The Soldier's Bride (25 page)

Marie laughed. “Lillian’s not a sitter. She’s practically family—been next door for twenty years.”

“Okay, I won’t worry.” Evelyn hugged Marie. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I love you, dear. Now get going before your father has to come back in here looking for you.”

Evelyn hurried out to the car and motioned for her father to stay in his seat as she pulled open the passenger door. “Thanks for taking me, Daddy.”

Harold put the car in gear. “My pleasure. I sure am proud of you. All you’ve been through and you’re still singing.”

“I hope it means there are lots of happy times ahead. I’m nervous, but I really do feel like singing tonight.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Something changed since yesterday when you were crying?”

Evelyn swatted his arm. “Yes, Dad. I’ve been listening to the wind. It reminded me of simpler times when it wasn’t so complicated to follow my heart.” She watched the lampposts passing by, heard the bits of Christmas melodies coming from the radio and circulating through the toasty interior of the car.

Harold stopped in front of the Silver Lining. “You make sure to keep listening and stay strong. See you soon.”

“Love you, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek and hurried inside.

She avoided the dining area and waved at Frank before entering the practice room. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a different man playing her song.

He stood when she entered and held out his hand. “I’m Travis. Sterling couldn’t be here tonight.”

Evelyn shook his hand. He had light brown hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. He looked to be barely twenty years old, or perhaps his boyish grin made him appear younger.

“Sterling mentioned that he might not make it.” Evelyn wasn’t sure how she felt. She had hoped for a chance to talk to Sterling, but his absence wouldn’t change her performance tonight.

“He asked me to give this to you.” Travis held out an envelope, and Evelyn recognized her name in Sterling’s handwriting on the front. She looked uncertainly at Travis, wondering if she should read the note right then.

“Uh, I’m going to get a drink and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Travis cleared his throat and the grit on the floor crunched under his boots.

Evelyn smiled at the pink spots on his cheeks. “Thank you.” She hoped he could understand how grateful she was for the privacy he was obviously giving her to read Sterling’s letter. Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope and unfolded the note.

Evelyn,

I’m sorry I couldn’t be there tonight to play for you. I wasn’t sure how to tell you this, so I decided to write you a letter. I know this choice has been hard on you and I haven’t made it easier. I love you with all of my heart. You’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known. You are filled with so much goodness, and I want you to know that I’m a better man because I fell in love with you. You helped me live again. I wouldn’t know what it feels like to laugh if it hadn’t been for you. My heart came to life when you let me in.

Last week I said I’d never give you up. I’d fight for you till the day I die. But I thought a lot about that and worried about you and your heart. I believe that you should give Jim a real chance and the only way you can do that is if I step aside. You said you belonged with Jim once, and I think you won’t be happy unless you allow your heart to heal and see what is best for you. I don’t want you to worry about me anymore. I’ll be fine. We’re on to a new chapter of our lives now. I’m setting you free tonight. But I will always love you, and that’s why I’m letting you go.

With love,

Sterling

Evelyn reread the note twice and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She had always known that Sterling was a good man, but his unselfishness and sacrifice for her made it even more obvious. She carefully folded the letter and tucked the envelope into her purse. Her heart felt lighter because Sterling had accepted her decision before she’d even been able to tell him.

A part of her wished that he were here so that she could tell him good-bye in person, but she didn’t know if either of them was strong enough for that. Sterling had given her a gift, and she would accept it and take the opportunity he’d given her to love Jim again as she had before.

She heard Travis returning and took a deep breath. Rolling her shoulders back, she smiled. “I need your help. I’ve written a few more verses to the song tonight. They’re the same chords; I just need you to repeat them a few more times.” She had intended to sing the verses privately to Jim, but she knew that this was the right thing to do now that Sterling was gone.

“Wow, new verses. I’d love to hear them. Let’s run through it.”

She ducked her head. “I hope they’ll be okay.” She handed him a slip of paper. “I’ve written in the spots where you’ll need to repeat.”

He hummed a few lines while he looked at the notations she’d made. “Shall we start from the top?”

With a nod, Evelyn tapped her foot and began singing. She thought about the choice she had made, about the people it would hurt, the people it would heal. Her voice faltered for half a second, but she kept singing. That was life. Sometimes you miss a note, but you just keep on singing.

A few minutes before Evelyn took the stage, she scanned the crowd and smiled when she saw Jim and her parents. Her eyes continued to move across the room and she realized that she was looking for Sterling. A brief flash of pain crossed her heart before she straightened and stepped back toward Travis.

“Thanks again for accompanying me tonight,” she said.

“My pleasure. Sterling said that you had a beautiful voice and that—”

Evelyn tilted her head to listen but Travis’s words were drowned out by Frank announcing the entertainment for the evening. His voice boomed out over the audience, which LaRue had reported was standing room only. “We’re thrilled to have one of our own back with us tonight for a special encore presentation of a song that touched many hearts the first time Mrs. Patterson sang it.”

He adjusted his belt buckle and continued. “Many of you know that Evelyn’s husband died during the war, but some of you might not have heard yet that he has returned.”

Several gasps could be heard, and Frank beamed as he gathered the desired effect from his news. “I’ll let her tell you the rest.”

Evelyn shook her head at Travis. “I’ve got to sing first. I don’t want to talk about any of that now.”

Travis nodded and rubbed his thumb over the frets of his guitar. The lights dimmed, and she stepped onto the platform they had dubbed the stage at the Silver Lining. She gripped the microphone and promised herself she wouldn’t cry. With a nod, she cast her gaze toward the dining area and focused on Jim. Even in the dim light the azure color of his eyes was noticeable. He held his mouth in a tight line, and Evelyn breathed in and out as Travis began the introduction.

Evelyn prayed this version of the song might touch Jim’s heart—the same heart she had hurt—and help him understand how much she loved him.

The music lingered over two notes an octave apart and then she began to sing.

There’s an angel on my shoulder.

There’s an angel by my side.

And it leads me and it guides me

through the trials in my life.

There’s an angel by the river,

where you left me with good-bye.

There’s an angel, you’re that angel,

I can feel you in my heart.

And I wonder as I wander

through the forest that I’ve made,

full of trees that grow with sorrow

on the steps that I must take.

But I cannot understand it,

life without my angel dear.

I’ll keep walking through the forest,

wishing that you were near.

The audience cheered when she reached for the high notes of the chorus and then hushed as the words of the song brought meaning to the night. Evelyn’s eyes found Jim’s and she continued singing.

Because you’re my angel.

And I can feel it in my heart.

Oh my angel, you’re my angel.

Guide me back into your life.

I’ll keep hoping as I’m walking

on this path that I must take.

Over rivers and without you,

remembering all of my mistakes.

How I wish that I could write you

all the dreams within my heart.

Oh my angel, please forgive me

if I haven’t played my part.

She noticed Jim sit up straighter in his chair when she began singing the chorus a second time. Early that morning, Evelyn had written a bridge into the song, these words were the most important she would sing tonight. She closed her eyes, took a whisper-quiet breath, then looked at Jim as she sang.

ʼCause I know that you’re my angel.

And I know you’re by my side.

But I had to be a fool,

and I had to have my pride.

But you have to take me back,

back into your heart.

Oh my angel, dear angel,

we can make another start.

Now you must walk through this forest

full of trees that sorrow grew.

Looking for the love we lost.

I’m just hoping that you knew.

Oh, I love you, my angel.

I still need you, my angel.

I’ll be waiting in this forest.

I’ll be waiting for you.

The cheers and applause were immediate as the last note faded away. Evelyn didn’t pay attention to the ladies dabbing their eyes with lace hankies or the men nodding approval. She watched Jim. The transformation of his face as he recognized what she had sung—to him—set his eyes aglow. He stood, hesitated for a moment, and then walked toward the stage.

Reaching out his hand, he whispered, “Forgive me.”

Her fingers curled around his, and she allowed Jim to pull her from the stage and into his arms. The crowd erupted into excited cheers and melodramatic sighs.

“Evelyn, I love you so much. I’m crazy for you. Will you forgive me?”

“Yes, Jim. I love you, too.”

He lowered his lips to hers and she kissed him, allowing him complete access to her heart. From now on her heart would beat in devotion to his.

When Jim set her down, she brushed out the folds of her skirt and looked toward the stage. Travis sat there with a smile, basking in the applause. She scanned the room, feeling an uncomfortable tenseness in her heart. She felt Sterling’s absence. Blinking rapidly, Evelyn hugged Jim again to hide the few tears seeping from beneath her mascara-laden lashes.

Sterling was no longer waiting for her to come to him. The full impact of the words from his letter reverberated in her head. “We’re on to a new chapter of our lives now. I’m setting you free tonight. But I will always love you, and that’s why I’m letting you go.”

A part of her wanted to run out of the Silver Lining, find Sterling, and tell him she still loved him, that she was sorry, she had changed her mind. But then she heard Jim murmur in her ear, “You’ve just made me the luckiest man in this room. We’re going to have a family again.” He laughed and spun her around.

As he twirled her, she let the emotions spin out and forced herself to smile and remember the sound of the wind that morning when she made the decision to stay with Jim.

~*~

Sterling stood in a darkened corner of the room watching Evelyn and Jim embrace. After their practice a few days ago, he could see that Evelyn was on the verge of making a decision. He believed that she would choose Jim, but a part of him had hoped he was wrong—that she wouldn’t accept the letter. If she had come to him, then he would know the true feelings of her heart, but it was better this way. He
did
love her and he loved Danny and that’s why he had let her go.

He slipped out before anyone noticed him, going out the side door where he’d walked in just before Evelyn started singing. Straightening his shoulders, he looked back once at the Silver Lining, knowing he would probably never return.

The sun sank low on the horizon as he walked toward his empty home. The verses Evelyn had added were painful and poignant, and Sterling recognized how much effort it had taken for her to sing them to Jim. He wondered if a part of her heart would keep his memory alive. How many years would it take for his feelings of anguish to fade?

One foot in front of the other, the right leg heavier than the left, that was how he had made it from his home to the Silver Lining. If he concentrated on the pink and purple streaks of sunlight filtering through the clouds, maybe he could make it home in one piece. His love for Evelyn was true, and his devotion to life’s happiness needed the same commitment. He was determined to live, to love,
and
to dance again.

Evelyn sang a few more songs, and Travis performed as well. The evening was a success, and everyone wanted to talk to Evelyn and Jim to offer congratulations. After the performance, they mingled in the crowd until Evelyn’s voice felt tired from all the talking.

“Is it okay if I walk you home tonight?” Jim asked her.

“I would love that.”

The cloud cover held back the freezing temperatures so the walk felt refreshing. The frosty air cleared Evelyn’s head, and she focused on this moment with Jim that had been granted to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they strolled down the snow-encrusted sidewalk.