Promise Her

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Comments From Readers:

Dedication

Books by Mitzi Pool Bridges

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

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

A word about the author...

Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Promise Her

by

Mitzi Pool Bridges

The Callahan Series, Book Three

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.

Promise Her

COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Mitzi Pool Bridges

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [email protected]

Cover Art by
Kim Mendoza

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Yellow Rose Edition, 2013

Print ISBN 978-1-61217-850-9

Digital ISBN 978-1-61217-851-6

The Callahan Series, Book Three

Published in the United States of America

Comments From Readers:

“Love those Callahan boys. I want one of them.”

~*~

“When is the next book coming out? I can’t wait.”

~*~

“I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what happened.”

~*~

“I’ve enjoyed every book you’ve written. Especially, the Callahan Series.”

~*~

“Love the stories. Mixing mystery and romance is my kind of book.”

~*~

“Good storytelling. Keep ʼem coming!”

~*~

“I shed tears while reading
FIND MY BABY
, but the ending was worth every one.”

Dedication

For all my fellow writers

who have helped me over the years—

Your encouragement and words of wisdom

have helped more than you’ll ever know

Books by Mitzi Pool Bridges

FIND MY BABY

~*~

The Callahan Series

PROMISE KEPT
— Book One

PROMISE BROKEN
— Book Two

PROMISE HER
— Book Three

Chapter One

Lisa Kane tapped a boot-clad foot against the chrome table leg, wishing she were down on the arena floor where the action was brimming over with excitement. Instead, she sat bored and impatient in the skybox with its crowd of high rollers. But Tempest had insisted. And Tempest Wheatley was paying the tab.

With her binoculars, Lisa scanned the crowd and the arena below. As one of the biggest attractions in the city, The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was a full house.

The Grand Entry!

When a roar rose up from the crowd, Lisa jumped to her feet, cheering. The well-dressed group behind her couldn’t be bothered to put down their glasses of champagne or interrupt their conversations. Which didn’t stop Lisa. Though her cheers were heartfelt, there was silence behind her.

Ignoring them, she stayed on her feet until the last flag waving cowboys and cowgirls left the arena, then sat down to wait for Tempest and enjoy the show.

As usual, Lisa was eager for the main show to begin. She couldn’t count the number of rodeos she’d attended over the years, but the same thrill raced through her every time.

Her best friend, TJ had told her she was overly emotional about it. So what? The horses were magnificent, and the flags the riders carried were an exhilarating display of patriotism that never ceased to thrill.

Binoculars brought the riders' faces up close. Some were relaxed and smiling, others somber-faced as they focused on their job.

Lisa brought her attention to Harold Wheatley, Committee Coordinator, and the object of her undercover investigation.

Though he held sway over the numerous and varied committees, he wasn’t as prominent as Lisa thought he’d like to be.

However, in his Western jacket and matching Stetson, he cut quite a figure. In his middle forties, with his dark hair just beginning to turn silver, he turned ladies’ heads. He gloried in their attention. Flirting and chasing skirts was part of his persona. Sitting in a red, fifties-vintage Mustang convertible, waving and smiling to the cheering crowd only added to his image.

“Bastard eats it up,” she muttered, once again questioning her decision to accept this job.

“Looks impressive, doesn’t he?”

Lisa dropped her binoculars on the table with a click of metal against glass. “You trying to scare me?”

Tempest laughed as she put her drink on the table and sat across from Lisa.

“You look great. I love the outfit,” Lisa said as she gave her friend the once-over.

Tempest fairly sparkled in her rodeo glitter. A tiny waist and very impressive size forty boobs complimented the image. Lisa envied the self-confidence emanating from the woman who had become her friend.

Lisa guessed Tempest was in her late twenties. In her rodeo duds or her costume, she had a body to die for and was in great shape. Had to be for the routine she did.

“It’s new. I kinda like it myself.” She glanced at her watch. “I only have a few minutes before I have to change for my act.”

“Why did you want me up here today? I’m much more comfortable mixing with my friends than with this group.” As far as Lisa was concerned, they were way too impressed with themselves.

“Wanted to see you for a minute before my performance.” Tempest’s brow knitted. “I thought the exposure here,” she gestured slightly at the crowded box, “…might give you a boost in your investigation. Harry makes it a point to show up in the president’s box every night. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute. I want you to watch him. See if you can pinpoint his latest squeeze.” She paused, leaned closer. “He’s been acting stranger than usual. I don’t trust him.”

“Strange? As in…?”

“Way too nice,” she said, drawing out the words as only Houston cowgirls could. She took a sip of her drink. “More of my trust money is missing. At this rate, I’ll be drained as dry as a dust storm before I know it.”

Tempest’s hand trembled when she lifted her glass. Lisa gave her a closer look. The glitter didn’t hide her discomfort. A light sheen of perspiration showed on Tempest’s perfectly made-up face. She blinked her eyes a couple of times as if to focus.

“Are you all right?”

Tempest shook her head. “Not myself today for some reason. Maybe something I ate.”

“Then you shouldn’t perform.”

“I tell the girls all the time that the show must go on no matter what. You wouldn’t believe the stories of their troubles they tell me. I have to abide by my own rules.”

“You look pale. Maybe you should make an exception.”

Tempest shrugged. “I’ll perk right up if you can tell me you’ve found Harry with his hand in the honey-pot.”

Tempest never failed to make Lisa chuckle. “Okay. Here goes. My boss has a tail on Harry. If he’s having an affair, he’s cooling it, at least for now. Our best computer guy is looking into the money part. We haven’t found anything yet, but if something’s there, we will.”

The crowd roared as a cowboy made a fast run across the arena floor that started the first performance.

“I’m out of here,” Tempest said, as she finished her drink and set the glass on the table.

“Break a leg,” Lisa said, as Tempest made her way through the crowd in the box.

Lisa picked up Tempest’s empty glass and sniffed. It wouldn’t be wise to drink alcohol before the kind of performance she put on. But Lisa detected no odor. Probably a club soda. Still, Tempest’s unusual pale look, plus her trembling hands, made Lisa nervous.

She turned her attention back to the floor of the arena. George Strait was the featured performer tonight and the crowd was already edgy with anticipation.

Memories of a lifetime of similar performances washed over her. Pleasant memories. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was her favorite place to be and getting the three weeks off so she could attend every performance had been a requisite when she took the position as chief investigator for Max and TJ’s company. Besides, she needed extra time to practice. Barrel racing was both competitive and taxing. There never seemed to be enough time to improve her performance.

The rodeo this year was different as she was mixing business with pleasure. She saw Harold Wheatley step into the skybox, leaned back and watched. He preened under the attention; smiling, shaking hands; always the big shot. Lisa didn’t think he deserved any of it. After all, he wasn’t the president of the association, merely one of the worker bees. High on the ladder to be sure, plus his wife was wealthy—a combination that he capitalized on. He shook hands with the president of the association. Said a few words before he meandered away. His gaze brushed over her briefly before someone in the crowd regained his attention. Lisa had met him of course, several times. And he’d made a pass, which she’d brushed aside. But her rejection didn’t slow him down. He continued to flirt as he did with most women. He was doing it now, lifting the hand of a pretty red-haired woman who had evidently just been introduced, and bringing it to his lips.

Lisa chuckled at how fast Harold dropped her hand when a tall man came over to put an arm around the woman.

One of these days, Harold was going to upset one husband too many.

As he glad-handed the guys and pecked the cheeks of every female in the vicinity, his gaze again slid her way again. She watched him closely. Was he paying more attention to one of the ladies than others? Could his present lover be here? Would Lisa recognize the signs? This type of investigation wasn’t her forte. Hers was fraud: corporate, small business, government.

But she couldn’t detect any particular woman here that he gave more attention to than others.

If it wasn’t that she’d come to care for Tempest, she’d quit this job in a heartbeat.

As Harold continued to work the room, Lisa wondered how many times he’d seen her with his wife. Or if he wondered why the two of them had lunch so often.

But he hadn’t seen them together that first time. Not when Tempest had sought her out in a Starbucks a few blocks from Reliant Stadium. At the time, Lisa had been surprised. She knew Tempest by reputation, but didn’t hang out with the rodeo bigwigs. Most of what she knew revolved around Tempest’s beauty and her amazing performance. Most of what she knew about Harry was that he had a roving eye.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Tempest had said when they were both seated that day, lattes in hand. “I understand you work for AAF.”

Advocates Against Fraud. The company started by her best friend, TJ, and TJ’s husband, Max. AAF now had a dozen employees and jobs that spread from Texas to California to Washington, D.C.. Lisa was happy most of her assignments were local.

Lisa had expected that Tempest’s plan was to warn her away from Harold, who sniffed around Lisa like a bull around a cow in heat. Tempest didn’t know Lisa wasn’t even vaguely interested.