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

by Rebecca Joyce

  “Sort of.”

  She smiled up at him and moved aside, letting him in. Damn trusting women. He could have been an axe murderer, and she would have opened the door.

  Fluffy women! It was always the sweet-smelling, fluffy women.

  “Mason, what’s wrong?” she asked after she closed the door, but Mason didn’t feel like talking. The second the door shut, he pulled her into his arms and did what he had wanted to do for the last week.

  He kissed her.

  * * * *

  Annabelle had waited for over a week for Mason to come around. She had learned from his family that he was an extremely private person. One who rarely talked, rarely visited, and never deviated from his schedule. Yet, listening to his family talk about him as if he was some recluse living out in the wilds like some vagabond, Annabelle realized that his family really didn’t know him at all. How could a brother live with a family his whole life and that family not know the real person behind the mask? She couldn’t understand any of it. Were they oblivious?

  Where they thought him quiet and reserved, Mason was outgoing and exuberant. She saw that first hand when he playfully woke her for their fishing trip. When they thought him shy, Mason was talkative and imaginative, at least one-on-one he was. He was completely the opposite of what his family knew. It was as if they never took the time to get to know their older brother, or they just didn’t care to know him at all.

  What she did know about the man was that he was the kindest, gentlest, and sweetest man she had ever met. He had the patience that God gave a saint, especially when it came to the children. Not everyone could stand being around her son, but with Mason, Andrew’s disability never bothered him. He was resourceful, smart, and funny. He loved children and was eager to help anyone who was in need, and for Annabelle, he was the most perfect man in the world. She had fallen deeply in love with him.

  For so long, he had done what was asked of him, no questions asked. When his country needed him, he went. When his family called, he ran. Mason Harold Armstrong was a breed unto himself, a true gentleman from a time long forgotten where men were honorable, honest, and trustworthy. He was everything she prayed her son grew up to be.

  Therefore, she was rather shocked to find him standing in her kitchen, kissing the living daylights out of her, considering she hadn’t seen him in days. Oh, she wasn’t going to complain. She had been thinking of an excuse herself to go visit him for days now, so whatever reason he was here, she didn’t care. She missed him, and if he wanted to come over in the middle of the night just to kiss her, she wasn’t going to stop him.

  Annabelle had no idea what was bothering him, nor did she care, but the moment he grabbed her ass and hauled her tightly against him, all thought fled. She was his, once again. Her lips meshed hard against his as she held on for dear life. Being with Mason was electric, as if her whole body fired on all cylinders. She couldn’t help the way her body responded to him. He just made her feel, more.

  “Where’s the kid?”

  “The kid has a name,” she corrected, smiling as she kissed his lips softly. When his hands grabbed her face, her smile faded as he pulled away. She sighed. He wanted to talk. She knew that because he got the same damn look every time something was bothering him, and right now, he looked ready to claw his own skin off if he didn’t get it out. Of course, she knew that feeling well. Only she didn’t have anyone to talk to, just Andrew, and she wasn’t about to tell her ten-year-old son what was bothering her.

  Nope, she kept that bit of information to herself.

  She had been lonely for the last week, and now he was here in her kitchen, mauling her as she had dreamed about for the last three days, and all he wanted to do was talk.

  Damn. She was horny. Talk came after sex, not before. That was the rule. It was widely known. First sex, then the talk. Men confused everything. Hoping to put his mind back on track, she quickly gave him the information he wanted. “Andrew is with your brother Mark. He is teaching Andy to play football.”

  “God damn it!” Mason shouted, pulling away from her.

  Crap, so much for the sex.

  Annabelle didn’t know what was wrong with him. He was agitated and on edge, that was for sure, but the cause was elusive. “Why can’t they just leave well enough alone?”

  Watching him pace as he continued to grumble about busybodies, interfering people, and inconsiderate assholes, it didn’t take her long to figure he was upset about his family. Now, what they did this time was beyond her, because she thought it was rather sweet that his brother was taking time away from his immediate family to teach her son a sport he had always wanted to learn. Yet, when she tried to ask, all she got was a scowl and more grumbling. Deciding it was best to let him just get it all out, she pulled out a chair and sat down. Something told her that tonight was going to be a long night and sex was the last thing on his mind.

  “I am the oldest of seven brothers. Did you know that?” he began. Before she could utter a word, he ignored her and continued. “My whole life has been about making sure those idiots did the right thing. I had to make sure they finished their chores, that they completed their homework, that they stayed out of trouble. Do you know how hard it is to watch over six boys who believe it is their sole purpose in life to get into every aggravating situation on the planet?”

  “Umm…”

  “It’s impossible! They do what they want, when they want. They are worse than women are. Never in my life have I seen grown men gossip, bicker, and invade one’s privacy more than my brothers do. Do you know that Matthew arrived tonight? Instead of coming to see me, he came because brothers two and six called him and told him about you. You!” He emphasized by pointing his finger at her.

  And the problem with that is?

  “He hopped on a plane, leaving thousands of people who needed him, just because he wanted to see the flavor of the month. And what’s worse, he thinks he can just step in and act like him being gone for the last two years is nothing.”

  Flavor of the month? Oh, she did not just hear him call her the flavor of the month, did she?

  “I never asked him to come. I don’t even like the punk, but he’s family, so what can I do about it? This isn’t going to end well. You know that. Once one shows up, the rest will follow. You know something, Annabelle?” he said, looking directly at her. “You should get down on your hands and knees and thank the good Lord you don’t have any family. They can be entirely intrusive and very condescending at times. They show up at the worst times, and butt into something that’s not their business. They give advice when it’s not wanted, and now with this shit with the military, they will never leave.”

  Annabelle was flabbergasted. She sat there and listened to the man she loved rant on and on about a family she adored, and would give anything to have that kind of support. As a single mother, she did everything all by herself. She wished she had someone in her corner to lend a helping hand, to give unwanted advice, to butt in when it was none of their business. That was family. Mason had an amazing thing, yet he only saw the bad, not the good.

  Listening to everything, she couldn’t let it go. Just who in the hell does he think he is? Nobody called her the flavor of the month.

  “Get out,” she whispered, staring at him.

  “Huh?”

  “I said…get out,” she said again, more firmly.

  “Annabelle, did you not hear me? My family is invading and everything is going crazy. Soon, they will all be here. When they find out I am leaving again, they will swarm this town like locusts and devour everything. Nothing will survive.”

  “Get out.” She seethed. Annabelle had heard enough. She refused to listen to any more of his drivel. What she really wanted to do was to take a broom to his head and beat some sense into him. She was not some toy that he could use for his own urges. Damn it, she had urges, too, and she never, not once, made anyone feel like a piece of dirt, as Mason had just made her feel. Flavor of the month, ha! She hoped he never for
got her flavor, because he was never, ever tasting it again.

  He should be thankful, grateful that he had the support of a family that loved him. Instead of spending time with them, he chose to complain like some little whiney bitch. Well, she didn’t have to sit there and listen to him anymore, because all she was was the flavor of the month!

  Walking to the door, she opened it wide and stood silently, waiting for him to take the hint. He stopped talking and just stared at her for what felt like hours, but eventually he got the hint. His confused face hardened and turned to stone. He looked angry, and if she cared, she would ask, but she didn’t. He had pissed her off, too, and he was just going to have to learn to deal with it. Mr. Mason Armstrong was not as perfect as he seemed to be. He was just like every other man…an oblivious moron!

  He never said a word as he walked out her back door and into the night. The moment he cleared the porch, she slammed the door, turned off the lights, and went back to bed, alone.

  Chapter Seven

  The summer continued to drag on, slowly. It was hot in South Texas. Getting used to the heat was going to be an undertaking. Coming from the city, she knew that New York got hot, but damn, the city had nothing on the dry heat from the South. Even with the air-conditioning running full blast, she could still feel the sweat dripping down her back.

  It had been two weeks since Mason had showed up unannounced and ruined whatever it was they had going. She wasn’t surprised. Of the two men in her life, he had had the most promise, but like her ex-husband, Mason used her for what he wanted. Figuring it was best to concentrate on why she moved across the country to attain, she started planning for the upcoming school year. She needed the distraction badly, since Mark and Michael had taken Andrew and a few of the other young boys in the community on a camping trip.

  Her son had been gone for a week now, and she missed him terribly, but she was thankful for the opportunity to get her life back on track. Of course, the free time would work if she could get her mind off the man who invaded her every thought.

  She thought about calling him and giving him the chance to explain, but quickly decided against it. She didn’t want or need some lame excuse. She got that he was frustrated with his family, and she understood that he was worried about returning to the military, even if it was brief, but she couldn’t get past his feelings toward her. For such an articulate man when he chose to be, he sure could be ignorant sometimes.

  Annabelle sat at her kitchen table, going over the first month’s lesson plans, when she heard a knock at her door. Not bothering to get up, she waited. Living in the small town of Cedar Creek, she had quickly learned two things. One, that secrets were never gonna happen. No one could keep quiet long enough and soon the whole town would know. Second, that a knock at the door was only a courtesy knock before someone walked in. If she wanted privacy, she would have locked the door.

  “Annabelle…you home?” a female voice shouted as the screen door opened.

  “In the kitchen.” She smiled. Yep, living in a small town was going to take some getting used to.

  She didn’t bother to turn around and continued working on her lessons plans, when Rachael Armstrong sat down at the table across from her. “Man, it’s hot out there.”

  “Yes it is,” she replied, putting papers together.

  “So, Michael called. The boys are having a good time. He said that Andrew caught several fish and was the first to snag a rabbit. Of course, when Michael told him that the rabbit would be dinner, Andy put his foot down and said, and I quote, ‘You ain’t killing my pet!’ So, what do you have on the agenda, teach? Because I was thinking of a trip into the city for some girl time. I am in desperate need of a mani and pedi. You wanna go?”

  “I wish I could, but I’ve got to get these lesson plans finished.”

  “Annabelle, school doesn’t start for another six weeks. Come with us. We’re going to have so much fun. I even got a babysitter for the girls. It’s just gonna be adult time.”

  “Who else is going?” she asked, really considering it. She hadn’t taken time for herself in years, and with Andrew gone, it was the best time to do it.

  “Well, me of course, and Sarah. We thought we would go into the city, get the full treatment, have lunch, and then do a little shopping.”

  Annabelle knew that she needed to finish what she was doing. She had put it off for so long, and if she stopped now, she was only going to get further behind. Nevertheless, the allure of stepping away from it all and just spending time on herself, with no worries, appealed to her. Putting down the papers, she sighed. “It’s just going to be us, right, no one else?”

  “Just us,” Rachael confirmed.

  “And no gossip?”

  “Oh, come on, Annabelle. You can’t have a girls’ day out without gossip. Besides, Sarah and I are itching to ask what the hell happened between you and Mason. He refused to say a damn thing, so there is only you.”

  “Because there is nothing to say.”

  “He’s closed himself off again. No one has heard a word from him in three days. I stopped by before I came here and he wasn’t even home. Michael told me not to worry, that as soon as they got back tomorrow he, Mark, and Matthew would go look for him, but my gut is telling me that something is up.”

  His family didn’t know.

  Annabelle wondered if she should tell them that he had been recalled to active duty. Deep down she knew they had a right to know that their brother was going into harm’s way again, but it wasn’t her secret to tell. Mason had confided in her. He hadn’t given her permission to blab it through the grapevine. If he wanted his family to know, he would tell them. Well, at least she thought he would. He didn’t give her the specifics on exactly when he was going to be needed, but by the seriousness of the conversation, she had assumed it would be soon. For all she knew, he was already thirty thousand feet flying into God knows where. The danger of any hostile situation to a soldier was a given. However, the reality of it wasn’t apparent until there were boots on the ground. Until then, it was all talk and strategy. The real danger happened when they were faced with the reality of the situation.

  Deciding it was best to wait and keep what knowledge she had to herself, she deflected the conversation. “Matthew is here?”

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about Mason, she did, but she didn’t want the conversation centered on their fight, which was stupid when she thought about it now. It was a stupid little fight that she had blown into a gargantuan proportion.

  “Oh, Mattie showed up about two weeks ago, and has since been camping at my place. I swear he is just as closed lipped as Mason is sometimes. Trying to get anything out of him is like expecting Mitchell to be the poster boy for all that is good and sweet in the world.”

  “I see,” she whispered. The pain hit her hard. Her chest hurt as if something weighed heavily on her. She couldn’t breathe but refused to allow his family to see her distress. He had made his decision to leave and not tell his family. That was it. There was nothing more she could do about it. She knew why he wasn’t responding to their inquiries.

  He was gone.

  “So are you coming with us?” Rachael asked. A gut-wrenching feeling told her she needed to get word to him and tell him she was sorry. She remembered how her uncle distanced himself from everyone he loved. He called it mental conditioning, but looking back she knew he was just trying to push everything and everyone that he loved away, so the pain of leaving wouldn’t be so hard. She couldn’t let Mason go back into whatever hell he was about to enter without knowing that she hadn’t meant what she had said. He needed to know that she was sorry. He needed to know that he had someone waiting on him that cared if he came back or not. He needed to know she cared.

  She cared so much. She hated to think the last thing he would remember of her was that they fought and she kicked him out when he needed her. God, she made a huge mess of everything. She had listened to him talk about what going back would do to him. She
knew the possibility was real, and yet, when he had needed her the most, she had discarded him over something petty.

  “Annabelle,” Rachael whispered. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure, let me get my purse,” Annabelle replied. She had so much on her plate today, and now with Mason missing, she really should duck out of the fun and stay to finish her work. However, the thought of getting away from it all did sound intriguing. That and maybe she could figure out how to get word to him. She still had some family in the military. Getting a message to him shouldn’t be that hard. Oh, who was she kidding? There was no damn way she was going to get a note to him, nor was she going to be able to stop thinking of him now. He was gone, probably scouring dangerous parts of the world, looking for one man. Nope, just as sure as Rachael was tapping her nails waiting on her, Annabelle knew there was no way she was going to stop thinking about Mason.

  Walking outside, she moved around Rachael to get into the passenger side of the car when she heard the house phone ring. Looking at Rachael, she sighed. “Can you give me a minute? It might be the school. I’ve been waiting on a call from the principal.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Leaving her purse on the hood of the car, she ran back into the house, reaching for the phone as it stopped ringing. “Damn it.” Everything in her told her it was Mason. He was trying to get a hold of her. She couldn’t leave if he was trying to say good-bye. There was so much she needed to say to him, but mainly she needed to tell him she was sorry. She couldn’t let him leave with things the way they were.

  Sighing, she headed back outside, and after telling a little white lie, she watched as Rachael drove off, oblivious of what was happening with her family. As soon as Rachael’s car was out of sight, Annabelle hopped in her truck and headed for the only place she could think of that Mason might be hiding. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to find him if he was still around.

  Two hours later, she pulled into an empty parking space, turned off the ignition, and looked ahead. The water glistened in the afternoon sunlight as the waves crashed against the docks. The sounds of seagulls were heard overhead, and the smell of the salty sea air filled her nostrils. Leaving her purse in the car, she pocketed her keys and locked up her truck. She wasn’t going to be long, only long enough to check and see if his boat was docked. If it was, she planned to quickly check to make sure he wasn’t there. If he wasn’t, she didn’t know where else to look.