“Did you marry a local girl?”
“She used to he local. Henry Talbot’s girl. Do you remember her?”
“I hope to say I do. Pretty as a picture—blond hair, big blue eyes. Didn’t you have a thing going with her a few years ago?”
“More than a few. How did you know that?”
“Old Henry was down at the station one night at the end of one summer, must have been about ten years ago, trying to get us to arrest you for statutory rape with that little girl.”
Heath froze with his hand around the glass on the bar before him. “What?” he said softly.
Gates nodded vigorously. “I remember it like it was yesterday. We didn’t see much of the local gentry in the squad room if you know what I mean, so the incident kind of stuck in my mind. Talbot wanted to know the procedure necessary for filing charges. The chief tried to talk him out of it—we all guessed it was probably just a case of two kids in love. The Talbot girl was only a few months away from the legal age anyway, right? But King Henry was having none of it. He left determined to file the charges as soon as he squeezed the necessary details out of his kid. Then, like magic, we heard nothing more about it. A few weeks later, the Talbot housekeeper told me that the girl had gone up north to school, and later I read in the paper that you had joined the navy. I figured then that the girl had agreed to leave town if her daddy let you off the hook.”
Heath was staring at him, his fingers white around the object he held, his breath caught in his throat.
“You all right, kid?” Gates asked, concerned. “You look kinda... funny.”
Heath stood slowly, sliding off his stool and pulling a bill out of his wallet. He set it down on the bar.
“This should cover everything,” he said, then clapped Gates on the shoulder and reached once more for his hand.
“Thank you,” Heath said soberly. “And Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year.”
Gates shook his hand and stared after him for a moment. Then he snatched up the bill and tucked it into his pocket, signaling the bartender.
* * * *
Ann was asleep on the sofa in the living room when Heath returned. He took off his shoes and crept closer to the couch, noting with dismay that even in sleep her brow was creased and her expression not peaceful. Feeling guilty and remorseful to the limit of his imagination, Heath sat next to her and took her by the shoulders, gently lifting her into his arms. He remembered with a pang how he had found her in similar circumstances the day of their wedding. The deliberate cruelty of taking off and leaving her without a word on that occasion was unforgivable in retrospect, and he wondered now if their relationship was even salvageable.
He carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed, leaning forward until she slipped bonelessly onto the embroidered spread. He took off her shoes and adjusted the pillow under her head, drawing an afghan over her legs as she stirred slightly. Then he crept quietly out of the room and closed the door.
He stood in the hallway for a long time, then went into the living room and sat staring out the windows at the lawn until the sky lightened and the sun rose.
* * * *
When Joe Jensen came into his office around noon on Christmas Eve Heath was sitting at his desk.
Joe stopped short. “What are you doing here?” he asked Heath in surprise.
“I called your house and Joan said you were coming in at lunchtime to pick up the mail.”
“And you’ve just been sitting here waiting?”
“Yes.”
Joe pulled out a chair and sat facing Heath. “What’s up? As if I didn’t know.”
“I’ve already talked to Ben Rowell and apologized for last night,” Heath said.
Joe nodded. “And your wife?”
“I haven’t talked to her yet.”
“What happened after Joan and I went home?”
“We had a fight and I left. When I came back, Ann was sleeping, and then I left again this morning before she was up.”
“Are you avoiding her?”
Heath sighed. “I wish I could avoid myself,” he said, running his hands through his hair.
Joe sat back with his arms folded, surveying Heath skeptically. “Kid, I haven’t wanted to ask—”
Heath held up his hand. “And I haven’t wanted to talk about it. Until now.”
Joe shrugged. “Then go ahead.”
Heath filled Joe in on the parts of the story he didn’t know—the circumstances of the breakup with Ann when they were kids, how he had misjudged the situation and how he’d only married her for revenge.
Joe was staring at him in amazement when he finished.
“Do you mean to tell me that all these years you thought she dumped you until that old cop set you straight?”
“Yes.”
“Even when she told you otherwise?”
Heath nodded wearily.
“I guess you had a whole lot of faith in her, didn’t you?” Joe said dryly.
Heath said nothing.
“So what are you going to do now, start interviewing retired municipal staff and going through old police reports to make sure that Gates gave you the straight story?”
“No,” Heath said quietly. “I believe him.”
“But you didn’t believe Ann when she told you the same thing,” Joe observed mercilessly.
Heath just shook his head, his expression defeated.
“What are you going to do?” Joe asked, finally taking pity on his friend.
“I don’t know. How can I ask her to forgive me for a mistake this enormous? The situation is impossible. You don’t know how I’ve been treating her....”
“From your performance last night I can guess.”
“I married her to punish her,” Heath said, rising abruptly. “And I did punish her, every way I could. Now it turns out she didn’t deserve it at all. I feel like hiding out somewhere. Joe, I’m too ashamed to face her.”
“Would you have kept treating her badly if you hadn’t run into Gates?” Joe asked.
Heath shook his head slowly. “I doubt it. The whole act was becoming real hard to sustain.”
“Act?”
“I don’t hate her, Joe,” Heath said softly, a catch in his voice. “I never did even when I was trying to convince myself otherwise.”
Joe nodded silently, moved by Heath’s struggle to contain his emotions.
Heath put his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” he said.
Joe waited, unsure what to say. In his experience, Heath had always known what to do.
Heath opened his eyes. “Any advice?” he said.
“Do you want her to stay with you?” Joe asked.
“Of course, but I can’t keep holding her brother’s fate over her head to coerce her.”
“You don’t think she’ll stay with you otherwise?”
Heath was silent.
“Does she love you?”
“She did, but...”
Joe raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve done everything I could to destroy her affection for me. If it’s survived, it will be a miracle.”
“I’d bet she’s a lot tougher than she looks,” Joe said.
Heath nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve learned that during the past month.”
“Then tell her what you’re feeling. Don’t give up now when you’re so close to getting what you want.”
“I don’t know how close I am. She would never have married me in the first place if Tim weren’t on his way to jail.”
“That may have been the excuse she gave herself, but I’m sure she wanted to be with you, Heath. I remember when you were kids. I’ve never seen two people more in love.”
“A lot of time has passed since then.”
“Have your feelings changed?”
Heath didn’t answer for a long time, then he shook his head once, unable to meet Joe’s eyes.
“Chances are she feels the same. Go home and talk to her, Heath. I’m
betting she’ll listen.”
Heath got up and walked toward the door, pausing as he passed Joe to put his hand on the older man’s shoulder.
“Thanks, Joe,” he said huskily.
Joe smiled to himself as the door closed behind Heath.
* * * *
Heath drove back home in a fog of apprehension; he knew that he had to confront Ann about this now, since there was no possibility of going on as before, but he dreaded her reaction.
She had every right to throw him out of the house or leave him on the spot. The only mystery was why she hadn’t done so already. But the idea that she might reject him now, after all that they had been through, was truly too awful to consider.
Ann was in the den wrapping a Christmas present when he arrived.
“Princess,” he said softly from the doorway.
Her head shot up and she looked at him. Her expression cut him to the quick; she looked as if she were anticipating a blow. And why not? He had been delivering little else lately.
“Heath,” she said, putting aside the gift. “I didn’t know where you were.”
“I came back last night but left again before you woke up this morning.”
“I didn’t expect you to come back.”
He nodded dismally. “How are you feeling?”
“All right.” She seemed surprised that he had asked.
“You said you were dizzy last night.”
She appeared confused. “But I thought that you didn’t believe me.”
Heath leaned against the doorway and closed his eyes. “I believe you, Ann. I think some part of me always has. Are you sure that you’re feeling better now?”
She nodded, clearly bewildered by his solicitous attitude. “I was too nervous to eat all day before the party, that’s all. I wanted the evening to go well.”
“It did go well, until I blew it at the end with my big mouth, of course.”
“Nobody heard that, Heath. Nobody but Joe, and he’s not going to say anything.”
He stared at her in amazement. She was still worried about him even though he didn’t deserve it.
“Princess, I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s all right, Heath. Forget it. I guess we were both tense last night. It’s over now.”
“I’m not talking about the incident with Ben Rowell. I’m talking about the way I’ve acted since we met again last month—the way I blackmailed you into marrying me and have used your brother’s situation to keep you with me ever since.”
Ann was so stunned she couldn’t reply.
“I knew that I couldn’t keep this charade going much longer. I think these irrational outbursts, like the one last night, were just reflections of my confusion.”
“What charade?” Ann said softly.
“Pretending that I didn’t care about you, that my only objective was to use you in bed and extract revenge for the past.”
“You convinced me.”
“I know. I’ve been a brute to you. Just thinking about some of the things I’ve said and done makes me cringe.”
Ann stared at him for a moment, then said, “Why this change of heart now, Heath?”
He sighed, not surprised that she didn’t know how to respond to this turnabout in his attitude.
“Ann, I know that the story you told me about your father prosecuting me for rape is true. Last night I talked to a cop who was on the Lime Island police force when your father was inquiring about assembling a case against me.”
Her lips parted and he held up his hand. She waited breathlessly, watching him.
“I want you to understand that even before I spoke to him I knew that we couldn’t go on like this. Torturing you wasn’t as much fun as I’d thought it would be. In fact, it wasn’t fun at all.” He ran his hand through his disordered hair, then added, “I’m letting you out of the deal. You’re free to go whenever you want and I’ll make you a generous settlement. And as far as your brother goes, I’ll continue to do everything I said I would with no strings attached. He’ll stay out of jail and I’ll pay the attorneys for his trial. I’ve already bought up the stock in ScriptSoft and I’ll oversee the company’s recovery.” He expelled his breath in a rush. “I guess that’s all I have to say.”
Ann swallowed hard, her expression unreadable, her body motionless.
“I’m going to leave for a couple of hours so you can make up your mind whether you want to stay here or return to New York. I’ll clear out if you want the house until the divorce is settled. I’m sorry about the timing of this, Christmas and all, but it couldn’t wait. I’ll be back around three. You can let me know what you want to do thai. I know I’m springing this on you suddenly. Is that enough time for you to decide? I just want to get this over with and not prolong the agony.”
Ann nodded wordlessly.
Heath walked out of the den and Ann heard him leave.
She put her head down on her cradled arms and slowly closed her eyes.
* * * *
The afternoon of Christmas Eve was the longest period of Heath’s life. He had no idea what to do with himself so he drove to the mall on Big Palm and sat on one of the stone benches, watching the tardy shoppers hurry past him. The kids were hysterical with pre-Christmas excitement and the parents rushed and preoccupied. He was oblivious to the Christmas carols blaring over the intercom and the advertisements for the last-minute sales while his whole history with Ann played itself over in his mind like a newsreel. He had surely blown his last chance with her and that knowledge made him want to beg her to stay with him. But some warning instinct told him that she had to bring up that possibility herself.
He was through trying to force her into his mold. The idea must be hers.
When he got back to the house, the sun was beginning to decline in the winter sky and he found Ann sitting in the living room, waiting for him. She was dressed exactly as she had been when he’d left and there were no bags in the hall.
Ann’s eyes flooded with tears when she saw him.
He stared back at her, a muscle jumping along his jaw.
“Come here,” she said.
Heath sat next to her on the loveseat near the window.
“Do you want me to go?” she whispered.
He bent his head.
“Do you?”
He shook his head mutely, unable to look at her.
Ann tipped his chin up with a forefinger and forced him to look her in the eye.
“I’ll never leave you now, Heath. We’ve wasted far too much time already.”
He closed his eyes, the spider web lashes sweeping his cheeks.
“I love you, princess,” he said huskily. “I always have and I know I always will.”
Ann leaned forward to put her arms around his neck and he gathered her to him, exhaling a long breath that caught in the middle like a sob.
“Why don’t you take me into the bedroom and prove it?” Ann whispered into his ear.
He swept her up into his arms and carried her out of the living room. Ann buried her face on his shoulder, sure that this time she would not be left alone when his passion was spent.
Heath set her on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned her blouse. “You looked so beautiful last night, you took my breath away,” he said, bending to kiss the smooth shoulders he had exposed. He unhooked her bra and discarded it, undressing her carefully and gently until she was naked. Then he undressed himself, dropping his clothes on the floor and joining her on the bed.
“I’m going to make you forget everything except how much I love you,” he said.
He did just that.
* * * *
Later that afternoon Ann woke with Heath’s arm flung across her, his head pillowed on her breast. Her previous awakenings had always been marred by finding him crowded over to his side of the bed- careful, even in his sleep, not to touch her. Now she ran her fingers through his hair and dragged her nails lightly across the nape of his neck. He stirred and his lashes lifted.
“Hi,�
�� she said.
He smiled and she was perfectly happy.
“Do you know what tonight is?” he asked, stretching and yawning elaborately.
“The first night of the rest of our lives?” she asked, and he laughed.
“Well, that, too,” he said. “But it’s also Christmas Eve.”
“Aha! That’s why that gigantic tree is standing in the front hall. I was wondering about that.”
“Let’s go Christmas shopping.”
“I’ve already been shopping, Heath.”
“Well, I haven’t. The personnel office takes care of corporate gifts, but I want to get something for you, and the Jensens, and Daniela and Victor and lots of other people. I’m in a benevolent mood.”
“Do you know what the stores will be like tonight, Heath? Are you planning on bringing your Uzi?”
“Come on, where’s your Christmas spirit? Fighting your way through the throng is half the fun.”
“I’ve already fought my way through several throngs. Pritchard’s last week looked like the Roman triumph crowd scene from Ben Hur. I half expected to run into Charlton Heston and his chariot in the luggage department.”
Heath chuckled. “But you’ll brave it all again for me, won’t you, darling?” he said.
She sighed. “Do I have a choice?”
“No. And I am going to make a reservation at Lusardi’s for a late dinner this evening to celebrate our—” he stopped.
“What?”
“Rapprochement,” he said, and she smiled.
“Say what?” she asked.
“Don’t laugh at me,” he said, throwing off the sheet and going into his closet, emerging with his robe belted around his waist. “I am determined to put some flesh on those bones. You are going to have a stuffed artichoke heart, a Mediterranean salad, three-cheese lasagna, and tiramisu for dessert.”
“I am not going to have anything, Heath—you’ll never get a table for Christmas Eve at this late hour.”
“I’ll get one,” he said firmly. “I’m going to see if Daniela left us any coffee. Be right back. Don’t go away.”
Ann fell back against the pillows contentedly, drawing the sheet up to her neck. She was remembering his caresses with satisfaction when the phone at her elbow rang shrilly.
Ann lifted the receiver on the night table and said, “Hello?”
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