Broken Promises (15 page)

Jean-Pierre touched the boy's hand. "Pio, pay attention."

Pio looked back at the board, quickly moved his king's knight, then shifted his gaze to the window, where bright sunshine now peeked through the clouds.

Jean-Pierre moved his bishop. "You must keep your mind on the game," he said. "See what I've done. By placing my king's bishop in this position, I'm able to pin your knight."

Pio's feet moved back and forth under the table, and his gaze kept darting to the window.

Catching Pio's eye, Zak winked at him, then said to Jean-Pierre, "I don't think your pupil is with you this morning. It seems our
Oregon
weather has let you down."

Jean-Pierre looked toward the window where a blaze of light fell against the polished wood floor, then at Pio, who looked at him, expectantly. "Okay, son, go on," he said to Pio, while motioning with his head. Pio smiled and scampered away before his grandfather could change his mind. Jean-Pierre looked at Tess. "You say you play?"

Tess shrugged. "A little."

Jean-Pierre set up the board again, positioning the white pieces in front of the chair that Pio had vacated, and the black pieces in front of himself.
 
"Feel like sitting down and showing me what you can do?"

Tess smiled politely, and said, "I'm afraid I wouldn't be any match for you."

Jean-Pierre looked up from the chess board, and said, "How can you know unless you try?"

"I suppose I can't," Tess replied, then accepted his challenge and sat across from him.

Zak pulled another chair up to the board, and said to Jean-Pierre, "I must warn you, Father, sometimes this woman can be full of surprises."

The hint of a smile played about Jean-Pierre's lips. "I guess we shall see." He looked across the table at Tess and motioned with his hand, giving her the signal to begin.

Tess opened by sliding the king's pawn forward, and Jean-Pierre responded in kind. Then, as if each had been energized by some unseen force, they followed in turn with a series of seven quickly executed moves, each of them slapping the pieces smartly to the board with a sharp rap. Tess paused momentarily, then moved again. Jean-Pierre sat motionless, intently studying the board. Then he looked up at Tess, and said, "You know the opening well."

"The
Ruy
Lopez is my father's favorite,' Tess said. "We've played it a lot."

"It's evident," Jean-Pierre replied.

An hour later, after a long series of studied moves, and knowing it was only a matter of time and careful execution before Jean-Pierre would win, Tess reached for her king, lay the piece on its side and resigned. Jean-Pierre looked up from the board, and said, "That's the best game I've played in a long time. You say your father taught you?"

"Yes," Tess replied. "We played often when I was growing up."

Eyeing her intently, Jean-Pierre said, "Is he a rated player?"

"He was years ago," Tess said, "but I don't think he's played in any tournaments lately so I have no idea what his rating would be now."

Jean-Pierre rested back in his chair, one finger lightly tapping the table. "Your father's rating. Was it over fifteen hundred?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," Tess said. "I'm sure it was much higher than that, but I can't remember what it was." She shoved her chair back and stood. "I enjoyed the game, Mr. de Neuville."

Jean-Pierre pushed his chair back and he too stood. "Yes, it was a good game," he said. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

Zak extended his hand toward his father. "Thanks for everything," he said. "I'll be back for Pio next weekend. And don't let him slip off and pull anything like he did yesterday."

Jean-Pierre clasped Zak's hand. "He's just a curious, growing boy. He has to try his wings."

"But I distinctly told him not to climb up to the tree house," Zak said.

"A young boy forgets easily," Jean-Pierre replied.

"Then he should be disciplined," Zak said. "Besides, if we don't insist he stay within the bounds we set, he won't think anyone cares about him." Zak took Tess's arm to leave, and it was all she could do to keep from gloating.

***

Late that next afternoon, Tess pulled up in front of her father's house and bounded up the stairs to the porch, and when she stepped into the living room, the aroma of ham baking in the oven tickled her nostrils. "
Aunt Ruth! Dad
!" she called to the empty room.

"In the bedroom, sweetie," Aunt Ruth called back.

Tess found her father sitting on the floor with pins between his lips, turning up the hem of the Aunt Ruth's dress. "We'll be with you in a minute," Aunt Ruth said from her perch on a stool.

"Don't you say a damn word," Gib said to Tess out of the corner of his mouth, while continuing to hold the pins between pressed lips.

Tess stifled a laugh, then winked at Aunt Ruth, and said, "I'd offer to help, but it looks like you've already got him trained. I'll set the table." She turned toward the hall, laughing softly.

"Sweetie," Aunt Ruth called after her, "please check the ham and baste the yams with some of the syrup on the counter. We'll be through here in a couple of minutes."

"Consider it done." Tess peeked in the oven and saw a glazed ham trimmed with pineapple rounds and maraschino cherries on one rack, and a casserole with bubbling candied yams on the rack below. She reached for the yams and placed them on the counter, then spooned on syrup before returning them to the oven. In a pot on top of the stove were fresh green beans with slivered almonds and strips of bacon. Replacing the lid, she turned to set the table.

A few minutes later, Aunt Ruth came in and began scurrying about dishing up the food and putting it on the table, and shortly afterwards, her father wandered into the room. After they took their places, Gib carved the ham and passed a platter of sliced meat around the table. As Aunt Ruth placed a thick slice of ham on her plate, she said to her brother, "I don't like Tess out there with those men, especially with all that's been going on. Really Gib, it's not a job for a young woman. Carl Yaeger's offer might not be what you want, but it is an offer, and it's beyond me to understand why you don't sell the place to him and be done with it."

Tess looked at her father. "Did Carl Yaeger actually make an offer to you on paper?"

When her father didn't reply, Aunt Ruth looked at him in irritation, and said, "It's not on paper yet, but he's ready to make a formal offer."

Tess eyed her father with annoyance, and said, "You never told me anything about that."

"That's because I haven't made up my mind one way or another," Gib replied.

"But if you're thinking about it you could at least clue me in, you know."

Gib glared at his sister, then shifted impatient eyes to Tess, and said in a firm voice, "When, and if, I decide to sell, you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, I don't want pressure from either of you women to sell before I'm ready. And I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet."

Aunt Ruth glared at him. "You won't be ready to sell until you drop in your tracks out there. Meanwhile, your daughter's working with men like Jed Swenson, when she should be thinking about a home and family."

When Gib refused to respond, Aunt Ruth looked at Tess, and said, "What did you do yesterday, sweetie? We were half expecting you to spend the weekend with us."

Tess stared at her aunt, while deliberating whether to reveal
exactly
where she'd been for the past two days, or whether to concoct something in order to keep the peace. Although her father claimed that if she chose a life with Zak now he wouldn't stand in her way, she wasn't so sure she wanted to test that right now, with all the other problems at camp...

"Honey, are you okay?" Aunt Ruth asked, when Tess didn't respond.

Tess nervously dabbed her mouth with her napkin. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a little tired."

Aunt Ruth glared at Gib. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Tess is out there running that place when she should not be--"

"Aunt Ruth," Tess interrupted. "I'm not tired from the job. I was in
Navarre
with Zak."

No one spoke. All that could be heard was the sound of utensils clinking against china.

Tess looked at Aunt Ruth, whose face appeared pale, then at her father, who continued eating as if nothing had been said. Glancing at Aunt Ruth again, who shrugged as if confused, Tess resumed eating. After a few minutes Gib speared another slice of meat, and said to Aunt Ruth, "This is one hell of a good ham."

Tess glanced at Aunt Ruth and caught her startled look before a slow grin started to spread across her face and she winked at Tess. Tess looked at her dad, who clearly had no intention of making an issue over Zak, then covered her mouth with a napkin and burst out laughing.

Gib looked from one to the other. "What the devil's wrong with you two women?"

Tess stood, then bent over her father and kissed him on the cheek. "You," she replied. Then she whispered in his ear, "I love you, Dad."

Gib flushed. "How about passing the yams?"

"Sure." Tess smiled at Aunt Ruth, served herself, then passed the bowl on.

Gib spooned yams onto his dish and passed the bowl to Aunt Ruth, then said to Tess, "Northwest Tire called... looks like the skidder tire's been shot with a high-powered rifle. They're able to fix it though. The shot didn't damage the sidewall."

"I'll call the police when I get back to camp," Tess said. "I hope they nail Swenson."

"What makes you so sure he's the one doing everything?" Gib asked.

"He's the only one with a motive," Tess replied. "He's mad because I fired him."

"It seems like pretty drastic steps to take just because a person's mad," Gib said.

"I agree, but I'm sure he's behind it all," Tess insisted. "Everything started happening right after I fired him. And we already know he has a hot temper. I hope he also has a big savings account because he'll need it to pay for everything."

"I suppose I have to agree with you since I can't think of anyone else with a motive," Gib said. "Better keep a eye on him. I'm glad Zak's in the cabin next door."

Tess looked at her father with a start. His smile was her final assurance that he'd truly accepted Zak in her life. Smiling back, she said, "How about a game of chess after dinner?"

Sparks
of challenge lit his eyes. "Kiddo, you're on."

Three hours later, Tess conceded the game to her father. "You'll get your come-uppance next time we play," she said. "It's all starting to come back now."

Gib's face sobered, as he looked across the chess table at Tess, and said, in a solemn voice, "Just don't stay away from here too long, honey, okay?"

Tess looked at her father's anxious face, and replied, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm through running away."

***

Tess resumed logging operations after the Memorial Day weekend, and the first day passed without incident. Ezzie showed up as promised, a bright smile on his face, sparks dancing in his eyes, and it was obvious to everyone that he was in love.

After work, Tess stopped by Zak's cabin, but he wasn't there. She checked again later, but found the cabin dark and knew he wasn't back from the nest climbs he'd mentioned earlier. Ever since she'd returned from her father's, she'd been anxious to tell Zak that at least one old man wasn't standing in their way. She was even ready to tell him that she'd had enough substance, and wanted to get on with the sex. Feeling depressed, she returned to her cabin, soaked in a hot bathtub and slipped into her gown.

She was on the verge of walking over to Zak's one more time before going to bed, when she heard knocks on the front door. She rushed to open it and found Zak looking at her.

"We have a problem," he said. He went over and lowered himself on the couch and sat with his shoulders slumped.

Tess slipped her arm in his and cuddled up beside him, and waited.

Zak drew in a long breath, and said, "After I dropped you off on Sunday, I was hiking around near the north end of the property looking for perch trees, and Jed Swenson showed up."

Tess's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What was he doing there on Sunday?"

"He brought in a backhoe to trench along the road to divert the water from Saturday's rain so the road wouldn't wash out again," Zak replied. "He was also putting in a culvert. So, I decided it was a good time to talk to him some and maybe ask a few questions."

"Sounds like a stimulating afternoon," Tess said with a wry grin. "Sorry I wasn't along."

"It may be more stimulating than you think," Zak said. "Anyway, while I was talking to him, trying to fish for information on his background, specifically if he'd had any military experience or knew anything about explosives, I found out he'd been in the Marines. He was reluctant to talk about it, but he did say he'd been discharged early. Then he changed the subject. I got suspicious, thinking he'd been given a dishonorable discharge, so I did some checking in Baker’s Creek."

Tess raised a hand. "Wait, let me guess. You found out he was discharged for accidentally blowing up the barracks while tossing a grenade to a friend."