Finding Libbie (37 page)

September settled in, with warm temperatures making the trees erupt into rich colors of orange, red, and gold. In a place that was used to cooler temperatures beginning early, a warm, dry September was a lovely gift. Emily didn’t have much time to enjoy the autumn colors or warm days, though. Her hours were filled with school, work, and homework. Sundays were the only days that she allowed herself a few hours off, and that was to visit Libbie and the other residents at the home.

You never know what the day will bring.
Her grandmother’s words filled her thoughts as Emily visited with Libbie the last Sunday in September. Emily was sitting in a chair on the patio beside Libbie, enjoying the autumn sunshine. They were looking at a winter clothes catalog Emily had brought along to show Libbie a dress she thought she might like. Angie stood behind them, bent over to see, too.

“Emerald green,” Libbie said excitedly. “I love that color. It changes my eyes to green.”

Emily smiled over at her. Today Libbie wore a sapphire-blue dress with long sleeves. Her eyes shined brightly, their color brought out by the blue in the dress. The blue topaz pendant hung around her neck, as it always did. “I think all colors look good on you,” Emily said.

Emily noticed Libbie had raised her head and was staring straight ahead. Her fingers had gone to the pendant around her neck. Glancing up, Emily stared in the direction Libbie was gazing. Across the yard, a tall, slender man was walking toward them. He wore jeans with a casual brown blazer over a light-blue dress shirt. In his hand was a bouquet of colorful flowers. Emily recognized him immediately. She turned to Libbie, who was gazing at him, her face serene and her eyes bright.

“Jack,” Libbie said softly.

Emily’s heart swelled as her father drew nearer. He looked so handsome with his suntanned face and freshly cut hair. His steps slowed as he approached the group of women, and then he stopped, gazing down at Libbie as if she were the only one there.

“Hello, Libbie,” he said, smiling at her.

“Hello, Jack.” Her words came out in barely a whisper. A smile slowly appeared on her face, and her skin nearly glowed. Emily could have sworn she looked twenty years younger in that moment.

“These are for you,” Jack said, handing Libbie the flowers.

Libbie accepted them and lifted the bouquet up to her nose, inhaling deeply. “They’re beautiful,” she said, locking eyes with Jack.

“You look beautiful,” Jack said, his eyes sparkling.

Their gaze didn’t waver. To Emily, it was as if in that very moment the years and all that the two of them had endured melted away. All they saw was each other.

“Will you walk with me a while?” Jack asked, holding out his hand to Libbie.

Libbie accepted his hand and stood, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’d love to. But you’d better behave like a gentleman, Jack Prentice.”

Jack grinned. “I always do.”

Libbie turned to Emily and handed her the flowers, then she slipped her hand around Jack’s proffered arm. As the two walked away, Jack placed his other hand over the one Libbie had on his arm.

Emily rose and watched as her father and Libbie made their way to the path by the river. His head was bent toward Libbie, giving her his full attention. Tears filled Emily’s eyes as she thought of what they must be saying after all these years.

A loud sob from behind her shook Emily from her thoughts. She turned, finding Angie there, crying uncontrollably.

“That’s just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Angie said through her sobs.

Emily smiled through her own tears and put her arm around Angie. She pulled a tissue from her jacket pocket and handed it to her. “It is, isn’t it?” Emily said softly. “After all these years, he’s finally found Libbie.”

EPILOGUE

On a warm spring day beside the blue waters of Lake Ogimaa, Libbie and Jack were married in a small ceremony. Guests included immediate family; Libbie’s old friend, Carol; Larry, who’d flown in especially for the ceremony; and Angie. Libbie wore the beautiful pink dress she’d bought on her trip to Fargo with Emily, and Jack loved it, saying it reminded him of the pink dress she’d worn to their senior prom, the night he’d proposed to her the very first time.

Since his first visit, Jack and Libbie had spent countless hours together throughout the fall and winter. At first, he’d visited her several times a week, and then it turned into nights out, going to dinner, seeing a movie, taking a drive on a crisp winter day. There was no denying that the deep connection that had brought them together years before was still there, and Emily was thankful that they didn’t resist it. She hadn’t seen her father this happy since before her mother died, and Libbie practically glowed with happiness.

After they were married, the couple moved into Jack’s home on the lake and slowly made it their own. Jack helped Libbie keep track of her medicine—which she took religiously—and Libbie took care of Jack and their home. They traveled all over the country together, took Caribbean cruises, and even went to Hawaii one winter for two weeks. Jack worked less and less, preferring to spend his time with Libbie. They were both happy and content, finally enjoying a life together as it was always meant to be.

Emily finished college and began working, first as a social worker in the hospital, and then for the county as an advocate for the elderly in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. While she was working at the hospital, she began dating, and eventually married, a doctor, Aaron Bennington, a handsome, easygoing man who put family first, even with his busy schedule. By the time Jack and Libbie celebrated five years together, Emily and Aaron had a two-year-old daughter, whom they’d named Katherine Elizabeth. Emily thought it was only fitting to name their daughter after two special women—her mother and Libbie, who felt like a mother to her.

At last, Libbie had a little girl to love and spoil, and she thought of little Katie as her own granddaughter. It wasn’t unusual at a holiday or family gathering to find the two off playing dolls or coloring together. Emily was happy to have been able to bring so much joy into Libbie’s life. She truly deserved it.

Everyone mourned when Bev died at the age of ninety, simply passing away in her sleep one night. But they were thankful to have had her in their lives, and that she’d been able to live her life fully to the end and enjoy every minute.

For ten years, Jack and Libbie enjoyed a life filled with love and happiness, until one summer day when Jack passed away unexpectedly. Libbie moved back to the assisted living home where she’d lived before because she didn’t want to be a burden on Emily and her growing family. By then, Emily and Aaron had another young child—a boy, whom they’d named Lars after Emily’s uncle Larry. Libbie was content to live out her days in the home, happy to have been able to share a portion of her life with her beloved Jack. Because of Jack, she was no longer lonely, having gained a new family who loved and cared about her. Emily brought the children to visit her often, and that brought joy to Libbie’s last years.

Emily once asked her father what had made him change his mind about visiting Libbie that first time.

“It was the pictures you left at the house,” Jack had said. “I finally opened the box, and all the memories of the past came flooding back to me. But instead of being sad memories, they were happy ones. After that, I had to see her again. And I was so glad that I did.”

Because of Jack, Libbie finally had the loving family she’d always wanted and a caring husband to make her feel loved. She lived her happily ever after. Emily knew that finding Libbie again had given her father a second chance to prove his love for her. Jack had finally been able to keep the promise he’d made to Libbie so long ago when he’d first proposed to her on that warm spring evening. He’d loved and cared for her until the day he died. And he died a happy, fulfilled man.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deanna Lynn Sletten grew up on the sunny coast of Southern California before moving to northern Minnesota as a teenager. Her interest in writing novels was sparked in a college English class, and she has been writing in some form or another ever since. In 2011, Deanna self-published her first novel and has since published several more, both on her own and with Lake Union Publishing.

Deanna enjoys writing heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime. She believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, magic, and happily ever after—all of which are reflected in her novels.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian shepherd or relaxing on her boat in the summer.