Man From Montana

May 2005 KARA WOKE UP IN THE GRIP of a nightmare. Heart racing, she sat up in bed, covered in sweat. She switched on the bedside lamp as she looked at the clock. 3:00 a.m. She pushed her damp hair away from her eyes and swung her feet to the floor. Ever watchful, Lady looked up at Kara with intelligent brown eyes. "Hey, Lady. Good girl." She stroked the collie's ruff, taking comfort in her presence. In the kitchen, she poured a glass of water and leaned against the sink while she drank. Would the nightmares never stop? In her wildest imagination, Kara never would have seen herself as a widow at thirty. In her nightmares, she relived over and over again the knock on her door. Every night it was the same. Evan's best friend and construction partner stood on the porch. Tom looked at her with such agony, she knew something awful had happened before he even spoke. Evan was never coming home again. Kara forced herself to go back to bed. But she left the lamp on and tuned the radio to her favorite country station. Grateful it was Saturday, which meant the bank was closed and she didn't have to work, she slept fitfully. Sunlight woke her the second time. Streaming through the window, it gave the false impression everything was right and wonderful. Like a thousand other times in the past eight months, Kara only wanted to pull the drapes, crawl back in bed and sleep. But she got up. She had to. Having Lady helped. The dog depended on her for everything. Kara let her out, then fed her. She had quickly learned that exercise was one of the best ways to help lift herself out of depression. So after a shower and a light breakfast, she phoned Danita. No answer. Odd. Weather permitting, Danita rode with her almost every Saturday, even when it wasn't a Ride Away weekend. No matter; she'd stop at her house on her way to the stable. It was the warmest day this May so far, and she wasn't about to waste a moment of it. From the spare bedroom that served as her tack room, Kara retrieved her saddle and carried it outside. She swung it into the back of the '78 Ford pickup that had been Evan's pride and joy, feeling his presence the way she always did...in everything he'd touched.... Lady tagged at her heels, waiting eagerly for Kara to open the passenger door. "You wanna ride shotgun, hey, girl?" Kara laughed and let the collie in. As she neared Danita's house on the corner, Kara spotted her best friend in the backyard, by the barbecue grill. She waved, but Danita didn't respond; didn't even seem to see her. Kara rounded the corner and parked in the driveway. "Hey, you," she called as she opened the backyard gate. "What's up?" Then Danita turned and Kara realized her eyes were red-rimmed, her expression furious. "I'm having a ritual burning, that's what." She flung lighter fluid in a wild arc, soaking a pile of photographs and the torn remains of an album, then lit a match. Flames shot up with a whoosh. Kara gasped. "Danita--my God, those are your wedding photos!Whatare you doing?" She laid a hand on her friend's arm. "I'm burning every last trace of that cheating bastard out of my life, that's what," Danita said with a sniff. She tossed another stack of photos onto the fire. "What?"She couldn't have heard right. Childhood sweethearts, Danita and Phillip had been happily married for twenty-two years. They had a grown daughter...a beautiful home. But then, she knew all too well that change and tragedy struck without warning. Kara tugged on Danita's arm. "Come sit down and tell me what happened." The older woman allowed herself to be led to the patio table, where the two sat on her cushioned, wrought-iron chairs. "I caught him red-handed," Danita said without preamble. "I came home from work early last night because I wasn't feeling well. And there he was--in our bed,damn it! With one of his clients. Guess he took the massage therapy thing toMott, Brenda is the author of 'Man From Montana', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373781140 and ISBN 0373781148.