Whirlwind Love: Libby's Journey (23 page)

Libby returned to the saloon to see Chuck sitting at the table with Joe. She plopped on the table in front of Joe flipping the crinolines under her skirt.

“Now what?” she smiled at him.

Joe smiled up at her, “Anything YOU want!”

Libby smiled, looking at Chuck, then Joe. “Well, what time do you have to be back?”

“Tomorrow morning, 6:00 a.m.” he replied. “Miss Morgan, might I persuade you to go on a date with me this afternoon?” Joe said, mockingly.

Libby laughed, replying in her best southern accent, “Why Mistah King, I’d be eva-so delighted!” Chuck shook his head, rolled his eyes and left the saloon.

Joe stood up and kissed Libby, “You were awesome. I knew you would be.”

“You! You just tossed me up in there! Threw me to the wolves!” she laughed. “Well, it occurred to me after the practice that I didn’t get the chance to impress you the first time I sang for you, and I was praying those tables wouldn’t collapse the WHOLE TIME!” she laughed.

Joe beamed at her with pride and admiration, fingering an auburn curl from the side of her face. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her, studying her face as he did. “So, what
would
you like to do? Name it, it’s yours.”

Libby thought, “You know, so long as you’re there, nothing else matters. Lunch? Drive? I’m happy just being with you.”

He lifted her off the table, and the two left the saloon hand-in-hand. Across the street, they noticed Chuck, flirting with the original Dolly, who was overtly laughing and tossing her hair so much her neck should’ve broken.

“That boy! He’ll never learn,” Joe laughed, shaking his head.

They returned the costumes to wardrobe and caught a ride back to the lodge.

As Libby entered the lodge, the manager waved her over to the front desk. He handed her keys and a form to sign. “Miss Morgan, that red convertible in the drive is for you,” he beamed.

Libby smiled at Joe. “Nice choice!” she excitedly replied to the manager. After they freshened up, Libby grabbed the camera, and the two hopped in the ragtop and headed to town.

After lunch at a downtown bistro, they discovered tourist brochures and picked a couple of places that looked interesting. The first stop was
Spirit of the Hills
, a wildlife sanctuary. Libby and Joe received a private tour of the sanctuary and all its inhabitants, including tigers, leopards, bears, lions, foxes, coyotes, lynx, and myriad of domestic animals. Libby photographed the various animals, including shots of Joe, with great delight. Several times, the guide offered to take photos of the two of them with the residents.

During the tour, the guide realized there was a problem with one of the foxes. “Could you excuse me a moment, I need to check out this fox. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

“No problem, we’re not in a hurry,” Joe offered.

“Oh, I wish Megan were here!” Libby sighed. “She would love this!”

“You really miss her, don’t you?”

“I’m happy for her, I am...I want her to live her life. As much as I adore her, I know this trip has been the first time since I was 18 that I’ve lived MY life. And, honestly, Joe, thanks to you, it has been so special me. You’ve made this trip an amazing experience.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she laughed, “I’m SO glad I turned on the radio!”

Joe pulled her close and held her for a long moment. “Libby, you have no idea how much of my heart you own. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” Libby looked deeply into his eyes.

“Oh, I know it’s much too soon, but for a man who’s never known the love of a good woman, I…I do. I don’t even want to think about a day that doesn’t have you in it. Those few days when you weren’t with me…I felt lost. I’ve never felt that way before.”

Libby closed her eyes hearing these words. She held him tightly then kissed him so passionately that they almost fell over. “Oh, Joe. I know that when you’re not around there’s a huge void, like something really important is missing. I just…”

“Okay, all set!” the guide came back. “Oh, looks like I’m interrupting something,” he laughed. Libby wiped a tear from her eye and bashfully turned from Joe to follow the guide. He regaled them with tales of how the animals came to their sanctuary, and how they depend on donations and visitors to maintain the animals.

When the tour was finished, Libby completed a visitor’s card and asked, “Do you take credit cards for donations?”

“Gladly!” the attendant replied.

She scanned the card in the reader, then filled in a $10,000 donation on the keypad. She took a business card and brochure from the rack, then Joe’s hand and walked toward the door.

“OH my goodness!” the attendant exclaimed as he realized her generosity. “Thank you
so much
!” he said, as he turned hurriedly and motioned to the owner who was on the phone in another room.

“Come on!” Libby pulled at Joe’s hand. The two ran down the ramp and were in the car before anyone could catch up to them. With Joe behind the wheel, they were back on the highway quickly.

Joe laughed at her, “What was that?”

“I don’t need thanks. They’re doing a good thing here...besides, it wasn’t anything to me.” After they were on the road, she photographed the business card and brochure cover with her phone. “I’m sending these to Will.” She attached it to a text message, “Take care of these folks 4 me, plz.”

The two rode through the Black Hills in quiet contemplation for a while. Libby turned on the radio and scooted over in the seat as far as she could next to Joe, laying her head on his shoulder. They drove around until dark. On the way back, they stopped at a few overlooks to watch the stars and to see city lights twinkle. Joe put up the windows and turned on the heater, but left the top down to enjoy the beautiful night.

“This is the best date I’ve ever had,” Libby told Joe as they watched the stars and city lights from the overlook. His passionate kiss spoke his reply. They drove back to the lodge, back to a night filled with love and passion.

Lead,
South Dakota, Day 19 - Saturday

Libby met Chuck the next morning in the restaurant. “Good mornin, Sunshine,” he called to her. “How was the big date?” he added, somewhat sarcastically.

Libby smiled as she picked up the menu.

“Ah, that good, eh?” he laughed. “Hey, I think I’m gonna be heading home. Thought I’d go see the folks, then head to Nashville. I need to figure out where the paycheck’s coming from—at least until Joe figures out what he’s doin’. It’s been fun hangin’ with ya though.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that...I have friends, Laura and Jimmy Scott, who have a bar in Las Cruces. I’ve invested in it; they’ve really made it into somethin’ special. I’m sure they’d love to have you come do some shows there. I know Laura’ll take good care of you—three squares and a bed. Hey, they’re both are great cooks, so you’ll never go hungry!

“Yeah, pass along the digits, and I’ll give ‘em a ring,” Chuck said. “You’ll put in a word for me?” he laughed

“Absolutely—I’ll call ‘em today,” she offered as she wrote down Laura’s phone number. “Laura and I have been best friends since we were little girls. I know she’d love to have you out there.”

The waitress interrupted the conversation, taking Libby’s order and pouring them both coffee.

“Well, you should know that we take care of our own, and I’m pretty sure my folks would call you family at this point. Anybody who can change my brother like you have in just weeks...well, Mama’s sure thrilled, is all I’m sayin’,” he laughed.

Libby blushed, “Your Mom’s great. You guys were sure blessed with great folks.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“I’m gonna miss you, Chuck. Seems like you and I have spent more time together than I have with Joe!” Libby laughed.

“Well, big bro better take care of you, cause if he don’t, I WILL!” he laughed again. “And to think I had my shot and didn’t take it. DAMN!” he smiled at her with a knowing in his eyes.

“So, alright, changing the subject, have you thought about how you’re getting home? I feel responsible for messing up your plans, and I really want to make sure you get back wherever you need to go...so please, let me rent a car, buy you a plane ticket, whatever you need.”

“Well, I’ve been wondering how that was gonna happen, actually, and considering you’re [he whispered] LOADED, okay...sugar-mama me!” he laughed. “No, seriously, I appreciate it...I can pay you back, or whatever. I was gonna get Dad to wire me the money, but I hate to do that.”

“Nothin’ doin’!” Libby mocked Chuck. “Let’s go out to the RV, and we can make the arrangements, and I’ll check with Laura. We’ll see what we can make happen!”

After breakfast, the two made their way to the RV. Chuck confessed to Libby, “I could see that you and Joe connected when that truck almost ran you down...you know the ‘speedbump’ incident? I felt the heat...saw the sparks fly. I’ve been hopin’ nobody was gonna burn from it. I have to tell you, I never saw Joe connect that way before. I also need to tell you, Libby, that I’m glad you two found each other. You’re good for him...he needs you.”

Libby smiled, “Thanks, Chuck. That really means a lot. And I hope you’re right! Joe means the world to me, too. You just need to start thinkin’ that YOU deserve that too. Life’s gotta be worth more than one-night stands, darlin’.”

Chuck smiled at Libby and put his arm around her shoulder as they made their way through the parking lot. “Now, you wanna see if you can make him find us another agent? One that won’t piss him off so badly?” he laughed.

As she slipped her arm around his waist, Chuck murmured, “Ya know, I always wanted a little sister.”

Libby looked into his face, smiling, and gave him a squeeze.

Lead,
South Dakota, Days 20 – 28- Sunday-Monday

Libby and Joe settled into a routine, waking early for breakfast together, and either going to the set, wandering through town, exploring the trails of the Black Hills, or visiting nearby attractions. Libby would often run lines with Joe. Her attempts at trying on the different characters’ voices always made Joe laugh.

“Tell Cookie ‘ta rustle us up some vittles, Pete. We need to get a’move-on, quick as we can,” Libby mockingly spoke in an old-west dialect.

“Okay, when you did that yesterday morning, and Ol’ Bob blew his lines, you busted me up, too, you need to quit!” Joe laughed.

Libby loved it when Joe had early evening wraps. They would run some lines and spend the evening wrapped up in each other’s arms. Sometimes watching a movie and sometimes just making love all night long.

Libby wanted to continue the conversation from the wildlife sanctuary, but she couldn’t come up with a way to start. Since that day, Joe hadn’t mentioned his feelings at all. She knew how he felt, but just couldn’t bring herself to admit hers.

When Joe was on the set, Libby spent the days either watching the film production, hiking or photographing the areas surrounding the various locations. She emailed Laura and Megan often, sharing images from the day’s excursions. She continued to make journal entries and videos to share with Megan when she returned home.

Several members of the crew invited Libby on day-trips into town, hiking or hanging out at the lodge during their free time. Libby came to understand why Joe loved this life away from his stressful days on the road and from dealing with his management issues. The cast and crew became a family unit, and his pressure was minimal because nobody expected him to carry significant weight alone.

The week flew by as Libby connected with the cast and crew, chronicled her trip, emailed Megan, and photographed the area that she explored with her new-found friends.

Lead,
South Dakota, Day 29 – Tuesday

Joe and Libby left around 6:00 a.m. for the set. Joe proceeded to makeup and wardrobe as Libby settled into a chair just off set where several cast members were drinking coffee. Forty-five minutes later, Joe appeared in costume with a lovely bruise air-brushed onto his cheek. At 7:00 Libby took a seat near Louie, the writer, and watched as production on the town’s main street began. The scenes shot that morning were of a significant show-down, where several cast members would be “killed” in the show. Retakes were high due to camera angles and stunts. They broke for lunch at 1:00 p.m. and returned to shoot at 1:30. They wrapped at 7:30 p.m.

Joe often stopped by Libby’s chair to check on her and steal kiss when he could. The dust seemed to add to the effect, so the layers of makeup and dust took its toll by the end of the day.

“I can’t wait to get a shower!” Joe whispered as they made their way back to the car. “It’s no point to try to wash this off in makeup...I just wanna spend an hour in the shower!”

“Hey, maybe you wanna...” Joe glanced at Libby as he put the key in the ignition, twitched an eyebrow with a wicked smile.

Libby laughed. After thinking a moment, “I
might
be tempted.” They both laughed as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

* * *

Joe slid the room keycard into the door and stepped back for Libby to enter. As she stepped around him, she froze. Not realizing she’d stopped, Joe bumped into her.

“Hey,” he laughed, then his eyes followed hers.

Their room was trashed. The slashed mattress stood against the window across the room from the bed. Their clothes were torn and strewn around the room. Libby’s heart sank. Broken glass, bits of paper and chards of wood were scattered about the floor.

Through the doorway to the bathroom, Libby saw her toiletries splattered in pieces and puddles on the floor. The drizzle of the showerhead caught her eye, the horror of what she saw caused her to fall back against Joe’s chest. She looked back at Joe, tears falling down her cheeks. Joe’s eyes seemed to be taking in the horror of the bedroom. Forcing himself to look at her, her face was tortured. Her eyes returned to the horror in the bathroom, and his followed.

Beneath the steady stream of the showerhead, a noose hung the head and neck of pappy under the showerhead. Grandpa’s precious hand-me-down guitar body explained the wooden fragments strewn about the room.

Joe put his hands on her shoulders and backed her out of the room. Holding her close to him with one arm, he grabbed his cellphone and called the movie’s assistant director. Within minutes two of the production security guards were in the hallway. Joe handed him the room’s keycard and the other escorted them into the AD’s suite down the hall.

Joe never left Libby’s side as the inquiry began with the hotel manager, local police, and security for the crew. He either held her hand or touched her protectively during the grueling interview.

They were repeatedly asked:

“Who might have had reason?”

“Can you identify anything missing from these photographs?”

“Have you seen any suspicious people or activity?”

Several hours later, Joe and Libby were taken to another suite, where all salvageable belongings had been placed.

Libby looked at Joe with tears in her eyes, “I’m so sorry, Joe. I know what your granddad’s guitar meant to you. Why would somebody…”

Joe shook his head, then hugged her tightly.

The hotel manager provided an in-room, complimentary dinner with wine for the couple. A notecard on the tray read:

Please accept my sincerest apologies for this intrusion. I can assure you this isn’t the kind of thing that happens in our lodge. I and my staff will continue to work with the police to try to hold accountable the person(s) who are responsible. Security will be considerably increased to ensure this doesn’t happen again. If there is anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Glen Minor, Manager.

Joe and Libby’s relaxing evening plans were squelched by the intrusion. After they cleaned up and ate dinner, both decided to retire from their exhausting day. Neither fell asleep quickly, as the idea of their violation clouded any hope of rest.