Forever After

by Catherine Anderson

  As Heath pushed back to his feet, he whispered, “Let’s do it, right now.”

  Meredith felt a tearing pain in her chest, for she knew he would only ask that if he believed they might never get a chance to say the words for real. He braided her a wedding ring with blades of grass, its setting a tiny white wild flower. Then he took her hand, and together, they made their marriage vows, God in heaven their only witness. When Heath slipped the woven grass ring onto her finger, Meredith clung to him and started to weep. She expected him to chide her and reassure her, saying that they were only going to be parted temporarily, that one day soon, they’d be together again.

  Instead, he held her locked in his strong arms, his body shaking with the intensity of his emotions. Shortly before he finally released her, Meredith believed she felt a single tear slip from his lean cheek to trail down her neck. She knew then…beyond a shadow of a doubt…that he feared they might never see each other again.

  The next morning, all of them were quiet during the ride back to town. There were a thousand things Meredith wanted to tell Heath, yet she couldn’t seem to put any of them into words. How could she tell a man that he had been her salvation, that by loving her, he’d healed her? She no longer felt fearful. The shame and constant guilt that had dogged her for so long had disappeared. She was whole again. More importantly, he had taught her to respect herself again. The thought of facing the rest of her life without him tore her apart, yet deep inside, in a secret place, she knew she would survive, not because she didn’t need him, but because his love had made her strong enough to stand on her own and face whatever came her way.

  When they reached Ian’s place, Meredith was whisked away to the study by two strange men in suits. She was closeted with them for hours while she gave her statement. When she was finally finished, they allowed her only a few minutes in private with Heath to tell him good-bye.

  He was waiting for her in his dad’s den, his folded arm braced on the fireplace mantel, his head bent to gaze into the firebox. When he heard the door lock click, he spun around. Meredith ran to him, and he caught her up in his arms. Neither of them spoke. What was there to say that hadn’t already been said? Instead, they communicated with only their bodies, she clinging to him and wishing she never had to leave, he holding her as if he wished he never had to let her go.

  There were no words. How could they talk when their hearts were shattering?

  Finally, at the very last, Heath whispered, “I’m already checking into ways that I can go into the program with you, Merry. There are stumbling blocks, big ones. I won’t lie to you about that. But there must be a way to work around them. There has to be.”

  Somewhere along the way, Meredith had tucked her hope for that away, and it had died a final death last night when they had shared wedding vows in the clearing. She leaned back in his arms, struggling not to cry and make this harder for him, her gaze fixed on his dark face. Dear God, how she loved him. He was like the hero in one of Sammy’s fairy tales, everything about him somehow finer and on a larger scale than anyone in real life. She truly didn’t know how she would be able to bear being apart from him, or how she was going to find true meaning in her life without having him beside her.

  When Sammy and Goliath entered the den, the child grew frantic when Heath gently told her good-bye. She clung to Heath, then to Goliath, sobbing her heart out.

  “Hey, sweetcakes?” Heath pried her loose from the dog and cradled her in his arms as he paced back and forth across the room. “Why all these tears? You’re acting like you’re never going to see us again.”

  “I’m n—not!” Sammy cried. “Please, Heef, don’t go ’way. Stay with me and my mommy. Please? I want you to be my daddy!”

  Meredith stood with her fists knotted at her sides. The anguish she saw in Heath’s eyes made her want to collapse and weep right along with her daughter. Oh, God, this hurt. It was like having her heart carved from her chest with a dull knife.

  “Hey…hey…” Heath rubbed the child’s back, jostling her against him. “Listen to me, sweetcakes. You listening?”

  She buried her face against his neck. “’Kay. I’m listenin’.”

  “I am your daddy. Got it? You have to go with your mommy for right now so you can keep her company and take care of her. But the minute she’s done testifying, Goliath and I are going to be waiting for both of you. We’ll have a brand-new house, and we’ll all live there together. How does that sound?”

  “Do you promise?”

  Heath locked gazes with Meredith. His dark face had grown taut, the cast of his skin tinged with gray. “I promise, sweetcakes. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”

  “No.”

  “Well, then.” He looked deeply into Meredith’s eyes. “God willing, I won’t break this one. I’ll be there. Goliath will be there. There’s no reason for you to feel so sad.”

  The message Heath flashed to Meredith was as clear as if he’d spoken it aloud. God willing. He wanted her to remember and explain to Sammy that he’d qualified the promise, just in case he wasn’t waiting for them.

  Somehow Meredith held herself together. She had to, for Sammy’s sake. Standing off to one side, she smiled as if her heart wasn’t breaking while the child told Heath and Goliath a final good-bye.

  Ian took Sammy from the room to allow Heath and Meredith a few last seconds together. The moment the door closed, Meredith knelt to put her arms around Goliath. From the first, this silly dog had been the unbreakable link between her and Heath. In the end, Goliath’s love and devotion to Sammy had been instrumental in saving Meredith’s life. He wasn’t just a dog to her, but one of the best friends she’d ever had, loyal to the end. Knowing him had taught her a great deal—about giving and receiving love, and about commitment. Goliath’s was complete, and without condition.

  Then the inevitable moment came. Barely managing not to break down, Meredith ran into Heath’s arms for one final embrace. Then before she burst into sobs in front of him, she raced from the room.

  Men were waiting just inside the front door to take her and Sammy into custody. After nudging her daughter out onto the front porch, Meredith hesitated on the threshold to look back down the hall. Heath stood there, his body taut, as if braced for a blow. Tears filled her eyes, but she forced a smile, for that was how she wanted him to remember her. Then she turned and walked out.

  It was the longest walk of her life, but for Sammy’s sake, Meredith forced one foot in front of the other. Four men flanked her and her daughter, guiding them to a nondescript, white sedan parked on the circular driveway. She and Sammy were hustled into the backseat, two of the agents sitting up front. The other two men climbed in a separate vehicle, their plan evidently to ride shotgun behind the sedan.

  As the car executed the loop and eased down the driveway, Meredith craned her neck to look back at the ranch house. She saw Heath standing on the porch, one hand lifted in farewell. In those last heart-wrenching moments, she remembered the fairy tale he’d made up especially for her, about his carrying her off into the Oregon sunset and devoting the rest of his life to keeping her and Sammy safe.

  He had kept his promise. She and Sammy would be protected now. But what about the “happily ever after” part of the story?

  Knowing in her heart that she would never see Heath Masters again, she pressed her tear-streaked face against the window glass, her gaze clinging to him until, at last, he faded completely from sight.

  Epilogue

  Somewhere, USA

  Eighteen months later

  The thud and clanking of landing gear resounded through the cabin of the small, government-owned jet as it circled and nosed down into its final descent. Through the small window, Meredith could see the airport that lay below them, a tiny municipal with only two hangars, an office building, and a dime-sized parking area. Like a satin ribbon, the gray-black stretch of runway shone with wetness, probably melted snow. Judging by the drifts that lay over the fields around the airport, there would
be a lot of snowfall here in the winter. But for now, as if in welcome, all forms of precipitation had given way to the relentless gloom of a November afternoon.

  Meredith was exhausted, and she felt sure Sammy was as well. Though the flight itself had been slightly less than five hours, their emotions were running high, and neither of them had slept soundly last night. After a quick breakfast at dawn, they had been transported under armed guard to a similar small airport in upper state New York. This plane had been awaiting them there.

  At long last, it was over. Meredith was finished testifying, and now, even though two of the trials weren’t yet concluded, the nightmare for her and her daughter had reached an end. Glen Calendri was now serving a life sentence without parole in a federal prison. A few of his chums were serving equally long sentences.

  Now, Meredith and Sammy could enter the Witness Protection Program.

  As the plane landed, Meredith peered over Sammy’s blond head at the landscape whizzing past the window, seeking some clue as to where they might be. The snow was too deep for her to tell much about the terrain. This was awful, she thought, and if it was difficult for her to handle, how must it be for Sammy? They had no idea where they were, or even what their new last name would be, only that a house had been procured for them in a rural area outside an unknown city. The government had also secured Meredith a position of employment in computer programming, if she chose to take it. As if she had a choice? She would supposedly be allotted enough money to make a fresh start, but once that ran out, she and Sammy had to make it on their own.

  Though it had been a seeming eternity since Meredith had last seen Heath, she still thought of him as the plane coasted to a jerking halt on the wet tarmac. Months ago, she’d received word through a U.S. marshal that Heath had been absolved of all criminal charges right after she left Oregon and that he had resumed his duties as the sheriff of Wynema County. Goliath’s death sentence had also been rescinded, given the fact that the man he’d bitten had been a dangerous criminal.

  Meredith knew Sammy was thinking of Heath as well. In one hand, the little girl clutched a bouquet of paper roses she’d made, a gift she insisted was for Heath when she saw him again. Meredith had tried to explain to Sammy that Heath might not be able to keep his promise, that she shouldn’t count too strongly on his being there when they got off the plane, but her daughter refused to listen. Heath had promised, and for eighteen months, Sammy had clung to that hope like a lifeline.

  Oh, how Meredith wished Heath were here, even if it were only for a moment. She so wanted him to see Sammy. In eighteen months, the child had sprouted up a foot. She was six now, almost seven—a gangly little hoyden with a tangle of golden curls, big blue eyes, and more length of leg than she could easily coordinate while in motion. Definitely an accident waiting to happen. Meredith smiled and smoothed her hair.

  “Mommy, don’t!” she said crankily, shrugging away from Meredith’s touch. “I fixed it special for Heath!”

  I’ll be there waiting.

  Meredith’s heart caught as she watched Sammy press her nose to the window. “It’s been snowing,” the child said firmly. “He’s waiting for us in that building, I bet.”

  Meredith sighed. “Sammy, love? Remember, I told you, don’t get your hopes up too high. Heath said he would be here if God was willing. Sometimes, God answers our prayers by saying no.”

  “Not this time, Mommy. He’s my daddy! He said. And he’ll be here. You just wait. You’ll see! And I’m going to tell him you didn’t think he’d keep his promise. He’ll be mad at you.”

  As they were ushered from the plane and down the steps, Meredith had to catch Sammy from tripping and pitching headfirst to the tarmac. The child was too busy searching for Heath to watch where she was going. Meredith even found herself glancing everywhere, her heart in her throat, her stomach twisting. She would have given anything to see a tall, dark-haired man in faded jeans and riding boots standing near one of the buildings. He would shout and wave, then come running toward them. And they’d fairly bound down the remaining steps, straight into his strong arms.

  Only he wasn’t there….

  Once on the tarmac, Sammy stumbled to a stop. She had insisted on wearing a pretty dress, a pink, frothy creation with a layered skirt, the hem of which rode a bit too high above her bony knees. Below the edge of her gray wool coat, the ruffles billowed out like the edge of a fluted bowl. She stood in a puddle of water, her black patent leather shoes and lacy white ankle socks getting soaked.

  “He’s not here,” she said hollowly. “He promised me! And he’s not here! He lied!”

  “Oh, Sammy, no!”

  In a fit of anger, Sammy threw down the bouquet of paper roses and leaped on one to grind it under her shoe. “He lied. He tricked me so I wouldn’t cry! I hate him.”

  Meredith bent to rescue the other flowers. As she straightened, she grabbed her daughter by the arm and gave her a slight shake. “Shame on you! Don’t you ever say that, Sammy. I won’t have it. Heath loves you. He would walk every step of the way in his bare feet to be here with us. You know that. And you can bet his heart is breaking because he couldn’t come.”

  Sammy sobbed and threw herself into Meredith’s arms. The shoulder strap of Meredith’s purse slid down the sleeve of her coat, the bag plopping on the wet tarmac. For the moment, Meredith didn’t care. She just held her daughter close and let her cry.

  After the storm had passed, Meredith bent low to look Sammy in the eyes. “Sammy, love, we have each other. Everything’s going to be all right.” She tucked the damp paper roses into the child’s hand. “You save these. I may be able to send them to Heath for you, through our agency contact.”

  Sammy wiped away her tears, forced a tremulous smile, and tightened her fingers around the flower stems. “You know what, Mommy? I bet he’s waiting at our new house! That makes sense. Right? Maybe dogs can’t come to airports.”

  Meredith’s heart squeezed, but she managed to smile. “Maybe so, sweetkins. But don’t get your hopes up too high. All right?”

  Two men in trench coats escorted Meredith and Sammy to an awaiting yellow cab. Behind them, another pair of men hobbled along, carrying their luggage. As the cabby assisted to stow the suitcases in the trunk, Meredith was presented with a large, sealed manilla envelope by one of her escorts. Inside, she would find all the necessary documents and identification papers for her and Sammy to begin their new life.

  After climbing into the cab after her daughter, Meredith gazed at the four U.S. marshals as they returned to the plane. Once it was refueled, they would make their return trip to New York, never knowing for certain where they had landed to drop her and Sammy off. Only the pilot had that information, and he hadn’t been told who Meredith was.

  The cabby waited impatiently for Meredith to tell him her destination. With shaking hands, she opened the envelope and withdrew a sheaf of papers, the uppermost of which bore her new address. “2437 East Shriver Road,” she told him.

  The driver grunted and set the car into motion. Meredith settled back in the seat with her daughter.

  “Where is Shriver Road, Mommy? Did they send a picture of our house? Is my school near there? I’m gonna have my own bedroom, right? What city is this?”

  Meredith could only answer one of the questions. “We’re in a place called Trad, Wyoming. It’s a small ranching community. The town is only about thirty thousand.”

  Meredith would have greatly preferred being relocated near a large metropolis, but she guessed beggars couldn’t be choosers. Still, didn’t Wyoming get lots of snow, even blizzards? Why on earth had they settled her and Sammy so far from a large city? Gazing out the windows at the largely rural landscape, she decided Nowheresville, Wyoming, had probably been the government’s safest choice. If anyone ever found out where she was, which was highly unlikely, they’d probably have to dig their way through a snow bank to get to her. Most thugs were city boys and unaccustomed to the rigors of undeveloped terrain.

&nbs
p; As the car wove along the winding rural roads, Meredith glanced up from the paperwork occasionally to look out the window at the countryside. Though it was a dreary day, with deep drifts of snow in many places, she could imagine how lovely the wooded hillsides and rolling stretches of grassland would be in the spring and summer.

  “Oh, Sammy!” she said, trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice. “Aren’t we going to love it here? We’ll go for picnics and go swimming. Won’t that be fun?”

  Sammy gazed forlornly out the window. “I hate it.”

  Realizing that it was going to take far more than a note of enthusiasm in her voice to make Sammy feel better, Meredith quickly went through the remaining documents. Her new name was Meredith Middler. It made her think of the singer, Bette Middler, and with that thought, she recalled the song about the stubborn rose that springs to life under the deep winter snow. Meredith just hoped she and Sammy could be as resilient.

  Once again, she thought of Heath. If only he’d been able to keep his promise, she thought wistfully. With him beside her, she wouldn’t have felt so alone, or so frightened. But he wasn’t here. She and Sammy had to face that, and accept it. And somehow they had to pick up the pieces of their lives.

  She imagined Heath back in Wynema Falls, driving around in the white Bronco with Goliath in the bucket seat beside him. The picture was oddly comforting, something for her to hang onto in the midst of so much unfamiliarity. She wished she could write to him, but any contact with people from her past was strictly forbidden.

  “Yuck, Mommy! It’s way out in the fields and trees here!”

  Meredith wasn’t pleased at the distance they had come from town, either. It was going to cost a fortune for gas going back and forth to her job. Men. They should have had a woman choose the house. In the winter, the roads would be covered with snow and ice. She’d never driven on ice in her life and would undoubtedly half kill herself learning how.