Looking For You All My Life Part 29

the paramedics had entered the house. She was sitting on the

wooden porch steps, s.h.i.+vering in the cold and stroking Looking for You All My Life49

Lizzie's soft, warm coat, preventing the confused animal

from going inside and getting underfoot when Jed walked

up, took off his jacket, and hung it over her shoulders. Then

he sat down next to her and gathered her into his arms.

"Your mom told me everything."

Hot, silent tears rolled down her chilled cheeks as she

leaned into his embrace. "I've killed him, Jed."

"No, no, Maggie, you didn't kill him," he spoke softly,

his words flowing like a gentle stream. "He was an old, old

man. He'd had a good life working on the land that he loved.

He was a good man, but he was due to go anytime. You

didn't kill him."

"But he was reading the paper."

"I know, I know..." he whispered as he stroked her hair.

"It's been a really bad day, Jed."

She thought she heard him chuckle ever so softly, and she

looked up to see, but his face grew serious. "Come on,

sweetheart, let's get you home. There's nothing you can do

for the old fellow now."

She looked down at the dog. "What about Lizzie?"

"Let's bring her along. She seems to like you.

Maggie brightened just a little. "Yes, she does, doesn't

she."

~ven after several days and the rea.s.surance of good

friends, Maggie still struggled with feelings of guilt

over Arnold Westerly's death. Though she knew it

would be uncomfortable to attend his funeral, she was deter-

mined to do it for his sake. The day following Mr. Westerly's

death, Scott had handed her a delicate gla.s.s figurine of a

young girl in a long blue dress, with dark hair curling around

her shoulders. She had a sweet smile and was holding a

basket of kittens. "Mr. Westerly asked me to give this to

you," Scott explained quietly. "He said it had belonged to

his wife, but for some reason he thought you'd like it. I think

you made quite an impression on him, Maggie." Of course,

this had only started the tears to flowing again, but she

placed the figurine on her desk as a reminder of him.

Only a handful of his relatives attended the funeral ser-

vice, and his granddaughter Jeanette, the one he'd been so

fond of, shared some happy memories of her childhood sum-

mers spent on the Westerly farm. Afterward, Maggie lin-

gered, taking a moment to speak to Jeanette, telling her of

how her grandfather had been remembering his grand-

daughter only days before.

51.

52Melody Carison

"Oh, so you're the one who wrote that article?"