Naomi had no idea who Tall Bull was. “Is that what you want to be—a firefighter?”
Dean nodded, still smiling. He seemed like a different child than the angry, frightened boy who’d been throwing punches this morning.
Then Naomi hugged Grandpa Belcourt, her throat going tight. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I was so worried.”
God, how she loved the old man.
He chuckled. “It was an interesting day.”
Winona burst through the door. “Grandpa!”
Grandpa Belcourt held his granddaughter, speaking softly to her in Lakota.
Then Winona made her way over to Chaska—and hugged him hard.
“Hey, little sister.” Chaska chuckled, then drew back. “What’s wrong?”
Winona shook her head. “I’m being silly. That’s all. Shota went to the wolf refuge. It’s better for him than staying here.”
Understanding dawned on Chaska’s face. He hugged his sister again.
Naomi told the counselors to continue with the games, while she took the three who stayed behind to the backroom. It was clear to her that the three of them were exhausted and a little shaken up. They all smelled strongly of smoke.
“What you did today goes so far beyond your job description. You were willing to sacrifice your lives for the children and other counselors. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Food?”
Naomi laughed. “There’s leftover spaghetti in the kitchen area and a bathroom with a single shower. I’ll see if we can get towels for you. After the kids are asleep, we’re meeting to talk about what happens next.”
They disappeared as a group into the kitchen.
Kat walked up to Naomi. “All the cots are up. Unless you need anything else, Gabe and the kids and I are heading home.”
“Thank you—for everything. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”
Kat hugged her. “I was going to say the same thing. Thank you for letting me stay with you. Being here made it easier for me to cope.”
Out in the main room, Chaska and Gabe hugged.
Chaska slapped Gabe on the back. “You saved our lives.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, brother.”
Kat and Gabe collected their kids, said their goodbyes, and were gone.
Chaska gathered the children into a big circle. “Old Man wants to tell us a story.”
Grandpa sat, drum in hand, and began to beat on it. “Who can tell me about the beating of this drum?”
Dean’s hand shot in the air, and he blurted, “It’s the heartbeat of our ancestors.”
Grandpa nodded. “It’s the heartbeat of our ancestors, of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people. Our people have been through many hard times, but we survived them all because we are strong. As long as the drum beats, our ancestors and our people live on. Today was a hard day for us, but we survived. Now, let me tell you the story of Mato Sapa, the Great Black Bear, and the angry Fire Spirit.”
Chaska came to stand beside Naomi, slipped his fingers through hers, whispered in her ear. “He’s making this up.”
Jesse drovedown the canyon into Boulder, the tail end of a day-long adrenaline rush like too much caffeine, exhaustion creeping in around the edges. He called Ellie to let her know he was coming—and to tell her their home was undamaged.
“I can’t wait to see you,” she said. “I heard about Eric and Brandon. The news reports say Eric has third-degree burns. How awful.”