by Meg Muldoon
I was still alive.
He held me tighter than any man has ever held any woman.
“It’s all over, Cin,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m here. You’re okay. You’re okay.”
I held onto Daniel like he was a life preserver.
And I didn’t let go for the rest of the night.
Chapter 64
We slowly strolled to the rental car sitting on the curb outside of my house.
It was early morning, and the grey dawn had given way to a brilliant blue sky. A soft, southerly wind was blowing, and clumps of melting snow were beginning to fall from the defrosting trees. Birds whistled, filling the morning with their cheerful song.
It had been less than a week since I was almost shot by former sheriff Sully Coe. Less than a week since he’d been taken to the hospital with a hand that was no better than hamburger meat.
And in that time, the mystery behind the bout of madness that had struck Christmas River had unraveled altogether.
Sully had been behind all of it: the Christmas tree vandalism, the photos, my car getting busted, Huckleberry getting hurt, and the break-in at Bethany’s Bridal shop. He had hired men, one of whom was Craig Canby, to do these things. Henchmen who he turned in at the drop of a hat, Daniel said, trying to get himself some sort of deal.
That was Sully. Always looking for the angle to get himself in a better position.
Marie and I had been more than lucky that Daniel and deputies Trumbow and McHale had driven out to the cabin that night. After getting Evan to spill about the ornament filled with the diamond jewelry, Daniel told me that he knew Sully would come looking for them.
Daniel told me he’d had a hunch about Sully Coe after looking over the old cold case file of Anthony Matthews. He said the work on the case was sloppy. Almost deliberately sloppy. Daniel had called Sully to ask him questions about it, but Sully had said his memory was going, and that he couldn’t tell him much more about the case than what existed in the files.
Daniel said he felt something was wrong about the old sheriff, and it had nothing to do with an old man’s bad memory.
And then Evan told the police all about the blackmail scheme Sully had going with Marie, and Daniel knew it was only a matter of time before the old sheriff was out at the cabin looking for the ornament. The ornament that Owen had already collected and logged into police evidence earlier that day.
Daniel had no idea that I would be out there that night.
He figured it all out just in time. Just as Sully was about to pull the trigger.
If he’d been just a half a second later, then I would have been dead.
It had been a few days since it happened, but I still got goose bumps when I thought about how close I came to being six feet under.
I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But someone was looking out for me that night.
I thought about my mom, about Daniel’s brother, about Anthony Matthews. About all the people who died young because of bad luck.
I shivered, thinking about all the old photographs of them. The ones that they would always be trapped in.
And I was thankful, with my entire being, that I hadn’t joined them.
There was so much to live for. So much to look forward to. So much I still wanted to do.
Daniel noticed me shivering, and rubbed my back.
“You okay?” he asked.
I leaned against the car.
“I was just thinking about—” I started.
“Don’t,” he said, knowing what was on my mind. “I don’t want to think about how close we came either.”
I nodded.
“Then let’s not,” I said.
He smiled.
“So you’ll call me when you get on the plane?” I asked.
Though Daniel had tried to push it off as long as possible, they still needed his help back in Fresno. But I had insisted that he take a plane back out of Redmond, and drop the rental car there. There’d be no more driving over icy passes in the dark as long as I had a say in it.
“It’ll only be a couple of days,” he said. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back with plenty of time to spare before the wedding.”
“You promise, Sheriff Brightman?” I asked.
“You have my word, little lady,” he said, kissing me like a character in a Robert Mitchum movie.
Then he sighed, and glanced at his watch.
“I better get going,” he said.
He started breaking away from me.
“No, wait, Daniel,” I said, pulling him back close to me.
I took a deep breath.
“I’ve been doing some thinking,” I said.
“Oh?” he said, furrowing his brow.
“Yeah. I’ve made a decision,” I said. “I, uh, I’m moving into your house after the wedding.”
The worried expression on his face transformed into a bright grin.
“I knew you’d come around,” he said. “I just knew it.”
His smile was infectious, and I felt my lips curling up as the happiness lit up inside of me like a fire on a cold winter’s night.
“We’re going to be so happy,” he said. “But don’t start moving anything in there just yet. I’ve got some redesign ideas I want to talk to you about when I get back.”
“Oh?” I said.
“Yeah,” he said, kissing me on the forehead.
We embraced one more time. I was finding it hard to let go of him.
But finally, I had to.
“I’ll be back for you, Cinnamon Peters,” he said, breaking away and climbing into the car.
“You better,” I said.
I watched as he pulled away down the street, my heart full of hope for the future.
The future that I was lucky to have.
Chapter 65
I had just finished making my last batch of pies for the day and was enjoying a steaming cup of pomegranate tea in the kitchen when I heard a tap at the back door.
Huckleberry got up and started barking. He was healing nicely, and his hobble was lessening with each day.
I glanced over at the window.
He was standing there on the back porch.
I dusted my hands free of flour, stood up and opened the door. A cold burst of air nipped at my nose and cheeks.
I stuck my head out, and he walked toward me slowly, his boots sounding loudly against the deck.
“Do you want to come in?” I said.
He shook his head.
“I just came by to say I’m glad that you’re okay,” he said. “And, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I’m going back home. For good.”
“You’re what?” I said.
I stepped outside on the deck, closing the door behind me to keep Huckleberry inside.
“You’re leaving?”
He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his deputy jacket and looked down at the ground.
“I thought this would work,” Owen said. “Moving out here. Away from… her. I wanted it to. I really did. But it hasn’t. If anything, the circumstances have made it worst.”
I bit my lip.
“I mean, you…” he said, trailing off.
He cleared his throat.
“I’ve kind of fallen for someone,” he muttered, not meeting my eyes. “And it’s not right, and I know it’s not right. And I just don’t think I should be here any longer.”
My heart sank a little.
I understood that he wasn’t talking about someone else.
I hadn’t actually allowed myself to believe that it was possible, even though there had been small clues along the way.
It didn’t make much sense, Owen McHale falling for me. I had a decade on him, and I didn’t have the looks to match his by anyone’s measure. And frankly, we seemed to argue more than converse most of the time.
But then again, maybe it did make sense. I’d been a shoulder for him to cry on, or at least, to fall on. He’d been lonely and lost, and I’d be
en somebody to talk to.
I had been kind to him when he needed kindness more than anything. Maybe it was a case of just misplaced feelings. Maybe he hadn’t fallen so much for me, as he had for the idea of what I represented. A kind woman to take care of him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.
We all needed somebody to tell us that from time to time.
I didn’t want to hurt him anymore than he’d already been hurt.
But it was inevitable.
“I’m sure this woman you’ve fallen for is really flattered,” I said. “But she’s already got someone. Someone she’s crazy about.”
“I know,” he said. “I just… I know.”
He met my eyes for a split second, then looked away quickly.
“Well, that’s all. I just wanted to make sure I got a chance to say goodbye.”
He started walking away.
“Wait,” I said.
He turned back around.
“You, uh, you haven’t quit yet, have you?” I asked.
“I’m putting my papers in when Sheriff Brightman gets back,” he said. “I figured I owed him that much.”
I cleared my throat.
“You know, Daniel likes you a lot, Owen,” I said. “He thinks you’re going to make a great cop one day.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I think so, too,” I said.
He looked off into the trees and squinted. I took a step closer to him.
“Listen, don’t give up on Christmas River just yet,” I said. “I know it’s a small town in the middle of nowhere, and that it can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but this is a good place. Don’t give up on it.
“Don’t give up on yourself either, Owen.”
He looked back at me, and then through the glass at the kitchen.
“I just don’t see how I’m going to—”
He stopped mid-sentence as something caught his eye in the window.
I followed his gaze, seeing that he was looking at Chrissy. She had just walked in carrying a stack of empty pie dishes.
Chrissy was all dressed up for a date she was set to go on in half an hour. Her black hair was nicely straightened, and she was wearing tights and a sweater dress that hugged her hips nicely. She moved gracefully and with ease as she placed the pie pans in the dishwasher, not realizing that anyone was watching.
I glanced back at Owen, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
He suddenly looked thunderstruck.
I smiled.
Maybe there was hope for Owen McHale yet.
“C’mon,” I said. “It’s too cold out here to be standing around. Come on in for some pie.”
He looked back at me and nodded reluctantly.
“Okay.”
I opened the back door, and he shuffled inside.
Chapter 66
A loud knock came from the other side of my bedroom door.
“Come in!” I yelled.
I glanced back at myself in the mirror.
I was pleased as pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of candied pecans.
The dress was beautiful, elegant, and classy. And most importantly, it was 100 percent me.
There was no garish rhinestone-studded bodice. No sweeping train. No over-the-top frills.
Instead, there was simplicity, tradition and meaning.
Though there had been a few alterations and a few cuts here and there to make it look more modern, the wedding dress was still my mom’s. A lace bodice, cap sleeves, and a simple v-neck that framed my face perfectly.
And there had been no squeezing, pulling or pushing to get me into the dress.
It fit me to a tee.
As I looked at my perfect figure in the mirror, I thought about how funny life was sometimes.
A few weeks ago, I had been devastated over my destroyed wedding dress, sure that my wedding was ruined along with it.
But now, I realized that there had been some sort of divine purpose behind it.
All along, this had been the dress I was supposed to wear for today.
Even Kara, who hated the idea of me wearing a dress from the 80s, was speechless when she walked in and saw me in it.
“Jesus. You’re a knock-out, Cin,” she said, walking in and holding her freshly-manicured fingers up to her face. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“She’s right,” Marie said, coming up behind me in the mirror. “You look gorgeous, hon.”
I reached out to squeeze both of their hands.
Marie patted the top of my hand and smiled, just a hint of sadness behind her eyes.
The relationship between Aunt Marie and me would never be the same after everything that had happened. I had seen a side of her that I wish I hadn’t. And I knew something about her now that I wish I didn’t.
But despite it all, she was still family.
And if there was one thing I believed, it was that you stuck by your family.
And even though Marie wasn’t the person I thought she was, I tried to focus on the good things about her.
What would happen to her in the months ahead was still undetermined. Daniel couldn’t save her from facing what she did all of those years ago. Nobody could.
It was possible that she’d spend some time in jail.
And though I didn’t agree with what she had done, I didn’t want her to go to jail any more than she did.
But sometimes, you had to take what you were given. You had to take responsibility. And you had to be thankful for the good moments you had.
“It means so much to me that you’re both here,” I said
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, honey,” Marie said, brushing away a few tears.
There was a soft knock at the door. Kara went over and opened it.
She started laughing.
“Cin, the handsomest man I’ve ever seen is at the door. Should I let him in?”
“Hell yes, you should let him in,” I said.
Warren stepped inside the room.
He looked more dapper than I had ever seen him. He wore a crisp collared shirt, a pressed brown jacket with slacks, a pair of shiny shoes, and to top it all off, a bolo tie.
I whistled.
“Well, look at you!” I said, going over and hugging him. “Don’t you look sharp.”
He hugged me and then pulled away. He held my arms up and then spun me around, getting a good look.
He shook his head.
“Cinny Bee, I’m at a loss,” he said. “You’re even more beautiful than…”
He trailed off, tears coming to his eyes.
“If your mother could just see you now,” he said, squeezing my hands. “She’d be so proud.”
Now tears were coming to my eyes.
“Listen, girls, do you think you all could give me and my grandpa a minute alone?” I said.
“Of course,” Kara said, going toward the door. “I’ve got to get changed anyway.”
A minute later, the room was cleared. I smoothed out my dress and carefully took a seat on the sofa. Warren sat next to me.
I took a deep breath.
I didn’t know if now was a good time to talk about it with him. Maybe I should have waited until after the wedding.
But maybe there would be no good time to tell him that I was moving into Daniel’s house.
I had run through all the options in my head at least a dozen times and was prepared to do whatever Warren felt most comfortable with. Daniel was more than happy to have Warren move in with us, but I didn’t know if that was something that he wanted to do.
The other option I thought of was that Warren could keep living at the house we were at, and I’d keep paying the mortgage on it. I could check in on him every day, and it wouldn’t be much different than it was now. I just wouldn’t be living there anymore.
I loved my grandpa so much. I didn’t want him to feel left out, or that I didn’t care about his wellbeing.
But getting married meant my life
was changing.
Maybe he could see the anxiety of it all on my face, because he started the conversation first.
“I’m glad we have a moment to talk,” he said, patting my leg. “There’s a few things I’ve wanted to tell you, but with everything going on, I haven’t really had a chance.”
I held back on my long speech about how all I wanted was to have him feel welcome and comfortable.
The edges of his mouth drooped, and a sad expression came over his face.
“What things?” I asked.
“Well, first, I want to say that I’m sorry about the whole Sully thing. I—”
“Why on earth would you apologize to me about him?”
He rested his head glumly on the palm of his hand.
“I should have seen him for what he was,” Warren said. “I should have protected you from that corrupt son of a bitch. You know, if he were here right now, I’d—”
“I know you would,” I said. “But sometimes you just get blindsided by a person. And in this case, we all were.”
He looked out the window.
“Sully’s going to get his,” I said. “Daniel will see to that.”
He sighed.
“I’ve just known him my whole life,” he said. “It seems like you should know a thing or two about a person if you’ve known them since you both were wearing short pants.”
“It’s behind us now,” I said, patting his hand. “Let’s not look back, okay? Just forward, from here on out.”
He nodded, then exhaled slowly.
“Well, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” he said.
The sad expression was still there on his face, and it was beginning to scare me.
“What is it, Grandpa?” I asked.
He looked up, forcing a smile.
“Maybe it’s all these old memories that keep coming up with you getting married,” he said. “I’ve just been thinking a lot about your Grandma Mae lately. About the honeymoon we took. She was a real adventurous soul, your grandma. She loved life so much. I guess I’ve just been missing her a lot lately. I always thought she’d be here getting old with me. I didn’t think I’d be alone at my age.”
He squeezed my hand.
“I’ve just been thinking that I might not have that many years left on this earth, and that, well, hell, I oughta make the most of them, don’t you think? I better live while I still can.”