Undercover (26 page)

The following week, he went to the college and filled out an application for a teaching position in political science, Spanish, or some criminal justice classes they had that were right up his alley. On the application he filled out his new “credentials,” which said he had been in military intelligence for two years. He had the documentation to prove it. Ariana went with him and checked out the bulletin board to find someone to clean the house for them, and a crew for the barn, and jotted down several names and e-mail addresses. Eventually they'd need someone to help take care of the horses when she bought them, so she glanced at those listings too.

Sam Adams called to see how they were doing after the first few days, and Marshall said they were fine. And Ariana sounded better to him too. By the end of two weeks, she was comfortable in the new house, although Marshall was still sleeping in the guest room, and she was nervous about being alone at night. She didn't want him to move out. They could hear coyotes in the distance, and she was always careful with Lili when she took her out. But Stanley was enjoying the space to move around.

At her request, they went to church on Sunday, and they met a few of their neighbors who were very friendly. And after a few weeks, they started dropping by to bring them cakes and pies and homemade jams and other offerings, partially out of curiosity to see what they were doing with the ranch. Their neighbors appeared to be nice people and were welcoming to them. And they worked at a variety of jobs in town. They met the head of the symphony at church, the curator of the museum, and several of the professors from Casper College.

They'd been there for six weeks when one of the women from church stopped by to bring them homemade blackberry preserves. “How long have you two been married?” she asked Ariana, who looked startled by the question. Marshall was mowing the front lawn and waved when she arrived, and then Ariana led her into the kitchen, where she asked the question, while she admired Ariana's decorating.

“I…uh…actually, we're not married. We're just friends. Marshall lost his wife, and my father died, and I decided to buy the ranch, so he offered to come out and help me. It was good timing for both of us. We've been friends for years, and we needed a change from Chicago.” That was where they were claiming to be from. The story sounded lame even to Ariana, and the woman looked like she didn't believe it for a minute. She just nodded and smiled, while Ariana stammered. She told Marshall about it when he came inside for something to drink. He looked over at her in surprise as he took some Gatorade out of the fridge.

“Maybe we should just tell them we're living in sin, and get it over with,” he suggested with a grin. “It's probably what they think anyway.” He was laughing about it, and her shirt was soaking wet and plastered to her from washing the dogs after the woman left. And then, without thinking about it, he walked over to her, put his right arm around her, pulled her close to him, and kissed her. He didn't know how or why it happened, but it felt totally normal to him, and she put her arms around his neck and kissed him as he held her, and they were both breathless when they stopped.

“Is this a good idea?” Marshall asked her in a hoarse voice between kisses. It had been so long since he had allowed feelings and passion to enter his life that they overwhelmed him now, and Ariana was swept away on a tidal wave of the same passion. He picked her up with one arm and carried her up to her bedroom. They pulled their clothes off and made love to each other like starving people discovering food for the first time. They had both been so lonely for so long that their feelings engulfed them. And Ariana lay there afterward looking at him in wonder. She kissed him tenderly again then, and laughed softly.

“Wow! What would have happened if that woman from church hadn't asked me that question?” He laughed in answer and propped himself up on his elbow to look at her. She had a gorgeous body and was a beautiful, sensual woman. And he hadn't realized it, but he had wanted her from the first moment he saw her in the park. He hadn't allowed himself to have feelings for a woman in years, and was concerned about it now.

“It probably would have taken a little longer, but not much,” he answered her, feeling this was inevitable even if scary, as he touched her nipple with gentle fingers, filled with desire for her again. He was an extraordinary lover, as she had discovered. “It's been driving me crazy, thinking about you in the other room at night.” But he also didn't want her to think that he only wanted her because it was convenient and they happened to be there together. He had begun to care for her deeply when he read Jorge's journals and understood what had happened to her. She had snagged his heart then.

“I kind of thought about it too,” she confessed. “Is this a crazy idea? What if we decide we hate each other?” He didn't think that was likely to happen. They had gotten along remarkably well as housemates for several weeks, and she was an easygoing, gentle, considerate person, and so was he.

“We can always have the WPP relocate us separately if you want. Or I could move to the foreman's house,” he said seriously. “I want you to know I've never done anything like this,” Marshall said to her. “When I was working undercover, I had no time to get involved with anyone at home, the rare times I was on leave. I didn't really have a home after my parents died when I was in college. And I didn't want some girl waiting around for me for years while I broke her heart or got killed. I didn't think I had the right to do that to anyone, just so I could have the comfort of knowing someone loved me while I didn't go home for three years. It wouldn't have been fair to them. I was always very careful about it.

“And then Paloma happened. I never expected to get involved with someone while I was working, but I fell in love with her, and she was killed because of me. I feel like everyone I love winds up dying, my parents, Paloma, our baby. It's kept me from getting involved with anyone since she died. I don't want to love someone and lose them again, or worse, have them get hurt, or die, because of me. I'll never forgive myself for what happened to her.”

There were tears in his eyes when he said it, and he had never been as honest in his life as he was being now with Ariana. He had never been honest with Paloma, since she didn't know his real identity. He couldn't tell her. But their life together had been a lie because of it. And if he shared a life and his heart with Ariana, he wanted it to be honest right from the beginning, and he was being truthful with her. “I'm not sure how much is left of me,” he said sadly. “Part of me died in Colombia, when she did.” Ariana nodded as she listened and gently kissed him. She was touched by everything he'd said.

“I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand what happened to me with Jorge. I thought we loved each other, and now I know he was a terrible person, and I could never fall in love with him or respect him. But what happened between us was magical, or it seemed like it. I became someone different when I was with him. Not all of it was bad, and it felt so right when it was happening. I was so happy to be having his baby. I lost my mind for a while, I guess. But it seemed so real. And he was killed because of me too. I can't forget that, or the baby I lost.”

“He died because he kidnapped you, which was a terrible thing to do to you,” Marshall corrected her gently, as Yael would have. “He was killed because of his acts, not yours.” Unlike Paloma, who had been an innocent victim, but Ariana and Marshall had both lost people they loved passionately, and a baby. And they had both been in impossible situations that could never have worked. They knew it now, but had loved them anyway, and had been deeply hurt, and had the scars to show for it.

“I'm afraid of something terrible happening again, if I love someone,” Ariana admitted, echoing Marshall's fears. “I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of me.”

“I don't want anything bad to happen to either of us. That's why we're here. And I'll do everything I can to protect you,” he promised, and meant it, and she believed him. And the agents who had flown them to Wyoming had left several weapons with him, at his request.

“We just have to trust that all that bad stuff is behind us. It can't happen again,” she said cautiously, “and that one day we'll get out of here.”

Marshall couldn't help wondering if she'd ever want a life with him, when they left Wyoming. It was hard to imagine, given all the options she had. What did she need with a one-armed retired DEA agent, when she could have anyone? But it was already too late for him to retreat. He was in love with her, and he could see that she was in love with him too.

“I love you, Marshall,” she said to confirm it as she kissed him.

“I love you too, Ariana,” he said, and then he took her in his one strong arm and made love to her again.

After they made love, Marshall moved into the main house officially, and into her bedroom. They lived together as a couple, slowly getting the ranch house and grounds in shape. She worked hard on the barn with a crew she hired, and one by one she began buying horses at local auctions, until she had six in freshly rebuilt stalls, and two men to help her care for them.

They continued meeting people at church, and went to a Fourth of July picnic at their neighbor's ranch, and invited them over for a barbecue. The two men went fishing together, and Ariana liked the wife and invited their kids over to ride her horses. She began training them herself. And she spoke to two charitable organizations to offer free riding lessons to underprivileged children. She taught them how to ride and care for the horses, and enjoyed riding with the children. And at the end of August, Marshall got good news from Casper College. They had a fill-in position in the Spanish department, and Marshall was delighted to accept it. They were both busy and enjoyed the people they met, but never got too close to them, afraid to blow their cover. They were happy as they were, got along beautifully, and constantly got closer. They had met people, but were each other's best friends.

Marshall still had a bid in to the political science department at the college, and they said it might work out for the spring semester. He was thrilled. Ariana wanted to buy more horses. Everything was going smoothly, although it still felt strange at times to be cut off from everyone and everything they'd ever known, as though they had been born the day they got there, with no history before.

In November, it started snowing. They spent long lazy weekends in bed, making love, and sleeping in each other's arms as they listened to music or watched movies. Ariana said she had never been as happy in her life, and he could see it. And he felt fulfilled as he never had before. He had loved Paloma, but she was a child, and had never lived in a bigger world. She would never have been happy or understood his life in the States if he had taken her out of the jungle. He and Ariana were perfectly matched, equally capable. They talked for hours at night and shared a thousand similar opinions. They shared books and music, went to the theater and symphony. And they were both happy when Phillip Armstrong was voted into office again for a second term.

Marshall and Ariana felt like a match made in heaven. They had paid their dues and had earned the happiness they'd found. They spent Christmas alone at the ranch together, and went to parties in the area when they weren't snowed in. He was enjoying his Spanish class, and had just gotten confirmation that he could teach political science, with a specialty in South America, for the spring semester. It was hard to believe that they had been there for six months by the holidays. In some ways it felt like forever. Their relationship grew richer every day. They had lost everything familiar in their life and had found each other. And everyone who met them thought they were an adorable couple.

Ariana loved going to town with him when he taught his class. She would browse the art galleries and shops, and meet him afterward at their favorite café. And best of all, they felt safe here. They knew that nothing bad would happen to them here, and Muñoz's men would never find them. They rarely talked about it anymore, and Ariana stopped agonizing about when it would be over. She never wanted this to end.

Marshall started teaching political science in the spring, and Ariana bought two more horses, and a mare and a foal. She was giving regular lessons, and loved doing it, and rode every day herself. And she had gotten Marshall to relax around the horses and enjoy riding with her.

And just after Marshall had finished teaching the spring semester of political science, Ariana was out for a ride in the hills, and came back and saw a car sitting in front of the house. She didn't recognize it, dismounted, and led her horse to the barn and put him in his stall. She strode back to the house in her riding boots with her hair loose in the summer breeze. She walked quickly up the steps and into the house. She didn't know why, but she had a sense of dread when she walked in. And she saw Marshall and Sam Adams sitting on the couch in the living room. She had a feeling that something terrible had happened, that Muñoz had discovered where they were and was after them again. Marshall could see it in her eyes and was quick to reassure her.

“It's all right, Ariana. They found Muñoz and killed him. He was in Bolivia, recruiting a rebel army. It's all over,” Marshall said as he stood up and put his arm around her. For them, it was the end of the war, and they could come out of hiding. It took her a minute to realize what Marshall was saying and what it meant to them.

“You can go home now,” Sam said quietly as he stood to give her a hug. He had noticed the exchange between her and Marshall, and the obvious intimacy between them when he held her. And he wasn't surprised. They were both good people and had been through a lot, before they met. Their being a couple seemed right to him. They had been living together for the past year.

Ariana was looking at Sam with astonishment after he said it. They could go home. But where was that now? Her father's empty apartment in New York? Another rented apartment in Paris? And Marshall had no home—the CIA had packed up his belongings in Paris and put them in storage until he returned. Neither of them had family, they only had each other, and the home they knew now was the ranch in Wyoming, with their horses and their dogs, in a house that belonged to the Witness Protection Program and that they would use for someone else.

“Does this mean we're homeless?” she said to Marshall, looking confused.

“Not exactly,” he said, smiling, as she sat down with them in the living room.

“It's all over?” she asked again, unable to believe it. Sam nodded. He had wanted to tell them in person. They had earned it.

“I came as soon as I could. It happened yesterday. They're still doing some cleanup in Bolivia and Chile, but our risk-assessment people feel comfortable with your coming home.” Marshall was no longer at risk from Muñoz either, and his tracks had cooled after his work in Colombia. He had been gone for several years now, and they had no idea who he really was. There was nothing to tie him to Pablo Echeverría, the man he had been then.

“I think that means we're being evicted,” Marshall added, smiling at her. There was a bittersweet feeling to it too. They had been happy here, and now they didn't know where to go, and he wondered if she would stay with him, once she had the choice not to. She had so many options that he didn't. He didn't want to assume anything. All he knew was that he loved her.

“How soon do we have to go?” Ariana asked Sam. “I have to sell my horses.” She had ten now.

“We can take care of that for you,” Sam offered generously. “You can leave as soon as you want to. Tomorrow if you like. You're free to go.” They were words Ariana had been afraid she would never hear, and now she had and wasn't quite sure what to do about it. She looked at Marshall for guidance.

“Let us know when you want us to move you out,” Sam said to both of them. He was sure it would be as soon as they caught their breath.

Sam left shortly after. He was flying back to Washington that night. He had come on official business.

As he drove away, Ariana sat down on the front steps, and looked at Marshall. They had a lot to talk about.

“Wow…I never expected that. I thought it would take years.”

“I didn't think it would,” he said, sitting down next to her on the top step. “What happens now?” He felt a ripple of fear as he asked her.

“We go home, I guess. Wherever that is,” she answered. “What do you think? Where do you want to go?” They could go anywhere in the world now, but their lives had been so uprooted and turned topsy-turvy for so long that neither of them was sure where to go. Marshall had no reason to be in Washington, and Ariana didn't really want to go back to New York. Neither of them had a place in Paris anymore. And they no longer had a home in Wyoming as of that day. The whole world was open to them. “I told you. We're homeless,” she said, and he smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her.

“What about the rest?” he asked her seriously.

“What rest?” She looked at him blankly. She didn't understand.

“Us.”

“What do you mean ‘us'?” She looked confused.

“You've kind of been stuck with me for the last year. A little bit like being kidnapped, or shipwrecked. Now the boat has come by to rescue us. You're not stuck with me anymore, Ariana. You can go anywhere you want, and be with anyone you want. You don't have to be with a one-armed bandit like me. You come from a much bigger world than I do.” He wanted to give her every chance to walk away if that was what she wanted. He loved her enough to want what was best for her.

“Are you crazy? You're not a one-armed bandit, and I love you. And I wasn't ‘stuck' with you. We could have picked separate locations. We didn't have to live together here in this house. We wanted to. Why would that be different somewhere else? I don't want to be with someone else. I want to be with you. I love you, wherever we are, or wherever we go from here.” He was beaming as she said it, and she kissed him.

“I just wanted you to know you had the choice. I didn't want you to feel that you were obligated to be with me.”

“I don't. But I hope you do, because I'm going to follow you forever if you leave me,” she said looking at him seriously. They had both gotten over their fears of intimacy and loss in the past year. “I couldn't live without you, and I hope I never have to. I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here.” They sat on the front steps kissing for a few minutes, and then he turned to her with a serious expression.

“So where are we going to live?”

She closed her eyes pretending to spin an imaginary globe and then stopped it. “Paris!” she said with a broad grin. “What do you think? It's where we met, and I don't want to go back to New York. At least not yet.” There were still too many memories there for her. Paris had been clean, except for the last day. “We could start all over again in Paris and do it right. I still want to get a job. Maybe you could teach there like you did here. We could have a real life like regular people.” She was beaming, and he smiled at her.

“On one condition,” he said, and stood up. He walked down the front steps as she looked at him in surprise. She had no idea what he was doing as he turned to face her, and then he dropped down on one knee and looked her in the eye. “Ariana Gregory…Ariana Robert…whoever you are…will you marry me, before we go to Paris? Or immediately after, if you insist. Will you be my wife?” She hopped off the front step and threw her arms around him and almost knocked him down. They had gotten their freedom, and he had proposed. She had been freed so many times now, from Jorge's camp after she was kidnapped, by Yael in Paris, and now they had been released by the Witness Protection Program. But the one person she didn't want to be free of was Marshall, ever, in her life.

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, and he kissed her again. It occurred to them both that if Luis Muñoz hadn't tried to have her kidnapped, they might never have met, wouldn't have lived together for the past year, and might not be getting married. “We owe him a lot,” Ariana said happily as they walked inside with his arm around her waist.

“Let's not go that far,” Marshall said, smiling at his future wife. And then he stopped and looked at her closely. “Are there babies in our future?” he asked her, not sure what she would say. They had each lost an unborn child, which had traumatized both of them. He didn't know if Ariana wanted to try again. She looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded, and he kissed her again. At that moment in time, their life was perfect in every way.