***
Katrin sipped coffee as her brother, Kristian, washed and rinsed the Sunday morning dishes. She’d packed a bag and headed to her brother’s house after they carted Wade away on Friday night.
Because Wade had been so drunk, they were holding him for three days until they booked and processed him. Plus, because of his crimes—public intoxication, disturbing the peace, destruction of property and harassment—there was a possibility his bail would be set high enough that it would take his parents an extra day to arrange the money. Still, Wade would almost certainly be free by Tuesday.
Kristian and his wife, Ingrid, had insisted that Katrin stay the rest of the weekend with them. They were both ex-military, and though Katrin was grateful for their protection and care, she also knew she couldn’t live with them forever. Her chest felt tight every time she flashbacked to Friday. She had to figure out what to do, but without a clear plan, she felt overwhelmed and frightened.
“More coffee?”
Katrin nodded as Ingrid measured out the grounds to make a fresh pot. Kristian sat down beside his sister without a word and Ingrid sat down across from Katrin, eyeing her. Katrin’s fingers tapping nervously on the table added the only sound in the room until Ingrid spoke.
“Kat.”
“Ing.”
“I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just gonna go for it...we’re worried about you. Really worried. You need to leave Choteau.”
Tears sprang to Katrin’s eyes from the sheer boldness of the statement. She looked down, hiding her eyes, relieved for—and yet dreading—this conversation. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ingrid reached across the table, putting her hand gently over Katrin’s trembling fingers.
“Listen, you can’t go on like this. Wade’s not going anywhere, which makes Choteau no good for you. He’s escalating, Kat. He’s getting more dangerous.”
Katrin nodded miserably as Kristian interjected. “Kat, it was brave of you to break up with him back in December when he didn’t show up at your wedding. But that was almost six months ago and he’s not giving up on you. He’s trouble, Kat. Big trouble. You need to file a restraining order this time and leave Choteau.”
Katrin looked up at her older brother, who’d stood in for their father who’d passed away three years ago.
She’d never lived anywhere except Choteau.
Her voice broke as she asked, “You mean, quit my job and leave? Just leave? Where am I supposed to go?”
Her brother reached forward to squeeze her other hand. “We have a plan. Ingrid’s been on the phone for two days arranging things. She has a good friend from the service, a doctor friend, who’s setting up a small-town clinic in Skidoo Bay, and he has openings for two RNs.”
“Skidoo Bay! Up on Flathead Lake? That’s half a day from here!”
“It’s real pretty up there, Kat,” said her brother.
Her heart fell and the lump in her throat doubled. They weren’t talking about her going thirty minutes south to Great Falls. They were talking about her going away—far away.
“It’s practically in Canada!”
“It’s really beautiful, Kat,” said Ingrid. “Lake. Mountains. The town is adorable. Galleries. Cafés. Upscale. They call it ‘The Pearl on the Bay.’ Doesn’t that sound like an ideal place to start over?”
“I don’t want to start over,” she said, panicked at the thought of moving so far away from home entirely on her own. She scrambled to reassure her family. “Wade’s going to give up eventually. He will. I’m never going back to him. Eventually he’ll see that.”
Ingrid’s face softened with compassion. “Will he? When? He still comes around at all hours whooping and hollering and leaving flowers in the morning. Now this new episode with him smashing bottles against the garage and breaking the window of your door. How many times have you called the police at this point? You had a lot of dreams tied up in a bow around Wade Doyle, and he’s—Katrin, he’s not letting go. Wade is dangerous. This whole mess is changing you. You barely go anywhere anymore. You hole up in that little apartment, only leaving to go to work. You’re living your whole life avoiding him. This isn’t you, hiding out, scared.”
Katrin wasn’t just scared. After Friday night, she was downright terrified. But still: Choteau was home. Leaving felt almost more terrifying than staying.
“But you’re all here,” she moaned, unable to hold back more tears. “Mamma’s here. A-Anna’s here.” Her voice broke. How could she leave her beloved baby niece who was napping upstairs?
“And we’ll still be here, Kat,” said Ingrid tenderly. “Us? Your mom? Anna, for heaven’s sake? We’re not going anywhere. Maybe this will be the wake-up call to get Wade the help he needs. Then you can come home. Besides, Skidoo Bay’s only a few hours from here.”
“A few hours!” Katrin exclaimed. “It’s not like you can drive right through Flathead, Ing!”
If you could drive through Flathead National Forest, the distance between Choteau and Skidoo Bay would be a quick eighty miles, a straight shot northwest. But, with the forest between and the only passable road considerably north of both towns, you had to drive around the park, adding another hundred miles to the drive, and making it, at best, a four-hour journey, depending on the weather.
Ingrid spoke brightly. “It’s not forever, Kat. Just a little while to get you away from Wade. It’s a two- to three-month assignment to help Joe get the clinic up and running, and then you’re free to stay permanently or, if things have gotten better with Wade, come home.”
“Who’s Joe?” asked Katrin, feeling herself surrender to Ingrid’s plan as she swiped at her runny nose with her sleeve.
“Joe Martin. Dr. Joe. We were together in Germany for the first year of my tour. He’s an amazing doctor. I was really lucky to work with him. That’s something
