By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) Page 4

  “It’s the truth?” she persisted.

  “Yes. It’s the truth.”

  Brianna turned her attention to the box. Inside, she found stacks of letters bundled together with rubber bands. Next, she found a stack of larger envelopes that she deduced were cards. She found several small gift boxes, wrapped in brown paper.

  With a deep breath, she reached for the first stack of envelopes and studied the first envelope. She discovered the letter was addressed to her. She tugged it out from the banded stack. She didn’t recognize the return address but knew it belonged to Holly. She opened the letter, realizing the writing, though neat, was that of a child. She began reading to herself—

  Dear baby sister,

  I’m so happy you are finally here. I can’t wait to meet you. I just know you’re perfect.

  I’m so excited to finally be a big sister. You don’t know how glad I was to hear you’re a girl and not a boy. If you’d been a boy, I would have loved you anyway, but… Well, you know what I mean. Since we’re both girls, we’ll have more in common…

  She continued reading the letter, in which Holly listed all the fun things she intended to both teach her and show her. There was no denying, Holly had been thrilled to have a sibling.

  Brianna glanced her way. Her lips began to tremble. “Why didn’t they show me this?”

  Holly sighed. “I … don’t have the answer to that,” she said. “I guess they had their reasons.”

  “But … what possible reason could they have for keeping us apart?”

  Holly shrugged and turned toward her briefly. “Honey, I don’t know.”

  “But…” The girl was clearly distraught and it killed Holly that she’d caused her pain.

  “I’m sorry, Brianna. It may have been too soon to show…”

  “No!” she cried. “You should have shown me sooner. I was so angry with you! And you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve been awful to you. I’m awful!”

  Holly reached across the seat dividing them and squeezed her sister’s hand. “You didn’t know, and I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “You didn’t want me to be angry with my parents. Is that it?”

  Holly blew out a breath. “Yes.”

  “You shouldn’t have worried. I was angry with them anyway.” The girl drew silent and reached for the next letter. Once again, she read her sister’s child’s script—

  Dear Sissie,

  I hope you don’t mind if I call you that. When I think about you, I just automatically call you ‘Sissie’ cuz you’re my very own baby sister. Gosh, you’re over a month old and I haven’t gotten to see you yet. I don’t know why. (If you could talk, you’d probably tell me.) Anyway, I’m sure I’ll get to see you soon. At least, that’s what Dad said when I talked to him last. I called him again, but he must be busy, since he hasn’t called back.

  I asked Dad to send me a picture of you, but he hasn’t been able to send me one. I can’t help wondering if maybe, just maybe, you look a little bit like me. That’s probably silly, huh? Anyway, I’m hoping I’ll know soon what you look like…

  Brianna read on, her heart breaking for the little girl Holly had been. She could sense the sadness in her words and knew that as she had done so often in the past herself, Holly had been struggling to trust in their father, though he had ultimately failed her. He must be busy. Yeah, he was busy all right, she thought.

  She finished reading the letter and pulled out the next. She was still reading when Holly announced cheerfully, “Oh, my goodness, this is it! Our home! Brianna, this is it!”

  Chapter Five

  Brianna glanced up from the letter she was reading. They were parked on the gravel driveway of a home several yards off a main roadway. She’d been so engrossed in reading the letters Holly had given her, she hadn’t even been cognizant of the passing of time or miles.

  “This is it?” she asked softly, taking in the scene before her.

  “I … think so,” Holly answered, her eyes passing over the rolling pastureland behind the house. The bright green fields went on for what seemed like miles. Evergreen trees towered in the distance. “Should we get out?”

  Brianna seemed hesitant to leave her box behind, but nodded and climbed out of the car. She and Holly met at the hood and both stared at the small home in front of them.

  “I think it’s a modular home,” Holly observed.

  “Modular?” Brianna asked, her brows knitted in confusion.

  “A manufactured home. Sometimes they’re called mobile homes.”

  “It looks sort of like a log cabin,” Brianna observed. “I like the porch across the front.”

  “I do too,” Holly agreed. “Shall we see if anybody’s home?”

  To Holly’s surprise, Brianna took her hand and together they approached the front steps. They paused at the base of the steps, breathed deeply as if in synchronization, and then began the short climb to the porch.

  Holly rang the bell and waited. No one answered. Before using the key, she knocked loudly. No one came.

  “I guess we’ll go in,” she told Brianna and inserted the key into the lock. She turned it and then tried the knob. “It’s open,” she said cheerfully.

  She gestured for Brianna to step in before her and then followed closely behind. Inside, they discovered a tiny foyer that led to a large, expansive great room. The large room opened to the kitchen. The interior featured log construction and was sparsely furnished a few pieces of rustic furnishings.

  “I like it,” Brianna said, smiling.

  “I do too,” Holly said.

  Holly gestured for Brianna to follow and they headed for a hallway off the great room. Holly counted four doors. “It looks like there are three bedrooms and a bathroom.”

  “It’s a good size house for two people,” Brianna observed.

  “Yes. Shall we check out the rest of it?”

  Brianna nodded and they entered the first room. A tiny bedroom, it stood empty. Next was a bathroom. “It’s nice,” Brianna said. “Pretty good size.” She grinned. “I guess this would be my bathroom?”

  Holly smiled at her. Brianna actually seemed to like the house.

  They continued on to the next bedroom, which was a decent size. “Mine,” Brianna said cheerfully. “The next one must be the master bedroom.”

  She dashed out of the room to which she’d just laid claim and hurried into the largest bedroom. “Holly, come look!”

  Holly found Brianna standing in the middle of the room. Like the rest of the house, it was sparsely furnished, but she was pleased to see a queen-sized bed and a dresser of drawers in the room. “You have your own bathroom!” Brianna cried. “Come and see it.”

  Holly stepped into the bathroom, which was much larger than she expected it to be. A four-piece ensuite, it featured a double vanity.

  “Hey, I can always get ready for school in here. There’s a sink for both of us,” Brianna noted.

  Holly was delighted her sister seemed so happy about the house. She was somewhat dismayed by her enthusiasm, however, since the girl had lived in a gorgeous, upscale home. Holly didn’t realize she was watching her kid sister somewhat quizzically, until the perceptive teenager spoke.

  “You’re wondering why I like this place so much when I’m used to living in a McMansion,” she observed knowingly.

  Holly opened her mouth, to deny the accusation, but bit back her denial. Brianna was right. “Well… I mean…”

  “I didn’t like the house we were living in,” she said with a shudder. “We didn’t own it. It was all for show. God forbid if we ever touched anything, or got a stain on the carpet…” Her words trailed off. “This feels like … home.” She grinned. “We can make it feel like home, anyway.” She laughed outright. “Of course, we’ll need furniture.”

  “I’m so happy you like it, Brianna. I like it too. It’s really spacious—compared to the apartment— and everything feels brand new.” She broke into a wide smile. “To be honest, I’ve always imagi
ned myself living in a log cabin in the woods. Of course, I imagined it would be situated amongst tall trees, but I have to admit, the pastureland behind us is gorgeous.”

  “It is! And Holly, did you notice…?”

  “Notice what?”

  “There’s a barn out back, just past the fence.”

  “I didn’t see it.”

  “Let’s check it out. It may be big enough for a horse.”

  Holly followed her exuberant sister to the small red barn. Just as Brianna had told her, it was situated just beyond a makeshift fence out back. In order to reach it, they had to duck between the gaps in the fence.

  Brianna was first to get to the barn and quickly removed the wood board that held it closed. The doors swung open, revealing two stalls to the left and a large storage area to the right. Assorted tools hung on the wall in the storage area.

  “Holly, there are stalls! I can have a horse.” She left the barn and Holly found her gazing out at the pastureland. “Is it ours, do you think? If it is, I’ll have plenty of room to ride.”

  “I don’t know. Oh! That reminds me. I was supposed to call Uncle Benjamin’s attorney when we got into town.” She quickly checked her watch. “It’s after five,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I guess we won’t know anything until tomorrow. I’ll call him first thing in the morning.”

  “Are we staying here tonight?” Brianna asked hopefully.

  Holly was uncertain what to do, but her uncle had sent her the key, noting he wanted her to have it so she could access the home. “I guess we may as well. We’ll save money on a hotel room.”

  Brianna spun on her heel. “I’m going to see if there’s any food in the pantry. This country air is making me hungry!”

  Holly couldn’t help smiling as she followed after her sister. Who was this girl? She’d seemingly been transformed upon their arrival in the country. Perhaps this move was just what the doctor ordered.

  ***

  Brianna took a bite of her burger and glanced around the fast food restaurant. She smiled widely. “It’s good to know there are several fast food restaurants in Battle Ground.”

  “Oh? You like fast food better than my cooking?”

  Brianna laughed. “I didn’t say that. But just look across the street. That’s the high school. I can always cross the street if I’m craving a burger.”

  “We’ll have to assure it’s not against school policy,” Holly warned in a teasing tone, and then yawned. “I’m feeling tired, but we need to pick up groceries. We can’t continue eating out every day.”

  “I saw a grocery store that way.” Brianna pointed west and then reached for a French fry.

  “We’ll grab a few essentials. Just enough to tide us over until we know exactly what the future holds. I’m really eager to talk to the executor of Uncle Ben’s estate.”

  Brianna nodded. “I wish I’d met Uncle Ben. It’s really great of him to have left you a home.”

  “I’ll say,” Holly laughed. “But it’s our home,” she clarified.

  Brianna watched her thoughtfully. “It would really be great if he left you a lot of money, too.”

  Holly chuckled, but sobered. The house was blessing enough. “Like I said, tomorrow will tell. Hey, are you almost finished? I’m about ready for a warm bath and bed.”

  As if on cue, Brianna yawned. “Me too.”

  The women tidied up their table, threw away their trash, and headed for Holly’s car. They made a quick detour for groceries, and this time, as they drove out of town and toward the house, Brianna watched the passing scenery. “It’s really pretty here,” she observed. “I understand why they call Washington the Evergreen State.” She suddenly gasped. “Holly, look ahead. It’s a mountain, but it looks like…” She squinted. “It’s missing its top.”

  Holly laughed out loud. “It’s Mount St. Helens.” She made a scared face. “Wow, that looks awfully close.”

  Brianna didn’t appear the least concerned. “Hey, when somebody gives you a house, you can’t really complain about a volcano in the backyard.”

  Holly burst out laughing. “You make a good point.”

  Back at the house, the women unloaded the car and Brianna offered to put the few groceries away so Holly could begin getting ready for bed. First, she made a beeline for the mud room off the kitchen and did a quick search for cleaning supplies. She’d noted a thick coating of dust held to the fixtures in the master bathroom and she wanted to do a quick general cleaning of the room.

  Once done, she turned on the faucet in the garden tub and allowed the water to heat up before she disrobed and climbed in. She eased into the warmth of the deep tub and gave a sigh of contentment. She’d never bathed in such a large tub and found the experience so pleasurable, she hated to get out. But … she needed to hurry, so Brianna could have a chance to have a soak too.

  As she climbed out and toweled off, she noted the window beside the tub was also large, and if the blinds hadn’t been closed, would have afforded a fantastic view of the pastureland behind the house. In her mind’s eye, she imagined the view of the emerald fields in each of the four seasons. She found herself looking forward to the future, to seeing new scenery, and starting life afresh. She hoped Brianna was feeling the same way, but suspected she was. She hadn’t ever seen the girl so animated and felt hopeful the teenager would continue to blossom in her new environment.

  After dressing in fleece shorts and a t-shirt, Holly left her bedroom to check on Brianna. She found her lying on her stomach on the floor of the great room and propped up on her elbows. She had spread out many items from the box she had given her earlier. She was currently engaged in reading a birthday card.

  She turned, as if sensing Holly was standing behind her. Her face was wet from crying. “You sent me all these cards and gifts.” She shook her head. “You were just a kid yourself at the time, and Dad kept you from me, yet you continued to send me things.” She wiped at her eyes. “Why didn’t you stop? Why didn’t you just give up?”

  Holly smiled softly. “Because you’re my sister and I love you.”

  Brianna rose from the floor. She swiped at her eyes once again and then stared searchingly into Holly’s face. Holly spread her arms and Brianna flung herself into them. “I love you too,” she said softly. “I really do.”

  Chapter Six

  Holly woke early to the sun streaming in through the gaps in the bedroom curtains. For a brief couple seconds, she was unsure where she was, but when she felt the mattress shift, she turned and spotted her sister sleeping beside her. She smiled when she remembered both where they were and why they were here.

  This bedroom was hers—in her new house. She carefully threw back the covers and flung her legs over the mattress. Her feet hit the floor and shivered. It was nearly summer but still quite cold. She hurried to the restroom and sent a longing look at the shower. She didn’t really need one, but decided to take one anyway.

  After luxuriating in the shower for several moments, she turned off the stream of water and reached for a towel she’d hung on a nearby rack. She hurried to retrieve a pair of jeans and a top from her suitcase on the floor beside the bed. She dressed quickly but still felt a bit chilly. After retrieving a sweat shirt from the suitcase, she slipped into it and then headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

  The evening before, she’d seen a coffee maker on the kitchen counter, as well as several coffee mugs dangling from hooks on the underside of the upper cabinets. She took down two mugs, looked inside and found a coating of dust, and hurriedly washed them clean. After cleaning the coffee carafe and starting the grounds to brewing, she checked the time. She was eager to reach the executor of her uncle’s will, but it was still too early to make the call.

  Brianna soon joined her in the kitchen, having readied for the day. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took a shower in your room,” she said.

  “Not a problem,” Holly assured her. “We can share the master bathroom if you like.”

  “Thank
you.” She beamed. “I’ll probably go back and forth between bathrooms.” She crossed the room to a large window overlooking the pastureland behind them. “It’s a sunny day,” she said happily.

  “It’s beautiful. A little chilly, but so pretty.” Holly grinned. “I did a little reading on Washington State before we left, and I understand it rains quite a bit here.”

  Brianna weighed the information with a side-to-side tip of her head. “I guess it’s a tradeoff for all this green.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Holly said with a smile. “Hey, are you hungry? I was about to pour myself a bowl of cereal.”

  “Sounds good, but I’ll get it.” She retrieved two bowls and passed one to Holly. After pouring cereal and milk into each, and returning the milk to the fridge, she joined her sister at the table. “What’s on the agenda today?”

  “Well, first off, I need to call the executor, to see if I can learn anything. I’ll probably have to meet with him.”

  “And after that…?”

  Holly gave her a questioning glance. “Did you have something in mind?”

  “We could … go horse shopping…”

  Holly stared at her sister’s hopeful face. Brianna grinned winningly and emphasized her dimples by poking each side of her face with her pointer fingers. Holly burst out laughing. “How do I say ‘no’ to that face?” she wondered aloud, but quickly sobered. “I think we’d better settle in and find out exactly how much of this property belongs to us before we make any big animal purchases,” she said reasonably. “Besides, I imagine there’s a lot of preparation that goes into bringing home a horse. And I know nothing about them.”

  “But I know a lot about them,” she assured her. “And I promise I’ll take care of her. I’ve done it before. Will you at least think about it?”

  “Of course,” she promised. “Once we’ve spoken to the executor, we’ll know more. Until then, however, we’d probably better take it slow.”

  “But if the barn is ours…?” she persisted.