What's in a promise?

This is an excerpt from chapter fifteen of Storm's Promise.

Just so you know--I will not post these excerpts in any given order. And I ask you to remember that this book is still being written, thus could change in an editor's heartbeat! 

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Opal grabbed the hands of her siblings. “You’re giving us away?”

Storm knelt in front of the children and gripped their hands. “I will never give you away. Miss Merry is a kind lady who cares for children who have no Ma or Pa to care for them. You’ll be safe there, and I promise I’ll come back for you.”

“A promise ain’t nothing more than a handful of water. All that’s left in the end is a wet hand.” Opal’s face contorted with anger. “Sam rode away. Pa rode away. Ma died because we had to run away. And now you’re gonna dump us with somebody we don’t know cause we’re a bunch of mealy-mouth young’uns. I know 'cause that’s what Pa called us that right before he went stompin’ outta the house. Ma cried. Livvy and Owen cried. But not me.” Opal pulled her hands from his and stood. “You leave us, I’ll run and I’ll take Owen and Livvy with me. But I won’t cry. I won’t never let nobody see me cry.” She crossed her arms tight across her skinny chest. “Promise is a dirty word used by dirty men right b'fore they leave and never come back.”