{"id":1059,"date":"2019-02-10T21:51:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T02:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1059"},"modified":"2020-08-25T15:46:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-25T19:46:14","slug":"looking-for-you-all-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/looking-for-you-all-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking for You All My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Looking for You All My Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Melody Carlson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small town of Pine Mountain has much to offer a big-city girl: clean air, beautiful scenery, a marvelous mix of townspeople both funny and friendly. And though Maggie did not come to Oregon looking for love, she found it with Jed Whitewater. Or did she? While the possibility of a serious relationship exists with this enigmatic man, circumstances intervene in their lives that could spell disaster for both their dreams. What will Maggie have to sacrifice for the good of her new community? And will Jed ever be able to share his heart with her?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

During the first\nweek of November, traffic through town had dwindled to\na thin trickle. Besides the coming and going of the\nlocals, there were only a few late-season elk hunters cruising down Main Street\non their way back home, some with elk heads and large antler racks displayed\nproudly on their hunting rigs (a habit a city girl found slightly disturbing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\ndiverted her attention from the \u201ctrophy\u201d tied to the hood of a dust-covered\npickup parked along Main Street by watching her breath come out in little white\npuffs that lingered for a moment on the crisp midday air before they\ndisappeared. The novelty of such a simple thing as frost was not lost on her as\nshe walked toward Galloway\u2019s Deli. It was not something she\u2019d seen much of in\nsouthern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\natmosphere had suddenly changed in Pine Mountain. A quiet hush wrapped itself\naround the streets of this little town until it seemed that even the normally\nenergetic merchants had become unusually subdued. Maggie waved across the\nstreet to Elizabeth Rodgers as the older woman pushed a broom across the\nsidewalk in front of the bookstore, lethargically sweeping dead leaves over the\ncurb and into the gutter below. In some ways the feeling in town reminded\nMaggie of last spring when she and Spencer had first arrived to discover a\ndreary and dying business district. Only now she sensed a real spirit of hope\nand expectation resting beneath this temporary veneer of quiet. And no one\ncould deny that the town looked better than ever with all its recent\nrenovations and face-lifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still,\nMaggie wondered how this little slump might affect commerce as she passed by\nthe recently refurbished Pine Mountain Hotel. She peeked in the front window to\nsee a perfectly decorated lobby completely void of guests. Of course Brian and\nCindy Jordan, with their high-earning computer software stocks, could easily\nafford a slow season at the hotel, but few other business owners in town were\nso fortunate. Even with last summer\u2019s boom and the better-than-usual fall\nseason, an unprofitable winter could be the undoing of some of the more fragile\nbusinesses. Maggie knew it was silly to feel so overly protective of the town,\nbut whether she could openly admit it or not, the truth was she felt an almost\nmaternal sort of concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey\nthere, Maggie,\u201d called Rosa from behind the tiled deli counter. \u201cYou\u2019re early\ntoday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThought\nI\u2019d beat the rush.\u201d Maggie smiled sheepishly at her joke as she glanced around\nthe nearly vacant room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPretty\nbad, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Rosa sighed and gave the already clean countertop a swipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nheard we might get some snow,\u201d offered Maggie hopefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\nwhat Sam said too, but it\u2019s only supposed to be a light dusting. It\u2019ll take\nmore than that to open up the ski season around here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut\nit\u2019s still early. Isn\u2019t it pretty rare to open before Thanksgiving?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\nadjusted the straw container and thought for a moment. \u201cI suppose so, but we\u2019ve\nseen it open in early November before. I guess because of the strong summer and\nfall seasons everyone had just hoped\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\nmaybe the weatherman is wrong about the dusting part of his forecast. Maybe\nwe\u2019re in for a foot or two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\nsounding more like us everyday. I suppose this disease is the result of our\ntourist-based economy. We all live in a slightly delusional world.\u201d Rosa\ngrinned. \u201cWe survive on optimism and unrealistic hopes\u2014and, of course, we\u2019re\never dependent on the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot\nto mention a lot of hard work.\u201d Maggie glanced up at the menu board. \u201cI\u2019ll have\na bowl of your black bean soup, Rosa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\nladled out the dark, spicy-smelling soup. \u201cSo what\u2019s cooking at the Pine Cone these days? Scott\u2019s been so busy with Chloe lately\nthat I haven\u2019t heard much about work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nlaughed. \u201cThose two are getting pretty serious. I\u2019ve actually wondered if Scott\nmight be hearing wedding bells lately. And, selfishly, I wouldn\u2019t mind a bit.\nI\u2019d hate to lose him at the paper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith\nChloe saying she never wants to leave Pine Mountain, my boy may have to rethink\nhis future as a big-city journalist.\u201d Rosa handed Maggie her order, then poured\nherself a mug of coffee. \u201cMind if I join you during this little lull?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot\nat all.\u201d The two women sat down and Maggie glanced across the dining room to\nthe couple deep in conversation at a corner table. They were an elderly pair\nand not locals. \u201cWell, as far as what\u2019s going on at the Pine\nCone\u2026\u201d she lowered her voice slightly. \u201cActually, I think I\u2019m about to\nbreak open a pretty big story\u2014at least for Pine Mountain, that is\u2014but I\u2019m sort\nof nervous about the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\u2019s\nbrows went up. \u201cWhat is it? Or is it top secret?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\nabout Greg Snider.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh,\nour notorious postmaster. What\u2019s he up to now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\ntake it that you haven\u2019t heard anything about it then? Nothing from Sam or\nanyone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\nshook her head and sipped her coffee. \u201cNo, and Sam is usually up on all the\nlatest news. Men say women gossip, but I think that\u2019s just their cover-up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\nI suspect that Rick Tanner and Greg Snider have been trying to keep this thing\nunder their hats, but I\u2019m on my way out to interview Mr. Westerly this\nafternoon\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOld\nArnold Westerly? I can hardly believe that man is still alive\u2014he must be about\na hundred by now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\ndon\u2019t know about his age, but I do know he owns a couple hundred acres of prime\nfarmland\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight\nbetween the Tanners and the old Snider place,\u201d injected Rosa, her brow lifting\nwith suspicion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nnodded. \u201cAnyway, I\u2019ve learned that Greg and Rick are buying that property and\nplanning some big real estate development out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\nslapped her hand on the table and laughed sarcastically. \u201cNow if that doesn\u2019t\nbeat all. The antidevelopment boys are out there scheming up their own little\nland deals and trying to keep everything hush-hush. Well, good for you, Maggie.\nI hope you blow this thing wide open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\nonly problem is\u2026\u201d Maggie\u2019s brow furrowed. \u201cI feel bad about Cherise. She\u2019s been\nso sweet to me at the fitness center, and I just hate to see her get hurt by my\nstory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCherise\nis a big girl and stronger than many think. Besides, Maggie, the truth is the\ntruth. Right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nset down her spoon. \u201cYes. And I\u2019ve already sat on this news for too long\u2014mostly\nto protect Cherise because she\u2019s the one who gave me the initial information.\nBut I can\u2019t be silent about something like this forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa\nfrowned. \u201cI hope Greg and Rick aren\u2019t taking advantage of poor Arnold. He\u2019s a\nsweet old guy. And all alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\nsounded nice on the phone, and very sharp if he\u2019s as old as you say. Plus he\nseemed eager to talk. But I\u2019m afraid he thinks I\u2019m interviewing him for our Bit of History section.\u201d She broke off a chunk of crusty\nbread and dipped it into her soup. \u201cIn fact, I think I will schedule Scott to\ndo a history piece on him. No doubt this Mr. Westerly has some interesting\nstories to tell.\u201d The bell on the door jingled and Maggie looked up to see\nBuckie and Kate walk in. \u201cLooks like you\u2019ve got customers, Rosa.\u201d Maggie waved as\nthe couple approached the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank\ngoodness for the regulars.\u201d Rosa stood and straightened her apron. \u201cNice\ncatching up with you. And good luck with that story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nfinished her soup, then she went over to greet Buckie and Kate on her way out.\nThey seemed such a perfect couple now that it made her wonder how any of them\nhad ever missed that potential from the start. \u201cHow\u2019s business?\u201d she asked\nBuckie with a friendly smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nfrowned. \u201cActually, it\u2019s pretty slow this week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut\nthis is a great time to do some long-term planning,\u201d piped in the\never-optimistic Kate. \u201cI\u2019ve been encouraging Buckie to have some of his better\nprints reproduced into note cards and postcards and such, plus I\u2019ve been\nchecking into some mail-order outfits that I think he could get into, not to\nmention setting up a Blue Moose website. You know Northwest art is pretty\npopular these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buckie\nreached over and patted Kate\u2019s arm with open admiration. \u201cKate\u2019s such a whiz\nwhen it comes to ideas and marketing and all that stuff. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d\ndo without her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With\nmixed feelings Maggie remembered how invaluable Kate had been to Jed\u2019s business\nwith that same sort of perspective\u2014and then how suddenly that had all changed,\nmostly due to her. She smiled at Kate. \u201cWell, if you ever get bored just\nworking for Buckie, you might consider starting up your own marketing\nconsultation service. I\u2019m sure a lot of businesses in town would find your\nideas very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey,\nwatch it, Maggie!\u201d warned Buckie. \u201cDon\u2019t you go luring my right-hand girl away\nfrom me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate\nlaughed. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Buckie, I\u2019m not that easy to get rid of. But Maggie does\nhave a good point. A consulting business might be something I could do on the\nside\u2014and drawing in more customers at other places wouldn\u2019t hurt your business\na single bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\nknow, Kate,\u201d said Maggie, \u201cI\u2019ve had some thoughts of my own about how the\nnewspaper could help promote businesses. And you\u2019re always so full of great\nideas\u2014maybe we should get together and discuss them sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d\nlove to,\u201d said Kate with a smile that could\u2019ve been used for a toothpaste ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nthe first time since their original conflict over Jed, Maggie wondered if she\nand Kate might actually become friends one day. \u201cGreat,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll give\nyou a call soon. With business so slow right now, it might be the perfect time\nto start making some plans for the tourist traffic that will come with the\nupcoming ski season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\nmean, if we ever get any snow,\u201d said Buckie sullenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll\ncome,\u201d Kate reassured him. \u201cIt always does sooner or later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nhadn\u2019t planned to stop by Jed\u2019s shop today as she knew that Leah had invited\nhim for dinner at the house tonight. But seeing Kate and hearing how Buckie was\nreaping the benefits of that new relationship made Maggie feel worried for Jed.\nLeah had mentioned just that morning at breakfast how business had been\nterribly slow for Whitewater Works this week, and although it seemed sort of\nsilly, Maggie felt responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHello?\u201d\nshe called as she entered the familiar shop, sniffing the air for the pungent\naroma of cedar. \u201cAnyone here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn\nthe back,\u201d called Leah. \u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow\u2019s\nit going?\u201d Maggie asked as Leah emerged from the back room, a cardboard box in\none hand and a packing slip in the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStill\npretty quiet.\u201d Leah brushed a dark strand of hair from her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re the\nfirst one to walk through the front door all day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nfrowned. \u201cIs Jed around?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\nhe just left. He\u2019s working at home this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\nthat\u2019s probably good. How\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\u2019s\nbrows lifted. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh,\nI guess I was feeling a little concerned about him from a business standpoint.\nI just ran into Kate, and you know how she\u2019s so involved at the Blue Moose now,\nand she has all these great plans about how to market Buckie\u2019s work\u2014and well, I\nsuppose I feel a little guilty, like it\u2019s my fault that Kate\u2019s not here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut\nI\u2019m here.\u201d Leah stuck out her chin defensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nsmiled. \u201cOf course, I know that. And Jed couldn\u2019t be happier\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut\nyou don\u2019t think that\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\nnot what I meant, Leah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\nset the box on the floor and folded her arms. \u201cI\u2019m working really hard for Jed,\nMaggie. I told him he doesn\u2019t even have to come into the shop at all if he\nneeds to work on his projects at home. I know this isn\u2019t an easy business,\nespecially this time of year, but I\u2019m here for him. Isn\u2019t that enough?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nplaced a soothing hand on Leah\u2019s arm. \u201cIt\u2019s more than enough, honey. Really.\nJed wouldn\u2019t trade you for a hundred Kates. And I\u2019m sure in time you\u2019ll have\nthis whole business completely figured out, and then you and Jed will be the\nbusiest shop in town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\nfrowned. \u201cI don\u2019t think either of us want that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nblinked, feeling somewhat chastised. \u201cWell, you know what I mean. I\u2019m sure\neverything\u2019s going to be just fine. I\u2019m sorry if what I said didn\u2019t come out\nquite the way I meant it.\u201d She looked Leah in the eyes. \u201cAre we still okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\u2019s\ndark eyes looked misty, but she nodded. \u201cYes, of course. I guess maybe I\u2019m a\nlittle worried about Jed\u2019s business too. There\u2019s so much to learn right now. I\nwant to be a help and not a hindrance, but I hate asking Jed questions all the\ntime. Sometimes I feel like I\u2019m nothing but a nuisance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nknow Jed doesn\u2019t think that at all. He loves having you around, Leah. But if\nyou\u2019re worried about the business aspects, maybe you could ask Kate to stop by\nand give you some tips.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\npressed her lips together. \u201cI don\u2019t really like Kate very much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d\nMaggie thought a moment. \u201cI used to feel like that too, but I\u2019m trying to be\nmore open. And I\u2019m finding there\u2019s more to her than meets the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe.\nBut I think I\u2019d rather try to figure things out for myself around here. I\nlearned a lot just working for Buckie. In many ways these businesses aren\u2019t all\nthat much different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\nprobably right.\u201d Maggie glanced at her watch. \u201cOkay, then, I\u2019ll see you\ntonight. Is Jed still coming for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah\u2019s\neyes lit up. \u201cYes. And I\u2019m still cooking. He gave me a venison roast from a\ndeer he shot on his property. Audrey promised to give me a hand with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\nlooking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\nwalked slowly back to the Pine Cone to pick up her\nbriefcase before her interview with Mr. Westerly. Something in the tone of her\nconversation with Leah bothered her a little. Why was Leah becoming so\ndefensive? Maggie hadn\u2019t meant to infer that Leah\u2019s help in the shop was\ninadequate in any way. It was only that she felt worried about Jed\u2019s business\nwithout Kate\u2019s experienced hand. It was no secret that Kate had been an\nintegral ingredient in Jed\u2019s past success. But why should that threaten Leah?\nGood grief, Leah was only eighteen years old\u2014no one expected her to replace\nKate. But maybe this wasn\u2019t about Kate and Leah, reasoned Maggie. Maybe this\nwas about Maggie and Leah\u2026 and Jed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d\nonly returned from California a week ago, yet in that short time it seemed\nthings had changed between her and Leah. But with so much going on, she hadn\u2019t\ngiven it much thought. Until now. Since last week\u2019s harvest party,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah,\nlike everyone else, had become well aware that Maggie and Jed might be entering\ninto a new phase of their relationship. But so far, that relationship seemed to\nbe developing slowly, which was perfectly fine with Maggie. She had only seen\nJed once since the party, and that was when they\u2019d met for lunch a couple of\ndays ago. Even then, the warm look in his eyes had convinced her that nothing\nbetween them had changed a bit. She felt content to allow all the time\nnecessary for them to become better acquainted with each other. Plus, she\nreasoned, they were both busy people with many responsibilities. There seemed\nno need to hurry anything along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey\nthere, Maggie,\u201d called Clyde as she approached the front porch of the newspaper\noffice. \u201cI think I can feel snow in my bones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally?\u201d\nshe smiled. \u201cThe forecast is for a light dusting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nadjusted the ear flaps on his plaid wool hunting cap. \u201cWouldn\u2019t be surprised if\nwe got us several inches by tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\nthat\u2019d be welcome, wouldn\u2019t it? Say, Clyde, I\u2019m sure you know Arnold Westerly\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\nbet I do. Arnold and I go way back. But I haven\u2019t seen the old guy in a coon\u2019s\nage. Why\u2019re you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\non my way to see him right now. I\u2019m about to blow open what could be a fairly\nbig story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clyde\nrubbed his hands together with enthusiasm. \u201cA big story? About old Arnold?\nCan\u2019t imagine what that could possibly be, Maggie girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\nglanced around to see if anyone was within earshot, and then quickly explained\nabout Greg and Rick\u2019s land scheme. \u201cWant to join me for this interview?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh\nboy, would I love to! But I\u2019ve got to meet an old buddy of mine today. He came\nover from the valley to spend the weekend at my cabin and do some pheasant\nhunting. But you better get to the bottom of this, Maggie. Arnold\u2019s a good guy,\nand I don\u2019t like the idea of anyone, and especially not the likes of Greg\nSnider, taking advantage of the old feller.\u201d Clyde clenched his fists and\ngrowled. \u201cAnd after all that anti-development nonsense Snider put us through\nlast summer! Well, all I can say is you better nail this story good and we\u2019ll\nblast it all across the front page in next week\u2019s edition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\ngrinned. \u201cYou can count on it. Have a good weekend hunting with your buddy,\nClyde.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYep.\nBut I want to hear all about Arnold first thing come Monday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\nsir.\u201d She tossed him a mock salute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\nmy girl.\u201d His face softened. \u201cSure good to have you back, Maggie. You had me\nfretting something fierce while you were gone off in California all that time.\nFeared you might change your mind about us and not come back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t\nworry, Clyde. I\u2019ve finally figured out where my home is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd\ndon\u2019t you go off and forget it none, either!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n