to any employee’s negligence, and that sabotage was suspected.

  The news stations spun their own webs about the suspect being the forty to fifty-year-old male they had found burned in the car, which had been parked less than a mile away from the initial explosion.

  When a knock sounded on the front door, he was pushed back into place by his mother who rushed to answer it.

  He wasn’t surprised to see Mike and Tony walk in.

  “What’s the news?” Dylan asked, walking in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishrag.

  Mike spoke first. “We’ve got an ID on the person who rented the car. Dennis Rodgers. We haven’t positively ID the body yet, but the description fits. We did find other explosives in the trunk of the car. For the past week, he’d been staying at a hotel in Helena, since he had been kicked out of his apartment in town. You know that Crystal had filed for divorce. She ended up getting everything—full custody of the kids, the house, you name it.”

  “Yeah,” Trey said, “she deserved it all.”

  “She hasn’t seen him since the explosion, but we’re checking just in case.”

  “Do you question it’s him?” Gail asked.

  “Until we have a positive ID, we can’t afford to assume, but…” He shook his head.

  “Do you think he worked alone?” Trey asked the question he’d been wondering.

  Mike ran his hand over the back of his neck. “We can’t officially say anything further.” His eyes moved to Tony’s. Then he groaned. “Go ahead. Hell, we both know Trey had nothing to do with it. Besides, it’ll be on here in a few minutes.” He nodded to the television

  Tony nodded. “The official ruling on the death was murder.”

  Trey heard both Dylan and his mother gasp.

  “Can you give us any more details?” Gail stepped forward. “Have you found Carl?”

  “No, we’re s
till out looking, but with the fire and all the press, we’re shorthanded at the moment.”

  “I understand, thank you.” She walked over and hugged Tony. “Be safe out there,” she said softly to the man who’d helped her get over the death of a man she described as the only love of her life. Losing his father had been hard but seeing his mother lonely had been even harder. He and his brothers hadn’t liked the idea of their mother dating at first, but seeing her with Tony had changed their minds.

  Tony was one of the best kind of men. He and his brothers had always looked up to the man, who had lost his first wife long before Trey could remember. He’d been a widower without any kids and had put his career helping the town of Haven before anything else.

  As the men left, Trey turned up the volume of the TV as Martha stepped into focus in front of town hall.

  They listened to her latest update, informing the population that the police believed that the body found was the culprit behind the explosions. She didn’t name names since his family members hadn’t been informed yet. But she did state that investigators had confirmed that McGowan Enterprises has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Then, to his surprise, she added a small statement about the Thurston McGowan Flathead Drilling Training Center plans.

  “Nice plug.” Dylan smiled down at him.

  “Yeah.” He hated that all the destruction Dennis had caused would probably end up being good for his family’s business.

  “Do you think Carl helped Dennis, then killed him?” Gail turned to him.

  He shrugged, then instantly regretted the move and winced.

  “Rest.” His mother laid a hand gently on his arm. “Dinner’s almost ready. Everyone will be here before we know it.”

  “Everyone’s coming over?” He hated that it came out as a groan, but he had planned to cuddle with Dylan and Dopey on the sofa for the night.

  “Family meeting,” Gail added. “Sorry. We’ll be quick, so you can get your rest.”

  He watched the newscast with little interest. The overhead shots of the fire were heartbreaking, especially the image of the shell of his burned-out truck. Still, he could see that the fire was under control now.

  Close to five thousand acres and half a dozen buildings, including the Meier’s home, barn, and garage, were all destroyed. The land would slowly make a comeback, and homes would be rebuilt, but the lives of those who’d survived would always be changed, including his.

  He doubted he could hear a loud noise without wincing or enjoy a swim in a cool lake without remembering the time he’d spent wondering if he’d survive.

  He glanced over at Dylan and smiled, knowing she was going to be by his side for the rest of his life.

  By the time his brothers and their wives arrived, he was starved and tired. He couldn’t determine which he wanted more, sleep or food.

  Instead of having him join everyone at the table, a plate was delivered to him on the sofa. Still, he could hear the conversation in the other room perfectly. There was talk of Dennis Rodgers and Carl and how the two of them were tied together.

  “I don’t know if this might explain the relationship between Dennis and Carl, but, well, I was going to show this to Trey when I had a chance…” Dylan shocked them all with the piece of paper she pulled from her purse.

  Chapter 20

  Reading the emails to Trey’s family was nerve-wracking. It may not have anything to do with Dennis and Carl working together, but it might shed some light on Carl’s behavior in the past.

  “Brian is Carl’s son?” Gail shook her head. “That doesn’t…” She was quiet for a while then sighed. “I suppose part of me knew it long ago.” She glanced around the table.

  Trey had picked himself off the sofa and moved over to the table to sit next to her. She could tell by the way he walked that he was hurting, and she hated seeing him in pain.

  “Why?” Trey asked.

  Gail looked over at him. “The four of you, when you were young, used to play together in the office when we were busy, or Rea had to step out for a call or meeting. One day, I came to pick you three up and picked up Brian by mistake, instead of Trey. I laughed it off since I’d been tired and overworked that week, but… Brian could have easily passed as your brother. And you took after your dad so much.” She glanced at Trey with a smile

  “Lucky me,” Trey said softly.

  “No one thought anything about Brian’s blue eyes and blonde hair because Gavin Laster had both as well,” Gail added.

  “Do you think Carl had anything to do with Gavin’s death?” Dylan asked the question that had been burning in her mind since she’d first read the emails.

  The entire room grew silent.

  “I’m going to call Rea. Is it okay if I have her and Tom come on over?” Gail glanced around.

  “I’m wide awake now,” Trey commented, taking Dylan’s hand under the table.

  Less than fifteen minutes later, Rea and Tom walked through the front door.

  Gail made small talk for a while, asking if Brian was doing well.

  Dylan had met Rea on several occasions. Since retiring, she was enjoying fixing up the house that she and Tom lived in a few blocks from Dylan’s place. Rea also had come into the office on several occasions when Dylan had needed some help at the beginning.

  She had instantly liked the woman. Rea had given her some American Indian bead earrings and a bracelet that Dylan wore often. She’d purchased some baked goods that Rea sold at the grocery store as well.

  “Brian’s doing wonderfully. It really helped when he decided to leave Haven. He’s been in Helena for a few months now, going to school. He works part-time at the golf course over there,” Rea gushed.

  “It seems like the kid has finally found his place,” Tom added. He was still in his uniform and every now and then his radio would buzz. “I’m still on call, but I was on dinner break when you called,” he explained, turning down the radio.

  “The reason we called you over here was… these.” Gail held out the emails to Rea. “We know it’s a private matter, but… we’re family.” She touched Rea’s shoulder. “We have been for as long as I can remember.”

  Rea smiled and nodded. “We sure are.” She smiled, then her smile fell away when she scanned over the emails. Tears started rolling down the woman’s dark brown cheeks. “I…” She shook her head, and Gail handed her a tissue.

  “It’s true?” Gail asked.

  Rea nodded. “I thought… I’d hoped that it wouldn’t come up.”

  “Does Brian know?” Gail asked.

  “Yes. I told him a while back when I…” She looked over at Tom.

  “Shortly after we started dating last year,” he explained. “She told me, and I suggested that she tell him.”

  “I should have told him years ago.”

  “Suddenly, so many conversations we had make sense,” Addy jumped in, getting everyone’s attention. “He changed, suddenly, last year. Just before he took off, he told me that he’d had a lot of pent-up anger until recently. He said that just before he left town.”

  “I think he was relieved that Gavin wasn’t his father.” Rea glanced around. “It was a well-known fact that Gavin was very abusive towards us. I think when he found out he had… well, McGowan blood instead of Gavin’s, he started to have a drive for something better.”

  “Does this mean we have to start being nice to Brian?” Trent asked, earning him a playful slug on the shoulder from Addy. “Ouch,” he whined, as he faked being hurt.

  “Yes,” she hissed at her husband, “he’s your cousin.”

  Dylan could tell the entire McGowan clan was thinking that one through. “Damn, now I’m going to have to give him a call and offer him a job,” Tyler added.

  “Don’t you dare,” Rea hissed. “Brian may have been upset at one point that you hadn’t offered him a job, but now he would know it was a handout and he’d hate you for it. Besides, he’s doing great at school, really great. He wants to finish it. Then, and only then, if he earns it,
you can hire him, fair and square.” Rea’s eyes narrowed at the three brothers.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Tyler replied.

  Trey had told Dylan that they had looked up to Rea as if she was their second mother, so she knew they’d take her words seriously.

  Just then, Tom’s radio came to life and he stepped out of the room, so he wouldn’t wake the sleeping baby.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.” He glanced around the room. “I’ll drive Rea back home.” The pair left quickly.

  Dylan sat next to Trey as everyone cleaned up and left until it was just them and Gail left.

  “I’m heading out too,” she said, coming back into the dining area. “I don’t know that we made much headway, but at least one secret is out there.”

  “Thank you for all your help tonight.” Dylan stood up and followed Gail out after she had kissed Trey on the top of the head.

  When she came back, Trey was back on the sofa with Dopey between his legs.

  “Come on over here.” He shuffled over so there was plenty of room for her to sit in front of him. “I want to spend the rest of the evening snuggling with my fiancée and our dog while watching something funny on the television.” He turned the channel away from the news and flipped the stations as she settled next to him, toeing off her shoes and grabbing the blanket from the back of the sofa to cover them.

  “Here.” He settled on a classic romantic movie and set the remote down on the coffee table. “Just what we need, a happy-ever-after story.”

  She rested her head gently on his arm. “Am I hurting you?”

  “No,” he said softly. “I’m not fragile.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “You’re literally covered in bandages at the moment.” She motioned to his arms and hands.

  He responded by wrapping them tighter around her. “It’s only the top layer of my skin. I’m still strong under here.” He rolled her quickly underneath him. His growing smile told her that he wasn’t in any pain.

  Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him down until he was a breath above her. “Prove it to me.”