Hope Burns

by Jaci Burton

  Molly stood as Emma pulled her into a tight hug. "It's been too long, Molls."

  Molly closed her eyes, loving the feel of her big sister's strong arms holding her. "It has. I've really missed you."

  Emma pulled back, the dogs winding around both their legs. "Come on, girls, give us some space."

  Molly laughed. "They're both so adorable."

  "Aren't they?" Emma picked at the top of her scrubs. "And I'm so sorry. I probably smell like medicine and animals. I had a late emergency at the clinic, so I just got home about ten minutes ago. I was afraid you were going to get here before me. Oh, and Luke's at Taco Bueno, your favorite, picking up dinner."

  Molly grinned, her stomach rumbling at the thought. "You remembered."

  "Of course." Emma slung an arm around Molly's shoulders. "Let's go inside."

  The dogs followed. Emma shut the door. "I'm going to dash and take a quick shower. Why don't you bring your bags inside?"

  "I can stay at Mom and Dad's, you know. I'm sure you and Luke want to be alone."

  Emma was headed toward the hall. "Luke and I have a lifetime of being alone. You'll only be here a short while, so I want to see you as much as I can. Besides, you're my maid of honor, and we have so much to catch up on with the wedding plans."

  "This is true."

  "Plus, Luke and I have a long vacation in Hawaii coming up after the wedding. So we'll have blissful alone time."

  "Yeah, how did you manage to swing that, being the sole owner of the vet clinic?"

  "One of the docs I know who works at a clinic in Tulsa is going to cover for me. He's a great guy who's been out of school two years and works with a large group. He's looking to buy his own practice, so he wants the solo experience."

  "That'll work out well for both of you."

  "I know, right? I'll be back in no time. Make yourself at home. There's iced tea in the fridge."

  Emma disappeared, and Molly exhaled. She loved her sister, loved seeing her. Usually it was Emma who came to visit her, at least once a year, and they talked on the phone quite a bit, although definitely a lot more recently as they planned the wedding together. Molly felt like a horrible sister for not coming home sooner to help with the ceremony and the other celebrations surrounding it, especially being the maid of honor. She'd told Emma she wouldn't mind if she wanted one of her friends to handle that responsibility, but Emma had insisted, and fortunately Molly was good at organizing, even long-distance.

  But she did have to come home for the wedding. That part she couldn't handle from afar.

  So now here she was--back in Hope, after all these years. Despite her best efforts to stay away forever, she knew someday she'd have to return, so she'd just have to suck it up and deal with it.

  Deal with him. And all the bitter, painful memories.

  Shoving unwanted thoughts of the past aside, she grabbed her bags--plus the box of baked goods--and brought them inside. She put the box on the counter and laid the bags near the door to the hall, then went into the kitchen, found the cupboard where the glasses were located, and pulled the iced tea from the fridge, pouring herself a glass to drink while she waited for Emma. In the meantime, she wandered and took a look around the house.

  It had been a long time since she'd been here, but all the details of the place were etched into her memories. The yellow wallpaper in the kitchen had been replaced by bright new paint, and the old linoleum with new tile. The countertop was new as well, as were the cabinets. But the wood floors in the living room were the same. They'd been refinished and restained, and they looked good. The dark wood pillars holding up the archway leading into the hall were still standing as well.

  Emma had brightened and renewed their grandparents' home, but still managed to retain the old charm. Leave it to her sister to manage to retain the memories while bringing the home into the twenty-first century.

  The front door opened, and Emma's fiance, Luke, stepped in. He gave her a wide smile. "Molls. You made it."

  "I did." She'd met Luke last year when Emma brought him to Little Rock. Molly had instantly fallen in love with his quiet strength and infinite charm. Emma and Luke were perfectly suited to each other, and it was clear how much he loved her sister. "I hear you were sent on a taco mission."

  Luke passed her, giving her a peck on the cheek as he made his way into the kitchen. "I was. Taco Bueno has become one of our favorite places to eat, especially on nights when we both have to work late."

  Molly inhaled the scent of flavored meat and beans. "I can't tell you how many of those tacos and bean burritos I ate when I was in high school."

  That, at least, was one memory that wasn't painful.

  "Not as many as I did," Emma said, coming out to greet Luke with a swift kiss. Her hair was still wet and she'd changed into yoga pants and a tank top.

  "Did you go to a tanning salon?" Molly asked.

  Emma wrinkled her nose. "No. But I'm trying out a spray tan. What do you think? Too orange?"

  "No. Actually, it looks really good on you. I hate you for that."

  Emma grabbed plates and Luke poured tea for both of them, then they pulled up seats at the kitchen table. "I don't know why. You're tan. Have you been swimming or something?"

  "There's a pool at my condo. It's my leftover-from-summer tan."

  "Oh. Perfect. You have that sun-kissed look. Not surprising since you live down south now. The weather must be great in Austin."

  "It's good there. I like it."

  Emma grabbed a taco. "For now, right?"

  Molly shot her an enigmatic smile. "For now. I have a great job doing accounting and marketing for a music company. You should visit. It's an amazing city."

  "We should. When the dust settles post-wedding and honeymoon, we'll take a road trip. If you're still there." Emma winked.

  "Great." It was a known fact that Molly never spent more than six months to a year in one spot. Then, wanderlust or an uncomfortable itch to move on set in--she tried to never put a label on it--and she'd find yet another job in another city.

  It made her parents crazy, and it worried Emma. But for Molly, it had become the norm. She liked moving around. It gave her a chance to see different parts of the country. What was so wrong about that?

  She bit into the burrito and rolled her eyes heavenward. After she swallowed, she looked at Emma and Luke. "I missed these--so much."

  "I imagine you get some great burritos in Austin," Emma said.

  "Oh, definitely. And I know these are from a fast-food chain and all, but Taco Bueno has memories associated with it."

  Emma grinned. "Stopping for a taco after school."

  "And on Friday nights," Molly said with a grin. "It just reminds me of home."

  "You wouldn't miss them if you'd come home once in a while."

  She answered with a shrug. "I'm here now. And they were worth the wait."

  They ate and she listened to Emma and Luke discuss their days. She and Emma talked at least once a week, so she was familiar with their jobs. Luke was busy as a local cop in Hope, and Emma had her hands full running the vet clinic. They were both successful, and ridiculously in love with each other. Luke scraped taco sauce off the corner of Emma's mouth, and Emma listened intently to Luke's story about a rear-end collision he'd worked today, offering sympathy as he told them about one of the occupants' injuries.

  The way Emma looked at Luke was the same way Molly used to look at--

  No point in going there. That had been a long time ago. She never even thought about him anymore.

  "So tell me what's on the agenda for this wedding shindig," Molly said after they cleaned up the remnants of their fast-food fest. Luke had taken the dogs outside, leaving Emma and Molly to catch up in the living room.

  "You and I are going to head to the bridal salon for a final fitting tomorrow. We should be fine, and we'll bring the dresses home. Ours will go to Mom's, of course, because we'll be getting ready there the day of the wedding. Oh, and we're meeting Jane and Chelsea at the b
ridal shop."

  "Okay."

  "Luke's brother Reid flies in from Boston tomorrow as well, but Luke's taking care of picking him up. The rehearsal dinner is Friday, then the wedding at the country club on Saturday. We're going to do a brunch Sunday with the families, then Luke and I head out on Monday for Hawaii."

  Molly grinned. "My guess is that you and Luke are way more excited about Hawaii than anything else."

  Emma laughed. "You would guess right. Though I am looking forward to being married. Finally. It's taken a lot of planning, but it's going to happen."

  Molly grasped her hand. "I'm so happy for the two of you, Em. Luke's a great guy."

  "He is. And thanks. I want the same thing for you, Moll."

  "Oh, well. You know, I'm not even close to being ready to settle down."

  "And why is that? With all the traveling you've done, haven't you found one place that suits you yet? Or a guy who makes you want to put down roots?"

  "Uh, no." There'd never be a guy who'd make her want to stay in one place. Never. She'd planted her flag in a guy's heart once, and love had devastated her. She never wanted to go there again. "I like my freedom too much."

  "And speaking of guys . . . you are aware Carter is in the wedding, right?"

  Just the mention of his name made her pulse kick up several beats. "Of course. You told me."

  "I know you two broke up in high school, but you've never talked about it."

  Molly shrugged. "Nothing to talk about, really."

  Other than the utter destruction of her heart.

  "He is Luke's best friend. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

  No, she wasn't okay with it. She was hoping he'd be out of town and unable to make the wedding. Too much to hope for, of course. And running into him at the bakery had been an awful start to her trip. One she wasn't going to mention to her sister. "Of course, Em. I'm fine with it. High school was a long time ago, you know. I'm so over Carter."

  She'd never be over Carter, or what had happened between them. But this was Emma and Luke's wedding, and she was going to be an adult about it. Nothing was going to spoil Emma and Luke's big day.

  Her heart was just going to have to suck it up and take it. Then, after the wedding, she'd hightail it out of Hope and never look back.

  Just like she'd done twelve years ago, when she'd left town to escape the heartbreak.

  Only this time, she wouldn't be heartbroken, because she'd never allow that to happen again.

  Chapter 3

  AFTER RUNNING INTO Molly yesterday, Carter had buried himself in the dreaded paperwork. It was only because he'd interviewed a guy for the vacant body repair position that he'd happened to be in Hope during the day and then decided to just spend the rest of the workweek here because of the wedding stuff going on. And because he'd happened to be here, he'd also happened to see Molly, something he'd hoped to avoid until the wedding.

  Of course if he'd just stayed at the shop, he could have prevented her unhappiness, and his damn bad mood. So he had no one to blame but himself.

  And the interviewing wasn't going well, either. He was beginning to think he was never going to find a decent body guy. Good thing he had some of the other guys to fill in, and if worse came to worst, he could do some of the bodywork himself, though that wasn't his preference. Every now and then he enjoyed getting his hands dirty, but overseeing the shops was enough of a full-time job these days.

  When he'd first started out, he'd worked for Mo Bennett, who owned the shop he was at today. Carter always had a feel for cars, had started learning about them with his dad when he was a kid. His dad had worked for Mo, and Carter had come in with him on weekends, sitting by and watching until he was old enough to get under the hood and tinker on them himself. Mo had hired him at sixteen, and by the time he turned twenty-two and Mo was ready to retire, Carter had gotten a loan and bought the place. Over the years Carter expanded the garage and brought in auto body guys, then branched out and bought another shop several years later.

  Now there were four Richards Auto Service garages, one in Hope and three more in surrounding areas, including nearby in Tulsa. He'd worked his ass off to become a success, put himself in debt up to his eyeballs, but he was in the black finally. He might not get to work on the cars, which he loved, as much as he used to, but he'd made enough to buy a house and he lived comfortably enough that he could sleep at night without worrying about money.

  These days if anything kept him up at night it was his personal life--or lack of personal life. The absence of a special woman. Not that finding the right woman had ever been front burner for him before. He'd dated plenty, and women had come into and gone out of his life without a lot of fuss.

  Maybe it was seeing Molly again that reminded him of the plans they'd made twelve years ago. Plans that had never come to be. Plans he'd put on hold while he concentrated on work, on building his business.

  He shoved aside the paperwork and stood, stretched his back, and decided to go take a look out in the shop. Sitting at his desk gave him too much time to think, mainly about things he shouldn't be thinking about.

  Diving headfirst into an engine or body repair would clear his head, and that's just what he needed on a day like today.

  MOLLY PARKED GEORGE in the driveway of her parents' house, needing a few minutes to catch her breath before she went inside to face the hordes.

  Catching up with Emma had been fun, but she had to admit she'd been distracted, her thoughts straying to her meeting with Carter yesterday.

  Of all the people she hadn't wanted to run into, she'd walked outside the bakery to find him leaning over her car.

  He'd looked good. No, he'd looked hot, with jeans that fit his oh-so-fine ass perfectly, a polo shirt that defined his muscled biceps. He was lean and fit, and he wore his dark hair shorter than he had in high school, but those green eyes of his still mesmerized her.

  And he'd been . . . nice. How dare he be nice to her, after what he'd done?

  It felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs, and even now--a day later--she still found it hard to breathe when she thought about him. As she'd driven over here, she was afraid she was going to run into him, which was ridiculous. Hope was a small town, but it wasn't that small.

  She needed to get a grip or her mother, who was observant of all things, was going to notice. Then she'd get questioned incessantly, and she wouldn't be able to deal with it.

  She took several deep breaths, relying on her yoga training to calm herself inwardly and block out the negative.

  It wasn't really working, because every time she closed her eyes, Carter's face swam before her.

  She was just going to have to fake it as best she could and hope the impending wedding extravaganza stuff would take precedence over any of her peculiar behavior. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was used to her being around anyway. How would they know what was normal for her these days?

  She opened the front door into a house filled with people. Aunts and uncles had arrived, as well as Emma's friends, Chelsea and Jane.

  Home. She had grown up here, yet it didn't feel like her home anymore. Too much time had passed, and even though so many things looked familiar to her, like the fireplace where she and Emma used to sit and sing together, and the kitchen table where they'd eat breakfast before school, a lot had changed. There was new carpet and new living room furniture, and Mom had changed the paint scheme on some of the walls.

  Life goes on without you, Molly. Deal with it.

  "Molly, you're here!"

  Her mother hurried over, a bright smile on her face.

  Her mother's love and smiles, however, would never change, and she was so grateful for that.

  Molly dropped several boxes of donuts on the kitchen counter along with the foam cup filled with coffee she'd picked up at Megan's shop this morning.

  Her mother grasped her hands. "Let me look at you."

  "You just saw me a month ago when you came to visit."

  "Sh
h. I know that. But I still miss you every day." Her mom gave her the once-over. "You look beautiful, as always."

  Molly laughed. "Thanks, Mom. You're good for my ego."

  Her parents' dog, Pokey, a miniature dachshund, came over to sniff her.

  "Hey, Pokey, how's it going?" She bent down to love on the dog, picking him up to hold him. Her parents brought Pokey along whenever they came to visit, so she had a little taste of having a pet whenever she saw them, since most of the apartments where she lived didn't allow animals.

  "He's happy to see you."

  She ran her fingers over Pokey's back. "I'm happy to see him, too. And everyone else. The house is full of people."

  "Come on, put the dog down and say hello to everyone."

  Not that she'd have a choice, since her mother firmly held her hand and dragged her around like she was eight years old. She listened to the admonishments of her aunts about how it had been way too long since she'd been back in Hope, and was firmly hugged by her uncles.

  When she had endured enough, she kissed her mom on the cheek, then headed out back where Emma, Jane, and Chelsea were enjoying coffee.

  "Hi, everyone."

  "Molly. It's so great to see you. It's been too long." Chelsea got up to give her a hug, and Jane, did, too.

  "It's great to see you both," Molly said. This part, at least, was easy. She might not have seen Chelsea and Jane for a long time, but they'd talked a lot on the phone and Skyped over wedding details the past several months, so it was nice to be able to sit down with them in person.

  "I see you already got yours," Emma said as they all took seats.

  Molly lifted her cup. "I couldn't wait, since I was on donut-fetching duty this morning."

  "Lucky you," Chelsea said. "Emma's mom called me at seven this morning and gave me a grocery list."

  Emma's eyes widened. "She did not."

  "She did. Juice and milk and oh, she needed two loaves of bread. She was going to go herself, but there were people at the house and she didn't want to be rude."

  Emma snorted. "I'm surprised I didn't get that list. And I'm really sorry she just assumed you'd run errands for her. I'll talk to her."

  "You'll do no such thing. You're the bride, honey," Chelsea said. "We're the minions. It was no problem, and the store's on my way over here."