Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,102
man I knew died saving my life,” she said. “How can I ever forget that? I took so much from him, his name, his life here...” She couldn’t bear to think of him still lying in that hospital bed in a coma. What if he never woke up?
“Kate,” Earl Ray said. “You brought Jon back to life. He was slowly dying in Buckhorn from regrets, and I suspect you were one of them.”
Her worst fear had been that she would return for Jon Harper’s funeral and now here she was. She kept thinking of that day when she’d pushed open his workshop door and seen him standing there. She couldn’t lose him now. Not after everything they’d been through.
“Are you ready?” Earl Ray asked as he parked in front of the bar where it appeared everyone had gathered. “Jon’s funeral will give you a chance to grieve for him openly because he’s gone, Katie. That man won’t be back.”
“I’ve been grieving for him for years. But now, just the thought that he might not ever wake up or that, even if he does, I might never see him again...” She wiped at her tears. “Are you sure the people of Buckhorn won’t tar and feather me for destroying the man they knew?”
He chuckled. “They knew how much you loved him, how much you didn’t want to leave him, how much you will always miss Jon.”
She nodded, took the handkerchief he handed her and looked out on the beautiful day. It was one of the few clear days so far that winter, Bessie said when she spotted Kate and hurried to her. She said that the funeral was being held at the only space large enough and still open in winter, Dave’s Bar.
“The sun coming out is a good sign,” Bessie assured her. “It gives us all hope that Jon is in a better place.” Kate could only nod, thinking of him back at the hospital. All the townspeople turned out, packing the bar. Even some who had gone to Arizona for the winter had returned.
She need not have worried about how everyone was going to feel about her being there. Even the snowbirds had heard the story of Kate and Jon. The two of them had become legend in town. She thought of him the entire service, unable to hold back her tears. Fortunately, Bessie was there with tissues and a strong arm around her.
Axel Mullen read from the Bible. Vi, Mabel and Clarice sang “Amazing Grace” and “Rock of Ages.” After that, anyone who wanted to say something about Jon Harper was offered a chance to speak.
The townspeople came up, one after another. They told stories of Jon’s generosity, of his kindness, of his quiet strength. Some of the stories were funny, like those told by Earl Ray, who knew him best. Other stories broke her heart at the small kindnesses Jon had done in the years he’d been here. Jon had been loved in this small, isolated town in the middle of Montana. He would be sorely missed.
She knew she couldn’t tell her story, but still she rose and went to the makeshift podium Dave had provided for the funeral. She told about the first time she’d laid eyes on Jon Harper, how much he reminded her of the husband she’d lost. “It was his quiet strength, the love he put into everything he made and the kindness he showed me. I will never forget him.”
When it was over, Dave bought everyone a round. They drank to Jon. She wished he could see how much he was loved. Hopefully one day she would get to tell him.
Earl Ray gave her a ride to the Billings airport after Jon’s supposed ashes, along with some sawdust from his workshop, had been scattered on the pines near the creek outside town.
The call had come in on the outskirts of the city. Kate could tell by Earl Ray’s reaction to the call that it was good news. “Jon came out of the coma,” he said. “It’s too early to know any more than that.” He held up his hand and quickly added, “He’s got some major memory loss. The doctor said this isn’t his first concussion. So, it was much worse. But the doctor was cautious but optimistic.”
“I want to see him,” she said, but Earl Ray shook his head.
“It’s too dangerous, and you don’t want to see him when he can’t remember anything, maybe especially you. Trust me, he will heal,