Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  While her back was turned, Kari spooned three scoops of sugar into her mug. “What do you have to be stressed about?”

  “If I’m not here running things, I’m at the Springs with Trent. And don’t get me wrong, I love it there, but I love it here, too and between bouncing back and forth, there’s never any time for me or for cooking. Even if I wanted to, which I do most of the time.” Sam dumped the contents of her chopping board into the pan and stirred, completely ignoring Kari’s question.

  “He wants me there,” Sam continued. “But I need to be here. And I can’t be in both places at once. It just doesn’t work. I know I don’t need to be here all the time, but the Springs isn’t my home. Even if it is beautiful. I don’t have my own things there and it doesn’t feel like home. You know what I mean?” She swung around, and Kari narrowly missed the flying eggs that came off her spatula.

  “I kind of do know what you mean,” she said tentatively. She thought about the years she’d had in her house—Brice’s house—that never felt like home. Despite having her own things scattered about, it was never comfortable. Not like the tiny room she had right upstairs. “Why don’t you take some of your things to his place?” she suggested. “Make it more of yours, too.”

  “I couldn’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because then it’s serious.”

  “Excuse me for saying so.” Kari moved aside so Sam could pop two pieces of bread in the salamander oven to toast. “But isn’t it already kind of serious?” She’d seen the two of them together on a number of occasions, and there was absolutely no denying the way they looked at each other. The possessive and loving way Trent would slide his arm around her, holding her close. There was no doubt that Sam was a strong woman, but even a strong woman thrived under just the right attention from a man. The type of attention that told her she was just fine to be exactly who she was, and he would be by her side to support her, not to carry her. That’s what Trent was for Sam. It was obvious to anyone: there was nothing but true love between them. Why Sam was afraid was beyond her. She’d die to have that kind of love in her life.

  Sam had stopped and stared at her. “Do you think it is?”

  “You know it is,” Kari said. “And that’s all that should really matter, don’t you think?”

  Sam didn’t say anything for a minute. Finally she blinked, reached past Kari to grab the toast, and said, “Let’s eat.”

  They were just finishing up their breakfast, which was really quite good, when there was a noise, followed by Archer’s booming voice, coming from the kitchen. “Jesus Christ, Sam.” The tall, broad man slammed through the door that led into the dining room and crossed his beefy arms over his chest. If Kari hadn’t known better, she would have been terrified at the sight. Archer was definitely no small man. He looked more like a scruffy woodsman—an extremely handsome woodsman—than a chef in a small town pub. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with. But from her limited experience, Archer’s bite was definitely worse than his bark, especially where Sam was concerned.

  “Good morning.” Sam gave him a smile and took another sip of her coffee.

  “If you feel the need to destroy a kitchen, could you do so in your own house please?”

  “This is my kitchen.”

  The two of them squared off and Kari had the distinct feeling she didn’t want to be a witness for whatever showdown was about to transpire.

  She stood and gathered her dishes. “Thanks for breakfast,” she said. “But I should get up to the Springs. Big day today.”

  “I’ll drive you.” Sam stood beside her and gave Archer a broad smile designed to melt his anger. “I hope you’re planning on making your special beef barley soup today.” She put her hand on his arm and squeezed. “I’ve been craving it and no one makes it quite like you.”

  Archer shook his head, her sort-of apology having worked. Sam stood on her tiptoes and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later. Come on, Kari. I’ll drive you. I have to talk to Trent.”

  Chapter 7

  Rhys could have kicked himself. When Kari’d asked him to be her date at the reception, he should have immediately said yes. After all, was there anything else he wanted more than to spend the entire evening with her, by her side, with his arm around her tiny waist, his mouth on those lips? No. He couldn’t think of a thing he wanted more than that. Yet he’d hesitated, because up until the moment when she’d mentioned the cocktail reception at the Springs, he’d completely forgotten that he’d agreed to be Beth’s date. No, not her date so much as her escort. But they’d been friends a long time. She’d understand if there was a change of plans.

  Right?

  As much as he’d like to think so, Rhys couldn’t be sure that she would be so understanding.

  Foregoing a coffee at Dream Puff, he opted instead to fill his go-cup and grab a doughnut from the box that would inevitably be at the station. He had the early shift, which would give him lots of time to get cleaned up and be at the party. That had been the plan anyway. Maybe he could talk to Beth before then? He made a mental note to find a moment to call her, and to stop into Petals and have something sent over to Kari.

  He couldn’t help how he felt; that girl had totally gotten under his skin. And dammed if he didn’t like it that way.

  He’d been expecting a slow morning, but a car versus deer accident on the highway had kept him busy for hours. It was just past lunch when Rhys once again navigated his cruiser back into Cedar Springs. There’d be no time to have flowers sent in time for the party, and knowing Trent and Dylan, they’d probably already ordered a jungle’s worth of special arrangements for the occasion. Or maybe it was Kari who’d ordered them. He remembered her telling him Dylan had put her in charge of the party. Her eyes had lit up as she’d told him all the details she’d planned. It was just a small event, but Kari’d taken the role very seriously and Rhys couldn’t help but admire her excitement. He didn’t know what she did before coming to Cedar Springs; in fact, he still didn’t know anything about her before she came to Cedar Springs, he reminded himself.

  The woman was still a goddamn mystery to him. But it didn’t have to be that way, a little voice in his head said. He had the ability to know everything he needed to. All he had to do was make a call.

  Maybe it was time he did that? It couldn’t hurt.

  Before he could talk himself out of it, or remember all the reasons he didn’t want to revert to his detective roots, Rhys picked up his cell and made a call.

  “Rex,” he said when his old partner picked up. “I need you to run a name for me. Kari Fox. Anything you feel is important.”

  By the time Rhys stopped by the flower shop and selected a bouquet, there was little point in making two trips, so after a quick stop at home to change, he drove up the mountain to the reception. He’d already arranged to meet Beth there, since she was taking Jules with her and he was running late. With any luck, he could find Kari first, give her the flowers and explain the situation with Beth.

  Of course, the parking lot was already filling up, the valets were busy and it looked like guests were already arriving for the reception. When Rhys walked through the doors into the lobby, it was clear that the odds of finding Kari and stealing a private moment were definitely not in his favor. But he wasn’t one to give up easily. He waved a greeting to Trent, who stood with Dylan and Carmen and greeted their employees and their dates to the little party that was in their honor.

  He scanned the crowd, which was already quite impressive, desperately searching for Kari.

  There. Her hair was tied back in an elegant twist at the nape of her neck. Instead of the dresses, or other party wear the other employees wore, Kari was dressed in her Springs uniform of neatly pressed khaki pants and a turquoise blouse that he knew would bring out the light in her eyes if he was close enough to see them. And he wanted to be. As if she could sense him, she turned her head slowly, and looked across the room directly at him. He smiled, a
nd held up the bouquet of flowers for her to see.

  He could have sworn he saw her smile, but he couldn’t be sure. Unwilling to waste any more time, Rhys pushed his way through the crowd, his eyes trained only on her.

  “Rhys. You made it.” A hand gripped his arm and stopped his progress across the lobby. “Are those for me?”

  He didn’t take his eyes off Kari, so he didn’t miss the hurt look in her eyes when the bouquet of flowers was removed from his hand. She spun around and disappeared in a throng of people. Her name on his lips, he stopped himself from calling out. Making a scene would embarrass her. He’d find her later.

  Slowly, he turned away and focused on Beth at his side, her nose buried deep in the bouquet of flowers meant for the woman who’d somehow managed to weasel her way into his heart.

  “Hi, Beth. Sorry if I’m late.” He was about to tell her the flowers weren’t for her, but there was no longer a reason to; after all, the damage had been done.

  “You’re perfect.” She slipped her arm through his and squeezed before she stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. He tilted his head and returned the greeting. They’d always greeted each other that way. Since high school. But for some reason, doing it now, felt wrong. Forced.

  For one brief moment, Kari’d allowed herself to think that Rhys had changed his mind about being her date. When she’d seen him across the room, holding the flowers, her heart had skipped and then soared. He’d come. But it wasn’t for her. Beth. He’d come for Beth.

  She wasn’t going to stick around and watch the two of them together. She might be a lot of things, but a sucker for punishment was not one of them.

  For the next few hours, she managed to busy herself with the operations of the party. As the newest employee of the Springs, she’d volunteered to work the event so everyone else could enjoy it. After all, they deserved it. They were the ones who’d worked hard to make the opening of the resort successful. Not her. Keeping busy was the perfect way to avoid thinking about Rhys, his kisses from the night before, the way she felt when he looked at her, ran his hands down her body...

  It was when she took a moment to rest, to sip on a glass of water and watch the party from the outside looking in, that she let those thoughts creep in. And along with those warm memories came the heat of anger. Not at Rhys, but at herself.

  She wasn’t that weak woman who let others determine how her life was going to play out. That was Karina. Kari was strong. She took charge of her own destiny, and went after what she wanted. And hadn’t the last few weeks been all about rediscovering that? Slowly, she sipped the water and watched the crowd, not seeing them, not tasting the cool water she continued to drink.

  All Kari could focus on was the overwhelming desire to be different. To be the woman she wanted to be. The woman she was.

  And she was done being weak and standing idly by while others determined her future. Her life was hers, dammit. It was time she started living it.

  She put the glass down and wove her way through the crowd. She was done waiting.

  “Isn’t it awesome to be part of this group?” A voice from the settee in the corner caught Kari’s attention.

  “Hi, Jules.” With school back in session, she hadn’t seen much of Jules during the short time she’d worked there. Kari spared a glance toward Rhys, who was in the middle of a conversation with Carmen. She let out a sigh and sank down on the settee next to Jules. “It is a pretty good place to work. What exactly do you do here anyway?” she teased.

  “Well, I don’t do much anymore,” Jules admitted with a shrug. “Mom made me go back to school.”

  Kari nodded in sympathy.

  “And to be honest, I made some friends now, so I don’t know how much I’ll be doing around here anyway. But if they need me, I’ll be here.”

  “Of course.” Kari tried not to smile at the girl’s genuine seriousness. “But hey, there’s lots of time for working in your life. Trust me.”

  “That’s kind of what I figured.” Jules put her straw in her mouth and sucked back her drink. “But it was fun and it got my mom off my back for a bit.”

  “Your mom is Beth, right?” Kari knew dammed well who her mom was and they both knew it.

  Jules nodded. Together they looked across the room to where Beth had joined Rhys and Carmen. She had her arm around Rhys, but the look on her face wasn’t a happy one.

  A noise came out of Jules that could only be described as a half laugh, half scoff. “I don’t know what she thinks she’s doing,” the girl said. “He’s not into her.”

  Kari couldn’t help it; a flare of happiness rose up inside her. It was ridiculous, but there all the same. “You don’t think so?”

  “Hardly. And my mom isn’t even that into him. They’re old friends, that’s it. She’s not fooling anyone by trying so hard to make it something it’s not.”

  Kari stared at the girl and tried not to let her mouth fall open. That was a lot of insight from an eleven-year-old, but from what she understood about Jules, she was no ordinary eleven-year-old.

  “She thinks I need a dad.” She stuck her straw back in her mouth and finished her drink. “I don’t. Especially not him.”

  “What’s wrong with Rhys?”

  “Nothing.” The girl didn’t elaborate, and Kari scratched at the back of her neck with the distinct impression she’d missed something crucial.

  Before she could ask any more questions, Jules jumped up. “I gotta go.”

  It took Kari a moment to absorb everything the girl’d just said, and she was still standing in a bit of a daze when Carmen, alone now, joined her.

  “You’ve done a great job, Kari.” Before Carmen could sit, Kari stood and joined her. “How can I thank you for taking this on?”

  “There’s really no reason to thank me at all. I was just doing my job. Besides, I enjoyed it. It’s been a long time since I got to do something like this, and I really liked it.”

  It had been a long time. Brice always had staff or event planners organize any function they’d ever hosted. Kari’s only job had been to stand around and look pretty. And keep her mouth shut. That had been her most important job.

  “How are you feeling?” Kari remembered the entire reason she’d been asked to take over the party in the first place. “You look a little tired.”

  Carmen’s smile was genuine, and the woman seemed to light up from the inside. “I feel great,” she said. “Just a little run down is all. Dylan thinks I’ve been doing too much. And it has been awhile since I had a holiday. What with leaving Castle Mountain, and starting up the Springs...” Her face took on a distant look and Kari waited, sensing there was more. After a moment, the other woman continued. “Anyway, maybe you’d like to take on more of this type of thing in the future. That is, if you’re going to stay with us.”

  Guilt rose up in her. She hadn’t been honest with these people. None of them. Not even Rhys. Especially not Rhys. But she hadn’t planned to like it so much in Cedar Springs. She definitely hadn’t planned to stay longer than a night or two. But it had been more than two weeks, and now she was making plans to do more work at the Springs? What was wrong with her?

  “You never know,” she answered. She knew her evasive answers were annoying, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She wasn’t going to make any decisions, not yet anyway. The only thing she’d decided on was not being a pushover when it came to what she wanted. And the only thing—no, the only one—she wanted was nowhere to be found at the moment. Once she figured out that problem, she’d deal with everything else later. “When I decide, I promise, you’ll be the very first to know,” she promised Carmen.

  Her new friend smiled again, this time her eyes flashing with mischief. “Well,” she said. “Something tells me, I won’t be the first to know.”

  After talking to Carmen, and making the arrangements for what he hoped would be a special surprise, Rhys had one more thing to take care of. And he wasn’t looking forward to it.

  He f
ound Beth by the buffet table. She absently picked at the hors d’oeuvres, and piled them on an already full plate. “Hey,” he said softly, coming up behind her. “Will you walk with me for a minute?”

  Something flashed in her eye, but she nodded, put the plate down and fell into step beside him.

  They didn’t say anything as they made their way through the crowded lobby and slipped down the atrium hallway. On one side of the space was a wall of glass that looked over a pool area. Each hot pool was filled with the natural spring water, and although from the outside, it appeared as if you could see the pools, they were all very private, although Rhys knew there were even more secluded pools.

  Beth led him to a couch, situated between one of the fountains the Springs was known for and a potted palm. The burbling water from the fountain was soothing, and they sat in silence for a moment.

  “You didn’t bring me here to tell me you love me, did you?”

  Beth’s statement was said with a wry smile and the whole thing was so preposterous, they both laughed.

  “You know we don’t fit, right?”

  Beth nodded. “Why didn’t we ever make it work, Rhys?” She dropped her head to his shoulder and he stroked her hair affectionately.

  “I’m too boring for you.”

  She laughed and sat up. “You’re anything but boring. I can’t imagine what types of adventures you had when you were in the city.”

  “But that was then.” He smiled a little, thinking of the excitement he’d lived back then. “Now I’m just a small town cop with a small town life. You need more than that.”