“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured. “I want to be like we were then, but can we? Is it possible to go back, after everything that’s happened? You’ve changed, and so have I. I don’t know if we can ever be like that again.”
Andrew tilted her chin up so she could look into his eyes. She knew his eyes well, but she hadn’t looked at him like this, so closely, so intimately, in a very long time.
“I mean it when I say I’ll do whatever it takes for us to be happy again,” Andrew said. “I know that somewhere along the way we both lost who we were. But I also know we can get it back. We can do whatever you want, Maggie. We can move somewhere else if you’d like and start over again. You can open an artists’ shop, like you’ve always talked about, and work at your photography. And I’m going to quit all those committees that take up my free time so I can spend more time with you and the kids. The whole idea that I would run for mayor was ridiculous anyway. And it isn’t as important as my relationship with you and the kids. Anything, Maggie, just say what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
Maggie’s heart swelled. She was so happy to hear him say that she and the kids were important to him. She’d wanted to hear this for so long, and had been afraid she never would.
“Andrew, I never said I wanted to move. I like our town. We’ve planted roots there and raised the kids there. And I never meant for you to give up your committee work. You love doing all that. And running for mayor? That’s your dream. I wouldn’t ask you to not run if that’s what you really want. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to balance your time better between family and volunteering. Even though the kids are getting older, they still need you. And I need you,” Maggie said softly.
“Oh, Maggie. I’m so happy to hear you say that you still need me,” Andrew said. He gently cupped her face with his hand. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered.
Tears fell down Maggie’s cheeks, and Andrew brushed them away with the side of his thumb. “To be honest, Maggie, I don’t think it was ever my dream to become mayor. I was just fulfilling my parents’ dreams. And as for all the committee work I do, if I’m completely honest, I only did it as a means to an end, not because I was so civic minded. Derrick pointed that out to me, and although it made me angry at the time, deep down, I knew he was right.”
Maggie stared at Andrew, completely confused. “Derrick? Why would he say that to you?”
Andrew chuckled. “Apparently, he and the entire town think I’m a jerk. And you know what? They’re all right. I am a jerk. I let my family fall by the wayside while I tried to act like a big shot. But I don’t want to be a big shot, Maggie. I want to be your husband, and Kaia’s and Kyle’s dad. That’s more than enough for me.”
Maggie laughed with joy as more tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached out her arms and Andrew pulled her close. It felt so good to finally be in the arms of the man she was meant to be with. The man she’d chosen to be her partner many years ago and still, deep down, wanted to share her life with.
After a time, Maggie pulled away and looked at Andrew seriously. “It’s not going to be easy,” she told him. “We still have a lot to get through. A lot to talk about. Are you game for the long run?”
“I’m game,” he said, smiling. “And we’ll start by taking our time going home. I think a road trip sounds like fun, don’t you?”
“Road trip? What about Kaia? What about work?”
“Kaia is fine at Megan’s house, and her mother said to take our time. And my job can wait. I haven’t taken a vacation in years. It’s about time I did,” Andrew said with a grin. “Besides, I can’t wait to drive that Mustang across country. I was looking at it today. It’s a great car.”
Maggie laughed as they linked arms and walked inside. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy and that all their problems weren’t going to solve themselves. But she was happy they were going to try. It was all she’d ever asked for. And a few hundred miles on the highway together, with Bob as their soundtrack, might be exactly what they needed to bring them back together.
EPILOGUE
Eight months later, Maggie stood in her charming little shop in downtown Woodroe as people milled about. It was the Northern Artists’ Gallery’s grand opening, and everyone in town was stopping by to wish Maggie well in her new venture. Even though the shop had been open for a month already, today was the day for everyone to celebrate.
Not long after returning home, Maggie had used some of her inheritance to rent an empty building right off Main Street. It was an old building like all the other downtown buildings, built in 1895, and had a main floor and a basement that Maggie currently used for storage. The feature that had drawn Maggie to this particular space was the large display window in front, perfect for showing off artwork. She’d fixed up the shop with shelving and glass cases. In addition to carrying local artists’ paintings, photographs, and sculptures, she featured unique handmade pottery and jewelry. She also carried books written by local authors. Every piece was sold on consignment, so Maggie didn’t have to invest much for inventory. So far, the sales had been good. Maggie knew that summertime, when the tourists came to town, would be her best months for sales, so that was why she’d hurried to open the shop by May.
Maggie’s photography from her weeks on the road was displayed proudly beside the other artists’ work. The walls of the shop were covered with her memories of the weeks she’d run away from home, and they were happy memories. That trip had helped her find her place in the world again, and had brought her closer to her children and Andrew than she’d ever thought possible.
Cassie made her way through the crowd to Maggie, carrying a large framed print of the curving mountain road that led up to Mount Rushmore. “I sold another print,” she said, beaming.
Maggie smiled at her cousin. Cassie, Matt, and the kids had come for the grand opening, and Cassie had taken it upon herself to help out in the store. She was a natural salesperson and had already sold several prints that day as well as a few pieces of jewelry. Kaia, who’d turned fifteen over the winter, was also helping Maggie in the shop. She planned on working all summer with Maggie and also on weekends during the school year. She couldn’t wait to turn sixteen and have a car of her own—preferably a small sports car like Maggie’s Mustang—so she was saving all her money.
“Take it to Kaia to ring up,” Maggie instructed Cassie, then walked over to where Cindi and a few of the other group-home residents stood with her former boss, Jan, admiring a photo of the vineyards around Rob’s home.
“Your photos are beautiful,” Jan told her, giving her a hug. “Congratulations.”
Maggie hugged all her friends in turn, thanking each for coming. She and Cindi hugged the longest. Maggie knew that Cindi still missed her, but she invited her to come visit her at the shop anytime.
Across the room, Maggie caught Kyle’s eye as he and Ashley talked to friends in front of the local photos she’d taken over the winter and spring. Kyle smiled and nodded, then turned his attention back to his friends. He’d finished his fall college classes but hadn’t gone to school that past spring. Instead, he’d worked full-time at the motorcycle shop. He planned to go to the technical college in the fall for a degree in automotive service technology. Maggie was happy that he was finally doing what he loved, and they’d just have to wait and see where it led him.
Derrick Weis and his wife stopped by to say hello, as did a few of the kids’ past teachers who Maggie had assisted as a room mother. Russ from the pub and Charles Larson from the bank also popped in. Everyone in town was dropping by, and it warmed Maggie’s heart that they were all so supportive of her new business.
Andrew walked over to Maggie and draped his arm around her waist. “Amazing, isn’t it? This town can really come together and support one of its own when it wants to.”
Maggie glanced over to the corner of the room where Andrew’s mother was standing in the center of
a group of older women. Her lips were pursed tightly, and her expression was sour. “What about your mother? She doesn’t look pleased to be here.”
Andrew’s face broke out in a smile. He bent his head toward Maggie so only she could hear. “I don’t think she’s very happy at how successful your shop is, but her friends all love it, so she has to pretend she does, too.”
Maggie laughed along with Andrew. He looked relaxed and happy, and for that, she was thankful. As promised, he’d resigned from most of his committees, and surprisingly enough, when it came time to nominate someone to run for mayor, many of his former committee colleagues had asked him to run. Andrew had been ready to decline, but it was Maggie who had told him to reconsider. After much thought, he finally realized that being mayor was something he did want to do, so he was now in the midst of running for office. Maggie didn’t mind. She wanted him to be as happy as she was with her shop. Over the past few months, Andrew had immersed himself in family life. He now helped her when she cooked dinner and even did a load or two of laundry each week. On weekends, he was right there when she and Kaia went bowling or to the arcade. Surprisingly, he and Kaia joined a Sunday-afternoon family bowling league and had a blast competing against the other teams. Kyle, and sometimes Ashley, too, joined the fun whenever they could, and dinnertime had once again become family time. Maggie could tell that Andrew was actually enjoying his time with the kids, as he had years ago.
As a couple, they were healing as well. It took time, but the trust grew as the weeks and months passed, and they were slowly becoming exactly as Andrew had hoped—like the happy couple they had once been. Older, yes, and no longer naive about the ups and downs of marriage, definitely—but they were finding their way back to happiness.
As Maggie surveyed the photos on the wall, she was reminded of her trip last fall, and of the people she’d met. She’d kept in touch with Robert “Wild Bill” Prescott as well as Bobbi, and sent each a print of a photo she’d taken of them. Wild Bill told her he was going back to teach middle school in the fall, but he planned to use his acting talents to help with the school plays. Bobbi had met a man and told Maggie that she hoped she’d be inviting her to her wedding very soon.
The one person she hadn’t contacted was Rob. She heard about him through Cassie and was sure he heard what she was up to as well. But Maggie decided it was best to just let their friendship go. She didn’t want anything to get in the way of healing her relationship with Andrew. Rob would always be a sweet memory that she’d leave tucked away like a photo in a scrapbook.
As Maggie started to walk up to the counter to help Cassie and Kaia wrap and ring up purchases, a familiar song began playing on the overhead speakers in the shop. It was the song that had enticed her to run away, “Roll Me Away” by Bob Seger. Maggie smiled. She was no longer lost, no longer angry, and she finally knew her place in the world. It had taken a rock ’n’ roll singer, miles of highway, hundreds of photos, a gunslinger, a hairstylist, and a man in a vineyard to help her become her true self again. She sent up a silent thank-you to all her new friends who had helped her find her way back, and then made her way, smiling and chatting, through the crowd.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Maggie’s Turn is a work of fiction. Woodroe, Minnesota, is a fictional town that I created for this novel, and it portrays a typical small town in Minnesota but does not reflect any one town in particular. All the characters depicted in this novel are fictional. Well, except for Bob Seger, a famous, talented, old-time rock ’n’ roller whose music I mention throughout the novel. If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Seger’s music, then be sure to pick up his first Greatest Hits album, the one I mention in the story. If you love rock ’n’ roll, you’ll love his music.
One final note. In Deadwood, South Dakota, at Old Saloon #10, Wild Bill Hickok is shot daily. There is a gentleman who has been portraying Wild Bill there for many years, and he does such an excellent job of it that you forget he’s not the real thing. My Wild Bill in this novel is not that talented gentleman. He is a product of my imagination, created to fit the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling author Deanna Lynn Sletten writes heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels. Sletten has two grown children and lives with her husband in northern Minnesota. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her dog.
For more information, please visit www.deannalynnsletten.com.
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