Hope Burns

by Jaci Burton

  "Molly."

  "Yeah?"

  "Do you want to go out with me this weekend?"

  She blinked. "Uh, do you think that's a good idea?"

  "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

  He waited for her to turn him down. He knew last night was a fluke, and he probably shouldn't have asked.

  "Emma and Luke are coming home tomorrow. Emma doesn't know about my mom yet, so there'll be that to deal with."

  "Okay. So does that mean no?"

  "I . . . don't know. Let me get back to you."

  He nodded. "All right. I gotta go."

  "See you later, Carter."

  "Bye, Molly."

  Before she had a chance to walk away, he pulled her against him and brushed his lips against hers. A quick kiss, but it reignited what had happened between them last night.

  He took a step back. "Yeah, it wasn't just the alcohol last night."

  She didn't say anything, just looked at him with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers.

  He grinned. "Have a good day, Molly."

  MOLLY STOOD ON the front porch and watched Carter drive away.

  So many things were wrong about the two of them, the main thing being their history together.

  But so many things were right, including the smoking-hot chemistry that still lingered between them.

  Maybe she just needed to jump him, get him in bed and get that residual chemistry out of her system. Then she could firmly close the door on the past. And on Carter.

  But going out with him? Was that a good idea?

  Probably not. She'd have to think about it.

  First she'd have to get through Emma's homecoming.

  She went back in the house.

  Chapter 16

  MOLLY'S PARENTS' HOUSE was filled with people, all talking over each other.

  Just as she had expected, Emma was livid when she discovered their mom had had a serious accident and no one had told her. She was mad at Molly, and at their dad.

  First, though, Emma had spent several hours with their mother, so Molly had stayed out of the way while Emma and Luke had visited with Mom.

  Molly had known Emma was going to be unhappy, and she'd prepared herself for the worst of Emma's anger over keeping her in the dark.

  When her sister finally took a break, she grabbed Molly's arm. "We need to talk."

  She took her out back. It was a cool fall day, so they grabbed their jackets.

  "You look nice and tan. How was the honeymoon?" Molly asked as they grabbed chairs on the patio.

  "Oh, no. We're not talking about the honeymoon. Why didn't you call me?"

  "Because you and Luke were in Hawaii, because you would have hopped the first flight back here."

  "Of course we would have." Emma frowned. "She's hurt, Molly. Badly."

  "Yes, she is. And Dad and I took care of it. Of her. And now she's beginning to heal."

  Emma's eyes filled with tears. "It was my responsibility to be here for her."

  "It was her idea not to call you."

  "Of course it was. Because she's independent, and she never wants to bother anyone. That's Mom's way of handling everything. That's why she got hurt in the first place. But you know better. Dad knows better. We're a family and we deal with things together."

  "Do we? It was lucky I was here. If I'd been gone, you would have been the one to drop everything. You would have had to put your life on hold to handle this, Emma. But you weren't here and I was, so I dealt with it. Isn't it about time I was the one to step up so you and Luke could enjoy your honeymoon?"

  Emma was silent for a minute. "You could have at least told me."

  "We could have, but we made the best decision we could at the time, Em. For you and for Luke. You had what we hope was an awesome honeymoon, and you got to have it worry free. If there'd been complications and Mom had been in any danger, I would have picked up the phone and called you immediately so you could have come home. But she was okay, and she's going to be fine. It'll take awhile, but she'll get through this and be her old self again."

  Emma took a deep breath, then let out a sigh. "Well, I'm here now. Do you want to take off?"

  Molly didn't hesitate. "No. I'm here. I'm committed."

  "I could step in, you know."

  "I know you could. But you've been doing that. You've always been here for them, even when you were away. Now it's my turn, don't you think?"

  Emma stared at her. "When did my little sister grow up?"

  Molly laughed. "I don't know. I guess when I saw Mom lying there on the floor, crying and in pain. It scared the shit out of me, Em."

  Emma's eyes filled with tears. She nodded. "I can't even imagine how awful that must have been. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

  "Stop that. I was here. And you were exactly where you were supposed to be. On your honeymoon with your husband."

  "You quit your job in Austin?"

  "Yeah."

  "I'm sorry, Moll. You didn't have to do that."

  "Yes, I did. You know Dad can't handle this alone. And as for me, there's always another job on the horizon. When Mom's back on her feet again, I'll be on my way."

  Emma leaned across the table and grasped Molly's hand. "Or maybe you'll decide Hope isn't so bad after all, and you'll stay."

  Molly took a deep breath. "I don't know about that. I do like to travel."

  "Is that the real reason you've been gone all these years?"

  "No." She was shocked she'd said the word.

  Emma leaned back. "That's the first time you've ever admitted there's something else."

  "I know. But it's cold out here, and now's not the time to talk about it."

  "Promise me you'll tell me."

  Molly squeezed her sister's hand. "I promise."

  "Okay. So I brought like a thousand photos back from Hawaii. Wanna see?"

  "You know I do." Molly stood. "Let's go inside and make some hot chocolate and look at your pictures."

  They looked at the photos, which were fabulous, and reaffirmed the decision to not notify Luke and Emma about Mom's injury. It was obvious the time they'd spent in Hawaii had been good for both of them. In every photo Emma and Luke looked relaxed. Happy. So much in love.

  Emma and Luke stayed for dinner, and after Emma helped her get their mother situated for the night in the hospital bed in the guestroom, Luke and Emma headed home to reunite with their dogs.

  Her dad went to bed as well, which left Molly alone and feeling more than a little restless.

  It was Saturday night, and still early. She could watch a movie and make some popcorn, but she really wanted to get out of the house.

  She grabbed her phone and, on impulse, called Carter, hoping he wasn't out on a date with someone else. If he was, he probably wouldn't answer her call, right? Because if he did and she heard some other female voice, she'd cringe and be so embarrassed.

  He answered on the second ring. "Hey, Molly."

  "Hi. What are you doing?"

  "You're going to laugh."

  "I doubt it."

  "I'm decorating my house for Halloween."

  Her lips tilted upward. "You are not."

  "I am. Want to come over and help me?"

  She smiled at the invite. "Sure. I'll be right there."

  "I'm warning you, I take my Halloween very seriously."

  She couldn't even imagine what he meant by that, but now she was curious. "I feel duly warned. I'll be there shortly."

  "Okay. See ya."

  She hung up and grabbed the keys to George, grateful to have her car back again after having it repaired. She left a note on the kitchen table for her parents in case her dad got up and was looking for her, then rolled her eyes, mentally noting the inconvenience of being someone her age and living at home again. But that's how it was, and she had to deal with it in order to take care of her mom.

  She made a stop in the bathroom and checked her appearance. Not too bad. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had on jeans and a sweatshirt
, but whatever. It wasn't a date, anyway. How dressed up did she have to be to help with Halloween decorations?

  But she did put on some lip gloss. Then felt stupid for doing it.

  Not a date, remember?

  She drove over to Carter's house. The front lights were on. He was outside, unloading bales of hay from the back of his truck. She got out of her car and walked over to him.

  "Planning a hayride?"

  "Nope." He dragged one of the bales over toward the giant oak tree in the front yard, then settled it next to two other bales. "Come on into the garage with me."

  "This sounds serial-killer-esque. I fear for my life."

  "Ha. You're safe, though there is a skeleton involved."

  "See? My fears are well grounded."

  He laughed, and she followed him into the garage, where he had opened a long plastic storage box.

  "Jeebus, Carter. You really do take your Halloween seriously." Inside were two skeletons, which looked totally real, a couple of light-up pumpkins, and some orange lights. God only knew what else lurked in the bottom of the box.

  "Carry one of the skeletons for me, will you?"

  "If a cop drives by, we could get arrested."

  "Fortunately, I know all the cops."

  "And they let you get away with this? Hope has become such a corrupt town since I've been away."

  "Ha ha." He handed one of the oversized skeletons to her. It was heavier than she thought.

  "You got it?" he asked.

  "Yeah."

  She hoisted it over her shoulder, convinced it looked like she was carrying a body across the lawn. But she followed Carter to the tree and laid the skeleton down on one of the bales of hay.

  "Wait here. I have to go get the rope."

  Rope?

  She looked at the skeletons, then the wide branches on the tree, then shook her head.

  Oh my.

  When he came back with rope, she shook her head. "Seriously?"

  He grinned. "Oh, yeah. The kids in the neighborhood love my house."

  "I'll just bet they do."

  He climbed up on the bales of hay and strung the rope over one of the tree branches, then made a noose and looped it over the neck of one of the skeletons, hoisting it up so it dangled from the ground. There were spotlights on the tree, and he adjusted one of them so it shined on the skeleton. It was highly gruesome, in an awesome, Halloween kind of way.

  "What did these poor skeletons ever do to you?" she asked.

  He laughed and took a step back. "Does it look high enough to you?"

  She walked to the sidewalk. "Looks perfect for a hanging."

  "I knew I could count on your support. Now let's do the second one on the other side of the tree."

  When he was finished, it really was perfect, especially with the hideous pumpkin faces at the base of the hay bales.

  "I'll string up some spider webbing in the trees on Halloween. I don't want to do that too early in case of rain."

  "It's gruesome. Congratulations."

  "Thanks. I also pipe horror music to the outside."

  "I fear for the psyches of small children coming to your house."

  "You'll have to be here on Halloween. A bunch of people come over. We dress up and scare the shit out of kids."

  She cocked a brow. "Someday you're going to make your own kids so proud."

  He gave her a look, then a grin. "Thanks."

  It was at that moment she realized their child would have been twelve years old now. She waited for the anguish, but it passed quickly. She was grateful for that, because she was tired of dwelling on it. It was time to put it in the past.

  He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "What are you thinking about?"

  She exhaled, refusing to bring it up. They'd rehashed it enough. "I'm thinking you need some headstones in this yard to fully creepify the look."

  He turned around, put his hands on his hips, and stared out over the front lawn. "You know what? You're right. I'll get some next week."

  She could already imagine the effect this yard was going to have on the kids. They'd be so scared. Then again, she remembered seeking out just this type of house when she and her friends had gone trick-or-treating when she was a kid. The scarier, the better.

  Carter was going to be a huge hit.

  He put his arm around her. "How about you come inside with me and we get something to drink?"

  "Sure."

  They picked up the remnants of the decorations and put them away in the garage, then she followed him inside the house.

  She'd been here twice already, though the first time had been when she'd dumped him inside the front door, so that didn't really count. The second time she'd been nervous and had taken only a cursory glance--enough to note it was a nice house--but that had been about it.

  Now, though, she was more relaxed, and she took the time to note his leather sofas, the dark wood floors, the recently renovated kitchen. The house wasn't new, but the kitchen was. All new appliances, quartz counters, with a newly tiled back-splash as well. She liked the looks of his kitchen, with its roomy island and plenty of space to work.

  "Did you renovate the kitchen yourself?"

  He handed her a beer. "I did. More or less. My dad helped some, and I had some friends over to help out when I could wrangle them on weekends, but mostly I did it on my own."

  She pulled a seat up to the island. "You did a great job."

  He took a long swallow of beer, then smiled at her. "Thanks. The place was a fixer-upper when I bought it, which meant I got it for a bargain. It also meant a lot of work, so I've been . . . working on it here and there for the past couple of years."

  She swiveled around on her barstool, giving his place the once-over now that she knew he'd been renovating. "Tell me what you've done. What was it like when you moved in?"

  He pushed off the counter, and took her by the hand. "Grab your beer. I'll give you the grand tour. I warn you, though. I'm not finished yet, so you're going to see old house mixed with new house."

  Her lips curved as she lifted her gaze to his. "That's what makes it fun. I like a work in progress. If it's all 'after,' I don't get to see how much work you've done."

  He laughed. "Okay then." He took her into the living room, which was large, filled with two leather sofas, a modern, sleek fireplace and a really good-sized flat-screen TV. He'd fashioned a quirky-looking coffee table out of some kind of metal, and there was a side table on one end of one of the sofas.

  "This room used to be small. There was a dining room on the side, also closed off. And the kitchen had a wall separating it from the living room. I took that out to open the whole thing up."

  "I can see how this works now. It's much more open. And you added those French doors. My guess is there used to be a slider instead."

  "Yeah. With the most God awful ugly curtains you can imagine."

  "Oh, I can imagine. Remember, I move a lot so I've lived in places with what you could call 'unique' decor."

  "Is that right?'

  "Yes." She gave the room a critical look. "This is great entertainment space now. It's roomy, and with the island in the kitchen and extra seating there, you can fit in a lot of people."

  "That was the idea." He led her down the hall. "The guest bathroom is off to the left. I haven't started on it yet."

  Which meant she had to check it out. She opened the door to find blanched oak cabinetry, gold fixtures, a shower/tub combination. All very nineties-type decor. It was clean, though, so she gave him props for that.

  She turned to Carter. "It's workable, but boring and dated."

  "Yeah. It's the next project on the list. The last rooms to get renovated will be the other three bedrooms. I wanted to do the kitchen and living room first, and I finished the master bedroom just a month or so ago."

  As soon as he opened the door to his bedroom, her eyes widened.

  Now this was a retreat. Wide windows which surely let in a ton of light, making her wish it was dayli
ght so she could see how the sun would spill into the oversized room. He had a king-sized bed and two nightstands, and there was still plenty of space for the two oversized stuffed chairs and table next to the windows. He'd continued the hardwood in this room, but put a comfortable-looking rug in between the bed and the sitting area. She walked in, admiring the furniture and the peaceful earth tone color of the paint in the room. Quietly, she made her way into the bathroom, but there, she gasped.

  "Good Lord, Carter. Is this some kind of lure for women?"

  He laughed, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck. "Maybe."

  The bathroom was an oasis, with a large soaking tub, two deep vessel sinks with plenty of cabinet space, a dressing table, and a shower with multiple jets. There was a pebbled floor in the shower, and she curled her toes inside her sneakers at the thought of how that floor would massage her bare feet.

  "It's decadent."

  "If you think this is awesome, you should see the closet."

  She pivoted to face him. "Don't tease me."

  He stepped out of the bathroom, giving her space to open the door leading to the closet.

  The light turned on automatically, and it was like she'd stepped into paradise. The closet was as big as some of the bedrooms she'd lived in, with racks and built-ins for shoes, and there was even a dresser in there.

  "I love it." She turned to him. "Are you sure there isn't some woman in your life, and you built this for her?"

  "No. Not yet, anyway. But I figured I probably wouldn't live here alone forever. Besides, I like a lot of space. I hate feeling confined. You should have seen the closet before. I could barely get my clothes in there, and it's not like I'm some big clothes guy. So I expanded the master a lot, added on to this room to make it larger."

  "It shows. You've done an amazing job, Carter. When did you find the time for all this, plus your job, plus committees?"

  He shrugged. "I make time for the things that are important to me."

  It was then she realized that he'd set down roots in Hope, that this place meant something to him. Whereas she had run like hell and never once looked back. She'd let her pain drive her all these years. It had forced her away from her family, from everything she'd ever known.

  But she wasn't going to blame Carter for it. It had been her choice.

  She couldn't--wouldn't--have regrets. She lived a full life, an adventurous one, and she'd learned a lot. She supposed Carter had as well. They'd just done things a lot differently.

  He led her back into the living room. She took a seat on the oh-so-comfortable leather sofa. He sat next to her. She sipped her beer, realizing he was building an amazing life for himself. "You should be proud of yourself. I can't imagine what this must feel like."