Come Back for Me (Arrowood Brothers #1)(6)

She points across the creek to where the Walcott farm is.

“Is your last name Walcott?”

“Yup.”

I smile. It’s good to know they didn’t sell off their farm. The Walcott’s were good people. My mother and Mrs. Walcott were close friends. When Mom died, Jeanie would bring us food and make sure we still had pie every now and then. I loved her and was sad when she passed. Tim died about a month after her, and my father would say it was from a broken heart. I wish my father loved my mother enough to go die alongside her, but I wasn’t that lucky.

I had no idea if someone bought it or if the property was passed down to someone. They never had kids of their own, but it seems it’s still in the family.

“I’ll walk you home and make sure you don’t get hurt again. Do you want to cut across or would you rather I drive you?”

I see her worry, but there’s no way I’m letting this kid go off on her own when she’s hurt.

“We can walk.”

“All right.” I stand, put my hand out, and smile when she takes it, knowing I earned a little of her trust.

We make our way to her house, neither of us saying much, but then I feel her start to tremble. I can remember all too well not wanting to go home because my parents were going to be mad at me. Too many times I had the wooden spoon to my hide because my mother said to be back before dark and I’d wandered off, lost in the vast lands that looked the same, and one of my brothers had to come find me.

“How long have you lived here?” I ask, wanting to take her attention off her impending punishment.

“I grew up here.”

“Yeah, and how old are you?”

“I’m seven.”

She must’ve moved in right after I left. “You live here with your parents?”

“My daddy runs the farm with my mommy. She’s also a teacher.”

“They sound like nice folks.”

Hadley looks away, and that feeling niggles at me again. I’ve lived my entire life based on trusting my instincts. In the military, it’s kill or be killed. I had to rely on myself to know when something was a threat or not. Something about her demeanor has red flags going up all over.

“My parents probably aren’t home, so you won’t meet them.”

I nod as though I don’t see through what she’s doing. I grew up making excuses as to all the reasons my friends couldn’t come or my teachers shouldn’t call. My father was sleeping, he wasn’t home, he was on the tractor, or he was out of town. Anything I could say to deter someone from seeing anything. From finding a reason to ask questions.

Hiding wasn’t just for me, it was for everything about me.

“Well, if they’re not, I’ll at least know you got home safely.”

“Do you think I can come over sometime to climb your tree? It has steps and mine doesn’t.”

I grin at her. “Anytime, kid. My tree is your tree. And if you come by in the next few days, I can show you two other hiding spots my brothers and I built.”

“Really? Cool!” Hadley lights up.

“Really.”

We get toward the drive and there’s someone at the car. Her dark brown hair falls down her back in waves and she’s lifting a paper bag from her trunk. When she turns, our eyes meet, and my heart stops.

Her lips part as the groceries tumble to the ground forgotten as I come face to face with the woman who has haunted my dreams.

My angel has returned, only she isn’t mine.





Chapter Three


Ellie





It can’t be.

This can’t be happening.

It’s been eight years since that night. Eight years of pretending that it was all a dream because it had to be.

I never saw him again. No matter how many days and nights I scanned crowds or looked at every driver—it was never him.

Partially, I was grateful because that night was one of the most heartbreaking and incredible nights of my life. I never should’ve given myself to him, but I was so unsure of where my life was going and if marrying Kevin was the right thing to do. I only knew that I needed to be loved and cherished, even if it was only for one night. I wanted to be held the way that this man held me when we danced.

The other part was the agony because I was getting married the next day, and God help me, I prayed that I would never see him again so I could find a way to forgive myself for the sins I committed.

I should’ve known that I couldn’t ever atone for my sins to be forgiven and him being here is proof of that.

“Mommy!” Hadley rushes over, her eyes filled with terror at the groceries on the ground.

Shit. I let them fall.

I hate that she worries so much. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll get them.”

Hadley turns to the man when she sees my eyes go back to him. “Connor, this is my mom.”

Connor. I’d given him so many names, but Connor is fitting. The name is strong, like the man.

Time has done nothing to lessen how attractive he is. His eyes are a deep emerald green that makes me feel like I’m drifting. His hair is longer up top, pushed over to the side, giving him a bit of a boyish look, but it only adds to his appeal. Then there’s his body. God, his body is sinful. His shirt is clinging to his arms, and there’s no denying the muscles beneath it.