Epilogue

Contentment flowed through Jolene like a lazy river in summer.

Breakfast was over, and the house around her slowly grew quiet while she added fresh paint to the canvas. Sunlight streamed in through the three walls of windows. It was a far cry from her years of painting in an attic. Everything about her life was like a dream come true. Andy loved her deeply, and she him. They both seemed to bask in it.

Hope had driven Tobias to school because she was the substitute teacher for the day. They were the only two who lived with Andy and her. Levi and Sadie had built a home not more than a stone’s throw away, and all of them had dinner together regularly. When Jolene moved out of her childhood homestead, Josiah and his family moved into it, buying it from Lester.

Ray, as well as the rest of her family, visited here often, but he lived in Winter Valley, renting the barns and pastures from Lester for a pittance. He also rented a small house not far from Lester’s, and he and Teena would marry next month.

Jolene and Andy enjoyed returning to Winter Valley often to visit Lester and her family. Hope would live with them for only a couple more years, but when she moved out, she wouldn’t go far. She and James were in love, and he owned a very successful nursery not more than six miles from here. Her little sister had a contract with a small publishing house. She wrote children’s picture books, and of all unexpected things Jolene illustrated them. The books sold well. It seemed so strange to go from hiding a gift to earning income from it, with their names listed on each book for the world to see.

When time allowed, she and Andy traveled some, taking Jolene’s paintings to little towns along the East Coast and selling them. Such unexpected fun to discover new seaside ports where they could stay a night and sell paintings when it suited them.

She and Andy had married nine months ago, at the start of winter. Pennsylvania winter nights were long and cold when single, and she and Andy wanted to begin erasing years of winters from their memory.

Life kept moving along briskly, changing constantly as it glided on the warm winds of love and respect.

Jolene pressed her hand against her flat stomach and smiled. Pregnant but not yet showing.

The front door opened. “Hey, Jo?” Andy called, plastic bags rattling.

She put down her paintbrush and went to the kitchen.

“I needed to get some horse feed, so I picked up a few groceries.” He pulled a half gallon of her favorite store-bought ice cream out of the bag. “For tonight.” He put it in the freezer. He then pulled out a bag of peppermint sticks. “I know you haven’t had any nausea yet, but this will help when or if that time comes.”

“You are too good to me.”

“No such thing.” He winked. His expression changed, and he frowned, looking at the floor. “It’s sticky.”

She smiled. “My husband spilled orange juice on it. Then he swiped a wet towel over it, giving it a lick and a promise, saying the kitchen was too full of people right then to clean it.” She shrugged. “His wife began painting rather than mopping.”

“Good for her. It proves she’s a smart woman.” After putting away the few other items he’d bought, he paused. “I’ve got a little time. Want to sit on the deck?”

She shook her head and moved in close. He wrapped his arms around her, and she kissed him, their kisses deepening by the second. “Everyone is gone,” she mumbled around the kisses.

“It’s rare,” he whispered.

She kissed his neck. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Ya.” He paused, caressing her face. “We should take this opportunity to scrub the floors.”