By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) (21 page)

“Thank you for your concern,” she said,
smiling. 

Brianna noticed the dreamy look on her
ever-sensible sister’s face.  She broke into a smile.  “Holly loves Ryan,” she
began singing softly, as she danced around her.  “Holly loves Ryan…”

Holly shook her head and showed her sister
to her room with a sharp point of her pointer finger in that direction. 
Brianna laughed as she went into her room to get ready for bed.

Holly spoke to Ryan a moment or two
longer and then signed off.  When Brianna returned, she found her staring at
the phone with a dreamy expression on her face.  She clapped her hands
gleefully.  “The mighty have fallen!” she cried.

Holly gave her a dirty look, but
couldn’t help laughing.  “You’re an awful kid,” she said, trying to subdue her
laughter.

 “You love me,” she said smugly.  “Hey,
let’s try out the chair.”

“You first,” Holly said, “because when I
finally sit down, I probably won’t be able to get back up.”

They walked over to examine Brianna’s
handiwork.  Holly ran a hand over the polished wood.  “This rose is beautiful,”
Holly gushed.  “When did we buy a rose stencil?”

“We didn’t.  I made it myself.”

“You free-handed this?” she said,
sounding stunned.

She nodded.

“Wow, Brianna, it’s beautiful.  I can’t
believe you made this yourself.”

Brianna smiled.  “I’ve always enjoyed
drawing.”

“You never told me that.”

“I never thought about it.”

“You know, with your artistic ability,
and my propensity for finding peoples’ castoff furniture on the sides of local
roadways, we might manage to make a little extra money.”

“What are you thinking?” Brianna asked
with interest.

“Well, maybe you and I could refurbish
pieces to sell.  Of course, we’ll try to furnish our place first.  And since
you already have a job, we’ll probably wait until the fall, but…”

Brianna was nodding in agreement.  “We
could pick up old pieces and make them beautiful,” she said eagerly.  “I like
it.”

Holly offered an impish grin and dropped
into the chair.  “Ahh,” she said.  “It’s perfect.”  She gently began rocking
and found herself growing sleepy. 

Brianna sat down in the nearby
recliner.  “Tonight was fun at the McGraw’s,” she said with a yawn herself. 
“It’s weird, but they feel like family.”

Holly considered the observation. 
Annabelle did feel like a sister, though Ryan felt anything but like a brother
to her.  She could, however, understand how Brianna might look up to him with
the same hero worship she might feel for an older brother. 

“Ryan so has the hots for you,” Brianna
said with a smile.  “He couldn’t wait to get you alone so he could kiss you.”

“You’re making assumptions,” Holly said.

“Nuh uh,” she said confidently. 
“Besides, when you came back in, his lips had turned a particular shade of
coral…”

“Oh, wow,” Holly groaned.  “I hope
Annabelle didn’t notice.”

“She did, and boy howdy, she was
grinning.  I’m pretty sure she’d like to see Ryan happily married.”

Holly didn’t respond.  She simply smiled
and leaned back against the hard, wooden headrest.  “I can’t get married,” she
mused.  “I’m a bad catch.  Remember?  I come with a huge bill.”

“It wouldn’t bother Ryan that you have a
little debt,” she assured her.

“There’s nothing little about it.”  She
forced herself to stand and gave a dismissive wave.  “Let’s not talk about this
anymore.  We both have early mornings.”

Brianna stood from the recliner and they
linked arms and walked first to Brianna’s room.  Holly gave her a quick hug and
left her for her own room.  After ducking in her bathroom to get ready for bed,
she spotted the bed from the doorway, sighed with pleasure, and crossed the
room.  She sunk into the comfort of the mattress and pulled the light covers up
to her neck.

“Lord,” she prayed sleepily, “let thy
will be done.”

And for the first time, she found
herself hoping, praying, that she and God were on the same page.  She hoped He
would find a way to help her pay off her debt.  She also hoped Ryan was a
Christian.

She should have asked him, but she
feared receiving an answer she didn’t want to hear.  She would ask him
tomorrow.  She yawned.  Yes.  She would ask him tomorrow.

Holly
didn’t have the opportunity to ask any questions of Ryan, since she didn’t see
him during the next week.  Saturday came around, and now Sunday, and she still
hadn’t had occasion to see or speak to him.

He wasn’t at church today either.  When
she nonchalantly asked Annabelle how he was doing, she had answered with a long
sigh.  “He’s been working twenty-four seven finalizing the details of the sale
of the business.  When I suggested he sell, I had no idea how much was
involved.”

“I hope things go smoothly,” Holly said.

“I appreciate that, but my impression
is, it’s anything but.  Apparently the parties are having trouble agreeing on
some of the specific terms.”  She gave a shrug.  “Ryan can handle it.”

Holly left church alone, since Brianna
accompanied Annabelle home to assist with wedding planning.  Home by herself, she
felt an unfamiliar sadness settle over her.  She missed her sister and began
thinking about all the years that had passed in which she hadn’t had the
opportunity to know her.  She felt a wave of resentment threaten to overtake
her and struggled to force it away.

She hurried to fix herself a sandwich
for lunch, and then sat down at the kitchen island to eat it.  Unable to
understand the odd melancholy she was experiencing, she decided to take a walk
after finishing her lunch.

She changed out of her top and skirt and
into shorts and a t-shirt.  After locking up behind her, she left the house and
began walking along the roadway.  Whenever she heard the sound of an
approaching vehicle, she was careful to stay to the far right of the road.

She was relieved when she came to a
small lane that dissected the main road.  She took a right and began walking up
the tree-lined lane.  To her left she spotted a herd of cows, to her right,
fields of blueberries.  The sight of the berries made her mouth water.

She was delighted to see the property
owners had set up a small stand just ahead, in which they sold the ripened
berries to passers-by.  After purchasing a pint, she turned back toward home
and munched on the delicious berries as she walked.

She enjoyed the soft sounds of nature
around her—a frog croaking, a cow mooing from a distant pasture, several birds
chirping.  A small rabbit skittered out from a bush and a butterfly tickled her
elbow.  “Thank you, Lord,” she prayed.  “You’ve given me so much beauty to
enjoy.”

Breathing deeply, she inhaled the heady
scent of hay nearby.  Even the tantalizing scent of berries teased her nose,
though she’d left the fields behind her.  She paused briefly to enjoy the feel
of the warm sun on her shoulders and had the sense of coming home. 

When she reached the end of the lane,
she paused to allow traffic to pass.  To her surprise, Ryan pulled up in his
truck.  “Out for your Sunday constitutional?” he asked with a smile.

She nodded.  “It’s such a gorgeous day
in such beautiful country.”

He searched her face and frowned.  “Are
you okay?”

“Fine.  Why do you ask?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  You seem…”

“You’re very perceptive,” she told him,
surprised he had picked up on her feelings.  “I guess I’m feeling a little
gloomy but my walk has definitely been a pick-me-up.”

“Well, climb in.  I’ll take you for ice
cream in town.  That’ll cheer you up even more.”

She smiled her thanks but shook her
head.  “I’ve been told you’ve been working around the clock.  You probably have
a lot to do at home.”

“Yes, I do, but I just came from there. 
My sister and yours are currently neck-deep in wedding preparations.  While I
was there, Annabelle constantly asked me my opinions—she’s under some misguided
notion that if she doesn’t include me in her wedding planning, I’ll feel left
out—but the truth is, I don’t have a clue about any of it.”  He gave a shrug. 
“I don’t know anything about wedding flowers and she was determined I make some
sort of informed decision about them.  I told her to pick the wild flowers
beyond the north pasture for her bridal bouquet.”

Holly smiled at that, imagining a lovely
assemblage of colorful flowers.  “Wildflowers sound beautiful,” she mused.  She
suddenly saw herself in a wedding gown, holding a lovely bouquet of
wildflowers, and standing on a green hilltop overlooking the McGraw property. 
Her eyes widened in stunned surprise.  Thankfully, Ryan couldn’t read her
mind.  If he had possessed the ability, he would have seen himself standing
beside her…

Ryan’s smile widened and he leaned over
to push open the door.  “Climb in.  Let’s get that ice cream.”

She decided to join him, despite her
misgivings.  She gave herself a shake, in order to center herself.  She was
being ridiculous, envisioning any sort of permanent relationship with Ryan. 
Yes, he’d kissed her and she had kissed him back, but for all she knew, the act
of kissing her probably meant nothing to him.  Annabelle had hinted he’d been a
bit of a playboy in the past.  For all she knew, he went around kissing women
for sport.

She, on the other hand, wasn’t casual
about anything.  Kissing him meant something—was significant.  But he had no
way of knowing that she lived by a particular set of values.

“Belt up,” Ryan said, interrupting her
thoughts.

She did and then held out the pint of
blueberries.  He took a handful and popped them into his mouth.  “So good,” he
said.  “I need to get over to the Burn’s place and do some self-picking.”

“That sounds like fun,” Holly said.  She
hadn’t noticed any signage that indicated customers could pick their own
berries.  “Brianna would probably enjoy an afternoon of berry picking.”

“She’d probably make a pie or tart,” he
said, chuckling.  “That sister of yours can really cook.”

Holly smiled with pride.  “She has
really blossomed living here.  I’m so glad we made the move.”

Ryan forced back a sigh and searched for
a change of topic.  “How was church this morning?  I’d intended to go but had
to run by the business for some important paperwork I needed to fax over to my
lawyer.  Like me, he’s working around-the-clock on this deal.”

“Church was very nice,” she answered,
and then gave him a speculative glance.  “How long have you been a member
there?”

He didn’t look her way when he
answered.  “I’m not a member anymore,” he said.  “I mean, I guess they no
longer count me as a member.  I haven’t attended with any regularity for quite
a while.”  He laughed.  “Do they kick you out for being a no-show?”

“Do you … believe in God?” she asked,
and braced for his answer.

He hesitated to answer, since he sensed
the next words out of his mouth might very well impact his relationship with
her—though at this point, they didn’t have one, nor did he have much of a
relationship with God.  He believed in Him, yes, but…

“Yes, I believe in God,” he said finally. 
“Your uncle was like a father to me and he was determined that Annabelle and I
have a relationship with God.  He spent a lot of time with his Bible, and urged
my sister and me to do the same.”  He paused.  “I’m afraid I’ve been doing a
lot of soul searching lately—trying to find myself, I guess—and I haven’t been
especially successful.”  Why he added that particular bit of information, he
wasn’t sure.

“Have you … prayed?”  She turned in the
seat to face him.  “When I’m uncertain about anything, my first instinct is to
pray.”

He nodded.  It didn’t surprise him.  It
was something she had in common with the uncle she hadn’t had the pleasure of
knowing.  As he spotted the town of Battle Ground ahead, he was relieved.  “The
ice cream place is just ahead.”

Holly realized he hadn’t commented on
her observation about prayer and she didn’t push him.  It wasn’t her place. 
Jesus didn’t impose himself on anyone, but instead, offered the gift of his
love for all to either accept or reject.  He gave man free will to choose.    

As Ryan pulled his truck into the
parking lot, Holly felt uneasy.  She wanted to spend time with Ryan, but it was
evident his faith was shaky at best. 

She silently scolded herself.  She had
no real basis on which to make the assumption.  For many people, faith was a
very personal thing.  Maybe he wasn’t comfortable talking to her about it. 

She realized she was attempting to
justify her choice to spend time with him. 
Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers… 
She sighed.  The scripture that abruptly popped
into her mind made it clear what God’s expectations were when it came to
marriage.  But, it wasn’t as if she was marrying Ryan...    

They could be friends.  Of course.  Perhaps
she could help him to find his way back to God, if indeed he was currently
experiencing a crisis of faith.

She suddenly had a headache.  Her mind
was like a ping pong ball, bouncing back and forth between opposing thoughts. 
Lord,
help me
, she prayed. 
Help me to make appropriate choices…

“Hey, where’d you go just then,” Ryan
asked.

Holly gave herself a shake and forced a
smile.  “Oh, nowhere.”

Ryan returned her smile and climbed out
of the truck.  He met Holly at the passenger side and helped her down.  “I
don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a sundae.”

“Sounds good,” she said.

A moment later, they had placed their
orders and taken a seat at a small table by a window.  Holly glanced out at the
town.  Although it was Sunday, traffic was heavy.  It never ceased to amaze her
that Battle Ground always seemed to be bustling, despite the day of the week or
the time of day.

Ryan caught her staring out over the
small town.  “What do you think of Battle Ground?” he asked.

“I like it.  It’s small, but I’ve found
that if I can’t find something I need here, I can drive into Vancouver.  It’s
so close.”

He nodded.  “Have you been to Portland
yet?”

“I haven’t.  One of my coworkers
mentioned she’s afraid to drive over there.  It sort of scared me.  I haven’t
done much driving in a big city.”

“If you avoid driving during rush hour,
you’ll be fine.”  He gave her a hopeful glance.  “Maybe you and I can go
together one Saturday soon.  I enjoy walking around downtown Portland.  It’s a
beautiful city, with some terrific restaurants.  We’ll get lunch and make a day
of it.”

She smiled eagerly.  “That sounds like
fun.” 

Wow, she thought, as she watched him
retrieve their sundaes when their number was called, despite her conflicting
emotions and feelings, she had readily agreed to essentially go on a date with
him.  It was as if her mouth had a will of its own.

“So, why are you feeling gloomy today?”
he asked, upon his return.  He passed her her sundae and gave her an inquiring
glance.

“Why
was
I gloomy?” she said, emphasizing
the ‘was.’  “Well, I found myself home all alone.  And mind you, I’m used to
being alone, or used to be used to it,” she amended with a smile.  “I realized
I was missing Brianna, and then got to thinking about all the years I’d missed
with her and…”  She sighed.  “Anyway, I don’t know how I’d get along without
her at this point.  It’s as if I’ve known her forever.”

“You’re very close,” he observed.  “She
adores you.”

Holly smiled.  “And I her.  I’m so glad
we made the move here.  It turned out to be the catalyst for our reconciling. 
If we’d stayed back home…”

He reached for her hand and gave it a
squeeze.  “I’m so glad you moved here too.”