Read Online Montana Hero by Debra Salonen - Free Book Online Page A

windbreaker she’d grabbed by mistake on her way out the door. The letters SAR, in bright yellow, made it hard to slip into the Marietta Elementary Principal’s Office, unnoticed.
    Oh, Brady, why now?
    She’d tried homeschooling briefly in San Antonio, before she realized she wasn’t cut out for the job. As much as she’d loved working with her son’s rich, fertile mind, she’d constantly felt inadequate and worried that she was short-changing him in terms of socialization and interaction with his peers. So far, he’d appeared to be fitting in well into the Marietta School system. As well as could be expected, anyway.
    Maybe that’s why the phone call from the school telling her Brady had been in a fight hit her so hard. No pun intended. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath. “Here we go again.”
    The outer office door stood open. She knew the drill: sign in and take a seat—just like in a doctor’s office. Doctor. The word reminded her of Flynn’s text that came in right before she left.
    Taking possible broken ankle 2 ER .
    Was this his friend or had he stumbled across another accident? Why didn’t Dispatch get the call? Is my gung-ho new boss recruiting victims?
    She tried not to fidget as she waited on the hard, molded plastic chair.
    I am open and receptive and good things come to me .
    Mom taught Kat that mantra when Kat was in high school. At the time, Mom and Lloyd had signed up for a meditation and yoga class at a nearby Junior College. Kat hadn’t understood why until years later when Lloyd mentioned that Mom had read somewhere that yoga and meditation were good for the mind. Even then, Mom had glommed on to any hope to slow the progress of her disease.
    “Mrs. Robinson?”
    Kat removed her jacket before following the principal into an inner office. The woman opened another door leading to a separate cubicle and motioned for Brady to join them.
    Kat drew him into a one-arm hug and kissed the top of his head. Her boy was getting so tall. “Are you okay?” she asked, gently touching the swelling on his upper lip.
    He nodded, his gaze on the principal who waited in the doorway of her office.
    Kat noticed he stuffed his right hand into the pocket of his jacket before trudging ahead of her to face his punishment.
    The principal filled in the details. “One of Brady’s classmates shared some unfortunate news this morning. His parents are getting a divorce and he will be moving to Florida in a few weeks. When the young man’s friends tried to console him, Brady walked up to them and said something inappropriate.”
    “What did you say, honey?”
    “I said, ‘Cool’.”
    His tone conveyed frustration. She knew he truly didn’t understand how anyone could take offense to his response. “I like Florida. Remember when we drove along the highway and saw gators? I thought he might feel better if he knew it was a neat place to live.”
    Kat’s heart swelled and she fought back tears. Logical. Her son seemed to channel Mr. Spock at times. “It was nice of you to want to help, Brady. But, I take it, the other kids didn’t understand.”
    His chin dropped and he shook his head. She’d learned over the years that other people’s responses left him more perplexed than upset. To have him react physically meant something else was going on, too. “Did they tease you, honey? Say mean things?”
    “Chloe called me ‘heartless’.”
    Chloe? She’d never heard him mention the name, but she’d noticed the word doodled in the margin of one of his notebooks. She’d assumed the two were working together on an assignment.
    “I’m sorry, sweetheart. That must have hurt your feelings.” A thought struck. She looked at the principal. “That’s not who he fought, is it?” A girl?
    “No,” the principal said. “The boy who is moving instigated the fight. Here’s the note.”
    She leaned across the desk to pass Kat a tattered piece of lined paper. Kat tried her best not to smile when she read the