Forever After

by Catherine Anderson

  “Yup. I can do that.”

  He thrust out his hand. “Shake with me on it?”

  “What’s shaking do?”

  “It cements the deal. An extra kind of promise.”

  She put her small hand in his. “I promise.”

  Heath made a great show of pumping her arm up and down. “Now it’s official. You’re Goliath’s unofficial honorary guardian.”

  “For always?”

  “For as long as you live here, anyway.”

  “What if we gots to go ’way?”

  Heath prayed to God not. Gathering Sammy into his arms, he pushed to his feet. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, sweetcakes. Right now, I have to get you home. Your mommy is probably beside herself.” As he left the kennel, Heath whistled for his dog. “Come on, you mangy mutt. If I’m going to buck the county, I may as well go all the way and let you out of jail for a few hours.”

  On the way back to Meredith’s, something Sammy had said slammed into Heath’s mind like a hollow-point slug. My daddy went asleep. And afterward, the man had been covered up with dirt. That had to mean Meredith’s husband was dead.

  Heath’s hands convulsed into throbbing fists over the steering wheel. Dead? If that was true, then who was she hiding from? All of a sudden, he felt as if he had swallowed live snakes, a cold, slithering sensation low in his gut. Oh, Christ. He remembered back to that first night and the feeling he’d had that he’d seen Meredith and Sammy before. And later, how he’d scoffed at himself for entertaining the notion, however briefly, that he might have seen their likenesses at the department.

  What if Meredith was wanted for something? Was it possible he’d had a fugitive living down the road from him all this time and never suspected it? Glancing at Sammy, Heath didn’t want to believe such a thing or even explore the possibility.

  As the sheriff of this county, he didn’t have a choice.

  Chapter 17

  Meredith was so overjoyed to see Sammy that she dashed past Heath as if he weren’t there. Falling to her knees on the patchy grass, she clasped her sleepy-eyed child in her arms, sobbing and laughing. Goliath, who had leaped from the vehicle after Sammy, barked and horned in on the reunion, licking Meredith’s tear-streaked face and butting her shoulder until she looped an arm around his neck.

  Watching the trio, Heath got a lump the size of a golf ball in his throat. He forced himself to turn away. He had to keep his head on straight, dammit. Maybe Meredith was as innocent of any wrongdoing as a newborn babe. He hoped to hell she was. But until he knew for sure, he couldn’t afford these feelings. If push came to shove, he could find himself having to arrest her.

  Finally Meredith released her daughter. Giving the dog a final pat, she pushed to her feet. “Are you going back to work?” she asked.

  “I missed most of the day. I really should go in and check on things. When the cat’s away, and all of that. It’s a crazy time right now. Memorial Day weekend is coming up.” He glanced at Sammy and the dog. The child was planting kisses on the dog’s snout, her small face twisting in distaste when Goliath’s tongue got in the way. He smiled and inclined his head at the pair. “Sammy gave me a talking to, by the way. As a result, I’ve come to my senses and decided to fight the county’s decision.”

  “They ordered Goliath to be euthanized?”

  “As of today. But just because I’m given an edict, it doesn’t mean I have to abide by it. I’m in the mood for a good fight.”

  Her gaze jerked to his. He could tell by her expression that his double meaning hadn’t been lost on her, and that she was wondering what he’d meant by it. Two bright spots of color flagged her cheeks. “After all you’ve been through this last twenty-four hours, I guess you have a right to be in a bad mood.”

  “A real bitch of a mood.”

  The sudden rush of color drained from her cheeks. She knew. He could see the wariness in her eyes. What had she thought? That he hadn’t seen what was right in front of his nose? One blue eye was a little hard to miss. And what did she expect him to do now? Pretend he hadn’t noticed and just go on as if nothing had changed? He didn’t appreciate being made to look like a stupid ass.

  It occurred to Heath that his alluding to the wig and contacts might be a mistake. If she was wanted for something, she just might run. He almost wished she would. Maybe then, some other poor son of a bitch would have the honor of arresting her.

  “I have to go,” he spat out.

  She just stood there with her hand pressed to her throat and her heart shining from her eyes. A silent plea for him to pretend he didn’t know, maybe? He stared into her eyes, thinking of all the times he had felt as if he were drowning in them. Lying eyes. They were blue, not brown. And that wealth of dark hair was fake as well.

  “Good-bye then,” she said softly.

  Had that been a note of finality he’d heard in her farewell? Heath hoped so. Now that he thought about it, he wanted her to run. Preferably as far away as that rattletrap old car of hers would go before breaking down.

  God help him, if there was a warrant out on her, he didn’t know if he could bring himself to arrest her.

  After collecting his dog, Heath drove straight from Meredith’s house to the sheriff’s department. His computer system there was linked to a nationwide law enforcement network. On a regular basis, he imported and exported information on criminals, keeping in constant contact with the FBI, the state boys across the country, and with myriad police departments, both metropolitan and jerkwater. If Meredith was wanted, for anything, he would be able to find out. Oh, it might take him a few hours, maybe more than a few, depending on how broadly he had to search to find data matches. That was all right; he was a patient man.

  Once he was closeted in his office, Heath was driven nearly to distraction by Goliath, who paced the confines of the small room, whining and jumping up on the door.

  “Damn, Goliath, stop it. I’m trying to concentrate,” Heath groused as he scrolled.

  As the minutes passed, the dog grew more nervous, his whines taking on a frantic edge. Back and forth, he paced. Heath wondered if there was a female dog in heat close by. Except for the night Goliath had met Sammy, he’d never acted this way.

  Thinking perhaps Goliath needed to go, Heath escorted him outside. The dog made a beeline for the Bronco. Heath called him back.

  “Just lie down and be quiet,” he ordered as he resumed his seat at his desk.

  The dog stayed down for about five seconds, then began pacing again. Heath glanced up, beginning to feel uneasy himself. About what, he wasn’t sure. He eyed the telephone, tempted to call Meredith to make sure that she and Sammy were okay.

  Craziness. As fond as Goliath was of Sammy, he didn’t have telepathic communication with the child. No question about it, there had to be a female dog in the neighborhood. As for Heath’s uneasiness? Nerves, he assured himself. The possibility that Meredith could be running from the law had his imagination kicked into high gear.

  Settling back down to work, Heath began scrolling through the computer files again. After about an hour, his eyes started to burn. He kept searching.

  If the woman he’d believed himself to be falling in love with was wanted for a crime, he had to know, the sooner, the better. The truth was something he could deal with. It was the not knowing and being lied to that he couldn’t handle.

  Meredith stood at the stove, stirring a pot of soup. The last supper, she thought nonsensically. As soon as she and Sammy had eaten, they were out of here. After what had happened this afternoon, she had no choice. Heath had noticed the missing contact and the wig as well. There had been no mistaking that glint in his eyes when he told her good-bye. He was going to learn the truth now. It was only a matter of time. And when he did, he would have no choice but to arrest her. That was his job.

  Tears burned at the backs of her eyes. She blinked them away. Letting Sammy see how upset she was would only make their departure more difficult for the child.

  �
�Are we ever gonna come back, Mommy?” she asked in a tremulous voice from where she sat at the table.

  “Maybe. Probably, sweetheart.” Glancing over her shoulder, Meredith flashed a stiff smile. “While the soup’s heating, why don’t you run into your room and choose one great big toy that you’d like to take with you. Hmm? I’ll make room in the backseat.”

  Sammy pulled a glum face. “A toy won’t make me feel glad.”

  “Sweetkins, I’ve explained over and over why we have to go. Heath saw me without my contact, remember?”

  “Don’t he like blue eyes?”

  “Sammy, if we don’t leave, Heath will find out who we really are sooner or later. When that happens, the police will send you back to New York. Is that what you want?”

  The little girl’s eyes grew large. “No. I wanna stay here.”

  “We can’t, punkin. I wish we could, too. But to keep you safe, we have to go. Sometimes life doesn’t give us any choices.” She forced a smile. “We’ll have each other. It won’t be so bad. You’ll see. Now go and choose a toy to take along. Make sure it’s your very favorite big one. We only have room for the one.”

  As the child ran to her bedroom, Meredith returned her gaze to the stove. Oh, God, how she wished they could return someday. But that would only come about if a miracle happened. Like for instance, if she could somehow iron out the legal wrinkles back in New York. Or, maybe, if Glen died. He was getting older. What was he now, sixty-six? There was always a chance he might keel over with a heart attack.

  Meredith no sooner entertained the thought than she scoffed at herself. Glen’s death wouldn’t bring an end to her problems. Who was she kidding? They’d be after her for the rest of her life, no matter who was at the helm.

  Still, it was nice to think that someday she might return here with Sammy. That she would be free to fall in love, make commitments, and build a future.

  The thought made her smile bitterly. Right. Heath Masters, her hero. He was probably trying to get the goods on her this very minute, and as soon as he did, he would sell her down the river. Is that what she wanted? Another man who would turn on her?

  From the start, she could never trust him. His career meant too much to him. Which would he choose, her or law enforcement? His work with kids was an atonement for Laney’s death. To give it up, he’d have to forgive himself first, and so far, he hadn’t.

  After supper, she had to get Sammy out of here. Before leaving town, she’d stop at a store and get several cans of cheap spray paint to hide the color of her car. She could do that at one of the less popular recreation parks. Once the car was painted, she’d drive through the suburbs and exchange license plates with another car.

  When she left, she could leave no trail. Kidnapping was no misdemeanor. The minute Heath learned why she was wanted, he’d be furious. A child stealer, the lowest of the low. It would stick in his craw that she’d slipped through his fingers. He’d be riding high on anger and never stop to ask himself why she’d taken her child. He would react first, and think later. The law was the law, amen. And she had broken it, big time.

  Luckily, it would take him a while to learn who she was, even with a computer network at his disposal. Before he could find her on the system, he had to know what he was looking for. Right now, all he had to go on was a physical description. Worst case scenario, he’d stumble onto information about her tonight. More than likely, though, he wouldn’t find anything until tomorrow. Either way, she’d be on the road, in a different-colored car with someone else’s license plates. They’d play hell trying to find her.

  Soon, she and Sammy would be in a new place, starting over fresh. And next time, she promised herself, she wouldn’t let herself care about the neighbor man.

  What did she even want with a man, anyway? She hated having sex, and to even consider marrying for financial security would be a very bad trade. Dan had been wealthy, filthy rich, in fact. Beautiful houses and clothing. Oh, yes, while married to Dan Calendri, she’d had it all. Only the beautiful houses had been high-security prisons.

  She was finished playing Russian roulette with her life. No man was ever going to have control over her again or have the right—legally, morally, or otherwise—to lay a hand on her daughter again. And she would never, ever trust again.

  It hurt too badly when the person let you down….

  The tears Meredith had been holding at bay rushed to her eyes. She swiped angrily at her cheeks, furious with herself for having fantasized about a future with Heath in the first place, or to care this much. Men. They were all the same, a faithless, unreliable lot. So what if he cared more for his precious career than he did her?

  “I’m sad, Mommy. I really, really, really don’t wanna leave.”

  “Don’t feel sad.” Meredith tapped the spoon on the edge of the pot. “I’ll tell you what. When we get settled in our next house, how would you like a puppy?”

  “I want G’liath! He’s my friend, and I love him this much.”

  From the corner of her eye, Meredith saw Sammy spread her arms wide. She stifled a weary sigh. “I know you do, sweetie. But we have to leave. So, let’s think happy thoughts. A puppy will be lots of fun.”

  The ceiling light blinked out. Meredith scowled. “The electricity just went off.” Glancing out the window, she saw that the sun was setting over the mountains. Twilight would come fast, as it always did at higher elevations. “Fantastic. I guess this old joint is going to have the last laugh.”

  Sammy moved closer. “It’s kind of dark in here.”

  “Not so dark we can’t see to eat.” Meredith grabbed bowls from the cupboard. “You want to get the spoons? Let’s hurry, or we’ll be drinking soup in the dark.”

  While Meredith served the soup, Sammy fetched the silverware. In short order, they were seated at the table, eating their meager meal. Meredith soon found herself wishing she hadn’t put their jackets in the backseat of the car. It was cool enough this evening that she would have turned on the furnace if they’d been staying the night.

  By the time they finished eating, it was nearly dark. Worried that Sammy might get chilled, she pushed up from the table and said, “Okay, punkin, let’s go.”

  “Aren’t we gonna wash dishes?”

  Meredith smiled as she stepped over to get her purse off the top of the refrigerator. “We’re leaving, remember? Tonight, we don’t have to clean the kitchen. Mr. Guntrum can pay to have it done out of my cleaning deposit.”

  Sammy climbed off her chair, her small face looking forlorn in the shadows. “I wish I could tell G’liath bye.”

  “I wish you could, too, swee—”

  A loud crash in the utility room cut Meredith short. She whirled just in time to see a man enter the kitchen. Even as Meredith fell back a step in startlement, she felt a vague sense of recognition. As the man stepped closer and she was able to discern his features, she saw why. Their intruder was none other than the encyclopedia salesman Goliath had bitten yesterday. Another man pushed into the kitchen behind him.

  “What are you doing here?” Meredith demanded in a shaky voice. She cast a frightened glance at her daughter. “Sammy, sweetie, go to your room.”

  “No, Tamara, don’t,” the salesman said softly. “You stay right where you are. If you’re a good little girl and do as you’re told, we won’t shoot your mother.”

  Tamara? Meredith’s gaze dropped from the man’s shadowy features to his hand. A gun. Her heart lurched, skipped a beat, and then felt as if it simply stopped, quivering at the base of her throat like a blob of gelatin. A watery sensation ran down her legs.

  In stunned disbelief, she looked at the man who had entered the room behind the salesman. Tall, slender, and blond. She remembered him instantly. He was the man who had approached her in the supermarket parking lot, asking for directions. The one Goliath had growled at so viciously. Oh, God. Glen had found them.

  Meredith didn’t know how long she stood there frozen. By the time she jerked into motion, the dark-haired
salesman was upon her, his stocky body knocking her off balance. As she staggered to keep her feet, he grabbed her left wrist and wrenched her arm behind her back. Pain exploded in her shoulder. The next instant, she felt the cold barrel of the gun pressing against her temple.

  “Not one sound, bitch!” he snarled.

  Meredith had no intention of screaming. Even if Heath had been at home, which he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have heard her.

  “Sammy, run!”

  The child just stood there, her small body quaking, her fear-widened eyes luminous in the dimness.

  “You shut up!” The salesman thumped the gun barrel against Meredith’s temple in warning. “Not a word, I told you!”

  “Run, Sammy!” Meredith cried again. “Run!”

  Sammy spun in a panic, her sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. The blond man grabbed her by the hair. The child wailed and clamped her hands to her smarting scalp.

  “Take your hands off of her!” Meredith yelled. “You animal! Don’t hurt—” The words snagged in Meredith’s throat as the salesman twisted viciously on her arm. “Ahhh!” She gulped back the rest of the scream, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d caused her pain. “Let go of her hair, damn you! She’s just a little girl!”

  Instead of releasing the child’s hair, the blond dragged Sammy across the room and lifted her onto a chair. The child shrieked in pain. If Meredith could have broken free at that moment, she would have attacked him with her bare hands. The man holding Meredith jerked up on her arm and shoved her toward a chair across from Sammy. Meredith’s teeth snapped together when he slammed her down on the cushion.