Hope Burns

  She looked miserably unhappy.

  "I'm so sorry." He leaned over and laid his hand on top of her uninjured one. "This must be frustrating for you."

  "Especially with the Hope town square project at its most critical time."

  Carter nodded. "Hey. That's the last thing you should be worried about right now. We'll carry on and figure something out."

  "Guess what? I found the cutest thing downstairs in the gift shop, Mom--"

  Carter stood as Molly entered the room. She stopped halfway in when she saw him.

  "Oh. I didn't realize you had visitors. Hi, Carter."

  "Hey, Molly."

  "Look, Molly. Carter dropped by," her mother said with a bright smile. "He even brought me some daisies."

  Molly frowned at the flowers suspiciously, like they might have a hidden bomb in them. "How . . . nice."

  "I'm actually going to head home for a shower and a change of clothes, and to check on Pokey. If you don't mind, Molly."

  "Not at all, Dad. You go ahead."

  Emmett leaned over and brushed his lips over his wife's. "I'll be back after dinner."

  "That's the real reason you're leaving. You want to stop and get a cheeseburger at Bert's."

  He grinned. "Maybe."

  She sighed. "Tell everyone I said hello."

  "I will. And I'll be back later."

  "Okay."

  After Emmett left, Molly took a seat on the other side of the bed. "I think I'm going to stop at the bookstore and get you an e-reader. It'll be much easier than flipping through magazines or attempting to read a book. And you've been wanting to try one."

  "Okay."

  "When will you be released?" Carter asked.

  "The doctor said probably in a few days. I'm anxious to get out of here and back home. Though that will bring its own set of challenges."

  "Nothing you can't handle, Georgia."

  She smiled at him. "Thank you, Carter. In the meantime, there's a project meeting coming up in a few days--you'll have to chair for me."

  "I can handle it."

  Molly frowned and slanted a look at Carter. "You're involved with the town square project?"

  "Yeah. But your mother's been the one who got it all off the ground."

  "And now I'm going to be stuck at home for the next few months," Georgia said. "I'm worried, Carter. You know we're at a critical point in all of this. And without me to push and shove and make sure everyone's doing their job, I'm concerned things won't move forward. Then there's the marketing aspect of it all as far as the launch, and working with City Council . . ."

  He patted her hand. "Georgia, I don't want you to stress about any of this. We'll take care of it."

  "I know you'll crunch the numbers and make sure the budget stays on track. But we need an organized genius, someone to run roughshod over everyone else."

  "I'll find someone. No one as good as you, Georgia, but I'll find someone. Until you get back on your feet, so you can finish up the project yourself."

  Georgia's face lit up. "Molly can help you."

  Molly's gaze shot to her mother. "What?"

  "You can help Carter with the town square project."

  Carter had never seen Molly look so panicked. But in this case, he was staying out of it.

  "Uh, Mom, I'm staying here to help you when you get home."

  "And you'll have plenty of time to do both. Once I get settled at home, it's not like you'll be working. With you taking a leave of absence from your job in Austin, you and your dad can't just hover over me twenty-four hours a day."

  "Yes, I can. That's what I intend to do. Dad has to work, you know."

  "Your dad is taking extended vacation, which he can certainly do since he owns the company. Plus I'll have nursing help. And the project isn't a full-time thing, is it, Carter?"

  Okay, maybe he was getting involved. "Not really."

  "Then it's settled. You'll need to get Molly up to speed with everything that's been going on." She yawned. "Why don't you two grab something to eat and discuss it? I'm going to take a nap."

  Carter looked at Molly, who gave him the same kind of helpless look she'd given her mother.

  "I guess we're working together," he said.

  THE VERY LAST thing Molly had wanted was to stay in Hope, but her mother's accident had changed all that. She had contacted her boss in Austin and told her that she'd have to remain in Hope for an unknown period of time to see to her mother's welfare, and she didn't know when she'd be back. Her boss said she'd have to hire someone to replace Molly.

  Molly could accept that, and she could always find another job somewhere else. She was planning to drive down to Austin this weekend to pick up her things and close up her apartment. She'd bring everything back to Hope, and when her mom was well enough, she'd figure out where she was going after that.

  Right now, her mother was a priority.

  Working with Carter? Now that wasn't something she'd planned on, but she'd make the sacrifice, because she wasn't going to do anything to upset her mom at a time when she needed to concentrate on healing.

  "What are you hungry for?" Carter asked as they walked through the front doors of the hospital.

  "What?"

  "Food, Molly."

  "Oh. I'm not really hungry. I've been mostly eating at the cafeteria here the past few days."

  "It's time to fix that. You need something else."

  "I don't really want to be gone that long."

  "You won't be. We'll grab something quick."

  "Okay."

  She got in his car and he drove them a few short blocks to a Mexican restaurant.

  "They serve it up pretty fast here, so we'll be in and out in a hurry," he said as the hostess led them to their table.

  She took a quick glance at the menu, deciding on enchiladas. When the waitress came they ordered drinks and their dinner simultaneously.

  "I'm sorry about your mom," Carter said.

  "Me, too."

  "Did you call Luke and Emma?"

  She shook her head. "We decided not to, because they'd turn around and come back from their honeymoon, and there's really nothing either of them could do for her right now. It's best they just enjoy themselves. They'll find out when they get home."

  "Emma might end up pissed you didn't tell her."

  Their waitress brought their drinks, along with chips and salsa. Molly's stomach gnawed with hunger. She hadn't eaten much today, so she dug in. "She might, but Dad and I are happier knowing she can enjoy her honeymoon worry free. She can be mad at me when she comes home."

  "It was a good call."

  "Thanks. We thought so as well."

  She felt his gaze on her, but it was so hard for her to look back. What would they say to each other that hadn't already been said? The night of Emma and Luke's wedding, she'd laid it all out--everything she'd wanted to say to him all these years.

  It hadn't made her feel any better. If anything, she'd felt worse than ever before.

  "You don't have to work with me, Molly. I know how hard that'll be for you. I can make other arrangements."

  Now she did look up. "I'll do it. Because my mom needs me to, and I need her not to feel stressed about anything right now. I think the two of us can figure out how to move around in the same circle without . . ."

  "Feeling anything?"

  She didn't know if those were the right words. Certainly not for her, because she'd always felt something for Carter. She likely always would. That's why she couldn't live here. Because she felt so much.

  "Right," she said.

  "I'll do my best not to feel anything when I'm around you."

  "Great. Thanks."

  "But I'm not going to guarantee it'll work, because I've always felt something for you, Moll."

  She was about to object, but their waitress brought the food. And then Carter dug in and ate, as if what he'd just said hadn't meant a thing.

  So typical.

  "Tell me about the town square thing." r />
  He scooped up a forkful of rice, chewed and swallowed, then followed that up with iced tea before laying down his fork. "Your mom spearheaded the project and got it off the ground, gathering the city council's cooperation and go ahead, then badgering business leaders into donating funds. She's done everything in her power over the past year to revitalize the town square and fountain, Molly. I'm sure you know better than anyone that once your mother gets an idea into her head, she'll do anything to make it happen."

  Molly nodded. "She is rather dedicated to a cause."

  "The fountain has lain dormant for years. You remember what it was like when we were kids. There was a play area, and all the kids splashed through the fountain. When it rusted and stopped working, no one repaired it and it just sat there, looking ugly. Your mother wanted it fixed and the whole town square revitalized. She organized a volunteer committee."

  Molly listened while she ate. She pointed her fork at him. "And you're on said committee."

  "Yeah. Georgia asked me to participate. It was something worth doing, so I joined in."

  She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look.

  "What?" he asked.

  "I'm . . . surprised."

  "Why?"

  "I don't know. You involved in city politics?"

  "It's not politics. It's a revitalization project. Trust me, I stay away from politics."

  She wiped her mouth with her napkin, then set her plate to the side. "Oh, I don't know about that. It seems to me there's some political maneuvering in getting funding for a project like this."

  "Your mother was the one who pressured local businesses--as well as the city--to provide the necessary funding."

  "Now that I believe. But still, you're involved."

  "I am a local business owner, Molly. It's in my best interest to make Hope as desirable a city as possible. Aesthetically as well as in other areas. You bring more people to Hope, I get more business as well."

  "I see your point." She supposed she just couldn't reconcile the boy she'd once known--and loved--with the man he now was. She was going to have to try and wrap her head around who Carter was now, not who he used to be. He'd remained a figure in her head. Sweet, charming, and oh so sexy, in that boyish, teenage way he'd had about him.

  The man sitting across the table from her was completely different. There was a confident air about him that hadn't been present when he was younger. Sure, he'd been cocky back then, but that was high school bravado. He'd been popular in school. He'd played baseball and basketball so he'd been one of the jocks, always a favorite with the girls. Why he'd gravitated toward her, she'd had no idea, since she hadn't played sports at all. She'd been more into drama club and music and books, but they'd shared some classes, and he'd started talking to her. And God, she'd fallen hard for his eyes and his mouth and then they'd begun studying together, which had grown into watching movies and generally hanging out, and that had been the end for her.

  They'd spent every day together and she learned about baseball and basketball. She'd never liked sports much, but she learned to like it. He claimed not to be into plays and musicals, but he went to every one of her plays and her choir concerts. They meshed. And they fell in love.

  He was her first love. She gave him her virginity--so easily, and without regret. He never made silly promises to her about how he was going to love her forever. He just loved her. And she loved him back.

  And for three years it had been magical. Until she got pregnant.

  That's when it all changed. She panicked, and so did he. They scrambled, hastily figuring out plans. They discussed abortion. She was graduating early. She had a scholarship. She wanted to go to college. So did he. This was going to change everything.

  But in the end, she couldn't do it, and he respected her decision. They were determined to make it work. They'd get married. They were in love. He'd put off college and continue to work at the garage. She'd work part-time until the baby was born. Their parents would help out--as soon as both of them got up the nerve to actually tell them.

  A week later, she'd miscarried. She was devastated, while Carter seemed . . . relieved.

  And that's when her world ended. Because while she mourned the loss of the child she had already begun to love, Carter had started to back away, his mind already on college. When she wanted comfort, Carter had already planned his escape.

  "Molly."

  She lifted her head. "What?"

  "You were somewhere else just now."

  "Oh." She took a sip of water, hating herself for revisiting their terrible past. "Did you say something?"

  "I was asking what your plans were for this week."

  "Check my mom out of the hospital. Then I need to go to Austin and pick up my stuff."

  "So you're moving?"

  She nodded. "Back here. Temporarily. I have to quit my job, since things here will be in flux for a while."

  "I'm sorry about that."

  "It is what it is, and my mom needs me right now."

  "I'll do what I can to help, at least as far as the town square project, so she doesn't have to stress about that."

  "Thanks. And you need me at the meeting this week? I'm not sure I can make that."

  "We'll postpone the meeting. You do what you need to do to get your mom settled and your stuff moved back here."

  "Thanks. Again."

  "It's no problem." He signaled the waitress for their check. "I know you want to get back to your mom."

  He was being so accommodating, so nice to her. She supposed she was going to have to deal with Carter being in her life, at least part-time.

  And it wasn't like there was anything personal between them.

  Her running days were over and so was avoidance. At least temporarily. She had to stop thinking of him as the boy who'd broken her heart all those years ago. It was time to grow up and get past it, at least for now. For the sake of her mother. And when everything was back to normal, she'd leave again.

  Just like always.

  But for now, Hope was going to be home, for at least the next few months.

  Chapter 10

  THE LAST PERSON Carter expected to see in his shop on a Saturday morning was Molly.

  He'd caught up on his paperwork at the two Tulsa locations, and was going to spend the day there. But Molly drove that clunker of a car into the bay and he happened to notice--how could he not? So he walked out to the garage.

  "I thought you'd be heading to Austin by now."

  She pursed her lips before answering. "So did I. But George is making an awful sputtering noise. And it took me a half hour to start him up this morning. My dad told me there was no way George was going to make it all the way back to Austin."

  "I'm surprised you made it here. He looks--and sounds--like he needs a decent burial, not another road trip."

  "Funny. But he's all I have."

  "Can't you borrow one of your parents' cars?"

  "Dad's truck is in just as bad shape as George. And anyway, in case of an emergency with Mom, he'd need her car since it's lower to the ground and easier to get her in and out of. I'd never leave him without it, even for just a weekend." She sighed.

  "Go get yourself a cup of coffee in the office. I'll go check on the status of George and let you know the verdict."

  "Okay, thanks."

  Carter went into the garage and had a talk with Chad, who was under the hood of the car.

  About fifteen minutes later, he washed his hands and found Molly eating a donut in the lounge.

  She stood and swiped her hands back and forth. "You were gone awhile. That can't be a good sign."

  "George's fuel pump is shot and so is the injector. They both need to be replaced."

  "Crap. I don't suppose that's going to happen in, like, the next hour."

  "No. It's going to take at least a day, and we need to get parts. So a few days."

  "Double crap. I need to figure out what to do. I suppose I could maybe rent a car . . . or a truck." Sh
e chewed her bottom lip, then grabbed her checkbook out of her purse and studied it.

  He could see that was a problem. And he'd already figured out a solution. "I'll take you to Austin."

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "That's not necessary."

  "It's no big deal. I'm done here for the day."

  "I don't think my stuff will fit in Rhonda."

  "I also have a truck."

  "Oh." She was fidgeting, and he knew it wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't like she had a lot of options at this point.

  "Let me help you with this, Molly. Rather than spending several hours trying to figure out a solution, let's just go. The sooner you get there and back, the sooner you get home to your mom."

  She closed her checkbook and tucked it back in her purse. "Fine."

  "I'll just go tell Chad I'm leaving so he can lock up."

  He went into the shop and let Chad know he was going to be gone the rest of the day, then locked up his office and grabbed his keys.

  Molly was waiting for him, her purse slung over her shoulder.

  "Do we need to stop by your house?"

  "No. My bag is in the car."

  He nodded and went back inside and grabbed her overnight bag from her car, then put it in his car. "We'll stop by my house so I can switch over to my truck."

  "Okay."

  It took about ten minutes to get there. He pulled Rhonda into the garage.

  "Come on inside. I'll need to pack a few things. It won't take me a minute."

  She hesitated, but then followed him in. He hung his keys on the rack and went into the bedroom.

  "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

  Molly didn't want to be here. She wanted to be halfway to Austin by now. She'd intended to get up early and hit the road. Instead, George had been decidedly uncooperative. Her dad had tried to help her get him started, and when they did, he'd insisted she take the car to Carter's shop. She really hadn't wanted to do that, either, but she didn't have much of a choice since she hadn't wanted to end up stranded on the side of the highway.

  She couldn't believe Carter was going to drive her to Austin. She'd tried to think up an excuse as to why this wasn't going to work, but in the end, she wanted a quick solution, and he'd offered. They could make this work. They knew each other, and it wasn't like he was some stranger offering up a road trip in his truck, right?

  For her mother, she'd endure anything. Besides, it was nice of him to offer. She was certain he had better things to do this weekend than drive her all the way to Austin and back.

  So why had he offered? Especially after the way she'd been treating him, the way she'd yelled at him at the wedding.