By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) (11 page)

Holly
and Ryan rode in silence for several moments.  Holly felt nervous, though she
couldn’t exactly decide why.  Ryan was a new friend and he’d simply invited her
on a short trip into town to pick up a couple pizzas.  No big deal.

Yet, she felt her heart pounding and her
mouth had gone dry.  Perhaps it was simply being in the company of someone of
the opposite sex.  It had been so long since she’d dated, or even conversed
with a man.

Back home, she had picked up every extra
work shift possible, in order to pay off her debt.  On those rare occasions
she’d been asked out by a man, her excuse of having to work had always been a
legitimate one. 

“What kind of pizza do you like?” Ryan
asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Oh, I’m fine with anything,” she said. 
“And Brianna too.  We’re not picky.”

Ryan arched a brow.  “Wow.”

“You seem surprised?”

“Annabelle is inordinately picky,” he
said with a laugh.   “Ol’ Harrison is in for a big surprise if he thinks that
girl has a single compliant bone in her body.”

Holly laughed, though she wasn’t certain
why.  She ventured a glance at Ryan’s handsome profile and noted the slight
smile on his face.  “I’m happy for her,” he said suddenly, but frowned.  “I
wonder…”

“What?”

“Well, Harrison’s in the military and my
understanding is he’s being transferred soon.  I wonder what that will mean for
Annabelle?” 

He drew silent.  Frankly, he wondered what
it would mean for him.  If Harrison moved away, Annabelle would go with him. 
Wouldn’t she?

He ran a hand through his hair.  If his
sister moved away, that opened a whole other can of worms for him.  It had
serious implications for his future plans.  It might mean she would be eager to
sell the property to the potential buyers, but what would it mean for the
family home?  He had always figured she’d live there forever, since he just
didn’t see himself staying there.

He couldn’t imagine selling it either. 
He felt a strong connection to his childhood home and hadn’t ever thought in
terms of parting with it.  It was probably presumptuous of him to have expected
Annabelle to make it her permanent home—to hold down the fort, so to speak.  

What
did
her upcoming marriage
mean for them both?  It was yet another conversation he needed to have with his
sister.

“You look troubled,” Holly said,
interrupting his thoughts.  “Are you all right?”

He turned toward her briefly.  “I was
just thinking about my sister’s engagement and trying to figure out what will
happen if she follows Harrison to his next assignment.”

She nodded.  “She seems very happy.”

“She does,” he agreed.  “But if she
leaves I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to our family home.”

“Don’t you … live there?”

“Sort of.  I mean, when I’m in this part
of the world…”

She couldn’t imagine owning such a
lovely home and giving any kind of consideration to parting with it, if, in
fact, she could afford to live there.  Uncertain what to say, she smiled.  “I
hope everything works out for both of you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“We’re here,” Ryan announced, as he
steered into the parking lot of the pizza establishment.  “Will you come in
with me?”

“Sure.” 

He climbed out of the truck and rounded
the front.  She was already climbing out unassisted, when he hurried to offer
his hand.    

Inside the pizza place, they waited in
line among the Friday night pizza crowd to place their to-go order.  Once done,
they made small talk, until a man interrupted them by clearing his throat. 
“Fancy meeting you here again,” he directed to Ryan.

Ryan smiled ruefully at Jim.  “Annabelle
attempted a pot roast tonight and…”  He spread his hands.

Jim winced.   “Did the kitchen go up in
flames?”

“Fortunately, no.  The only thing burned
is the roast.”  He appeared to remember Holly and introduced her to his friend.

Jim extended a hand and she accepted
it.  “Good to meet you,” he said.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” 

“Holly is new to the area,” Ryan told
him.  “She’s living in Ben’s old place,” he added meaningfully.

“Oh,” he said, arching his brows and
giving Ryan a speculative glance.  He turned his attention back to Holly.  “I
was so sorry to hear about Ben’s passing.”

“Thank you.  I’m afraid I didn’t know
him, but I’ve heard good things about him.”

“He was a great man.  He would give
anyone the shirt off his back.”

Holly smiled.  Her great uncle had
apparently affected the people around him in a positive way. 

“Ben and I went to the same church,” Jim
told her.  “I attended one of his Bible studies shortly before he passed away.”

Holly nodded.  It was nice to know her uncle
was a godly man.  Unfortunately, her father hadn’t been a Christian.  The
thought that he had passed away without knowing God had caused her a good deal
of grief.  She hoped he had found his way to God and had become a believer
before his passing.  Perhaps he had called out to his Father in heaven on his
deathbed.

She pushed away the thoughts for now. 
There was nothing she could do for him but pray for him and his wife.

“Do you plan on staying in the area?”
Jim asked.

Holly nodded.  “My sister and I really
like it here.  It’s turned out to be a good move for both of us.”

Jim sought Ryan’s eyes.  Ryan pretended
not to notice.  Holly, however, picked up on the silent communication between
them.  A sudden tension loomed.  She glanced around and spotted the women’s
restroom nearby.  She excused herself, in order to give the men a moment.

“Dang it, Jim,” Ryan said.  “Could you
be more obvious, with your ‘pointed’ looks in my direction?”

“I’m sorry,” he said testily.  “So you
haven’t told her yet?”

Ryan looked sheepish.  “I just can’t
seem to bring myself to do it.”

“Ryan, you’re playing with that woman’s
life.  You need to be upfront about the situation.  She’s going to need time to
figure things out, and the longer you delay telling her, the less time she’ll
have to make other arrangements.”

“I know.  You’re right.  It’s just…”

“It’s just, she’s beautiful, and you’re
falling for her.”

“What … are you talking about?  I don’t
even know the woman.”

“Yet, you’re here, having pizza with
her.”

“No, I’m here, ordering pizzas to take
home, because Annabelle burnt the roast—as I told you before.”

“Who invited her to dinner?”

“Annabelle!”

“Yeah, well, that sister of yours is
pretty discerning…”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, she’s probably ‘discerned’ you
have feelings for Holly.”

“You’re way off,” Ryan said, scowling,
though he had to admit to himself, he felt something for Holly—though he
couldn’t quite figure out what those feelings equated to.  Maybe he simply felt
responsible for her on some level, since it was his property on which she was
currently residing and would soon be forced to leave.  Maybe he was getting
soft.  Maybe his shark-like tendencies—honed on the job—had been tempered by an
expanded view of the world courtesy of his trip, during which he realized that
most people didn’t have the same advantages he had in life.  Maybe he had
finally developed a more mature outlook and had realized he had some
accountability for his actions—or rather, that others faced consequences for
his actions.

“Whoa, buddy!” Jim said.  “I can see the
wheels turning behind your eyes.  Where’d you go just then?”

Ryan sighed.  “…Just thinking…”

“About Holly?”

“Would you give it a rest?” Ryan
snapped, beneath his breath. 

Holly was walking toward them now, and
thankfully, their to-go order was called at the front counter.  “Pizza’s
ready.  We have to go,” Ryan directed to Jim.  “See you later.”

He expected Jim to leave, but he
remained behind until Holly reached them.  Ryan sent him a curious glance, but
heard his number called again.  He went to get the pizza.  Back in a flash, he
found Jim engaged in conversation with Holly.  He felt an odd emotion—jealousy?

“We’d love to have you,” Jim said. 
“I’ve been helping out with our youth ministry.  We have a terrific youth
group.  Your sister would probably enjoy it.”

“I appreciate the invitation,” Holly
said, smiling.  “I definitely need to find a church, since Brianna and I do
hope to stay in the area.”

“Is there … any reason why you might
choose to leave?” Jim inquired, shooting Ryan a brief, accusatory glance.

Ryan braced, wondering what his friend
was up to.  Was he about to spill the beans about the property?    

“I haven’t actually met with the
executor of my uncle’s will,” she told him.  “At this point, I only know that
Uncle Ben left me his house.”  She smiled uncertainly.  “I don’t know if it’s
paid off or if a bank still holds the title.  Until I have all the details, I’m
forcing myself to hold back on getting too excited.”

“But you do like it here?”

“I really do.  It’s beautiful here and
it turns out, my sister is a country girl.”  She laughed.  “She’s determined to
get a horse.”

Holly was surprised when Jim looked
alarmed. 

“Is there … something wrong?” she asked.

“Oh, no,” Jim said.  “It’s just…”

“Getting a horse is big,” Ryan cut in. 
“Unless you have some experience owning one, you don’t really know what you’re
getting into.  It’s really something you don’t want to rush into.”

Although he felt bad dissuading her from
getting Brianna a horse, it would be awful to grant the girl her fondest
desire, only to have to take it away from her.  They couldn’t very well pull up
stakes easily if a horse was involved in the move.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Holly said. 
“I’m apprehensive, because I know nothing about horses, or what’s involved in
caring for one.”

“Brianna is welcome to ride our horses
any time,” Ryan said.  “I know Annabelle would be grateful for the help in
exercising them.  She doesn’t have a lot of time these days, and her horses
require a good deal of attention.”

“That’s right!” Jim said excitedly.  “I
heard Annabelle is engaged.”

“Hey, I just heard myself.  Who told
you?” Ryan asked.

“It’s all over the church,” he
informed.  “You know how it is.”

“No, not really,” Ryan said crossly,
somewhat dismayed that Annabelle had told others about her engagement, before
her own brother.

“Congratulate her for me, will you?” Jim
said.

Ryan nodded.

“I’d better get back to my table,” Jim
said, but turned to Holly.  “If you’d like to come to church Sunday, I could
always drive you.  Maybe we could go to lunch after…”

 “I appreciate the invitation,” she
said, smiling gratefully.  “But I’ll need to talk to my sister…”  She suspected
Brianna had never attended church before and knew she needed to sit down with
her and have a conversation about going.  Besides, she wasn’t about to go off
with someone—anyone—and leave her sister behind.    

“The invitation extends to her too, of
course,” Jim assured her.

“Thank you.”

Jim pulled out a business card and
passed it to her.  “Will you call me if you’d like me to pick you up?”  He
smiled winningly.  “I know you’ll enjoy the service.”

“I will,” she assured him.

He gave a salute and walked away.  She
couldn’t help notice Ryan scowling after him.

“We should get going,” Ryan said, and
she felt his hand on her low back.  She felt an odd stirring sensation as his
hand skimmed her blouse when he reached for the door knob. 

She caught sight of his profile,
presently set in a frown.  She wondered what had put him in a dour mood.  Had
his sister’s engagement taken him by surprise?  He seemed hurt to hear others
had been told about Annabelle’s engagement before him.

Or, had he seemed upset when Jim had
invited her to his church, and to join him for lunch after?  Surely she had
imagined that he appeared to react negatively to the invitation.

When he turned toward her briefly, she
smiled nervously, and when he returned her smile, she definitely felt the pull
of attraction between them.  It was the last thing she expected.

“So
,
Brianna, I’ll see you at eight a.m.,” Annabelle said cheerfully.  “I could
really use your help around here.”

“I’ll be here,” she assured her.  “I
can’t wait.”

Ryan, who was sitting in the recliner in
the living room, rose from the chair.  “I told your sister earlier that you’re
welcome to ride our horses whenever you’d like.”

Holly, sitting on the nearby sofa,
couldn’t help frowning.  Ryan noticed.  “Is there something wrong?”

“Is … riding horses like riding a bike?”
she asked, and turned toward her sister.  “You haven’t ridden for awhile…”

Brianna laughed.  “You worry about
everything,” she accused good-naturedly.  “You don’t need though.  I’ll be
careful and take it slow.”

“I’ll stay close to her,” Annabelle
assured her.  “My horses are well-trained, so you don’t have to be scared.”

Holly nodded, relieved.

“What are you going to do tomorrow, when
I’m gone?” Brianna asked, suddenly realizing she was leaving Holly all alone
for much of the day.

“I’ll probably start working on the
rocking chair.  And don’t you worry about me either.  I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe Holly would like to learn to
ride,” Ryan suggested, turning toward her.  “You could always join Brianna in
the morning for a quick lesson.”

Holly attempted a smile.  While she was
pleased Brianna was passionate about horses, she felt no such inclination. 
“Oh, I think I’ll leave the horseback riding to my little sister.”

“Please, Holly,” Brianna implored.  “I’d
love for you to learn.  We could ride together.”

Holly hated to disappoint her sister,
particularly since their relationship had been so strained only a couple months
before.  They’d come a long way since moving to Washington.  It was apparent
Brianna wanted to share her love of horses with her.  She considered it a means
for them to spend time together.

“Okay,” she said, attempting a smile. 
“I’ll … try.”

Annabelle clasped her hands together. 
“Wonderful!  We’re going to have so much fun.”  She sought her brother’s
gaze.   “Hey, maybe after Holly’s riding lesson, you could show her around.  I
bet she’d enjoy seeing some of the sights around here.”

Ryan appeared surprised by his sister’s
suggestion, but rallied quickly.  “Uh, sure.  Holly, would you care to do a
little sight-seeing tomorrow?”

She met his gaze, determined to retain
eye-contact, although she was embarrassed.  Annabelle had put him on the spot,
and she didn’t want him to feel trapped.

“I’m sure you have a busy day tomorrow,”
she said.  “I’d hate to intrude on your time.”

“He’s free,” Annabelle asserted,
grinning at her brother.

Holly looked between brother and
sister.  To his credit, Ryan blanked his face and if he was feeling put-upon by
the forced invitation, he didn’t show it.  His sister, on the other hand,
looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

“I’d be happy to show you around,” Ryan
said finally, directing his words to Holly.  “It would be fun for me too.  I’ve
been away for so long.”

“You chose to leave,” Annabelle said
crisply, and both Holly and Brianna sensed the shift of energy in the room.  It
was evident the siblings had some underlying issues between them.

“Well, we should get out of your hair,” Holly
said cheerfully.  “I guess we’ll … both … see you tomorrow.”

“First thing,” Annabelle said.

Both Ryan and Annabelle saw them to the
door.  When they said their goodbyes, and the door closed behind them, Holly had
a sneaking suspicion the siblings were about to have a heated conversation. 
She desperately hoped it didn’t have anything to do with her.

She couldn’t imagine why it would, but
Annabelle seemed intent on throwing her and Ryan together.  She doubted he had
any trouble attracting women.  Maybe Annabelle was simply one of those women
who felt compelled to play matchmaker.  Maybe she’d found happiness with
Harrison and was determined her brother find his other half.

She almost laughed aloud.  She sincerely
doubted she was it.  With a heavy debt looming over her head, she was hardly a
catch.  Anyone who took her on as a wife would assume her debt, and she wouldn’t
feel comfortable with that fact.  It’s why she had steered clear of romantic
entanglements in the past.  Until she was free of debt, she wouldn’t assume to
date some unsuspecting fellow. 

Besides, she had a sister to raise.  For
the next two-and-a-half years, and probably a few years after that, she
intended to devote herself to Brianna.  She was determined to assure she
reached adulthood, healthy and happy, confident, and reliant on God.  She
wanted nothing more than for Brianna to have a close relationship with Jesus
Christ. 

Although she hadn’t hidden her faith
from Brianna, or refrained from praying in front of her, she hadn’t directly
addressed the girl about Him.  It was time.  Particularly since they’d been
invited to church on Sunday.

She remembered Jim giving her his phone
number.  If he’d invited her to church, and hadn’t suggested picking her up and
going to lunch after, she would have been feeling very eager about attending. 
For whatever reason, she just didn’t feel inclined to go with him, or to join
him for lunch.

He seemed perfectly nice.  Was good
looking, in a blond, boyish way, but… 

“Holly,
Holly
,” Brianna said,
sounding frustrated.  “Are we going to stand out here all night?”

She shook her head.  “Oh, sorry.  Wow, I
must be preoccupied.”

They climbed into the car and on the
short drive home, Brianna watched her suspiciously.  “You’re thinking about
Ryan, aren’t you?”

“No!  I mean, I…”

She giggled gleefully.  “You are!  And I
don’t blame you.  He’s hot.”

Holly took a deep, shoring breath. 
“Yes, he’s a handsome man, but…”

“What?”

“I have no interest in a relationship
with anyone right now,” she said.  “I have too much to think about right now.”

Brianna furrowed her brow.  “What do you
have to think about?  I get the feeling Ryan likes you, and I think…”  She
pinned her with a knowing look.  “I think, you’re attracted to him.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe it’s how you
steal little glances at him, and you get quiet around him, and sometimes even
tongue-tied…”

“I do not get tongue-tied,” she cried. 
“I…”

Brianna laughed delightedly.  “It’s
okay, Holly.  You’re just a little out of practice.  Liking Ryan will get
easier—seem more natural—as time passes.”

Holly couldn’t hide her frustration.  Even
if she did have feelings for the man, she didn’t need her little sister
offering relationship advice.  She decided to change the subject.

“Brianna, how would you feel about
attending church on Sunday?  We were invited by…”

“Ryan and Annabelle?” she cut in.

“No, actually, one of Ryan’s friends
invited us.”

“Who?”

“His name is Jim.”

Brianna appeared taken aback.  “You
mean, some guy invited you somewhere when he knows Ryan…?”

Holly pressed her eyelids closed but
promptly remembered she was behind the wheel.  Her sister could wear her out at
times.  “Jim asked us to attend his church.  It had nothing to do with Ryan.”

“But when did you meet this guy?”

“At the pizza place, with Ryan.”

“So, you’re telling me, you were at the
pizza place with Ryan and some guy just walks up to you and invites you to
church?”

“Brianna,” she said in a scolding tone. 
“I was not with Ryan.  And Jim was being neighborly.”

“So you’re going?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she said, as she
pulled her car in front of her house.  “I wanted to talk to you first.  I
wanted to ask you how you feel about starting a church.”

“Do you intend to join this church?”

“I don’t know yet.  We’ll have to see if
we’re a good fit and if it’s a good fit for us.”

They climbed out of the car and started
for the porch.  Once there, Brianna said, “I’ve never been to church.”  She
narrowed her eyes, as if thinking.  “Mom tried to talk Dad into going to
church.  He was thinking about it.”

Holly felt her heart surge.  Maybe her
father and his wife had sought a relationship with God, after all.

“Yeah,” Brianna continued, “Mom said it
would be a good way to network.  Dad was thinking about starting his own
business.”

Holly sighed.  It was hardly a good
reason to attend church.  Where did God fit into that particular picture? she
wondered. 

Holly refocused the conversation on
Brianna.  “What do you think?  Do you want to go?”

“I don’t know how I feel about going
with a stranger,” she admitted.  “I mean, all you know about the guy is that
he’s Ryan’s friend and he goes to church.”  She gave a shrug.  “But, I guess
it’s not as if he’s interested in you.”

Holly made a guilty face.  “He did ask
me out to lunch after.”

“Wow!” Brianna cried.  “You can’t go out
of the house without some guy asking you out.”

“That’s not true.”

“What about that red-headed guy at the
grocery store?  He asked for your number, remember?”

Holly gave a dismissive wave.  “We’re
not talking about the red-headed guy, or Jim, or even Ryan.  I want to know how
you feel about going to church with me.  I haven’t hidden the fact that I have
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ…”

“But do you want a relationship with a
living, breathing human male…?”

“Brianna, please.  Will you focus?”

“Okay, yes.  I’ll go to church, but to be
really honest, I’d prefer the two of us go together.  It’s going to be new for
me and I’m kind of self-conscious around strangers.  Would you be too upset
if…?”

“No,” Holly assured her, actually
relieved.  She felt better about attending church for the first time with
Brianna, without pressure on either of them to force any aspect of the
situation.  When she chose a church here, she wanted it to be her church home
for years to come. 

Finally inside the house, Brianna
followed Holly into the kitchen.  She poured them both a glass of water.  “Holly,
what if you fall in love with … say … Ryan?”

“Brianna!” 

Holly sighed loudly.  Her sister was
relentless.  “Okay, hon, listen to me.  Even if I wanted a relationship with
Ryan, or anyone, I wouldn’t feel right entering into one considering…”

“Considering what?” Brianna asked,
watching her as if she were a space alien.

“Considering I’m in debt.  I can’t
expect a man to assume my debt.”

“But if you’re in love…”

“Brianna, can we not talk about this,
please?”

“But Holly, if someone loves someone,
they wouldn’t turn away from them over money.”

“Actually, they might.  It’s a lot to
ask someone to assume one’s debt.”

“But Ryan is rich.”

“You’re making assumptions,” Holly told
her.  “Ryan and Annabelle are residing in their family’s home.  We know
absolutely nothing about their finances or for that matter, anything else.”

“I like them.”

“I do too.  It was nice of Annabelle to
ask us over for dinner.”

“I get the impression she isn’t much of
a cook.”

“Neither am I,” Holly admitted.

“I’m pretty good,” Brianna said.

“Yes, you are,” Holly said.  “Far better
than me.  Maybe I’ll learn from watching you.”

Brianna beamed at the compliment.  “I
can’t wait to teach you to ride too.  I just know you’re going to love it! 
Maybe we can both get a horse.  We can ride together all the time.”