Finding Libbie by Deanna Lynn Sletten Page B

a few head of cattle. He sells some off each year to local people who want fresh beef. Some of the land he uses to cut hay to feed the cattle all winter. Other than that, it all just sits, unused. My dad prefers making cabinets to working a farm.”
    They reached the trees, and spread out in front of them was a small body of water.
    “This is a lake?” Libbie asked. “It’s so small.”
    “Yeah, it’s small, but we still catch fish in it,” Jack said, pointing to the rowboat sitting on the shore. He slipped off the horse and then helped Libbie down. Sprite took the opportunity to graze in the tall grass.
    “Where do the fish come from?” Libbie asked as they walked over to the water.
    “There’s a small stream that feeds into the lake. Fish come from it. Way out that way”—Jack pointed out into the distance—“there’s a river that feeds the stream. When it rains, the lake gets even larger.”
    Libbie drew closer to the lake and knelt to run her fingers through the water. “It’s cold. It feels nice.”
    Jack smiled. “Want to go out in the boat?”
    “Sure.”
    He motioned for her to get in it and then he pushed it out into the water and jumped in. Slowly, he rowed it a short way into the middle of the lake.
    Libbie liked how peaceful it was out here. Birds sang in the trees and frogs croaked loudly. There was no noise from boat engines or kids swimming and hollering, like on Lake Ogimaa.
    “I love your lake,” she told him. “It’s so blissfully quiet here.”
    “I’m glad you like it. Maybe we’ll come out here more often.”
    Jack had stopped rowing, and Libbie moved to sit on the middle bench beside him. Jack took her hand and held it.
    “I really like your mom. She’s sweet. And your dad is nice, too,” Libbie said.
    “That’s good, but you only spent a couple of minutes with my mom.”
    “Yeah, but I felt more warmth from her in that couple of minutes than I have from my own mother my whole life.”
    “That’s sad,” Jack said. “I’m sorry.”
    Libbie shrugged. “I know my mom loves me, she just doesn’t know how to show it. And she always thinks she knows better than I do what’s good for me. My sister is like that, too. It’s frustrating.”
    “Where did you tell your parents you were going today?” Jack asked.
    Libbie looked directly into Jack’s eyes. “I told them I was coming here for dinner. I’m not going to lie to them anymore. If they don’t like it, I don’t care.”
    Jack’s brows rose. “Really? What did they say?”
    “My mom got a little huffy about it, but my dad said to have a nice time.” Libbie giggled. “My mom didn’t like that he said that, though.”
    Jack’s face grew serious. “I don’t want you to have problems with your parents because of me, Libbie. Maybe I should come and meet them properly. If they’d get to know me, they might not mind you seeing me.”
    Libbie sighed. “Maybe.” She wished it would be true, but she knew her mother well, and she would never approve of Jack.
    They sat in the boat a long while, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the gentle rocking of the water. Libbie lay back against Jack and put her feet up on the edge of the boat. The warm breeze felt good on her face. Libbie had never felt as comfortable with anyone in her life as she did with Jack. At home, she always felt like she was on edge, never knowing when her mother or sister would criticize her. At school, she was supposed to be the perfect, well-behaved girl who made good grades and volunteered for everything. When she’d dated Bill, she never dared get too close to him because he thought it was an invitation to paw at her. But with Jack, it was different. She felt like she could relax and be herself. She loved it when they held hands, and when he kissed her, her heart soared. But he was never inappropriate, and she appreciated that, too.
    She gazed up at Jack. “Do you realize that this is the first time we’ve been alone together?”
    Jack