My Stardust Melody, Chapter 16
Luke slammed the door as he walked in from the porch to the kitchen.
Faith, looking up from where she was wiping the counter, asked worriedly, "More problems with the horses?"
"No, just a jackass," Luke grumbled as he moved to the kitchen table to sit down. He looked over at his dark-haired pretty sister and tried to smile.
"Should I be worried that Andy is buried under some stall?"
Luke snorted. "No, the last I heard Andy was threatening Reid with a pitchfork."
Faith dropped her washrag and exclaimed, "Reid Oliver is out there?"
"Yeah," Luke said with resignation. He really wanted to bury his head in his hands for a minute and try to forget the past ten minutes. Usually he loved to come into the house and see his siblings, even if only briefly. At the moment, he felt like being alone. And damn Reid for making me feel that way.
"Can I go help Andy bury him?" Faith asked cheerfully.
Luke shook his head and laughed. Faith's ferocity had a way of making him smile in even bad circumstances. "No. I want to keep our running streak of no Snyders in jail going."
"It's not like anyone would miss him," she said darkly. Finishing up her task, she threw her towel at the sink and sat down with Luke at the table. "So, why was he here?" she asked seriously.
"Oh, the usual," Luke replied with false nonchalance. "Just accusing Henry and me of planting that needle in Serendipity's saddle to frame him."
Faith's perfect nostrils flared. "Are you sure I can't go out there and lock him in a stall with Midnight? We could say it was an accident."
Luke snickered. "Reid's head is so hard I'm not sure Midnight could even put a dent in it."
Faith pretended to give this serious thought. "Hmmm, I wouldn't want him to chip a hoof or anything."
"Let's forget him. He's probably already left." Faith nodded her agreement, so Luke inquired, "Where are Natalie and Ethan?"
Faith pointed toward the front of the house. "They're in the living room playing Monopoly."
Surprised, Luke responded, "Again? You'd think Ethan would give up by now."
"Yeah, she's scarily like grandmother, isn't she?"
Luke nodded. "By the time Natalie is my age, I expect that she will have fully launched a scheme for world domination."
"I guess for now she just settles for taking all the pretend property from hapless eleven-year-olds."
"God help us all," he chuckled, his earlier tension beginning to ease. "So anything of note going on today?"
"Not really. Henry called. He said he couldn't reach you on your cell."
"Oh, I must have run out of battery life." Or not paid that bill on time, he left unsaid. The cell phone bill fell under the category of "pay last or delay payment" at the end of the month. The mortgage, utilities, and health bills all got paid first. Things like his cell phone and other luxuries sometimes got pushed back, depending on tips at the diner.
"Uh-huh," Faith said doubtfully.
"Well, I'll call him in a minute. I'm going to get something to drink. Why don't you grab the kids so we can talk about the next few days?"
"Before we do that, Luke, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." The tentative expression on Faith's face arrested Luke's attention, and he immediately knew she wanted to talk about next year. What he wasn't sure of was what she wanted to suggest this time. In their last discussion, she had suggested she skip college so that Luke could go to school full time. It was one of the few times Luke had completely lost his temper with his sister in the five years he had officially been her guardian.
"Okay," he said slowly.
"I think I shouldn't go to Michigan, but instead I should go to Oakdale University."
"But you have a merit scholarship at Michigan." She had applied early and had already won a full scholarship based on her grades and personal essay. The day she received the letter from the school was the proudest moment of Luke's life.
Faith nodded. "Yes, but I'm sure I could get financial aid at Oakdale U."
"But you would have to pay back any loans."
She shrugged. "So? Lots of kids do that."
Luke reached out and grabbed her hand. "I don't want you to start off your life with debts if you don't have to."
Faith pulled back from Luke, determined to win the argument this time. "You mean like the ones you have?"
"Those aren't school loans."
Faith snorted. "No. They've got a much higher interest rate, and you pay quite a price for having them."
"That's my business, Faith. You don't need to worry about it." Luke raked his hands through his hair. The mortgage was his concern, not any of the kids'.
Faith's voice grew louder with her emotions growing raw. "How can I not? You work yourself to death. And let's not pretend I don't know why Henry couldn't reach you. I could help, Luke. I could go part-time like you and work somewhere."
Luke gave her a little smile. He appreciated the sentiment, but he'd never forgive himself if he didn't provide Faith with every opportunity he had had growing up. "Faith, in a matter of years, I'll have everything under control. With a little luck, Serendipity or even Midnight could win some of the big races. Then Henry can pay off his investment in the horses and the farm, and I can pay off the farm from my half of what's left."
Faith rolled her eyes. "I know the plan, Luke. I've heard it a million times. We both know it's risky, and we both know you might be working yourself to death for a lot more years." Plaintively, she implored, "Just let me help."
Calmly, Luke replied, "Go to school, Faith, in Michigan. You living the life you were meant to have helps me."
Faith folded her arms across her chest in a move that reminded Luke of Lucinda. Matter-of-factly, she said, "Luke, let's not kid ourselves. When Mom and Dad died five years ago, the life I was meant to have probably would have involved me being pregnant by now."
"Faith!" he exclaimed in a near yelp. He didn't even want to contemplate such an awful thought.
This time Faith reached across the table and put both her hands on top of Luke's. "I'm just saying that as much as I miss them, we shouldn't pretend that everything was great. I owe you Luke. You tethered our home when it should have fallen apart."
Luke turned his palms up and squeezed her fingers. "Faith, you sell yourself short. Everyone has trouble in their early teens. Look what I did to myself, and I managed to pull my act together. And I'd be the last one to pretend everything was great with our parents. I won't forget that it was Mom who got us into this mess." He paused and added, "Besides, I owe you all just as much if not more."
"What could you possibly owe us?" She raised her thin eyebrow.
Luke withdrew one of his hands and chucked her gently under the chin. Sometimes, it amazed him how much his siblings could underestimate their value to him. "Every bit of happiness I've had these past five years has come from raising you guys. You've turned into a considerate--even if a bit sarcastic and bloodthirsty--young woman who uses her brain whenever she's confronted with a problem." Luke was gratified to see Faith beam, and then he continued. "I've seen Natalie grow from a sweet little girl who liked her dollhouse to an intelligent girl who has numerous times confounded her teachers with her ability to run mental loops around them. And Ethan has become, well, like you."
"Like me?" she asked confusedly.
Luke knew she didn't see the similarity, but he did. "Yeah. He always thinks about other people first. The only difference is that he doesn't try to hide it."
"I don't do that," she said defensively.
"Oh really? Then I guess I must have been mistaken about why you really gave Ethan your piece of chocolate cake last night."
"It was because I'm watching my weight," she ground out while looking fixedly at the table.
"Uh-huh," Luke said doubtfully. He knew very well that Faith had a soft spot for her youngest sibling and had seen him looking at her slice with his big soulful eyes.
His younger sister looked back up at him and said, "Okay, Luke, I get that you love us, but let me help you."
Luke stood up and walked behind Faith to give her a hug. Into her ear, he said in a low voice, "Faith, again, you being happy helps me. I'm not making that up. If you aren't in this world attaining everything you deserve, I wouldn't be as happy. Your smiles and triumphs make working these hours okay. I don't mind, I promise."
Looking up over her shoulder at him, she asked, "I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"I'm afraid not," he replied bluntly.
Faith stood up and put her arm around her brother. "If I can ever help in a way that doesn't alter your happy universe, will you let me know?"
Luke smiled. "That I can do."
"Fine, then I'll go get Nat and Ethan." With a last smile that was still a little troubled, she walked out of the room.
When the group had assembled around the kitchen table, Luke smiled. It was so rare for them to all be together at the same time these days.
"Okay, I know that Faith is old enough now to watch you guys," Luke began. "But since someone seems to be trying to harm the horses, particularly Serendipity, I don't want you all staying here while I'm away for the next few days."
Everyone nodded.
"You're going to stay with your cousin Jack starting tonight so that I can leave early in the morning. I know we were all going to stay here tonight, but I think it makes more sense if you go over to Jack's after dinner."
"Are you going to be safe here?" Natalie asked.
"Perfectly," Luke assured her. "Andy will still be around."
"What about the horses?" Ethan asked.
"Andy is going to work extra hard while I’m away to make sure the horses are safe and sound. And remember, until we figure out what's going on with Serendipity, I want you all to stay out of the stables." The idea of any harm coming intentionally or accidentally to the kids was enough to make Luke feel sick.
"I'm not sure you should be in the stables either. You're the one who was injured," Ethan said.
"I can't stay away. Those horses are my responsibility, and now that I know someone wants to hurt one of them, I can be extra careful. Neither Andy, I, or anyone else is going to ride a horse without thoroughly looking for anything out of whack. That's the best I can do."
"But--" Ethan began.
Luke held his hand up. "Look, part of the reason Henry wants me to go on this trip is to get me out of the barn for a few days while the police investigate. Hopefully, everything will be solved by the time I get back." Luke wasn't surprised that he got the most argument from Ethan. His youngest sibling had had the hardest time with their parents' deaths, and he always worried about Luke's safety and whereabouts. It had taken Luke a long time to convince Ethan that he wasn't going to disappear, too. This incident with the horse had shaken all of them, but Ethan most of all. Luke smiled when Faith placed a reassuring hand on Ethan's shoulder.
"You'll be back before Christmas, right?" Ethan asked.
Nodding, Luke replied, "A couple days ahead. Don't worry. And I've hidden all your presents, so don't even think about snooping."
Faith chimed in, "Come on, you two. Why don't you go upstairs and pack your things? Ethan, don't forget your underwear like you did last time."
Ethan huffed, his annoyance evaporating his earlier worry. "I'm not going to forget."
Faith rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, get moving. I'm checking your bag this time."
After the two youngest marched up the stairs, Faith stayed back and asked, "So Luke, are you going to ask Santa to send Reid Oliver far, far away from here?"
"If I thought Santa would, I'd ask him to take Reid to the North Pole."
"I'd ask him if he'd be willing to boot Reid out mid-flight somewhere over the Arctic Circle."
"I like your idea better."
Up Next: The Great Oakdale Blizzard (and you know what that means...)
A/N: I hope to have the next chapter up in a week, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of a delay. The Derby (which was basically two weeks of events around here) and a charity that I'm involved in have taken up a lot of writing time.