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

by Rebecca Joyce

  “How do you like our little town so far?” he asked sincerely.

  “Very well, thank you.”

  “I haven’t seen you about much. Is the new home to your liking? I tried to make sure everything was up to code.”

  “The house is perfect, and thank you.”

  “No problem. It was either use it as the schoolteacher’s home, or sell to that man. And after reading your resume, I knew I’d rather you have it. So, with that settled, let’s begin,” he stated firmly, rising from his leather wingback chair. For the next hour she listened to him go on and on about the school, what was expected of her, and most importantly, the education of the children. She agreed one hundred percent with what the judge was saying. That was until he started talking about image, and respectability.

  “Excuse me, sir, are you still talking about the school, or someone in particular?”

  “I’m talking about you, my dear.”

  “Why would the school board be concerned with my image? As far as I know, I look like every other teacher, and as for respect, sir, that’s earned, and I do not give it lightly.”

  “You misunderstood me, Ms. Marcus. I was talking about your image and your respectability,” he clarified.

  The hairs on the back of her neck tingled. She didn’t like where this was going. “What do you mean, exactly?”

  “It was brought to my attention that you are in a relationship. When I hired you, you were a single mother looking for a new start. Is that correct?”

  “My personal life has no bearing on my ability to perform my job, and as for me being a single mother, that is what I am. If you had reservations about hiring me, you should have informed me before I accepted the position.”

  “Oh no, I had no reservations, none at all. Your choice in suitors is what I have an issue with. I mean, seriously, Ms. Marcus, I know we are a small town and all, but did you have to throw your cap at Mason Armstrong?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The man is a barbarian. He has no manners, drinks all the time, and is always in a foul mood. When he first moved here, the whole town welcomed him, because of his prior service, and we even tried offering him a position with the local sheriff’s office. However, the man has become a nuisance. There is no talking to him, and when I heard that you and he were seeing each other, I thought if you could talk to him, make him see reason.”

  Jumping to her feet, Annabelle held up her hand. “Stop.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You hear me, you old codger. If you have a problem with the way I teach, then you can scold. Other than that, your advice is not warranted. I am a single mother, and as such, I believe I know what is best for me. Not you, me. Is that clear? Now, if there is some beef you have going on with Mr. Armstrong, I suggest you take that up with him when he gets back.”

  “Get’s back? Where is he?” he asked, reaching for his phone and punching numbers into the keypad.

  “Guess you don’t know your town as well as you think you do.”

  “Think again, my dear,” he clipped. Within seconds, he was shouting into the phone, “Where in the hell is Mason? Why didn’t you tell me? Well, I am your father. You could have at least told me that he was gone. When is he coming back? What do you mean missing? Damn it, Rachael, I am your father. Don’t you think I deserved to know that my son-in-law’s family is in town and that they needed support? Don’t you get lippy with me, young lady. I can put your ass in jail, remember? Wait! No… Hello, Michael.”

  “Michael’s back! Is Mason with him?” Annabelle shouted the question.

  “Yes, Ms. Marcus is here. Well, we are in a meeting of sorts. Yes, I will tell her.” He sighed and cupped the phone. “Michael wanted me to tell you he arrived home an hour ago. He has asked when you are finished here, to meet him at the ranch.”

  Grinning, Annabelle quickly grabbed her bags and headed for the door.

  “We’re not done, Ms. Marcus!”

  “Then fire me!”

  Running as fast as her legs could take her, she made it safely to her truck and soon was speeding down the road, her heat beating thunderously in her chest. She had never felt such elation, joy, tension, excitement before in her life. One minute she felt like laughing, the next she wiped tears from her face. Her nerves were shot, and her hands were shaking. She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around him and kiss him senseless. She had missed him so much, and words just weren’t going to cut it for her. Nope, she needed to show him how much she had missed him.

  Thanking the good Lord that she had had the good sense to shave her legs this morning, she was already working out plans in her mind to ask Sarah or Rachael to watch her son. Even if they couldn’t, she was going to divert to her secondary plan. Mason was going to come home with her and Andrew. She would cook him a welcome-home meal he would never forget, and when everyone had their bellies full, she was ordering Andrew to bed, with headphones and her iPad, because tonight’s movie was on her!

  So many wonderful, wonderful things raced through her head as she sped down the road to her destiny. Excitement flowed through her veins. The closer and closer she got, the antsier she became. If she didn’t get a handle on her nerves, she was going to be a bouncing ball of goo by the time she arrived. That was no way to greet Mason. No, she wanted to be calm, happy, reserved, yet excited, and when no one was looking, she wanted to kiss him for everything she was worth.

  Pulling into the R & R drive, she had to force herself to let off the gas pedal and slow down. There were small children on the ranch, and Annabelle knew that Rachael wouldn’t take kindly to having one of her children hit by a car. The closer she got to the main house, she thought that there would be some sort of celebration, welcoming the conquering hero home, along with his friends, yet when she parked her truck, all she saw was Mrs. Armstrong and her husband sitting on the porch. The elder Mason held his weeping wife.

  Moving slowly toward the front door, Annabelle jumped, startled when Bridget Person Armstrong burst out of the house with bags in tow. “Bridget! Come on, you don’t have to leave. Please stay?” Rachael begged as she walked out of her home with Michael.

  “I’m sorry, Rachael, but he made his choice. He could have returned with the others, but he chose…he just chose wrong!” Bridget shouted furiously.

  “Bridge, he chose to stay and help. How is that wrong?” Sarah asked, walking outside, her husband’s hand in hers.

  “Because I’m pregnant, that’s why it’s wrong!”

  “You’re pregnant?” all of them shouted at once.

  “And he didn’t tell you. Well, that’s just typical.” Bridget sighed. “Look, you all are a real great group of people, and I like every one of you, but Mitchell, he can go to hell. He has chosen his family over me for the last time. I am his wife! I am carrying his child! I should be number one in his life, but I’m not, and neither is this baby. You all are! Well, he’s made his decision, and I can accept that. I’m going home.”

  Bridget stomped off to the cute little BMW rental and started throwing her bags in the backseat when she saw her. Annabelle didn’t know what to do or say. Bridget looked upset, and she wished she had some words of wisdom to say to the woman, but her mind was blank. She really didn’t know Bridget like the others. Yet, that didn’t stop her from walking over and giving the woman a hug. “I’m sorry you’re going. If you need anything, call me. You have my number.”

  Bridget stiffened and gently pulled away. Annabelle couldn’t read her. Her face showed no signs of emotion. “I never belonged with him. I knew that when I married him. Mitchell loves a good chase. His problem is that he doesn’t know what to do once he attains it. Don’t worry about me. I’ve been standing on my own two feet for a long time. I will be just fine. I really hope that Mitchell finds Mason and his friends. If anyone can do it, Mitch can. The man never quits.”

  Annabelle stepped aside so Bridget could get into her vehicle. “Please stay, at least until he returns. He’s going to be upset when you’re
not here when he gets home.”

  Bridget just laughed. “Annabelle, that man has never been upset a day in his life. Trust me, he won’t even know I’m gone.”

  “What about the baby?” Michael asked, walking over with Mark and their father.

  “I’ll keep you posted,” she replied dryly and started the engine. Before any one of them could say another word, Bridget put her little car in gear and peeled out of the driveway. In seconds, they watched her car speeding down the road, and then she was gone.

  “You think he’ll know she left?” Michael whispered.

  “No, he won’t. I know Mitchell, and he won’t care,” Mark said flatly, and walked away.

  “That boy screwed up again. Typical,” their father commented then huffed as he walked back over to the others. Annabelle didn’t understand them. Mitchell was their brother. They should be supportive. Bridget all but said that her marriage was over. She wanted nothing to do with Mitchell. Turning to face Michael, Annabelle stood there, waiting for him to say the words. It didn’t take a genius to know that her fanciful dreams were not coming true, because if they were, Bridget would still be here, and Mason would be in his arms. Waiting for him to say the words felt like an eternity, and yet she still refused to move. She needed to hear the words. Without them, there was still hope. She still could believe that he was coming home soon, and then all of this was for nothing. When Michael did finally look at her, she steeled herself for what was about to come. However, the words that he said were not what she expected.

  “I’m sorry, Annabelle. We didn’t find him.”

  Hugging him quickly, she left the Armstrong family to move on. She needed to do so. She couldn’t do that here with his family, especially when two of the members looked a lot like him. Not bothering to say good-bye, she returned to her vehicle and headed home.

  * * * *

  Two days later somewhere in Colombia…

  “This is bullshit,” Marcus groaned as he and Mitchell watched their brother Matthew sweet talk a young, pretty woman at the dingy bar on the outskirts of town. Of course, looking at the little shack, no one would really call this place a real town, more like a small community of hard-working individuals, just looking to survive. The village didn’t have a Hilton, but what this town lacked in amenities it made up for in personality and culture. “Why does pretty boy get to chum it up with the locals? I can schmooze just as well as anyone.”

  Mitchell slowly looked over at his brother in shock. “Have you looked in the mirror lately, Quasimodo? Your scowl alone would send everyone running for cover. What is wrong with you anyway? All you do is bitch and complain. When was the last time you stepped away from whatever you were baking and got laid?”

  Growling, Marcus flipped his brother the bird.

  “See, that’s exactly what I am talking about. That temper of yours is atrocious. Anyone can see a mile away that you’re brooding and dangerous. Seriously, Marcus, go find a woman and do humanity a favor and get laid.”

  “Fuck you, Mitch,” he replied.

  “You’re not my type,” Mitchell said automatically, watching Matthew at the bar.

  They had been in this little town for two days. Two miserable, long days, and the only lead they had was that a week ago, some militant group had come in and started shooting everyone. The town’s military commander and several of his men were killed, and the others were taken away. No one had heard where they had gone. Their only hope was the woman Matthew was talking to. They had heard around the village that the militant group used her services repeatedly. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what kind of woman she was, nor did they let that stop them from seeking her out. They needed information, and as of right now, she was their best hope.

  Matthew smiled at the beautiful woman, handing her another beer. He could tell she hadn’t been sleeping, nor had she had a decent meal in days. The dark rings under her eyes and the way her hands shook told him she was scared and possibly in trouble. He felt for the woman. She couldn’t be more than twenty years old, and instead of being in college, she was probably going to be run out of the only home she had ever known. Matthew had witnessed too many times soldiers taking advantage of young girls then leaving them to confront their families. In his line of work, he had seen it all. Every place he went there was always one who had grown up before her time. It broke his heart that he couldn’t do more for them than give them some money and see to it that they were settled somewhere else, anywhere where they wouldn’t be noticed.

  “Please, Juliana, if there is anything else you can remember, I would be very thankful for it,” he pleaded with the young woman.

  “I told you everything. Please leave,” she whispered, looking everywhere but at him.

  “Don’t worry about the men. I will help you. I am a doctor. I can give you some money so you can leave this place and never return. Please, my brother is missing, and I need to know what you saw,” he pleaded gently.

  “I heard a soldier say something about taking the prisoners to Vaupes. That’s all I know,” she quickly said and started to rise. Matthew reached out and grabbed her hand.

  “Did you see any Americans with the prisoners?”

  When Juliana looked away, Matthew tightened his hold. “Please.”

  She nodded yes. Smiling, he let go of her hand and removed what cash he had from his wallet. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get her out of this town. Handing it to her, he kissed her cheek and whispered, “Thank you.”

  He nodded to his brothers and left the dingy bar. Outside, they headed for their hotel, none of them saying a word. They were outsiders in this village, and they were already drawing plenty of attention to themselves. Matthew knew the quicker they got out of town, the better off they would be. Once inside their small room, Matthew quickly said, “Pack what you can. We are leaving now.”

  “Where to?” Mitchell asked, grabbing his backpack as Marcus did the same.

  “How would you boys like to see the Amazon rainforest?”

  * * * *

  The territory of Vaupes bordered Brazil. Rich in rubber and lumber, the majority of the population consisted of indigenous inhabitants. Because of its location in the Amazon jungle, there were roads connecting it with the rest of the country or internally from settlement to settlement. Therefore the brothers were forced to land the private jet on one of the few airstrips and travel along the main rivers. They were warned when they set off that guerrillas ran the territory and for their own safety they should head back to where they came. However, since that was not an option, Mitchell paid the village where his plane sat an obscene amount of money to take care of their only way out of this place.

  Though Marcus scoffed at the gesture, Matthew wished Mitchell had given them more. Working in these underdeveloped areas, he knew of the hardships they faced. Medical assistance alone was something they never got, and he wasn’t even going to mention food or the unsanitary places they lived in. These tribes did what they could to survive, but many of them died from infection or malnourishment. However, though they lacked staples, these indigenous tribes were smart and cunning. Matthew just prayed that when they returned with Mason and his team, the plane was still there, or at least he hoped it was.

  Matthew quickly acquired a guide, and soon they were traveling down the Vaupes River in a small wooden boat which traveled slower than a snail. Neither of them said a single word as they took in their surroundings. The Amazon forest rose for miles above them, blocking out the sun, and the further they traveled down the river, the louder the local wildlife became. The air was thick with humidity, as mosquitoes swarmed around them.

  Reaching inside his medical bag, Matthew drew two syringes, and before his brothers could object, he gave each one of them a shot.

  “What the hell, Mattie? That hurt,” Mitchell whined, rubbing his arm.

  “Yeah, dude, fair warning next time,” Marcus added, doing the same.

  “You’ll thank me when you don’t get dys
entery or malaria,” Matthew replied, putting the now-empty syringes into a hazardous bag.

  “What about you, jackass? Aren’t you going to give yourself a shot?” Marcus asked.

  “I just came from Haiti, and before that Costa Rica. I’ve been inoculated.”

  For the remainder of the trip, they rode the river in silence, taking in their surroundings. Matthew saw the beauty of the place for what it was, and wondered if Mason and his team were faring the elements well. He knew that as military soldiers, they were medically taken care of before each mission, but if one of them were wounded, the risk of severe infection increased hourly if it went untreated, and death could occur quickly. He had made damn sure he had what he needed, knowing where they were headed, but still, he found himself double-checking his bags in case he had forgotten something. This was one area of the world he did not want to be caught with his pants around his ankles.

  An hour or so later, the boat docked alongside the riverbank, and their guide pointed in the direction they needed to go. When the guide refused to go any further, Matthew knew they were literally on their own. Grabbing his bags, he disembarked the small boat and paid the man some more money, insuring that he would wait for two hours before taking off.

  “We need to hurry,” Matthew said, moving through the thick jungle. “Try not to touch the plants. I don’t know what any of them are, and one of them could be dangerous. Which reminds me, Marcus, stay away from the animals. If a bug lands on you, blow it off. Do not swat it or kill it. And let me know immediately if you are bitten by anything.”

  “Jesus H. Christ. Dude, do you have any clue where the fuck we are? Everything you just said is right before us. What do you expect us to do, hover above the trees?” Marcus yelled in frustration.