The Loyal One Read online

  “I’m only helping you keep your promise, Harley. Now you won’t betray her and your friends will know what’s going on.”

  He was splitting hairs. “You know this isn’t right.”

  Unfortunately, not a one of them seemed interested in taking his side. Ignoring his protests, Logan faced Kyle. “What’s the rest of the story?”

  “The rest of the story is Katie didn’t want you to see the inside of her home,” Kyle finished.

  “Because it was in such disarray?” Trish asked. “Really? Does she really think we all keep spotless houses?”

  “It’s not in disarray, it’s a lot worse than that,” Kyle said.

  Before his little brother could say another word, Harley said, “This isn’t just a case of her being embarrassed about a mess. She feels that way because of several reasons—none of which are my place, or my brother’s, to share.”

  Marie looked back at the front door. “What do you think she’s doing now?”

  Before he could answer, she continued. “You know, sometimes when things have been really bad in my life, I didn’t realize what I needed until someone else pointed it out. Other people had to intervene. She’s essentially alone now, right?”

  Realizing that he hated the idea of her possibly crying alone, Harley changed his plans. Even if she ignored him the rest of the day, he couldn’t leave her care to Kyle. “As soon as you all get on your way, I’ll go in and talk to her.”

  “Why you? It isn’t like you are any closer to her than the rest of us,” Logan said. “I mean, come on, Harley. We all know you carried a grudge about her interfering with Melody for years.”

  “I canna believe you are bringing up Melody right now.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Logan countered. “She’s history. Isn’t she?”

  “Of course,” he answered immediately. But even to his own ears, he didn’t sound convincing.

  “Uh-oh,” Tricia murmured.

  “Have you really blamed Katie all this time for your breakup, Harley?” Kyle asked. “You should’ve been thanking her. Melody was awful.”

  “She wasn’t awful, Kyle. That is unkind.”

  “Nee, she was unkind. Maybe not to you but to everyone else,” Kyle said. “Betty would hide in her room every time you brought Melody by the house.”

  He felt his ears turn bright red, and it had been ages since that had happened. “Melody—”

  “Was difficult at best, Harley. And you know it,” John B. said with a slight smile. “She wasn’t the woman for you.”

  “Melody and my relationship ain’t anyone’s business.” And he was really starting to hate how John and Logan thought they had all the answers now that they had fallen in love.

  Marie waved a hand in frustration. “Oh my word, but you are so closed off. Getting information from you is like getting water out of a . . . a . . . beet.”

  “I believe that would be turnip,” Tricia corrected.

  “Whatever it is, it’s true. You hold a lot inside,” Marie said. “Too much.”

  Beyond frustrated now, Harley turned to John. “Are you really going to let her say all this?”

  John closed his eyes. “Harley, that was a stupid thing to ask.”

  “Are you thinking that John is now supposed to make me keep my mouth shut?” Marie asked. Her hands were on her hips and her voice had risen. She was fuming.

  And rightly so. Swallowing hard, he realized that for a moment he actually had expected John to tell Marie what to do. Just like how his overbearing father acted with his mamm from time to time.

  Just like he’d always hated.

  “I’m sorry. You are right. I shouldn’t have said such a thing. I don’t know why I did.”

  “I do. It’s because you keep too much inside and it all comes rushing out when you’re upset. Like now, when we’re all worried about Katie,” John supplied.

  Harley couldn’t even believe that this was where the conversation had gone. “All I’m trying to say is that you need to give Katie some space.”

  “If that’s what she wants, then I’ll do that, though it sure doesn’t feel right.” Marie flipped a lock of her hair over her shoulder. “Katie came to my house several times after my car accident in the fall.” Her voice softened. “Boy, I had such a tough time recovering from both the accident and the fact that that Amish boy had died.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Marie,” John said.

  “I know that, but it was still traumatic.” She reached for John’s hand and squeezed. “But my point is that when I was having a really hard time, Katie was there. She put up with my anger and pain and tears. How can I repay her help by leaving her now?”

  “I’ll tell her that Harley made you leave,” Kyle said.

  “She also asked for us to leave,” Tricia reminded Marie. “We need to respect her feelings.”

  “I guess that’s all we can hope for. Let’s go on,” John said, wrapping an arm around Marie’s shoulders. “We’ll stop by later this week.”

  Marie nodded but said nothing.

  Logan clapped him on the shoulder. “You may not want to hear this, Har, but all of us are still grieving Andy. Don’t be afraid to admit that you need your friends as much as we’ve needed you.”

  Before Harley could comment on that, Logan turned and walked away.

  When they got out of earshot, Harley glared at Kyle. “What were you thinking? These are my friends, not yours.”

  “Someone had to say something.”

  “I don’t agree. Instead of helping, you only made things worse. Go on home.”

  Kyle’s eyes widened. “No.”

  “Nee?”

  “There is way too much stuff to dispose of and you cannot do it by yourself. All of your so-called great friends would have chipped in and made things a whole lot easier, but you were too stubborn to let them in.”

  “This is Katie’s house.”

  “Pretend that’s the reason if you want, but I’m still going to take trash out to the Dumpster. You promised me a job this week and I’m going to take it. I’m counting on that money.”

  “For what?”

  “Like I would tell you anything right now,” he said as he turned back toward the house.

  And with that, he left Harley essentially in no-man’s-land. His friends were gone, his brother was angry with him, and the one person he’d tried to help was no doubt crying inside her home because she thought he’d betrayed her.

  How could something that was supposed to go so right suddenly become so very wrong?

  EIGHT

  “Warning bleats? Head goat?” Kendra shook her head. “I’m having a hard time believing this all happened. Surely those goats weren’t that bad.”

  “Oh, they were. They were practically feral,” John said.

  “Those goats could run like the wind,” E.A. said. “When they started chasing us, I’ve never run that fast in my life.”

  Kyle heard Katie crying on the other side of her sister Jane’s old bedroom door. They were loud and noisy tears that he had a feeling stemmed from so much more than a simple argument with his brother.

  Panic set in. He didn’t have a lot of experience with situations like this. His family kept everything locked tight inside. They were near experts at it. So while his sisters had cried from time to time, he couldn’t recall either of them ever getting this upset with such abandon.

  It was enough to make a grown man’s palms sweat. Uncomfortable with that, and the fact that he was sorely out of his depth, he almost walked right back downstairs.

  But Harley was waiting there, and Kyle sure didn’t want to see him anytime soon. No matter how many times he told his brother that he didn’t need another father, Harley seemed determined to prove him wrong.

  Because of that—and because Kyle truly felt sorry for Katie—the moment she grew quieter, he knocked twice and tried the knob. To his surprise, it turned easily.

  She was sitting on the floor cross-legged, surrounded by all of the it
ems her mother had been so fiercely protective of . . . but had still left without a backward glance. It seemed only grandchildren and the idea of a completely fresh start could encourage such a change.

  As he expected, her face was blotchy and her eyes were red rimmed. She also looked exhausted.

  “Hey,” he said.

  She swiped her cheeks with the side of her fist. “Kyle, I didn’t know you were still here.”

  “I’ve been outside but I came back in.” He elected not to mention that Harley was downstairs in the kitchen.

  “You came back? Why?” She swiped at her face again. “Did you . . . uh, did you need something?”

  If they’d known each other better, he would’ve smiled. Really, if they were even a little closer in age, he probably would’ve teased her, too. But given the circumstances, he didn’t really know where to begin.

  “Not really.” While she gaped at him, he walked in and sat down on the narrow open space beside her.

  She swallowed. “Where’s your brother?”

  “When I left him, he was still outside. But I think he’s pacing in your kitchen now.”

  “Pacing.”

  “Jah. He does that from time to time. Don’t worry. He’ll settle down soon and get back to work.”

  “Why didn’t you both leave?”

  “We ain’t got no time for that. There’s a lot to do around here.” That was almost the truth, too. But somehow he knew she wasn’t going to take the idea of being watched over well.

  “Ah,” she murmured, not telling him anything but maybe signifying the same thing that he was thinking . . . that he was currently lying through his teeth.

  Wrapping his arms around his knees, he said, “I heard you crying when I first came upstairs.”

  “I’m not surprised. I wasn’t very quiet.”

  “No reason to be, I don’t guess,” he said easily. “If you decide to go cry, you might as well cry all you want, and as loudly as you want.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Are you always like this?”

  No. No, he was not. He didn’t go around sitting in women’s rooms. He didn’t offer comfort or ever go against his brother’s wishes.

  But here he was.

  “Not usually.”

  Her lips tipped up. “I’m special?”

  “Maybe.” He smiled, ready to tease her a little. “Or maybe I’m not usually this bored.”

  “Ouch!” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Boy, I’m glad I wasn’t depending on you to help me feel better.”

  “My sisters say that mei broodah Jimmy is the most comforting of their brothers. I imagine they aren’t wrong.”

  “I don’t know Jimmy well.” She frowned. “Isn’t that something? I’ve known Harley so well for most of my life, yet I never got real close to Jimmy, and he’s only three years younger.”

  He didn’t think it was all that odd. Everyone in his family gravitated toward Jimmy when they needed sympathy . . . and Harley when they needed something done. “Well, Harley and Jimmy are way different.”

  “And you are still different from them.”

  She’d said that as a statement. “I reckon so. I’m younger.”

  “No, there’s still something more. Maybe it’s that you seem a lot more outgoing.”

  “Well, a rock might be more outgoing than Harley.”

  A reluctant smile appeared. “That’s hardly nice. But . . .”

  “But it’s still true, jah?”

  She shrugged. “Perhaps.” After a few long seconds, she shook her head and made a motion to stand up. “Well, I had better go see if I can repair things with Harley. I was awfully rude to him.”

  “There ain’t anything to repair, Katie. You can’t help how you were feeling.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, but I overreacted.”

  “Harley didn’t know your friends were coming over here,” he said boldly. “They just showed up.”

  “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

  “Jah.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why you think that’s surprising, anyway. All of you Eight often visit each other without notice. Everyone knows that.”

  “You’re right. I’m sure they just wanted to see what was going on.” Frowning, she got to her feet. “Now I really need to fix things.”

  Climbing to his feet as well, he shrugged. “He didn’t seem that upset with you.” No, Harley was more upset with himself. And with him.

  “If he’s not mad at me, I’d be surprised. Any ideas of how to make my behavior up to him?”

  “Nah. He can be prickly, but he’ll figure it out. I mean, it’s not like when . . .”

  “When I put down his girlfriend?”

  “Melody was a pain, and you weren’t the only person who wasn’t real fond of her. But yeah. Today’s actions ain’t anything to worry about.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Thanks for coming in here and talking to me. I feel better already.”

  Embarrassed, he looked down at his feet. “It weren’t nothing.”

  Just as she was about to open the door, she said, “Are you seeing anyone, Kyle? I was just thinking that you are going to be a catch for a special girl one day.”

  This time, he felt like he was in the hot spot. “I like a girl, but we aren’t together or anything.”

  “Why not?” She held up a hand. “No, wait. You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business.”

  “If I confide something, will you keep it to yourself?”

  “Sure.”

  “The girl I like . . . well, she’s English.”

  “Wow. Does she know you’re Amish?”

  He gestured to his clothes. “It’s a little obvious that I am.”

  “You know what I meant. Do you dress Amish around her? Some teenagers dress English when they’re about your age. I didn’t, and neither did Harley, but lots of kids we knew did.” She was talking about Amish kids experimenting with English things during their rumspringa.

  “I’ve always dressed Amish. But no matter what, I would tell her. It’s too hard to pretend otherwise.”

  “Well, if she knows you’re Amish, then what’s the problem?”

  “Uh, everything?”

  Katie didn’t look offended by his sarcastic comment in the slightest. “I don’t follow.”

  “She’s English, Katie. And my family? Well, we aren’t the most open-minded people when it comes to outsiders.”

  “I kind of feel like that isn’t so. Harley is open-minded and accepting of others. You seem that way, too.”

  “We are, but my parents aren’t.”

  “But you’re already eighteen. A grown man, right? What does that mean to you?”

  The question caught him off guard. He realized suddenly that while he’d been going around acting like he was so grown up, he really wasn’t. He was still used to following his parents’ directions—and used to depending on Harley or his other older siblings to help him fix things when he made a mistake. But liking Gabby wasn’t a mistake, and it had nothing to do with his siblings. For the first time, he was having to stand on his own two feet and face the consequences. “If I continue things with Gabby, then I’ll risk making my parents upset.”

  Her expression softened. “That’s her name? Gabby?”

  “Jah. It’s Gabrielle Allison Ferrara.”

  “Wow. That’s a fancy name, for sure.”

  He chuckled. “I told her the same thing when I first heard it. But she ain’t exactly fancy. She’s real down-to-earth.”

  “You really do like her, Kyle.”

  “I told you that.”

  “Nee. I mean, you really like her a lot. She isn’t just a dream, is she?”

  Feeling struck a little dumb, he nodded. “You are right,” he said slowly. “She is more than that.”

  “I’m not one to talk, but if I were, I would encourage you to see where things go with her.”

  “Even if it risks the relationship I have with my family?”

  “It sou
nds to me like your lying and secrets have already changed your relationship with them.” When he gaped at her, she waved a hand. “Look, maybe everything I’m saying doesn’t make much sense.”

  “I didn’t say that,” he said quickly. Because, well, he was beginning to think that maybe it all did make a lot of sense.

  Looking reassured, she continued. “What I’m trying to say—pretty poorly—is that maybe this Gabby isn’t the girl for you. She might not be. But if she is, then there has to be something about her that God thought you needed. And something about you that God thought she needed. I mean, He wouldn’t have put you two in each other’s path without a reason, would He?”

  “I never thought of it like that.”

  “If that’s the case, then the two of you ought to figure that out.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  She smiled at him brightly. And to be honest, for the first time Kyle thought that maybe there was something more to her than just being a petite woman who was often a burr in his brother’s side.

  Suddenly, Katie Steury was pretty. No, it was more than that. She had a shine about her that was hard to shy away from.

  And that, combined with her recent words of advice, made him realize that maybe she and Harley were a little bit like him and Gabby.

  There was more to the two of them than there seemed to be at first glance.

  NINE

  “Even though those goats were horrible, we probably would’ve been all right if Mr. Schlabach hadn’t come out with his shotgun.”

  Gabby knew she was being rude, but she couldn’t help herself. She was that surprised. “Kyle, what are you doing here?”

  “Huh?” His blue eyes looked completely confused for a second before he caught himself. “Oh. Well, I was working today and I just happened to be walking by on my way home. I decided to say hey since I was here.”

  She loved that he’d thought of her. His excuse for being on her street didn’t fly, though. “You were working near here? Where?” The duplex that she shared with her mother and sixteen-year-old brother wasn’t anywhere near where Kyle lived at least two miles away. He lived on a big farm that her bus used to pass on the way to school.