Chapter 15
Violet
The term God’s country didn’t do Missoula justice.
I was in awe of the incredible scenery. The mountains were majestic, the sky crystal clear on this beautiful June day.
I couldn’t believe that the highest peaks were still covered by snow but seeing the natural beauty while driving and now while pulling into the parking lot of the airport hangar, I was completely blown away.
There were only a few clouds in the sky, big puffy ones gently rolling by with the light breeze.
The day had turned out much better than expected, including grabbing some of the most pristine preliminary location shots.
Through ideas already pitched by the team, I put them all together in a plan.
Now it was about finding the right locations. And the right fit with models.
I’d managed to email a few to Brenda so she could disseminate them to the team. I’d even made an appointment with the owner of a local ranch in hopes of being able to convince him to allow me to use his horses for a few select shots.
However, now that I’d spent the morning researching smokejumpers, I was firmly convinced that concentrating on their skills and good looks for the calendar was the best way to go.
With a little crossover including using Steel’s brother as another favored model, perhaps Mr. December, I knew the damn thing was going to be a bestseller.
I was almost giddy with excitement from all I’d accomplished over the last few hours.
Including learning more about just how vital and dangerous the work the smokejumpers handled was.
I planned on putting together a promo paragraph for every page.
They were indeed considered legends in Missoula, the local newspaper providing several incredible articles on their accomplishments.
They’d saved thousands of acres and countless lives. I planned on digging deeper when I had more time.
Now I needed to confess my sins to my neighbor and his incredible coworkers once and for all.
I’d tried that morning like I had the day before, but for some reason, fate hadn’t been in my favor in doing so. However, I was up against a wall, at the point I had to do some test shots in the next couple of days or Eric would be breathing down my neck.
Or worse.
“Mom. Do you think Zorro is going to get very big?”
For about a dozen reasons, my sweet boy no longer complained about not being allowed to ride shotgun. He was in Steel’s big black truck with his big black dog. He’d even chosen to wear a black tee shirt today. Next, he’d be insistent on wearing a mask. Like Zorro. Now, if he wanted a bullwhip…
“Oh, he’ll get very large. Bigger than you.” The fact the pup could be a hundred pounds was yet another issue.
“No, he won’t. I’m going to be big like your boyfriend so I’ll be way bigger than Zorro. Do you think Steel likes me? I know he likes the pup. Right?”
“Honey, Steel isn’t my boyfriend, but I know he adores you. Who wouldn’t?”
Now that I’d pulled into the parking lot of the smokejumper base, my nerves were more on edge. How would Steel react to my request? The money wasn’t bad. Twenty-five hundred was a stretch for the budget, but I’d managed to convince Eric we’d get it back in spades.
“Now, how would you like to meet several real-life heroes?”
“Like Steel?”
“Exactly like Steel.”
“Way cool.”
Dating. The thought of actually dating while I was in Missoula brought more angst than almost anything else.
What about when I returned home? I’d sworn off allowing feelings for anyone, but women had an uncanny, unwanted ability to latch onto someone who was nice to them, had manners, and could actually carry on a conversation.
If they were handsome then bonus points were given.
Ugh. What was I thinking?
“Alright, now you’re going to keep a tight control on Zorro. We’re not going to interfere so try and remember we’re visitors.”
“Yes, Mom. I got it.”
One thing I’d neglected to purchase was a cage for Zorro. I couldn’t risk him tearing up the house, but I also couldn’t worry about him while working. Plus, I needed to concentrate on getting a babysitter. The list seemed endless. But at least I had a truck so I could pick one up on the way home.
With my camera in hand, I stood outside, breathing in the fresh air before taking a few exterior shots.
Even the hangar as a backdrop would be incredible.
And the planes. There were two huge cargo planes on the tarmac.
I could clearly envision a group shot in front of one of them. Or the helicopter.
Just then, one came into view, touching down with a practiced ease.
Visions of the movie Top Gun came into my mind.
I zoomed in on one plane, getting a shot of someone running up the stairs.
There was an electric vibe to the location, stirring my emotions.
The purchasers would feel it too. And imagine the social media pages, which were already being created even though the final approval of the project hadn’t been given.
In my mind, it was just a matter of time. That’s how confident I was about the material soon to be placed between glossy edges.
The grip on my camera was much firmer than it needed to be, a byproduct of my nerves.
I’d tackled the arrogance of Fortune 100 CEOs, making them believe their appearance in our calendar would boost their bottom line.
I’d chased up-and-coming surgeons to their vacation homes, providing the perfect reason for them to surrender to my tactics.
But that had been a long time ago and before the previous owner of Brightworks had debased the company by resorting to models, faking their professions and identities. This was my chance to reposition the firm into the top promotional companies in the world.
At least that’s what I continued to tell myself, although quelling my nerves hadn’t been successful. The reason was simple.
Steel.
More to the point that I’d conveniently held back full disclosure as to my reason for being in the city. That ended right now. Whatever the outcome, I had a decent pitch prepared in my mind.
I was just about to take a leap, including one of faith when my phone rang. This time seeing Brenda’s number annoyed me. I’d asked Eric to wait until the end of the week to hassle me. I still had a couple of days.
“I’m working on it. As a matter of fact, I’m heading in to talk to a group of potential clients right now. Can you please keep the vulture well fed so I can work?”
Brenda giggled. “I can see the trip has yet to relax you.”
“Who could relax when I don’t have a single man who has agreed to sign on the bottom line?
But I’m getting there. Everyone just needs to have a little faith.
Plus, did you look at the gorgeous pictures I sent?
A fantastic city and every man I’ve seen so far has a buff bod.
” So that wasn’t completely true, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Calm down, boss,” she chided. “I’m not calling about the project, although Eric has taken to prowling the halls. I think he’s counting the hours. There was also an unexpected board meeting. Plus, the VP of operations was fired.”
“What?” Oh, that didn’t bode well. It sounded like there was a companywide shakeup. My stomach was churning.
I’d yet to break the news about my poor Jeep. That could wait. “Then what?”
“I answered your office phone last yesterday before I left.”
“And?”
“The call was from Kenneth. Again. Even more insistent this time.”
“What in the hell does that man want from me?” In all the years of careful dating before him, I’d never made such a huge mistake.
I’d come off a breakup and had stepped into a bar on my first solo business trip.
One thing had led to another and we had a whirlwind couple of weeks while working on the project.
A wonderful fantasy come true.
Until I’d learned the truth about him.
Six weeks after that, I’d been forced to face the toughest decision of my life. You bet he’d tried to make my life miserable from the day I’d tracked him down, sharing the news of our unborn child. He’d laughed and called me a whore.
Things had spiraled out of control after that.
“He was furious that I wouldn’t tell him where you were.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that. I’ll figure out a way to get him to stay out of my life, but I need a couple days.
” Maybe a new burner phone I could toss afterward.
I spun around, ensuring my son wasn’t paying any attention.
He knew his father’s real name, although after the last incident where he’d broken my son’s heart, I’d purposely not referred to the man at all.
Except for in private when I called him a motherfucking slimebag.
“He was really angry, Violet. I mean foaming at the mouth angry.”
“Well, he can spew that tiny brain of his straight to hell.”
A quiet hiss left my lips. When my stomach began to churn, a slight closing of my airways immediately after, I was livid with myself that he could still snatch a moment of my focus. After all these years. Damn the arrogant prick. “Did you tell him anything?”
“I had to tell him something. Only that you weren’t available, but he kept pushing. I finally hung up on him. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? You get a raise.” What the hell did the asshole want? I’d gotten an email from him four months before and instead of reading it, I’d deleted it and even cleaned out my trash bin.
Why hadn’t he sent me another email? Maybe because whatever his demands were, he didn’t want them in writing. I knew how his kind worked. Maybe he needed a kidney. Hell, no.
No one fucked with my little boy.
“Ha ha. I wish that was possible. Look, I wouldn’t have bothered you except he was so insistent. Just before I hung up, he mentioned he would find you one way or another.”
A tiny chill skittered down my spine, but I shoved it away.
Kenneth was the kind of man who believed because of his status in life that he could take and keep anything he wanted.
Or discard them when finished without consequences.
From what I’d been able to tell, I’d been one of the only people in his life to challenge him openly.
However, in doing so, I’d been forced to change my personal number several times. Until recently, emails had been his method of torment. Something had changed.
The only birthday I’d bothered to try very hard to have Kenny show up to or even send a card and present for had been almost four years ago.
Sure, he’d initially agreed, even saying he’d fly in and surprise him.
What a fucking idiot I’d been to mention it to Damon.
Something I would never forgive myself for.
At four years old, you would have thought I’d brought Superman, Spiderman, and the Hulk together, forming one incredible hero. Then the day had come and my sweet boy hadn’t wanted to blow out his birthday candles until his daddy had arrived.
Oh, God, I hated the man with every ounce of my being.
I’d sent a blasting email that could have burned up the internet lines. Kenny’s fake, bullshit apology had come via email four weeks after the date. That’s when I’d shut him down completely. Fuck the man.
There’d been one other instance after that and I’d shut the man down again, hopeful Damon would stop asking about his father. And he had.
“Well, maybe I’m very glad I’m in Montana after all.” And had a handsome hunk who could and from what I’d seen would protect my son in case anything happened. Now I had a headache behind my eyes that only a tall bottle of wine would cure.
Or a sharp sword to cut out Kenny’s heart.
If he had one.
“Is there a reason he keeps reaching out to you?” Brenda asked.
There was always a reason. I simply wasn’t interested in learning what that was. “Not that I know of. If he calls again, just hang up on him.”
“Mom,” my sweet boy tried to interrupt.
“Will do. Go work, but call me when you have the hunk of a man signed on. So we can make a formal announcement.”
A formal announcement. I suddenly felt as if I was going from the frying pan into the fire. I definitely needed some luck, or the spiraling effect would pick up where it left off. “I will.”
“Mom. Look. Look. There’s Steel. Our hero.”
Hero? What?
I barely caught my son pointing toward the hangar when Zorro went nuts, barking up a storm and running toward a group of men headed with purpose out the door.
Since they were in what appeared to be a uniform, I had a feeling they were headed out to a fire. “Stay here, baby. Let me get Zorro.” I went chasing after him, realizing the pup had found one smokejumper to turn his attention to. Steel.
While the other men rushed toward the plane, Steel hung back, petting Zorro. He had a thick backpack with him and I had no doubt the material of his uniform was fire retardant. Seeing him in his specialty clothing brough a hitch to my breath and a lump formed almost immediately in my throat.
“What’s happening?” I asked as soon as I was close.
Steel peered down at me with the kind of soulful gaze that could stop a woman in her tracks.
But he smiled as if sensing my concern. “Most engine companies in town are on a huge fire at a warehouse. We’re helping with a house fire, the flames licking up the mountain.
I gotta go.” He skipped back a step, likely given his teammates were already racing up the stairs to one of the cargo ships.
“Take care of yourself. You might want to know Damon really does call you his hero.”
He stopped short, shifting his gaze to my munchkin, taking the time to wave. I looked over my shoulder to see Damon saluting. “Tell that kid he’s wrong and don’t worry, Violet. I got this. See you later this afternoon. But I’ll call if anything changes.”
Before he ran off, a question came to mind. “Is your captain inside? I need to ask him a question.”
“Not the day to bother him. He’s in with auditors and is a cranky son of a bitch.”
His laugh sent a series of heated shivers into my core. He backed off while keeping his eyes locked on mine and for a few seconds, there was no one else around.
Just before he made it to the stairs, I remembered why I’d dropped by in the first place. With my zoom on, I managed to capture a few sexy photographs.
When he disappeared, I felt deflated.
The confession would need to wait.
Again.