After All These Years

Something shifted between them,
as if a veil were yanked away
…

 

“I don't understand it,” Lia whispered. “I think I've been robbed.”

“What happened?”

“I was just putting away the drugs that were delivered today. See this?” She reached up and tapped empty spots, and then she turned to face him. “Morphine and everything containing codeine.”

Cal's eyebrows shot up.

“I had a full supply.”

“You're sure—Of course you're sure.” He studied the shelves up behind her shoulder, his peppermint gum-scented breath filling the tiny space between them. “Maybe they were accidentally moved out of place. Let's search through all the drugs.”

“I already did that!”

“Well, we'll do it again. And then probably again. Hey, don't worry.” He lightly touched her forehead and pressed away the frown.

It was when he brushed strands of hair back from her face that something shifted between them, as if a veil were yanked away, abruptly bringing into focus a nameless emotion. He stopped smoothing her hair. Surprise registered in his eyes, and she sensed hers reflected the same. Slowly he tilted his head downward until only a hair's breadth separated them…

 

 

 

SALLY
JOHN

 

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The New English Bible, copyright © Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. All rights reserved.

 

Cover by Garborg Design Works, Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

 

“Just Come In,” words and music by Margaret Becker, © 1989 His Eye Music (SESAC). International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

 

 

 

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Copyright © 2002 by Sally John

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

 

ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-2092-6

ISBN-10: 0-7369-2092-7

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

John, Sally D., 1951-

After all these years / Sally John.

    p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-0881-8

ISBN-10: 0-7369-0881-1

   1. Female friendship—Fiction. 2. Vandalism—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3560.0323 A68 2002

813'.54—dc21

2002003319

 

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

 

Printed in the United States of America

 

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To
Kaiya Grace John,
at the beginning of your journey

My fictional characters always draw breath from the real world. I'd like to thank those people in my world who so graciously give of themselves. This story would not have been written without them.

Thank you:

Leila McGrath, for inspiring the essence of
Lia
; and Lynn and Janet Fyfe of the Orion Pharmacy, Orion, Illinois, for creating
Lia's
store and expertise.

Martha Nieto, for giving
Isabel
an incomparable heritage; and Myrna Strasser of WDLM radio station, for animating
Isabel's
career.

Sue Laue, for your passion for journalism I caught years ago and passed on to
Tony
; and Juanita Arellanos and Pastor John Jairo Cano of Colombia, for rescuing
Tony
.

Michael Skelton, for the
Valley Oaks
map, without which I would have become lost; and Tracy Charlesworth, for your excellent critiquing and the hours of brainstorming.

Chip MacGregor, agent, and Kim Moore, editor, for your unfailing enthusiasm and direction.

And, as ever, Elizabeth, Christopher, and Tim, for being there.

Man plans his journey by his own wit,
But it is the LORD who guides his steps.

—Proverbs 16:9