By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) (12 page)

The
following morning, the women arrived at the McGraw home.  Holly couldn’t seem
to manage to get a handle on her nerves.  She wrung her hands as she and
Brianna stood on the front porch, awaiting someone to answer the door.

It was Ryan who finally flung it open. 
He greeted them with a big smile.  “My sister is always running late.”  He
glanced at Brianna.  “Remember that.  If she tells you she’ll need you here at
eight, you might want to head over around eight-thirty.”

Brianna glanced over at the Holly, who
was notoriously punctual.  “I don’t think Holly would let me be tardy for any
reason,” she said with a wince.

Ryan stepped aside to allow them
inside.  “Okay, then.  You can always arrive on time and raid the fridge.  Feel
free to have a seat at the kitchen island and enjoy a leisurely breakfast while
you wait for her.  If you happen to make pancakes, don’t hesitate to cook a
couple extra for me.”

“I’m not as bad as you’re making me out
to be,” Annabelle said, shooting her brother a look of daggers as she joined
them.  She turned away from him and grinned broadly at their guests.  “Are you
girls ready for your first ride at the McGraw place?”

Brianna clasped her hands together.  “I
can’t wait.  It’s been so long since I’ve ridden a horse.”

“And you, Holly?” she asked.

She forced a smile.  “I’m … ready.  I …
think.”

Ryan, beside her, laughed.  He was
standing close and she heard the deep timbre of his voice and felt the heat
radiating from his recently showered skin.  His cologne tantalized her nose. 

She swallowed hard and took an
instinctive step away from him.  She noted then he was dressed in jeans and a
cotton cowboy shirt.  Cowboy boots rounded out the very Western outfit. He
looked so handsome, he took her breath away.

“You look great, Ryan,” Brianna cried. 
“Like a real-life cowboy!”

“I am a real life cowboy,” he said,
feigning indignation.

Annabelle cleared her throat in dramatic
fashion.  “Uh huh.”

“Hey, I can ride with the best of ‘em.” 
He grabbed Holly’s hand.  “Come on.  I’m going to be your instructor this
morning.”

She felt her heart flip, and then twist. 
She wasn’t certain she wanted to spend time with him.  The attraction between
them was almost palpable, particularly when their hands were linked.  His
warmth radiated up her arm and she resisted the urge to move even closer to him. 

Outside, he walked briskly toward the
barn.  He realized she was practically running to keep up and slowed down. 
“Sorry,” he said with a smile.  “I guess I’m looking forward to a morning of
riding with you.”

“Oh, well, I’m not sure…”

He gave her a reassuring smile.  “Don’t worry
about a thing.  I’ll be right behind you.”

***

Holly felt her back pressed against
Ryan’s hard chest.  He’d rolled up his sleeves and she couldn’t help but notice
the fine dusting of golden hair on his tanned forearms.  When he urged the
horse forward with the press of his legs, it launched forward and she was
propelled backward.  Ryan braced her by tightening an arm around her.

When he said he was going to be right
behind her while riding, she had believed he meant he’d be on a horse and
following behind her.  She had no idea he was going to put her on the same
horse with him.

As disconcerting as it was to be so
close to him, she had to admit, she felt some relief she wasn’t responsible for
directing the movements of such an immense animal.  Despite the horse’s size, with
Ryan behind her, she felt … safe.

She realized she hadn’t felt anything,
courtesy of a man, for some time.  She always looked to God for her security,
but suddenly wondered, had He brought Ryan into her life for a reason?

She was adamant she wasn’t ready for a
relationship—it’s what she constantly told herself—but maybe the good Lord had
other ideas.  “Lord, help me to know what you want for me,” she prayed.

She was unaware that she’d spoken the
words aloud until she heard Ryan chuckle.  “Are you praying?” he asked.  “Are
you that scared?”

“I’m scared all right,” she murmured,
and then groaned, since once again she’d said the words aloud.

He gave her a squeeze and shifted even
closer to her.  They rode onward for awhile, Ryan seeming unconcerned that
Annabelle and Brianna had left them in their dust.

Holly looked far ahead and saw her baby
sister on a horse, riding beautifully, almost sailing across the pastureland. 
She was leaning forward, urging the horse faster, and even from a distance, she
saw when Brianna tossed her head back and laughed with delight.

When she finally slowed, Annabelle
pulled up beside her.  Holly could tell they were talking to one another.  They
were two women clearly at home on a horse. 

“Brianna is a natural,” Ryan whispered
in her ear.

“I can see that.”

“Would you like to take the reins now?”
he asked.

She turned in the saddle, to make eye
contact.  When she shook her head ‘no’, she saw no judgment in his eyes. 
“You’re doing great,” he told her.  “In no time, you’ll ride as well as your
kid sister.”

“I doubt it,” she told him. 

“I’m happy to instruct you,” he said,
his breath warm against her ear.  “Anytime.”

She met his eyes and saw them turn
liquid dark.  Their eyes held briefly and seemingly of their own accord, her
eyes did a pass over his face, so close, so handsome.  They lit on his lips,
full, masculine, inviting.  

She forced herself to turn away.  She
took a deep breath, to still her pounding heart.  She felt tremendous relief
when Brianna appeared from out of nowhere, passing them and then bringing her
horse around to join them.  Only a second or two later, Annabelle also pulled
alongside.

“Hey, you two,” Annabelle greeted them,
and then smiled widely.  “Brianna can ride,” she declared.  “It’s like she
never stopped riding.  She really is a natural.”

“That’s what Ryan said too,” Holly
replied.

“Really?” Brianna cried.  “You both
really think I’m good?”

Ryan pinned her with a knowing look. 
“Are you fishing for compliments, young lady?  You have to know you’re an
awesome horsewoman.”

She grinned and sat even taller in the
saddle.  “I’m a horsewoman,” she said, sounding pleased with herself.

“I’m thrilled to see you’re an
accomplished rider,” Annabelle told her.  “I can really use you around here. 
Lately, I just don’t have enough time to devote to my horses.  They’re just not
getting the exercise they need.  If I give you a schedule for riding them, do you
think you can stick to it?”

“Absolutely,” Brianna said.

“One thing,” Annabelle added.  “You are
a terrific horsewoman—but…”

“What?”

“I want your promise that you won’t ride
hard and fast when I’m not here with you.  If something were to happen to
you…”  She shook her head, as if the idea of her suffering an injury was just
too horrible to contemplate.

“Brianna, do you understand?” Holly
reiterated.  “Annabelle has to be able to trust that you won’t push yourself or
the horse and potentially injure either one of you.  She won’t be able to keep
you on if you don’t obey her rules.”

Holly hated to be so stern, but she
understood the danger involved if Brianna didn’t adhere to the McGraw’s rules. 
They were entrusting her with a big job, and even Holly was worried it might be
too much for her sister.  Frankly she was surprised the McGraws were opening
themselves up to the liability of hiring a teenager.

The horses were huge and she felt
fearful of being so close to them.  What if one of them bucked, or even kicked
Brianna when she was nearby?  She suddenly wondered if she’d agreed to this
arrangement a bit too soon.

“It’s all right,” Ryan whispered, as if
sensing her fear.  “We’ll all keep an eye on her.  I think this will be good
for her.  She loves horses and this will meet that need she has to engage with
them.”

Holly nodded.  He was right.  And she
couldn’t expect Brianna to sit around the house for the remainder of the
summer, bored out of her mind. 

“Holly,” Brianna said fearfully. 
“You’re not changing your mind, are you?  Please give me this chance.  I
promise I’ll be very careful and follow all the rules.”

“Okay, we’ll see how it goes.”

Brianna gave a relieved sigh, and turned
to Annabelle.  “Can we ride some more?”

“Absolutely.” 

The two women rode away.  Holly watched
after them, proud of Brianna for her riding skills.  She really did handle a
horse like a pro.  She, on the other hand, was quaking in her borrowed cowboy
boots.

“You want to head back?” Ryan asked. 
“We can get a head start on our sight-seeing.”

Once again, she turned in the saddle. 
“If you’re busy, we can skip the sight-seeing.  I got the impression you were
coerced into agreeing to show me around.”

He gave a gasp of surprise.  “The truth
is, I was glad Annabelle brought it up.  I was going to ask you myself, but she
beat me to it.”

“Are … you sure?  I really don’t want to
impose.”

“No imposition,” he said, his eyes
twinkling.

She turned to face forward and sighed
when she felt his arm tighten around her.  “Hold on.  We’re going to pick up
our pace a bit.”

She nodded. 

“Git!” he called out to the horse, which
complied immediately. 

As they rode together, in
synchronization with the movement of the trotting horse, she finally found
herself relaxing.  By the time they reached the barn, with its rows of pristine
stalls, she found herself wishing the lesson hadn’t ended so soon. 
Unfortunately, she had to admit to herself, it wasn’t the horse that had held
her interest, but instead, it was the rider sitting behind her.

“There’s
so much to see here,” Holly commented, as she stared in awe at Mt. St. Helens,
framed within the windshield of Ryan’s truck.  The mountain loomed so large
before her eyes, she felt as if she could reach out and touch it.  “It’s
startling how close it seems,” she commented with a wince.

Ryan smiled.  “Oh, it’s a good ways
away.  Looks can be deceiving.”

For whatever reason, Holly turned toward
him and frowned.  ‘Looks can be deceiving.’  She suddenly felt uncertain, and
had no idea why.  She forced away the uneasiness, since the day spent with Ryan
had been wonderful.

They’d visited a park on the nearby
Lewis River, walked a path around Battle Ground Lake, and had driven through a
small town called Amboy, on their way to one of several manmade reservoirs on
Mt. St. Helens.  They had waded at Saddle Dam, on Yale Reservoir, and Holly had
been enchanted by the beauty of the recreational area so close to home.

“I need to make a quick stop by a
friend’s place, if you don’t mind,” he said, and then smiled.  “After, we’ll
head back home.  I promised Annabelle I’d join her, and her intended, for
dinner tonight.” 

Holly nodded and resumed staring out the
window.  She found herself more enchanted by the beauty around her with each
passing moment. 

When Ryan steered his truck down a long
lane and toward a brick home, she watched with mild interest as a man walked
out of his garage and met them in the gravel driveway.  Ryan started to climb
out of the truck, but stopped and turned toward her.  “I’ll be just a minute. 
Unless you’d like to come…”

She shook her head.  “I’m fine here.”

He nodded and walked off with the older
man.  A moment or two later, he returned carrying a saddle.  After carefully
placing it in the bed of the truck, he rejoined Holly in the cab.  “Dan
repaired the saddle for Annabelle,” he explained.

“Has Annabelle always had such a love
for horses?” she asked.

“Seems like she’s been enthralled by
them since she could walk.”  He smiled, as if recalling a fond memory.  “I
remember I was six or seven and she’d barely turned two.  We were outside for a
barbecue and I’m afraid my parents became distracted with cooking.  Anyway, she
wandered off and we found her in the horse barns.  She was determined to open
the stall of a rather temperamental stallion.”  He shook his head ruefully. 
“Dad scooped her up and she kicked and screamed all the way back to the house.”

He was silent for a moment, but resumed
talking.  “She was so determined to be around those horses, Dad finally got her
a small pony.  I don’t think a single day has passed since that she hasn’t been
on a horse for some portion of her day.”

“Wow, she is definitely a horse person
then,” Holly said.

“I suspect your sister is cut from the
same cloth,” Ryan commented. 

“I’m afraid you may be right,” she
mused.

Ryan chuckled.  “And you…?”

“Well, I’m not sure how I feel about
them as yet,” she admitted.  “I enjoyed riding,” she was quick to add.  “But I
don’t think I have her passion.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have hers, or
Annabelle’s passion, for them either,” he said.  “I enjoy a leisurely ride now
and then, but I just don’t have the time to devote to them.”

“What do you do for a living?” she
asked, realizing she had no idea.  He’d never told her.

He sighed.  “Well, I own my own company.”

“Oh.  What sort of company?  Do you make
a particular product I might know?”

 “No, mine is a consulting firm.”

“And whom do you consult?”

“I often serve as an … advisor to other
companies.”

“That sounds … interesting.  What sorts
of advice do you give?”

He laughed—somewhat
self-deprecatingly—and turned to her briefly.  “In a nutshell, I advise failing
companies as to how to become profitable.”

“So, you recommend they make … cuts … in
… certain areas.”

He nodded.  “Yes.  Sometimes cuts play a
large role in helping a company remain solvent.”

She considered his words.  She
remembered it was just such a company that had advised her stepfather’s employer
to lay off workers.  Inevitably, they had slashed the jobs of older employees
who cost the company the most in retirement and medical benefits.  Many of the
jobs had been outsourced, leaving her beloved stepfather unemployed and
ultimately, broken.

Unsure how to respond to Ryan’s
disclosure, she simply nodded.  So he wasn’t a horseman, she realized.  He was
a shark. 

“I’ve taken a bit of a sabbatical from
work,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Your trip…”

“Yes.  I guess I needed time to think.” 
He laughed without humor.  “Annabelle tells me my mid-life crisis came early.”

He turned to Holly and read something in
her eyes—  Disapproval?  Surely he was mistaken.   Why would she have any sort
of reaction to his line of work, unless…

“Are you going back to work soon?” she
asked.

“I don’t know.”  He forced a smile and
then focused on the roadway.  “Let’s talk about something else.  Tell me about
your work.”

“Not much to tell, really.  I work as a
teacher at a preschool in town.  I was really fortunate to find the job.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“I love kids, but I had always hoped to
earn a teaching degree and work as an elementary school teacher.”

“Why didn’t you?  Earn a degree, that
is.”

“I started college, but during my
freshman year, my stepfather passed away.  I left school to help my mother
out.”  She gave a shrug.  “I guess time got away from me.” 

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him
that finances had precluded her from returning to college.  Although she had
earned a partial scholarship, it simply wasn’t enough to cover both tuition and
her living expenses on campus.

Later, she did continue attending night
classes at the local community college and had earned a two-year transfer
degree.  She’d intended to attend night classes at a nearby university to
finish off her degree, but when her mother became ill, it became too difficult
to both work and help with her care.  As her mother’s illness progressed, and Holly’s
focus shifted entirely to her, all thoughts of finishing college had been
forgotten.

“We have a satellite campus of
Washington State University close by,” Ryan told her.  “Who knows?  Maybe you
can finish your degree there.”

“Maybe someday I’ll go back to school…” 
Her words trailed off.  Maybe she
would
pursue her degree someday. 
Brianna was nearly sixteen and it wouldn’t be too long before she would be on
her own.  Thanks to her uncle, she didn’t have the burden of a house payment—or
at least she hoped not.  If only the attorney would call her and provide all
the details she needed, in order for her to make more concrete decisions about
her future.

Ryan noticed the frown on her face. 
“Are you okay?”

“I was just thinking that it would be
nice if I could finally meet with my uncle’s attorney.”

“Is there … something on your mind?”

“No, well…  To be honest, I have a bad
feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

“A bad feeling…?”

She gave a shrug.  “Oh, I’m probably
being silly.  I’m so grateful for my new home.”  She turned toward him and
smiled.  “Maybe I’m just still so stunned by my good fortune it’s difficult to
believe it’s really true.  I keep expecting the other shoe to drop.”

***

Later, after Ryan took Holly home, he
couldn’t help but replay their conversation in his mind.  First, he’d detected
a slight shift in her manner toward him after he’d told her about his job.  She
wouldn’t be the first to turn on him after learning about the nature of his
work.  It bothered him to think she might have altered her opinion of him,
though in truth, he had no idea what she thought about him—of even if she did.

He was even more disturbed to hear she
was worried about the status of her home ownership.  She needn’t worry about
that—the home was hers free and clear—it was the land beneath it that belonged
to someone else.  Him and Annabelle.

As he drove toward his home, he felt a
sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He should have told Holly about the
land issue from Day One.  She struck him as a woman of integrity—a woman who
might not like this particular truth, but who would certainly prefer it to
duplicity. 

The thing was, he wasn’t deliberately
being dishonest… 

Who was he kidding?  Of course he was
being intentionally dishonest.  An omission of the facts was a lie, plain and
simple.

He considered turning his truck around
and returning to Holly’s place.  He would come clean and set about trying to
help her figure out her next move.

Whoa! 

It wasn’t his responsibility to help a
virtual stranger sort out her problems.  It wasn’t his fault she had moved
across country without knowing the vital pieces of the puzzle.  She should have
done her homework. 

He sighed.   It hadn’t occurred to her
that the land on which the home sat didn’t belong to Ben.  Why would it have? 
And why didn’t the attorney notify her via phone or letter that taking
ownership of the home meant moving it to another plot of ground?

He felt sick to his stomach.  When Holly—and
Brianna—finally heard the news, they were going to be devastated. 
Understandably, they were going to view him as complicit—why hadn’t he simply
told them the truth from the get-go.

And why hadn’t he?  He groaned aloud. 
He hadn’t told because he’d quickly developed feelings for both. 
Protectiveness for the kid sister, and something entirely different for Holly—protectiveness
sure, but something more...