One Promise Too Late

One Promise Too Late is Peggy's forty-first novel; her forty-sixth book. Each book resonates with Peggy's authentic Appalachian mountain voice and her gift to engross the reader in the story. From Chapter 18: "You know I don't want to leave you here by yourself, but I must. I don't dare stay with you any longer. It wouldn't seem right. It wouldn't be right."It might not seem right, but that didn't stop me from wanting him to stay if it was only another minute or two. I couldn't remember anyone ever holding me close, comforting me. Mom certainly hadn't. Neither had Dad. Calvin wasn't the holding kind of person. When I tried to snuggle up to him, he'd push me away. He claimed having someone touching him made him to feel claustrophobic."I don't want you to leave," I admitted out loud.He squeezed me tighter for a few moments, let out a long, drawn-out breath before he turned me loose. "We met one promise too late," his words came out in a kind of whisper. "I'll pick you up for breakfast. Lock the door."And he was gone.