By Summer's End (Christian Fiction) Page 5

  “I will consider it. You have my word.” She suddenly realized she was currently unemployed and would need to find a job sooner than later.

  Brianna noticed the sudden frown on her face. “What is it, Holly?”

  “I need to start looking for work as soon as possible.” She glanced around the home. “We’re going to need some furnishings. You are definitely going to need a bed of your own and a dresser and…”

  “A horse,” she interjected with a laugh.

  Holly gave her a mock-stern glance.

  Brianna pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and checked the time. “Hey, it’s after eight o’ clock. Should you call the executor now?”

  “May I use your phone? I don’t have a cell phone and we don’t have phone service set up here.”

  “We should feel lucky we have electricity,” Brianna observed.

  “Yes, we should.”

  Holly hurried to her bedroom to retrieve the paperwork from the executor. She returned shortly and Brianna passed her the phone. After dialing, Holly waited with bated breath for someone to pick up. She realized her heart was pounding and her hands had gone clammy. She was more nervous than she’d originally realized.

  “Is anybody there?” Brianna asked.

  Holly smiled encouragingly but wondered, was anyone going to pick up? The executor had told her he was always in his office by eight. Finally, finally, someone picked up the phone. “Forrest James’ office,” a nasally voice said.

  “May I speak to Mr. James, please? My name is Holly Holton. Mr. James is expecting my call.”

  “I’m so sorry, but Mr. James was called away for a family emergency.”

  “Do you … know when he might be back?”

  “I’m afraid not. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  “Well … I don’t know. Uh, well, maybe you can tell me something. My uncle, Benjamin Holton, left me his home. The thing is, I don’t even know if he passed away or if he’s…”

  “I’m so sorry, but he did pass away.”

  “Oh, okay.” Holly felt a stab of pain at his loss. She didn’t know him, but he’d been kind enough to remember her in his will. She couldn’t help but have fond feelings for him. She wished she could have known him.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss. He was a wonderful man,” the woman told her. “Ben and I attended the same church. He was beloved by all—but then, you already know that.”

  She hadn’t known that, and was uncertain how to respond.

  “Oh, my, I have another call waiting. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Well, uh, let’s see. Oh, I should ask… Uncle Benjamin sent me a key to his home, since he willed it to me. He told me in a letter that he wanted me to have access to the home. Is it okay for…?”

  “For you to stay there now?” she clarified.

  “Yes.”

  “I understand it’s fine for…” Her words dwindled off. “Will you hold for a moment? I have another call and…”

  Before Holly could answer, the woman was gone. She soon returned, her voice harried. “Was that everything?”

  “Uh, well…”

  “Ask her about the barn. Is it ours?” Brianna prompted from beside her.

  “I’m afraid I have another…” the woman began.

  “Can you tell me if the barn is ours?” Holly quickly asked.

  “Give me a moment and I’ll…” She was gone for a moment but soon returned. “Uh, yes, I think I see here—I believe—you may take ownership of any outbuildings…” She paused. “I’m sorry. Someone has just come in. I really have to go now. If you have additional questions, I’m afraid they’re going to have to wait until Mr. James returns. I’ve just started working here, so I’m not really qualified to help…” The line went dead.

  Holly passed Brianna her cell phone. She shook her head. “I guess Uncle Benjamin’s executor had a family emergency and had to leave town.”

  “When will he be back?”

  “The woman who answered the phone couldn’t say.”

  “But she did say the barn is ours?”

  Holly gave a shrug. “She said any outbuildings are ours.”

  “What about all the pastureland…?” She burst into a big smile. “Wait! It has to belong to us. If the barn is ours, and it’s behind the fence, and … it’s sitting on the pasture, then…” She gave a whoop of triumph. “It’s ours!”

  Holly wasn’t certain how to respond. She felt slightly uneasy. “Brianna, until we do talk to the executor, we probably shouldn’t assume anything about the outlying property.”

  “But … we can hope, right?”

  She smiled. “We can always hope… And pray.”

  Chapter Seven

  “It looks so good!” Brianna declared, as she stood back and assessed the work she and Holly had just done to the front yard of their new home.

  Holly, kneeling on the grass, rose from her knees and moved to stand beside her sister. Her eyes passed over the front yard. “It’s gorgeous,” she agreed. “The lawn is completely filled in, and thanks to the bit of rain we’ve had, it’s actually green.”

  “And the flowers beside the porch steps look so pretty,” Brianna observed. She smiled in her sister’s direction. “I can’t wait until we get a porch swing.”

  “I know. I’ve been thinking a lot about that. I can’t wait to enjoy a quiet summer evening on our very own porch.”

  Brianna cocked her head. “The chairs look nice.” She and Holly had found the two chairs at a second-hand store and intended to refurbish them. Both needed the legs stabilized before they were safe for use, but it turned out, both women enjoyed a project. It was something the sisters had discovered they had in common.

  “They’ll look nicer after we’ve painted them,” Holly told her. “Maybe we can start when I get off work tomorrow.”

  “Or … I can sand them and give them a base coat tomorrow, while you’re working. That way, you can finish painting them tomorrow.”

  “You really don’t mind my tole painting attempts,” Holly asked, giving her an assessing glance.

  “Attempts? You’re an artist!”

  Holly laughed and threw an arm over her sister’s shoulders. She remembered meeting Brianna for the first time, and how surly and uncommunicative she had been. She recalled weeks of animosity and anger emanating from her, but now… Brianna had been transformed. She seemed to love the country, as did Holly.

  They had lived in their home for six weeks and had spent that time beautifying both the inside and outside. The front yard was nearly done. Holly was pleased with their efforts, and was most delighted with the small Pacific dogwood tree Brianna had gifted to her the day before. Holly was hopeful he tree would grow and flourish and always remind her of the progress she and Brianna had made toward becoming sisters.

  “Hey,” Brianna said, smiling winningly at Holly, “since the house and lawn are coming along, maybe we can start getting the barn ready for…”

  “A horse,” Holly finished for her drolly, giving her a mock-frustrated look.

  Brianna gave her an imploring look in return. “I mean, summer won’t last forever, and it would be good for my future horse and I to have some good weather together, so we can get acquainted and also have time to enjoy riding in our pasture while it’s dry.”

  Holly smiled indulgently, but once again, was forced to remain the voice of reason. “I’m afraid until we hear from the elusive executor, we’re going to have to hold off on acquiring animals of any size.”

  “Even a cat?”

  Holly groaned. She knew her sister was referring to the large cat that had taken up residence on their porch. She was well aware that Brianna had been feeding it for the past couple weeks.

  She emitted a beleaguered sigh and threw her hands in the air in defeat. “You can have the cat—if he sticks around.”

  She smiled smugly. “He spends most of his time on our porch.”

  Holly laughed and headed toward the house. �
�Hey, is your cell phone on the countertop in the kitchen? I’m going to try that executor again.”

  “Yeah, it’s there. I’m going to feed my cat and I’ll be right in.”

  Holly shook her head as she stepped into the house. She was well aware her little sister had just conned her into keeping the cat. She hurried to place the call, and once again, was informed the man was still out of town. Unfortunately, his assistant was little help, as usual.

  Holly turned toward the front door when she heard the sound of the door knob turning. Brianna walked in, smiling, and carrying her cat. “He loves me,” she said of the obviously contented animal.

  Holly sighed. “Well, what are we going to call him?”

  “Dave.”

  “Dave?” Holly repeated, surprised by her sister’s choice of monikers for the scruffy orange cat.

  “Yeah, I figure if any bad guys ever show up here, and they happen to hear me call out the name, ‘Dave,’ they’ll think twice about coming in. They’ll think a man lives here with us.”

  “Oh, well… Good thinking. I guess.” Holly laughed and noted Brianna was watching her with a speculative glance. “What?”

  “Why don’t you ever date?”

  She was taken aback by the question. She dated. Well, she’d dated. In the past. Years ago…

  Brianna laughed at her sister’s bewildered expression.

  “Why are you asking about my dating life?” Holly asked, folding her arms across her chest.

  “Because it appears you don’t have one.”

  “I… Hey, we’ve just made a big move across country. It’s not as if I’ve had the opportunity to meet anyone.”

  “Are there any handsome single fathers at the preschool where you work?” Brianna asked curiously.

  “No, I’m afraid not. We only care for small children at the preschool. We don’t admit fathers…” She laughed at her joke.

  Brianna gave her a chagrined glance. “You know what I mean.”

  Holly had managed to secure a day position at a small preschool/daycare in town. So far, she really enjoyed it and considered herself fortunate to have found the work.

  “Holly,” Brianna pressed. “You’re being difficult.”

  Holly relented and decided to answer the question. Brianna was like a dog on a bone when she wanted answers to questions. “If there are any single dads, I haven’t noticed. I’m too busy to notice.”

  “Busy with what?” Brianna inquired, as she stroked the purring cat. “Our house is coming along. The outside is looking better…”

  “What am I busy with?” Holly mused. “Plenty.” She checked her watch. “Hey, it’s lunch time. I’m busy with meal preparation,” she said with a pert lift of her chin.

  Brianna followed her into the kitchen and sat down on a stool at the center island. She glanced around. “I like it here.”

  The words, spoken sincerely, caused Holly to turn toward her. “I’m glad.”

  “Are we driving into town later?”

  Holly nodded. “Yes. We need to go by the bank. I need to put your bonds into a safety deposit bank.”

  “Bonds?” Brianna furrowed her brow. “I thought there was only the one in the display box.”

  Holly shook her head, confused. “Display box?” Her eyes widened. “No, Brianna, it’s not a display box. It’s a storage container. Here, I’ll show you.”

  Brianna took over assembling sandwiches for lunch, while Holly ducked into her bedroom. She soon returned with two small metal boxes. She sat down and Brianna joined her at the island. “Look,” she directed, as she carefully removed a stack of bonds from one box, as well as a stack of twenty-dollar bills from the other.

  Brianna gasped. “I thought there was a single bond on top, and the same for the twenty.”

  Holly passed her the stack of bonds and Brianna’s eyes widened. Each one was a one-hundred dollar series I bond. “Holly,” she said softly, “how many bonds are there?”

  “Well, let’s see… I sent you one for your birthday and Christmas each year, so…”

  “Two a year for fifteen years…” Brianna did a quick mental calculation. “Holly, that’s three-thousand dollars.”

  “Yes, that sounds right. Oh, plus interest…”

  “And you sent these to me?”

  “Yes, but they always came back unopened.”

  “Good thing,” Brianna said with a sigh.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If Dad and Mom had known there was money in the envelopes, they would have kept it.”

  Holly gave her a startled glance. “Would they have? Money intended for you?”

  She nodded with resignation and then passed the stack of bonds back to her sister. “Holly, you keep the bonds.” Her eyes brightened. “Put them toward your mother’s medical bills.”

  She shook her head adamantly. “No. The bonds belong to you. I figured you could put the money toward college. Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue to build on your college fund.” She reached for the box of twenties. “Maybe you can start a savings account with these,” she said.

  Brianna reached for the box and extracted the stack of twenties. It was thick and obviously a lot of money. “Holly!”

  She smiled. “I sent them in cards for many of the holidays. I’m sorry I opened them when they came back, but I wanted to keep the money stored for safe-keeping.”

  “I saw the cards,” Brianna said with a small smile. “You did so much for me and I never knew.”

  “It was my way of showing I cared. Of course, I was pretty upset when your parents sent the items back, but…” She shrugged. “At least you have them now.”

  Brianna eyed the stack of twenties. Holly read her mind.

  “We’ll talk about a horse later. I have no idea how much a horse would cost.”

  “It really depends,” Brianna said. “I’ve been checking on Craigslist, and…”

  Holly gave her a warning glance. There was no point in getting excited until they’d met with the still-absent executor. She finished making the sandwiches and passed one to her sister. “When we’re done eating, we’ll drive into town and stop by the bank.”

  “Okay,” Brianna said glumly. “It’s just…”

  Brianna chuckled. “It’s just what?”

  “Summer is nearly half over now and…”

  “I know.”

  When they had finished their lunch, Holly gathered up Brianna’s bonds and twenty dollar bills and sealed all in a couple of gallon-size Ziploc bags. She glanced around. “Do we have everything?” She spotted the cat curled up in a ball in the lone chair in the great room. “Put Dave outside, please.”

  “He seems to love our new chair,” Brianna observed.

  They had found the chair at a nearby Goodwill. It was worn, but was well-built. They had draped a throw over it and each evening, jokingly fought over the single chair in the room.

  “We need another chair,” Brianna said, her eyes doing a pass over the room. “We can always use the twenties to buy a new…”

  Holly shook her head. “No. That money is yours—for a rainy day.”

  Brianna’s eyes twinkled. “From what I understand, I’ll have plenty of rainy days to choose from. I guess it really does rain a lot here.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey, Holly, what’s that on the side of the road up ahead?” Brianna asked, squinting her eyes for a better look. She grinned. “Maybe it’s a chair with a ‘free’ sign attached.”

  Holly slowed the car and pulled to a stop. “It’s not a chair, but it is a desk with a ‘free’ sign attached. Let’s take a look.”

  Both women hurried out of the car. Brianna knelt down to assess the condition of the wooden desk. “There are a few scratches, but otherwise, it’s in pretty good shape.”

  Holly ran her hand over the desktop and then tipped her head for a better look. “It’s real wood,” she said, surprised. “I figured it would be particle board.” She smiled at Brianna. “You know, we could sand thi
s down and refinish it and you’d have a pretty nice study desk for your bedroom.”

  Holly rose, hands on hips, and glanced around. She wondered how they could manage to transport the desk home. She spotted a small house at the end of the gravel drive. The tidy bungalow, set amidst tall trees, was a bit of a walk away. “Let’s go talk to the folks and see if they’ll hold it for us until we can figure out how to get it home.”

  They were about to start toward the house when a large truck drew near. The women heard the spray of gravel as it came to a stop behind them. They turned and watched a man drop out of the vehicle. Average height, well-built and handsome, he smiled as he approached. “Need any help?” he asked congenially.

  Holly sent a quick glance at Brianna and then back to him. “Uh, well, yes, we do.” She smiled brightly. “Apparently this desk is free for the taking and well, we’d like to take it. Unfortunately…”

  “You have no way to get it home,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m happy to help.” He crossed the distance to the women and extended a hand to Holly. “I’m Ryan McGraw,” he said.

  “I’m Holly Holton and this is my sister, Brianna.”

  He nodded at the teenager and turned his attention back to Holly. “Good to meet you both. Hey, give me a minute. I’m going to track down Levi—he lives in that bungalow up the way—and we’ll get the desk loaded into my truck for you.”

  “I’m sure I could manage to lift…” Holly began.

  He waved away the offer. “We’ll get it. Hold up and I’ll be right back.”

  Ryan soon returned with an older man. Tall, slightly stooped and lean, he walked with a slight limp. “Glad to see somebody may get some use out of the old desk. I’m Levi Burns,” he said, offering a hand to Holly, and then Brianna.

  “We were so happy to spot the desk,” Holly told him. “My sister could really use a study desk in her bedroom.”

  “Well, this one’s in good shape, though it could use some TLC.”

  “We’re the ones to give it some TLC,” Brianna said with a grin. “My sister can make any type of furniture look brand new.”

  Holly smiled at the praise. “Well, I try.”