His Promise (Married in Montana Book 1) Read online

  HIS PROMISE

  by

  Lorhainne Eckhart

  A love they thought would last forever.

  Kim and Bruce were inseparable as teens and believed their love was strong enough to overcome everything. Bruce promised they would be together forever, but when he left for medical school, everything changed—and Kim married someone else.

  When they both return to their hometown after Kim’s divorce, they end up fighting the attraction between them. Neither is willing to talk about the promise Bruce made…until one summer night.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Information

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist

  Other Works Available

  Copyright Information

  His Promise

  COPYRIGHT © Lorhainne Ekelund, 2015, All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Steven Novak

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  ISBN: 9781928085317

  Chapter One

  There wasn’t a day that Kim hadn’t loved Bruce. Never in a million years had she doubted that they would be together. At seventeen, they were inseparable. She couldn’t imagine, as she stared up at the thousands of stars in the dark Montana sky not kissing Bruce or feeling his touch on every other day like this one, when she would gaze up at the light of the moon or the bright blue sky.

  But then, you never forget the taste of your first love. He touched her the way no other man could. It was imprinted on her soul—the way she molded against him, skin to skin, with each breath. Each moment with him, kissing, touching, or just talking, the sound of his voice melted her soul and had her yearning to see him again before he even left.

  She didn’t believe her lips would ever forget the taste of his love. His touch, his smile, the light in his hazel eyes when he held her face in his hands the very first time he’d kissed her—it was all burned forever in her memory.

  Like yesterday.

  “Hey, baby.” He came up behind her, sliding his hand over the flat of her stomach. He lifted her hair and pressed a kiss to her cheek before sliding his lips down the soft skin on her neck. He was pulling her back with him into the shadows.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, then giggled. She couldn’t help it, as he had his hand under her shirt. He’d pulled the long cotton fabric free from the waistband of her jeans and was running his hand over her skin. His belt buckle was pressing into her. She craved the feel of him all the time and mourned his touch when he was gone.

  “Where your daddy can’t find us,” he said. He had his hand on the rail of the wooden ladder that led up to the loft. “Go on.”

  She didn’t hesitate as she climbed the rail. She could hear the tractor purring in the field. The sound carried, so she knew as long as she could hear it in the distance, they had time alone. “You weren’t supposed to be here today,” she said. “You said you couldn’t come, that you had to pack.”

  He pulled her to their space in the loft where the hay bales were stacked against the dark planks. She climbed over the two bales and into their hidden spot, a bed of hay with an old blanket thrown overtop. It was where they always met, where they hid out together. It was where they’d met last night, when she’d snuck out of the house after her parents were asleep. It was where they’d last been together—touching, tasting, exploring each other.

  “I couldn’t leave without seeing you again.” He pulled her down with him so they were lying side by side. Her body had a mind of its own and responded to Bruce, moving closer to him, her legs tangled with his, her hands pulling at his shirt, kissing him as she threaded her fingers through his short brown hair. She loved his hair, how it too seemed to do whatever it wanted. The natural waves always had that messy bad-boy look, and every time he cut it, it made the smile that lit up his face and his eyes stand out on his cheeks. And his lips…full and so kissable. Oh, and could Bruce kiss. She loved his long, lean body, his legs, how much taller he was than her—how much stronger. She truly believed he was forever hers, and he wouldn’t let anything come between them.

  But she was wrong. Oh so wrong.

  “Just one more kiss,” he said as he leaned over her. “I need to know you’ll wait for me.”

  “You know I will. I wish you didn’t have to go.” She wanted to cry. It would be ninety-three days of hell until she could feel his touch again, feel his lips on her again, feel his love again. Life was so unfair.

  “Kim! Kim!” It was her mother calling out.

  “I have to go, but I don’t want to,” she said, rolling onto her back, her hands above her head.

  He kissed her one more time and pulled a strand of hay from her hair. “I’ll call you. I promise I will. Baby, remember I fall in love with you over and over every single day. Nothing will come between us. Remember this, feel this.” He took her hand and pressed it to his beating heart. “It’s for you, only for you, that my heart beats. This moment, the way you look now, the blueness in your eyes and how they smile only for me and beg me into your loving arms, the way your long hair teases me and has that curly, messy look even when you try to brush it straight…”

  Not a day had gone by without her remembering those last moments together—almost twenty years ago, now. She’d promised to be his forever…that was, until she married someone else.

  ***

  Chapter Two

  Kim loved the drive into town, the rolling hills, the way the grass had turned brown from the heat of the summer sun. These fields were prime grazing land for cattle and horses. Before long, she was back in the town of Columbia Falls, where she’d grown up, fallen in love, and then gotten married and divorced. She had lived a lifetime even though she was only thirty-six. There were days she mourned how much time she’d lost.

  She had to live with her choices and had given up a few years back on beating herself up and wishing for what she couldn’t have. But she couldn’t help wondering what could have been. At times, it hurt to breathe, loving a man so much that the thought of him had her lying awake for many lonely nights. Oh, she’d tried to move on, but there’s something about your first love that makes you compare every other man to the one.

  She pulled into the parking lot of a block-long strip mall and the grocery store she’d driven across town to visit. She had driven past a much better, bigger grocery store to get here, but then, this store was across the street from Bruce. She stepped out of her dark blue pickup and couldn’t help looking up to the five-story red brick building where Bruce Siegel, now a pediatrician, had his office. She wondered if she’d catch a glimpse of him behind his desk, working through the mountains of paperwork that kept him for hours on end. Just the sight of his thick brown hair—shorter now, but still with a hint of messy from when they were teens—had her needi
ng another look. There were times when she was so close that he’d happen to look out and see her, and he’d wave and come down. She always prayed for those times, like today.

  “Hey, Kim.” Just the sound of his voice still caused a flutter in her stomach.

  She turned to see him walking her way across the parking lot in dark dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a blue tie. He had glasses on—thin, rimless—and they only made him look better, sexier, even more handsome, if that was possible. Then he smiled for her. Damn, her heart skipped a beat.

  He hadn’t always smiled at her, not when he’d first come back home.

  She could feel the dimples in her cheeks, and she stepped to him as if there were an invisible cord attached to her stomach, pulling her forward. “Taking a break?” she teased as he gazed down at her with the mischievous look he’d had since they were kids.

  “Lunch,” he said. “I didn’t pack anything today. This is quick, gives me a break to stretch my legs.”

  His legs…she remembered his long limbs, muscled thighs, and great butt. Evidently, nothing had changed. He was still a head taller. His chest was a little broader, more solid, a man’s chest, one she’d love to feel pressed against her. One she could be held close to.

  “What about you, Kim? What brings you down here?”

  “Well, shopping, of course.” She lifted the strap of her red purse over her shoulder and worried, for a moment, about how she looked. She had washed and brushed her long dark hair even though some unruly waves would always pop up out of nowhere. She wore her new blue jeans, the Levis that gave her an amazing ass. She had tucked in a white sleeveless shirt with a high collar that she knew showed her tanned arms, which, she was happy to see, were firm and toned. But then, Kim didn’t sit around all day: She was always working her small farm, going out with her horse, weeding in her garden—always doing something.

  Bruce was smiling. He glanced the other way before looking back at her. “You like driving all the way across town when the Food Mart’s closer to you?”

  “Maybe I like my stores smaller and more out of the way,” she said, teasing him.

  He laughed softly. Oh, man, did she love the sound of his deep laugh. It wasn’t loud and obnoxious like some guys’ but teasing and soft, causing all kinds of havoc to her insides. “You just want to see me, is all,” he said. Still as arrogant and cocky as ever.

  “Yeah, I do. You always make my day.”

  He was watching her, and something changed in the way he stared at her, something she couldn’t make out. It wasn’t happy or mad or sad, but it was confusing.

  “So I didn’t see you in church this week,” she said. The community church their families belonged to was where they’d met again when he returned to Columbia Falls after staying away for eighteen very long years.

  “Had an emergency. I was on call. So how is everyone? Heard Jamie rattled some of the old timers.”

  Kim had to suppress a giggle. Jamie Johnson, the dashing young blue-eyed, blond-haired single pastor, had moved in right before Bruce arrived and had taken over the congregation from the eighty-year-old minister who had been a mainstay in the community for most of Kim’s life. The man had run his church with an iron fist, but Jamie refused to stick to formalities and liked to stir things up, including his own opinions. He was far more “new age” and relaxed than any minister Kim had ever met.

  “Well, at least it was too hot for him to wear his leather jacket,” she said. “Yes, after a few of the elders criticized the locals who never show up for church, Jamie asked what made a better Christian, someone who attends church every Sunday and believes all is well or someone who never sets foot in a church but treats everyone with kindness and respect, each day making an effort to make a difference? You can imagine there were a lot of red faces up front. I think he got the reaction he wanted. He says it often: he’s a devil at times, but he really does call crap out when he hears it.”

  Bruce wasn’t smiling, but he was giving all of himself to her in the way he watched her. It was so unsettling. She felt a thick lump building in her throat, and for a moment she struggled to breathe. It was difficult to swallow, and the air between them was electric.

  “So how are things going out at your place?” he said. “I heard you had the vet out for your horse. Everything all right?”

  “Yeah, everything is fine, he said. I was worried, as Chloe hasn’t been keeping weight on. She lost a fair bit over the winter. She’s going on fourteen, still good for a horse, but she’s slowing down. He said everything looked fine, though. Could have been the quality of hay I had over the winter. With all the spring grass coming up, she usually puts on weight, just not this year.” The vet really hadn’t seemed worried, but Kim was positive he was missing something. After all, she knew her horse better than he did, vet or no vet.

  “Well, trust your instincts,” Bruce replied. “You know your horse. If you need anything, let me know.”

  She didn’t want him to walk away, but they were at that moment she didn’t like, when he was about to say he needed to go, and she would say the same thing and go into the store and pine away all week until she could see him again in town or at church on Sunday.

  “Hey, would you like to come out for dinner?” she asked. Her hands were shaking, and her heart was hammering so hard she felt as if she were dying a thousand deaths as she waited for his response. Maybe he’d let her down gently, tell her no, but thanks anyway. Maybe he secretly had a girlfriend, even though he’d never shown up with a woman at church since he’d been back. She was positive he was alone. Lord, she hoped he was alone.

  “You’re inviting me for a home-cooked meal? Sounds great, when?”

  She had to fight the urge to jump up and down and clap like the young girl inside who still pined for her lost love. Then he smiled again, brighter, wider, lighting up his face, his eyes, and she wondered what kind of silly grin was pasted on her own face.

  “Well, you tell me. I know your schedule is busy. I’m free any time.” Boy, did that sound pathetic. Did he have any idea how lonely she was?

  “How about tomorrow?” He stepped to the side and touched her arm. He didn’t pull his hand away, and she wished he’d leave it there forever. It was a touch that turned her into a seventeen-year-old all over again, into the girl who loved everything about Bruce. He was the first thought in her head when she opened her eyes in the morning and the last thought she had before she fell asleep at night.

  “Five is probably too early for you with work. How about six?”

  “Six is good.” He took a step backand jabbed his finger her way. “Looking forward to it.”

  And she stood there for what seemed like forever as Bruce walked away before spurring herself into action, having an idea what she would make. She remembered what he loved and what he didn’t and hoped nothing had changed. Yes, Bruce Siegel, I’m going to make you an amazing dinner.

  ***

  Chapter Three

  She had changed three times trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight, but everything made her butt look too big or frumpy. She’d settled on a short jean skirt and black sleeveless T. She put on gold hoops, and after fighting with her hair and its waves, which always gave it that messy “just out of bed” look, she finally gave up and pinned it in a loose bun. She put on some blush and a light brush of mascara, and as she glanced at the image staring back at her in the mirror, she realized she really looked good.

  So many of her hopes and dreams had been dashed that she was afraid to hope for anything to come of tonight. “Well, don’t look like that,” she told herself. “He’s coming for dinner. You’re friends, that’s all.” Was she a fool to want more?

  The timer on the stove dinged, so she raced into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner: roasted lamb with rosemary, garlic, baby potatoes, and steamed asparagus. She’d done up a small salad from a mix from her garden with a roasted shallot dressing. She’d spent hours putting together this meal to make it special
, and she wanted it to be perfect, to see the joy on his face when he tasted what she’d made for him. She’d picked wildflowers and put them in a vase on the table.

  She had just checked the lamb—and it was perfect—when she heard a car. Living out in the country, Kim didn’t have much traffic, and she could hear a car before she could see it. She looked out the window in her kitchen to see Bruce’s two-door Mercedes, black and expensive, with a trail of dust behind it. She watched as he pulled up the slight hill and parked beside her pickup in front of the house. She couldn’t get over how nervous she was as she fought the urge to race to the door. She took her time, waiting in the kitchen until she heard him on the steps and then knocking on the screen. The front door was open, allowing some air into her house, which overheated from May until September. She came around the corner. “Great timing!” she said.

  He pulled open the screen door, and the hinges squeaked. Damn, he looked good dressed in blue jeans and a short-sleeved navy shirt. He had that freshly showered and shaved look, and even his scent had her knees feeling a little weak.

  “Here,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, red or white, so I brought both.”

  She hadn’t even realized he was holding wine. Not that she drank much. She hadn’t even thought about picking up any. She had lemonade and ice water in the fridge.

  “Great, either would be fine. Come on in. Dinner is ready—I hope you’re hungry?”

  He winked, fun and flirty, as he let the screen door slap closed behind him. She must have been staring at him, because he suddenly stood in front of her and raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Come on into the kitchen. Why don’t you open the wine? I’m not sure which. I made lamb. Is there a certain one?” She’d never understood pairing wine with food. As far as she was concerned, if she wanted a glass of chilled white, she didn’t care if she was having a burger. It was what she wanted.