By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) (20 page)

He nodded.  “I should get going. 
Annabelle has dinner waiting.”

“You don’t want a glass of water then?”

“No, that’s okay.” 

He pushed back from the island, but
paused.  “Why don’t you join us for dinner?  Can you call Holly back and ask
her to pick you up at the house?  Tell her we’ll keep a plate warm for her
too.”  He made an apologetic face.  “I’m sorry.  You were looking forward to
surprising Holly with the beautiful chair.”

“It can wait,” she was quick to assure
him.  She made a guilty face.  “I promised I was going to make dinner tonight,
but I sort of forgot to put the ground turkey out to thaw.”

“No worries,” he said.  “Come on. 
Annabelle will be glad for the company too.”

At
Ryan’s house, he and Brianna found Annabelle standing at the massive kitchen
island, head bent over a cookbook.  She turned when she heard her brother enter
the great room.

“Where’s dinner?” he growled teasingly.

She sighed.  “I’m afraid it’s in the
garbage,” she said miserably.  “I tried to make a roast again, but it came out
looking like a black brick.”

“Hmmm,” Ryan said.  “That’s not good.”

Annabelle noticed Brianna then.  “Oh, hi
there.”

“I invited Brianna and Holly over for
dinner,” Ryan informed.

Annabelle glared at him. 

“I’m sorry.  I should have asked first,
huh?”

“No, I mean, I wish you’d told me, so I
could have made one of my tried and true recipes.  I’m glad to have Brianna and
Holly over,” she insisted.  “Sitting across the table from you, Ryan, day in
and day out, every evening…  It’s a bit much for anyone.”

Ryan ignored her insult.  Instead, he cleared
his throat and burst out laughing. 

“What’s so funny, Ryan?” she demanded.

“You don’t have any tried and true
recipes, Annabelle,” quipped.

“Are you saying I’m a bad cook?” she
demanded, hands on hips

“I’m saying…”

“I can help you, Annabelle,” Brianna cut
in.  “I’m a pretty good cook, since I do a lot of the cooking at home.  I
really enjoy cooking,” she said, as if she’d just registered the realization.

“I hate it,” Annabelle groaned.  “I’m
trying to learn because I feel like a good wife should be able to cook, but…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ryan
said.  “Besides, there’s always takeout.”

“Don’t mind him,” Brianna said, shooting
Ryan a dirty look.  “Let’s have a look in your fridge.  I’m sure we can find
the ingredients to make a delicious meal.”

Ryan crossed the room and pulled a list
off the fridge.  “Or, we could always call in a dinner order for pickup in town.”

“Ryan!” Brianna scolded.  “You need to
be supportive of Annabelle.  You’re her big brother.”

“Oh, okay, yes,” he said, forcing back a
smile.  “I support you, Annabelle.”

She detected his sarcasm, and in
response, picked up a wooden spoon and took off after him.  He dodged her by
charging around the counter.  “I’m going to clock you,” she warned.

Brianna stepped in front of her and
extracted the spoon from her hand.  “The best revenge is culinary success,” she
said, giving Ryan a dirty look.  “He’ll have to ‘eat’ his words when you’re
done preparing a delicious dinner.”

“I may not let him eat,” Annabelle
threatened.

“Oh, yeah, that’ll hurt me,” he said
with a snicker.

Annabelle lunged for the spoon again. 
Brianna dodged her and then tugged her toward the refrigerator.  She pulled it
open and began searching its contents.  “Okay, I see ground turkey…”  She
checked the packaging.  “Date’s good.  We’ll use this.  Oh, I see cheddar
cheese, and sour cream.  Do you happen to have any taco shells or tortillas?”

“In the pantry,” Annabelle answered, and
hurried to retrieve them.

“I don’t know about you, but whenever
I’m in a bind, I make either tacos or burritos, or sometimes a casserole,”
Brianna said.

“Annabelle’s always in a bind,” Ryan muttered.

Brianna picked up the spoon this time. 
“Enough out of you,” she warned, but eyes twinkling with good humor.  She
turned her attention back to Annabelle.  “Where are your pots and pans?”

“There,” Annabelle said, directing her
to an under-island cabinet.

Brianna pulled a pan of a suitable size
and began browning the meat on the stovetop.  “Do you have any taco seasoning? 
Maybe one of those packets you can get in the spice aisle at the store?”

“I don’t,” she said.

“That’s okay.  Where’s your spice rack?”

Annabelle showed her and Brianna began
pulling an assortment of spices from the shelf.  From memory, she added several
to the simmering meat when it had sufficiently browned.  She allowed it to cook
while she went to the pantry to search for a side item.  Finding a couple
quick-cooking Spanish rice packages, she vented them per the instructions on
the back and placed both in the microwave.  She set it for the appropriate cook
time, but delayed the start of cooking.

She glanced around.  “I suppose we should
have a vegetable too,” she mused, and returned to the pantry.  Reaching for a
couple cans of green beans, she gave them a dubious look.  “They’ll work,” she
said finally.

She turned and did a visual search for a
can opener.  Annabelle realized her intent.  “I’ll open them for you,” she
said.

“You really
should
do something,”
Ryan said, quirking a grin.  “That’s a good girl.  You opened that can like a
pro.”

Both Annabelle and Brianna glared at
him.  “Support!” Brianna intoned. 

He raised his hands as if in surrender. 
“Okay, okay.  Sorry.”

Brianna turned away from him, checked
the turkey meat, and then pulled the taco shells from the packaging.  She read
the heating instructions and turned on the oven.  Soon, the timer dinged,
indicating the oven had heated to temperature.  She put the shells on a baking
sheet and slipped them into the oven.

“Plates,” she said, glancing around.

Annabelle hurried to retrieve them and
set the dinette table, situated within a large nook off the kitchen.  Within
moments, Brianna had dinner on the table.

Annabelle took in the completed meal. 
She turned to Brianna.  “You make it look so easy.”

“It is easy,” she said.  “I think the
key is to make meals simple.  I mean, I tried to make a few meals that
consisted of a thousand ingredients and I ended up getting frustrated.  I
started making meals that consisted of just a few ingredients but that taste
pretty good.”  She gave a shrug.  “I think most men probably don’t care what
they eat, as long as it tastes okay.”

“Did you just insult my gender?” Ryan
asked, attempting to decipher the subtext of her words.  “Did you just
insinuate we’re simpletons with cast-iron stomachs?”

“No, I didn’t insult anybody,” she
said.  “I just figure men can’t be that hard to please.  If they are, they can
just cook for themselves.”

Annabelle laughed.   “I like your
thinking,” she said.  “If Harrison doesn’t like my cooking, I’ll just let him
cook for us.”

The group had just sat down to eat when
the doorbell rang.  “Oh, good,” Ryan said.  “Holly made it just in time.”

He rose and jogged to the front door. 
He soon returned with Holly. 

She smiled.  “Thank you for inviting us
to dinner,” she said, and then sent Brianna an affectionate glance.  “I bet a
certain someone was thrilled not to have to cook.”

Ryan burst out laughing.  “No rest for
the weary around here,” he joked.  “Annabelle made her cook.”

Annabelle gasped and Brianna glared at
him.  “Nobody
made
me do anything.  I wanted to help out.”

“I’m incompetent in the kitchen,”
Annabelle moaned.  “Brianna is a far better cook than I’ll ever be.”

“That’s not true,” Brianna protested. 
“It’s just like anything—practice makes perfect.”

Even Ryan sensed his sister’s anguish. 
“Hey, sis, don’t worry about your lack of culinary prowess.  Harrison’s not
marrying you for your cooking skills.  He’s marrying you because he loves
you.”  He grinned.  “Hey, but you might want to abstain from preparing any
meals for him until after the wedding.”

“Ryan!” Holly cried with surprise. 

He gave a shrug.  “Just trying to be
helpful.  Let’s eat.  I’m hungry.”

The group sat down to dinner, which
turned out to be delicious.  “Brianna,” Annabelle said, “could you possibility
give me the recipe for these.  They’re delicious and the meat is seasoned so
well.”

“Sure, I’ll write it down.  I’m sure I
can remember it.”

“Thank you.”

“How are your wedding plans coming
along?” Holly asked, attempting to divert the conversation from meal
preparation to a happier topic.

Annabelle sighed.  “I don’t know what I
was thinking—trying to plan a wedding within the span of a few months.”

“Are you having trouble?” Ryan asked,
suddenly serious.  “Anything I can do to help?”

“Thanks, but no, I don’t think so.  Oh,
one thing.  I’d like to have the wedding here.  Do you mind?”

“Why would I mind?” he asked, genuinely
perplexed by the question.  “Anything you want, sis.”

She grinned.  “Now those are words I
never expected to come out of your mouth.”

“Hey, I’m an accommodating guy.”  He
grinned at Holly, as if hoping she would file away the information for a late
date.

She gave him a bewildered glance, but
turned toward Brianna when she spoke to Annabelle.  “If you need any help with
your wedding plans, I’m here if you need me.”

Annabelle smiled and patted her arm.  “I
don’t know what I’d do without you as it is.  My horses love you so much, and
you do such a great job around here.  I’m so lucky you moved here.”

Brianna glowed under the praise.  “I
would love to help with the wedding.”  She grinned widely.  “Who knows?  Maybe
it won’t be too long until I’m planning another one.”

Holly smiled.  “You are growing up
fast.  You’ll be walking down the aisle in the blink of an eye.” 

Brianna gave a disgusted snort.  “I’m
not talking about
my
wedding.  I’m talking about
yours
.”

Holly appeared taken aback.  She laughed
uncertainly. 

“Food’s getting cold,” Ryan said,
changing the subject.  Clearly, Holly was uncomfortable.  “And these are
certainly excellent tacos.”

“Thank you,” Brianna said, smiling
graciously.  “They’re not bad if I do say so myself.  Annabelle,” she said, in
another swift change of subject, “are you and Harrison going to ride your
horses down the aisle?”

Annabelle cocked her head in thought. 
“Hmmm, I hadn’t thought of that.”  She grinned.  “I like it.  I’m going to talk
to Harrison about it.”

“You
should
include your horses
in your wedding,” Brianna urged.  “It would be so cool.”

Annabelle glanced at Ryan and grinned
cheekily.  “You know what—?  I should include them.  I’m already including a
horse’s a—”

“Annabelle!” Ryan cried, aghast.  “We have
a youngster in the room.”

“I’ve heard worse,” Brianna said
ruefully.  “Trust me.  When my dad was drunk, he could…”  Her words trailed off
and her eyes widened.  She’d almost said too much.

Ryan watched her sympathetically and
changed the subject yet again.  “Well, I sold my business today,” he announced.

Annabelle gasped.  “Ryan!”

“Hey, you told me to.”

“No, I mean….   It’s great.  I just
figured you’d give me a head’s up that you’d arrived at a decision.  I, uh,
well, I thought it might take awhile for you to come to a decision.”

“I’ve arrived at a decision,” he said,
his tone monotone.

She smiled his way, meeting his gaze. 
“I’m so happy for you.  I really am.  You made a good decision.”

Holly and Brianna glanced from Annabelle
to Ryan, and back.

“Yeah, we have details yet to work out,
but I’ve already spoken to an attorney and he’s drawing up the paperwork. 
Won’t be long and I’ll be unemployed.”

“Well, it should feel pretty
comfortable, being as you haven’t worked for months,” Annabelle said with a grin.

Ryan shifted in the seat.  “Hey, you
make me sound as if I’m not a hard worker.”

“On the contrary,” she was quick to
protest.  “You work far too hard.  I’m thrilled you took a break, and even more
thrilled you’ll soon be done with the family business.  You’re going to be
happier, Ryan.  Of that, I am sure.”

“Which
dress
do you like better?” Annabelle asked both Holly and Brianna.  Without
hesitation, the sisters pointed to the same dress.  Annabelle broke into a
delighted smile.  “That’s my first pick too.  Do you really like it?”

“We really do,” they said in unison.

“I need to order it, so I’ll have it in
time to make alterations for the wedding.  I really should try it on first,
but…”

“No time,” Ryan intoned boredly.  “Hey,
Holly, would you like to take a walk with me?”

She glanced at Annabelle.  She hated to
leave her when she was in the middle of showing her and Brianna the binder in
which she’d laid out many of her wedding plans.  They had already discussed
everything from flowers to her choice of place settings. 

Since the wedding was to be held out of
doors, Annabelle’s intent was to attain a casual, yet elegant, air. 
Interestingly, Brianna was full of ideas—many very good ones.  Holly suspected
she might make a superb event planner someday.

Annabelle was equally impressed with her
suggestions.  She eyed Brianna thoughtfully.  “I was going to work with a
wedding planner, but…  Would you really be willing to help me, Brianna? 
There’s so much to do and…”

“Yes!” she cried eagerly.

“I’ll pay you for your time.”

“You don’t have to pay me,” she said
with a wave of her hand.  “It’s going to be so much fun planning your wedding. 
I can’t wait.”

Annabelle remembered Holly.  “Is it
okay?  I should have checked with you first.”

“It’s absolutely okay,” she assured
her.  “I am quite impressed with my kid sister.  I’m not sure there’s anything
she can’t do.  By the way, I stopped by the house to freshen up.  The chair is
… beau-ti-ful,” she said, drawing out the word.

Brianna grinned and wrapped Holly in a
hug.  “I’m glad you like it, and thank you!  I’m so excited about helping
Annabelle out.”  She drew silent, but finally said softly, “I guess I learned
something from my mom.  She could put together a terrific party at a moment’s
notice.”

Holly wrapped an arm around her again
and gave her a squeeze.  Their eyes met and a silent communication passed
between them. 
Everything is going to be all right
, Holly conveyed with
her eyes. 
I’m here for you
. 
We have each other now
.

“About that walk…” Ryan prompted. 

“Yes, please go with him, Holly,”
Annabelle said with a weary sigh.  “We could accomplish so much more if not for
his running commentary.”

“I’m just trying to help,” he said,
feigning innocence.

“Go!”

Annabelle sighed woefully.  “Please,
Holly.”

She laughed.  “Okay.  I’ll take him off
your hands.”

Annabelle gave her an imploring glance. 
“Keep him for as long as you can abide him.  Please.”  She winced.  “Wait,
you’ll be back in a minute and a half, based on that criterion…”

“Hey, I’m a delight,” Ryan said, as he
took Holly’s elbow.

Annabelle and Brianna were already back
to their planning efforts and engaged in a rousing conversation about the best
place on the property to have the wedding.  They were discussing the merits of
renting tents, considering the temperamental Pacific Northwest weather when
Ryan and Holly left them via the French doors at the back of the great room.

To Holly’s surprise, Ryan reached for
her hand.  He led her down a long stairway off the expansive back desk and out
towards the barn.  Inside, he took her to see their new acquisition.  “This is
Zeus,” he said, pointing out the massive black stallion.  “He’s a good looking
chap, isn’t he?”

She nodded.  “He’s beautiful. 
Intimidating, but beautiful.”

Ryan nodded and then laughed without
humor.  “Annabelle’s timing leaves a lot to be desired,” he murmured, watching
the horse as it pawed at the ground.  “She had to have this guy, but now she
plans to leave him for a year or more, which means...”

She met his gaze.

“Which means, I’m either going to have
to hire a caretaker for this place, or stay here myself.”

“But … don’t you live here?”

“I have been since I got back from my
trip, but I had been living in a condo in downtown Vancouver.”

“Did you like living in a condo?”  She
had a difficult time envisioning him holed up in a small space, without a yard
to call his own.  Perhaps the condo had a backyard, she speculated.

“I did like the condo,” he told her.  “I
bought it move-in ready and there was little more than a postage-stamp sized
backyard to care for, and I wasn’t responsible for mowing it.”  He sighed.  “It
was great.”

“Maybe you could … move back?”

He shook his head.  “Nope.  Sold it. 
And now I’m here, my future cast upon the wind…”

She searched his face.  Although he was attempting
to be light-hearted, she sensed a sadness to him.  She reached for his arm and
gave it a squeeze.  “Maybe you should take some time to simply ‘be,’ she said. 
“Annabelle seems to think you’ve earned a break.”

He smiled at that.  “She’s glad I’ve
made the decision to sell.  I know that.”  He turned to study the stallion for
a moment.  “Apparently, I’m not cut out for the business.”

“Before, you told me a little about what
you do…”

“And I got the definite impression you
disapproved.”

Her eyes widened.  “Ryan, I’m sorry if…”

“No, Holly.”  He shook his head, his
frustration aimed at himself.  “I’m sorry.  That came out so wrong.  The truth
is, I disapproved of what we did, yet, I did it so well,” he added with a sad
smile.

“But you’re not doing it anymore?”

“No, I can’t.  I … just can’t.”

He drew silent again and continued
staring at the stallion.  “I oughta pack him up and send him with her,” he
mused aloud.

“You’re going to miss her.” 

“Yeah, I am.”

“Do you think you’ll stay in the house?”

He turned toward her.  “Do you want me
to?”  He sighed bleakly.  “Sorry, that was forward of me.”

She hesitated before answering, but
opted for the truth.  “Yes.”

His lips twitched into a smile.  He
turned back to the horse, but draped an arm over Holly’s shoulders.  “You fit,”
he said, without looking her way. 

She had to agree, she did fit.  His arms
around her felt perfect, as if they were made to hold her and only her.  When
he kissed her, she met him willingly, greedily, and wondered, who was she? 

She had her convictions!  She couldn’t
date a man unless she knew he was a Christian, and she had decided to postpone
any serious romantic entanglements until she was debt free.  Yet…

She forced away the troublesome
thoughts, allowing herself to lose herself in the moment.  Kissing Ryan felt so
right, how could it be wrong?

***

“Did you enjoy your walk with Ryan?”
Brianna asked, as she and Holly drove home from the McGraw’s.

“Yes, I did.”

“You kissed him,” she said smugly, but
quickly clarified, “well, he probably kissed you.  I hope you had the good
sense to let him.  I want a big brother.”

Holly chuckled.  “You do, huh?”

“Yes.  I’m too young for a
father-in-law.”

Holly gave her a puzzled glance. 
“What?”

She shook her head, deciding it was too
complicated to explain.

Holly, however, wasn’t letting the
subject drop.  “I wholly agree.  You’re too young for a father-in-law.”

Brianna sighed happily—her emotions
seeming to change from one spectrum to the other in the span of a blink.  “I
can’t wait for Annabelle’s wedding.”  She paused and frowned.  “Actually, yes,
I can.  I’m going to really miss her when she’s gone.”

“You two do have a lot in common,” Holly
said.

Brianna turned toward her quickly. “Not
as much as we do,” she said honestly.  “Holly, I want you to know that I really
respect you a lot.  If I’m half the person you are when I’m adult, I’ll be a
good person.”

Holly’s heart swelled at the
compliment.  After pulling into her drive and parking, she turned to Brianna.  “You
are a wonderful person, and I love you … and … I can’t wait to try out the
chair.  I’ll race you!”

The two hurried out of the car.  Brianna
was first to top the porch.  “Oh, well,” Holly said.  “I’m happy to give you
the first turn.”

“No, you first,” Brianna insisted.

They entered the house and both were
just about to head for the chair when someone knocked on the front door.  “Who
can that be?” Holly wondered aloud, as she hurried to answer it.

Brianna followed, but Holly put a
protective hand behind her, to keep her sister safely tucked out of harm’s
way.  It was an instinctive gesture that never failed to warm Brianna’s heart. 

Holly pulled open the door.  A young man
was standing on the porch.  Sandy, straggly hair hung across his eyes and his
clothes were bedraggled. 

He smiled widely.  “Hi.  I was just
wondering if you could use any help around here.  I know you just moved in. 
Anyway, I’m a pretty good handyman and…”

Holly smiled.  “Thank you so much for
the offer, but we really don’t need any help right now.  We’re doing pretty
well making repairs on our own.”

The smile on his face vanished and he
took a step closer.  “I saw that the old fence out back is a wreck,” he
observed.  “I could fix it for you.”

“We just don’t have the money to buy
materials right now,” she told him honestly.

“What about the barn door.  It sticks
when you try to…”  The instant he said the words, he realized he’d said too
much.

Holly’s eyes narrowed.  “So you’ve gone
out back of our property…?”

He attempted a reassuring smile.  “I
just wanted to help.  But if you don’t need me, I’ll … just go.”

He spun on his heel and jogged off. 
Holly was surprised to see he had a vehicle.  A decrepit Dodge Dart was parked
at an angle behind her car.  She continued watching him as he started the car
and began backing it around, so he could drive nose-first out of the drive. 

“Brianna,” she called.  “Do you have
your phone handy?”

“Yes.  Should I call 911?”

“No, but make note of this license plate
for me, will you?”  She recited the license plate number, along with the color
and make and model of the car.  “Hang onto it please.  Don’t delete it.  If
something happens around here, I have a feeling we’ll know who’s responsible.”

As much as Holly hated to judge the
young man, there was something sinister about him.  Being close to him had caused
the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck.  She hadn’t missed the predatory
look about him, or the way he attempted to see past her and into the house. 
She also hadn’t missed how his eyes kept moving to Brianna, as if he was desperate
for a closer look.

She continued watching the kid, to
assure he drove away, and then closed and locked the door.  She hurried to the
back of the house, to make sure the door was locked as well.  Thankfully, it
was.  She turned to speak to Brianna, only to discover she was on the phone.

“Yes, Ryan.  He was youngish, with long,
stringy hair.  I have his license plate number, as well as the make and model
of the car.”

Holly wasn’t sure how to react to
discovering that Brianna had called Ryan.  It wasn’t his responsibility to take
care of them, or to ward off strangers on their behalf.  He hadn’t signed on to
be their knight-in-shining-armor.

“Sure, Holly is right here.”  She passed
her the phone.

Holly took it.  “I’m sorry, Ryan.  I
didn’t know Brianna was going to call you.”  She sent her sister a frustrated
glance.

“I’m glad she did,” he said.  “I’ve
entered his plate into my phone, as well as the make and model of the car.  I’m
going to have a friend of mine at the police department run a check on it first
thing in the morning.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not necessary,” she
said, albeit half-heartedly.

“It’s no big deal,” he assured her.  “It
concerns me that he knew about the condition of the fence and about the barn
door sticking.  Obviously he’s been back there.  Did you do a walk-thru
inside?”  He paused.  “You know what.  I think I’ll just head over there—to be
on the safe side.”

“No, Ryan.  That’s not necessary.  I’ll
check out the rest of the house and if there’s anything of concern, I’ll call
you.  But I’m sure everything is fine.  Besides, it’s not as if we have
anything of real value here.”

Yes, you do
,
he thought. 
You’re the treasure in that house, and that kid sister of yours
…

“Well, please don’t hesitate to call me
if he shows up again.  Call 911, but me directly after, please.  I’d rather you
not take any chances.”