Rafe huffed. “I’m too busy to seriously date anyone.”
Tony had thought that a year ago. Maybe not that he was too busy, but he certainly hadn’t wanted to have a serious relationship with a woman. Funny how things could change in the blink of an eye.
“Congrats on making battalion chief. I know how hard you worked for that promotion.”
“Thanks. Feels good to achieve that goal.”
Rafe had a rivalry going with Mama’s husband, probably one-sided, after the man had beaten Rafe out of a job in nearby Breckenridge for the BC position. That was a bigger department, though, where the rank above lieutenant was captain. But here in the smaller ACFD, he could go straight to battalion chief. Rafe sure was on the fast track in the department, but he’d proven he had the knowledge and experience to do the job.
Rafe’s gaze turned to the river. “Anything I can do to help today?”
Tony glanced down at the flowers. He’d had the pink and orange bouquet arranged at the local grocery; the colors reminded him of those worn by the mother and little girl that day.
“I brought these to…” He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d intended to do with them. Leave them on the bank as a memorial? Toss them into the water to drift away in the path the bodies had taken a year ago? He shuddered at the thought.
“I just need a few more minutes, but thanks for checking on me. I appreciate the support.”
Rafe nodded. “Would you like to say a prayer for them before I leave you alone?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
After their prayer, Tony said goodbye to his big brother and his focus returned to the flowing river.
“Rest well,” he said to the victims of that horrific day before preparing to leave too. “I wish a peaceful slumber for you both.” He held onto the flowers, not quite knowing how to end this moment.
The water mesmerized him a moment, and he lost track of time until the sound of a car made him look up. This wasn’t a heavily traveled area, but he watched the SUV cross the river on the same roadway that had been overrun by water a year ago. Probably a local tourist heading from Breck to one of the rental houses on the mountain behind him and using the shortcut, much as the woman had been doing last year.
His gaze returned to the water until he heard the SUV pulling into the parking lot behind him.
Who the heck was stopping here now?
Tony turned and watched as a man he didn’t know left the vehicle and walked toward him. Without preamble, he asked, “Are you one of the firefighters who were here that day?”
His uniform must have made his occupation obvious, but he wondered how the man knew that a tragedy had taken place here.
“Yes, I’m with the Aspen Corners Fire Department. We were the first department to arrive that day.”
Lines creased the man’s forehead as he stared into the water. “My name is Richard Hawley. I lost my wife and baby girl that day.”
Oh, fuck no.
Tony wished Rafe were still here. He’d know what to say to the man. Tony drew a deep breath, hoping the right words would come to him, but his mind was a blank. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could say. Sorry he couldn’t rescue them? Sorry they had died? Probably both, but he didn’t elaborate.
The man nodded, not looking at Tony. “Me too. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to move on, but I just needed to come back here today to the last place they were known to have breathed on this earth.”
Tears stung Tony’s eyes as he stood there silently beside the grieving man. After several minutes, the stranger turned to him. “Thank you for all you and your crew did that day to help save them. For giving them hope. For not letting them go through the terror of that day alone. I should have been there, but I’m glad someone else was with them.”
Tony hadn’t thought about the event in that way. He was the last person to speak to the woman and the little girl. Had he given them a sense that all would be okay? He wasn’t sure. It sure hadn’t been, but at least they hadn’t gone through it alone.
Suddenly, Tony knew what he wanted to do with the flowers. He handed them to the man to let him decide what was right. Mr. Hawley stared at them for a moment, then at the road that crossed the bridge. Without saying a word, he took the flowers, got into his SUV, and left…
Carm had expected Tony to be back by now. He’d texted that he was on his way almost two hours ago. She hoped he was doing okay. This would be a tough day for him. She’d left work early so that she could be here to greet him with a bottle of wine and takeout from their favorite Greek restaurant. Given that this was the anniversary of his first bad call, she wanted him to relax with her in their private hot tub after dinner and to not lift a finger on preparing their meal.
She even planned to surprise him with an appetizer Angelina had taught her how to make—prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe. No cooking involved, which was her speed in the kitchen, unless he was supervising.
The sale of her condo during the peak of ski season had gone more quickly than she’d expected and at top dollar, so Tony and Carm hadn’t been saddled with a mortgage. They’d even had a small nest egg left over after purchasing their four-bedroom corner condo with a huge wraparound deck. They’d moved in on the first of February and had enjoyed the gorgeous view of the northern Sawatch Range ever since. Tony also had scored his five-burner gas stove. This place was perfect for their lifestyle.
The front door opened, and she quickly arranged
