Brokken Promises

by Abagail Eldan

  Somehow Fritz had not considered that. He peered into the sitting room. Missy had taken a seat next to Cam, and they were speaking quietly.

  Fritz moved closer to Chance and spoke quietly. “Do you think she’s one to gossip?”

  Chance gave a low chuckle, as if enjoying Fritz’s discomfiture. “Actually, no. She’s a very level-headed girl. Having to fend for herself, with that drunkard for a father, matured her.”

  Fritz nodded.

  Chance scratched his chin. “Listen, Fritz. Miss Jenkins is holding something back.”

  Fritz sighed. “That’s obvious. As the sheriff pointed out, her story does not make sense.”

  “And, I still don’t understand why she allowed you to assume she was Sally Jane’s mother.”

  “She was going to tell me something on the train, but I told her the past was in the past.”

  “Was that because you did not want her questioning your own past?” Chance’s voice held no malice, but that did not stop the muscle in Fritz’s jaw from twitching.

  He frowned at his brother-in-law. “No. I was going to tell her everything. Eventually.”

  Chance studied him. “Fritz, I have to ask why you are even talking to me. I think this might be the first civil conversation we’ve ever had.”

  If Fritz was serious about changing, now was the time to do so. He turned the words over in his mind before he spoke. “I’ve been gone months, long enough for me to consider all the harm I have done. I realize now you were not to blame. I think I was jealous—you and Deborah have a good marriage and then Sally Jane completed your family. It was...irritating.”

  Chance snorted. “You had Lydia.”

  “Deep down, I always knew she was not the right woman. To tell you the truth...” He paused to throw Chance a look, slightly embarrassed to explain. He cleared his throat. “I made a promise to be truthful from now on.”

  Chance laughed and then waved a hand before he looked away. “I’m sorry. I should not be laughing.”

  Chance’s laughter had irritated him, but Fritz made an effort to conceal it. “I know I have not always told the truth...”

  Chance’s laughter rang out again, but he immediately sobered. “Forgive me. If you are truly trying to change, I will try...well, at least, I will try not to laugh.”

  Despite Chance’s apology, it took a moment for Fritz to bring his anger under control. “Thank you,” he said, as graciously as he could manage. He remained silent as he sought to calm himself.

  After a moment, Chance prodded him. “You were saying about Lydia?”

  Fritz clenched his jaw until a muscle twitched, sorry he had started this conversation. “I was only attracted to her looks.” He shrugged, tired of talking with Chance, and tried to remember his manners. “Do you want to join us in the sitting room?”

  Chance already had his hand on the door and shook his head. “No, I need to get back. It’s turning colder, and I need to see about the livestock.”

  Fritz was relieved. “Thank you for bringing Missy. I’m sure she’ll be good company to Cam.”

  Chance nodded. “I believe so.”

  He left, and Fritz glanced through the glass door of the sitting room. Missy was sitting next to Cam, and they were talking quietly.

  Fritz went into the kitchen and stirred up the embers in the wood stove, adding more lighter. He would make a pot of coffee and see if there were any scones left.

  His stomach growled, and he pulled out his watch. It was past lunch time. It might be a better idea to go to Molly’s restaurant, but the sheriff said for Cam to stay in the house. He’d have to check with her before he took Cam out.

  The door to the kitchen opened, and Missy came in, startling when she saw him.

  He gave her a smile. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

  “We thought you had left with Mr. Hale.” She glanced around the kitchen. “I told Miss Jenkins I’d see to lunch.”

  “That’s very kind of you. I’m afraid there’s not much to cook. I’ll go to Molly’s for us a plate.”

  “May I go instead?” She blushed, making Fritz question her motives. Perhaps she had a beau she hoped to meet.

  But he nodded and brushed aside his misgivings of being left alone with Cam again. “Please, if you don’t mind. Get whatever today’s special is and tell Molly to put it on my bill.”

  She smiled and practically skipped away.

  He couldn’t stay in the kitchen forever, but he lingered. According to Missy, Cam thought he’d gone with Chance. He should stay in the kitchen until Missy returned.

  He carried out his plan to make coffee and searched for the scones. Someone had covered them with a dishcloth. They were cold, so he set the plate on the warmer as the coffee made.

  He vowed to stay put until Missy returned, but it seemed his feet had a volition of their own. He headed toward the sitting room, promising himself he’d stay far away from Cam.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Missy had told Camellia that Fritz had gone, but she did not believe it. He was in the house somewhere, but it would be unladylike to go find him. She forced herself to sit still although she should probably go to the kitchen and help Missy with lunch even though the girl had insisted on doing it herself.

  Camellia was not one to remain idle. She needed to look through her trunk for her sewing kit. The least she could do would be to mend some of her dresses. She needed to check for an iron or ask Fritz if she could borrow one so she could make herself more presentable. She sighed heavily, and the door opened.

  She was not surprised when she saw Fritz come in. He did not sit down but went to stand by the fireplace although he turned to face her.

  “I hope I am not disturbing you.” His stance was stiff and formal.

  His entrance had stirred all sorts of emotions within her, but she smoothed the planes of her face and shook her head. “Not at all.”

  He remained standing, watching her. “I sent Missy for lunch. There’s not enough time to cook a proper meal. I know you’re starving.”

  “The scones the sheriff provided satisfied me for now.” Truth be told, she had no appetite, certainly not in his presence.

  “I put a pot of coffee on and found the leftovers. They’re warming on the stove. Would you like me to fetch them for you?”

  She did not want him to leave her presence. She shook her head. “We’ll wait for Missy.”

  “She should be back in a few minutes.”

  He was as uncomfortable as she had ever seen him. After only a moment, he paced the room.

  “Is there anything wrong, Fritz?” She knew the answer. There were a thousand things wrong.

  He came to a stop in front of her. “So much has happened, and I am trying to sort it all out.”

  “Me, too,” she whispered. She had called him indecent for kissing her, but she allowed it. She must not do so again. It would only invite heartache and expose her own indecency.

  He began pacing again and spoke without looking at her. “About Lydia...”

  “She said she was once your fiancé?”

  He threw her a quick glance, not quite meeting her eyes. “Yes, but it was over long ago.”

  “If she was suing for breach of promise, you broke off the engagement.” She did not understand why he would reject such a beautiful, obviously intelligent, accomplished woman.

  His ears reddened. “Yes, I’m the one who broke off the engagement.” He came to a stop again at the fireplace, facing her. One hand rested on his hip, and the other rubbed his neck. “I planned to tell you, but the past...”

  “Is in the past.” She wasn’t sure she believed that, not in its entirety. The past always reared up its ugly head and impinged on the present and the future.

  “Exactly.” His eyes took on a faraway look.

  She had to know. “She...she’s as beautiful...as the morning sun. Why did you break it off?”

  His eyes regained their focus, and he studied her, silent for a moment, furrows forming across
his forehead. “She was not the right person for me.”

  “But why?” Her voice broke.

  He licked his lips and swallowed. “I don’t understand your need to know.”

  “It matters not. I will leave as soon as the sheriff allows me.” She kept her voice as steady as she could, but it still quavered.

  His hands fell to his sides. “Do you believe I kiss every woman I meet?”

  “I certainly hope not. But then again, I assume most women would not allow it.” Her cheeks burned.

  He grimaced. “I assure you I do not try with others.”

  She had nothing to say to that and remained silent.

  His eyes became unfocused, and he looked to the ceiling as if it held an answer he searched for.

  After a moment, he refocused on her. “What did Lydia call me? An inveterate liar? Perhaps that led to the dissolution of our engagement. If I was as she portrayed me, it may be too late to change, but I promise you I will try.”

  “Why would you make that promise to me, Mr. Brokken?”

  “Do you not see your own worth? You said Lydia was as beautiful as the sun.” His eyes found hers.

  She tried to tear her gaze away but was unsuccessful and searched his eyes. “Yes, she is like the sun. How would one such as I compare with her?”

  His face became sober. “A lonely star in a dark sky is more beautiful for one can gaze upon it.”

  His breathing quickened as did hers. Her cheeks burned hotter. Did he really think she was more beautiful than Lydia?

  She frowned at him. “Those are beautiful words, Fritz, although I can’t believe you mean them.”

  “I do mean them. Do you not know life is thin and brittle, ready to crumble at a touch, with a raging river beneath, eager to engulf us? I have fallen into the river, driven there by my own nature. I cannot climb out but am extending my hand to you, for you to steer me in the right direction.”

  She could not suppress a smile. “And you believe I have that capacity when I myself need the guidance.”

  “It is I who has fallen, drowning in my own lies and deceit.”

  “Have you forgotten I, too, have not been entirely truthful?”

  Suddenly, his face cleared, and he laughed. “I was going to get to that. Why did you allow me to believe you were Sally’s mother?”

  She must tell him. If his words were true, he was forming an attachment to her, as strong as her own to him, it seemed. She could not let his attachment grow stronger. He must know the truth. “I...”

  The door to the sitting room swung open.

  It was Missy. “I am back with lunch and have set the dining room table.”

  It took a moment for Camellia to regain her thoughts and direct her attention to the girl. “Thank you, Missy. We’ll be right in.”

  Fritz spoke quietly as he came to her. “We will discuss this later.”

  She nodded as he helped her to her feet. As they walked toward the dining room, she spoke.

  “I wish I did have a ship, an ark like Noah’s, to save us all from drowning. Alas, I have been bound so long I am unable to build one.”

  “Noah did not build his in a day,” Fritz answered.

  Missy, leading the way to the dining room, glanced over her shoulder. “I believe it was over one hundred years.”

  Camellia laughed. “It is unfortunate we do not have a hundred years.”

  “But we can redeem the time we have.” His eyes questioned hers, and he raised a brow.

  Camellia wished she could nod, but when he found out who she was, he would no longer care about building an ark, or any sort of life with her. She would have to flee from his presence and from the town of Brokken. The citizens, his family, would be askance at such a marriage. She pushed the thoughts away as they entered the dining room furnished with a mahogany sideboard where Missy had arranged the food, buffet-style, and stacked plates next to it.

  She smiled at the girl. “Missy, you did a wonderful job.”

  “Maybe she could go to work at the H & B?” The muscles in Fritz’s face twitched.

  “It would certainly help improve them.” She laughed, and Fritz laughed with her.

  “What’s so funny?” Missy asked.

  Camellia gestured. “I will tell you one day. Let’s eat. Missy, you worked so hard, you can go first.”

  “Ladies first,” Fritz agreed. “I’ll go fetch the coffee and the scones.”

  “And don’t forget the orange marmalade,” Camellia called after him as the door swung shut behind him.

  Missy burst into peals of laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Deborah had also been amused by the mention of orange marmalade, and it puzzled Camellia.

  Missy’s face twitched. “He hid the bank’s money in orange marmalade.”

  “Do you mean what the sheriff said was true? He robbed the bank?”

  “Strictly speaking, no, he did not rob the bank. He simply hid the money in jars of orange marmalade.” She cast Camellia a sideways glance. “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is,” Camellia agreed demurely.

  And what would it hurt to enjoy his company for the next few weeks until she was allowed to leave? She would not tell him her secret, not yet, not until she left for good, for otherwise she’d be alone, under house arrest for no telling how long.

  But she would leave as soon as the sheriff allowed. He could not, would not, marry her once he found out the truth.

  And for both their sakes, she certainly would not allow him to kiss her again, no matter how great the temptation. They could have no future together, and it was time for her to face reality.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cam had not kept her promise to speak to him by pleading a headache, and Fritz had left. Chance was right. Fritz did not wish to stain her reputation by lingering too long, and he wasn’t certain that Missy was the best chaperone. He would have opportunity to speak to Cam later and find out why she had lied to him—a lie of omission not commission. He should speak to the pastor to find out the theological position on such lies.

  Fritz forced himself to stay away for the next week—well, not entirely. He stopped by each morning to ask if Cam or Missy, who continued staying with her, needed anything. She always asked for something inconsequential, and he hoped it was because she wished to see him again. These deliveries he made in person, even though he did not enter into the house. Instead, he waited for Cam to come out. The cold porch was not the place for Cam to share her secret, and he did not press her. They would linger on the porch until the cold drove her back inside and forced him home. Thankfully for him, she did not invite him inside. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to resist going in if she had although there were deterrents.

  Missy was there, and despite what Chance had said, she might tell others of his visits. Calvin, too, showed up at odd moments, and Fritz knew for a fact that Calvin liked to talk.

  Curt’s shoulder wound was fully healed, as far as Fritz could ascertain, and he had not allowed Fritz to return to work at the bank but let him know, in no uncertain terms, that he was now in charge since the town had lost confidence in Fritz. Curt was afraid folks’ distrust would keep them from doing business at the Brokken Bank.

  After a few days of Fritz wandering from pillar to post, Curt suggested Fritz could better serve the family by managing the General Store. But Fritz did not stay long in that position. Curt had hired Alex Jennings who, with the help of his brother Aaron, was doing an excellent job, and Fritz had no wish to horn in on the arrangement.

  Isaac and Chance managed the ranch and had no need of his help, and besides, Fritz had no wish to work alongside his brother-in-law. Although Fritz realized his part in the bad blood between them, Chance still irritated him, and it was best to keep his distance.

  He was at loose ends, aimless, and he felt as if he stood on a precipice. Whether that was good or bad, he did not know. Somehow, he needed to move things along in order to settle things with Cam. He visite
d Deborah at the cabin, and after they discussed the situation, he sent Cam a message, delivered by Calvin, of course, asking if after supper, he, Deborah, and Chance could pay a visit. He also inquired if it would be suitable to bring Sally Jane along.

  Cam sent a reply by Calvin that she looked forward to the visit, and it would be delightful to see her niece. Fritz wasn’t sure what to make of it. He’d been certain she’d refuse to see the little girl since he’d convinced himself that Sally Jane was her daughter and had been born out of wedlock, and that was Cam’s secret she was hesitant to share with him.

  He’d already considered the implications and decided it did not matter. The folks of Brokken did not have a high opinion of him—although he hoped to change that in time—and what they thought of his future wife did not concern him. He had his family—Deborah and Curt. Karl would be returning soon, and he did have a few friends—even if they could be counted on one hand.

  Who knew? He and Chance might strike up a friendship. The thought made him snort before he sobered.

  He might not care what people thought, but what of Cam? True, Deborah seemed to have already taken a liking to her, and he was sure the sheriff and Abby would be friendly if for no other reason than to denigrate him.

  He snorted again. He was used to that, and he was probably being too harsh on Abby. The sheriff on the other hand—

  He broke off the thought. Perhaps he should go and see the sheriff to offer his assistance in the inquiries. Maybe he could speed things along and perhaps it would give him something to do.

  He put his plan into motion although Sheriff Vic simply shooed him out and said she had all the help she needed. How he could endure waiting for the results of her inquiries, with nothing to do, he did not know.

  He stood on the boardwalk, outside the sheriff’s office, the cold wind stinging his cheeks. The only thing he could think to do was go by the Post Office and pick up his mail. Curt had seen to his mail while he was gone, but it had not been checked since he arrived back in town ten days ago.

  He passed Calvin Meyers pulling a wagon filled with supplies and stopped him.