Broken Road

by Mari Beck

  “Riley, we probably need to talk about a new plan. You don’t have a home, begging your pardon, mam. By that I mean one of his own. You won’t have a job now that the cattle operation is gone. We need a new plan.” Riley’s head was spinning. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to go back with Louis but he didn’t want to stay in town with anyone he knew.

  “You can stay with me.” A voice piped up. Riley turned to see Doreen’s new waitress standing there looking back at him. “ I mean not with me but out at the farmhouse. It’s a ways out of town but there’s plenty of room and as far as a job-I've been looking for someone to help me fix up some things around the place for weeks. No, one’s taken me up on the offer. It isn’t the nicest place right now. There’s a pretty big draft that goes through the whole house and the front door’s almost off it’s hinges-but there’s plenty of space and plenty of work if you’re interested. It might give you some time to think about what you really want to do.” Riley stared at the waitress. He was trying to process everything she’d just said. Doreen and Louis were both staring at her. They looked stunned and confused. Who would offer to take in a stranger after all?

  “That’s nice of you.” Louis was saying. “But I think it might be better if Riley came back with me for now.” Doreen looked furious. Her face was almost as red as her hair.

  “Now see, here. I don’t see what would be the harm of leaving him here in town with people who’ve known and loved him his entire life. It’s what his grandfather would have wanted. And, Renae, honey, I know you mean well, but you have enough on your plate with that old house. Besides you’ll have to go back home sometime. You don’t have to do this. Riley can stay with me until he figures out what he wants to do.”

  “Okay.” The waitress said backing away. “It was just an idea.”

  “Riley, we need to make a decision and I really think it would be in your best interest to come back with me. I really do.” Louis was working hard to convince him but Riley knew what it meant. Why couldn’t Louis understand that he needed not to talk about what had happened for a while? Riley sighed. He knew that if he went back with Louis not talking wouldn’t be a choice.

  “Honey, I can appreciate what your friend is saying. But after what you’ve been through you need to be with family and we’re family. All of us here in Bess-we’re your family.”Doreen was pleading and Riley knew how hard this was on her. But he had made his decision.

  He got up from the table, walked past Doreen and up toward the counter where the waitress was wiping it down.

  “Riley, where are you going, honey?” Doreen called but Riley didn’t answer he just kept walking until he got to the counter. The waitress didn’t seem to hear him coming so he tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped a little as she turned around. Her eyes widened and she seemed almost shocked to see him standing there. He swallowed hard. He was nervous.

  “I don’t know if you were serious about your offer or not but if you were I’d like to take you up on it. At least for a while.” There was a pause before she answered him.

  “I’m serious. I could use the help.”

  He felt relieved. At least he would have some place to go that wasn’t in town or at a hospital or with people who knew his story as intimately as Louis and Doreen. Although he couldn’t be sure what the waitress knew about him she didn’t seem to act like someone who recognized him from the newscasts or from the local gossip mill. He hoped that he was right about that. Time would tell.

  “Well, then, I’m Riley Favreau.” He extended his hand out to her. She took it and held it tight giving him a nervous smile.

  “I’m. . .” She paused and looked at him for a moment as if she had forgotten her own name. He waited and then she took a deep breath and said, “Hi, Riley. I’m. . .I’m Renae.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Houseguest

  Doreen and Louis Montgomery were less than thrilled with Brenda’s offer but Riley Favreau refused to change his mind. It was settled. The soldier would move into the old farmhouse outside of town with Doreen’s new waitress. Brenda could feel the tension between Doreen, Louis and Riley as they tried to talk him out of the idea. Although they tried to be polite she could tell that some of that tension and displeasure was also directed at her. She had gotten in the middle of what was looking more and more like a family disagreement. Doreen feeling that she was representative of Riley’s true family and Bess was willing to tolerate Louis’ interference because he had proven himself a loyal friend while Riley was in the hospital. But Brenda’s intrusion seemed to confuse her and while she wasn’t rude to her during the rest of her “shift," the motherly affection she was used to receiving from Doreen had now turned to a subtle flow of motherly disapproval.

  After Riley had made his decision he and Louis set out for the cemetery and the farm where the house once stood. When Brenda finished helping at the café they agreed that she and Riley would meet back at the old farmhouse and get him settled in. Brenda was nervous and more than once she found her mind wandering off as she waited on tables or cleaned the counter. Sometimes people had to call her name out more than once and embarrassed, she would apologize and try to keep her mind on the task at hand. She was thankful too that business picked up to the point that she could no longer feel Doreen’s disapproval boring into the back of her head every time she picked up an order or cashed someone out. Doreen was simply too busy cooking.

  When the café closed for day and she put her apron and ordering pad behind the counter Brenda breathed a sigh of relief. She had made it through her first day of waitressing in 20 years with only a few mistakes. She heard Doreen finishing up in the kitchen and decided to wait. Doreen ambled out pulling her apron off, her bright red hair was in a bit of disarray from a whole day of cooking in a hot kitchen. There were small sweat patches around the collar and under arms of her oversized blue t-shirt with its Bess Volunteer Fire Department logo in large white block letters. Doreen gave Brenda a big smile as she came out from behind the counter.

  “I don’t know how I would have made it today without you, honey!” she beamed.

  “I’m not sure how much help I really was and I promise I’ll pay for those cups I broke. And the plate.” Doreen laughed and put an arm around Brenda.

  “Small price to pay for all the good you did today, honey.” The older woman said and moved them toward the door. She turned off the lights and took out a set of keys from her jeans pocket. Reaching for the door to let Brenda out Doreen stopped and turned to face her. Her face was full of concern and her voice had a tone of sadness as she asked the question Brenda was sure had been on her mind since earlier in the day.

  “Honey, I hate to ask, but are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into with Riley?”

  “I offered him a place to stay and a chance to do some odd jobs around the farmhouse that’s all.”

  “I get that. I think it’s real nice of you to do that but I’ve been wondering ever since you made him the offer and he accepted if it’s the right thing.”

  “For whom?”

  “For either one of you. I mean, honey, you’re not from around here. Your home is back in Tennessee isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but. . .”

  “Honey, do you know about Riley? Do you know who he is?” Brenda felt a lump in her throat. Here was another chance to tell the truth. A moment passed before she could answer and Doreen had been staring at her the whole time.

  “Not really.” Brenda lied.

  “He’s been away a long time as a soldier. He came back and things didn’t go so well. That’s why he was with that Louis fellow back east.”

  “I want to help, Doreen.”

  “He’s a good man, honey. I’m not saying he’ll be any trouble but he also’s gone through a lot especially with the loss of his grandfather, the house and some other things. You sure you want to open yourself up to that and to some of things folks might say?”

  “Are you saying people will g
ossip?” Brenda asked and realized she hadn’t thought about that. Doreen gave another chuckle.

  “It might be unchristian to say so but Bess isn’t a big town and maybe gossip isn’t quite the right word. Not everyone knows you but everyone knows Riley and they have a notion about what’s happened to him so they’ll likely have an opinion, honey. Some of it good and some of it. . .”

  “Not so good?” Brenda finished the sentence for her.

  “To be sure.” Doreen said and turned back to the door. Opening it she motioned for Brenda to go ahead and when she did Doreen set about locking up the place.

  “You’re not mad are you, Doreen?”

  “No, not mad just worried, honey.”

  “It’ll be all right and it won’t be for very long. Just long enough for me to get some work done on the house and for Riley to figure out what he wants to do.”

  “I hope so, honey. In any case, I’ll add you to my prayer chain at church. That old house is ready to fall apart and you’re gonna need all the help you can get.” She gave Brenda another motherly pat as she headed for her car.

  “Thanks, Doreen.” Brenda called out as she headed in the opposite direction. She walked slowly taking her time getting to the car. Soon enough she’d be welcoming Riley Favreau to the farmhouse and into her life. What had possessed her to offer him a place to live? Doreen was right. What did she really know about the man? Very little. But she couldn’t help feel for him especially after what she had overheard at the café. He’d lost everything when he came home and then he’d literally lost his home. She didn’t know what had overtaken her until she’d heard her own voice offer him a place to stay and a job helping her with the farmhouse. That had not been the plan. Plan? She had to laugh at herself. The only plan she had when she came here had been to run away from her life and problems back in Tennessee. So much for that, she thought. If the plan had been to run away now it was to walk straight into the biggest problem of all. Riley Favreau had been on that road with her husband. He knew what had really happened and she had to know what he knew. It was that simple and that dangerous. She was risking being found out and then what? What would Riley Favreau do when he found out that Renae Messersmith was really the widow of Captain Shane Jenner? Brenda got into her car and closed her eyes. It’s not too late to back out. It was true. She could give it all up: the farmhouse, the offer she’d made to Riley Favreau and her search for the truth. She could go home back to her boys. Back to Jon Procter. Back to Meagan McGuinnis. She sighed. No, she couldn’t. She needed answers and Riley Favreau had those answers. That was reason enough to stay. It was reason enough to lie. The decision was made and after a few minutes Brenda put the car in drive and headed for the farmhouse.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The Cemetery

  Riley stood at the foot of his grandfather’s grave and wept. Louis kept a respectful distance. Riley hadn’t felt much about his grandfather’s passing since Louis first told him EJ Favreau had passed away from the injuries of the truck accident he and Riley had been in on Main Street, while Riley was still in the hospital back east. Not a day went by that he didn’t think about his grandfather and feel responsible for what happened to him. It was a heavy burden and one he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to let go. To make matters worse Doreen’s news that the bank had foreclosed on the farm and that it had been sold to a large corporate cattle operation, which had already cleared the land including the house, was devastating. From the moment Riley had stepped off the plane in Grand Island nothing had gone right. Nothing. Now faced with living off of the charity of the kind people of Bess or going back east with Louis he had chosen the only option he could live with-moving into the old run down farmhouse on the outside of town that had been empty a good 20 or 30 years with a waitress he’d just met at the Main Street Café. The look on Doreen and Louis’ faces had said it all. If they didn’t think he was crazy before they certainly did now. Maybe they were right but the thought of living in town where he’d be exposed to all the gossip about Misty and Brandon, the accident and his own issues was too much. He couldn’t do it and he couldn’t stomach going back with Louis either. Days filled with support groups and therapy appointments sounded just as torturous. So when the pretty dark haired waitress spoke up and offered him a place to stay and a job helping her fix up the old farmhouse how could he say no? But, the consequences of saying yes seemed just as daunting. First, the farmhouse was old and falling apart. It needed more than a little TLC it needed a bulldozer and some sledgehammers. Second, how was he going to handle living with a woman who wasn’t Misty? What would happen when she found out about the nightmares, the blackouts, the strange behavior the doctors wanted him to monitor? Should he have told her up front or did she already know? Whatever she knew he hoped it was quite a bit less than everyone else in town. But unless she’d been living under a rock how could she not know who he was and what had happened? Riley wiped his tears with the back of his sleeve. What did it matter now? The life he knew was gone. Louis was right. It was time to start over and maybe this was his fresh start. A little unconventional maybe but it was his and he’d take advantage of it while he could. He muttered a silent prayer for strength and took a last look at his grandfather’s grave, which shared its stone monument with that of his grandmother and mother. Until We Meet Again was chiseled into the marble along with the names and dates. In the upper left hand corner there was a guardian angel chiseled into the stone standing watch over the inhabitants of the grave. Riley wished that he could find more comfort in the engraving and be filled with what Pastor Langston called “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” For now Riley would settle for a little bit of peace if he could get it. He gave up trying to get the understanding a long time ago. After a few more moments he turned away from the grave and walked back to where Louis Montgomery stood waiting for him.

  “Was it enough time?” the older man asked. Riley nodded. “Well, where to now?”

  Riley turned back and looked at the graves. He shrugged his shoulders.“Back to the farm, I suppose.”

  “The farm isn’t there anymore, Riley.”

  “I know. But I have to see it just the same.”

  “That’s fine by me.” Louis agreed and they began to walk the path back to the car. “Are you sure that you want to go through with this deal?”

  “You mean moving into the old farmhouse with Renae the waitress?”

  “Yes, I guess I do.”

  “Yeah. I think it’ll be good for me.”

  “What about the waitress?”

  “I’d like to think she wouldn’t have offered if she didn’t mean it.”

  “Me too.” Said Louis, “But sometimes people change their minds.”

  “You think she will?”

  “I don’t know. I hope not.” Said Riley as they got to the car. He opened his door and got in.

  “Whatever happens, you need to be honest. She needs to know what. . .”Louis paused a moment as if unsure how to say what he wanted to say without offending Riley.

  “She need to know what she’ll be up against. Is that what you mean, Louis?”

  “Pretty much. She’s not a trained professional. Not a veteran. Isn’t even from here, Riley. It all spells trouble to me.”

  “I’m not going back with you and I’m not staying in town.”

  “That’s a shame. You know I think you’re making a mistake.”

  “Yeah. I think you’ve made it pretty clear.”

  “But you’re a grown man and I can’t make you stay with Doreen or come back with me. But I hope you’ll agree to some conditions that will make the transition easier.”

  “Like what?”

  “Let me bring you up for support group once a week.”

  “That’s over a 3 hour ride, Louis.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “What if I don’t want to go?”

  “Riley. . .”

  “I need a break from the doctors and the support groups. I need a b
reak from the people of this town. I want to be in a place where I can find some peace and be of some use for a while.”

  “You promised Dr. Nadeem, Riley. You also promised me.”

  “All right, what if we compromise? Give me a couple of weeks to get adjusted and then if you still think I need to jump back in to all of that then I’ll do it. Okay?”

  Louis looked doubtful.“This is all against my better judgement, Riley. But like I said you’re a grown man. I hope you’re right about this.”

  “You’ll see, Louis. Everything’s going to be fine.” Riley said as Louis drove them toward the spot where the farm once stood. Riley tried to keep his emotions in check but the closer they got he found that it was too difficult. As they neared the turn to the road leading to his grandfather’s farm he spoke up.

  “You know what on second thought, let’s skip the farm and head for Broken Bow. All I have to wear is what I have on. I should probably pick up some things, don’t you think?” Louis shot him a sideways glance.

  “That’s a good idea. What time will Renae be home?”

  Riley looked at his watch realized they had quite a bit of time to kill.

  “The café will close around 6. She should be home after that.”

  “Are you sure, Riley? You don’t want to stop and take a look before we go?” Louis asked as he pulled off the road and started turning in the opposite direction. Riley swallowed hard. The truth was he wasn’t sure he could bear seeing the place where his grandfather’s house had once stood. His house. His home. Gone. It was too hard and he wasn’t ready to face it.

  “I’m sure.” He said and as Louis headed back down the highway toward Broken Bow he hoped to God that he was right.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Farmhouse

  Brenda had only been back a few hours when she saw Louis Montgomery’s car pull up with Riley Favreau inside. It was dark outside. She took a deep breath and tried not to shake as she made her way down the stairs of the rickety porch. She waved as they got out and she started down the gravel drive toward them. Riley Favreau looked tired, almost as tired as she felt. She wasn’t getting much sleep in the drafty old place. After living at the Daisy Inn for a couple of weeks she had gone into Broken Bow and purchased some basic furniture for the house, including a couple of mattresses for each of the bedrooms. Doreen’s husband Elmer had loaned her his truck and he and Doreen had been kind enough to help her carry things upstairs and set them up. She never really considered she’d have company but the thought that maybe her mother or the boys might come out to see her had crossed her mind. So she’d bought the beds with that in mind. Brenda could never have foreseen that Riley Favreau would be the first houseguest she’d have over. As she approached them, the man who accompanied him seemed suspicious even though he was trying hard to be polite to her. He took Riley’s belongings out of the trunk of his car which literally consisted of one small black duffel bag and a couple of paper sacks. She imagined everything else had been packed up and stored before the bank had taken the farm in the foreclosure. Brenda felt sad for the soldier. From what she had learned so far it had not been much of a homecoming for Riley Favreau. She tried to shake off the thoughts and stepped forward to meet greet them.