Zach shook his head. “In the end, it wasn’t even me who caught him. It was Luke.”
“But you kept pushing,” he said, patting Zach’s back in that casual way comrades have. “The truth always comes out, my friend.”
Sadie forced herself not to shift in her three-inch heels as she heard the words.
“How is Luke?” the officer asked.
“Good.” Zach nodded. “He’s home, but he opted to stay with Ms. Blackstone tonight. He’s had enough of the spotlight for a while.”
The officer laughed, shaking his head. “I bet he has.”
The men chatted for a minute more before Officer Stephens moved along. Then Sadie turned to Zach. “Luke is the brother who was there when the mill exploded, right?” She’d heard the name all over town, but never met the man himself.
“Yes, Jacob’s twin.”
As they approached the table where Jacob was solicitously getting KC settled, Sadie studied him. “After seeing the damage, I can’t imagine how scary that must have been.”
Zach nodded. “They were able to dig him out, along with Mark Zabinski, who set the bomb. They were both injured, though Mark ended up in worse shape than Luke. A wall came down, pinning his legs to the floor.”
Sadie winced. “Ouch.”
“Ouch, indeed,” Zach said as they reached the table.
Not long after everyone was seated and introduced, Aiden and Christina Blackstone also made their way to the table.
“How’s Mom?” Sadie heard Jacob ask after giving Christina a quick hug.
“About the same,” she replied.
For a moment, Sadie was struck by the silent communication between the Blackstones. Each gaze was tinged with sadness, with a knowledge no one wanted to admit about their beloved mother. But the words weren’t spoken aloud. Her own shared glances with her mother were the same. Sadie’s heart ached for what the Blackstones were going through; she was going through it with her sister’s illness.
From her understanding, Lily Blackstone had been comatose for many years, but in good health...until recently. A series of infections had raised concern for the matriarch. And for Christina, Sadie realized as Aiden pulled his wife close for a moment, resting his palm against her pregnant belly. Sadie was sure the added worry of being Lily’s primary nurse did not help in any way.
“What? No camera?” KC asked, distracting Sadie from her sad thoughts.
Sadie lifted her clutch. “In here. I’m rarely without one. Mr. Callahan let me borrow one of his smaller digital cameras, but I didn’t want to intrude on a personal gathering. Sometimes people have a hard time enjoying themselves when a camera is in the room.”
“What a lovely consideration,” Zach’s mom said.
“Yes,” KC added, “we appreciate the thought, but please feel free. We don’t want people to see Black Hills as simply a pile of burning metal and soot.” She waved her hand around the room. “Life is a mixture of good and bad, not just the bad. Parties have their place, too.”
Sadie signaled her agreement with a smile, but she couldn’t help but wonder why everything good in her own life had always led to heartache.
The rich, decadent Italian food only served to make the atmosphere even merrier. Laughter and the scent of tomato sauce mingled in the air. After eating, Sadie excused herself to take a few photographs but seemed to keep Zach in her peripheral vision no matter where she ended up.
He stayed close to his mother, making sure she had everything she needed, though she was far from frail. The family talked easily and continuously, leaving the impression of a perfectly formed group of people that life had brought together. Sadie knew, probably more than most, that it wasn’t perfect, though. Zach’s father had been a selfish man, leaving Zach’s mother with a legacy of heartache and a child to raise alone. The fact that KC’s father did the same years later made it that much sadder. And she knew about the Blackstone brothers’ sadness over their mother and the danger they had personally faced during the mill’s destruction.
But it looked postcard perfect. As did the darkly handsome man in their midst. The man who so easily cared for his family—and possessed the strength and the means to do it.