They all looked out over at the pickups and cars. Men were leaving quietly, as though they had been caught eaves dropping.

Carlo was the only one who did not move. "I am not leaving without my sister!" Despite the crutches, he stepped onto the first step on the porch.

Granger glanced at the widows, almost as if he was considering letting them handle the stout man. Any one of them would gladly cut Carlo to pieces. "You've done enough for one night, ladies," he said. "It's time I earned my pay." He moved to the step directly above Carlo. "I'm afraid, Mr. Vangetti, that you'll be riding back with me. At least as far as the county lockup."

"I do not think so." Carlo seemed to believe that if his voice was louder than anyone else's then he must be right. "I have done nothing, Sheriff, but protect my family."

Granger watched Carlo carefully. "You see, Mr. Vangetti. it's against the law to file a false report. Zack Larson didn't rape your sister, and he didn't shoot you."

"You can not prove that!" Carlo shouted.

"Yes, he can," Anna whispered from the doorway. She slipped out onto the porch, staying well behind Granger. "You forget, Carlo, I was there."

"You would send your own brother to jail?" Carlo looked surprised at the possibility. Anger crept into his words. "That would not be a wise thing to do, Anna. Not for your sake, or Zack's."

Randi stomped toward the edge of the porch, her hands already balled into fists for a fight. Carlo's size and volume didn't frighten her.

Before she issued a death threat that he would have to arrest her for, Granger slid between them and took Carlo by the arm. "How about you come along as a guest of the county tonight? Let your sister have some time to think. Give you a chance to settle down."

Carlo swore as Zack walked up behind Anna and placed his hand on her shoulder. The Italian took powerful breaths like a bull about to charge.

The sheriffs grip tightened around his solid arm.

Carlo tried to jerk free, but it was hopeless. He might be a fighter, but he was smart enough to know now wasn't the time. With an angry oath, he stopped struggling with Granger. "You must take him in, also."

With the help of Adam on Carlo's left side, Granger turned Carlo toward the patrol car. "We're not in the habit of arresting a man for loving a woman." He glanced over his shoulder. "Sorry about the lock up, Larson. No hard feelings."

Before Zack could answer, Carlo demanded, "You can not leave him here with my sister."

"He's well chaperoned." Granger opened the back of his car and gave Carlo a helpful shove as he glanced back at Meredith. "'Course, I suspect they're all criminals, but I'm too outnumbered to haul them in."

Meredith opened her mouth to say goodbye to Granger. He hadn't spoken to her, but she'd felt him watching her from the time he walked up at the back of the crowd. There was something comforting about knowing he was there.

Before she could think of anything to say, he was gone. She watched his taillights disappear and realized she had probably ruined any chances of them ever even being friends. Eventually, he would figure out that she had told him the truth, she had set Zack free, and even though it was the right thing to do, she'd broken the law. They lived in different worlds. She believed in doing what was right, he believed in following the law. Once in a while the two view were not parallel.

"Thanks for the loan." Zack returned the Mustang keys. "If you'll bring it out some weekend, I could work on that engine. Maybe make it run a little smoother for my next getaway." He lowered his head. "You saved my life tonight as well as Anna's. Thanks."

Meredith did not know what to say. Before Zack could move, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged.

At first, he didn't react. Women hugging him was not something that happened to him often. Slowly, he put his arms around her and patted her on the back.

Meredith fought tears. She told herself she just needed someone to hold her for a few minutes. She needed her heart to stop pounding. She needed to know it was all over and they were all out of harm's way.

But Zack's arms gave her little comfort. He was not the one she wanted. The man she needed would never offer.

Meredith pulled away and gently embraced Anna. "You're welcome to come home with me," she volunteered. "Randi and I will try not to keep you up talking."

Anna shook her head. "I want to stay here tonight."

The women moved away from Anna and Zack with hugs but few words. They knew what they had done and why they did it. There was no need for thanks.

At Helena's car, Meredith asked, "You want me to follow you home? Or Randi can drive you and I'll follow." Helena had been a rock during the trouble, but now she looked so pale it frightened Meredith.

"No, dear. I promised J.D. I'd be home by dark and I'm already late. He'll be worried about me. I'd best hurry." She climbed in her huge car and pulled away.

Randi moved to Meredith's side. "He's not dead to her, is he?"

Meredith shook her head. "Does it matter?"

They waved goodbye to Crystal and folded into the Mustang.

"I don't suppose I could interest you in stopping off at Frankie's on the way home?" Randi propped her foot up on the dash.

Meredith laughed. "No way."

"Then, how about the Dairy Queen? I'm starving. A life of crime always makes me hungry."

"Now, that's a deal. Let's go crazy and order banana splits."

Randi leaned back and frowned. "I'm living on the wild side now."

But she laughed all the way through her hamburger and fries. By the time they ordered their banana splits they were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, reliving their night of near death and riotous adventure.

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.


December 19

10:00 p. m.

Pigeon Run