Breaking Jacob (2nd in Breaking Series)

Chapter Six

She was about to walk down the street to find him when she heard the soothing, deep baritone of his voice and looked left to see him walking toward her with a man that was covered in horrible scars. The man had dirty blond hair and a badge on his vest. Were all the lawmen in this town untamed and unkempt looking?

"The Lord says you should forgive all things," the lawman said pointedly.

Jacob hadn't noticed her yet so she stood there against the wall. "I can forgive just about anything, LeRoy, but not that," Jacob replied with a shake of his head. Ellie saw the hat box in his hand and wondered why he had bought a new hat.

"You and your brother are both too stubborn," LeRoy said with a frown.

"As far as I'm concerned lying is an unforgivable sin, LeRoy. Once someone has lied to you, you can never trust them again."

Ellie felt her heart fall to her feet. He wouldn't forgive her if he knew... She couldn't tell him.

"Miss Bradshaw, perhaps you could help us settle a debate," Jacob said as his eyes fell on her and he smiled.

"Huh?" she asked, her mind reeling. She had thought for sure..... No all she had was herself and all Liza had was her. Jacob raised a brow at her sudden lack of the perfect poise she had shown so far. He was grateful for this glimpse at what lie beneath that polished exterior, though he wondered why she looked sad.

"Bad news from home?" he asked.

She shook her head and met his gaze, "No.. No I was daydreaming is all," she replied, though she couldn't seem to force her smile to return. She could see concern in his eyes but he seemed to not want to push the topic. "What debate were you needing settled?" she asked.

"We're debating poker," LeRoy replied. Poker? Ellie certainly hadn't thought they were talking about poker. "I asked Jacob if he'd ever play poker with a man he knew was a liar and he seems to think that a liar doesn't deserve forgiveness. What do you think?"

Ellie looked down at the wooden boards of the boardwalk and ran her gloved hands over her skirt, "I believe that sometimes people make certain choices that they don't want to make based on the circumstances they are in," she said carefully, "Not everyone who is forced to lie is necessarily a liar, just the same as not everyone who kills someone is a murderer. I think that everyone deserves forgiveness if they are truly sorry for the wrong that they've done." She forced herself to look at Jacob and he was staring at her with an odd expression on his face.

"I couldn't have said that better myself!" LeRoy exclaimed with a smile. "You might just be a Godsend to the Atkinson boys, Miss Bradshaw. Maybe you can get through their thick skulls because so far I sure haven't been able to."

"Do you have work to be doing?" Jacob asked LeRoy, his voice and tone suddenly sounding a lot like Brody's.

LeRoy sensed the change in the man and nodded, "Yep. Sure do. Got a prisoner that needs to hear a few things about the sin of adultery," he replied and he turned and walked away while whistling a happy tune.

Jacob stooped down to meet her gaze and hold it, "Miss Bradshaw, at the risk of sounding like my brother, I must say that it sounds like there's some meat left on that bone."

"Of course there's not, Mr. Atkinson. I just believe that everyone deserves forgiveness now and then," Ellie said as she picked at a small tear in her glove. How had that gotten there? And just how hot was it going to get today? She could feel the sweat soaking through her underclothes and she was feeling a bit dizzy.

Jacob smiled. She wasn't nearly as proper as she tried to act or else she wouldn't have known what that saying meant... That and she had just said there's instead of there is, "Miss Bradshaw, I know that we don't know each other very well yet but, ma'am, I want you to know that if you need anything you can come to me."