The Soldier's Bride (31 page)

“But with you sitting here, it doesn’t seem like so long ago now,” she murmured and interlaced her fingers on her lap.

“I know what you mean.” He studied the soft lines of her face.

She looked at him and sighed. “My children are grown. I had two more after Danny.”

“You’re a lucky woman.”

“I’ve been thinking of moving back to Aspen Falls. My mom’s health is failing. Dad’s been gone for eight years.”

“I was sorry to hear he had passed. The old house still looks good,” Sterling said. “I drive by there occasionally.”

He picked up the box. “I went to a farm sale the other day, and I found something I knew you’d like.” He handed it to her. “I’ll let you open it.”

“It must be something good for you to make a special trip.” Evelyn smiled and picked at the string. With a gentle tug, the string came loose and she pulled up the flaps of the box. Moving aside pieces of crumpled newspaper, she put a hand over her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes and trickled down her cheek.

The music box felt empty, and she lifted it out and set it on her lap as Sterling pulled the paper away. She pushed the button on the middle compartment, lifted the lid, and gave a soft cry as the ballerina sprang to life.

Music filled the room, and Evelyn was aware of Sterling’s quiet form next to her. She clutched his hand as the music played and watched the miniature dancer circle before the mirror. She trembled as a sob broke free. Sterling tentatively put his arm around her and offered her his handkerchief.

Her breath caught, and she reached for the side compartment. The red velvet paper was torn and Evelyn’s fingers fluttered with anticipation as she began to peel the paper back.

“What are you doing?” Sterling asked, and then he remembered the story of how Jim had left a note pasted inside the music box. Evelyn had told him, but he never knew the exact details.

The paper lining came away easily, and she cried out. “Oh, it’s still there. After all these years, it’s still there.”

Sterling peered at the faded blue paper with the same words Jim Patterson had written to his wife. And suddenly his heart felt as if it was beating anew. He opened his mouth and spoke the words aloud. “Don’t die with me.” Then he gazed at Evelyn. Her brown eyes filled with tears again, and she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

Sterling held Evelyn but stared past her, his mind spinning with the possibilities. And he knew. It wasn’t a coincidence he had found the same music box—that he had found Evelyn. He hadn’t found the box a year ago when Jim was still alive, he had found it now.

Jim spoke from the grave—his message still guiding Evelyn. Sterling had found this music box because Jim didn’t want her to be left alone when someone still lived who loved her. It had to be true.

“Sterling, I can’t believe it,” she cried. “Thank you so much.” She turned her head to watch the ballerina take a final twirl before the music stopped. “You say you found this at a farm sale?”

“About an hour south of Callaway Grove. I had to pick up some parts out that way and saw a sign and stopped by.”

“It’s impossible, but here you are and you’ve brought my music box,” she said.

“But look.” Sterling pointed at the box. “There’s something else written there.”

Evelyn wiped her eyes and leaned toward the music box. Her finger brushed over the mint-green paper on which Rhonda had written a message to Leland. “Forgive yourself—allow God to forgive.”

“That’s powerful,” Sterling said.

“And another here, this looks like a scrap of paper glued in. It’s written in pencil.” She squinted. “I need my glasses.”

“Wait I can see it. It says, ‘Live to dance again.’” He smiled at Evelyn.

“This paper’s been folded lots of times. It’s hard to see.” Sterling unfolded a bright green piece of paper and smoothed out some of the creases.

“Wait, I have to get my glasses. I want to read them all.” She set the music box on the coffee table and hurried into the kitchen. When she returned she chuckled. “I never thought age would catch up to me, but it has.” She put on her glasses.

Sterling brushed back the edge of his silver-streaked hair. “I know what you mean.” He handed her the crumpled piece of green paper.

“This looks like origami paper,” Evelyn said. “Listen close enough and you can change the world.” She gasped. “It can’t be.”

“What?” Sterling examined the paper.

“But that’s what Jim told the little girl he met in the hospital. She had polio and she had . . .” Evelyn’s breath caught. “She had a music box that she loved to listen to. The tune sparked something in Jim’s brain, helped him remember who he was.”

“And that girl or someone wrote down what he said.” Sterling peered at the different scraps of paper and shook his head. “There’s one more.”

She swallowed and focused on the last scrap of paper glued behind the lining of the compartment. “To every thing there is a season.”

“Like the scripture in the Bible,” Sterling mused.

For a moment all was still except for the gentle flapping of the kitchen curtains as the summer breeze continued to waft through the room. Evelyn read through each message again and tucked the folded origami paper next to the others.

“It’s as if each person who owned the music box found the messages and added one of their own.” Her eyes glistened with tears again. “I wonder if the music box touched them the same way it did me. Sterling, this is a miracle.”

“I know.”

“After all these years, you came back,” Evelyn murmured.

He covered her hand with his and swallowed. “You left without saying good-bye.”

“I’m so sorry. I wanted to, but then I thought it would make things worse.” She covered her face with her hands, breathed in, and then clutched Sterling’s hand again. “I thought of you every day for the first year, until James was born.” She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip.

“James was a blessing in so many ways, but also because I was finally able to set you free from my mind, though there has always been a part of my heart that has belonged to you.”

Sterling’s heart ached to hear her say the words, but once he saw Jim’s message inside the music box, he’d vowed in that second not to let another opportunity pass him by.

“I said I would set you free and I did, but it took some doing. I lived those next five years of my life in the shadow of your memories.” He turned toward Evelyn as she uttered a painful cry. “I saw so much love around me and wanted to take part. I attempted a few times, but my heart was still shackled. I knew that you wouldn’t want me to be unhappy, so I tried again. That’s when I met Lydia. I’ve been blessed with a good life.”

He pointed at the words written inside the music box most recently and spoke them, “To every thing there is a season.”

Evelyn’s dark eyes were still as beautiful as the first day he looked into them, vibrant and alive. He looked down at the ring on her hand and exhaled, praying to say the right words. Then he stared into the eyes of the woman who had stolen his heart.

“I felt something in the wind today, like the seasons were changing. I understand why now.” He motioned to the music box as he continued to speak. “To every thing there is a season.” He paused and held her hand as he quoted part of the familiar scripture. “And a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to love.” He brought her fingers to his lips, kissed them gently, and then smiled. “It’s my turn isn’t it?”

The current of love emanating from his voice filled Evelyn with peace. His eyes searched her face for an answer, and she focused on the deep jade color framed by his dark lashes, the windows to the heart of the man she still loved.

How many women could say they truly loved one man during their lifetime? Was she greedy to take love from another? If she were to be honest with herself, Sterling had never left her heart. She had loved two men in two different ways, and had found joy in the experience of how her heart beat in different rhythms for the men in her life.

Sterling and Jim. Both of them had suffered more than was comfortable to ponder, and she had been given the chance to love them, to help both of them find joy in a life riddled with pain, adversity, emotional defeat, war-torn minds, and haunted dreams.

She squeezed Sterling’s hand. “I love you. I always have. Even when I made myself forget. It was only because I knew that a corner of my heart would always be a safe spot to keep my memories of you.” She blinked to keep the tears at bay. “I’m sorry I had to choose.”

“No, we did the right thing.”
“But I left you alone. I worried about you so much at first, and I kept asking my mother about you.” A strand of dark hair fell out of place, and Evelyn swept it back behind her ear. “Finally, she told me it was best if I didn’t ask anymore and to focus on my family and let you live your life.”

“Your mother is a wise woman.”

“I made myself believe you were happy, in love with someone, enjoying your life.”

“But don’t you know?” he cupped her chin in his hand. “I was. I still am. I’ve always been happy in love with someone. It’s just that someone was you.” He moved his face closer to hers. She closed her eyes and he kissed her. A surge of memories passed through her as she returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her again and then leaned back so he could look into her eyes. “Looks like it’s my turn for second chances,” he said.

She nodded. “I love you, Sterling.”

The wind swept through the room and brushed the tulle on the ballerina’s tutu so she tilted and began to turn as the music played the last refrain. Evelyn smiled and felt the strength of Sterling’s arms around her as time fell away and her heart beat anew with a love that had waited patiently for its season.

A wide green ribbon held the bouquet of white roses together, and Evelyn gripped it as she walked down the aisle toward Sterling. He wore a black suit with a dark green tie that brought out the color of his eyes. Evelyn gazed into those eyes and smiled, hardly believing that she and Sterling had been given a second chance.

The ceremony was held outdoors with a special version of Evelyn’s song played on an acoustic guitar as she approached Sterling. The music quieted as he took her hand and they turned to each other.

Evelyn waited impatiently for the minister to cue her, hoping that she could say the words she had practiced without her voice cracking from the powerful emotion she felt. She hesitated, squeezed Sterling’s hand, and then began, “I vow to honor the gift of love you’ve given me that has crossed through time, broken hearts, and now stitched hearts together with a devotion that is pure and unchanging.” Evelyn had stayed up late the previous night, rewriting her vows, trying to find the perfect words to let Sterling know the feelings of her heart. “And I promise to show you each day how grateful I am for your patience, unselfishness, strength, and goodness.” She felt tears come to her eyes and blinked, but one still trailed down her cheek. “I love you, Sterling. I vow to treasure the happiness and protection I feel in your arms.”

Sterling wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. “I vow to love you with all of my heart. To cherish you and to take every chance to celebrate the joy I feel because you’re giving me the honor of being your husband.” His smile widened. “I promise to bring music into your life, and sing my song of love to you each day. To keep your heart safe next to mine. I love you, Evelyn.”

Sterling slipped a ring on Evelyn’s finger that held its own memories. It was the same ring—a diamond solitaire set in a gold band—the ring he’d shown her the night Jim returned. He had kept it through the years, although it must have pained him. Evelyn gripped his fingertips as she studied the ring, and then smiled at the man who had waited nearly three decades to be her husband.

The minister looked at each of them and nodded. “Let it be known that this marriage is before God and that all of Aspen Falls celebrates in the marriage of Sterling and Evelyn Dennison. You may kiss the bride.”

Sterling pulled Evelyn close and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt as if time had fallen away. It was like living two realities, as if no time had passed and the love she felt for Sterling had never dimmed. Her love for Jim was just as true, and the life she’d shared with him was beautiful. She felt in that moment that Jim would be happy for her and Sterling.

After the ceremony, they danced in a slow circle around the floor set underneath the shade of towering oak trees. Evelyn had told Sterling that he was the only one worried about his leg, and he had promised to dance with her.

She held up her left hand and the diamond twinkled as she tilted it back and forth. “I’m so happy that you still had this ring. I never got the chance to even try it on before.”

Sterling chuckled. “Guess it wasn’t the right time then.” He kissed her cheek. “But it sure is now.”

Evelyn rested her head against his shoulder. “You’d better not die on me.”

“Don’t worry I won’t. You owe me at least thirty years.” He chuckled.

She hummed along to the music as they moved slowly across the dance floor. They would make their home in Aspen Falls. Sterling had done extensive remodeling on his house, and Evelyn was excited about the rose garden he still cultivated. It was wonderful to be near Marie, to be able to take care of her mother in the final years of her life. Evelyn’s children had welcomed Sterling into their hearts and embraced the opportunity to revisit their mother’s heritage in Aspen Falls. Sterling’s daughter, Sonya, was happy to see the joy so evident in her father. Everyone had accepted and rejoiced in the union that had come about so quickly after Sterling delivered the music box.

“You were right, you know,” Evelyn murmured.

“About what?” Sterling looked down at her, a question in his eyes.

“Everything.” She kissed him and he held her close as the branches of the oak tree swayed in the wind.

At age eighty-six, Evelyn still held a timeless beauty. Perhaps it was the deep brown of her eyes, so full of wisdom that sparkled when she moved back and forth in her rocking chair watching the sunset. Her hands were gnarled and too bony to be adorned with jewelry. She wore three rings around a chain on her neck—a gold band, an anniversary diamond surrounded by sapphires, and a wedding solitaire. A life well lived.