A Soldier's Promise Read online

  This time the teacher’s learning the lesson…in love

  Brenna Sullivan has a strict policy about not getting emotionally involved with her students. Yet there’s something about the new student, Carrie, and her father that has Brenna breaking all her rules.

  Mike Langston’s parenting methods may be more than a little outdated, but Brenna is struck by the brave and honorable man he is and, despite her better judgment, she’s falling deeper and deeper for him. But how can she cross the line when their feelings start to grow?

  “What did you think you were doing just now?” Mike asked.

  “Helping to improve your relationship with your daughter.”

  “That’s not your job.”

  Brenna smirked at him. “I wouldn’t even consider it my job if you were doing yours.”

  The blatant criticism was too much. When he couldn’t think of a comeback, he said, “This is so not your business, lady!”

  A snort burst from her mouth or her nose, or somewhere, and Mike knew he’d gone too far. But so had she.

  “Lady?” Coming from her lips, the word sounded like the worst sort of insult. “Did you just call me lady? The calendar says we’re in the twenty-first century, Mike.”

  He rubbed his face. He wasn’t a chauvinist. Never had been. “Listen, check us out all you want. The bottom line is I don’t want my daughter in your house or anyone else’s without my knowledge. I hope I’m making myself clear.”

  “Crystal.” Brenna managed a smile and a wave at Carrie in the truck. When Brenna turned back to Mike, she made sure her features displayed the seriousness of her intent.

  Dear Reader,

  We hear a lot today about soldiers coming home from battle zones. Joblessness, uncertainty and post-traumatic stress syndrome have become our working vocabulary to understand the men and women we are so indebted to.

  In A Soldier’s Promise, I have isolated the story of one such brave man who returned home only to find the life he’d counted on no longer existed. But he forged ahead because of a promise he’d made to his dying wife and, with the help of friends, and one very special teacher, he learned that life isn’t over until you give up.

  I hope you’ll enjoy the story of Mike and Brenna, one a soldier, one a teacher, both American heroes.

  Cynthia Thomason

  Cynthia Thomason

  A Soldier’s Promise

  CYNTHIA THOMASON

  inherited her love of writing from her ancestors. Her father and grandmother both loved to write, and she aspired to continue the legacy. Cynthia studied English and journalism in college, and after a career as a high school English teacher, she began writing novels. She discovered ideas for stories while searching through antique stores and flea markets and as an auctioneer and estate buyer. Cynthia says every cast-off item from someone’s life can ignite the idea for a plot. She writes about small towns, big hearts and happy endings that are earned and not taken for granted. And as far as the legacy is concerned, just ask her son, the magazine journalist, if he believes.

  Books by Cynthia Thomason

  HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING

  BLUE RIDGE AUTUMN

  MARRIAGE FOR KEEPS

  DILEMMA AT BAYBERRY COVE

  HARLEQUIN SPECIAL EDITION

  2172—HIS MOST IMPORTANT WIN

  HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

  1120—THE MEN OF THORNE ISLAND

  268—YOUR HOUSE OR MINE?

  1312—AN UNLIKELY MATCH

  1345—AN UNLIKELY FATHER

  1393—AN UNLIKELY FAMILY

  1464—DEAL ME IN

  1483—RETURN OF THE WILD SON

  Having been a teacher, I know what a difficult, rewarding and inspiring job it can be. This book is dedicated to the great teachers I’ve worked with over the years, among them Darby, Tila, Linda, Bill and Rosemary. There are many students who owe their success to your guidance.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  BRENNA SULLIVAN SCRATCHED around the bottom of her large purse until she found the raggedy fan she’d been given as a wedding favor three years ago. She fanned her face vigorously while trying to squeeze under the shade of a scraggly oak tree in front of her car. Her fellow staff member and best friend in Mount Union, Georgia, approached from across the shimmering parking lot, causing Brenna to check her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time.

  “Have I been standing out here in the ninety-degree sun long enough for even Super Teacher Diana Montgomery to be leaving the building?” she asked herself. “No matter. Another few minutes and I’ll be dead from heatstroke.”

  “What are you still doing here?” Diana asked when she reached Brenna’s car. “It’s Friday afternoon. The students left over an hour ago. I expected you to have already begun celebrating the end of a successful first week of school.”

  Brenna blew her bangs off her forehead with an impatient breath and leaned on the hood of her seven-year-old Mazda. “I wish I were.”

  Diana looked confused. “What are you waiting for?”

  “A mechanic. I called Alvin’s Garage forty-five minutes ago. And as usual, Alvin’s ‘We’re on our way’ is a gross exaggeration.”

  “What’s wrong with your car?”

  “Won’t start.”

  Diana stared at the shiny silver sedan, which Brenna kept immaculate and in good running order. “Do you know why it won’t start?”

  “Do I look like a mechanic?”

  “You look like a wilted redheaded sunflower. Maybe it’s time to consider that mechanic a no-show. I’ll give you a lift home.”

  “I can’t leave,” Brenna said. “I’ll give the guy another few minutes. I have plans for tonight. I need my car.”

  Diana set her cumbersome briefcase, probably stuffed with papers to grade, on the pavement. She and Brenna both worked at Mount Union High School; Diana taught English and Brenna taught home ec. Just about everything in Brenna’s classes was accomplished during school hours, leaving very little work to take home, which suited her just fine. She liked devoting her off-hours to her own pleasures.

  “I’ll just keep you company until the mechanic arrives,” Diana said. “Both the men in my life will be occupied with football practice until at least six.”

  “Don’t be silly. Go home and wait for your husband and son. Why should both of us melt out here?”

  “Maybe this is your guy,” Diana said as a blue pickup truck sped into the lot. A magnetic sign on the door indicated it had come from Alvin’s. The driver jolted to a stop a few feet from Brenna’s car.

  “The cavalry has definitely arrived,” Diana said. “I might as well stay until we know he can get your car started.”

  “Thanks.”

  “By the way, where are you going tonight?”

  “The Riverview Tavern,” Brenna said. “You’re welcome to come...”
r />   She never finished her invitation because the driver of the truck stepped out and walked over to them. Brenna did a double take. She couldn’t remember this man working at Alvin’s. He was tall with a muscular build that was obvious even under his beige mechanic’s uniform. What hair Brenna could see peeking out of a ball cap was dark and wavy. He wasn’t smiling. Not surprising in this heat.

  “I hope you’re looking for me,” Brenna said.

  He pulled a work order out of a breast pocket embroidered with the name Mike and Alvin’s Garage in blue letters. “I am if you’re Brenna Sullivan.”

  “Yep. And what took you so...”

  “This is your silver Mazda?”

  Enough small talk apparently. “Yes, it is.”

  He stuffed the work order back in his pocket. “You said it wouldn’t start?”

  “That’s right. I hope it’s something minor and you don’t have to have it towed.”

  “’Scuse me.”

  She stepped aside. He sat in the driver’s seat and turned her key in the ignition. Nothing. Not even the clicks she had heard earlier.

  Brenna cringed. She was thankful Diana hadn’t left yet. She might need a ride after all.

  Diana spoke in Brenna’s ear. “Have you ever seen this guy before?”

  “No.” Even if this man were just an Alvin’s employee, she would have remembered him. “Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just interesting. He could be our first new man in town in a long time. Maybe he’s single and you and he...”

  Brenna frowned at her friend’s blatantly coy grin. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m not looking and you know it. And if I were, I wouldn’t be scouring Alvin’s Garage for a date.”

  The man got out of the car and opened the hood. He next opened the hood on his truck and finally removed some battery cables from a box in the cargo area.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him.

  “Charging your battery.”

  “Oh.” She watched his practiced, abbreviated movements. He didn’t waste time or effort. He appeared to know what he was doing.

  Diana nudged her. “He’s good-looking, don’t you think?” she whispered.

  “Stop it.” But the comment did make her study his face again.

  Though he remained basically expressionless, his features demanded her attention. Serious to a fault. Yet fine lines around his eyes and mouth indicated he’d done his share of smiling, or maybe frowning. And his eyes. Now that she really looked, she found herself staring into them. Very dark, intense. And much too thoughtful for a guy who spent his time staring at spark plugs. Or did cars even have spark plugs these days? Brenna recalled reading that everything in cars was digital now.

  After a few minutes, he disconnected the cables, got back in her car, fiddled around with knobs on the dashboard and started the engine. The Mazda purred like the sleek kitten it was. He got out, took the work order from his pocket again and wrote some numbers down.

  “That’ll be thirty-five dollars,” he said.

  “What did you do?” she asked. “I didn’t see you fix anything.”

  “Nothing needed fixing.” He covered his mouth with his hand.

  Brenna stared at Diana. She mouthed the words I think he’s laughing at me.

  Diana shrugged. “Appears so.”

  “What’s so funny—” she pointed to his pocket embroidery “—Mike?”

  “Women, I guess.”

  “What? That’s just demeaning....”

  He readjusted the seriousness to his face. “The problem with your car was what we call a parasitic drain.”

  “And what exactly would I call it?” Brenna asked.

  “Probably a dead battery.”

  “And why did it die?”

  “It was raining this morning. Did you have your lights on?”

  “Of course. It’s the law. Why do you...” She realized where he was going with the discussion. “I must’ve left them on when I got to school,” she admitted.

  “Not only that, you left your satellite radio running all day. Between the two the battery was drained.”

  Diana snickered. Brenna ignored her.

  “I know I should have turned the lights off,” she said. “But I wasn’t aware that the radio could drain the battery.”

  “It wouldn’t by itself.” He pushed his cap up, releasing strands of dark hair onto his forehead. “Did you ever read the owner’s manual on this car? It would tell you stuff like that.”

  “Of course I did.” She paused as he narrowed his eyes at her.

  Diana grinned. “She read the part about how to operate the moonroof.”

  Brenna glared at her.

  “Even though you only needed a jump, I have to bill you for a service call.” His lips twitched as he handed her the bill. “A check will be fine. Alvin knows you.”

  That last part sounded like another dig, as if she was so inept she handed out thirty-five dollars on a daily basis. For heaven’s sake. She wasn’t the only woman who depended on a mechanic.

  She scrounged through her purse a second time and pulled out her wallet. “I assume you’ll take paper money,” she said, handing him three tens and a five.

  “Never had a problem with cash,” he said, tucking the bills into his pocket. He nodded at both women. “I’ll be going, then.”

  He started to get in his truck, but Diana stopped him. “Excuse me, Mike, but are you new to this part of Georgia?”

  Brenna turned to give her friend another pointed stare.

  “Been here a couple of months,” he said, one foot in the truck.

  “Oh. How do you like it?”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you live in town?”

  “About three miles out.”

  He got in the truck, but apparently Diana wasn’t done grilling him. “Do you have family, Mike?” she asked.

  He squinted into her face. Was he offended at the question?

  “I don’t mean to be nosy,” Diana said.

  Brenna huffed. Yeah, right.

  “We’re a friendly town,” Diana added. “Perhaps your wife would like to join us girls some afternoon...”

  “I’m not married.”

  Brenna had had enough, and she was certain the mechanic had, too. “I’m sure this man has to get back to the garage, Diana,” Brenna said.

  “I do,” he said. And as quickly as he’d come into the lot, he left it.

  “What was all that?” Brenna said. “You made that man uncomfortable. I can’t imagine that he enjoys being treated like Mount Union’s catch of the day.”

  “Well, he could be a catch...for you.”

  “I already told you—don’t get any ideas.”

  “You didn’t find him the least bit attractive?”

  “I didn’t find him anything but rude and condescending.” That wasn’t exactly true. Brenna usually drew conclusions about every man she met, and she’d done so with this guy. Mike had a sort of earthy appeal that some women might find attractive. But earthy appeal wasn’t at the top of Brenna’s priorities. Not even close. “Parasitic drain,” she muttered.

  “Well, I think he’s very good-looking,” Diana said. “He’s rugged and well built. And I could practically smell the woodsmoke coming from those eyes of his.”

  So Diana had noticed that feature, too. Still, Brenna wasn’t going to get into this discussion. “Shouldn’t you go home and fix supper or something?”

  Diana smiled. “Don’t be mad at me, Bren. I just want you to be as happy as I am.”

  Brenna stared at the angelic face that was so typical of Diana. “How do you know I’m not? What makes you happy isn’t the same for all women.”

  Diana considered the statement. “Po
int taken.”

  “You go home to your son and your husband, and I’ll put on my cowgirl boots and kick up my heels at the Riverview. I’ll bet we both go to sleep happy.”

  “Maybe so. But one person won’t be so happy tonight.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Mike. He didn’t get a tip and he didn’t get your phone number.”

  “You’re impossible,” Brenna said. “He obviously didn’t want my phone number, and he didn’t deserve a tip.”

  * * *

  WHEN SHE PULLED into her driveway, Brenna was thinking about which pair of jeans she’d wear out that night. She parked her car and walked to the front porch of the 1930s-era three-bedroom Craftsman-style cottage she’d bought four years ago and renovated with light earth-toned paint and sage-green trim. Her friends called the place “darling” and “charming.” Brenna was just grateful every day that she called it home.

  She’d only taken a few steps along the brick walkway leading to her front door when she noticed a girl sitting on her wicker love seat. Brenna stopped, stared at the girl and realized she was familiar.

  The girl raised her hand. “Hi, Miss Sullivan.”

  Oh, no. The girl called her Miss Sullivan. Had to be a student. “Ah...hello.”

  “Do you know who I am?”

  Brenna searched the crannies of a mind that had already mutated from school to weekend mode. “I think you’re in one of my classes. Is that right?”

  “Yeah. I’m in your third-period cooking class. My name’s Carrie Langston.”

  Brenna remembered calling the name off her roster, but she hadn’t yet had time to put a face to each student’s name. “Sure,” she said. “Carrie.” She walked the rest of the way to the porch. “What are you doing here, Carrie? How do you know where I live?”

  “It wasn’t hard to find out. I just said I’ll bet you have a nice house, and one of the other kids in class told me you lived here on the river.” She looked at the colorful stained-glass panel centered in Brenna’s front door. “I was right. This is a cool place.”

  Mount Union was a small town. Brenna figured lots of her students knew where she lived. But none of them had ever come calling before. Brenna made a point to avoid sending that kind of welcoming attitude. To keep her school life separate from her personal one, she didn’t go to games or chat with students in the hallways about their problems. There were counselors for that job—and teachers like Diana Montgomery. If her past had taught Brenna one thing, it was that she should maintain a noninvolvement policy.