Brodie's Wish (Cottonwood Falls Book 10)

by Aliyah Burke

  Brodie’s Wish

  Copyright © 2016 Aliyah Burke

  Cover illustration copyright © Covers by K

  Cottonwood Falls Logo copyright © Covers by K

  Sensual Romance Publishing Logo copyright © MMJ Designs

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher or author. The unauthorized replication or allocation of any copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Border Patrol, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 per reported instance, and seizure of computers.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  Published by: Sensual Romance Publishing

  Brodie’s Wish

  By

  Aliyah Burke

  Blurb for Brodie’s Wish

  Brodie Wallace had finally done a good thing in his life. He’d come home to Apple Valley to take care of his ailing father. He wasn’t keen on being back, but, his old man deserved it for he had always been there for him.

  Shea Worthington was ordered home. For this Marine Captain, her mother was one of the few things that made her fearful, so, she was headed home for Christmas. Apple Valley was a place she’d never intended to return to unless absolutely necessary. But when she runs into Brodie, more like runs him off the road, even before she gets to town, she realizes this time here may not be so bad.

  Not one to form attachments, Shea is guarded but Brodie wants to bust down those walls. It’s Christmas time, supposed to be a time for miracles, will the spirit of the holiday grant Brodie’s Wish?

  Dedication

  Thank you to all the readers who’ve waited so patiently for me to get this story back out. To DH…thank you for being you! To the men and women of our Armed Forces, thank you for all you do, your families do and for the sacrifices you make. God Bless You All!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  About The Author

  Additional Books By Aliyah Burke

  Other Apple Valley Authors

  Chapter One

  “I don’t want any more excuses from you Shea Worthington! I fully expect to see you here, smiling, for Christmas festivities.”

  “I have work, Mother,” she explained through clenched teeth, walking away from the table where her date sat. “I don’t have the ability to just up and come home whenever I want. We have rules in place for that.” I’m not going to tell this woman that I have amassed enough vacation time to be there for a long while. I’m saving my vacation to head somewhere I want to go. And that definitely doesn’t revert to Apple Valley.

  “Then you tell them, it’s a family emergency. I don’t care, Shea. You haven’t been back to Apple Valley in more than eight years. I expect to see you home. With a big smile on your face.” More than warning laced her words.

  Shea rubbed the back of her neck as an itch started between her shoulder blades. Send her in to a dangerous situation and she would be coolheaded and calm, or to a harrowing rescue and she could handle it fine. But the mere thought of returning home to that small North Carolina town sent an unmeasurable fear rocketing up her spine.

  “Shea? Are you there or are you doing that Marine thing where you ignore me? You can’t ignore me, I’m your mother.”

  And you have a loud ass mouth. “I’m here, Mama. I’m out on a date or rather I was. He’s not too keen on waiting for me while I get my ass chewed by my mother.”

  “Mind your tongue,” Teresa Worthington snapped.

  Shea ground her jaw but her upbringing won out and her following words slid free without any thought, “Yes ma’am, I apologize.”

  “You know they are having your ten-year reunion on Friday.”

  “No.” The word flew from her lips as if it had been graced with it’s own wings.

  “No?” A dangerous thread of frustration just crept into her mother’s tone.

  Shea instantly reverted to childhood when she’d been told that her mother brought her into the world and could take her out of it. This woman shouldn’t intimidate me in the slightest. “I can be there by Saturday but I will not be home in time for that.” This wasn’t anything she would budge on.

  If she had to sabotage her own car, she would ensure not to be there for the reunion. She didn’t care what happened to those people. She’d jetted out of town the moment she was old enough to join the Corps, wanting something more than the small-town life where she still considered it a version of Maybury with the secrets of Desperate Housewives. She had zero intentions of becoming one of the numerous stories there.

  “You can fly in early. I will have your father pick you up.”

  Her mother didn’t drive. Refused to learn for whatever reason and Shea had long since given up on trying to convince her she should be able to, just in case. Her mother would shake her head and say, “The Lord will provide.”

  “I can rent a car, that’s not a problem. That way, he won’t have to alter any plans.” No way would she tell her mother that she could just drive home. Bottom line was…she didn’t want to go home.

  “You think you are sounding like a good daughter who cares, but don’t think I am unaware of you trying to scam your way out of this. Do not let me down, Shea.”

  Then just like that, she had nothing but a dial tone in her ear.

  Muttering some words that would get her into serious trouble with the very woman, she’d been on the phone with. She shoved her cell back into her pocket and strode back to the table.

  The man she was out with drummed his fingers on the linen and tapped his foot. “I thought we were on a date.”

  Shea paused in the act of retaking her seat, arched an eyebrow and glared in shock at her date. “Excuse me?”

  “We were on a date, not only did you take a call, but you left the table.”

  She ground her jaw. “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to take a call from my mother.”

  He leaned back in his chair and reached for his beer. “Look, we both know this was a favor.”

  She squared her shoulders and crossed her arms. “A favor? As in, you were doing me one? Because I have a hard time getting a date?” Her voice rose in time with her questions.

  His throat moved as he drank, his dark skin nearly blending in with the glass bottle. “I call it like I see it.”

  Shea peered down at her attire. Dark jeans that highlighted her bubble butt, she knew they accentuated her in all the right places. Her dark green ribbed three-quarter sleeve shirt showcased her full chest to perfection. The heels she wore made her legs seem even longer. She looked good, damn good. “I don’t need any charity case for a date. I am more than capable of getting a man to go out with me. I came because Lisa asked me to meet you.”


  He snorted in response. “If that’s what you need to tell yourself, babe.”

  Now, Shea longed to punch him in the throat. Just the thought of going back home has sent me down a dark path. “Listen to these words coming out of my mouth, you overconfident douche, I have an entire base of hotass Marines that I could pick from. Do you really think I would choose to date a man who doesn’t have the balls to serve his country and doesn’t even appear to have been born with the slightest hint of manners?”

  The patrons around them fell quiet.

  He allowed the bottle to thump on the top of the table. “Who the hell do you think you are?” he demanded.

  “Captain Shea Worthington, Untied States Marine Corps.” She spun around and strode off to the applause and cheers of those around her. As she slid behind the wheel of her Hyundai Genesis coupe, she swore while pressing the start button. “Call Sarah,” she said as she buckled her belt.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be rolling in some hot guy’s bed getting some right now, instead of calling me?”

  Sarah’s tone instantly calmed her down. Her friend had that ability. “He was an asshole who had an issue with me taking a call from my mother.” She shifted into gear and left the parking lot. “So I told him off and left him there.”

  “Wait, your mother? You have issues talking to her.”

  “Yes, but I’m allowed, she’s my mother.” She shifted and zipped by a country boy in a big jacked up truck. “No one else can say horrible things about the witch.”

  Sarah laughed. “So you’ve been ordered home for the holiday’s then.”

  Shea slowed at the sight of a cherry bar on the vehicle in front of her. “I fail to find the humor in that.”

  “Suck it up Marine. That’s an order. You may as well just accept you have to follow it.”

  “She’s not my commanding officer.”

  “Tell her that and let me know how the conversation goes. I’ll come visit you in the hospital.”

  Shea tucked a loose curl behind her ear and blew out a frustrated breath. “I left for a reason, Sarah.”

  “We both did, Shea but you haven’t been home for years. Go home, who knows maybe it will be fun.”

  She snorted. “Right, because I love small towns so much. You don’t get it.”

  “Of course I do. Cottonwood Falls isn’t what one would call a thriving metropolis you know, Shea. I grew up in a small town as well, and not even on the right side of the tracks in said small town. So, I know all about the secrets, backstabbing, and nosiness of everyone who lives there. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Hell, maybe you’ll find your man there.”

  This time the snort turned into a cough and her eyes watered. “Maybe if I had a man like Grey in my hometown, but the guys I remember weren’t anything that would be my type.”

  “What exactly is your type? Wait, don’t tell me. I know this. Military. Strong. Arrogant. Awesome in bed. Cocky. And not at all threatened by your ability to fly helicopters.”

  “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

  “Not at all, specific but not bad. Just remember there are some good guys out there that didn’t serve.”

  “Says the woman who didn’t even tell me she was married.”

  “Luckily for both of us, this isn’t about me but you. And I’ve already apologized about that. Hell, you see my husband more than I do.”

  Shea nodded, it was true. She did a few things off the books for Tungsten Protective Services. “I like him.”

  “I was your friend first, remember that.”

  “Are you jealous?” She smiled.

  “Bitch,” Sarah tossed out. “I don’t want to lose my best friend to a man who can give her more than I can.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t be Grey because he’s like my brother and let’s face it, those Megalodon Team wives scare the fuck out of me. I don’t want to challenge Lex for Harrier because I think she would kill me without thinking about it, dust her hands off and walk away to perform some lifesaving surgery.”

  “Ohh, so it’s Harrier, then is it?”

  “Don’t go spreading that around. That woman scares me. I’m not lying. Not that I have what it takes to turn that man’s head.”

  “I don’t think there’s a woman alive who does. Not for any of those men.” She pulled into her small rental and parked in the drive. “Truth. Okay, you talked me home, I no longer want to kill anyone. I’m going in to soak and drink.”

  “Take your battery-operated toys with you, not the ones you plug in to the wall, I don’t want to get a call stating that you electrocuted yourself in the tub.”

  “If only you were here.”

  “Love you boo, but we both know we don’t swing that way.”

  “Oh, I meant so I could punch you in the face.”

  Sarah laughed again and hung up with a farewell.

  Killing her engine, Shea strode from her car to the house and let herself in with a groan. Within minutes, water was filling her tub as she poured herself a large glass of wine. The scent compilation of rose and sandalwood filled the air. She groaned in relief as she sank below the bubbles and allowed the hot water to relax her.

  αβ

  Brodie scrubbed the vomit up from the carpet wearing nothing more than a pair of warmup pants, trying not to add to the mess. His gag reflex made it a serious challenge.

  “I’m sorry, son.”

  “Don’t worry about it Dad. Go lay down. I’ve got this. You cleaned up enough after me up through high school.” He turned his head and his heart seized with pain and worry as he took in the old man standing there.

  When he’d first gotten his father’s call, he hadn’t assumed the man was in such bad shape. He could barely stand on his own, his skin paper thin and covered with liver spots. His hair had thinned to the point of being almost nonexistent.

  There wasn’t any denying the tears burning in his old man’s eyes as he turned away, Brodie didn’t speak about them. His father was a proud man, he got that. And now, it was his turn to take care of him, not the other way around.

  Did he want to be back here? Not a chance. Growing up in Apple Valley hadn’t exactly been roses and cupcakes for him. The son of a whore who’d run off with the man who’d sired him, Brodie got beat up most days. As if the children blamed him for his mother spreading her legs and fucking a man. When she’d run off with Mr. Dresken, it had just been Brodie and his father, Noah Wallace. The man hadn’t been anyone special in town. He did small jobs but kept a roof over their heads and food on the table. He wasn’t the best at helping with homework, but the man did what he could.

  Brodie hadn’t thought twice about coming back home when asked. Just hopped the first flight he could grab and headed home to Apple Valley, North Carolina. And now, I’m scrubbing vomit stains from a carpet that should have been pulled up years ago. Two men fumbling around and trying to learn the best way to care for each other.

  After he finished cleaning, he washed his hands, tugged on a shirt then fixed his father some toast and ginger ale. If it would truly work, he didn’t have a clue but it’s what he’d been given as a child. “Here you go.” He set the tray over his father’s legs.

  “I shouldn’t have called you.”

  “Of course, you should have. I hate this town, Pops, but I love you. I would come back whenever you asked.”

  He patted Brodie’s hand and took up the toast, tearing off a small piece and eating it. “I’m sure you have something else to do. I’ll be okay, just going to take a nap.”

  “I’ll head to the store and pick up some more things. Call my phone if you need me or anything.” On impulse, he dipped his head and kissed the top of his father’s before exiting the room.

  In the kitchen, he washed up the few dishes, as his dad didn’t have a dishwasher then dried his hands off on a threadbare towel. How had the man been surviving without any help? Why hadn’t he come home sooner? Because I’ve been an ass of a son.

  Jogging down the tr
ailer steps, he slid behind the wheel of his dad’s rusted out pickup and turned the ignition key. After sputtering and coughing, it turned over. He shoved the stick into gear and drove off to town to pick up a few things his dad would be needing

  Apple Valley was one of those small picturesque towns that would be perfect on the cover of some cozy magazine or a postcard. Especially if they put some snow down or the changing leaves of the many trees around. It wasn’t his place to be however. While not a huge fan of large cities, he did appreciate the anonymity they offered as opposed to the everyone knows all your business in a small town. “I mean twenty-five hundred residents isn’t all that many to hide from. Hell, I grew up in fucking Mayberry.”

  He parked his truck and climbed out while swearing under his breath. The wind felt as if it had dropped about twenty degrees since he’d gotten behind the wheel. Zipping up his coat, he headed for the store to pick up towels and blankets. Then he would do some food shopping. Time to get his father’s place ready for winter. “With my luck, there will be snow here and I’ll be faced with a damn blizzard,” he continued to talk to himself.

  He nodded at people when they spoke but kept to himself, instead of engaging them with conversation. Carrying out four big bags of necessities for his father, and him, he tossed them into the cab. The wind shifted, bringing with it the pungent scent of cattle, burning his eyes…a scent he hadn’t missed being away from, for sure.

  Tugging on his gloves, he flexed his fingers within the soft lambskin. He plotted the shortest way to Three Wishes Bakery and headed that way to pick up some fresh bread for his old man. Hell, if that’s all he wanted to eat from now on, he didn’t care, so long as the man ate.

  Pushing through the door, the eye burning scent of bovine shit was replaced by the aromatic smell of fresh baked bread and pastries. Hands in his pockets, he walked up to the counter and waited for someone to come from the back. He removed his hat, ran a hand over his short hair, then put the baseball cap back on and adjusted it. When a young woman approached, he put in his order for a few loaves of bread and also got his father a nice fresh bear claw. He then made his way back to the truck.