They finally waddled out to the Mustang and drove back to the courthouse to pick up Randi's car.
'I must have left the lights on in the office,' Meredith said as she pulled into the lot. 'It won't take me a minute to turn them off, then I'll meet you back at the house.'
'All right.' Randi climbed out. 'I'll stop by and pick up something for breakfast on my way. It's the least I can do.'
Meredith started to argue that shopping was not necessary, but in truth she couldn't remember having anything in the house to offer for breakfast. She watched Randi drive away in her newly painted car, thanks to Crystal, then huddled into her coat and ran for the side door. Maybe ice cream on a night like this had not been such a good idea. She was freezing inside and out.
The hallway of the courthouse was dark, but her lights were all on, as well as one in the sheriffs office. Meredith's shoes tapped along the marble as she tried to remember even going in the county clerk's office earlier. She could have sworn the office was dark when she threw the emergency switch. There had not been time to go into the office. Helena, Randi and she had headed straight to Larson's ranch, knowing Crystal would be waiting.
Meredith flipped the lights off and stepped back out into the hallway.
Granger stood in his office doorway in silhouette. She couldn't see his face, but his stance was official as always.
'I'm sorry. I must have forgotten to close up the office.' She moved toward him, feeling like she was reporting to the hall monitor. 'That's not like me to forget something like that.'
'You didn't leave them on.' He stepped out, blocking her path. 'I turned them on hoping you'd notice when you came back to pick up Randi's car.'
Meredith stopped walking, confused by his action. She swallowed, telling herself not to be afraid. If he locked her up, he locked her up. She was not going to explain or apologize.
'I thought you'd never get here.' He cut the distance between them in half. 'I was worried that you'd managed to find the last icy spot of pavement between Larson's and town.'
'Oh, no. We had no trouble. Randi and I stopped for a hamburger and got to talking.' Meredith wanted to scream 'What business is it of yours?' but she rambled instead. 'We decided to forget calories and have a…'
Granger put his hands on her shoulders. For a second she thought he was going to shake her.
But he drew her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth.
When he moved an inch away, Meredith continued, 'banana split.'
'I know.' She felt his words against her cold face. 'I can taste it.' He leaned down and kissed her again, this time softer, longer.
She knew there was probably something she should say. Maybe she should even pull away and run. But all she did was wrap her arms around his neck and lean against him, feeling like this was her first kiss on the porch of her parents' house when she was sixteen.
He moaned against her lips as he slipped his hands inside her coat and pulled her closer. His body warmed the length of her.
When he finally moved away, he whispered against her hair. 'I've been wanting to do that all night.'
'I have to go,' she answered, afraid if she stayed any longer she would make a fool of herself. 'Randi is waiting for me.'
He took a long breath and let her go. 'I heard you tell Helena that Randi is staying with you.'
She closed her eyes trying to remember where she was… who she was. He no longer touched her, but she could still feel his arms, his lips, the warmth of him against her.
'Good night, Granger,' she said as if the kiss had not happened. All she wanted to do was stay and kiss him again. But Randi waited and now was not the right time.
'Good night. I'll see you tomorrow.'
A stranger might have thought his farewell formal, but Meredith heard the promise in his voice.
Helena hurried up the stairs as fast as she could. She wanted to get into her robe and relax. Most of the evening she had been fighting a nagging pain in her chest and now, finally, she could forget about everything and breathe easy.
All she needed to do was rest, she told herself. Everything would be better once she made it back to J.D.
As she entered their room, he poured her a glass of wine. She did not tell him she had been feeling dizzy earlier, or that she'd thrown up the soup she'd had for dinner. She blamed both on the excitement of the evening, nothing more. Nausea and dizziness were little inconveniences she had learned to live with over the past few months. Like the flu or a cold, they would pass eventually.
And, in truth, when she leaned back in her favorite chair and finished her first glass of wine, she did feel better. The pain eased a little and she relaxed. Home was the only medicine she needed.
Following a lifetime of routine, she got out her yellow legal pad and wrote several notes with her plans for tomorrow. Meetings, things to check, messages to Mary. The last entry said simply, 'remember to tell the girls I love them.'
J.D. was right, she should make it a habit. She had spent far too many years seeing the twins' shortcomings. It was time she noticed a few of their talents.
As she calmed, she told J.D. every detail of the evening, laughing with him about how adventurous she had been and almost crying when she described the way Anna and Zack had looked at one another.
Exhaustion finally seeped into her very soul. The wine eased the discomfort in her chest. Helena decided she would not take the nitroglycerin. All she needed was a good night's sleep.
The ache grew sharper when she removed her jewelry and placed it in her jewelry box, but Helena never went to bed without making sure her clothes were properly cared for. Her cashmere coat was brushed and put in its place, ready for the next time she needed it. Her shoes were dusted inside with powder and buffed. Her dress folded neatly and placed among cleaning, ready to be taken out.
From her desk she lifted the silver dollar J.D. had given her and walked slowly to bed. The pain lessened a little when she lay down. She nestled into J.D.'s waiting arms and drifted to sleep.
An hour later, her heart forgot to beat. Her hand opened and the silver dollar rolled across the floor.
J.D. pulled her closer.
Dreams drove the drilling. Dreams of being rich. Dreams of power. Dreams of belonging. And for some, the lucky ones, dreams of home.
December 20
'Shelby? Are you awake?' Crystal tiptoed into Shelby's room. She'd heard the night nurse go downstairs for her midnight dinner. Crystal was still far too keyed up to sleep.
'I'm awake,' he answered. 'Though I convinced the guard I was asleep, otherwise she'd never relax and leave me alone.'
Crystal hesitated. 'Would you rather I leave?'
'No. Come join me. We might as well party while we have the chance.'
Crystal slipped into his bed, careful not to get too close. Her white satin pajamas didn't make a sound. 'I miss sleeping with you, darling. Not the sex so much, just the sleeping.'
She paused, thinking of how much a part of their marriage had been the sex. He had taken great pride in 'how often' and 'how long.' Her words now must have hurt him and that had not been her intent.
