Eternal Oath

by Jewel Quinlan

  “I spoke with Sarah before I came upstairs.” He smoothed his fingers over hers. “She told me the doctors still haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong. The last tests he ran didn’t turn up anything either.”

  She nodded. “I don’t know what else we can do.”

  “We’ll figure something out.” He ran a finger along her soft cheek. “And remember, Father is a strong man. A fighter.”

  “He is,” she whispered.

  Falk himself struggled to keep the same thought in mind every day. But it got more and more difficult. Over the last three months, Mr. Hartmann had grown weaker and weaker until he spent most of his time in bed resting. What if they never found a cure for him?

  At a light knock, he turned to see Sarah in the doorway with a tray in her hands.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for your father’s dinner.”

  He and Linda stood.

  “Do you need any help?” Linda moved forward to assist with the tray.

  “No, but you’d better stay and say your hellos after I rouse him. He’ll be mad at me if he finds out you were here and he didn’t get to speak with you.” Sarah set the tray on the nightstand. “John.” She shook his shoulder. “The children are here. Wake up.”

  It took a few moments, but their father woke and blinked a couple of times. Falk blew out a slow breath. It was scary to think this might be one of the last times he saw him alive.

  “Wh-what time is it?” He lifted his bare wrist as Sarah propped him up with pillows.

  Sarah reached over to the nightstand and passed him the Rolex given to him by his grandfather. Dad had told him it would be his someday. His heart had filled with the warmth of the knowledge he really did have a dad now, really was part of a family.

  “It’s six o’clock. Dinnertime.” Sarah held the watch closer to him. “See?”

  Their father focused on the watch then his eyes widened, and a big smile broke over his face. “You’re here! You’re both here! Oh, it’s so good to see you. Come give me a great big hug.”

  Linda knelt on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around him. Falk moved to stand behind her, waiting his turn. But Dad waved at him to join, so he knelt on the bed as well and put one arm around Linda and the other around their father who pelted their foreheads and cheeks with kisses.

  Falk’s love for the man who had taken him in and raised him rose up, making his throat tighten. He had been everything he could have wished for in a father. Fate had made him run away from the orphanage and led him to get lost on Hartmann lands. Since the first night he’d spent in the house, he’d done everything in his power to be a good son, to live up to Dad’s expectations, although it hadn’t been hard. Linda and her father were good, caring people, and Falk seemed incapable of doing any wrong. Even when he grew his hair long and decided to learn electric guitar so he could join a band, they had been nothing but supportive. Dad had bought him the best guitar money could buy and lessons to go with it. He’d even come to a few clubs to hear Falk play with his grunge band.

  His music phase had lasted all through high school and into his first year of college when his first business course had snagged his attention. As he had grown, other things had taken his focus away from music, like helping run the company business. Something he’d aspired to do since setting foot in one of the Hartmann mills where the fresh scent of cut wood had surrounded him as if welcoming him home. Linda also played a prominent role in his future. He wanted a career good enough to take care of her later. An old-fashioned attitude, but she deserved the life she was accustomed to and more.

  He still played his guitar once in a while and kept in touch with the guys from the band. Although things had changed on the inside for him, he still wore his leather jacket and long hair. He had been tempted to cut it once or twice, but he liked the way Linda toyed with the strands when they were together. The feel of her fingers running through it always triggered a shiver of pleasure deep within.

  Dad released them from his warm embrace, and Falk and Linda sat next to him on the wide bed. Sarah tucked a napkin under his chin and put the tray on his lap. He leaned forward and cupped Linda’s cheek in his hand one last time before picking up his fork.

  “I would love to come and eat with you downstairs. I can make it down the hall fine; but you know I’m having trouble with the stairs.” He shook his head and sighed. The strands of hair on one side were rumpled, but on the other they were pressed flat.

  “It’s okay, Dad. We don’t mind keeping you company up here,” Linda said.

  But he wasn’t used to being weak and confined to a bed. When they had hugged, the muscles beneath his skin were fragile and the bone beginning to protrude. Dad had always been a big man with strong shoulders and a barrel of a chest and belly. But he seemed so shrunken, a shadow of his former self.

  Dad raised his eyes to Falk’s. “Everything going okay down at the mill?”

  “Yes, sir. Running shipshape, as usual. Nothing to worry about there or at Tillamook. I went there before coming to Constance.”

  Falk had been absent so often during school breaks lately because of the company. He’d worked at each of the mills, all six of them. Hartmann Lumber consisted of three mills in Idaho and three in Oregon. Dad had said there was no better training than starting from the ground up so that’s what he had done. But it had been at the cost of a being separated from Linda.

  Dad nodded. “Good. I don’t know what I would have done without you to keep an eye on things. I try to do as much as I can with the phone and that infernal laptop, but I get tired of looking at the screen.” He speared a piece of chicken with his fork and lifted it to his mouth.

  Falk knew it wasn’t the screen tiring his father out, but he didn’t say anything about it. “We have nothing to worry about. The supervisors you hired at each location are top notch. You can trust them.”

  “You two had better get downstairs to the dining room,” Sarah interrupted. “Cook said your dinner is about ready to be served. I’ll stay up here a little longer with John. Jensen put your suitcase in your room for you, Falk.”

  “I’d be more than happy to stay,” said Linda. Her eyebrows scrunched together, and her gray eyes shone with eagerness.

  “No, no. Both of you go on downstairs.” Dad motioned at them with his fork. “You don’t need to watch an old man eat his food.”

  Falk hesitated. “We could keep you company. How about if we bring our food up here?”

  “Your father takes a nap after he eats.” Sarah’s tone was firm. “It’d be better if you came back later.”

  Dad backed her up. “Yes. You both just traveled a ways. I think we could all use a little food and rest. We can catch up after you’ve eaten.”

  Linda shifted on the bed but didn’t get up.

  Falk stayed where he was as well, hoping Dad would change his mind. They would stay with him day and night if Sarah would let them, but with one glance, Falk could see the steel forming behind the housekeeper’s expression. Sarah could be a formidable guardian when challenged, so he put a hand on Linda’s arm.

  “Good idea.” Falk guided Linda away from the bed. “We’ll be back.”

  Linda raised an eyebrow, and he gave her a slight shake of his head. Normally, he would have put up more of a fight. He used to be skilled at charming Sarah. But the dynamic between him and Sarah had shifted in recent years. She’d become aloof with him, and he was mystified as to why. He doubted his charm would have any effect. Plus, he had no wish to cause a disruption in their father’s bedroom.

  “Love you. See you soon, Dad.” Falk shut the door behind him out of respect for Dad’s wishes.

  Chapter Three

  They went downstairs to the library to wait. The large room had shelves from floor to ceiling and ladders on wheels along the walls so even the dustiest tome at the top could be reached. Linda always felt as though she were going back in time when she stepped into this room. Patterned
chairs and leather couches made up a sitting area. A table along the side held decanters and crystal glasses. It had always been Falk’s favorite room.

  “Just think. If I read every book in this room, I could be the smartest man in the world. Smarter than your father even,” he’d said while she gave him a tour on his second day there. He’d stepped to the middle and slowly turned in a circle, scanning the bookcases. His chest had puffed out as though expanded by the determination glowing from him. She hadn’t been able to take her eyes from the powerful sight he presented.

  “You can do it, Falk. I know you can.” Together, they’d counted the books and tried to figure out how long it would take. The happy memory filled her with warmth.

  They sat on the dark brown leather couch together. His hair was damp in places. Probably the rain had caught him in the few steps between his car and the house. He wore it a little past chin length, the curls she remembered from when he was thirteen replaced by waves, the complex golden-wheat color with tones of desert sand, sunset, and butterscotch making it even more eye-catching than before. Short stubble, darker than his hair, dusted his jaw. And when those sky-blue eyes fixed on her, she thought she might melt.

  She pressed her fingertips to his arm. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

  Falk cupped her elbow with his hand. “I feel like I got here in the nick of time. He doesn’t look good.”

  “I know.” Her chest contracted and tears rose up, making her face warm.

  He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. “Hey, there now. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m not saying all hope is lost. I’m just a little shocked at the change since I last saw him. Like I said upstairs, we’ll figure something out.”

  He kissed her on top of her head, and she let out a long breath and tried to calm herself. It felt so good to lean against him, his navy-blue knit shirt soft beneath her fingers. He smelled like leather and earth after the rain. Cuddling against his side, she felt safe and protected. She never wanted him to leave again.

  “How are you liking old Pelham Prep?” he asked.

  She chuckled. “About as much as you did when you went there. I don’t know why I can’t just go to the local high school like everyone else.”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s because he wants us to have the best.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She let out a resigned breath. It was true, Dad had said he felt like he wasn’t home enough and that her teenage years were crucial ones. So, she’d been sent to the boarding school because he felt it would provide the support she needed and prepare her for college.

  “Tell me what’s going on with you.” He rested his cheek against her hair. “When we talk on the phone and on Skype, I can tell you’ve been keeping something to yourself. There’s something on your mind.”

  He played with her fingers, and the sensation brought back to her all that had been missing. All they hadn’t been able to really experience over the last three years together. But at the very least it was one small drop in the hollow bucket yearning to be filled to overflowing.

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “I haven’t told you everything.” No use in hiding it.” Once Falk scented something, he would hunt it with the tenacity of a badger.

  His determined streak had driven him to finish reading every single book her father’s library, even with his busy schedule. He’d had the last one sent to him at one of the mills in Idaho last summer, and they’d celebrated his triumph during Thanksgiving break. Dad had even had a plaque made in his honor. It hung at this very moment on the wall opposite from where they sat. They’d hung it there with much ceremony, pomp, and laughter.

  “Tell me.” Falk gave her a squeeze.

  She’d been hesitating. And she hesitated a second more as she tried to decide how to phrase what she wanted to say. Even though Falk would understand, she still didn’t want to come off as some unstable nut job.

  “I’ve been having these weird dreams,” she began. “Both of us are in them. Sometimes Sarah and Dad, too.”

  “Okay. Makes sense we would all be on your mind at a time like this.”

  “Maybe…but there’s something real about them. It’s kind of scary. No, it’s a lot scary.”

  Falk leaned back against the couch, and she lifted her head from his shoulder and met his gaze. The steadiness she saw there encouraged her to go on.

  “It’s as though I keep seeing flashes of us but in different points in time. A lot of them are good memories, but there are other ones….” She shivered.

  “Are you sure it’s us?”

  She nodded. “Yes. But I can tell from our clothes and the surroundings and the way we speak the visions—or whatever they are—are from different time periods. I didn’t think much of it, at first. It would be things like us walking in the woods or swimming in the lake. That stuff was fine. But since it started, three months ago, it’s been getting stronger.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re not dreams anymore. I’m having daydreams—interruptions—when I’m doing everyday things. And they’re getting more intense, more lifelike.” She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. “When Sarah came into Dad’s room with the tray, I saw something. Just for a second, but it was so vivid. You and I were running through the woods for our lives. Terrified of someone, or something, crashing through the brush behind us.”

  She opened her eyes again and folded her fingers together and did her best to sound logical.

  “This morning, when I drove down the road to the house, I had another one. It was of us cowering in a church I didn’t recognize. A man was shouting at us to show ourselves. That one was so strong that, for a moment, I couldn’t see the road in front of me.” Lucky she hadn’t driven off the road when it’d hit.

  “I hate to say it, but I feel like I’m going crazy.” A sob caught in the back of her throat.

  “You’re not crazy.” Falk fixed her with a firm look. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Do you understand me?”

  She nodded, and her breathing eased. A new strength filled her as though it rushed from Falk’s fingertips into her. With it, she could get through anything.

  He released her shoulders and clasped her hands in his. “It’s a stressful time right now. That has to be a major part of it. I doubt they mean anything. I’m betting you haven’t been getting a lot of sleep.”

  “True. I haven’t. I’m sure the dreams don’t mean anything. What scares me most, though, is I can’t shake the overwhelming dread we are all in danger. I walk around terrified of every shadow I come across.”

  Falk’s gaze skimmed her face. He opened his mouth, and she waited for him to say something to calm her fears when a knock came at the library door.

  She jumped.

  But there was nothing to fear. It was just Jensen, the butler. “Dinner is served.”

  Chapter Four

  Falk joined Linda in trying to make decent conversation with Sarah during dinner, but he couldn’t help sharing loaded glances with Linda every once in a while. Unanswered questions drifted in the air between them.

  “I hear your work in the mills has been exceptional, Falk.” Sarah’s face brightened. “John says, from the reports he’s gotten, no one can help but like and respect you. I don’t think there can be any higher compliment. Those men are a tight-knit group.”

  Falk had worked his ass off on every assignment he’d been given at Hartmann Lumber, not wanting to let Dad down, and the various supervisors had been strict with him. They tended to be a stoic group, and he’d never been sure where he stood. The surprise compliment sparked an ember of pride in his chest.

  Linda grinned at him. “Well, of course. Falk has always been a high achiever.”

  He bowed his head in embarrassment and shook it then grinned at them both. “Could I be anything less with a role model like Father?”

  Both women murmured in agreement.

  Without fa
il, Mr. Hartmann had always been the first to rise in the morning. He liked to sit in the library in the dark hours before the sun came up and read while drinking his first cup of coffee. He’d always said the stillness helped him to gather his thoughts to make the most of the day ahead. To appreciate it. But that was before he became ill.

  Sarah smiled. “Jensen and I always had a devil of a time keeping up with him. He’s always had such a passion for life and making the most of it, even when he was young.”

  Jensen had been with the family almost as long as Sarah had been, fixtures at the mansion. Valued employees. It was easy for Falk to forget Sarah and Dad were relatives and had known each other growing up. Maybe because Sarah played her role as doting nanny and warm housekeeper so professionally. With the exception of family meals here and there, she maintained the boundaries suitable for someone in her role.

  “Did you and Dad live near each other when you were young?” Linda took a piece of bread from the basket on the table and passed it to Falk.

  Her question seemed to rise straight from Falk’s own thoughts that they knew little of Sarah and Mr. Hartmann’s past before she’d joined the household. Why hadn’t they asked before? Because they’d been children of course.

  “Yes, for many years.” Sarah served herself some green beans from the dish in front of her. “Haven’t I told you this before?”

  He and Linda shook their heads.

  “I could have sworn I did,” she said. “Well, we lived near each other when my family resided in Tillamook. I was finishing high school and your father was in junior high. We were the youngest cousins in the family. And we used to have such fun playing tricks on the rest of the family when they came to the mansion for holidays!