The Value Of Valor - KJ3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

can’t stop him, honey.”
    Hot, anguished tears streamed down Kate’s face. “It’s not right. That bastard made Jay’s life a living hell. He destroyed her childhood. He was a sexually abusive, domineering, bullying asshole. All she ever wanted was his love and affection. He never gave her either.”
    “You’re right, Kate. But he was still her father, and despite everything, she still clung to the hope that she could have her parents in her life in a positive way.”
    “I never understood why,” she sniffed.

    Lynn Ames

    Barbara shrugged. “Because as she once told me, they were her parents. The fact that she wanted a relationship with them didn’t mean she was okay with what her father did to her as a child.”
    “Hrmph.”
    “She said she hoped one day she’d be able to introduce you to them so you could see they weren’t monsters—just flawed people.”
    “She told you that?”
    “Yes,” Barbara nodded.
    “She never told me.”
    “She was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”
    Kate accepted the truth of that. “Oh, Jay, I’m so sorry I made things more difficult for you.” She looked at Barbara. “I wouldn’t even entertain it. Remember the huge argument Jay and I had just before Christmas last year, when she wanted us to spend the holiday with her folks?”
    Barbara smiled wistfully. “It’d be kind of hard to forget that. She was pretty torn up about it, and so were you, as I recall.”
    “It all seems so pointless now.”
    “Death has a way of making a lot of things seem unimportant.”
    “Death,” Kate whispered the word, anguish written all over her face.
    “I’m not ready to give up on her, Barbara. I can’t.”
    “Grieving doesn’t mean you’re giving up, honey.”
    “Doesn’t it?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    Kate was quiet for a minute as she struggled with the concept.
    Finally, she said, “I’m not going to let him do this.” Her tone was resolute.
    Barbara looked at her expectantly.
    “I’m going to hold a service for Jay the day after tomorrow.”
    “You are?” Barbara was astounded.
    Kate nodded, trying to stem a new wave of grief and tears. “To celebrate her life .”
    “That’s my Kate.”
    “I can’t…the idea of that man eulogizing a child he didn’t value—
    crying crocodile tears and garnering sympathy over her—just makes me sick to my stomach. The only way to stop him is to beat him to the punch.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Mmm hmm.” It was the only sound she could make around the lump in her throat.

    The Value of Valor

    CHAPTER TWO

    he room slowly came into focus. The walls were reddish-tan and T lined with shelves containing jars filled with different substances.
    Some appeared to be plants, others rocks and minerals. In one corner, a slightly built, dark-skinned woman was pouring something into a bottle and humming to herself.
    “H-” The woman in the bed tried to clear her throat. “H-hello?”
    Terri Lightfoot wheeled around, a smile creasing her warm, friendly face. “Ah, you’re awake.”
    “I guess.”
    The healer approached the bed with a glass of water and a straw. In truth, she was quite relieved. It had been five days since the accident, and with one exception, the patient hadn’t regained consciousness until this moment.
    Terri checked the IV and put her hand on a still-swollen cheek.
    “Here, let’s raise you up a bit and give you a drink. Not too much, though.”
    “Thank you.” The injured woman sipped greedily, although the motion caused her jaw to throb.
    “How do you feel?”
    “L-like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
    Terri laughed. “Very nearly true.”
    “Where am I?”
    “You’re in my clinic. I’m Terri Lightfoot, the healer for this tribe.”
    “Tribe?”
    “Yes, you’re on the Navajo reservation near Chinle, Arizona.”
    “Oh.” The woman tried to reach up to touch the bandages on her head, but the movement sent a searing pain through her torso.
    Terri grasped her hand. “Stay still,