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“Unfortunately, he’s right, ma’am,” the chief cut in. He offered her an embarrassed smile. “If you don’t have family or friends here, there are only a few other options. You stay at the station with us, or you drive into Colorado Springs. They’ll have hotels that are open twenty-four-seven.”
She blinked at him, then swung her focus to her son. “I haven’t been in town much. Is he right?”
“Mom,” he muttered. There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice. “I think the fire chief would know what he’s talking about.” Thomas gestured toward Mr. Callahan, someone whose reputation had preceded him when they’d moved to town.
Agatha hadn’t been thrilled about Thomas working for the man after learning about his strict nature, but according to her son, he was the only one who paid decently. And she’d long since learned not to butt into her son’s business.
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “I still don’t see how you can expect me to just move into some stranger’s home.”
“It’s not his home, Mom. He lives at the ranch. This is his hunting cabin.” Thomas groaned and shot a wary glance at his boss. That was when it dawned on her that she was making a scene and he could get in trouble with the one person who helped them to pay their bills.
Agatha finally met Mr. Callahan’s gaze. “You’re sure it wouldn’t put you out?”
Without wasting a moment, he said, “I wouldn’t have offered if it would.”
Thomas moved closer to her, his chin lowering just over her shoulder as he whispered, “Just thank the man and let’s head out. We could use some sleep after the night we’ve had.”
She shot him a disgusted look. No one bossed her around. She’d left that life when her ex-husband couldn’t grasp the concept, and she’d never looked back. She didn’t need anyone to take care of her, and she wasn’t about to start now.
A glance at Mr. Callahan confirmed he was still staring at her, so she quickly schooled her features. She’d have a talk with her son about this in the morning after they took stock of the damage. Agatha nodded curtly toward Mr. Callahan. “Thank you for your generosity—”
He didn’t even allow her to finish her thought as he climbed into his saddle and nodded toward Thomas. “Meet me at my place and I’ll take you to the hunting cabin. It’s only a few minutes’ drive from the house.”
He only winced once as he was adjusting himself in the saddle, and she knew his shoulder had to be killing him. But just like that, he dug his heels into his horse’s sides and shot off into the dark.
Agatha snorted, shooting a look of disbelief at the fire chief. “Is he always like that?”
The man was staring down at his notebook and only glanced up at her for a moment. “Like what?”
“So bossy? I mean, I’ve heard the stories about his daughters… but does he think he can just tell everyone what to do?”
The chief lowered his pad of paper and a wry smile crossed his face. “You really must be new around here.”
“We’ve only lived here a few months.”
He nodded. “Sounds about right. Zeke Callahan is basically Copper Creek royalty. He built his fortune and expanded his property by sheer will and through his blood, sweat, and tears. That man has earned the right to tell folks around here what to do.”
She lifted a brow. “That sounds rather dangerous.”
The chief shrugged. “I don’t know. His family has ties to the founding members of this town, and he makes sure to help out where he can. Not a year goes by where he doesn’t make a huge charitable contribution to the firemen’s ball. If I remember right, he also pulled a few ranches from the edge of bankruptcy.”
Words failed her in that moment. This wasn’t what she’d expected at all. The Mr. Callahan she’d heard about was strict, tough, and hard on everyone he was supposed to love. Who in their right mind would require their eldest daughters to get married before the younger ones? They were living in a modern century, for crying out loud.
“Mom, let’s go.” Thomas tugged on her arm. “I don’t know how long it will take Mr. Callahan to get back home, but it’s already so late I don’t think we should keep him waiting.”
He was right, of course. She wouldn’t have wanted to keep anyone up and waiting for her. But now that she had a bit more information on the man who had offered up his home, she knew she needed to show him proper respect.
Agatha reached out and touched the fire chief’s forearm. “Thank you for your help tonight.”
“All in a day’s work, ma’am.” He touched the brim of his helmet and strode toward his firetruck.
There wasn’t anything of hers that she could gather. All she had were the clothes on her back. Thankfully, she’d opted to wear flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt. Otherwise, the interaction with Mr. Callahan when he’d arrived would have been far more awkward.
She fidgeted in the passenger seat of her son’s truck as she stared out into the dark expanse that was the country. They’d been city folk for so long that she’d almost forgotten what it was like living out here. There were nights when it was so quiet and so dark that her mind could play tricks on her. On more than one occasion, she’d been able to see things out her window she was sure weren’t real.
It wasn’t often, but when she found herself missing the city, it was usually the noises and the light. There was plenty to do, hear, and see in the city, which made living in a place like this incredibly dull.
But this was where Thomas wanted to live. He was far more interested in the ranching community than he’d let on, so she followed him. There was nothing left for her in the city, and a nice young man who did a lot of charity work had scooped her up, allowing her to have a job far quicker than she’d expected.
