A Cousin's Promise by Wanda E. Brunstetter

You could have been riding in the van with us that day.”
    Jake pulled his fingers through the top of his hair, causing it to stand straight up. Any other time, Loraine might have laughed, but not now.
    “Where were you all headed to, anyway?” he asked.
    “We were going to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be a fun day, but it turned into a nightmare.”
    “How’d the accident happen?”
    Loraine quickly related the story, then said, “Paul ran off the road and hit a telephone pole.” The memory of that day threatened to overtake her.
    “If I’d known about it sooner, I would have come home right away.”
    “Are you here for good, or did you just come for a visit?”
    He shrugged. “I–I’m not sure. Guess it all depends on how things go when I see my folks.”
    “You haven’t been home yet?”
    “Nope. Came here first thing. Guess I was hoping things would be the same between us and that we could start from where we left off.”
    She folded her arms. “That’s not possible.”
    “I know.” Jake rose from his seat. “I’m glad you’re okay, Loraine, and I’m real sorry about the others.” He moved quickly toward the door as though he couldn’t wait to be on his way. “I’d better get going. See you around.”
    Jake disappeared out the back door, and Loraine moved over to the window and watched as he climbed into his truck. Seeing Jake again had stirred up feelings she thought were dead and buried. But exactly how deep the feelings went, she couldn’t be sure.
    ***
    Jake’s hands shook as he headed down the road toward home. Seeing Loraine again had brought back a flood of memories. Hearing that she planned to marry Wayne had been like a kick in the belly.
    It’s my own dumb fault, he berated himself. If I hadn’t left home the way I did, she’d still be my girl, not Wayne’s.
    He slapped the steering wheel with the palm of his hands. I can’t believe that two of my friends are dead or that Wayne lost one of his legs. “It’s not fair! Bad things shouldn’t happen to good people!”
    By the time Jake reached his folks’ house, he was all worked up. He stopped the truck near the barn, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and headed for the house.
    He found the back door open but stood on the porch a few minutes, rehearsing what he was going to say to his folks. Then, drawing in a deep breath, he stepped inside.
    “Mom? Dad? Is anyone at home?”
    “Jake? Oh Jake, is it really you?” Mom ran down the hall, her arms reaching for him.
    “It’s me all right.” He gave her a hug.
    “Ach! We’ve missed you so much,” she said tearfully. “You’ve been gone such a long time, and we’ve been so worried. We—we were afraid something had happened to you.” Mom’s voice broke on a sob.
    Jake kept his arms around her and patted her back until the sobs subsided. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
    “Well, you should be sorry!”
    Jake whirled around and saw his father step into the kitchen. His face was red, and deep wrinkles creased his forehead. He obviously wasn’t as happy to see Jake as Mom had been.
    Jake took a step forward. “It’s good to see you, Dad. I’ve missed you and Mom—and my brothers and sisters, too.” He glanced around. “Where is the rest of the family? Are they at home?”
    “Vern, Kyle, and Elmer are at school,” Mom said. “Marilyn and Jeffrey both have jobs in Middlebury.”
    Before Jake could respond, Dad shook his finger at Jake and said, “Where have you been all this time?”
    “I’ve been working at a horse ranch, just like I said in the letter I wrote when I first got to Montana.”
    Dad snorted. “One letter in nearly two years! You didn’t even give us an address where we could write to you. What were you thinkin’, Jake? Didn’t you care enough about your family to keep in touch? How could you be so selfish and immature?”
    Jake wiped the sweat from his brow. This was an inquisition—not the kind