Bertha's Resolve: Love's Journey in Sugarcreek, Book 4

by Serena B. Miller

  When she took her seat on the first plane to leave the island, she was no longer the idealistic young woman who had arrived. She felt like a battle-scarred soldier who had lost the war.

  There was no doubt about it. She had failed. All the training, all the sacrifice, all the years of hard work to fulfill her dream—and she had failed. After only six months of service, she was going home in disgrace. Even if George never told a soul about what he’d seen and heard, she knew in her heart that she was disgraced.

  As her plane lifted from the tarmac, she cried harder than she had ever cried before. Her heartbreak was so profound that the French woman sitting beside her excused herself and found a less emotional seatmate in the back of the airplane.

  Bertha, feeling like her life was over, did not care.

  Chapter 66

  Calvin was a man with a plan that evening as he readied himself for his new job tomorrow morning. Aunt Lydia had confided that she was in great need of help. A young couple was coming from Alaska to spend the weekend at the Sugarhouse Inn, and there were floors to be swept and firewood to be brought in, plus all sorts of other interesting things for him to help her with that he had never done before.

  He had been too young to help when he lived with grandma, or at least it seemed that way because grandma had pretty much done everything. But Lydia said that at ten, he was old enough, and since these were paying guests, she intended to pay him for his services.

  He glanced at the silent television as he went through the living room to the bathroom. Usually, he would spend half of Saturday morning watching cartoons and spooning cereal into his mouth. But he was so excited about spending an entire day with Lydia that he didn’t care if he didn’t get to watch TV all day.

  He carefully laid out his clean clothes for the next day on a chair in the bathroom just to be well prepared for the morning. Calvin’s clothes were a pair of jeans, a Spider-Man T-shirt, some Spider-Man underwear, and the new socks and boots that Alex had purchased for him.

  “Hey,” Alex said, as Calvin came out of the bathroom.

  “Hey,” Calvin said, as he headed for bed.

  “Want to watch a movie?” Alex said. “I’ll pop some popcorn.”

  “I don’t like burnt popcorn.”

  “It’s not burnt yet!” Alex said.

  Calvin shrugged. “It will be.”

  Alex laughed. “You’re probably right. Want to watch a movie, anyway?”

  Calvin was tempted. He liked this new Alex, who was awake so much more often these past few days, but Aunt Lydia wanted him to come really early tomorrow morning.

  “I’d better get to bed,” he told Alex. “I’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

  “Oh?” Alex said. “What’s going on? It’s not a school day.”

  Calvin sighed. Goodness. He was on an important mission. He needed to get to bed so he would have lots of energy tomorrow. There was no time for idle chitchat. Then a chill hit. What if Alex didn’t want him helping Aunt Lydia? What if Alex told him he couldn’t go?

  With terror in his heart, he told his guardian about his plans to spend most of tomorrow at the Sugar Haus Inn. If Alex didn’t allow him to work for Aunt Lydia, she was going to be awfully disappointed. She needed him!

  But Alex was pleased.

  “I’m proud of you, buddy,” Alex said. “I can’t think of a better use of your time than to help that sweet lady.”

  Calvin felt a surge of love for his cousin. Alex had been through a tough time, and so had he. But things were looking up.

  Although he was only a kid, Calvin knew there could have been a lot worse places he could have ended up.

  “Thank you for taking care of me,” he said.

  “I’m not sure who took care of whom there for a while,” Alex said. “But I think we’re going to be okay now.”

  “Me too.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Calvin, with his teeth brushed, face washed, and pajamas on, climbed into bed, and was saying his prayers in which Aunt Lydia and Alex were prominent. He also included a request that he wouldn’t be scared of the mean rooster tomorrow when he gathered the eggs.

  Chapter 67

  It was later than Rachel would have liked, but Friday nights were always crowded, and Joe was short on staff. After a full day of being on duty as a cop, Rachel was needed to work the cash register again. As long as all Holly needed was to be fed, diapered, and held, Rachel could handle nights like this. But time was running out. Very soon, Holly would start crawling, then walking. A crowded restaurant was not a safe environment for a crawling baby or a toddler, especially if their mother and father were distracted by work.

  By eight o’clock, the crowd had thinned out enough that she felt comfortable leaving little Holly in the arms of one of the waitresses who was thrilled to cuddle a baby instead of her regular duties for a while. Of course, Joe and Darren were there as well to watch over the baby.

  It took less than five minutes for her to drive to Alex and Calvin’s home. If the lights were off, she wouldn’t bother them, but if the lights were on, she hoped to talk with Alex, and this time it wouldn’t be about Calvin.

  The lights were on. Rachel parked in the driveway, walked to the porch and knocked.

  She saw Alex come to the window, glance out at her squad car, and then the door opened.

  “Has my little cousin been stealing pies again, Officer?” Alex was smiling.

  “He told you?”

  “Yes,” Alex said. “Calvin has quite a conscience. Neat kid.”

  “Yes, he is,” Rachel said. “I’m glad he and my son are friends.”

  “But that isn’t why you came.” Alex crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

  “No. I came to thank you for your help the other night at the restaurant. Can we talk for a few minutes?”

  “Of course.” He moved out of the way. “Come on in.”

  As Rachel entered their home, she was impressed. Not with the furnishings—those were worn and shabby and had probably come with the house—but with the order and cleanliness she saw. Clean dishes were stacked neatly in a drainer in the kitchen that she could see as she walked over to the couch. The old linoleum flooring looked like it had recently been mopped.

  Alex took a seat in an armchair across from her. Then he realized the TV was on and turned it off. She detected the smell of slightly scorched popcorn.

  He did not offer coffee or soda, which was appropriate because this was not a social visit, and he seemed to realize that. Instead, he waited quietly. This impressed her. Most people were too quick to chatter about trivial things when around a cop. Alex didn’t try to start a conversation, nor did he seem at all nervous.

  “Do you have any idea why I’m here?” Rachel asked.

  “Is that a serious question?”

  “Yes.”

  Alex calmly studied her before he spoke. “You are an attractive woman, but you are wearing no makeup. You did not take the time to brush your hair this morning before you pulled it back into a ponytail. You are only wearing one earring. The other one is either lost, or you got distracted and forgot to put it in.”

  Rachel’s hand jerked to her ear. He was right. Darn it! She had not lost the other earring. She knew exactly where it was—still on her dresser where it had been when Holly woke up and started to cry. She removed the lone earring and slipped it in her breast pocket as Alex continued.

  “The night of the attempted robbery, you were carrying your newborn daughter. You also have a small son, a full-time job, and a husband who is running a successful restaurant. Your aunt, Lydia, has probably told you by now that I used to be a cop. You’ve had two full days to look into my background.” He hesitated. “By any chance, are you here to offer me a part-time job?”

  “No.”

  He looked surprised. “Oh?”

  “We need someone full time,” Rachel said. corrected. “Are you interested?”

  Alex closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of his armch
air. “When you looked into my background, did you read about my big screw up?”

  “The hostage situation?” she said. “Yes, I did. You were in a tough spot, you made the best call you knew. It didn’t go well. I get that. You were also awarded the Medal of Heroism for a former hostage situation where you excelled and saved lives. We need a seasoned cop here in Sugarcreek to take my place, at least until my children are older. Cops with training and background like yours don’t grow on trees. The job here doesn’t pay as much as larger cities, but you are already here, and there are perks.”

  “And what would those perks be?” He smiled as though already anticipating her answer.

  “Dealing with some of the most decent people you’ll ever meet,” she said. “Working with Ed, our police chief, who is a great guy and an excellent cop. Raising Calvin in a town where most of the people still go to church on Sundays and who try to live what they believe the rest of the week. It is far from perfect, but it’s a good place to live and work.”

  “Those are some excellent perks,” he said.

  “You need to talk to Ed, of course,” she said. “But your qualifications are better than any candidate we’ve seen so far. If you come down to the station tomorrow morning, he’ll be there. At least come and talk to him before you make a decision.”

  “I’ll talk with Calvin about it.”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “And now I need to go pick up my kids at the restaurant and get them ready for bed.”

  “Calvin is already dead asleep,” Alex said. “He went to bed early because he’s helping your aunt tomorrow morning, and he wants to get there early.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of him,” Rachel said. “Most boys his age are not anxious to get up early on a Saturday morning to help an old lady.”

  “Calvin can be thoughtful,” Alex said, “but I suspect he is also hoping to have a seat at Lydia’s breakfast table.”

  Rachel grinned. “I guarantee that Lydia won’t mind that a bit.”

  Chapter 68

  “I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed our evening together,” Anthony said, as he walked Bertha to Rosa’s door.

  “It’s been wonderful,” Bertha said. “Please tell Gwen how much I appreciated her hospitality. If she had still been awake when we came back from our walk, I would have told her so myself.”

  Bertha wasn’t sure what time it was, but the lights were off inside the house, which meant that Rosa and Anna were sleeping. Under the circumstances, she was grateful not to have to deal with Anna’s curiosity. If her little sister were awake, she would be openly peering out the window at them.

  “How long are you staying here with your cousin?” Anthony asked.

  “Rosa is insisting that I stay as long as possible. I think I’ll stay until the weather warms up enough back home for Anna to continue her walks outdoors.”

  “May I see you again?” Anthony asked. “Tonight went by much too quickly.”

  “It did go by awfully fast,” Bertha agreed.

  “We have two lifetimes to tell each other. I want to tell you all about our sons and boast about how smart the grandchildren are. There are places here in Florida that I would like to take you that I know you would enjoy.”

  “I would like that very much.” Bertha hoped she didn’t sound too eager, but really, at their age, what did it matter?

  “Would you mind if I came back tomorrow?” he asked. “I’d like to bring you and Anna back to the house. She might enjoy having a more private beach to walk on instead of the public ones. They get so crowded this time of year.”

  “I think Anna would love that.”

  “Then, it’s a date,” Anthony said. “I’ll come for you a little before noon. We’ll pick up some take-out and have a picnic out on the porch.”

  “Anna loves picnics.”

  “I am so grateful you are here,” Anthony said.

  “As am I.”

  “Oh.” Anthony slapped his trouser pocket. “I forgot to give you something. I put it in my pocket when Gwen told me you were coming tonight.”

  He reached into his pocket and brought out a small envelope with the words “For Bertha” inscribed on the front.

  “What is this?” Bertha asked.

  “Charlotte wrote it a few weeks before her death,” Anthony said. “She told me that she’d had a succession of dreams about you and had something she needed to tell you. I was supposed to make sure you got it someday, but she made me promise not to read it.”

  “Charlotte wrote to me?” Bertha said, in wonder. “Why would she do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Anthony said. “She asked me to find out your address and get it to you. I kept intending to, but considering the way we parted, I never quite got up the courage to get in touch. When Gwen told me you were going to be here tonight, I knew it was time.”

  Puzzled by Charlotte’s actions, Bertha took the envelope. “Should I read it now?”

  “No, not while I’m here.” Anthony shook his head. “I’m not sure I want to know what’s inside.”

  “Good-night, then,” Bertha said. “I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

  She did not relish opening the envelope or reading this letter from a dying woman. But it was necessary to do so. It was her duty, and Bertha never shirked her duty. Using a knife from the kitchen, she slit it open.

  Dear Bertha,

  My doctor says I have only a few weeks left at most. His face was grim when he told me that. It was a shock at first, and then the most wonderful feeling of relief flooded over me. It won’t be long now before I can finally be at rest and see our sweet savior.

  It is a blessing having these last few precious days to say good-bye to my four children, our nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. I hope I’ve left nothing but good memories for them behind me. I am grateful that I was able to tell each one how very much I love them. Some of them wept, of course. But I believe with all my heart that we will see one another again.

  I have searched my mind and heart to see if there is any unfinished business to tend to before I go, and I keep coming back to all the words left unspoken between us.

  You have often been in my mind and heart over the years. I’ve often wondered if you ever realized how very grateful I have been to you.

  Yes, in case you’ve ever wondered, I know what happened. I knew the danger my marriage was in from the moment you walked into our home. I knew even before either you or Anthony had any idea of the situation into which we had been thrust.

  Wives tend to pick up on such things.

  You were so astonishingly beautiful the day you strode into our lives. I remember it so well. You were flushed from the heat, and the humidity made your lovely bright hair curl and escape the bun you had twisted it into. I had hoped physical beauty was all there was to you, but your goodness shone through as well. You were smart and kind and utterly dedicated to serving the Haitian people.

  Anthony was captivated.

  I knew him so well. I saw it immediately, but I also knew that he was a truly good man and would fight any attraction he might have toward you.

  There was no way I could ever compete with you, so I prayed for God to give both you and Anthony the heart and strength to withstand the temptations that I knew might lay before you.

  It would have been easy to resent you, except you had no idea. You were so gloriously in love with your work and the children and with God that you were oblivious to my husband’s struggle. For a while, I thought we were safe.

  Then he forced me to leave with the children to escape the hurricane, I was terrified to go. I was afraid with you staying behind that when I came back, I would no longer have a marriage.

  I was right to be concerned. I came back to discover that you had left abruptly without giving anyone a good reason, and I came back to a husband who was not much more than a grieving shell. He tried to blame it on the tragedies he had seen, but I knew he was grieving the loss of you.

  I
confronted him with what I suspected, and he admitted his strong feelings for you. He also told me that you had chosen to leave rather than betray your friendship with me and destroy his relationship with his children.

  Never have I been so grateful to another person.

  With all my heart, I thank you for caring about me and my children enough to deny yourself the love of my husband.

  Anthony is not like most other men. There is no guile or selfishness in him. He promised me he would have no more contact with you, and he kept his promises.

  From that moment on, we began to try to rebuild.

  It was not easy. For a while his grief over your absence was hard to watch. He did not talk about it, but I saw it in his eyes and face. He even showed it in his tenderness with the children and with me. It was that of a man who has been through a significant loss or illness, trying to learn to walk again on unsteady footing.

  We have had a good life. Our children grew into strong believers and have done much good. None of them have ever had an inkling of what their father and I went through. I pray that they will never have to know or go through it themselves.

  Satan is so skillful in his attacks on the men and women who try to serve God. I’ve watched it down through the years and learned to be on guard. When nothing else works, Satan worms his way into their hearts, whispering of great passions, of great loves.

  So many marriages have been destroyed, and children forever damaged by nothing more than Satan telling a parent that their own happiness is of greater importance than anything else.

  If there is one thing I know, it is that lust is a powerful force. But I also know that true love can be even more powerful.