Almost Forever (3 page)

Lori sat on the window seat in her daughter's bedroom and stared outside. A three-quarter moon turned the landscape into a monochromatic pattern of stripes and circles. The vines were twined around the long, straight lines of wire and posts, and the olive trees off to the left were rounded mounds. A ground fog crept down the furrows between the rows, looking like ghostly fingers crawling toward the house.

It wasn't uncommon for the natural spring between the vineyard and the orchard to create a mist that clung to the earth. Lori had always thought it looked magical, like the vineyard was floating on a cloud. But tonight, knowing Mark's body had been buried just on the other side of the back fence, the fog had a sinister feel. It was almost as if Mark's spirit were coming for her.

Lori shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. The whole idea of a corpse lying so close to her home had her completely unnerved. The fact that it was Mark's made it even worse.

All the horrible thoughts she had had all those years ago came rushing back. After their argument and his admission that he was filing for divorce, Lori had been sure he'd run off with another woman. She'd never admitted it to anyone, but there had been a sense of relief that he was out of her life. Sure, she would have hated to move away from the vineyard. But she had lived frugally in a small apartment in Austin before, and she could do it again.

Lori had known their marriage was a sham for the last two years before Mark's disappearance. In fact, she had been on the verge of packing up and moving out herself, unwilling to put up with the drinking and the verbal abuse any longer. When he was sober, Mark could be quite charming, and he would always send her flowers and gifts after their arguments—arguments that usually started because he hadn't come home for days or had showed up smelling like someone else's perfume. When Mark had had too much to drink, he seemed to forget all those “little” responsibilities in his life, such as his wife and the vineyard. Owning a vineyard was not exactly manageable for an alcoholic.

And Lori had accepted his apologies and ignored the whispers of her neighbors because she felt like Crystal Springs was her home. Her parents had split up when she was young, and she had rarely seen her father. He had been killed in a single-car accident when she was five, leaving behind no insurance or money to help her mother raise Lori and her brother. They had moved from apartment to apartment, often in the middle of the night to avoid a confrontation with the landlords over unpaid rent.

Her brother had become a pipe fitter, and even though he made a decent living, he and his wife stretched to pay their bills. Moving into his small three-bedroom house with him and his four kids hadn't been an option, so Lori had found a job as a waitress and eventually a bartender at a popular bar in downtown Austin. The owner had let her rent the small one-room apartment above the bar as part of her payment. Her beauty and friendly personality had been a big draw, and she had enjoyed her job.

Then one night Mark had walked in with some friends. He was handsome and attentive, and after only a couple days, they eloped in Vegas. They were young and in lust, convinced that lots of sex was the secret to eternal happiness. She enjoyed country life and was perfectly content sharing Mark's bedroom in the big house.

Mark's parents had been shocked, and Lori had soon realized that for Mark that had been part of the appeal. He enjoyed upsetting them, and once they began to accept Lori, Mark lost interest in her.

Their death in a plane crash had given Mark what he'd always wanted as well as what he feared the most. He loved having the freedom to do whatever he pleased and plenty of money for all his indulgences. But he hated the responsibility of the vineyard and did the bare minimum to keep it running. Even though logically he realized it was the vineyard that supported his lifestyle, he just didn't have an interest in either the business or the hard work.

Lori had grieved his parents' deaths more than he had. It had taken her a while to accept that she was now the mistress of the house. It was her first real home, and it was easy for her to overlook a less-than-perfect marriage so she could stay there.

Her pregnancy had been a complete surprise. After the first two years, they so seldom had sex, it was almost an immaculate conception. In spite of the rockiness of their relationship, Lori had been ecstatic. Mark had freaked out. Ironically, he had accused her of cheating on him.

Lori had thought her marriage sucked before, but after the day she shared her news with him, he never touched her again. He'd even moved into a different bedroom. She'd barely been aware of his comings and goings. Instead, she had focused on staying healthy and preparing for the arrival of the baby. All the while, she'd assumed that once Mark met his child, he would fall in love and recommit to the marriage.

Wrong.

He had become even more argumentative and angry after Mackenzie was born. Worst of all, he resented their daughter. Lori became afraid that he might actually hurt the baby, and she never left them alone together. Not that he wanted to be alone with—or even in the same house as—his daughter.

Mark's rejection of Mackenzie had been the final straw. The last argument had been about his refusal to accept fatherhood. The announcement of the pending divorce had been neither a surprise nor a disappointment. She had been tired of fighting and wondering and fearing the worst. Leaving this home, this haven, this paradise, would break her heart. But she and Mackenzie would make a new home somewhere safe, and they would survive. She didn't need Mark, or any man, to be happy.

Lori glanced uncomfortably back at the fog that continued to curl around the trunks of the vines, then pulled the frilly pink curtains shut. She turned away from the window and her tension dissolved as she looked at the sleeping child curled on her side in the twin bed. Mackenzie had taken the news of her father's death well. Considering she had never really known him, there was no real loss other than perhaps a childish dream that her parents would somehow get back together. That was what all kids from broken marriages wanted, wasn't it? But there had been no tears and very few questions. Perhaps over the next few days, weeks, or even years Mackenzie would want to know more. For now, her life wouldn't change.

Mark was dead.

Lori still couldn't believe it. After all he had put her through, she wouldn't have expected to feel sad, but she did. It was the end of a dream. Even though she had barely known him when they married, she had thought it would be forever.

But after the shock, an overwhelming feeling of relief had swept over her. She knew he had left everything to her. Her attorney had already looked at the will she'd found in his office. That meant that she wouldn't have to move out of this house or leave the vineyard. It would all be hers, and she would do everything she could to make it bigger and better so Mackenzie would inherit a solid, thriving business someday.

Lori felt a moment of guilt. Was she a horrible person for being glad it was over? It was as if she had been holding her breath for eight years, waiting for him to come back.

Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Mark was dead. She was free. Mackenzie was safe. She could breathe again. Exhausted from the excitement of the festival and the emotional roller coaster of finding out she was a widow, Lori pulled back the covers and crawled into bed with her daughter. She put her arms around the little girl's warm body and hugged her close. Lori would do anything for her baby girl. Anything.

“Holy shit! She looks like Heidi Klum,” Nick exclaimed as he inspected the Internet picture on Justin's cellphone.

“Language,” his grandmother reprimanded automatically.

“Down, boy,” Jamie commanded as if he were one of the dogs she trained. “You're stuck with me.”

Nick handed the phone back to Justin, grabbed Jamie in a big bear hug that lifted her off her feet, and twirled her in an awkward circle. His left ankle was still wrapped in a short walking cast that acted as a sort of anchor, but he didn't let that slow him down. “I'm okay with that. She's not as hot as you, babe.” Harley, the German shepherd who was supposed to be Nick's K9 partner but had flunked out of drug school because of an addiction to strawberries, bounded around, barking happily. His right front leg was in a rigid cast, but he didn't let that slow him down as the plaster clunked on the wooden porch. Just weeks ago Nick and Harley had barely survived a shoot-out over illegal drugs. But now both were healing well and anxious to get back to work.

“Oh, she's pretty hot.” The words slipped out before Justin could even think about stopping them. Nick and Jamie slid to a stop and all eyes turned to Justin curiously.

“If I didn't know better, I'd think our pretty boy Justin has met his match.” Grammy took another bite of brownie and held the plate out toward her grandsons. “Brownie, anyone?”

Justin rolled his eyes. “The last thing I need is to fail a drug test because of your special-recipe brownies.”

Grammy smiled. “I think I've found my perfect food group. Chocolate that makes me mellow. Cool.”

Nick put his fingers in his ears and protested, “I don't want to hear this. I arrested five people this week who probably had less pot in their systems than you do.”

“Oh, you boys are too caught up with rules. I don't know what I did wrong when I raised you.” Grammy shook her head, sending her long gray braid flipping over her shoulder. But from the smile on her face, it was easy to see that she was very proud of how her grandsons had turned out. All three had chosen careers in law enforcement, Justin with the Texas Rangers, Nick as a DEA agent, and Luke, who didn't get back for Sunday dinners very often because he was stationed in Washington D.C., as a Homeland Security officer.

“But let's get back to why your eyes sparkle when you talk about this mystery woman,” Grammy persisted. “Where did you meet her?”

“First of all, my eyes don't sparkle when I talk about her, because she's just someone I had to break the bad news to yesterday that her husband was dead.”

“Oh, good. She's a widow, then.” Grammy nodded her approval and reached for another brownie.

“Grammy!” Jamie exclaimed. “She just found out. She's probably devastated.” Jamie could empathize because she had lost her own husband when he'd been shot while on duty as an Austin police officer.

“Actually, not so much,” Justin admitted. “He'd been missing for eight years, and she thought he'd run off with another woman. I'm not sure if confirming his death was shocking or just the end of the story for her.”

“How did he die?” Nick asked.

“Someone cracked him on the back of the head. We're still working on the what, the why, and the who,” Justin answered.

“Ah…so the hot widow might have whacked him. Big insurance policy?” Nick guessed. He had a tendency to believe the worst of most people, except his family and Jamie.

“Didn't get around to that yet. But she's probably going to inherit a winery. Crystal Springs Cellars. Ever heard of it?” Justin leaned back against the porch rail and crossed his arms. Even on his day off he was wearing neatly pressed khakis and a white polo shirt.

“Sure. Their wine is delicious,” Grammy confirmed.

“I've driven by it, but I'm not a wine guy,” Nick said and lifted a cold bottle of beer to his lips.

“Neither am I,” Justin agreed. “But the place is pretty cool. The buildings are all old stone and look like those photos you see of Italy.”

“So she killed him for the vineyard.” Nick shrugged. “Case solved.”

“I don't think it's that simple,” Justin commented. “She seemed to be genuinely surprised.”

Nick's dark eyebrows arched skeptically. He didn't even have to say a word for everyone to know what he was thinking…and it wasn't that she was innocent.

“I just got the case on Friday. I'm going to hit it hard starting tomorrow.”

“Bring her out to meet us,” Grammy suggested. “Luke will be here next Sunday, and you guys are like human lie detectors. Besides, it's been a long time since I saw you so interested in a woman.”

“I'm not interested in her except generically…as a part of a case.”

Grammy reached for another brownie. She looked over at Jamie and winked.

“So, how's that bullet wound?” Justin asked Nick.

Nick rubbed his chest where one bullet had pierced his lung. “I'm not a hundred percent, but the ribs are good, and I've been working on getting my lung power back.”

“Yeah, he's started singing Garth Brooks songs,” Jamie told them. “He's pretty good too. I think he inherited some of Grammy's talent.”

“I just want to get this shitty cast off.” Nick glanced down with disgust at the stark white cast. “I had to ruin several pairs of perfectly good jeans.”

“Soon, baby. Soon,” Jamie crooned and patted him on the arm. “He's not the best patient in the world, but he's been helping out a lot at the kennels.”

“When do you get back to work?” Justin asked.

“Not until the doctor releases me,” Nick answered. “I'm kind of screwed as an undercover officer, so I'm not sure what I'll be doing once I'm back.”

“Have you thought about applying to be a Ranger?” Justin asked. “We have a drug enforcement division that doesn't require you to be undercover. Might be right up your alley.”

Nick snorted. “Me? A Ranger? Can you see me in a white cowboy hat?”

Jamie leaned back like she was trying to get a good look at him. “Yeah, actually, I can.” She smiled. “Rangers are sexy.”

“Hey, are you saying DEA agents aren't?” Nick retorted.

Jamie looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Nick returned the kiss affectionately, but when it was over, he stared into her eyes. “You didn't answer my question.”