Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

“Look at me,” he whispered and pulled out of her.

  “Cole,” she whimpered his name.

  “I’m right here.” He thrust and felt her clench around him.

  He cupped the back of her head and stared down at her golden eyes, willing her to see that this was special. He’d never had this with another woman and she deserved to know it was unique. He felt it, too. This big, scary, wonderful thing.

  “Oh!” She dug her nails into his shoulders.

  “God, damn.” He groaned as her pussy tightened around him.

  He pressed his forehead to hers and worked his hips, thrusting into her, staring into her pleasure dazed eyes.

  Fuck, he was in trouble.

  That was the last thought before his orgasm pushed him into bliss, her body folding around him to hold him tight.

  They weren’t friends. They were so much more. And he was screwed.

  * * *

  * * *

  Scarlett leaned against the back wall of the barn and watched the bride spin around the dance floor. Benji’s parody song of the B52’s Love Shack played through the speakers.

  The day was almost over.

  She couldn’t believe how many times they’d had a near disaster, starting with the surprise flower arch the bride had thrown at her first thing in the morning. Scarlett had realized too late this bride’s methods, how she’d manipulated Scarlett into going above, beyond and farther than was reasonable.

  Her phone vibrated, and she snatched it out of her pocket. After two outfit changes due to mishaps she’d given up and put on jeans, not caring if she showed up in the background looking casual.

  She stared down at the text, her second of the day.

  * * *

  Bad day. Hope yours was better. Want to do dinner?

  * * *

  Cole included a picture of a wine bottle and a six pack of beer.

  Right now that was her kind of dinner.

  She’d wanted to hear from him all day. Last night had been intense, to say the least. On the other hand, he’d let her know his day was stacked. That had allowed her to focus on the wedding and her energy sucking bride. But now? The wedding only had an hour left on their time. Clean-up wasn’t part of her duties. That was Benji and Garth. Which meant Scarlett’s mind was circling back to Cole.

  “What’s that look for?” Benji sidled up to her and leaned against the wall.

  “Nothing.” She turned her phone screen off while she considered her answer.

  Scarlett wanted to see Cole again, but she couldn’t do last night again. It had been too much. Her insides felt electrocuted. Raw.

  “I saw Cole this morning when I went to see if the pig was still there. She got out, by the way.” Benji let that fact drop as casually as though he were commenting on the wedding party’s color schemes. She knew he didn’t care about colors, but under that laid back facade he could be just as protective as Garth.

  “Yeah?” Scarlett kept her gaze on the dance floor.

  “You know if I saw him Garth saw that his car was here?”

  Shit.

  Scarlett had hoped her cousins would miss that fact. She’d deal with Garth later, in her own way. Or not at all if she could help it.

  “You are both adults. I’m all for you having a good time. You deserve it. He steps out of line you let me know, okay?” Benji stared at the side of her head.

  “You’re being silly.” She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She was more concerned with how fast she’d developed feelings for Cole, the sense of closeness, how right sleeping in his arms had been. It had her off balance now that she didn’t have tasks to focus on.

  “Maybe I am, but that’s my right.” Benji slung an arm around her shoulders and tugged her to him to press a kiss to the top of her head. “I also noticed someone had been in my bathroom.”

  Scarlett froze. Her skin heated, and she wanted to crawl under the table.

  Benji laughed so hard he had to wipe a tear away.

  “I’d rather know you were safe.” Benji pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Stop talking,” she begged. After they’d gone through the one condom neither had wanted to venture into town. She knew Benji kept a stock of condoms so it had seemed logical at the time.

  “Oh, hell no. This is way too good to pass up.” Benji dialed back his grin while studying her. “You seeing him again?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Look, I know you had this whole three year self improvement plan or whatever. You shouldn’t miss out on life because of a goal you made when you were at your worst. A guy who will stand up to Garth for you is probably worth taking a risk on.”

  “What?” She blinked up at Benji.

  “Oh, yeah. You left and Cole laid into Garth. I was on the fence about your boy until then. I can like him.”

  “He never mentioned…”

  “Nah, I wouldn’t bring up if I were him, either.”

  Scarlett stood there dazed by this information. Benji preferred to let Scarlett handle her problems with Garth herself unless they got bad. No one else had ever stuck up for her. Until now.

  Cole a big risk with lots of red flags. But she couldn’t change how she felt about him. Hearing Benji’s approval only further confused her.

  “Off to do my job.” Benji let go of her and ambled toward his DJ set-up where a pair of tipsy bridesmaids were clinging to each other.

  Scarlett had two choices. The first was to chalk last night up to a fluke and cut things off with Cole. They’d have to actively avoid being around each other. Or she could take a chance. A very risky chance and see what happened between them. She’d vowed that the next man she dated would know what he wanted, that their goals would align. Cole was still figuring himself out. He was a work in progress. She knew a lot about being there and how much her life could change.

  She wanted a family. Kids. Everything. What if they fell in love and he decided that wasn’t what he wanted? Was she willing to give up her dreams?

  Saying yes to dinner with Cole meant saying yes to more. To opening that door and seeing what happened. Could she handle that? Was it what she wanted?

  The groom spun his bride across the floor. Their faces glowed. They’d barely been apart since the ceremony. For all the headache the bride had caused Scarlett, it was plain to see they were each their partner’s world.

  That was how Scarlett wanted someone to look at her.

  Benji was partially right; she’d never get there if she stayed safely behind her walls and rules. The goals she’d made for herself at her lowest had guided her to this point. She’d healed, grown, flourished. She wasn’t the same woman she used to be.

  Could the woman she was now take a chance on Cole? At risking more heartache?

  She stared at the gleaming floor.

  Last night had been the best sex of her life. But it had been more than physical pleasure. It was deeper. Intimate on a level she’d never experienced. Could she handle that kind of relationship? Did she want to?

  They deserved a chance.

  It was a feeling reverberating through her bones.

  She pulled her phone out and tapped out a reply.

  * * *

  Best. Dinner. Ever. Reception still has an hour. My place or yours?

  * * *

  She was close to exhausted, but she could drag herself into town for wine and companionship.

  * * *

  Got something to go with the liquid diet. Your kitchen is better.

  * * *

  He included a picture of bread sticks, a box of pasta, sauce and meatballs from the butcher over at David’s Market.

  If only she could reach through the phone and kiss him.

  The last hour of the reception dragged. A bridesmaid hurled in the bathroom and Scarlett spent most of the time cleaning up the mess and holding the hair of a second bridesmaid. The bride and groom made their exit, leaving Garth to officially kick everyone out at the appointed hour. By that time Scarlett’s knees hurt,
her feet ached and her skin was dry from all the cleaning products and washing.

  She didn’t even make a token offer to help Benji pack up. She pointed herself at the barn doors and filed out of the empty building.

  Garth stood on the gravel, watching the still sick bridesmaids get rolled into someone’s car. Scarlett grimaced at the idea of what might happen on their way to their destination and was glad it wasn’t her car making the trip.

  “You did good today,” Garth said as she got closer. He turned toward her, hands on his hips.

  “Thanks.” She was too tired to talk much to him, but she appreciated the compliment.

  At that moment, Cole turned into the drive leading up to their homes. Her stomach tightened, and she glanced at Garth.

  “Is this a wise idea?” he asked.

  “It’s just dinner,” she mumbled and plodded forward.

  Garth didn’t press her further, and she was glad for it.

  Scarlett crossed the gravel lot then the stone path leading across to the driveway serving the two houses. Cole waited for her, hands in his pockets. His shoulders slumped and she could see the dark circles under his eyes from a dozen yards away.

  Bad day, he’d said.

  She could feel his pain the closer she got, and all she wanted to do was ease it.

  The most natural thing to do was walk straight into his embrace, so she did. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in against his shoulder, squeezing him tight. He held onto her and blew out a shaky breath.

  “What happened?” she asked. Had Allie shown up? Was there bad news about the search for his siblings?

  “We had to put down two dogs today,” he whispered.

  “Oh, no.” Her heart ached, and she squeezed him tighter.

  “Yeah, one darted out in the road and the other…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too.” Cole kissed her forehead and patted her back.

  “Come on.” She took a step away from him and reached for his hand.

  “Let me grab the food.”

  They gathered the bags and together carried the bounty inside. Cole took over laying out the ingredients and pouring her a glass of wine.

  “We could just heat up a pizza,” she said.

  “Spaghetti is my comfort food.” He glanced up at her and smiled. Sadness still tinged his eyes. “How was the wedding?”

  “More work than I expected.” She rolled her eyes. “It went off well, though we had several bridesmaids get sick.”

  “Yuck.”

  “You’re telling me.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was beautiful though. They did the ceremony over under the oaks with flower arches. The pictures are going to be gorgeous.”

  “Worth it?”

  “For them, maybe. I’ve got to stop letting brides talk me into doing more than they’re paying for.”

  “It sounds that way.”

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “Sit on that stool and keep me company?”

  “You aren’t coming over, cooking in my kitchen and me do nothing.”

  “You aren’t doing nothing. You’re keeping me company.” He smiled at her from across the island. Some of the shadows were gone, but he still looked as tired as she felt.

  “Fine.” She slid onto a stool and propped her chin in her hands.

  “Pot?” he asked.

  She pointed out the necessary dishes and settled into the foreign concept of a man cooking for her. The most Benji or Garth managed was a grilled cheese when she was sick or some simple, one dish things that came out of a box.

  Cole got the meatballs in the oven and the water on the burner, then turned to face her. He studied her face, the expression thoughtful and a touch unsettling.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I want to ask you something and I’m trying to decide if it’s too soon.”

  “Ask.” She laced her fingers together around the stem of the wine glass.

  “Will you tell me about your ex?”

  Scarlett stared at Cole.

  That was not the question she’d expected.

  She picked up her glass and took a gulp then stared at the butcher block surface of the island.

  “Wrong time. I’m sorry,” he said.

  “There will never be a right time.” She laid her palms against the counter, thumb and index finger touching, creating a triangle. “Short version?”

  “Whatever version you want,” Cole said.

  “I met Jack through someone I shouldn’t have been friends with. On paper he looked like the perfect guy. Attractive, decent job, supposedly owned a house, his own truck. He was only twenty-five. I was twenty-three, and I saw us together, ready to make a family. I really wanted to be the stay at home mom then. I thought that was what I wanted.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.”

  “No. But looking back I think I wanted to be a mom for the wrong reasons. I wanted someone—a husband and kids—who had to love me. Being a mom was more about having a place to belong than love or maternal desire.”

  Cole put the pasta into the pot then turned to face her, his attention totally on her.

  This was where the story went wrong.

  “I moved in and it was good at first. He kept me busy, so I didn’t come to Ransom often. There wasn’t time to hang out with my friends. It was all about us. Looking back, he was alienating me from everyone who cared about me. The night I burned dinner was when things went really bad. He started being emotionally and verbally abusive.” That was putting it lightly, but she didn’t want to get into the particulars of what he’d said and done. “The more I tried to make things better, the angrier he got. I was trying to get something out of the attic when I fell and had to go to the ER.”

  Cole’s hand came to rest on her back. She wasn’t sure when he’d moved around the island to stand next to her, but she was glad for his presence.

  “I broke a few ribs, and I was so exhausted they thought something else might be wrong, so they kept me for a few days. Jack wasn’t answering, I had no idea where he was, so I called Garth. He and Benji showed up at the hospital and that’s when I realized I hadn’t seen them in seven months.” She lifted her chin to look at Cole. “I grew up with them. They’re my family. And I’d let Jack keep me away from them.”

  “But they were there for you.” He rubbed her back and edged closer until she could lean on him.

  “They were. They always have been.” She sighed. Garth and Benji might be pains in the ass, but they’d been there for her. “After I got out we went to the house and there was an eviction notice on the door. Turns out Jack didn’t have as good of a job as he said. He didn’t own the house. He’d sold all of our stuff while I was in the hospital. I also discovered three credit cards he’d opened in my name and maxed out. I’m still paying off one of them. Thank goodness my credit was crap, and they had low limits.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Nothing, really. It was too expensive to go after him legally and I was a wreck once I realized what I’d let happen. I just…I wasn’t me. I cried. I couldn’t keep a job. If the barn hadn’t become a thing I don’t know what I’d have done.” There was more to the story, but that was the past. She didn’t want to drag it out and talk about how messed up Jack had made her.

  “And let me guess, Jack made you feel like something was wrong with you when it came to sex?”

  Scarlett swallowed. That was one of the things she didn’t want to discuss. It was still painful, and she was ashamed of herself even though she knew she had no reason to be.

  “Baby?” Cole cupped her cheek and tipped her chin up.

  “For some reason when you say baby it doesn’t sound infantile.”

  “What?” He chuckled.

  “I’ve always thought men calling women baby sounded silly. Like, are you going to change my diaper? But when you say it, it’s different.”

  “I’m glad.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. Was she goin
g to regret that admission? “You are perfect just the way you are. Jack didn’t know he had a good thing.”

  Scarlett curled her toes around the footrest and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered.

  Cole bent his head and sealed his lips over hers. The kiss was gentle, and he kept it short, moving away before she could reach for him to check on the food.

  Her body was still sore in ways she hadn’t experienced in years. Since before Jack. She’d forgotten how good sex felt, and last night she’d gotten it several times.

  “I should also mention now, before you look at me like that much longer, I didn’t buy condoms.” Cole glanced at her.

  “You—what?” Now she was confused and a little disappointed.

  He stirred the pasta a few times then turned back to her.

  “The sex is every bit as good as I thought it would be.” His gaze warmed as he stared at her. “But I don’t just want to have sex with you.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No. I want to spend time with you. Last night was amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I think we could both do with slowing down.”

  “Oh.”

  “We should talk.”

  She shifted on the stool, not sure what he meant. The idea of not sleeping in his arms again was disappointing, but the sentiment behind his decision touched her. He hadn’t known her story, at least not from her, and he’d been aware they needed to take this easy.

  “You don’t look happy,” Cole said.

  “I liked having you here,” she admitted.

  “I’d like to say I’m capable of lying next to you and not touching you, but I don’t know if I could.”

  “Then I guess we’d better enjoy dinner.” She sipped her wine. Sleeping alone wouldn’t kill her, especially when she knew he was suffering, too. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “You. Us. What you want. You were very clear the other night and now it’s…I don’t know what you want.”

  “I don’t know either.” She sighed and traced the wood grain of the counter.

  “I’m either all in, or I’m out. I don’t need to put a label on this, I just need to know…”