Zach had been part of a hotshot crew that worked a massive fire in Northern California.A group of campers had gotten lost, and if it hadn’t been for Zach thinking he’d heard something and following his instincts, they likely would’ve been killed.As it was, the crew and the campers had to take shelter in the special fireproof tents the teams used.A plane also dumped fire retardant, which doused the flames enough for them to make a run for their vehicle and get away.
But what shocked Tilly the most was who Zach’s mother was.The very woman she was trying to get to come to Marietta—Kathryn Lancaster.
Why didn’t he say anything to her when she first mentioned Kathryn’s name?
Tilly sat back and thought through their first encounter—Zach may not have said anything about his connection to Kathryn, but he’d darted out of the diner as if he had the fires he fought nipping right on his heels.
It also explained his touch of cynicism when he talked about sending individual emails to pander to their egos.He had firsthand experience with celebrities and how they acted.
Clearly, his relationship with his mother was strained.There was no other explanation for him keeping his relationship to Kathryn to himself.
Unless he just wanted to keep his life private.
Not an unreasonable thought, considering how tough it would’ve been to grow up surrounded by the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.
Turning back to the screen, Tilly clicked on one of the video links of Kathryn’s show, the one where she’d interviewed the people Zach and his crew had saved.
As she watched the clip, a smidgeon of understanding of the strained relationship between mother and son became clear.During the interview, Kathryn ignored the other members of Zach’s team and pretty much ignored most of the campers, her sole focus on her son.On how she’d felt, hearing the news he was in danger.The tears that had welled up in her eyes as she recalled how frightened she’d been when she hadn’t been able to reach him.The people in the audience appeared enraptured by the performance, but every time the camera panned to Zach, his expression got blanker and blanker, as if he was disassociating himself from the whole event.
This interview was completely different from the snippets she’d seen on social media and from the show she’d watched a few days ago.Then, Kathryn had looked at her guests and been supportive as they’d spoken about the trauma they’d gone through.
Why had she been so different when it had come to her son?
Was this why he’d moved to Marietta?To get as far away from his mother and the press as possible?Because there was no way this event hadn’t thrust him into the limelight, especially with the way his mother had acted.
For the next hour Tilly clicked on links to news articles and more television interviews, and in each one, his mother was by his side, talking over him.Inserting herself when it had been clear that the person wanted to talk to Zach and Zach only.Or the other members of Zach’s team, because Zach himself had looked like he wanted to distance himself from everything.
As much as Tilly had admired Kathryn Lancaster, watching her now, Tilly’s opinion changed.She really didn’t want Kathryn connected to her event, no matter how much publicity it would bring.One of the reasons she’d had Kathryn at the top of her list was because of her show.Of her compassion.But this put her in a whole new light.
If Marietta won, not only would it hit all the news stations in Montana, but with Kathryn’s involvement, there was no way she wouldn’t do a segment about it on her show, giving the town and all the businesses even more exposure.And her son.
Tilly’s main hope for highlighting the wonderful town she’d grown up in was to help the businesses grow.Bring more tourists in.Some of the local residents may not like it, but over the last decade or so, the town had expanded with more and more people settling in Marietta.
What did she do now?
Did she tell him she knew who he was and his connection to Kathryn?
Would he believe her when she told him that she wouldn’t tell anyone about it?It wasn’t her secret to tell.There were many secrets she kept hidden, like the time she’d caught Chrissy and her first husband, Beau, who’d been her boyfriend at the time, in a compromising position when they’d been juniors in high school.
Or the time she’d found Sunny smoking behind one of the greenhouses.She may have just been trying it out, but Tilly hadn’t breathed a word about it to her parents at the time.
But none of those things compared to what she now knew about Zach.
Although, surely his fire captain and his colleagues knew who he was and what he’d done.There was no way the fire department wouldn’t have investigated his former places of employment before they employed him.Had he asked them to keep it quiet?
“None of that matters,” she muttered as she closed her laptop.“All that matters is that he’s safe and he’s here and we’re lucky to have him.”
Talking out loud was really a habit she should try to curb.Perhaps it was time to get a roommate or a pet to talk to.Or she could go out and do things instead of staying home.
Like now.She needed to go find Zach.There were questions she needed to ask.Only she had no idea where he lived, and seeing as it was almost midday, it was clear that he wasn’t going to contact her, like he’d said he would before he’d left the night before.
Tilly startled when her doorbell echoed down the hallway.
Maybe it was Zach?But her phone, which was fully charged, had remained quiet next to her.
Nervous energy sizzled through her as she pulled the hem of her fluffy pink sweater down over her hips and ran a hand over her hair, smoothing down any flyaway strands.
Without checking the peephole, she flung the door open.Chrissy stood on her doorstep and Tilly dropped her smile.
