Friends to the End Read online

  He held out a hand to stop her. “Do you have experience with horses, Tricia?”

  “No.” Looking at him shyly, she said, “I mean, not beyond petting them when I’ve visited your family’s barn.”

  She was adorable.

  And there went his best of intentions, melting away like snowflakes on his skin. Feeling himself soften toward her, realizing he was now thinking about pulling her into his arms and holding her close, Logan stepped back. “I won’t need your help,” he said, his voice sounding harsher than he intended. “Go on inside and get warm. I’ll be there when I can.”

  Looking like she’d just been firmly put in her place, Tricia blinked, then turned around and walked inside.

  The moment the cabin’s front door closed behind her, Logan walked to Pet’s side and started guiding him and his sister to the shed.

  Pet neighed, pawing at the snow.

  “I hear ya, buddy, and I completely agree,” he murmured. “Being here alone with Tricia Warner is a recipe for trouble.”

  When Priss nickered softly, Logan reached out and patted her soft brown neck, thick with its winter coat. “You’re right. I should know better and shouldn’t be thinking the things I am. But I’m only human, you see.”

  Realizing that the temperature had dropped further and the sky looked even more ominous, he amended his earlier thoughts. It wasn’t just being alone with Tricia that was cause for concern. He had a feeling the weather was about to take a turn for the worse.

  THREE

  “Actually, Andy would have never taken me to the Clarks’ house if he had a choice.”

  T hat’s right, Priss,” Logan said as he guided his second horse into the dilapidated stall. “I know it ain’t much, but it covers your head, jah? This shed is bigger than I remember and not all that chilly. It’s a blessing that a rancher owned this property before the Warners, too. Otherwise you’d be standing in the cold. All things considered, I reckon it could be worse.”

  But instead of looking mollified, Pet blew out a burst of air from the stall next door, showing his disdain for the surroundings.

  “Why does this attitude not surprise me?” Logan murmured as he patted the horse’s forehead. “At least I found you some water and brought you some havvah from home. You won’t starve. Count your blessings, gaul.”

  Pet responded by pawing the ground. He did look far more contrite, though, which caused Logan to grin. He loved this pair of horses, he really did.

  He’d accompanied his older brother and father three years ago to the horse auction in Mount Hope and had fallen in love at first sight with Pet and Priscilla. They’d been raised by the Schrocks, known to everyone for providing quality horseflesh. That wasn’t a surprise.

  What had taken everyone off guard, though, was Meyer Schrock’s insistence that the pair be purchased together. He’d said that the horses had an unusual affection for each other and would no doubt be difficult if separated.

  More than one man had scoffed at the idea and said that he’d discipline the horses until they behaved on their own. But Meyer had refused to accept any bids from those men.

  In the midst of it all, Logan’s father had seen something he liked in the pair. After telling Meyer that, even going so far as to share that he understood the need for horses to be near their siblings given that he had six kinner of his own, Daed had purchased the pair for a song.

  That was how his family had come to own a pair of buggy horses with atrocious names. But for what it was worth, Meyer had been exactly right. Both Pet and Priscilla were mighty gut horses. Hardworking and agreeable. Furthermore, they didn’t mind working separately, as long as they were kept in stalls next to each other at night.

  That was something else all the Clark kinner could relate to. They’d all shared rooms and were used to the companionship.

  After giving Priss her water and a handful of oats, Logan knew he couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. Grabbing the large canvas duffel bag he’d loaded onto the sleigh in case the storm worsened, he turned toward the door.

  He needed to go into the cabin and see Tricia. No doubt she was sitting in the dark and wondering what was taking him so long. Maybe even feeling sad because he’d refused her offer of help.

  If his older brother Eli had heard him, he would have cuffed Logan on the back of the head for making her feel bad about the offer in the first place. Logan would’ve deserved it, too. Clark men didn’t go out of their way to embarrass people. Especially young women who were in need of their help.

  So he really did need to go inside.

  To say he was dreading it was putting it mildly. Not because Tricia was difficult or annoying. Nee, the problem was with himself, not her. He simply didn’t know how to act around Trish anymore. Not since she’d smiled at him about three years ago and he realized he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since.

  Squaring his shoulders, he left the shelter of the shed and headed to the cabin, lugging the canvas duffel on one of his shoulders. The wind had picked up, making the snow fall even faster. The clouds had darkened in the distance, too.

  It was becoming mighty obvious that they weren’t going to be heading anywhere anytime soon.

  After briefly entertaining the idea of knocking first, he opened the door and stepped inside.

  Sure enough, Tricia was sitting on the edge of the couch, arms wrapped around her middle, looking miserable.

  “Sorry I took so long,” he said as he unwound his sodden scarf and slipped off his coat and boots. “It took me a bit to get the horses watered.”

  She got to her feet, which were now clad only in thick pink socks. “Do you need more water? There’s a pitcher in the kitchen and the plumbing works fine. I could fill it up and take it out.”

  “There’s no need,” he said as he hung his coat on the hook by the door. “Like I said, the horses are taken care of. Pet and Priscilla are fine.”

  “Oh.” Still standing, she searched his face as if she was looking for more information than he had to give. “I bet you’re freezing.”

  “I’m all right.”

  “Why don’t you go stand by the fire and I’ll bring you something. Um, would you like a Diet Coke?”

  He almost laughed. Of course Tricia would have no power and be sitting in the dark but have a ready supply of her favorite soda. “Danke, but I think I’ll pass for now.”

  She pursed her lips, obviously uneasy.

  Reminding himself that she was Andy’s little sister, Logan kept his expression impassive. He would only make things worse if he allowed anything he was feeling to show.

  He sat down, silently encouraging her to do the same. When she sat, he leaned back, pretending to feel more at ease than he actually did. “When did you get here?”

  “Yesterday. And before you tell me that it was a dumb idea to come up here by myself, believe me, I know.”

  “All I heard from Andy was that you were stuck in the cabin because of the snowstorm. He didn’t say anything else.”

  Hope flared in her eyes. “Really?”

  Unable to help himself, he brushed a knuckle against her cheek. “Truly. Talk to me, Trish. Why did you come up here? Why are you here instead of on vacation with your family?”

  “I just couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t hang out with my parents and my brother and pretend that everything was fine.”

  “Why would you need to pretend? Couldn’t you have simply told them the truth?”

  “If I was with your family, maybe I could. But with mine?” She shook her head slowly. “Our family doesn’t work that way.”

  Logan let this sink in for a moment, hoping that some story Andy had shared in the past would make her words suddenly make sense. But they didn’t. “How does your family work?”

  Her eyes widened, then she smirked. “My parents believe in landing on one’s feet. They don’t expect any of us to be perfect, but if we make mistakes, they want to discuss them and make a plan.”

  “Really?
That doesn’t sound like Andy.”

  “I don’t know if it does or doesn’t. All I know is that he’s good at it.” She leaned back, folding one long leg under the other. “And before you ask, I had a really bad semester up at Bowling Green. I took twelve hours, and managed to earn one B, two Cs, and a D plus.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. My grades were awful. And then there was the fact that I broke up with Emerson.”

  “Who was he?” It was a struggle to keep his voice even. “Your boyfriend?”

  “Yep.” She got to her feet. “Emerson and I had been together for eight months.”

  “Acht months?” How had he not known that?

  Glancing his way, she nodded. “That might not seem like a lot to you, but for me? It was practically an eternity.”

  “An eternity’s a long time,” he murmured, already hating Emerson even though he knew better than to hate anyone.

  She blinked, then laughed. “I know one thing. It’s a whole lot longer than Emerson and I lasted, that’s for sure.”

  “What happened to the two of you?” And why did he even want to know the details?

  “I learned the hard way that he wasn’t nearly as nice as I thought he was,” she said as she sat back down next to him.

  “And then?” he asked, trying not to imagine everything that this Emerson could have done.

  “Then?” A new, bleaker expression appeared on her face. “Oh, then everything fell apart.”

  And just like the storm outside the cabin’s walls, Logan realized that so much of what he’d imagined happening to Tricia was actually much worse.

  FOUR

  Andy and Logan and a couple of their friends had made plans for that day. Since Logan is one of six kids, Andy assumed I could hang out with one of his sisters. I don’t know why; I hardly knew them at all. I was sure it was going to be awkward. I was right.

  As the silence stretched between them, Tricia realized that she’d just shared more with Logan about Emerson than she had with either her parents or her brother. Or her roommate at school.

  How did he have that effect on her?

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered, jumping to her feet again. “Here you’ve come all this way to help me get through this storm in the dark, and all I’ve been doing is telling you about my problems.”

  His blue eyes softened. “I asked, remember?” Taking off his knit hat, Logan ran a hand through his dark blond hair. Almost as if he was as uneasy as she was.

  That probably was the case. Shifting her weight to one foot, she said, “Even I know there’s a difference between asking a basic question and expecting a simple answer and getting subjected to someone’s whole life story.”

  “It was hardly that, Trish. Besides, I know most of your story anyway.”

  “You know Andy’s story.”

  “I might know more than you think,” he said cryptically. Still gazing at her intently, he said, “For the record, I’m glad you told me. It was obvious you needed to tell someone about that man.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “I guess I did,” she said, hoping he believed that she’d told him everything. “I do feel better. I didn’t feel comfortable talking to my parents about everything.”

  He grinned. “I suppose not.”

  Maybe it was his calm, unflappable manner. Maybe it was simply because she was finally telling someone about her problems. Whatever the reason, instead of shutting up, she just kept trying to explain herself. “I thought coming to this cabin and being on my own was the right thing to do. That having time to sort out my thoughts would help me think about Emerson and my plans for the future more clearly. Unfortunately, all I’ve been doing is worrying about getting stuck.”

  “How did you get out of the trip to Florida, anyway? I thought your parents would’ve pushed you to go. Or Andy, at least, would have tried to persuade you to go so he’d have company.”

  Logan had a point. She and Andy loved their parents dearly, but they were sure they were always right and had never been shy about saying so. “Oh, my parents wanted me there, but I told them I had to work. And Andy? Well, I think he understood.”

  “You had to work in Walnut Creek? But it’s February. Don’t you have to get on back to school?”

  “We got a whole week off for Presidents’ Day. And to answer your question, I work over in Charm. I’ve got a great job at Kinsinger’s. I’ve been working there off and on for years.”

  “The lumber mill?”

  She smiled. “Don’t look so surprised. I work in the café and in the retail store. Sometimes they even let me teach kids a couple of classes.”

  “What kind?”

  “Simple arts and crafts projects,” she explained, realizing that he’d been asking her about her job in order to get her to settle down. She shook her head. Only Logan could so easily calm her and make all her worries seem suddenly manageable.

  Realizing that she’d stopped mid-explanation, she added, “When I head those classes up, they’re on the main calendar so they aren’t easy to cancel. That’s why I told my parents I couldn’t get away.”

  “Do you truly have classes to teach?”

  “Well . . .”

  “You lied.” His lips quirked.

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “Well, I mean I just didn’t tell them the whole truth.” When he scoffed, she smiled back at him. “I was going to stay out here for three or four days, just to get my head back on straight. Then I really do have a class I’m scheduled to teach. I couldn’t have gone to Florida even if I’d wanted to.”

  “You are too hard on yourself. Believe it or not, I wasn’t judging you. Just trying to understand.”

  “Thanks for that. And I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m always thinking the worst these days.”

  “I don’t know, either . . . Oh, Trish.”

  “What?”

  “That.” He made a turning motion with his hand. “Look out the window.”

  When she did, she wished she hadn’t.

  They were now in the middle of a full-fledged blizzard. In just the space of thirty minutes, the sky had darkened, and the snow had increased to the point that it was nearly impossible to see anything but a swirling mass of white outside the window.

  “Logan, I don’t know whether to be thankful that you and your horses got here in time or to apologize to you again for being out in it in the first place.”

  “Be thankful, always.” But his words seemed more like rote than from the heart. Frowning, he walked over to the window and stared. “It’s mighty bad out.”

  She realized then that she’d been lying to herself about the weather. “We’re not going to be able to leave, are we?”

  “Nee. Not today. If it gets as bad as I fear, we might not even be able to leave meiya, either.”

  “Will the horses be okay out there in the shed overnight?” She knew that her dad had wanted to keep the stalls on the inside like the rancher before, but it still wasn’t much of a barn.

  He nodded. “Pet and Priscilla should be just fine. I noticed that the walls were sturdier and thicker than they looked. They’ll keep out most of the wind and snow.”

  Thinking about the cold, she remembered that she hadn’t gone out to the woodpile since yesterday morning. “I better bring in some logs so we don’t freeze.”

  “I’ll do it. Where are they?”

  “Under the tarp, just around the corner. Luckily, there’s a lot of wood to burn.”

  “That is a blessing.” He was still staring at the snow falling down. “We need to make some phone calls, too. I need to let my family know what’s going on, and you should call Andy.”

  “You’re right. He’s probably wondering why I haven’t called him yet and making a new plan for me in case I don’t.” She shook her head. “It’s amazing how Andy is sure he can manage things even from the beach.”

  Logan turned around and grinned. “If he didn’t try to manage things, then he wouldn’t be the Andy I know.”
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br />   She got her phone and turned it back on, then walked to the kitchen and watched the bars on the screen slowly appear. Progress was slow, but at last she got three bars—the minimum she knew she needed to get reception. “You can use it now.” She held it out. “It works best in here, I don’t know why.”

  “You go first.”

  “No, Andy can wait. Your family will be worried about you.”

  “Danke.” He tapped his number and held it up to his ear. Tricia watched his frown ease when someone picked up. “Who’s this? Kevin? Hiya.” He paused. “Jah. I made it to the cabin, obviously. But the shtoahm is bad. Snow’s comin’ down something awful.” He paused again. “Nee, don’t worry. We’re fine. Tricia and I are going to build a fire and eat hot dogs.”

  “Hot dogs?” she mouthed.

  He grinned and shrugged. “Jah. S’mores, too,” he added with a laugh. “Tell Mamm and Daed not to worry.”

  After he hung up, he said, “Let me give Elizabeth Ann a call, too. I’d feel better if someone else in the Eight knew what was going on.”

  Tricia nodded but her insides knotted again.

  Carefully dialing Elizabeth’s number, he waited, and then left a message. “E. A., it’s Logan. Listen, Andy called me and asked me to help his sister. She was stuck out in their cabin. Remember that one? The one where we all went for Andy’s and John’s birthdays? Anyway, the snow has gotten worse, so I’m gonna stay out here until I can get her home safe. My family knows, I just wanted someone else to know, too. Let the rest of the Eight know, will ya? Danke.”

  Now not only did Andy, Logan, and his family know she’d been so foolish, but Elizabeth Ann and whoever else she told would, too.

  She felt completely betrayed. “Why does everyone else need to know about this, Logan?”

  “So they can pray for us,” he said simply.

  She suddenly felt even younger and more ungrateful. “Oh. I . . . I didn’t know you guys did stuff like that.”

  His eyebrows rose. “You didn’t know I prayed?”

  “No. I mean, yes, of course I knew you prayed,” she said, feeling more flustered by the second. “I didn’t realize that all of you prayed for each other.” Andy sure hadn’t mentioned that. Had he?