Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers)

by Reeni Austin

  Jennifer followed along. “He said it was no rush. Said he’d sit down at the bar to have a drink while he waits. Kinda reminds of that really cute guy who came in earlier to rent the patio.”

  Katie’s heart raced. Could it possibly be Armando? Somehow? “Are you sure? Did you get his name?”

  “Yeah, but I can’t remember it now.”

  Katie groaned. She’s worthless. “Okay. Let me just…” She squinted as the bar came into view. “Is it that guy in the white shirt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh.” Even from the back, Katie could tell the guy was too old and too short to be Armando. So much for getting my hopes up.

  “Like, he could totally pass for that guy’s dad. I swear, he could,” Jennifer said. “Oh, and remember, I’m leaving five minutes early today. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.” Jennifer’s face lit up with glee.

  Ignoring her, Katie forced a smile and approached the stranger, shoving her disappointment and irritation aside.

  After thirty minutes discussing catering options with the customer, Katie exited the back door of the restaurant, bound for her car. Finally, she was sufficiently distracted from her thoughts.

  That is, until she fished through her purse for her keys, catching a glimpse of her shiny new engagement ring. It was nothing like the dainty little ring she used to wear on a chain around her neck when she was secretly engaged her senior year of high school. Katie chuckled as she thought about it. Funny how she wore that necklace for months and her parents never once asked where she got the ring or why she was wearing it. Mom later admitted she thought it was just one of those cheap rings from the flea market, and maybe all the girls were wearing them as necklaces. If Mom only knew. Katie treasured that little gold-plated ring with its single, tiny diamond chip. After much tearful begging, Daddy surprised Katie by letting her keep it. Even though it was now dark with tarnish, it was still proudly on display in her jewelry box like it belonged there.

  Tears came to her eyes, and she fanned her face with her free hand in a sorry effort to dry them.

  Is it normal to pine away after your high school sweetheart for ten years? What the heck’s wrong with me?

  Katie opened her car door and sat down, wishing there was someone she could call who may understand. Although there were at least ten girls in her contact list who would probably drop everything to give her a shoulder to cry on, that nagging fear was still there. The fear that kept her from telling even her closest friends about the boy she almost married. She shuddered to think about what Daddy could still be capable of. Surely nothing as bad as what she had always imagined.

  Nonetheless, the Armando chapter in her life was forcibly closed long ago, and she knew she needed to accept it. They were kids back then. Stupid kids who thought they were ready for a lifelong commitment. Katie chuckled and wiped away the last of her tears as she considered how foolish it was to think of him as the same Armando she fell in love with ten whole years ago, at the tender age of eighteen. Ridiculous.

  Push it out of your head, girl. Shake it off.

  She took a deep breath and started the car, feeling a little relieved that Mitch was working late again tonight and she had the evening to herself.

  And once again, the guilt crept in. She should want to spend time with her own fiance, right? But why was he the last person she wanted to see tonight?

  Crap. Katie already knew why. And she couldn’t wait to get home and type Armando’s name into a search box.

  * * * * *

  She’s getting married?” Armando grabbed his jacket. He held his phone to his ear, ready to run to the exit. “To whom?”

  “What?” Victor asked. “Is it the same girl? The one you were engaged to? I was too preoccupied to recognize her name at first.”

  Armando pressed his lips together tightly, suppressing his sudden urge to scream. He also waved goodbye to his associates, trying not to make it obvious that he was suddenly leaving for reasons he wouldn’t explain. It was the biggest Lakers basketball game of the season, and he was there entertaining a room full of clients in a private suite. Just another day at work for Armando. But after the news he just heard, work would have to take a backseat for a while. “Yeah. It’s her.”

  “You sound a little frantic. Are you okay?”

  “Did she mention me?” Armando’s pace increased to a light jog outside the suite as he headed to his car.

  “I already told you. She knew who I was, immediately. Asked if I was your brother.”

  “That’s all she said?”

  “She said to tell you ‘hi.’” Victor chuckled. “So...you gonna tell me why it’s such a big deal to you, now? After all this time?”

  “Do you know who she’s marrying?”

  “No. Oh wait. He’s a lawyer. I know that much. I don’t remember what else she said.”

  Armando sighed. “Okay. You said she’s working at Cortez Inn? Where’s that?”

  “It’s on the Riverwalk. Nice place.”

  “Why don’t you propose to Cara at a nice spot somewhere on the ranch? Seems a lot more personal than a restaurant.”

  “She’ll suspect that, and I wanna surprise her. Besides, she’s a city girl. I don’t think she likes walking around in the country all that much.”

  “And Katie’s helping you get the room set up? What, like flowers and candles or something?”

  “We’ll have a private deck overlooking the river at sunset. Just us. Katie’s an event coordinator, I think. She’ll make sure everything’s set up just right. Music, food. Flowers. You want me to tell her you said hi?”

  “No!” Armando cleared his throat. “I mean, no. Please. Don’t say a word about me, okay?”

  “Uh...okay. Are you running? Sounds like you’re breathing hard.”

  “Yeah. Hey, can I call you back tomorrow?”

  “Of course.”

  “And remember what I said. Don’t breathe a word about me to Katie.”

  “I already told her you live in Los Angeles and—”

  “That’s fine. Just don’t tell her we spoke. Talk to you soon.” Armando hung up and put his phone in his pocket. As much as he wanted to talk to his older brother, he was already too distracted with the task at hand. First, he’d have to rearrange some meetings, or maybe hold them all via teleconference.

  Two, he had to book a private jet.

  And three, he’d have to figure out what exactly to do about Katie McCormack.

  Chapter 4

  Victor chuckled and walked into the the house, hearing silence on the other end of the phone after Armando abruptly hung up.

  Armando was always the most introspective of the three brothers...and the most secretive. Katie McCormack was obviously still very special to Armando. Victor had never heard him react that way about a woman before.

  He walked past the room where Isaac lay sound asleep. A big smile spread across Victor’s face. The boy was usually awake until at least eight o’clock, but today was their second day at the ranch, and Ramon let Isaac wear himself out with small, routine chores. And even though Isaac was exhausted by the time it was over, he told Victor and Cara at dinner that he’s a cowboy now. And tomorrow he needs to wear the right hat.

  Just as Victor was about to ascend the stairs where the lovely Cara awaited him, he heard Ramon typing at the end of the hall. So he walked down to his brother’s office for a little talk, stopping just inside the door. “Hey.”

  Ramon looked up from his computer. “Hey. Thought were you already down for the night.”

  “No. Just Isaac. I don’t know what you put him through today but he’s out like a light way before his usual bedtime.”

  Ramon chuckled. “No doubt. I turned him over to Silas, one of the ranch hands. He’s great with kids. Said Isaac did a good job today. Need me to keep him busy tomorrow, too?”

  Victor shrugged. “I don’t think you could keep him away from helping, after all the fun he had today. Seems like he took to the animal
s, fast.”

  “Hmm.” Ramon nodded, thoughtfully. “So, does that mean there’s a chance my oldest brother might relocate his new little family soon? There’s plenty of room here to build a house or two.”

  “Nah, you’re getting ahead of me.”

  “No, I’m not. You’re still proposing on Friday night, aren’t you?”

  “Shh!” Victor glanced over his shoulder to make sure Cara hadn’t quietly wandered downstairs. “Not so loud. It’s a surprise.”

  Ramon smirked. “You really think she doesn’t suspect?”

  “No. Not at all. I wanted it to be a surprise, and that’s how it’s gonna be.” Victor’s eyes narrowed as he pondered his conversation with the woman he met today. “Speaking of Friday...” He shut the door behind him and took a seat in front of Ramon’s desk. “You remember Katie McCormack?”

  Ramon winced. “Of course I do.”

  “I met her for the first time today. She works at the restaurant where I’m proposing to Cara. When I introduced myself, the very first thing she said to me was, ‘You’re Armando’s brother.’”

  Ramon snorted. “Yeah. She probably heard what she was missing out on.”

  “Maybe.” Victor shrugged. “Armando had the weirdest reaction when I mentioned her name. It sounded like he left the basketball game and went running out to his car.”

  Ramon’s eyes rolled. “Damn. I can’t believe he’s still hung up on that girl.” Then he produced a big yawn.

  As Victor watched his tired brother, he was thankful he decided to take an extended leave from work. Originally it was to spend more time with Cara and Isaac. But this week, after seeing how much Ramon worked and how little care he took of himself, Victor realized he needed to use that time to be a better brother to Ramon. It was obvious that since Henry Platt sold out of the ranch and took off for a long vacation, Ramon was in over his head, trying to keep the business going.

  This was only Victor’s second day on the ranch in Turnbrook. And already, he was more worried about his youngest brother than he wanted to show. But knowing Ramon and his pride, he’d probably tell Victor to pack up and leave if he knew how concerned he was.

  Victor planned to keep his eyes open and watch out for Ramon. And after tonight’s phone call, he wondered if he needed to do the same for Armando.

  “So,” Victor said, “You ever take any time off? You look exhausted. I’ve barely seen you since I got here.”

  “Yeah.” Ramon nodded. “Saturday. I try to take the whole day off. Sunday’s a different story. It’s the one day I’m usually not bogged down in paperwork and I actually get to go out back and make sure the boys are doing their jobs when I’m not here.”

  Victor frowned. His brother was obviously much more overworked than he wanted to admit. “Well, let me know if I can help. It can’t be easy running two other ranches in addition to this one. I don’t know how you do it.”

  Ramon smirked. “A lot of coffee and reliable employees. That’s how.” Then he sighed. “I’ll try to be home earlier from now on.”

  “Good. Again, if you need my help, please tell me. Especially with the business end of things. That’s sorta one of my specialties, you know?”

  Ramon cocked his head to the side. “I’m all right, Victor. Now go on upstairs and take care of your woman.” He yawned again. “I gotta get a few things sorted out before I go to bed.”

  With a glum nod, Victor said, “Okay. Don’t stay up too late,” as he headed for the door.

  Ramon responded with a half-hearted wave.

  * * * * *

  It was Thursday, the day after Katie met Victor, and her constant thoughts of Armando were still going strong. She had not seen her fiance, Mitch, since dinner on Tuesday evening and she dreaded lunch with him and her parents today. Memories she locked away years ago now seemed fresh, in the front of her mind.

  How could she possibly look Mitch in the eye when she was fantasizing about another man?

  Katie sat at the bar at five minutes till noon, nursing a glass of ice water as she waited for them to arrive. All she really wanted to do was take the week off and stay in bed, pretending she was sick. And honestly, ever since her thoughts of Armando started, “sick” was exactly how she felt.

  Sick that she spent more time thinking about Armando than she did Mitch. Sick that she had to face her father today and pretend—as she had for years—that Daddy was actually a nice guy. That he hadn’t ripped her away from her first love without explaining why.

  She sat at the bar, trying not to appear tense, when she heard her Dad and Mitch laughing, then felt her mom’s hand on her shoulder.

  “Katie.” Her mom, Lisa, shook her gently. “Katie-bug. You all right?”

  Katie took a deep breath then slowly swiveled around on the bar stool. “Uh-huh. Hi Mom.”

  Suspicious, Lisa gave her daughter a once-over. “Are you sure? You look like you’re off in dream land. Better be careful sitting at the bar like this or they’ll think you’re slacking off at work.”

  “It’s okay. I’m on lunch break and my boss knows how hard I work. It’s fine.”

  Lisa shook her head as she took her daughter’s arm, leading off to the table where Mitch and Dwayne were already sitting down. “No matter what, you always need to do your best. Especially if you become a senator’s wife someday. The last thing you’ll want are your old co-workers coming forward, saying you’re lazy, making up rumors because of all the extra work they had to do on your account.”

  Katie sighed. “Mom, I put in more hours than anyone else here.” Then she stopped talking, fearful that in her anxiety she would let out the wrong words slip and start an argument with her. Appearances. They were all her parents seemed to care about. Katie and her little sister, Chelsea, had always silently rolled their eyes at the constant admonitions. People judge you by the company you keep. Do you think the First Lady of the United States of America would wear a skirt that short? Whatever you do, don’t let anyone take your picture tonight.

  Katie’s jaw tightened as she drew closer to the table where Daddy was still laughing with Mitch.

  Mitch...perfect, educated, Daddy-approved...All these years, Katie knew that had to be why Daddy hated Armando. Dwayne McCormack wanted his two girls to marry men he could respect as if they were his own sons, and Armando didn’t fit his idyllic mold.

  Mitch was so into his conversation with Dwayne, he barely noticed Katie standing there. “Oh, hey honey.”

  Mitch and Dwayne both stood from their chairs long enough to be courteous as their companions took seats. Dwayne went a step further and pulled out Lisa’s chair for her. But Mitch simply leaned forward and gave Katie a peck on the cheek as she sat.

  Katie said, “Hi hon,” to Mitch, and with a weak grin said, “Hi Daddy,” to Dwayne.

  Dwayne, oblivious to his daughter’s hesitance, put his elbows on the table and said to her, “Mitch here tells me you two been lookin’ at houses already.”

  Katie shrugged, feeling defensive. “Yeah. What’s the big deal?”

  Dwayne sighed. “I wish you’d let me know. Our wedding gift to you’s gonna be your down payment, just like we gave your sister when she got married.”

  Mitch patted Katie’s hand. “Yeah. You should’ve said something.” His eyebrows rose. “We may have a higher price range than we thought.”

  Katie stifled her groan. “Daddy, I told you I don’t want that.” She thought about her sister, Chelsea, and how often she complained that Daddy and Mom reminded her of that big down payment “gift.” And Katie was in no mood to hold her tongue. “Daddy, I’ll feel like I owe you for it for the rest of my life. Please, just keep your money.”

  Mitch scoffed. “Speak for yourself.”

  Then he and Dwayne burst into laughter.

  Lisa spoke up from across the table. “Sweetie, it’s only fair. We did it for Chelsea. We can do it for you, too. Unless you’d rather we spend that money on the wedding instead.”

  “No.” Dwayne put his e
lbows on the table, leaning forward. “Now, I know girls always want a nice, big wedding, but after it’s all said and done, it just ain’t worth it.” Dwayne grunted and looked at Mitch. “You wouldn’t believe what I spent on her sister’s wedding. If anything I should’ve put my foot down then and said we’d give her a bigger down payment on her house instead. That’s the better way to do it. You can have a perfectly nice wedding for a lot less money without feeding half the county at the reception.”

  Katie said, “It’s okay, Daddy. I don’t want a big wedding like that. It was too much hassle.”

  Mitch nodded. “Yeah, we’ve talked about one of those getaway weddings. That’s what my cousin in Tennessee did a few years ago. They were gonna have a big church wedding but after they added up what everything was gonna cost, they went to Cancun instead. Said it was less than half the price and they got a nice vacation out of it.”

  “Hmm,” Dwayne said, with a thoughtful nod. “Sounds like a good idea after that fiasco with Chelsea’s wedding.” He sighed. “So much money. Seemed like I wrote checks for weeks. A deposit for this, a deposit for that.”

  Lisa smiled at her husband. “It’s whatever Katie wants, dear. Let’s just be glad...” Lisa glanced at Katie, then reached for her glass of water, opting not to finish her sentence.

  But Katie knew that look on her mother’s face. It was meant to inflict guilt for the years Katie had spent in college, using her inheritance from her grandmother to get three undergraduate degrees at three different colleges that she would probably never use. That’s what Katie had been doing for most of her life since high school: learning. A perpetual student, her parents called her. And since then she had heard the speech a thousand times: “We’re just glad you’re finally out of college.” Katie was sure the offer of a down payment on a house was about more than Dwayne keeping his daughters under his thumb. It was about helping them find a place to live so they would be more likely to raise their families nearby. Katie’s final degree—in business administration—came from a private college four hours away in Fort Worth. Her parents were unhappy when Katie briefly considered staying in Fort Worth for a man she was dating, but the relationship ended and she moved to San Antonio after graduation to work at the restaurant.