A Soldier's Promise [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read online

  The nights were the worst for her. With the house quiet, her son sleeping, she was alone with her thoughts. Some were good, while others scared her to death. She tried one time sneaking over to his house in the middle of the night, thinking it would help her sleep. Instead, it had taken Rachael and Sarah three days to get her to leave his bed. Since then, his brothers had locked up his house and denied her entry. She knew they were right. She should have known better.

  When she had stopped answering her phone, it hadn’t been long before his family was at her door. Since then, there wasn’t a day that went by that they didn’t call, come over, or invite her to their places. She was grateful for them, but eventually she just needed to get on with her life, and live. Therefore, she concentrated on the upcoming school year.

  She had three weeks, three whole weeks to get it together, because kids had superpowers. They would easily see through her façade and break down her walls, and that was something she was not willing to risk.

  However, today was for fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed and forgotten about everything. She needed this, and as much as she wanted to stay home, her son refused to miss the barbecue of the summer. The whole town was invited out to the R & R Ranch. There were going to be pony rides, face painting, a mini rodeo, and food, lots and lots of food. In addition to the festivities, the rest of Mason’s family was coming in for the duration, until his return.

  Yep, Cedar Creek was gearing up for the Armstrong invasion.

  * * * *

  “Well, darlin’, I was hoping you would show me how to work the gear shift. I’ve been away for so long, I thought you would take me out for a test drive.” He grinned at the pretty saleswoman. God, he missed the Southern belles. They were a breed unlike he had ever known, warm and feisty, and by the looks of the young, pretty little number before him, she would rock his world.

  She leaned over him, giving him a magnificent view of her ample breasts, and whispered sultrily, “Mr. Armstrong, I fear your advanced age would be a hindrance if that were to happen, and we wouldn’t want a trip to the emergency room to stop you from getting where you need to go. However, if you insist, I can have Mrs. Agatha take you for that drive you so desperately seek. She is about your age, and I hear her hip has healed up just nicely.”

  “It’s Matthew. Mr. Armstrong is my father, sweetheart, and my hips are all original parts. So how about I show you how well they work?”

  The saleswoman just laughed, shaking her head as she walked away.

  Damn, I’m not that old! Oh well, there are more willing fish in the sea for me.

  Forgetting about the buxom brunette, Matthew started the ignition in the sporty little coupe and peeled out of the driveway. It had been a couple of weeks since he had seen his family, yet when he had gotten the call from Rachael telling him to have his ass at the R & R come mid August, he knew he better be there or there would be hell to pay.

  Out of all of his sisters-in-law, Rachael was the toughest, Sarah was the sweetest, and Bridget, well, Bridget was a bitch. Why his brother stayed with her he would never know, but damn, he just wished for once someone would duct-tape her mouth shut. God, he hoped she stayed in California. This barbecue was going to be a fiasco if she showed up. Bridget had the supreme ability to put the whole family on edge and at odds with each other. It took everything Rachael had to keep all the brothers from fighting, and well, little Miss Bridget always sat back and smiled, happy with the outcome.

  Evil, that was what she was, pure evil!

  Deciding not to think about that woman on his drive to Cedar Creek, he chose to think of more pleasant things, like that pretty little blonde his brother had a picture of. God, he hoped she was there. Now, she would be someone he could have some fun with.

  Yep, his day was looking up as he stepped on the gas.

  * * * *

  Henry sighed as he listened to his father complain. How he had been wrangled into picking him up at the airport, he would never know. He would bet Michael and Mark had flat out refused and then volunteered him. It wasn’t his fault the old man liked him best. What they didn’t get was that he chose to ignore the old man when he was on a tirade, and telling him to shut up worked well when it was meant. Yep, he had the old man right where he wanted him, at arm’s length. Any closer and Henry was going to snap his neck and rid the world of him forever.

  “Come on, boy, we’re gonna be late,” his biological father shouted as Henry ground his teeth and bit his tongue to stop from telling him to go fuck himself.

  “Either you call me Henry, or you can take a cab, old man. I haven’t been a boy in years.”

  “Well, how do you like that, Sarah? See how he talks to me? It isn’t right, I tell you. I knew I should have pushed harder to claim him.”

  “Mason Harold, you leave Henry alone. He is a bright young man, and I won’t have you upsetting anyone. Now behave,” Sarah Abigail Armstrong said sternly to her husband.

  “But…”

  “I mean it. One more word and it’s a cab for you.”

  Leaning down, Henry whispered, “You tell him, Nana.”

  When the woman who had for years played the part of his grandmother rounded on him, Henry took a step back. “And you behave. Stop goading him. I have enough to worry about with one of my boys fighting for his country. I don’t need another starting something he can’t finish. Now, grab those bags, and get us out of here. The longer we stay in this airport, the less time I have with my grandbabies.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Henry said, moving quickly, grabbing as many bags as he could carry. Loaded up, he silently followed the small woman out of the airport.

  “I told ya she was getting touchy in her old age,” his father whispered to him.

  “I see what you mean, Pop,” Henry replied, moving swiftly to keep up with her.

  “I may be getting old, but I am not deaf!”

  * * * *

  The wind blew in his face as he stepped on the gas, his Harley roaring as it sped down the old dirt road. God, he loved the freedom of just riding, being out in the wild blue yonder, just him and his bike. If he could have one wish, it would be to leave his restaurant and just go for a ride, a ride that would never end.

  The freedom of no worries, no obligations, nothing but him and the road, was what he desired. If he could attain that and still survive, it would be enough for him. He didn’t need all the hassles of the daily grind. Nope, just his bike and an open road. However, that wasn’t going to happen today. Just a few short days ago, he had been working his ass off, making sure his customers received the best meals of their lives, when his cell phone had rung, letting him know that his presence was needed. Gathering what he needed for the trip, he had headed out within the hour. And in a short few minutes, his quiet haven was going to be interrupted by screaming kids and family.

  He loved his family, he really did, but damn they could be exhausting. To make matters worse, none of his relatives had heard from Mason, and they were beginning to worry. He could admit that he was, too. It wasn’t like Mason to be gone for so long without a phone call to at least one of them. However, thus was the life of a military soldier. Therefore, until Marcus had something to worry about, he chose to enjoy the ride.

  Turning onto the long drive that lead to his brother’s place, Marcus steeled himself for another Armstrong family reunion. Slowing his bike, he had just released the kickstand when he looked up and watched as a rocket of curly black hair barreled down the steps of the sprawling ranch house, crying, “Uncle Marcus!”

  “Abby?” Marcus said, catching her as she flung herself into his waiting arms.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Come inside, Marcus, there’s something I need to tell you,” Michael said loud enough for him to hear. Looking up, Marcus saw that Mark stood somberly next to Michael. Something was wrong.

  * * * *

  Mitchell knew the long drive from Austin was getting on her nerves along with him sitting next to her. The
heat was stifling, and he would bet his whole bank account the sweat was dripping down her back. God, she hated sweating. He shouldn’t have even brought her, but he couldn’t pass up the chance at aggravating her. She was too darn cute when she got all riled up. They both had too much to do and little time to get it done, and yet like all the times before, he asked, begged, and pleaded until he got his way. Moreover, to make matters worse, he knew that he was manipulating her and that she let him.

  She was a real trooper about it, too, but for the last few months, he’d been fighting a nagging in his gut. Something wasn’t right between them. He hoped getting her away from it all would help bring them closer. Well, that was the plan. Nevertheless, the time had come to notify the family.

  He dreaded that conversation. Ignoring what he had to do, he started whistling Dixie.

  “I swear to God, if you don’t shut up, I will beat the hell out of you,” she shouted.

  “Aw, sugar, you know I like it when you talk dirty to me.” He laughed.

  “Damn it! Are you trying to piss me off?”

  “Oh yeah, sugar britches, you know I like it when you get angry,” he said, reaching over and running his hand up her thigh. He laughed when she slapped his hand away.

  God, he loved this woman. She was a handful, but he loved the challenge. He adored her, more than she knew, and the more they were together, the more he loved her. He loved the way her face got all tense when she was pissed at him, but knowing he could soothe that temper always made him feel like the king of the world. But something was missing.

  Never a day went by that he didn’t thank the good Lord for giving her to him. She was passionate, opinionated, strong, and loving. What he loved most about her was the way she loved him. She never let him get away with any crap. She was the first to jump him when he did something wrong. She never backed down from him. She was determined, and he loved that about her. Looking at her now, new feelings of love ran through him. She was glowing. Her soft, curly blonde hair was shorter than he preferred and her body was quickly changing. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was all his. He reached his hand out once more, and rested it on her growing belly.

  She turned to look at him, and in that special way she always did, she smiled lovingly at him, placing her hand upon his.

  “Did you tell them we were coming?” she asked more calmly.

  “Rachael knows.”

  “What about the others?”

  When he didn’t answer, she punched him hard on his shoulder. “You didn’t tell them!”

  “Ouch!”

  * * * *

  The house was too quiet as everyone was silently lounging around waiting for the last car to arrive. When it did, Rachael quickly cleared her throat and walked to the front door. However, no matter how she tried to hide her worry, Rachael knew having Bridget here was going to test everyone’s will and patience. She had known when she called that Mitchell was bringing her. Of course, she knew he wouldn’t leave her, yet deep down she wished he had. However, there was nothing she could do about it now. So, taking a deep breath, she walked out onto the front porch and waited for them to get out of their car.

  “You son of a bitch, you didn’t tell them!” the blonde bombshell shouted as she got out of the car, slamming the passenger side door, hard.

  Oh yeah, Rachael thought, leave it to Mitch to anger the tiger.

  When Bridget marched over and stood in front of the man who was her husband, Rachael tried smile when he chose to pretend to talk on his phone, instead of face his irate wife.

  “Don’t you ignore me, Mitchell Ross Armstrong,” she shouted at him, and when he refused to acknowledge her, she punched him hard in the gut. She turned on her heels and stormed toward the house.

  “Bridget,” Rachael said, giving the woman a quick hug before swiftly moving out of her way. That woman was a one-person wrecking ball when she had her mad on.

  “That bastard, I don’t know why I even married him!” She fumed then asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s best you go on inside. The others are waiting,” Rachael said stoically, as Mitchell ran up the stairs. “What happened?” he asked concerned.

  Michael, Matthew, Marcus, Mark, and Henry stood and faced the last remaining members of the family.

  “Well, what happened?” Bridget shouted at them.

  * * * *

  It was the day of the barbecue, and as Annabelle gathered the peach cobbler and cookies she had baked, she looked over at the house phone, willing it to ring. She knew she was being silly, but for some reason, she had this feeling in her gut, and she couldn’t rid it. The only thing that would make it go away would be hearing his voice. She didn’t care how long he talked. Hell, she would take a simple “Hi,” but standing there, she wasn’t shocked when nothing happened.

  “Mom, why are you looking at the phone again?” her son asked, startling her.

  “I don’t know, honey,” she said, and put on another fake smile. She’d been doing that a lot lately, and it was exhausting. She was tired of everyone asking her if she was okay. She wasn’t okay. She was worried sick. “You ready to go?”

  “Yep,” Andrew replied, showing her his missing tooth. He had lost it three days ago, when he was with Mark playing football. Somehow, that overgrown jock had gotten it into her son’s head that just because he had a learning disability, that didn’t mean he couldn’t play sports. So now, everything out of her son’s mouth was football this and football that. As a mom, she supported her son with whatever he chose, but secretly she cringed and prayed he didn’t get hurt.

  “Alrighty then, we better get going,” she said, heading for the front door.

  “You know something, Mom? He will call, when he can. Just because he hasn’t yet, doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about you. He’s just busy, that’s all.”

  Learning disability, her ass. Her son was the most observant, intelligent, kindest young man she had ever known, and that was not just a mom talking, that was a fact. “Thank you for that, Andrew. You are absolutely right. Mason’s just busy and will call when he can.”

  “Yep, so let’s go barbecue. That way we can get back for when he does call,” Andrew said, smiling up at her. God, she loved her child.

  “Let’s go barbecue and have some fun then,” she replied.

  “Yeehaw!”

  Andrew was silent on the ride over to the R & R Ranch and she was grateful for that. It wasn’t that she didn’t like listening to her son talk, but with her emotions running high, she needed a little peace and quiet before she was bombarded with his family. She already knew of Michael and Mark, but the others she had yet to meet. When Sarah, Mark’s wife, had informed her that the rest of the clan was going to be in attendance, along with Mason’s mother and father, well, her first reaction was to pack quickly and get the hell out of Dodge. After some gentle coaxing, she had agreed to go.

  Since then, she had been getting a play-by-play of all the inner workings of the Armstrong family. Of course, she liked learning about them, but man, they were overwhelming. There were just so many of them.

  She pulled into the drive and wondered if she was early. The last time she had spoken with Rachael, she had assured her that most of the town had confirmed their attendance, yet when the drive should have been lined with vehicles, there were none. Checking the time, she knew she was running late.

  “Huh,” she quipped. “Andrew, this is Saturday right?”

  “Yeah, it’s Saturday, August 24th. Why?”

  “Just checking,” she replied, putting her truck in park and turning off the ignition. Getting out of her truck, she had just handed Andrew the peach cobbler when the screen door opened and Michael and Mark walked out.

  For a family that was about to host the biggest barbecue of the season, they didn’t look too happy. She never moved from her spot as they approached.

  “Hey, buddy.” Mark smiled, yet it didn’t reach his eyes. Something was wrong. She knew it. “Why don’t yo
u go ahead on in the house? Abby is waiting for you in the basement.”

  “Okay.” Andrew grinned and ran into the house.

  When her son was out of earshot, she looked at Mason’s two brothers. That was when she noticed four other men step out of the house. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who they were, and yet she didn’t care. “Is he alive?” she heard herself say.

  Michael stepped forward, and she inched back. Tears already welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want their pity, nor did she ask for their sympathy. She just wanted her question answered. She had known for the last three days that something was wrong. Her gut told her so. Her gut was never wrong. “Is he alive?”

  “We don’t know. He’s missing,” a brother replied. She didn’t know which one it was, but it didn’t matter. Mason was alive, missing but alive. She could handle that. All she had to do was find him. Too easy, only she didn’t know where he was.

  “Annabelle, listen to me. The military sent a liaison last night to inform the family that Mason and his team are missing. We tried calling you, but you must have taken your phone off the hook. I made the decision. I decided to let you sleep. You haven’t been sleeping so well lately, and I thought if we waited, I might have some good news for you by now. I’m so sorry, Annabelle,” Michael said sincerely.

  “He’s right, you know, I haven’t been sleeping lately. I can only manage about four hours before I let the caffeine do its job. It easy, you know. Did you know that a person can survive on caffeine alone? I’ve been doing it. Mason made a great cup of coffee. We would sit for hours talking. Then he would get all bossy and start doing something. He never did like to sit down for too long.”

  “Annabelle?” Michael asked worriedly, then looked at Matthew.