The Longing (2 page)

Richard drained his glass and set it on the
bar. “I’m relieving my uncles of their obligation to help provide
for Catherine, and in exchange, they’re making me a partner at the
bank. Eventually they’ll let me buy out their interest.”

“Then you’re staying in Fredonia?” Kyle
asked, as a burst of pleasure filled his chest. Other than the
comradery of his three brothers, Kyle had been too busy to maintain
a regular friendship with anyone. But Richard was more like a
brother than a friend. He wouldn’t take offense at Kyle’s
inconsistent visits or plain talk. Kyle could cater to his sawmill
rather than his friendship with Richard, just as he would expect
Richard to do with his banking business, and yet their friendship
would remain solid.

Thunder rattled the windows as Richard
ordered another round of drinks. “I’m returning to Philadelphia in
the morning to settle some issues, but I’ll be back for good in a
week or so.” He angled an inquisitive look at Boyd. “I can arrange
a loan for you before I leave, if you’re in need of one.”

A smirk of appreciation lit Boyd’s face.
“Would you really negotiate a loan in the middle of a gin
mill?”

“Hell yes! I’ve negotiated some of my biggest
deals while drinking cheap whiskey with expensive women.” A grin
crossed Richard’s face. “Who needs an office?”

Boyd’s dark brows lifted in appreciation.
“How much law would I need to know in order to handle contracts
like that?”

Richard’s laugh shot across the bar and he
raised his glass to salute Boyd. He drank deeply then turned to
Kyle, “Are you going to invest in Boyd’s venture?”

“Of course not,” Kyle said without
hesitation, earning a snort from Boyd. But Kyle didn’t care. They’d
damn near killed themselves building their father’s tiny mill into
a thriving business that presently supported twenty men and their
families, and no matter how Boyd protested, he was as bound to the
depot as Radford, Kyle, and Duke were. That Boyd didn’t understand
that bond exasperated Kyle.

Richard tossed several coins on the bar to
pay for the drinks Pat Lyons had delivered, then he clapped a hand
on Boyd’s shoulder. “Looks like you’ll have to stick with the mill
business awhile longer. Hell, if the deposit Tom Drake made this
evening is any indication of what you mill owners make, I think
I’ll give up banking and come work for you or Tom.”

Kyle’s chin jerked up and his back went
rigid. For three months Tom Drake had been telling Kyle he didn’t
have the money to pay him for the large section of timber Kyle had
sold to him. Out of consideration for their friendship, Kyle had
tried not to press Tom about the money. But now that Kyle’s new saw
was on the way, he needed the money, and that’s exactly why he had
been going to see Tom in the damned rain.

“I would appreciate it if you’d forget you
heard that,” Richard said sheepishly. “Tom wouldn’t appreciate me
letting that slip.”

No, he wouldn’t, because Richard’s slip had
just confirmed Kyle’s suspicion of Tom’s betrayal. It didn’t take a
genius to realize that Tom had been purposely trying to keep Kyle
from expanding his mill.

Kyle stood up and clapped his hat over his
damp hair. “I have to go.”

Richard glanced toward the window where rain
streamed down the glass panes and lightning flashed across the dark
sky. “Only a fool would go out in this, Kyle. Let the storm pass,
then you and Boyd can join me at home for supper. Catherine would
love to see you. She says it’s been ages since you’ve been by the
house.”

Kyle struggled to mask his surprise. It had
been only two weeks, but the last thing he wanted was to sit at the
supper table with Catherine under Richard’s watchful eye. Richard
had always been doting and protective of Catherine. He would kill
Kyle if he knew he’d been making occasional visits to her bed for
the past four years.

“Thanks for the invitation, Richard, but I
have business to take care of tonight. We’ll get together when you
return from Philadelphia.”

Richard offered his hand to Kyle. “I’ll let
you beg off tonight, but only if you promise you’ll come for supper
when I get back.”

Unable to decline without casting suspicion
on himself or Catherine, Kyle shook Richard’s hand, then bolted out
the door and escaped into the lashing wind.

Rain streamed down his neck in cold rivulets
as he mounted his horse and headed toward Laona, a small hamlet
perched on the southeastern edge of Fredonia. Buildings loomed like
shadows in the early evening, then sprang to life as whitish-blue
streaks of lightning snaked around them. Sharp cracks of thunder
startled his horse, but Kyle rode on, his anger growing bone deep
as he passed by his own sawmill on Liberty Street.

Fierce Grayson pride had served Kyle for
years. It had helped him live through his father’s death, the hard
struggle of building a small lumber empire with his three brothers,
and watching the woman he’d planned to marry take her vows with his
eldest brother instead of himself. Despite the pain and setbacks,
Kyle had survived. He’d been hardened by the experiences, but they
had made him wiser. Dealing with his problems head-on had made him
a successful and respected businessman. He wasn’t about to start
dancing around the truth at this point in his life. Not even for
Tom Drake.

It took him half an hour to ride to Tom’s
mill on Shumla Road, but the cold rain hadn’t diluted Kyle’s anger
or washed away the ache of betrayal in his chest. Though the crew
was gone and the saws were silent, Tom’s mill was alive with the
storm. Thunder rumbled to Kyle’s left, then several streaks of
blinding white light ripped open the sky with brilliant razorlike
fingers. His gelding shied, but Kyle lifted his face to the wild,
snapping air and inhaled the energy of the storm.

Beneath the anger, raw pain pulsed through
his veins. He’d trusted Tom. Five years of friendly competition, of
coexisting profitably in a plentiful lumber market, and their
shared delight in going nose to nose on big orders like the
railroad contract had garnered respect and admiration for each
other as well as a deep bond of honor Kyle would have died to
protect. But Kyle no longer knew what to expect from a man he’d
thought was his friend.

Faint light glimmered from Tom’s office
window just as Kyle had expected. Tom had taught him that any owner
worth his sawdust maintained his books as meticulously as his saws,
so Kyle had followed Tom’s example by reconciling his books and
preparing his bids before leaving his mill each evening. If not for
the need to collect money from Tom, Kyle would be at his own desk
instead of leaving his work unfinished.

Kyle dragged in a breath of moist air and
tried to calm himself, to think clearly—and give Tom the benefit of
doubt, one last time.

He backhanded the rain from his eyes and
entered the office where Jeb Kane, Tom’s mill foreman, was leaning
against a tall wooden file cabinet covered with a sundry of saw
parts. Kyle had known Jeb nearly as long as he’d known Tom and had
always admired the man.

Tom glanced up in surprise, then a smile of
welcome filled his face. “What the hell are you doing out in this
storm?”

Kyle didn’t return the smile and Tom’s
expression flattened.

“Good God, what happened?”

“Nothing, Tom. I just need to talk to
you.”

Tom pressed his fist to his heart. “From the
look on your face, I thought someone had died. My heart’s jumping
like a bullfrog. What’s so damned important that you would plow
through this rain and scare ten years off my life?”

“I need the money for that section of pine
you bought from me. It’s been three months.”

Tom’s gaze locked with Kyle’s. “Jeb and I
were just discussing that problem. My saw broke down again last
week and it set me back a bit. Can you give me another couple of
weeks?”

Even though Kyle suspected he was being
railroaded, he couldn’t force a negative response from his mouth.
“I’ll need it soon. I ordered another saw for my mill.”

“I heard. I’m sorry about holding you up like
this.”

“Are you?”

Tom’s brows furrowed. “What are you driving
at, son?”

At one time being called son had made Kyle
feel less alone, now it made him angry that Tom’s greed was
breaking that bond between them. “This is the third time you’ve put
me off. I’m beginning to think you want to stop me from expanding
my business.”

Tom’s chin jerked up as if Kyle had punched
him. “Would you like me to forget you just said that?”

“I’d like you to be honest with me.”

Tom’s eyes darkened. “Have you ever known me
to lie?”

“No,” Kyle answered honestly. “Nor have I
ever known you to renege on a deal. But you’re holding me back and
I want to know if it’s intentional. Is my mill getting too big for
your comfort?”

Tom’s face flamed and he pointed at the door.
“Go back outside and let the rain beat some sense into your head
before I’m tempted to do it myself.”

In a physical match Kyle could have taken
both Tom and Jeb, who were at least twenty years his senior, but
regardless how upset he felt about Tom’s betrayal, Kyle could never
harm either of the men he considered friends. “I want to know why
you’re playing this game with me.”

Tom slammed his fist on his desk, his body
visibly shaking. “This isn’t a game, just a damned embarrassment I
have to live with.”

Jeb moved toward the desk. “Calm down, Tom.
Doc Finlay warned you about getting upset.”

“The hell with Doc Finlay!” Tom pointed a
shaking finger at Kyle. “You listen to me, young man. Your father
and I tangled over every stand of timber in this county for twenty
years while we built our mills, but we
never
cheated each
other. We played fair and never doubted each other’s word no matter
how tense the competition got between us. We even managed to become
good friends through all of that.” Tom grimaced and leaned his
fists on his desk. His arms shook and he gulped in deep breaths,
but he continued in a harsh, strained voice. “When your pa died, I
treated you like my own son and taught you how to survive in this
business. How can you stand here and tell me I’m trying to cheat
you?”

Shame filled Kyle. Tom
had
shown
Kyle how to keep his family sawmill from going under. While Radford
had been too tormented by his war memories to stay and help Kyle
with their family sawmill, Kyle had shouldered the responsibility
of supporting his mother and two younger brothers. He’d managed it
by working hard and running the mill with an iron fist. He’d
survived because Tom had shown him how.

“Dammit, Kyle,” Tom whispered, swaying over
his desk. “I can’t do this now. I’m not...feeling well.”

Kyle and Jeb sprang forward together, but
neither of them reached Tom before he collapsed on the floor with
his fists pressed to his chest. They knelt beside him, but when
Kyle felt Tom’s heaving chest, panic filled his own. “Take my horse
and go for the doctor!” Kyle commanded, so used to being in charge
that he issued the order without a second thought. “Hurry!”

Jeb jerked to his feet and raced out the
door, leaving Kyle with his own heart thundering, and a fervent
prayer that his gelding would sprout wings and fly for help.

Tom’s gaze locked on Kyle. “I...helped
you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I pushed you about the
money, Tom. I shouldn’t have doubted you. I wasn’t thinking.” Kyle
stared at his friend, feeling helpless in the face of Tom’s
struggle. “You could have used your experience against me all those
years ago,” he said, using his voice to keep Tom conscious and
focused on something other than his pain. “Instead, you made me a
good businessman. You challenged me to educate myself and compete
with you man to man. I’ve always meant to repay you for that. I’ve
just never known how.”

Tom gritted his teeth and panted. Sweat
beaded his forehead. “Take care of Victoria...and Amelia.”

“Of course. Until you’re on your feet
again.”

Tom’s face grew pale, but his gaze stayed
locked on Kyle. “My daughter . . .”

“Amelia is fine,” Kyle assured him, knowing
the pretty schoolmarm would be safely tucked in her room behind the
little white schoolhouse in Laona at this time of the evening.

“She needs a...husband.”

“She needs
you
, Tom. So does your
wife. Jeb will be back with the doctor soon. Just stay calm until
they get here.”

“M-marry her.”

Kyle snorted at the ridiculous notion of him
marrying any woman. Despite Amelia’s drab teacher’s garments, she
was tall and slender with thick chestnut colored hair that made his
hands itch to pluck the pins from her prim chignon. Kyle would
never forget the one kiss he had stolen from Amelia at her father’s
lumberyard years earlier, but he had suffered enough heartache for
a lifetime and had no interest in pursuing a personal relationship
with
any
female. Not even one as gorgeous as Amelia Drake.
Bachelorhood suited him perfectly.

Tom gripped Kyle’s forearm. “Keep him away
from her.”

“Who?” Tom shuddered and Kyle gripped his
arm. “Keep who away?”

“Tell them...I love them.” A hard shudder
passed through Tom’s body and he arched against the dirty pine
planks of his office floor. His fingers gouged Kyle’s arm. “You owe
me.”

Guilt swamped Kyle. Despite Tom’s recent
behavior, Kyle owed this man more than harsh words and hurtful
accusations. “I’ll take care of your wife and daughter,” Kyle said,
trying to ease the anxiety in Tom’s eyes. “I promise. Now stop
worrying. It’s not helping you right now.”

Pain streaked across Tom’s face and a dazed
expression filled his eyes. Kyle’s stomach clenched and his throat
filled with denial as he realized he was watching his friend’s life
slipping away. “Tom!”