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Cynthia is dazed but she can still see me from the backseat, hands cuffed behind her back and a sour look on her face. The hatred in her brown eyes burns brightly, and I know that as long as she is a free woman, she will never stop coming after me. I’m not the one who took Matthew away from her, but it will probably take many years of prison and mandatory therapy for her to finally accept and get the help that she desperately needs. Her once glowing, silky brown hair is a clumpy mess that falls around her face, deep shadows sharpening her cheeks and making her eye sockets look hollow.
“This woman can’t see the light of day again, at least not anytime soon,” Mary grumbles as she puts an arm around my shoulders and holds me close.
“She won’t,” the sheriff assures us. “I’m taking her into custody. She’ll be in jail throughout the blizzard, and I will speak to the District Attorney to make sure she doesn’t get released during her arraignment. The D.A. will most likely also request that she surrenders her passport as she is certainly a flight risk and has the financial means to disappear. I assume they will expect you both to be present at that hearing.”
“I reckon you can count on Matthew, Jason, and Sully to be there, as well,” Mary says with a firm nod.
“Will she be able to get medical assistance?” I wonder aloud.
The sheriff shrugs. “We’ve got a doctor who can have a look at her as soon as we get to the jail. He’s usually on call at the community clinic down the road, but he always makes himself available whenever a blizzard hits. She looks well enough to me, though she could have a minor concussion. I expect Mary didn’t swing that shovel to behead the woman.”
“It would’ve been an unintended bonus for sure,” Mary quips.
I can’t help but chuckle softly. It might be morbid humor but given the entire situation, it’s a welcome change of mood. I’ve had enough heartache and disasters to last me a lifetime. It’s time to enjoy life again and make light of any situation. I can only hope this was the worst of it and the last.
Finally, the deputy shuts the car door, and the sheriff gets back behind the wheel with a promise to give us a follow-up call later. Mary and I watch them go, lights still flashing red and blue down the road just as Matthew’s truck emerges from the thickening snowfall. The headlights illuminate the snowflakes as he pulls up outside the cabin.
My heart skips several beats as I pull myself up, my knees still a bit weak and my head feeling rather light, but it’s relief that I feel more than anything else. Although I was looking forward to the guys seeing me in the green velvet holiday dress, I changed into dark blue cotton loungewear, and I’m wearing thick, furry, Ugg-style boots on my feet. I stayed outside on the porch while the sheriff took my statement; I needed the cold air to keep me awake and upright. Only now do I realize how exhausted I am after everything that’s happened.
“The cavalry is here,” Mary says with a warm smile.
Matthew jumps out of the truck first and rushes up to us, quick to measure me from head to toe, frowning at the sight of my bandaged forearm before hugging me tightly, hiding his face in my hair. I listen to his agitated breathing as he inhales me, as he revels in the feeling of having me close. “Are you okay, baby?” he asks, unable to let me go.
“I’m fine. Better, now that you’re here,” I tell him.
Sully joins us, his brow furrowed and his dark eyes travelling up and down my body before they also stop at my arm. “Dammit,” he curses under his breath.
“I’m okay,” I say it again so Jason can hear it, too, just as he reaches the front porch.
“We just passed the sheriff’s car,” Jason says. “Please, tell me she was in the backseat and headed to jail.”
“Oh, yeah,” I reply.
Matthew kisses me deeply and then Sully’s lips find mine next. Jason takes Matthew’s place to hold me and cover my face with short and sweet loving pecks. I welcome all the love and care that they wish to give me, all the comfort of their warmth and protective nature, the relief that their presence offers. Traumatic events in general tend to bring people closer, and I’m sure after what happened today will only serve as more glue to hold us together, stronger and safer in each other’s arms.
“For a moment, I thought I’d lost you,” Sully whispers in my ear as the three men wrap their arms around me, barely registering Mary’s presence.
She doesn’t mind it, though. I steal a glance at her and notice the huge grin dancing across her face, happiness glowing in her tired eyes. It must’ve been awful for Mary, as well. Having to hurt Cynthia the way she did. She didn’t have any other choice, though, and I know she’s fully aware of that. But even so, there has to be a certain amount of stress and a flurry of feelings going on inside her. A woman like Mary Swanson may be tough, hardened by life and the many winters spent on this mountain, yet nothing can truly prepare someone for the moment where they have to pick up a heavy object and hurt someone else in order to stop them from killing an innocent, expecting mother.
Mary and I never asked for any of this.
Tears stream down my cheeks, hot and endless as I shudder in the embrace of my three men, my three soulmates. They feel me shaking, and they tighten their hold on me as I rest my head on Sully’s shoulder. Jason kisses the side of my neck, while Matthew tucks a rebellious lock of red hair behind my ear, lovingly gazing upon me.
“I’m gonna be okay, I promise.” It’s all I can manage as I finally let go of the tension that I’ve been holding on to since Cynthia first lunged at me.
“Oh, honey, you need time and peace and plenty of rest before you can say that” Mary mumbles from the side. “Don’t struggle with unnecessary bravery at this point. You’ve suffered enough.”
“We’ve got you,” Matthew says, then looks to Mary. “And you… Momma Mary, I can’t thank you enough for being here.”
She chuckles and makes her way down the porch steps. “Don’t worry about a thing, sweet boy. Just remember that my instincts are never wrong. I warned you about Cynthia, didn’t I?”
“You did. And I should’ve listened to you the first time,” Matthew replies with a heavy sigh.
“Hey. The past is in the past now. What matters is that you four can still enjoy the peace and beauty of this winter holiday,” Mary quips, leaving us behind with a friendly wave of her hand. “Y’all stay put and let the blizzard pass before you venture outside again, though. I hear this one’s gonna be a doozie.”
“Yeah, up to four feet of snow is expected,” Jason mutters as he’s the first to pull away from me. “Which reminds me, we need to get all the groceries and supplies inside. It’s getting nasty out here.”
“You’re right, I didn’t even notice being safe and warm embraced by the three of you,” I say, looking up.
