Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,100

“That isn’t going to happen. At least, Jon’s name or yours won’t be in the story. You aren’t going to see anything about this on the news. It’s been taken care of.”

While not sure what that meant, she’d seen that it was all the information she was going to get. Her head still hurt from the two explosions, making it hard sometimes to think.

“He saved my life,” she’d told Earl Ray. “I realize now that he was even trying to save Collin.”

Earl Ray hadn’t looked surprised. “It would be just like Jon to save the fool. That’s just the way he is.”

“I’m here, Jon,” she whispered now and lifted his palm to her lips to plant a kiss in its center. “Come back to me. Please, Jon. Come back to me.”

She looked up to see Earl Ray enter the room and quickly wiped at her tears as she let go of Jon’s hand.

“We need to talk,” Earl Ray said.

Kate’s feet felt like lead weights as they walked down the hallway to a private room. She could tell by Earl Ray’s somber expression that what he had to say was serious. Had there been news about Jon’s condition? The doctor said they didn’t know when he’d be coming out of his coma—if at all. But she had to believe that he would open those brown eyes at any time and whisper her name. Katie.

* * *

“PLEASE, SIT DOWN,” EARL RAY said as he closed the door to the small room and motioned for her to sit.

She felt as if she couldn’t breathe. One look into the man’s kind eyes, and her legs felt so weak that she quickly lowered herself onto the couch.

“I’m not sure how much you know about Jon’s...situation,” Earl Ray said.

She realized he hadn’t said condition even as she asked, “You mean his medical—”

“No, his past.”

Kate nodded. “Collin told me that he was in law enforcement and that there were some killers looking for him because he had busted a bunch of mobsters.” Just the mention of Collin sent a shudder through her. She couldn’t bear to think about the way he’d died. No one deserved that. If only he had listened to Jon. If only he hadn’t done everything he had, including trying to kill Jon when Jon was only trying to save him.

“There has been a bounty out on Jon from before he came to Buckhorn. It’s one reason I’ve had to do the things I have. I’ve had to go out on a limb and call in a lot of favors. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He hesitated for a moment. “You need to know what happens next. I’m afraid I have little control over that part. It’s one reason I haven’t wanted you to talk about what happened to anyone. The official news is that both Collin Matthews died in an unrelated car accident and Jon Harper died in that explosion.”

She blinked. “But Jon isn’t—”

“No,” he said quickly. “He’s still alive. Still in a coma. But officially, Jon Harper is dead. His being dead means that no one will be looking for him anymore.”

Kate sat back. She didn’t know what to say. “You made that happen?”

Earl Ray nodded. “If he pulls through—”

“When he pulls through,” she corrected. “He’s strong. He won’t leave me.”

The older man’s smile was filled with both hope and sadness. “I certainly hope that’s true. When he pulls through, he can’t go by Jon Harper again. That life is over. He can’t go back to Buckhorn—at least not as the man he was. You’ve seen the damage to his face. Plastic surgeons will be reconstructing it, resetting broken bones and covering the scars—all of them, including those from his burns.”

“What are you trying to tell me?” she asked, suddenly terrified that she already knew. She began to cry, shaking her head, silently screaming No!

“I know how much you love him,” Earl Ray said, his voice breaking. “That’s why I know you can and will do this to save him—if he doesn’t die from his injuries. I know how strong you are. But this means you are going to have to be very strong.”

“If you’re going to tell me that I can’t see him ever again—”

“No,” Earl Ray said. “That would be too cruel for both of you. But it is going to take time for him to recover if he—when he comes out of the coma,” he quickly corrected. “There will be months of reconstruction to his face and