The Loyal One Read online

  That was why she’d been pleasantly surprised to get to know Harley’s brother, who seemed to be far more open and outgoing than Harley had ever been.

  He’d entered her house with a bright smile and an amount of chattiness that comforted her frayed nerves like few things could.

  She’d been grateful he was there from practically the first moment he’d said hello. Nothing seemed to faze him, not the stacks of books and newsprint and debris. Not the smell.

  Not her nervousness. And, it seemed, not the strange new tension that bloomed between her and Kyle’s brother.

  Around his brother, Harley had seemed quieter than usual with her but more patient with the chatty eighteen-year-old than Katie would have thought possible.

  Such as now, when they’d begun carting trash downstairs to the Dumpster that Harley had ordered to be delivered early that morning.

  “Nee, Kyle. Take less. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  “I’m eighteen, not eight. I can carry my fair share.”

  “You are strong, to be sure,” Harley responded quietly. “But we must remember that this is the first of many loads to carry, jah? Slow and steady is best for both our backs, I think.”

  As Katie watched Kyle set half of the items in his arms down before descending the stairs, she couldn’t help but smile at the way Harley had managed to both help his brother but still give him his dignity. Growing up, she would’ve loved for either June or Caleb to have treated her with such care.

  “Uh-oh, I know that amused look,” Harley said. “What did I do?”

  Katie had just sat back down on the floor to sort through another pile for the men to cart away. Looking up as he approached, she attempted to look innocent. “You didn’t do a thing, Harley. I was just thinking about something.”

  “Would you like to share what that was? I haven’t seen you smile like that in months.”

  Had she really been that glum of late? She supposed so, what with Andy’s death and her mother moving away and leaving her with this whole mess to sort out.

  And . . . had he been watching her that closely? She wasn’t sure what to think about that. “It wasn’t anything, Harley. My mind had drifted. That’s all.”

  “Oh.” He turned away, pulled out another stack of old clothes that had mildewed. He wrinkled his nose before obviously trying to change his expression into something more neutral. “Katie, ah, do you want to sort through these clothes before I take them outside?”

  Though she appreciated his kind tone and the careful way he was treating her, it wasn’t necessary. She knew what those items smelled like. “Nee. You can take them right out.” It might have been a waste, but she’d long since given up the idea of either cleaning, repurposing the fabric, or donating the items. She needed them out of her life.

  “I’m going to set them on the porch.”

  “That sounds gut. Danke.” As she continued to sort through an old laundry basket filled with scraps of quilting fabrics and notions, Katie heard him speak to Kyle. Another five minutes passed.

  When he walked back inside, he said, “I hope that I didn’t ruin everything between us yesterday.”

  “How could you do that?”

  He looked down at his boots. “By being too blunt, maybe?”

  “Nee, you were only being honest, Harley. I appreciated that, too. We definitely needed help. Your brother has been a godsend.”

  Harley didn’t look as if he completely believed her. “Kyle has been helpful. That is true.” He took a deep breath. “But I know that this is probably mighty difficult—”

  “I heard you say I was helpful!” Kyle called out as he walked up the last few steps of the front stairs. “You can’t take that back, Harley.”

  Katie giggled. She thought Kyle’s exuberance was infectious. But, perhaps Harley didn’t feel the same way.

  “I wasna going to take anything back,” Harley grumbled. “But you shouldn’t have been listening to a private conversation.”

  “Overhearing a conversation exchanged in a front hallway ain’t exactly eavesdropping,” Kyle retorted. “All I did was acknowledge that I heard what you said. About me.”

  Harley folded his hands over his chest. “Oh, brother.”

  Looking her way, Kyle grinned. “Come on. Am I right, Katie?”

  “I don’t think I should answer,” she teased. “I need both of your help. I can’t risk making either of you mad at me.”

  Kyle whistled low. “Now, there’s a woman who knows how to speak diplomatically.”

  “There’s no need, at least not on my account. It takes more than that to make me upset with you, Katie,” Harley murmured.

  “Does anyone ever get that angry at you?” Kyle asked.

  Recalling just how upset Harley had been when he’d blamed her for his breakup with Melody, Katie swallowed. The pain sliced through her, almost like it had happened a few weeks ago instead of years earlier. “Believe it or not, it does happen. It seems I make just as many mistakes as everyone else.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words.

  Harley grunted as he turned around.

  Kyle’s eyebrows rose as he looked at both of them. Then, he did what he seemed to do so well—defuse the situation. “Well, lucky you, Katie. I, on the other hand, seem to annoy people constantly.”

  “He doesn’t lie.” Harley’s green eyes were shining with mirth.

  Kyle shrugged. “It’s a gift, you see.”

  Katie giggled. “I was just thinking to myself how glad I am that you came here today, Kyle. You’re making a difficult day so much easier.”

  Kyle’s expression stilled. “You’re welcome. I . . . well, I bet it is a mighty hard day.”

  “I need to toughen up, don’t you think?”

  “I reckon you’re tough enough, Katie,” Harley murmured. “Now, we better get more loads taken to the Dumpster or all of this is going to take even more time than it already will.”

  “I’ll go take those clothes over there now,” Kyle said.

  Harley followed on his heels, leaving Katie alone again.

  She took the time to take stock of the guest bedroom. After four hours of sorting and clearing, they’d barely made a dent in the room.

  Though it was painful, she allowed herself to recall the many days her mother used to walk into this room after supper, carefully close the door behind her, and not walk out until late into the night.

  Katie and Caleb, and for a time, June, had often cleaned the kitchen and dining room on their own. When Katie had been in school, Caleb or June would sit by her side and try to help her with her homework.

  Then, later, they’d all go to bed. Katie would stare at the light shining from under the door and wonder what her mother did during all that time.

  No, she’d wondered what was so much more important than Katie, June, and Caleb.

  She couldn’t count the number of times she’d almost gotten the nerve to ask. But she never did. She doubted Caleb had either.

  And June? Well, her older sister had just left.

  It might be too late for Mamm to mend things with her older sister, but Katie hoped it was still possible for her to mend their relationship.

  She supposed she really could still ask Mamm what had been driving her all this time to need so many things and to worry so much about it being there that the rest of her life suffered.

  Hearing Kyle’s voice again, chatting eagerly as he and Harley walked up the stairs, Katie got to her feet.

  “You know, I was just thinking we should take a break,” she called out as she walked to the door. “I could make us some ham sandwiches.”

  “Is that offer for all of us?” a new voice called out.

  She knew that voice.

  Dismay engulfed her. Harley had brought some of their friends to her house, even though she’d specifically asked him not to. Was he really about to escort them inside, like he had that right?

  Looking around the entryway, seeing all the piles of discarded clothes, the bins o
f mildewed fabric, the garbage bags . . . she panicked. Thinking of the things they would see and maybe judge her for, she darted out and grabbed the door handle, only to be stopped by two strong hands gripping her shoulders. “Nee, Katie, don’t do that. It’s all right,” Harley murmured.

  “Nee, it’s not. You promised, Harley. You promised that you wouldn’t ask everyone over here. How could you lie about that?”

  His grip on her shoulders eased up but it didn’t leave entirely. Still looking directly into her eyes, he murmured, “I didn’t tell anyone about the state of your house except for Kyle.”

  “Then why are they here?”

  “I don’t know.” He was still speaking gently, almost like he was trying to calm a skittish foal. “Maybe they only wanted to say hello.”

  Still in a panic, she shook her head. “That can’t be right.”

  “You need to trust me, Katie.” Squeezing her shoulders gently once more, he stared intently at her with his dark green eyes. “I would never hurt you on purpose. I would never betray you.”

  She shuddered as she finally came to her senses. He was right. They might snip at each other from time to time, but they did have a bond. And besides, Harley was Harley. Few men were more calm and dependable. “I want to believe that . . .”

  “Nee, you should. Katie, on my honor, I—”

  Logan tromped inside. “Hey, Katie? Harley? What’s going on? Where are you? Didn’t you hear us? Oh!”

  And the already tense moment had just gotten worse.

  Harley turned, but not before everyone had seen the two of them standing the way they had been. Very close. Harley’s hands on her shoulders. Staring intently at each other.

  If one didn’t know better, they would’ve thought that the two of them were having a private moment.

  An intimate, romantic one.

  She was sure her face was beet red.

  Harley turned on his heel to face the newcomers. “Hey, everyone.”

  “Hiya,” John B. said, his voice strained. “I’m sorry if we were interrupting something.”

  “You weren’t,” Harley said.

  Katie could practically feel the tension in the air tighten.

  Feeling awkward, Katie felt other eyes on her and turned around to face whoever was there.

  And it was worse than she imagined. There stood Marie and John B. and Tricia Warner and Logan. All standing in stunned silence at the open doorway.

  Harley was behind her and Kyle was behind their friends, looking as worried and horrified as she felt.

  For the first time, she couldn’t summon a single thing to say. There was no way Harley hadn’t told some of the Eight about her house, given who was here. And he’d clearly invited them over, all without informing her. He’d gone against her wishes and lied to her.

  So because of that, there was nothing to make things all right. Nothing at all.

  SEVEN

  “After the head goat gave a couple of warning bleats . . . well, they all came running,” Harley continued, his voice ringing with amusement. “It was surely a sight to see.”

  “It was something, all right,” Marie muttered.

  The moment Harley got a good look at Katie’s expression, he realized he’d made a huge mistake in judgment.

  Katie wasn’t just a little irritated. Nee, she was real upset. And angry. With him.

  But even though he might have deserved her wrath, he was still determined to make things right between them as best he could. Something—something he couldn’t quite put his finger on—was pulling him toward her. The thought of her being furious with him was physically painful.

  Ignoring all of their friends who were still standing nearby, he said, “Katie, I didn’t—”

  Glaring at him, she stood up straighter, which on most days would be mighty amusing, given that she was barely an inch or two above five feet. But now? Well, now it simply broke his heart.

  “Everyone, it’s gut to see you, but I’d like you to leave,” she said. “Harley brought you here without my permission.”

  John B. raised his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

  “And since when do we need permission from Harley to do anything?” Logan asked. “Katie, you look so glum. What’s wrong?”

  “Jah, did something happen?” Tricia asked.

  Katie was looking panicked. Hoping to ease the situation, Harley cleared this throat. “Well, now. Maybe we could . . .”

  “Nee, I can speak for myself,” Katie said. Facing their friends again, she said, “What’s wrong is that I didn’t ask you all over. I need you to leave.”

  Everyone looked at each other. “Is she serious?” Logan asked John B.

  John shrugged. “It seems so.”

  Marie stepped forward and reached for Katie’s hands. “Does that mean you don’t want to have dinner together?”

  Harley shook his head. “Marie, now ain’t the time to joke.”

  She stiffened. “I’m not joking, Harley. Sheesh.”

  This was such a mess. “I was only trying to help,” he said.

  “And I already said that I don’t need you to speak for me, Harley,” Katie said.

  Marie frowned. “Katie, this isn’t like you. What happened? What is wrong?”

  Tears formed in Katie’s eyes. “Please, I really do need you to leave.” Looking at Harley, she added, “All of you.”

  “You’re serious,” Logan said. He continued to stare at Katie, obviously trying to read her mind.

  But Harley didn’t need to be a mind reader for this. Katie was about to crack, she was holding herself so stiff. “I’ll walk you all out. Now ain’t the best time for a visit.”

  “But it’s okay that you’re here?” Tricia asked Harley.

  “I’m working here. I mean, I was . . .” His voice tapered off as he realized that Katie wasn’t going to change her mind. “We should go.”

  Holding Marie’s hand now, John hesitated. “Katie, are you sure about this?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” she murmured before turning back into the house and closing the front door on all of them. It clicked shut with a resounding slap.

  Beside him, Marie made a little pained noise.

  Harley exhaled. “I’m sorry about this.”

  “Me, too.” She exhaled, too, her breath coming out in a ragged sigh.

  “Come on, Marie,” John said as he reached for her hand. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Marie didn’t budge. “Do you think that’s the best thing to do? Maybe we should wait a bit?”

  “No,” John said, giving her a little tug again. “We’ve known Katie for most of our lives. You know how she gets when she’s in a dither. We need to let her calm down.”

  “He’s right, I think,” Logan said as he started walking down the cement walkway toward the large driveway.

  After a pause, Tricia followed, and then Marie and John did, too, their fingers intertwined.

  Unsure of what to do, Harley stared at the front door. Even though Katie had closed it tight against them, he didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to make sure that she knew that he was there for her. No matter what their past entailed, it felt like she was hurting so badly now.

  “You coming?” Logan asked from the drive.

  “I think you should, Harley,” Kyle said. “In a few minutes, I’ll go inside and clean up a little bit. That way she won’t be alone.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  He realized then that his brother wasn’t just growing up, he had grown up. In this case, he was right, too. Katie wouldn’t want to see him. He needed to give her some space. “I’m coming,” he finally said.

  “I’ll walk with you to the end of the drive,” Kyle said. “I don’t want to just stand here.”

  As they all started walking down the drive, he could practically feel their friends’ questions floating in the air. He was going to have to tell them something, but what? If he told the truth
, he would betray Katie’s trust in him even more.

  But if he said nothing, they’d all think the worst of her, which wasn’t fair either.

  “You need to tell us what’s going on,” John B. said after another few minutes passed. “Nothing that Katie just did is like her. Something must be really wrong.”

  Harley knew their friends could help her. Knew it as surely as he knew his daed expected him to get up at five every morning and tend to their animals. However, he also knew that no matter how much all of them wanted to help her, going behind her back wasn’t the way. “I can’t share this.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” John pushed.

  “Obviously, it’s a won’t. It ain’t my story to tell.”

  While Logan looked resigned, Marie just looked irritated. “Harley, come on,” she snapped, her voice thick with impatience. “I get that you need to keep her secrets, but you and she owe us something.”

  “Marie, stop.”

  John frowned at Harley.

  “Nee. You can absolutely tell us why Katie Steury just slammed that door on us,” Marie said. “And don’t tell us that you were as surprised as we were because you didn’t look shocked, only disappointed.”

  “You aren’t making this easier, Marie.” He looked over at John and sent him a plaintive look. John and Marie were a couple now. Couldn’t John intervene at least a little here?

  After a pause, John did chime in. “Harley, I’m all for keeping private business private, but I think you’re taking things a bit too far. We’ve all been friends for decades. We’ve mourned Andy together. We’ve all cried together. Whatever she has going on is safe with us.”

  Marie nodded. “You know we all only want the best for Katie.”

  Harley knew that to be true. But he wasn’t going to be the reason Katie was further upset. Though he hated doing it, he kept his silence.

  However, just as he folded his arms over his chest, Kyle blurted, “Mei broodah and I are cleaning out the haus because it’s in a real bad way.”

  Feeling betrayed, Harley shook his head at him. “Kyle, you’d best keep your mouth shut.”