“I was kind of hoping that if I ever needed a safe place to hide a girl from the mob, your doors would be open.”
“Always.”
“So you’re okay with this?” frustration seethed in Harmony’s voice.
“I get it,” Jessie shrugged, unsure what else to say.
“It doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” Vance took a step towards Harmony. “All I’m saying is the world needs you in a lab somewhere solving its problems more than it needs you being a vagrant with me.”
“At least finish school,” Jessie interjected. “Then if you choose to go with him you know it’s what you really wanted and not just the heat of the moment. Then you won’t end up a Bread Co wife.”
Harmony nodded; she remembered the disillusioned, embittered women they’d overheard in that line as well as Jessie did. It seemed like eons ago.
“Will you at least stick around for my wedding? Just one more week,” Jessie asked him. “I was actually hoping you would give me away. If that’s not too weird, I mean.”
Jessie wasn’t sure, but it looked like there might have been a sheen in Vance’s eyes before he ducked his head.
“Sure. I can do that.”
“I’m cold,” Jessie stood up. “And after yesterday, I don’t have a whole lot of tolerance for being cold.”
She left the couple alone on the swing and went to find Gabe. He had mentioned going back to the hospital to check on Carter and she wanted to spend time with him while she could.
Despite her insistence that she’d be fine, Milo, Ethan and Hailey refused to leave her alone while Gabe was gone.
“Last time I believed you it didn’t work out so well,” Ethan reminded her.
“Very funny,” she made a face at him. “Be nice or I won’t buy any more horses from you.”
“You know you’re hooked.”
The banter continued well into the evening. Gabe returned with takeout for everyone. After dinner, they were finally alone. He no longer cared about his sister’s disapproval and refused to leave her side.
She made him carry Lobo upstairs when they went to bed, earning some gentle ribbing from Gabe.
The remaining days to their wedding were a blur. And then the morning itself came. Jessie woke to sunlight streaming through her window. Rose petals had been strewn about the bed and room while she slept. A note was pinned to the pillow where Gabe had been the night before.
“Time to make some new memories,” she read aloud as she scratched Lobo’s ears.
All in all, it was the kind of sunny day that made Jessie glad for things like faith and love.
Epilogue
Darcy took a few hesitant steps towards her father, her arms held up in a silent request to be carried. She had her daddy’s dark hair and her mommy’s big blue eyes and baby doll face. The combination was striking; Gabe suffered through many jokes about the day when his little girl would be old enough for boys to come sniffing around. To his credit, he took them well enough.
Jessie stood leaning against the old Plymouth, watching the pair as they played in the yard by the old log cabin. It had been a busy morning at Ma’s, but the new kid learned fast so they managed to cut out a little early. It had been almost a year since Honeybranch had first opened its doors to a teenager suddenly without a home. They now had 15 kids living there, all in various stages of readiness for the real world. It had become apparent early on that a few things needed to be re-thought, so the property now had three distinct areas.
There was a lodge for girls and one for boys, with Gabe and Jessie’s home directly in between the two. They might not be able to control any blossoming romances between the two sides, but they certainly didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
So far, most of the kids seemed pretty intent on getting their feet under them. Being faced with a life on the streets had startled them into reality. It turned out Jessie and Gabe made a perfect couple for guiding them along the way.
Every so often Vance would show up with another frightened girl in tow—someone rescued from slavery without a home to return to. They took up residence on the girls’ side and were given a safe place to heal emotionally and physically before rejoining the world.
Ethan and Hailey had become indispensable. Their business sense kept the place afloat when Jessie’s next big dream threatened to make it stumble. They always seemed to be able to come up with a way to finance each new venture.
“Hey, there’s Mommy,” Gabe picked the toddler up and turned her to face Jessie.
“Harmony called today,” Jessie called out. “She promised to spend summer break with us.”
“Good. Someone to help with the cooking for a change.”
“Ouch,” she laughed. There was a certain truth to his words. She always made him do the cooking.
Lobo appeared from the woods at the sound of her voice. He barked and danced around Gabe, begging him to throw the tennis ball he’d scooped off the ground. Darcy held her father’s leg with one arm and tried to catch the bouncing dog with her free hand.
The mouth of the cave stood just behind them and Jessie couldn’t help but wonder about all of the lives that had crossed that exact path.
She could almost see the ghosts of Frank and Jesse James riding their horses down that hill straight into the inky black opening. Or drunk men laughing as they wheeled a piano into the belly of the earth to create a hidden bar during Prohibition. So many stories with one common thread. Lovers’ break-ups and make-ups. Class fieldtrips and the Klan. A prostitute and a cop....
###
Author’s Note:
While Jessie’s story is fiction, she was in a situation too many children face as they age out of the foster system. There are organizations that have been established to transition teens from the foster system into adulthood, but the need is still great.
I often encourage my readers to use their talents to leave their mark on this world—to make a difference. That’s why this book is free; it’s my way of doing what I can to be a voice for voiceless.
Once cause I believe very strongly in is the fight against modern-day slavery. Every day around the world people from all walks of life are enslaved, just like Jessie and the girls she encountered. Statistics show there are more people in slavery today than there were during the height of the transatlantic slave trade. Women and children are especially at risk.
It’s an atrocity on all our heads if we hold silent. Sometimes with a problem this large, it’s hard to know where to begin.
Fair Trade is a good place to start. By ensuring the products you purchase weren’t made by the hands of slaves, you speak with your consumer dollars. And that voice is loud. Learn more about Fair Trade at www.wfto.com.
There are also many excellent organizations out there who dedicate themselves to making a difference. One I trust and respect is World Vision. Please consider making a donation to their Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls fund. Every dollar helps. You can learn more about World Vision at www.worldvision.org, or by clicking one of the World Vision buttons on my website.
About the author:
Heather Huffman lives in Missouri with her husband and their three sons. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with the family horse and their pack of rescued dogs. A firm believer that life is more than the act of taking up air, Heather is always on the lookout for an adventure that will become fodder for the next novel.
Connect with me online:
Blog: http://www.heatherhuffman.blogspot.com
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/HeatherHuffman
Facebook: Facebook profile
Acknowledgements
I have many people in my life for which I am eternally grateful—my husband and children top that list. Adam, Dylan, Blake and Christopher: I love you. Thank you for lighting up my life.
Mom and Dad, I love you both. Always have, always will. Thank you for all you’ve sacrificed over the years.
Angie and Karen – you�
�re my heroes. Thank you for teaching me the meaning of the word strength, and for the years of love and guidance.
To my nieces and nephews, you’re all awesome. Don’t listen to Uncle Adam; he doesn’t really have a favorite.
Emily Hellmer, thank you for your willingness to be the cover model.
Emily Stoltz & Erica Fitzgerald, thank you for all of the work you’ve put in to make my dream a reality.
John Bartley, thank you for music that inspired a novel.
Emily Cain & Elaine O’Brien—thank you for lending your eagle eyes to the proofreading stage.
And to all the other people who’ve encouraged me, been a test reader or helped me market this novel, thank you!
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