LITMIR.BIZ

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      Grace pressed her head to Cliff’s shoulder and exhaled a wobbly breath. She gloried in his warmth, his solid strength. “I never expected it to end like this,” she whispered.

      “I know you didn’t.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Grace, sorrier than you’ll ever know.”

      “He wrote me a letter…. It helped explain. All the years I believed… I thought there was someone else, some other woman who could make him happy.”

      His hand stroked her hair. “What about the friend who spotted him in town?”

      “According to the sheriff, it couldn’t have been Dan.”

      “A case of mistaken identity?”

      Grace nodded. “It must be.” She blew her nose in a tissue, thinking she must look dreadful. “It explains the mangled Christmas gifts I found, too.” That was a sign of the depths his depression had reached. He felt unworthy of anything good in his life, to the point that he’d destroyed anything he loved, including the gifts his family gave him. His world was a bleak, black void. He felt trapped in the darkness and couldn’t find his way out.

      “Did you learn where he got the cash to buy the trailer?”

      “That I don’t know. We never had thirteen thousand dollars in all the time we were married. With Dan only working part of the year, we often went for months living on one paycheck, scrimping, going from payday to payday. We had to take out loans to pay for the girls’ schooling. I don’t understand how he managed to put that kind of money aside.”

      “He must have planned this for years.”

      Grace had thought that, too. “I don’t know if he intended to kill himself right away…. I think he just wanted to escape. Dan loved the forest. He felt more at peace there than anywhere else. His moods got much worse after he lost his job as a logger. I just assumed…”

      “You assumed the depression was caused by the loss of his job, which is only natural.”

      “I did,” she said. “I realize now that he lost whatever sense of peace he had when he left the forest. That’s why he bought the trailer. He intended to live there for a while, I think, mull over his life…” She sighed. “I’d like to think that, but how true it is I have no way of knowing. He returned to the house once. I’m positive of that.” Still, Grace didn’t understand why he’d come home so briefly. She felt a wave of pity for him and wished again that she’d been more perceptive.

      “Can I do anything for you?” Cliff asked.

      Grace shook her head. “I’m so tired. I haven’t slept more than two or three hours at a stretch since Dan was found.”

      He grazed her temple with his lips. “Sleep now,” he urged.

      She reached for his hand and held it. “I don’t want you to leave.”

      “I won’t. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

      “Promise.” That was important to her for reasons she didn’t want to analyze.

      “I promise.” He led her into the bedroom, and when she lay down on the bed, he covered her with a blanket, leaned over and kissed her cheek. Then he crept from the bedroom and turned off the light.

      Grace closed her eyes and heard the door to her room close with a soft click. While sleep was tempting, all she really needed was to rest her eyes for a moment. But she instantly drifted off. Three hours later, when she woke, night had settled in and darkness surrounded her.

      As she took a moment to orient herself, she heard someone in her kitchen. Tossing aside the afghan Cliff had spread over her, she climbed off the bed and came into the hallway.

      “Cliff?”

      “I’m here.” He appeared, wearing her apron along with an enticing grin. “I’ve made us dinner.”

      “You cook?”

      He shrugged. “Don’t expect anything fancy.”

      The table was set, with everything neatly in place. A tantalizing scent wafted from the oven. He’d put the roses in a vase on the table and had used her best china and linen. His care sent a feeling of warmth surging through her.

      “Olivia phoned,” Cliff told her. “We spoke for a while. Maryellen checked in, too. You might want to give her a call later.”

      “What about Olivia? Should I return her call?”

      “Only if you want. She was more concerned that you not be by yourself, but I assured her I was here for you. I’m not going anywhere, Grace.”

      His words comforted her. She’d felt so desperately alone since the discovery of Dan’s body. Even after he’d disappeared, she hadn’t experienced this cold loneliness in quite the same way.

      Reaching for the pot holders, Cliff withdrew a casserole dish from the oven. “I hope you like shepherd’s pie?”

      She didn’t feel like eating, but nodded. Since he’d gone to so much trouble, the least she could do was make an effort to show her appreciation. Only when she actually sat down to eat did she realize how hungry she was.

      “You’re an excellent cook.”

      “Thank you.” He smiled, apparently pleased by her praise. “My repertoire is pretty basic, though.”

      When they’d finished with the meal, they lingered over coffee and then, because she needed to do something with her hands, she started clearing away dishes. Cliff insisted on helping and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

      “I meant what I told Olivia,” Cliff said as he set a dinner plate inside the dishwasher.

      “What do you mean?”

      “I’m not leaving you. Don’t worry, I’m not going to set up camp in your living room, but I want you to know I’m here for the long haul.” He leaned against the counter and sighed. “Today, the day you’ve buried your husband, probably isn’t the right time to tell you this, but I care deeply about you, Grace.”

      His words hung in the air between them.

      “I care about you, too,” she said quietly. She knew that Cliff was meant to be in her life as surely as the sun shone in the sky.

      “You feel the same way?”

      “Don’t sound so surprised.”

      “It’s just that—damn, you can’t say that to a man when he has a dishtowel in his hand.”

      “Sure I can,” she teased, “and do you know why? Because I don’t plan on leaving you anytime soon, either.”

      Then they were in each other’s arms again. They didn’t kiss; the day of Dan’s funeral was too soon for that. But the time would come again and they’d both know when it did.

      “Are you sure your boyfriend won’t mind me stealing you on a Friday night?” Stan asked Olivia as they stood in line at the six-plex theater.

      “Jack’s busy.” He’d phoned and invited her to come with him to the school board meeting, but she’d declined. Because Jack was so paranoid about Stan, she didn’t mention that she was going to an early movie with her ex-husband. She would tell him, though; she just didn’t want a big discussion about it.

      “This is almost like old times,” Stan said.

      “Not quite. Are you buying the popcorn or am I?”

      “You are,” he said.

      “Well, in that way, I guess, it is like old times.” With three young children, a night out for them had been infrequent. Going to a movie every six months was a big deal. In order to save time, Stan generally bought the tickets while she stood in line at the snack bar.

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