Page 36 of Bear's Heart

“It’s not that tragic, Mom.And yes, I’m designing for him so that he can function independently in his own home, but this is what I love to do.It’s what I want to do for everyone—whether or not they have a disability.”

“Not disabled,” Jasper said, grinning.“Able.”

Josie blinked back tears as she smiled at Jasper.Thank goodness for his sense of humor.Otherwise, she’d be a mess right now.It frustrated her to no end that her mother didn’t listen to her, and that everyone in the family seemed so determined to wrap her up in gauze and keep her from harm.But that wasn’t life, and life had risks, and she refused to hide away just so she wouldn’t get bruised or broken.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing to care about others,” Josie said after a moment.“I don’t think it’s bad to choose to be supportive.”

“Josie, I understand you have a big heart, but I can’t approve of this, and I don’t support it.”

Josie bit into her lip, holding her breath, reminding herself she’d expected pushback.Her mom was a worrier and worried.Her dad had struggled with depression for years.They’d lived on a painfully tight budget, a budget which meant that Josie and Hannah hadn’t been able to go to college right away after high school.They’d both spent a year or more working and saving up every penny to put toward their tuition and books.

Until a year ago, she’d lived with her family in Eureka.She’d only moved to Bozeman for school and the internship, and even then, Rye had checked out the apartment to make sure it was safe for her.

“So, you’re going to be his roommate, is that it?”Her father asked, his dark brow furrowing, his gaze meeting hers.

“As you pointed out, I’m not sharing his room,” Josie said evenly.“I’m essentially renting a room in his house.There will be nothing weird, nothing for you to worry about.Bear will just be my landlord.”

“I don’t like it.”Her mother’s voice sharpened.“And you can say what you want about there being nothing weird, but I’m not comfortable at all.Your work is in Bozeman.Your classes are in Bozeman—”

“I’m done with classes in just a few weeks.My internship is wrapping up as well.I hope Melissa and Neil will offer me a paid position with them, but they haven’t said anything yet, and might not want to.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”Jasper protested.“You’re brilliant.”

“Because they can just get another intern and work her or him to the bone, and not have to pay.”Josie wrinkled her nose.“That doesn’t sound very nice, and I like Melissa and Neil a lot.I’d love to stay on there.I just don’t know that it will happen.”

“Josie, honey, you’re my born optimist, and I love that about you, but nothing about your plan makes sense.It’s just not logical.Staying with your brother would be the logical choice.”

Josie shrugged helplessly.“Sometimes what we want isn’t logical—”

“Your dad didn’t expect to fall from the roof.We never thought he’d break his back.Who knows what could happen to you if you are driving to Bozeman every day?Who knows what might happen when the weather changes?There are so many accidents every year, things out of one’s control.I can’t have anything happen to you.I just can’t.”Mom glanced at her dad, eyes bright with tears.“Tell her, John.She’s always listened to you.”

Josie looked into her dad’s eyes, looking as she always did—deeply, with love—because when others gave up on him she never did.“Nothing is going to happen to me, Dad,” she said quietly, gently.“It’s Bear who is hurt.I’m fine.I’m good.You don’t have to worry about me.”

“We love you, Jo-Jo.”

“I know, Daddy, and I love you and Mom.I love Jasper.I love our whole family.But I have to do what my heart is telling me, and my heart is telling me this is the right move.”She reached over to take her mom’s hand, but her mother pulled her hand back.“I won’t be driving to Bozeman every day, and if Melissa did offer me a position, I imagine I could work remotely a couple days a week.I work remotely some days now.”

“I think what your mother isn’t saying,” her father said at length, filling the long silence, “is that we don’t want you to end up being a caregiver.It’s not been easy for your mom, and we had plenty of good years before my accident.”

“Bear isn’t helpless.”

“He’ll have serious health concerns as he ages—if not now.If you don’t believe me, talk to Hannah.Do some research.”

“That may be, but he’s not sitting around feeling sorry for himself.He’s trying to improve the lives of others with spinal cord injuries.I respect what he’s trying to do.And he’s good company.He’s fun.”

“I’m sure he’s fun right now,” her mother said, folding her napkin and placing it beside her dinner plate.“But just wait until he’s in the hospital with a serious infection.It won’t be fun then.”

Chapter Eight

Bear didn’t subscribeto print newspapers, and only scanned the news outlets’ online headlines once a day and rarely turned on the evening news.So, he’d missed the breaking information about the enormous pileup on the highway in western Idaho yesterday afternoon caused by heavy smoke from a wildfire in southeastern Oregon.

It was jarring reading about the disaster this morning, a day after it had taken place.It seemed that the smoke, combined with morning fog, created whiteout conditions resulting in a tractor trailer and a tanker colliding.The tanker overturned, burst into flames, and vehicles crashed into one another, with several trapped underneath larger ones.The spokesman from the Idaho Highway Patrol shared there were quite a few fatalities, but they had no final headcount due to the difficulty extracting cars and people from the carnage.

The story was so grim, it was the headline on virtually every American news outlet, and after reading several versions of the story, some with conflicting details, he forced himself to turn to the sports page to focus on something less tragic.

But the freeway pileup remained on his mind, as well as everyone’s mind.Throughout the day, different people mentioned it to him.Rye said something while they were standing outside Bear’s house waiting for the electrician, and then the electrician mentioned it the moment he arrived.The tile layer said it was awful beyond words.At lunch, Flo at the diner mentioned it.Everyone was worried as the death toll rose and rose and rose.

Bear had just returned to his Clyde Park ranch when Jimmy Jenkins, one of his longtime friends from the rodeo circuit texted him, sharing that Noah Kamp had never shown up for the rodeo in Pendleton yesterday.Noah was driving the 84 through Idaho yesterday, at least that had been the route he’d told his friends he was taking, and Jimmy hoped Bear had maybe heard from him.

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