Epilogue
Ten Years Later
Tangie tucked her daughter, Guinevere, into bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“So, is that the whole story, Mommy?” Gwen asked with an exaggerated sigh.
“You met Daddy doing a play at the church?”
“That’s right. We met doing a play, and we’ve done dozens of them since … at the church and the community theater.”
“I love it when you and Daddy sing together. You sound bee-you-tee-ful! And your plays are so much fun. But”—the youngster’s angelic face contorted into a pout—“when can I be in one of them?”
“Hmm, let’s see.” Tangie thought for a moment. “You’re nearly seven now. I guess that’s old enough to start acting. But only if you want to. Mommy and Daddy want you to be whatever you feel God is calling you to be.”
The youngster’s face lit up, and her brown eyes sparkled as she made her announcement. “I’m going to be an actress and a singer, just like Margaret Sanderson!”
Tangie had to laugh at that one. Her daughter had fallen head over heels for the community theater’s newest drama director. Then again, Margaret had come a long way from that stubborn little girl who’d insisted upon getting the lead in the shows. These days, she was happier to see others promoted while she worked behind the scenes. Funny how life turned out.
“Honey, just promise me this.” Tangie looked her daughter in the eye. “Promise you’ll use whatever gifts God gives you to tell others about Him.”
“Oh, I promise, Mommy. I’ll sing about Him … and I’ll act for Him, too.” Gwen giggled.
“And if you decide you want to be a softball player or something like that … well, that’s okay, too.”
“Softball?” Gwen wrinkled her nose. “But I don’t know anything about sports.”
“You are your mother’s daughter, for sure.” Tangie laughed.
“And her father’s daughter,” Gregg called out as he entered the room.
Tangie looked up as her husband drew near. Her heart still did that crazy flip-flop thing, even after all these years. Oh, how she loved this man! He sat on the edge of the bed and kissed their daughter on the forehead.
“So, your mom’s been telling you a bedtime story?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Gwen yawned. “It was the best ever, about a singing rabbit and a dancing chicken.”
“I know that story well.” Gregg laughed. “Did she tell you that they lived happily ever after?”
Gwen shook her head and yawned once more. “No, I think she left that part out.”
Tangie smiled as she watched her daughter doze off.
Gregg rose from the bed and swept his wife into his arms. Brushing a loose hair from her face, he whispered, “You left out the happily ever after part?”
Tangie chuckled. “Well, the show’s not over yet, silly. How can I give away the ending?”
“This one’s a given.” He kissed the end of her nose then held her close.
As she melted into his embrace, Tangie reflected back on that day when Gregg had come to the theater in New York to tell her he loved her. On that magnificent Broadway stage—with the lights shining in their eyes—they’d tossed all scripts aside and created lines of their own, lines better than any playwright could manufacture. They were straight from the heart, words that set the rest of her life in motion. They’d sent her reeling … all the way back to Harmony.
And now, as she gazed into her husband’s loving eyes, Tangie had to admit the truth. She knew exactly how this story would end. The singing rabbit and the dancing chicken … well, they would live happily ever after. Of course.
WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Wanda E. Brunstetter, known for her novels about the Amish, also enjoys writing historical and contemporary stories. Wanda and her husband, Richard, live in Washington State but take every opportunity to travel throughout the States in order to research her books. When she’s not writing, Wanda enjoys photography, gardening, beachcombing, spending time with her family, and using her ventriloquist skills during some of her speaking engagements.
GAIL SATTLER
Gail Sattler was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and now lives in Vancouver, BC (where you don’t have to shovel rain) with her husband, three sons, two dogs, three lizards, and countless fish, many of whom have names. Gail and her husband were baptized together in 1983. Between acting as a referee for her three active boys and half the neighborhood, her day job as office manager for a web design company, her evening job as Mom’s Taxi Service, and being the bass guitarist for her church’s adult worship team, Gail loves to glorify God in her writing. Gail also writes for Barbour’s Heartsong Presents line, where she was voted as the Favorite Heartsong Author three times. Gail has also written a number of novellas for Barbour’s fiction anthologies.
JANICE THOMPSON
Janice Thompson, who lives in the Houston area, writes novels, non-fiction, magazine articles, and musical comedies for the stage. The mother of four married daughters, she is quickly adding grandchildren to the family mix.
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Time to Laugh Romance Collection Page 78