Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,101
possibly some physical therapy, depending on what parts of his brain might have been injured. What I’m trying to tell you is that it could be a very long time before he’s well enough to even leave the hospital.”
“But after that?” she asked, her heart in her throat.
Earl Ray reached for her hand, sending a chill through her. “When he is completely healed, he will have a new face, a new name, depending on his injuries maybe even some disabilities. He isn’t going to be the same man.”
“I don’t care,” Kate said adamantly.
Earl Ray nodded and looked even more serious. “It’s not just that. We don’t know how he’s going to feel when he comes out of the coma. There might be too much damage to his brain. He might not—”
“Remember me?” Her laugh came out a sob. “I’ve been here before, remember? This time, he will remember me. I’ll wait.”
He smiled through his own tears as he squeezed her hand. “For both your sakes, I certainly hope so. Now, the hard part. You have to return to Texas and get back to your life as you knew it. We have a cover story for Collin Matthews. He was killed in a car accident on your trip. He’d left you at the motel to run and get a present for you. It was a single-car rollover. He hadn’t been wearing his seat belt. His...remains will be cremated. You will take them back to Texas where you will bury them as if the two of you had never changed your minds about getting married. I understand he has no family.” She nodded, wondering how she could manage such a lie. “You need to stick to that.”
“Wait, no, I can’t leave here until Jon regains consciousness.”
Earl Ray was shaking his head. “I’m sorry. That’s not possible. Any more time here, and you will be jeopardizing Jon’s life.”
She felt the hard, blunt force of his words. “What is Jon’s story?”
“He had left Buckhorn and was attacked on the highway. It was believed to have something to do with his past and a bounty out on him. His life as Justin Brown will come out. In fact, someone will collect the bounty.”
All she could do was nod as she thought of Jon lying in that hospital bed and her not being with him when he woke up.
“I pulled some strings,” Earl Ray was saying. “I wanted your life in Texas to be as normal as possible. But first, we need to bury Jon Harper in Buckhorn. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but everyone back there was betting on you and Jon. You think you can handle his funeral?”
“I can handle anything as long as he lives, and we can be together again,” she said quickly.
“I knew I could count on you. He is much loved in Buckhorn. You stole a few hearts in the short time you were there as well.”
She wiped at her tears. “You don’t know what that means to me.”
Earl Ray nodded. “His remains have been shipped back to Buckhorn. The funeral is tomorrow afternoon.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
WHEN KATE LEFT BUCKHORN, MONTANA, she’d thought she’d never see the town again. It had broken her heart because it had meant never seeing Jon again. Now returning, she still didn’t know if she would ever see him again. Earl Ray had checked. Jon was still in a coma. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, leaving him at the hospital, but Earl Ray had insisted the only way to save him was to bury him.
Kate knew she had to trust the older man. He’d already done so much for her and Jon and her daughters, by keeping them safe. Still it had been hard to go shopping for new clothing and shoes, to call her daughters and not tell them everything. But for Jon, she would keep the secret. He’d saved her life, hopefully not at the cost of his own.
Earl Ray assured her that he wouldn’t leave Jon alone long. He was planning to head back there as soon as the funeral was over—after he dropped her at the airport for her flight to Houston.
“Jon Harper is dead,” Earl Ray told her as they drove through the middle of downtown Buckhorn. She nodded, not surprised how little the town had changed. So much had happened to her, and yet everything appeared the same, including all the snow.
“Just remember that the man you knew died trying to escape his past.”