When her eyes dropped to Billy's belly, Jeremy said, "We have a reason, and it's not for the one you think, but we reserved the church in Pine Grove for this coming Friday."
Before his mother could ask any more questions, Mario took Billy by the arm, and said, "I need to get her out of this crowd."
By then, the pilot and co-pilot were standing on either side of the plane, both wearing dark blue jackets with the words U.S. MARSHAL across the backs, and khaki pants with guns strapped to their upper thighs,.
Jeremy stepped alongside Mario, and said, "Take her to my parent's house. It's the log house just over there." He pointed to the house, and Mario, with his hand clamped to Billy's arm, quickened his pace and headed toward it.
As Jeremy followed along behind, Jack fell into step on one side of him, and his mother walked briskly on the other, both parents firing questions at him, which Jeremy cut short by saying, "Mom! Dad! Hold the questions. You'll get the whole picture in a few minutes."
Once inside the house, Jeremy walked over to where Billy was standing and put his arm around her again and felt her trembling. "Honey, relax," he said. "You're among friends."
"Not for long," Billy replied. "I feel like my legs are about to give out."
Jeremy closed his arm further around her, pulling her against him.
Mario told him earlier that he could have a little time to introduce Billy to his family, so Jeremy drew in a long breath to try to settle the heavy beating of his heart, a reaction to feeling Billy trembling, which was uncharacteristic of a woman who had no problem handling bulls or calling down cowboys. But now she felt small and vulnerable against him.
Eyeing the faces of his family, which were a blend of curiosity and alarm, Jeremy said, "Before we get into what's happening, I want you to know something about Billy so you'll understand why I have to do what I'm about to do. First off, I knew the moment I met her that she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She's a champion barrel racer, she trains bucking bulls, and she can match anyone on this ranch in horsemanship." He kissed her on the temple, and when she looked up at him, with the sheen of tears in her eyes, but a faint smile on her lips, he added, "I love her more than I do my own life, and we will be married on Friday."
The family closed in around them then, welcoming Billy into the family, his brothers swatting him on the back, and Maddy talking a little about barrel racing, and his mother trying unsuccessfully to learn more about Billy, while also trying to sound like a welcoming mother-in-law, which Jeremy expected. But he also knew the family was totally unprepared for what was to follow.
After a while, Mario, who'd been standing off and observing, stepped forward, and said, "Okay folks, we need to get on with this, so listen carefully because we don't have a lot of time, and I'll explain what's going on…"
Mario proceeded to give them a rundown of what the witness protection program was and the U.S. Marshals Service involvement in it, followed by a briefing of the circumstances surrounding Billy and her father, as well as explaining his position as the person assigned to keep them alive, ending with, "Now that you know the situation, it's imperative that you read through the information I'm leaving with Jack Hansen so you'll understand how communication is to be carried out, which is handwritten letters through an assigned address, and phone conversations routed through a secure government switchboard."
Jack, who'd been listening intently, but hadn't yet spoken, said to Mario, "How long do you anticipate them to be in the program?"
"We have no way of knowing," Mario replied. "Trials are only just beginning."
"Weeks? Months?" Jack asked.
"Years," Mario replied. "Even after witnesses are phased out of the program, they're never told it's safe to go back to their birth names or return to their homes, although they're free to do both, but most continue to keep their assumed identities."
"Then you're saying this is for… life?" Jack asked, as the reality was beginning to dawn.
"Yes," was Mario's simple reply.
Grace, who was standing beside Jack, tightened her grasp on his arm, and said to Mario, "Then, when Jeremy finally does come home, he'll have a different name from ours?"
"Mrs. Hansen," Mario said, "you have to understand that if your son is accepted into the program, he will not be coming home at all."
"You can't mean that," Grace said, in alarm.
When Mario gave a little nod and said nothing, Grace turned to Jeremy, and said in a wavering voice, "Honey, you can't go through with this. I'm sure Billy is a wonderful woman, and I know you must love her very much to be doing this, but you simply can't just walk away from your family. Please, Jeremy, don't do this."
Jeremy closed his arm tighter around Billy, so his mother would understand that what he was doing was not negotiable, and said, "I'm sorry to put you through this, Mom, but I am marrying Billy, and I will be going with her if I get in the program. If the testimony of the other witness is accepted and Billy doesn't have to testify, we could be out of the program in a couple of years and it could be safe for us to return home then."
Jack, whose face was beginning to register the full extent of what this was all about, said to Mario, "Who would she be testifying against?"
"Mafia people," Mario replied. "We don't give out names for the protection of our witnesses and their families, but your son will be able to give you general updates as the trials proceed."
Grace, who was leaning heavily into Jack while clutching his arm, said to Jeremy, "The idea of you leaving and us never seeing you again… there must be another way to—" She stopped short because her voice caught, and tears began to well.
"Honey," Jack said. "We'll get through this. Jeremy needs to do what he has to do, and we need to give him our support and keep up hope that he'll be back with us before we know it. Maybe he'll come home with a couple more grandkids for you to spoil."
Grace looked at Jeremy, brows gathered above her watery eyes, and said, "I can understand why you can't come home for a while, but is there any reason why we couldn't visit you wherever you are? We'd never disclose the location."
"Mrs. Hansen," Mario said, with a hint of both empathy and exasperation, "the crime family boss we're trying to put behind bars has already ordered the execution of eighteen people by hired killers at his command. A mafia don is a dictator and his word is law in his world. He clawed his way to the top after years of highjacking and hustling and killing, and when an order comes down from him, a wiseguy asks no questions; his job is to carry out the hit. Right now there's a contract out to silence Billy Fitzsimmons, permanently. You will not be given her location. Since the inception of the program, no witnesses have been harmed while under U.S. Marshal protection, and that will be the case as long as all security procedures are followed."
Jeremy looked at his mom, whose face looked drained, and the worry in her eyes was almost his undoing, but his dad would see her through this. "About the wedding this Friday," he said, hoping the worse was over. "Maybe some of you could drive to Pine Grove for it. It will be a short ceremony, but right after that Billy and I will have to leave."
"Of course we'll come," Jack said. "I'll see about renting a van, and since most of us have SUVs, we should be able to get there in four or five vehicles."
Mario raised his hand in protest. "Sorry, that can't be allowed," he said. "We can't have an influx of vehicles heading out there. Billy is considered at high risk right now, so you'll be transported in government vehicles… vans, or a bus, depending on how many would be going."
"We'll all be going," Jack said, "those in this room and their families."
"Then I'll arrange for a bus to be here early Friday morning," Mario said. "It will return the family that same day."
Jeremy nodded his thanks to Mario, for whom he was beginning to have a great amount of respect, which was a good thing since it appeared the man would be with them for an indefinite period. For some reason it was just settling in that Mario Moretti could one d
ay seem like family.
Jack braced his hand on Jeremy's shoulder, and said, "Son, we'll take care of the cost of everything, but what do you want us to do for your wedding?"
"Nothing, Dad. We can only take one bag each with us when we leave," Jeremy replied. "What we want more than anything is for you to be present when we exchange vows, and wish us well when we leave." When he looked beyond his dad, he saw Maddy standing with her arms crossed, unfolding them long enough to swipe tears from beneath each eye.
Removing his arms from around Billy, he took her by the hand, and said, "Come on honey, we need to talk to Maddy." When he got to where Maddy was standing, he said, "I'm sorry to be leaving like this, kiddo, but it won't be forever, I promise."
Maddy's eyes shifted to Mario, then back to Jeremy. "That's not what he just said. He was pretty clear about what was going to happen."
"That's what he has to say that because if he told everyone it was safe to leave the program and something happened to them, it would be on his back, and he can't let that happen, but if things go as we expect, we should be back in a couple of years."
"Then you're giving up bull riding?" Maddy said.
"For now, yes," Jeremy replied.
"What about the finals in Las Vegas? Josh said you'd probably make the cut."
"That's not so important now," Jeremy said.
"What if I make the cut in barrel racing?" Maddy said. "Could you come to Las Vegas to watch?"
Jeremy wasn't prepared for this. He could tell that Billy was getting upset with Maddy's line of questioning, feeling that because of her, a family was coming apart. But even if he was free to attend rodeos, and did make the finals, he still wouldn't be able to compete because the finals were in Las Vegas where the DeLuca crime family was located, and he couldn't explain that to Maddy. "If you make the finals," he said, "Billy and I will be glued to the TV watching it somewhere while cheering you on, and you'll get a call from us after you ride, however you do. I'm not dropping off the face of the earth."
"You might as well be," Maddy said in a brooding voice.
Jeremy propped his hand on Maddy's shoulder, and said, "You're only sixteen right now—"
"I'll be seventeen in two weeks," Maddy corrected.
"Okay, almost seventeen, and you've never had a serious boyfriend, but when you finally find the man you want to marry you'll understand better."
Maddy clamped her arms together and hunched her shoulders, but when tears started welling again, she unfolded her arms to swipe them away.
Wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, Jeremy pulled his little sister against him, and said, "I know I've acted like a pain-in-the-butt big brother when giving you advice about what to watch for in boys, but I've always been proud of you, like the rest of your big brothers are, and wherever I am I'll still be giving you pain-in-the-butt advice, but from a distance over the phone and in letters. Billy and I plan to write home a lot, and send photos."
Maddy gave him a tentative smile while batting back the tears, and said, "Maybe Dad can video my high school graduation and send it to you."
"No videos are allowed," Mario replied, "only photographs, but there can't be anything written on the backs, only references to them in handwritten letters, which will be checked for security. And nothing goes out on Facebook or any other social network." The look on Mario's face said it all, and Maddy nodded in understanding.
"Okay then," Jeremy said, "Dad will have to take a gazillion photos of your graduation, and your birthday in two weeks, and we'll start a big fat family album."
Maddy smiled slightly, seeming satisfied for the moment.
Jeremy glanced around the room, and said to his father, "Where is Grandma?"
"She and Howard are in Seattle visiting friends," Jack replied, "but they'll definitely be at the wedding. You do realize she'll be eighty-two next year, don't you?"
Jeremy nodded. "Billy and I will be here in spirit, and we'll write her long letters and send photos and call, and maybe you could send us photos too." He looked at his mother, who seemed to be adjusting to things, maybe because she knew photos could be exchanged, which, knowing his mother, would be added to the many notebook binders filled with photos over the years, and that he and Billy would not be cut off completely from the family.
He was both downcast and relieved when Mario announced that he wanted to get Billy on the plane. But just before leaving, Mario informed them that if anyone asked the whereabouts of Jeremy Hansen they were to tell them that he'd married a Russian woman and was living in St. Petersburg and would not be back to the states for a while, and give no further information. And just so the family understood completely, Mario told them that all records pertaining to Jeremy Hansen would be sealed, permanently. In other words, Jeremy Hansen would cease to exist.
And that was the moment Jeremy understood exactly what Billy meant when she said, "You have no idea what it's like when the government decides to make you disappear."
It was a very sobering thought.
CHAPTER 16
When they returned to Pine Grove, Mario took them first to the Kincaid Ranch to inform the entire family about what was happening, but after he was finished with a repeat of the explanation he'd given the Hansens, and they faced a similar response to disappearing for an undetermined amount of time, the subject turned to the wedding.
Jeremy started in by announcing that they'd reserved the church for a couple of hours on Friday. He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Annie, Genie and Ruth immediately started planning a wedding, with all the trimmings, that would take place in three days. The lively discussion started out with Ruth stepping in as mother of the bride, Annie and Genie as Billy's bridesmaids, and Ryan and Josh being Jeremy's groomsmen, which branched into which wedding dress Billy should wear, Annie's or Genie's, at which point Billy broke into the conversation, and said, "No wedding dress. We have one hour for the wedding and then the marshals will be taking us away."
"Taking you away how?" Ruth asked.
Billy looked at Mario, who said, "That won't be disclosed until it's time to leave, but when the transportation arrives, we leave. No fooling around."
"Fine then, we'll dress Billy up in something pretty that she can leave in," Ruth said, as if it were only a minor problem. Looking at Billy again, she continued, "Honey, if you and Jeremy are only allotted ten minutes, you will have a beautiful wedding and a reception with a cake. And your entire new family from both ranches will be there to wish the two of you well so it will be a day you will always remember with joy."
Billy smiled sadly. Both the Hansens and the Kincaids could have been true families to her, and she would have fit right in if it wasn't for the chaos she was bringing to their lives.
Jeremy must have sensed what she was thinking because he kissed her lightly, and said, "Honey, this won't be forever. We'll be back with the family one day, and our kids will have two grandmothers to spoil them, and a great-grandmother to give them wisdom."
"I suppose you're right," Billy said, and tried to feel hopeful.
"So then," Ruth continued, "after making an estimate of everyone in the Hansen and Kincaid families, we'll plan a reception for around thirty-five people."
Annie, who was sitting with Genie on the couch, said to Ruth, "Mom, you can bake a white cake and Genie and I will decorate it, and Genie and Billy and I will take the horses into the hills and collect wild flowers from around here for Billy's bouquet so she can dry them afterwards and press them into a picture and keep it as a sort of good omen to their returning here."
"That's a great idea," Genie said, "and we'll need a wedding guest book. I saw one in Pine Grove and thought about buying it just in case there was to be a wedding in the near future —" she looked askance at Jeremy "—since Jeremy was acting like a lovesick puppy."
Billy looked at Jeremy, who kissed her lightly, and replied, "It's hard to disguise."
"Okay then," Ruth said, "we'll get the guest book and everyone can sign i
t and we'll give it to the bride and groom, and send a stack of photos afterwards for them to put in it."
Billy, feeling almost overwhelmed by everything the family was doing for them, felt bittersweet tears stinging her eyes. Jeremy saw the look on her face and put his arms around her and said, "We'll fill lots of albums with photos, starting with the wedding. You'll be the prettiest bride Harney County has ever seen, and when we're so old and gray we can't remember much of anything else, I'm willing to bet you'll still be the prettiest bride in Harney County."
Billy couldn't help the spontaneous smile that followed because Jeremy looked so endearing and sincere, like he really believed what he was saying. "I just hope we'll be able to get old and gray on a ranch somewhere so we can take the horses to the mountains."
"And maybe find an aspen grove?" Jeremy asked.
Billy's smile widened as the memory of what happened on their ride to the hills filled her mind, and her body reacted to those erotic thoughts with tingles in private places, and heat creeping up her face. Glancing around, and seeing puzzled expressions, she shrugged, and said, "A few days ago Jeremy and I had a horse race from the barn to an aspen grove up on the hill at my place, and when the race was over we decided we wanted a ranch where we could ride into the hills and spend nights under the stars."
Everyone was smiling then, except Mario, who was staring at her. He had an odd look on his face, like he had something to say but was holding his tongue. She was about to ask what it was when his expression changed, and he said, "Sorry to break this up but we need to get back to your place and check on your father. I'll be setting up a cot and bedroll in the living room and staying there until you're relocated, and no more riding off on horses or leaving the place on your own. You're a key witness, and I intend to keep you alive."
Billy glanced up at Jeremy who she knew, from the disappointment on his face, shared her thoughts. They'd planned to take the horses into the hills one more time, and she felt the frustration of being denied both the invigorating ride and the chance to make love before their lives would change forever. But in three days she'd have Jeremy in her bed every night of her life. She just hoped he wasn't paying too high a price for her happiness.
Bucking The Odds (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 9) Page 18