JOE'S FUNERAL HAD all the pomp and circ.u.mstance that was due to him. Kate had put it together in every detail. It was her final gift to him. And as she left the house with Stephanie and Reed in the limousine, Kate stared out the window at the snow, thinking about him, and all he had been to her. She found herself thinking back to Cape Cod, and the war, the time they'd spent in New Jersey, building his company. She had still understood so little about him then. She could have painted a portrait of him now in rainbow hues. She knew him better than she had known anyone. It was inconceivable to her that he was gone. all the pomp and circ.u.mstance that was due to him. Kate had put it together in every detail. It was her final gift to him. And as she left the house with Stephanie and Reed in the limousine, Kate stared out the window at the snow, thinking about him, and all he had been to her. She found herself thinking back to Cape Cod, and the war, the time they'd spent in New Jersey, building his company. She had still understood so little about him then. She could have painted a portrait of him now in rainbow hues. She knew him better than she had known anyone. It was inconceivable to her that he was gone.

As she stepped out of the car with Reed and Stephanie, she felt panic begin to clutch her soul. What would she do now with the rest of her life? How would she survive without him? They had been given a reprieve seventeen years before, halfway through the time they'd shared. She had almost lost him then. And if she had, her life would have been so different for all these years. Two lives forever changed. Even Joe had acknowledged more than once that it would have been a terrible loss to them.

The church was filled with dignitaries and important men. The governor was delivering the eulogy, and the President had said he would try to come, but in the end had sent the Vice President instead. The President was traveling in the Middle East, and even for Joe, it was too far to come. But he had sent a telegram to Kate.

Kate and her children sat in the front pew, with a sea of people filling the church. And she knew that Andy and Julie were there somewhere. Her mother had died four years before. And Kate had caught a glimpse of Lindbergh's widow Anne, as she walked in, wearing a black suit and a hat, still in deep mourning herself. Joe had spoken at Charles's funeral only four months before. It seemed a strange irony that the two greatest pilots of all time had died within months of each other. It was a grievous loss to the world, but far more so to Kate.

Joe's office had helped her to arrange some of the details, and the service was beautiful, the words spoken about him powerful. Tears rolled slowly down Kate's cheeks, as she clutched her children's hands. It made her think of her father's funeral when she had been a little girl, when her mother had been devastated and remote. It had been Joe who healed her heart finally. Joe who had opened her eyes and taught her so much about herself and the world. She had conquered Everest with him. And the life they had shared had been extraordinary in a thousand ways.

The people who had come to pay their respects to him hung back silently, as Kate followed the casket slowly down the main aisle of the church, and watched them put it in the hea.r.s.e. The smell of roses hung heavy in the air. She was silent and her head was bowed as she stepped back into the limousine for the drive to the cemetery, and a thousand people filed quietly out of the church. They had heard things about him from the eulogies that most of them had already known, his flying feats, his war record, his many accomplishments, his genius, the way he had changed the face of aviation. They said all the things Joe would have wanted said about him. But Kate was the only one in his life who had ever truly known Joe. He was the only man she had ever really loved. And for all the pain they'd caused each other in the early years, they had shared a life finally that had brought them both immeasurable joy. She had learned everything she had to know. And he had been happy with her. She had loved him well. Knowing that brought her some sense of comfort now. But she still could not imagine the rest of her life without Joe.

Stephanie and Reed spoke quietly in the car on the way to the cemetery, and left their mother alone. Kate sat lost in thought, watching the wintry countryside slide by, thinking of all the memories they'd shared. The tapestry of their life had been rich beyond compare.

Only Kate and her children had gone to the cemetery. Kate had wanted to be there with them alone, and with her memories of Joe. Because of the explosion, they were burying an empty casket. It was a final gesture of respect, as a minister said a brief blessing and then left. And in kindness to her, Stephanie and Reed walked back to the limousine and left her alone.

"How am I going to do this, Joe?" she whispered as she stood looking at the casket. Where would she go? How would she live without seeing him again? It was like being a child again when they had buried her father, and she could feel ancient wounds coming to life again. She stood there for a long time, thinking about Joe, and then it was as though she could sense him standing next to her. He was the man she had always dreamed of, the hero she had fallen in love with when she was barely more than a girl, the man she had waited to come home from the war, the man she had nearly lost and then found again, by miracle, seventeen years before. There had been a lot of miracles in their life together, and he had been the best of them. And she knew, as she stood there, that he had taken her heart with him. There would never be anyone in her life like Joe. He had taught her all of life's important lessons, healed all her wounds, as she had healed his. He had touched deep into her soul. He had taught her not only about love, but about freedom. He had taught her about letting go. When she loved him most, she had set him free, and eventually he had always come home.

She knew as she stood there that this was his final freedom, his last flight away from her. She had to let him go again. And in doing so, he would never leave her, just as he really hadn't left her before. He had come home to her, flown away, and come back again. And even when he was gone, he loved her, just as he loved her now, and she loved him. It had become a love that was strong and sure, and needed no promises or words. It just was.

She had learned the dance steps almost to perfection finally. She had learned just how to do it for him. How to stand back. How to let him be. How to love him. How to let him come and go, and appreciate him for all he was. She was so grateful for all that she had learned from him.

"Fly, my darling," she whispered.... "Fly.... I love you...," she said as she took a single white rose and laid it on the casket they would bury in his name. And as she did, she felt her fears disappear. She knew he would never be far from her. He would fly, as he always had, in his own skies, whether or not she could see him next to her. But wherever she went, he would always be there with her. She would remember everything he had taught her, all of life's most valuable lessons. He had given her all she needed now to live on without him. And he had taught her well.

They had learned each other to perfection, loved each other in just the way that worked for them. What she'd had of him, she took with her. Just as he had taken the best of her with him. She knew without question that he would always love her, just as she would always love him. The dance was over, but it would never end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DANIELLE S STEEL has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors with over 470 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors with over 470 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include The Kiss, Leap of Faith, Journey, The House on Hope Street, The Wedding, Irresistible Forces, Granny Dan, Bittersweet, Mirror Image, The Klone and I, The Long Road Home, The Ghost, The Kiss, Leap of Faith, Journey, The House on Hope Street, The Wedding, Irresistible Forces, Granny Dan, Bittersweet, Mirror Image, The Klone and I, The Long Road Home, The Ghost, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death. the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

Books by Danielle Steel

JOURNEY.

MESSAGE FROM NAM MESSAGE FROM NAM.

THE HOUSE ON HOPE.

DADDY DADDY.

STREET.

STAR STAR.

THE WEDDING.

ZOYA ZOYA.

IRRESISTIBLE FORCES.

KALEIDOSCOPE KALEIDOSCOPE.

GRANNY DAN.

FINE THINGS FINE THINGS.

BITTERSWEET.

WANDERl.u.s.t WANDERl.u.s.t.

MIRROR IMAGE.

SECRETS SECRETS.

HIS BRIGHT LIGHT:.

FAMILY ALb.u.m FAMILY ALb.u.m.

The Story of Nick Traina FULL CIRCLE FULL CIRCLE.

THE KLONE AND I.

CHANGES CHANGES.

THE LONG ROAD HOME.

THURSTON HOUSE THURSTON HOUSE.

THE GHOST.

CROSSINGS CROSSINGS.

SPECIAL DELIVERY.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME ONCE IN A LIFETIME.

THE RANCH.

A PERFECT STRANGER A PERFECT STRANGER.

SILENT HONOR.

REMEMBRANCE REMEMBRANCE.

MALICE.

PALOMINO PALOMINO.

FIVE DAYS IN PARIS.

LOVE: POEMS LOVE: POEMS.

LIGHTNING.

THE RING THE RING.

WINGS.

LOVING LOVING.

THE GIFT.

TO LOVE AGAIN TO LOVE AGAIN.

ACCIDENT.

SUMMER'S END SUMMER'S END.

VANISHED.

SEASON OF Pa.s.sION SEASON OF Pa.s.sION.

MIXED BLESSINGS.

THE PROMISE THE PROMISE.

JEWELS.

NOW AND FOREVER NOW AND FOREVER.

NO GREATER LOVE.

Pa.s.sION'S PROMISE Pa.s.sION'S PROMISE.

HEARTBEAT.

GOING HOME GOING HOME.