Epilogue
A plastic bag, half-full of pecans, crinkled as the wind whipped around me.
I scoured the earth for another and marveled at everything my woods had taken and given me in return.
My fingertips flicked away dry leaves of autumn and fell on a solid weight to fill my palm.
I jerked my gaze at a rustle of movement and searched for my old, mangy dog.
Half of the town had helped me scour my woods for him years ago, but there was no evidence he had ever existed.
I still imagined him running wild out in the forest somewhere, happy. I’d probably always look for him.
Sheriff Clancy still didn’t like me much and definitely didn’t like the way Angus had died with his throat ripped out and no feasible explanation.
He was just being stubborn, though, as everyone else in town had accepted me over time.
I had friends now, but most importantly, I had a family in the McCreedys.
I was one of them now. I stood and rubbed my hand over the swell of my belly and smiled at the answering movement from my little one.
Soon, there would be a new McCreedy to add to the family tree.
Soft footsteps told me of Caleb’s approach.
In a gesture so simple but so profound, he touched the small of my back and took the burden of the bag from my hands.
A smile and an easy word brought a shift to my heart that only came when he was near.
He touched my growing stomach with such reverence, I thanked my lucky stars for the hundredth time that he’d decided he wanted a family with me.
I was happy here with him because I had known sorrow. Our scars, long healed, told of an iron strength that replaced our fear.
We stood, looking over our woods, connected by intertwined fingers, my bear man and me.
The ghosts had rattled free, and the shadows no longer held menace.
My ghosts had rattled free.
I was free.