Ten Broken Promises (Barrington Billionaire's Series Book 10) Read online

  Ten Broken Promises

  Jeannette Winters

  An original work of Jeannette Winters, 2020.

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

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Judy Cabe (Meemaw), a sweet woman who had always taken the time to read my stories and was never afraid to give me her honest feedback.. Thank you!

  To my readers who continue to inspire me with endless messages and kind words. Always make time for romance.

  Also want to thank Jade at https://meetcutecreative.com/ for a beautiful cover!

  Contents

  Jeannette Winters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Also by Jeannette Winters

  By Jeannette Winters & Lena Lane

  Jeannette Winters

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  Ten Broken Promises

  When Connor Falciano resigned from the DEA, security seemed to be the perfect fit. But he has never been able to turn a blind eye to criminal activity, not even if it’s his employer. Connor senses the Henderson family is covering up something, but is it illegal? He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to find out.

  Krista hates traveling, but the small-town obstetrician was asked to be a guest speaker at a conference in New York. She had no choice but to leave her quiet country lifestyle for a brief trip to the city. When she returns home, she finds her name has been plastered all over social media, and things aren’t the same.

  A chance encounter with Krista, and Connor finds himself making her promises he never intended to keep. However, breaking them didn’t prove easy either. Krista is bold, confident, sexy, and a bigger distraction than he can afford right now. He is supposed to be focused on the Hendersons, and she was making that difficult.

  Will Krista be the one to show Connor that there is more to life than work? And can they wipe the slate clean and build a future with just one promise, to love each other, always.

  Chapter 1

  “You can’t be serious?” Connor Falciano snarled. His stepsister Kollette may have married into the Lawson family, but no way in hell did that give any of them the right to dictate who Connor worked for. Of course, he’d anticipated the conversation happening, just not this soon. “My employment is none of your business.”

  Ethan wouldn’t let it go so easily. “There are things you don’t know. Things that…”

  “My sister doesn’t know?” Connor finished.

  Ethan nodded. “And I need to keep it that way. There’s…history between the families.”

  Connor had noticed it the very first time he’d seen Dean Henderson and Seth Lawson in the same room. There was a tension between them that said they didn’t trust each other. Connor leaned back in his chair. “Then why don’t you fill me in?”

  Connor was caught in the middle here, for sure, but he wasn’t crossing any lines, or taking any sides. Not now, anyway. If it was something that could hurt Kollette, that would change things. Kollette had told him she didn’t need his overbearing protection. But even if she was tough as nails, she was still his kid sister. And the fact that Ethan was keeping secrets from Kollette was enough to raise concern. Ethan had promised to love and honor Kollette. Lying wasn’t a good way to start.

  “It’s not something I care to discuss,” Ethan commented firmly.

  “Yet you brought it up,” Connor challenged. He was giving Ethan the chance to come clean, to be up front. If he had to, Connor could find out for himself what Ethan was hiding. It would require him to do some digging on the Hendersons. He’d been working for them for almost six months now, so he’d had time to develop concerns. Each time Connor asked questions about what they were doing in Tabiq, their answers were exact, almost rehearsed. His gut told him there was a lot more than just business going on in Tabiq. He wondered now if Ethan knew.

  “I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Ethan replied.

  It was too late. “No problem. Maybe the Hendersons will be more forthcoming.”

  Ethan grunted. “I highly doubt it. And your working so closely with them concerns me.”

  “It shouldn’t,” Connor responded flatly. “I notice your brother Gareth is working in Tabiq with the Hendersons now, too. Do you have reservations about that?”

  Ethan snorted. “More than you can imagine.”

  “Enlighten me,” Connor said.

  “Lawson Steel has always been a family-run business. Gareth breaking off and starting his own business was, let’s say, unexpected.”

  Connor knew that was the truth, but only part of it. “I thought he was still involved in the family business.”

  “He is, but it’s not the same. He’s usually in…”

  “Tabiq with the Hendersons. It always seems to come back to them, doesn’t it?” Connor knew it wasn’t jealousy that was eating at Ethan, but rather that he didn’t like his brother becoming so close with the rival family. Understandable. Then again, Connor wasn’t thrilled about Kollette marrying a Lawson either.

  “I didn’t ask you to meet me here to talk about my family,” Ethan said.

  “But they are Kollette’s family now. So, I guess in a way, that makes them mine, too.” Whether I like it or not.

  “I wouldn’t compare us to the Hendersons,” Ethan scoffed.

  Connor chuckled. “Because they have secrets and you don’t?” Ethan glared at him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Ethan, you don’t need to tell me anything you don’t want to. However, I strongly suggest you tell your wife.” Because you don’t want me to do it when I find out what the hell the big secret is.

  “Some things are best left buried,” Ethan said.

  “There was a time I believed that, too. But I learned that the harder you try, the more likely it will come out. Guaranteed, when it does, you’ll regret keeping it from her.” Not only did he know how Kollette would react, but also, he had learned that lesson firsthand. Sometimes a relationship didn’t survive a lie. Mine sure as hell didn’t.

  It had been years, but he never forgot the look on Carol’s face when she walked out the door. It had been clear; nothing he said would earn her forgiveness. Not that it should.

  Even now Connor could tell that Ethan wanted to open up, to tell him, tell someone. Whatever it was, it seemed to be eating at him. A bar probably wasn’t the right place to h
ave the conversation, even one as high-class as this one. He chose not to push any further.

  “I’ll think about it,” Ethan said. “The timing isn’t good. Not with her being pregnant. She’s already emotional.”

  When isn’t she emotional? “And you think this can wait?” Connor asked.

  “It really won’t change anything. At least not in the way you think.”

  “Ethan, I’m not sure what to think about this. All I know is you’d better not be involved in anything illegal, because I’ll bust your ass, family or not. Got it?” Connor warned. There were things rooted deep within him, and following the law was one of them.

  “Trust me, Connor, it’s not. It’s personal.”

  That was going to be harder to uncover. He did much better with facts, hard evidence. Feelings were subjective, hard to pin down. “Don’t make me regret giving you my blessing, Ethan. Because I promise you, I’m not someone you want as an enemy,” Connor warned.

  “I told you before, I’ll never do anything to hurt Kollette,” Ethan stated.

  “I sure as hell hope not, but remember, secrets are as bad as lies.”

  Ethan’s phone rang. He glanced at it, and by the expression on his face, Connor could tell he didn’t like who it was on the other end.

  “Tell me that’s not Kollette’s call that you’re avoiding?” Connor asked.

  “Hell no. It was Alex, your boss.”

  One of them. “Nice to know you ignore their calls.”

  “Unlike you, I don’t work for them.”

  “True,” he replied.

  He wondered why Alex was reaching out to Ethan. Before this meeting, he never would’ve given it a second thought. It was going to be awkward, and possibly unethical, but he’d have to do some investigating. His gut said there was a lot more to the casual business relationship than either the Hendersons or Lawsons wanted to publicly admit. Connor didn’t like to get blindsided. Thankfully, Connor knew Roger Patrick, a former colleague in the DEA who was tightly linked to the Hendersons. It might not be a bad idea to invite him for a drink and see what Roger was willing to share. Roger was a decent guy and wouldn’t stand by and work for someone who was involved in illegal activity.

  Ethan downed his beer and said, “Thanks for meeting me.”

  “I’m not really sure why you wanted this to be kept private. It’s not like we actually discussed anything.” The Hendersons knew that Ethan was married to his sister. They wouldn’t question the two of them meeting. So maybe it was Kollette that Ethan was hiding from. It’s a slippery path, if that’s where he’s going.

  “I didn’t want my brothers to know I was in the city. At least not when I don’t have time to see them on this trip.”

  “Why are you here, then?” Connor asked.

  “Besides meeting with you? I was here to meet with a realtor.”

  “Buying or selling?” Connor asked. Kollette hadn’t mentioned anything to him, not that they’d spoken much lately.

  “Both. My place is a great bachelor pad, but it’s not where I want to raise a family. You wouldn’t be interested, would you?” Ethan asked.

  Connor laughed. “I think it’s out of my price range. But I’m glad to see you’re…settling down.”

  “Not ready to move full-time to Tennessee, but I know there are changes that need to be made. I thought I’d surprise Kollette with this one first.”

  “Another bit of advice. Don’t go buying a place without the wife seeing it first. A home might be a man’s castle, but the queen rules over it,” he chuckled.

  Ethan raised an eyebrow. “For a single guy, you give a lot of advice.”

  “Yup. Seen a lot of marriages fail. Don’t want my sister’s to,” he said bluntly.

  “Then I guess I’d better get going. I’m flying back home tonight. I don’t like leaving Kollette alone that long.”

  “I wouldn’t say she’s alone. Isn’t her father with her?” Connor said.

  Ethan laughed. “Okay. I’m going to save her. He’s trying to help, but they don’t see eye to eye on anything on the wilderness lodges that Kollette is supposed to be running.”

  “I think he regrets not living closer. You know, since he’s going to be a grandfather.”

  “Miami isn’t that far,” Ethan replied.

  He couldn’t see Ralph living in the woods of Tennessee, not even for a grandkid. But Ralph trying to persuade Kollette to move back to Miami. Well, that was a different story. He wasn’t sure who would win that battle. “Maybe you should build a room for Ralph and let him move in,” Connor teased.

  “Talk like that and I’m going to need something a lot stronger than beer. He likes to be…in control,” Ethan said.

  Connor laughed. “I see the problem. Because so do you.” Glad I’m not there.

  Ethan got up and tossed some bills on the table. “Yup. But we all know who really is,” he said. With a grin he added, “Kollette.”

  As Ethan walked away, Connor muttered, “And don’t ever forget it.”

  He looked at his watch and knew it was getting close to the time he needed to pick up Shaun, who also happened to be in New York for some mysterious meeting. It was only a few blocks away, but in rush hour, everything was longer.

  Connor had about half of his tallboy left. He knew he wasn’t going to finish it. He was technically still working, and drinking on the job was no way to keep a job. He got up and added a few more bills to what Ethan had left. When you prefer that no one knows where you’ve been, you always deal in cash.

  Before he left, he reached for the glass for one last sip. It was a mistake, because a woman who had had too much to drink, was trying to squeeze by him. She stumbled, grabbed onto his arm, and his glass tipped forward. The remaining beer now covered his jacket. Fuck! He wouldn’t be drunk, just smell like it when he picked up Shaun. He had given himself enough time to be a little early, but not enough to shop for a jacket. It was possible that the fresh air on the walk to his SUV might remove the odor, but he doubted it.

  The only luck Connor seemed to have today was finding a parking spot a few blocks away. Good thing, since this lounge didn’t have a valet. But with the number of vehicles parked illegally, it didn’t seem to bother anyone else.

  As he approached the black SUV, he knew there was something wrong. He never left the doors unlocked, but the rear passenger door was ajar. Fuck! If pulling his gun out of his ankle holster didn’t get him shot, he’d surprise the fucker trying to rip him off. Thankfully he had a license to carry a concealed weapon throughout the country, based on his prior position with the DEA. Of course that is only good if they give you a chance to show your license before shooting.

  Technically the SUV was a rental, but he was still liable for damages. He was just about to reach for the door handle when he heard a woman crying out from inside.

  Fuck!

  Was some bastard attacking a woman in there? He won’t be for long.

  Grabbing the handle and practically ripping it off the hinges, he opened the door and reached for the person hovering over the screaming woman and yanked. There wasn’t much resistance. It seemed odd that the attacker was screaming as well.

  What the hell? There was no way such a lightweight person could do enough harm to merit all the screaming.

  “What is wrong with you?” asked the angry woman Connor had just pulled from the car.

  He quickly assessed the situation. Woman, five-four, blonde hair, blue eyes, name…unknown. If she was doing anything wrong, he now could easily pick her out in a police lineup.

  “I should be asking you. This is my vehicle,” Connor snapped, not releasing his hold on her. Another cry filled the air. When he turned and looked back in the SUV, he dropped his hands and practically stumbled backwards. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at; bare legs bent, and wide open, with her dress lifted up. This wasn’t an attack. Yet a damn good explanation as to why she was screaming. “She’s…having a baby,” Connor gasped.

  From the lo
oks of it, it wasn’t going to be long either. Normally, nothing scared him, but he felt his heart begin to race. He looked around hoping to see a cop nearby, someone who could help this poor woman. She moaned again and Connor tensed. This baby wasn’t going to be born at the hospital. It’s going to be born here.

  He tried to step aside. Connor had seen enough. Actually, too much. He didn’t have a weak stomach, but this was something he wasn’t doing.

  “Yes, she is, genius! And where were you?” she demanded.

  He’d totally forgotten about the first woman. “Having a beer, not that it’s any of your business,” he snarled.

  “A beer. Oh, you’re really a piece of work.” She grabbed him by his jacket and barked, “Get in there and hold her hand.”

  It was going to take a lot more than that to make him budge. Looking down at her he asked, “Shouldn’t she be at a hospital?”

  “Of course. And maybe if you weren’t in the bar so long, you could’ve gotten her there. But now, there’s no time. Now get inside and hold her hand,” she snapped.

  “I…”

  “And give me your shirt,” she said with her hand out.

  “My shirt? Why?” Connor asked.

  “To wrap the baby up in. It’s coming whether you’re ready or not.” He heard her mutter, “And you’re not.”

  Connor looked back inside the SUV and could tell she was right. There was about to be a baby delivered. I should’ve stayed and finished that beer. Reluctantly, he pulled off his jacket and tossed it in the front, then unbuttoned his white cotton dress shirt and handed it over.

  This might be the last place he wanted to be, but not helping wasn’t an option, not for him. So, he pulled the passenger’s seat forward as much as it would go before climbing into the back. Once he was settled, he looked down at the young woman. She probably was in her early twenties, and she looked scared as hell. Who wouldn’t be? This surely wasn’t how she had imagined delivering her baby.