Ever Faithful Read online

  She felt overwhelmed by decisions. This was the third store they had visited in their search for the perfect china pattern for dishes for their future home. She hoped Tim wouldn’t want to do the furniture shopping his mother had spoken of the night before. Her head ached, and her feet ached, and all she wanted to do was go home.

  But she followed her future mother-in-law and her future husband and nodded and smiled and tried to work up enthusiasm for the difference between Mikasa and Noritake and a host of others, when she would have been perfectly happy with Corelle.

  They found the china section. Tim marched to one end, Amy to another while Mrs. Enders cast her critical eye over the crystal.

  Amy glanced over the beautiful settings laid out to their best advantage. Once again she marveled at the vast selection, different in each store. Under the bright lights, the plates dazzled and shone, almost mocking her life-style. She couldn’t imagine any of these beautiful dishes sitting on the cracked surface of the kitchen table at the ranch. It was hard enough imagining matched dishes, period.

  “What about this one, Amy?” Tim called out to her. With a gentle sigh she walked over, making up her mind to agree with anything he chose. The money for the dishes would ultimately come out of his wallet, after all. None of the people from home would bother to check out the registry, instead they would simply ask her or Elizabeth Henderson what she needed.

  “I like this.” Tim pointed out a set of cream-colored dishes with a delicate patterning of brown vines and pale peach roses around the edge. “Plain enough for you and elegant enough for me.”

  “They’re beautiful, Tim.” Amy hesitantly reached out and touched the plates. The gold rim sparkled in the bright, artificial light.

  “You always say that, and each time I sense a ‘but’ in your voice.”

  “I guess I just have a hard time imagining chili or macaroni and cheese on all these gorgeous dishes.”

  “C’mon, Amy, I know you can cook better than that,” Tim teased.

  “I can when I have the time.”

  “You’ll have lots of time, once we’re married.”

  “I suppose when I quit my job, I will,” Amy commented. “But with those extra heifers—”

  “What’s a heifer?” his mother asked, as she bustled up to where Amy and Tim stood.

  “Young cow that hasn’t calved yet,” Tim said.

  Mrs. Enders nodded. “I forgot.” She smiled at Amy. “Tim is always throwing these ranching terms at me. I can’t keep them all straight.” She turned back to Tim. “So have you decided?”

  Tim pointed out the dishes they had picked out, and Mrs. Enders nodded. “They’re very nice.”

  But to Amy her tone implied something different. Tim and his mother conferred with the sales clerk and made all the arrangements. Amy was glad that decision was made and looked forward to getting back to his parents’ place.

  She had forgotten about the trip back. Tim cut expertly in and out of traffic as they headed toward the Lion’s Gate Bridge. He wanted to take the scenic route to show Amy the bridge. She spent most of the trip clutching the dashboard as cars cut in front of them and huge trucks lumbered past. There was no way she could live in this, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief when they finally pulled up in front of his parents’ home.

  Thankfully Tim vetoed dining out and, over his mother’s objections, ordered in pizza. Once the meal was over, Amy gathered up the boxes and plates and carried them into the kitchen. Mrs. Enders took them from her with a smile and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. Amy looked around the kitchen, appreciating the clean lines of the cabinets, done up in blond oak. “You have a very lovely home,” she said to Delia Enders.

  Delia looked up from her work. “Why thank you, Amy.” She finished loading the dishes and wiped her hands on a towel that lay on the counter. “We’ve renovated it a number of times, and I think I’m happy with it now.”

  “I’ve been making some changes on the exterior of our house on the ranch, but with the wedding coming up, the rest will have to wait awhile.” Amy sat carefully down on a stool across the counter from Tim’s mother.

  Delia crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter, nodding. “I understand that you plan to live on the ranch after you’re married.”

  “Yes. I’m looking forward to having Tim around all the time. He’s been so busy we don’t always have the time to do any work on it together, or go riding.”

  “Hard to imagine our Tim on a horse,” Delia smiled. “He has changed a lot since he met you.”

  Amy shrugged, puzzled as to whether Delia saw this as a positive or a negative. “He likes riding.”

  “How long are you going to be living on the ranch?”

  “In our present house?”

  “No. I mean on the ranch, in Williams Lake.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  Delia waved her hands delicately. “Tim is a very bright young man with a lot of potential and ambition.” She smiled deprecatingly at Amy. “I know I sound exactly like a mother, but his father and I are very proud of him. He has a brilliant future in banking.” Delia tapped a manicured finger on her lips as if pondering her next statement.

  Amy frowned, a vague sense of unease curling inside of her, trying to find a place to settle, sensing where Delia was headed. “Tim is quite happy in Williams Lake. I don’t expect much from life. When Tim and I are married, I will have all I want.”

  “And Tim. Will staying in Williams Lake give him everything he wants?” Delia spoke carefully. “You have to think about his future.”

  Amy was spared the necessity of answering that question when Tim poked his head through the kitchen door. “There you are.” Tim smiled when he saw them.

  Probably thinks we’re having a cozy mother-daughter chat, thought Amy.

  “I’ve got the movie in the VCR. Everybody ready to watch?” he asked.

  Amy slid off the stool, thankful for the diversion. She didn’t look back at Delia Enders and settled into the couch, letting the movie and its pointless plot take her away from Vancouver and the not-so-veiled hints of her future mother-in-law.

  When the movie was over, Tim’s mother pleaded exhaustion and left. Tim’s father followed suit and they were finally left to themselves.

  Amy kicked her shoes off, dropped on the couch and leaned her head back against its buttery soft leather. This family room was the least formal room of the house, and her favorite. Wood paneling softened the high walls, complemented by the cream-colored carpet. But even in its homeyness, it exuded a gentle reminder of wealth.

  She sighed as she looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows across the Burard Inlet. The Enderses’ home on the north shore afforded a scintillating view of downtown Vancouver across the bay. Clusters of light shone from the high-rises that rose from the waterfront, their reflections shimmering in the water of the harbor. Even the location announced that money lived here.

  “I’ve always loved this view,” murmured Tim as he pulled Amy’s head on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around her.

  “It is beautiful,” Amy conceded, watching the lights of the slow-moving ships as they headed out to unknown destinations, envying them their direction—away from the city. She had thought she would be able to enjoy their time in the city, but by this afternoon, after only two days, she yearned for the smell of grass, trees and open spaces. And she wished Tim wouldn’t act so demonstrative. It wasn’t his style, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

  “You were pretty quiet over supper.”

  “I don’t shop well.”

  “Well that bodes well for our future. I won’t have to worry about you draining our bank account.” He pulled back, soft brown eyes traveling over her face. “And what are you frowning about now, my girl?”

  Amy held his concerned gaze a moment, then drew back. “I was thinking about shopping and dishes…and living in our house.” She looked around at the obvious wealth of the Enderses’ home. She turned t
o Tim. “Will you mind? Will it matter that our house is small and plain and needs improvement?”

  Tim twined his hand through hers, fingering her engagement ring. “I want to live with you, Amy. That’s all that matters to me. I don’t think it should matter to either of us where we live as long as we can be together.”

  “I know you’ll love it on the ranch—the wide-open spaces. Once we’re married, we can go riding in the evenings, and I can show you how beautiful it really is out there.”

  Tim smiled at her. “I’m sure none of it is as beautiful as how you look right here, right now.”

  “And what’s that supposed to get you?” Amy teased.

  “A kiss?”

  She complied, feeling content. Life was good. And once she and Tim were home, even better.

  “Maybe we should use the hitching post this time, eh, girl?” Paul tied up his horse and looked out over Danyluks’ yard.

  He knew Amy and Tim had left yesterday, so he figured it would be safe to come this evening. After their little episode in the hay field, he thought it best if he steered clear of her. But he couldn’t resist stopping by to see how Judd and Rick were making out, even if they weren’t his biggest fans. He did it for Amy’s sake.

  The kitchen door was open, and Paul stepped inside. Rick sat by the kitchen table playing solitaire.

  “Hi, Rick.”

  Rick glanced up, nodded and turned back to his cards.

  “Where’s Judd?” Paul glanced around the living room, but Judd was gone.

  “He was tired and went to bed early.” Rick laid out another card, frowning at them.

  “How are the new heifers doing?”

  Rick slowly turned over another card and nodded again.

  “Did Amy phone you to come and check on me?” he asked, his voice tinged with the habitual anger he seemed to show to Paul.

  “No. I thought I would stop by myself.” He walked to the cupboard and opened it. “Mind if I make myself some coffee?”

  “Go ahead.” Rick put down the cards and turned to the radio.

  Paul put the kettle on to boil and studied the toes of his scuffed boots as he waited. “I thought I would come by tomorrow and we can finish hauling the hay.”

  “Amy didn’t say anything about you helping,” Rick said as he spun the dial on the old radio.

  “She didn’t ask, I volunteered. I’m heading back to Vancouver in a couple of days, I’d like to get a few things done for her before I leave,” Paul continued, stifling his impatience with Rick’s truculence. “I also noticed a couple of the calving pens are coming apart. We could get them done by Saturday.”

  “I’ll get them done,” Rick grunted, listening intently to the radio, reddish brows meeting over his nose in a frown.

  “Will you have time?”

  “I might not.” Rick turned off the radio and looked over his shoulder at Paul. “But I do what I can, Henderson, and I don’t really need any help.”

  Paul sat at the table across from Rick, and leaning his elbows on it, took a careful sip of the steaming coffee, studying Rick over the rim of his cup, wondering why he was bothering with a young man who didn’t really want him here. “How’s the tractor coming?”

  “Just about done.”

  They said nothing. Paul sipped his coffee, Rick shuffled the cards and laid them out.

  “What brings you here, anyway, Henderson?”

  “Just wanted to see if you needed any help.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Rick carefully laid a black queen on a red king and looked up at him. “What brings you back to the Cariboo? Don’t you have any work to do?”

  “I’m here to make some business decisions.” Paul knew that wasn’t the real reason, but he knew he didn’t want to share his spiritual struggle with someone who didn’t particularly care for him.

  “Not to put the hustle on the local girls?” Rick smirked at him.

  “Hardly. I have a girlfriend already.”

  Rick laughed, a harsh sound. “That doesn’t seem to stop you from staring at Amy in church, or stopping by whenever you can.”

  Paul was quiet, realizing anything he said would either be construed as a lie or as an evasion. Because he knew he was guilty of what Rick accused him of.

  “I want you to leave Amy alone,” Rick continued. “Each time you come here you’ve got a different girlfriend. And each time you leave, Amy’s down in the dumps.”

  Paul’s heart clenched at Rick’s words, guilt washing over him. It hurt him to think that he had unknowingly hurt her.

  “What’s wrong with Amy, Paul?” Rick dropped all pretense of playing cards. He held Paul’s gaze, hard and steady, his own gray eyes so much like Amy’s. “She’s twice the woman any of the picture-perfect girls you bring here are.”

  “I know that, Rick.” Paul spoke quietly, thinking that he did care more for Amy than Rick could know. He sipped his coffee, trying to find the right words, frustrated that a man who didn’t like him was forcing an admission about something so close to his heart and so much on his mind the past few days.

  “Amy has always been an example to me of what people should be like. Loyal, caring and hardworking. She has a strong faith in God that shames many of us and a purity that shames me.” Paul looked down again, surprised himself at the words that flowed from him. He couldn’t seem to stop them. It was as if he needed to tell someone, anyone, how he truly felt about this girl, no he amended, woman, that had taken far too much of his thoughts the past few weeks.

  “Amy is probably one of the best people I know. I think I’ve cared for her all my life. But I also know her. I know she needs to live here, I know she couldn’t live in the places I wanted to be.” Paul took a sip of coffee, remembering a young man who always looked to be anywhere but the Cariboo. And a young girl who couldn’t live anywhere else. “I thought I couldn’t stay here or settle down with one person. And as it turns out, I was wise to keep my distance. Amy is engaged to a good Christian man with a solid future. Someone who wants to stay here with her. I don’t know what I want for myself, but I do know what I want for Amy. And that’s a loving husband who cares for her and who can share her faith. I wouldn’t hurt her intentionally. I want you to believe that.”

  “I don’t know what to believe about you, Paul. I just want to make sure you don’t do to her what you did to Shannon.”

  Paul frowned, trying to catch up to Rick’s sudden change in the conversation. “What have I done to Shannon?”

  A flush crept up Rick’s neck and he looked up, shaking his head. “You can’t remember? You can’t remember taking her out and then making me take her home?”

  Paul remembered. “That was a long time ago, Rick. We’re both a lot older now, and I don’t think it bothers her anymore.”

  “No? Why does she flirt with you every time you talk to her?”

  Paul couldn’t help it. He laughed. “That’s a joke, and we both know it.” Paul leaned his chair back. It creaked as it balanced on two legs. Paul studied Rick, wondering what his problem was and why he should care about Amy’s friend. A girl three years older than he was.

  “Well, I don’t think it’s very funny.”

  Paul pursed his lips as pieces suddenly fell into place. “Why do you care what Shannon and I joke about?”

  Rick threw him an irritated glance, then laid out another solitaire hand.

  And Paul understood. “You love her yourself, don’t you, Rick?”

  Rick’s back became rigid; he slapped down a few more cards. The only sound in the room was the snick of cards being pulled out of the deck. Rick glared up at Paul, looked down again. Then, suddenly, the anger left Rick like stale air escaping a balloon. He shuffled the cards aimlessly then put them down. “I’ve loved her from before the time I took her home for you.”

  “And been angry with me since, I imagine,” Paul said drily. “Does Shannon know?”

  “I don’t dare tell her. I’ve always been Amy’s little brother. She’s at least th
ree years older than me. I’ve got nothing to give her.” Rick chewed his lip, much as Amy did when she was disturbed.

  In spite of his earlier antagonism, Paul felt suddenly sorry for Rick, surprised at how frail the male ego could be. Paul sipped his coffee as he searched for the right words to encourage this uncertain young man.

  “You underestimate yourself, Rick,” he said finally. “You’re good-looking, strong, mature when you want to be, and you don’t think you’ve got something Shannon would want? You’ve got yourself, your health, two good hands a brain and this ranch.”

  Rick almost snorted. “Trouble is I don’t want the ranch.”

  “What do you want?”

  Rick clasped his hands together on the table, spinning his thumbs around each other, his fingernails stained with grease. “I’ve been working with Jack Dilton the past few months. Just a few jobs he wasn’t getting done during working hours. He has offered me a job. I think I’m going to take it.”

  “Does Amy know about this?” Paul pulled one hand over his face, callused hands rasping over his stubbled chin. How was Amy going to react to that particular piece of news? She had always counted on Rick’s help.

  “I don’t know. I was going to tell her after her engagement party, but then she hurt her shoulder. I couldn’t tell her then.”

  “So why did you buy the heifers?”

  “I thought I was interested, and the ranch needed to look at increasing its income.” He looked up at Paul. “I wasn’t trying to lead her on. I really thought I could do it. But when Jack offered me this job, I knew what I wanted to do more.”

  “What will happen to the ranch if you leave?” Paul asked.

  Rick pressed he thumbs together, his lips pursed. “That’s what else was holding me back from telling her. Unless she makes some changes, she can’t really take care of it on her own.” He blew out his breath. “We’ll need a new baler, one that can make round bales. She’ll need to refence some of the pastures so that we can rotate it better and run more stock. It can be done, but it will take money, and until things pick up, she won’t be able to afford all of that.”