Free Finding Libbie by Deanna Lynn Sletten Page B

you. But running away isn’t the answer. You’d miss all your friends, and your family, too. Things will work out, I promise. Your parents will come around.”
    Libbie shook her head sadly. “My mother will never approve of you, Jack. And she meant it when she said I couldn’t see you anymore.”
    Jack reached over and tilted Libbie’s face up to look at him. He smiled at her. “Maybe she did, but she can’t stop us from seeing each other at school, can she? And soon, we’ll both be eighteen and she won’t be able to tell you what to do. I promise you, Libbie. She can’t keep me away from you. It’ll be impossible.”
    Libbie wanted to believe that was true, but she knew how stubborn her mother could be.
    They sat in the truck, holding each other, until the moon rose high in the sky and the air cooled around them. Finally, Jack said, “You should go home before they notice you’re gone. You don’t want to make things worse.”
    Libbie nodded halfheartedly.
    “Can you sneak back in without anyone seeing you?” Jack asked.
    “I’m sure my parents are in bed by now. If not, I’ll climb up the tree and onto the roof.”
    “I’ll walk you back to your house and make sure you get in safely,” Jack offered.
    Jack wrapped his arm around Libbie’s waist and pulled her close as they walked the short distance in the moonlight to her house. Once they were near it, he turned to her and looked down into her eyes. “I love you, Libbie. We’ll get through this. Just remember how much I love you, and you’ll be fine.”
    Libbie nodded as Jack kissed her softly on the cheek. “I love you, too,” she whispered.
    Libbie walked toward the dark house and opened the French door in the kitchen. Slipping inside, she turned around and saw Jack still standing in the bushes at the edge of their property. She made her way quietly up the back stairs. Everything was silent and dark up there. She took her key from her pocket, opened her bedroom door, and went inside. Then she flicked her bedroom lights twice so Jack would know that she was safely inside the house.
    Libbie ran to her window and looked outside, but it was too dark to see if Jack was still there. Exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the night, she went to bed and fell asleep quickly.

    As Jack lay in bed that night, he thought about the wild-eyed look on Libbie’s face when she’d told him he’d only make things worse if he spoke to her mother. He’d never seen her look anything but happy. But tonight she’d been shaking and scared as she’d cried in his arms. He’d wanted to protect her from her pain. He would have gladly taken her home to the farm if he’d thought it wouldn’t have made things worse for Libbie. But he knew he couldn’t, and it had been hard for him to watch her return to her house. He hoped she was okay.
    He knew from the incident at the gas station that Libbie’s mother didn’t like him. But it seemed to him that she’d reacted too severely over them going steady. And to cause Libbie so much pain was cruel. It was difficult for him to understand a mother acting that way, since he was used to his own mother being so kind and loving.
    Well, she’s going to have to get used to me, because I’m not going away.
    Jack’s love for Libbie went far beyond puppy love. He knew, even now, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was working hard at school so he could learn his trade well and earn a living to support them. He was never going to be rich; he knew that. But he could still give Libbie a good life, if she’d have him.
    As Jack fell asleep, his thoughts were of Libbie and how he’d take care of her and keep her safe for the rest of her life.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Abigail didn’t leave her bed for three days after her outburst, claiming she was too distraught to get up. Gwen came over every day to care for her and to cook dinner for the family. This wasn’t the first time Libbie’s mother had taken to her bed after