Every Vow She Breaks

by Jannine Gallant

  The other hand tilted her chin. “I don’t think you do.” He lowered his head to kiss her. When he finally pulled away, a little smile tilted the edges of his lips. “I’ll give you some time, but I’ll be back. You can count on it.”

  Chapter 19

  Good God, the woman was never going to shut up! All he wanted was to pick up his package, not wait around while the old biddy behind the counter asked questions about the teenage daughter of the customer in front of him, a stupid chicken recipe and—

  “I heard Claire Templeton is fixing up her great-aunt’s house. Is she going to move into the place or sell it?” The postmistress handed the dark-haired woman a book of stamps and took a twenty-dollar bill in exchange.

  “Claire’s staying in Shady Bend. She already hired a contractor for the major repairs and has been doing a lot of interior painting herself.”

  “Wonderful.” The relic passed back a handful of change. “I bet you’re glad. I know you two were close back in high school.”

  The woman stuffed dollar bills in her wallet along with the stamps. “I’m looking forward to having my old friend around, although she just left for a few days to take photographs for another article she’s working on.”

  He stiffened. Claire’s gone? Where the hell did she go? Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “Oh? Where’d she go?”

  “She’s photographing Northern California lighthouses for this story, starting with Battery Point up in Crescent City.”

  The postmistress pushed rhinestone decorated glasses up her nose. “That’s a pretty one. It’s been a few years since I was up there, but I remember walking out to the lighthouse at low tide.”

  “I’d better go.” The woman glanced over her shoulder with an apologetic smile. “I’m holding up your line.”

  Since he was the line, he felt obligated to respond. “That’s okay.”

  “You take care, Theresa, and tell Claire I said hello the next time you see her.”

  The woman left, and he stepped up to the counter.

  The postmistress smiled. “Now, what can I do for you, young man?”

  “I’m expecting a package, general delivery. The name’s—”

  “I have it right here.” She turned, cutting him off, and stretched on her toes to reach a padded mailer on the shelf behind her then placed the envelope in front of him. “Only one general delivery package came in today. Is this yours?”

  He glanced at the label. “Sure is. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, and thank you for your patience while I chatted with Theresa. Have a nice day.”

  “Don’t you need to see my ID?”

  “Oh, I suppose I should.” Her gaze swept past him, and she smiled. “Well, hello Ralph. Shouldn’t you be in your kitchen for the lunch rush?”

  He pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

  The postmistress waved a hand. “Take your package. I trust you.”

  Clutching the envelope to his chest, he passed a stout, grizzled man as he left the building. Once on the street, his fingers traced the outline of the photos inside the padded envelope, and his breath came a little faster…until he remembered.

  He smacked the side of his vehicle. Claire was gone. Still, she wasn’t out of reach. He’d always find her no matter where she went. Her little disappearing act might delay implementing his plan for a day or two, but no longer. Pulling open the door, he slipped onto the seat. A road trip was in order. North to Crescent City.

  * * * *

  Jed brought the axe down with enough force to send the two halves of the round sailing ten feet. Grabbing the next one, he hefted it into place and raised the axe again. Crack. The wood split beneath the blow.

  So, maybe he was taking his frustration with Claire out on the pile of lodge pole pine. The good news was he’d have his winter supply of wood split in no time at the rate he was going.

  Had she called him the previous evening to check in? No. Crack. Had he spent half the night wondering if everything was okay? Damn right. Crack. At ten-thirty he’d given in and called her. Her cell went straight to voice mail, and she hadn’t bothered to respond to his message. Damn woman. Crack.

  When his ring tone trilled, he dropped the axe, narrowly missing his booted foot, to snatch the phone from his pocket. Not Claire. His shoulders slumped as he answered.

  “Hey, Kane.”

  “Hey, yourself. I hear you had dinner with Grace and Travis the other night. You still on the coast?”

  He sat on the upended round he’d been using as a chopping block. “No, I’m home. Got here late yesterday afternoon.”

  “How does Claire like your cabin? According to Rachel…wait, she wrote this down so I’d get it right.” Paper rustled, and a clunk sounded in his ear. “Sorry. I dropped the phone. Rachel says Grace thought Claire was perfect for you, and you’d be a fool to let her get away. Don’t mess this one up.”

  “Is that all?”

  “It’s all she wrote down.”

  Jed grinned. “Why didn’t Rachel just call me herself?”

  “She was going to, but I told her I needed to talk to you anyway. She made me promise to relay her message verbatim.”

  “Claire isn’t here.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re taking a break.”

  There was silence for a moment before Kane spoke. “Who instigated this…break?”

  “She did. We had a conversation about life goals, and…well…”

  “You made it clear you didn’t have any.”

  “Hey!”

  “Sorry. What did you tell her?”

  “The truth. I like my life the way it is. She’s looking for something a little more normal. Normal was her word, not mine.”

  “Too bad. Grace thought Claire might be the one you’d change for. At least that’s what she told Rachel. I’m pretty sure there was a lot more along that vein, but I tuned out when the baseball game came on.”

  “And you wonder why I’m not married.”

  “The Giants were playing. Anyway, I like being married. Just yesterday…never mind. Bet you’d like it, too, if you ever gave a woman half a chance.”

  Jed snorted. “You said you had a reason for calling other than to nag me about my love life.”

  “Right. Dad’s going to Palm Springs with a couple of his golf buddies and their wives and the widowed friend of one of the ladies. I didn’t want you to worry if you tried to reach him and he didn’t answer his phone.”

  “I’ve told him a hundred times to get a cell phone—”

  “But he says he only spends time at home or on the golf course—”

  “And he doesn’t want anyone interrupting his golf game—”

  “So he doesn’t need one.” Kane’s laugh echoed through the line. “I guess we’ve both heard that speech too many times to count.”

  “When does he leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “I’ll call him tonight.” His head jerked up. “Did you say widowed lady somewhere in there?”

  “Yep. I think Dad’s dating her. When he mentioned this woman, Deirdre Maxwell, his voice was—I don’t know—soft. Weird, huh, thinking about him with someone other than Mom?”

  The ache that always started in his heart whenever he thought about his mother tweaked a little—but no worse than usual. “It’s been five years. Good for him.”

  “That’s how I feel. I know he’s lonely, despite what he says.”

  “So who’s this woman?”

  “He calls her Dee. He didn’t say much, but I…well I—”

  “Oh, my God, Kane. Did you run a search on her or something?”

  “Hey, you never know these days.” The defensive edge in his brother’s tone eased. “She has a clean record, not even a parking violation. Her husband died three years ago of a heart attack. She has a couple of grown daughters, and her retirement benefits are a lot more substantial than Dad’s, so she isn’t after his pension.”


  “You’re a piece of work. Does he know you—”

  “Of course not! Don’t say a word about it. He’d be pissed.”

  “I’m pretty sure Dad can take care of himself, not to mention he’s an excellent judge of character.” Jed kicked a piece of bark. “Unbelievable. Did you check out Claire while you were at it?”

  “Why would I bother? We both know your track record.” He paused. “You’re right about Dad’s ability to read people, but men don’t always think straight when they’re falling in love.”

  “You’ve got that right. I was actually considering compromising my principles before Claire got pissed and told me to go home.”

  “Good for Claire.”

  He kicked a bigger chunk of wood and winced. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

  “Yours. That’s why I care when I hear you’ve ditched a woman who has the potential to make you happy.”

  “She did the ditching. Not me.”

  “Semantics. Your fault entirely, I’m sure.”

  He rose to his feet. “Maybe. Do you have anything else to badger me about? I was in the middle of chopping wood.”

  “By all means, chop away.”

  Jed stuffed the cell back in his pocket and picked up the axe. Kane didn’t know squat about what made him happy. Just because—

  The phone rang again.

  He pulled it out and glanced at the display then let out a sigh. Apparently Claire was still ignoring him.

  “Hi, Dad. I was going to call you this evening.”

  “I’m glad I reached you. When I talked to Rachel a few minutes ago, she told me you’re up in the redwoods.”

  “Not anymore. I’m home, at least for a while. I just got off the phone with Kane. He mentioned you’re going to Palm Springs.”

  “I’m looking forward to playing a few rounds of golf on some new courses.”

  “Kane also said you’re taking along a…uh…lady friend.” Jed rolled his eyes. What did you call the woman your seventy-year-old dad was dating?

  “Dee. She’s pretty and smart. We enjoy each other’s company.”

  “I’m glad.”

  He assumed the rush of breath in response was a relieved sigh.

  “I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I haven’t dated anyone special since your mom…”

  “Dad, it’s been five years since we lost her. You have a right to be happy.”

  “I won’t pretend I haven’t been a little lonely, even though I tried not to complain to you and your brother. A man has to find his own way past grief in his own time.”

  “Well, I think you should get out there and enjoy yourself.”

  “I intend to. Oh, I wanted to give you my number so you can reach me if you need to while I’m gone. I broke down and bought a cell phone.”

  Jed dropped the axe then jumped back. “You’re kidding?”

  “No. Dee told me I was acting like a stubborn mule. I guess some changes are for the best. Did you know you can play games on these things?”

  He smiled. “You called from the house phone. What’s the cell number?” As his dad recited, he typed it into his phone. “Got it.”

  “Good. Rachel and I had quite a talk. She said you’re seeing some woman who used to live on our street when you were kids?”

  “Claire Templeton. Do you remember her?”

  “Dinky little blond girl who followed you around one summer?”

  “Yep. We met by chance and camped together for a while down on the coast. She’s still little and pretty and smart and funny…”

  His dad’s laugh warmed his heart.

  “Sounds like you care about this girl.”

  “I do, but I don’t think it’s going to work out.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s ready to settle down.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  Jed turned his face up to the sky and closed his eyes. “I’m not big on settling.”

  “The word has different meanings. I’d be the first to agree you should never settle for something—or someone—if it’s not what you want. But settling into a new situation and finding comfort in it, now that can be a good thing.”

  “Like you’re doing with your friend, Dee?”

  “Uh, I was thinking about the cell phone, but with Dee, too. Both are new and different. Both will take some getting used to since I’m set in my ways. But once I have, I may find life a little easier and more rewarding.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Kane should take lessons from you.”

  “Oh? On what?”

  “Giving advice. He said basically the same thing but, unlike you, managed to piss me off in the process.”

  His dad’s chuckle rolled through the phone. “Brothers are good at that.” He cleared his throat. “I just want happiness for you. What works for Kane or me might not be right for you. Your brother always has his feet on the ground. You’re like a kite on a string, blowing whichever way the wind takes you. I just don’t want you to miss out because you’re being a stubborn mule like your old man.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Have fun on your trip, Dad.”

  “I will. Love you, Son.”

  “Love you, too.”

  He clicked the phone off and pushed it into his pocket. Turning, he glanced at the giant pile of split logs and the rounds still waiting. “To hell with it. I’d rather go for a hike.”

  Leaving the axe where it lay, he headed for the cabin to change. Hiking was a whole lot more fun than splitting wood, and as everyone kept pointing out, having fun was what he did best.”

  * * * *

  Claire hunched down to get the perfect angle and clicked. Zooming in a little closer, she took several more shots then glanced toward the shore. “Crap.” She scooped her notes and the rest of her gear into the backpack and slung it over her shoulder. The tide was coming in. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be stuck out on this rock for hours.

  The Battery Point Lighthouse perched on an island connected to shore by a narrow strip of land when the tide was out. At high tide, a boat was necessary to reach the place. Visitor hours ended at four, and it was long past that now. She’d pushed her luck with the tide, waiting until all the tourists left so she could sneak Scoop over to the island. With the dog splashing in the sea surge beside her, she ran along the path and only got her tennis shoes a little wet before she reached the shore.

  Making her way down the beach, she stopped periodically to take pictures of the little white building with the red roof near the giant cypress tree. The place was a photographer’s dream. The problem would be choosing which shots to use in her article. Satisfied with her day’s work, she put away her camera and glanced down at the dog. “Now what?”

  He answered with a sharp bark before running off to sniff a bunch of mussels adhering to a rock at the water’s edge. Claire slowed her pace. What was the point in hurrying when she had nowhere to go? No one would be waiting when she returned to the RV. For dinner she could eat out alone or cook a meal in the motor home with Scoop for company. A long sigh was caught by the breeze. Her heart ached with missing Jed.

  Better get used to it.

  Not that he hadn’t tried to reach her. She’d listened to the messages he’d left too many times to count before deleting them. Fool. If she had half a brain, she would have erased them without indulging in the temptation to moon over the sound of his deep voice.

  “Lame. Lame. Lame.” Jamming her hands in her jacket pockets, she trudged onward. When a sand crab skittered across the beach in front of her, she paused to pull out her camera. She got one shot off before the animal disappeared into a hole.

  Was this all her future held? Happiness over a single moment captured in time. If she broke down and accepted what Jed offered, her life wouldn’t be much different in the long run. A series of poignant moments with no plan for the future to hold them together. Not to mention a gnawing ache in her stomach as she waited for him to
move on to a new adventure.

  Her steps took on purpose as she turned back and headed toward the parking lot. She couldn’t face another lonely evening in the motor home where everything reminded her of Jed. What she needed was a distraction, preferably one with lots of noisy strangers and maybe a bowl of clam chowder. A friendly woman from the campground had recommended a restaurant out on the dock. The place sounded a whole lot better than her own company.

  “Let’s go, Scoop.”

  He bounded over to her then led the way up the winding path toward the motor home, only to stop when he reached the edge of the parking lot. A low growl rumbled in his throat.

  “What’s wrong, boy?” She stroked his quivering back.

  No strange dog was in sight, and he was usually friendly enough with other animals. With a shrug, she moved forward.

  “I need to change my clothes. Then you get to hang out in the RV while I go eat. Maybe we’ll take a moonlight walk through the campground afterward if the fog holds off.” She dug out her key on an eye roll. “Who needs a man when I have you to love?”

  Claire pulled open the door and stepped inside. A scream ripped from her throat, followed by another and another and another…

  Chapter 20

  “This is exactly how you found it?” The police officer crossed his arms over his barrel chest and gave her a long look through cool gray eyes.

  A shiver shook Claire. She pulled her jacket tighter around her and nodded. “Once I got over the initial shock, I backed out and shut the door. The dog hasn’t even been inside. Then I called 9-1-1.”

  Turning, he took his time surveying the interior of the motor home. “Looks like something an old boyfriend or a jealous lover with a grudge might have done. Maybe trying to embarrass you—or turn you on. Entice you back.”

  Her cheeks burned. Standing outside the RV, she could only see part of one photo taped to the back of the passenger seat. From his position in the doorway, the cop was getting the full effect of the pictures plastered all over the interior.

  “It’s not an old boyfriend. We eliminated all of them.”

  Officer Edelman’s head snapped around. “What?” The word echoed like a rifle shot.