Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  “It couldn’t have waited fifteen minutes,” he muttered to himself as he guided his patrol car down the street after leaving his friends enjoying themselves at the Grizzly Paw pub. “Then Jones would have had to take care of it. Fifteen minutes.” Rhys shook his head as he pulled up behind the stalled car, it’s hood up and flashers on. The radios were on the fritz—again—so his dispatcher, Janice, hadn’t been able to tell him what the call out was for. Which is why Rhys had one hand on his weapon as he made his way to the car.

  “Hello?”

  A flash of movement from the front of the car caught his attention and as a reflex, he pulled his gun and almost immediately cursed himself for doing so. He wasn’t in the city anymore. It was goddamm Cedar Springs. Population, not enough for trouble. Just the way he liked it.

  “Oh.” A female voice squeaked. “I…I…”

  Rhys lowered his weapon and holstered it at the sight of the petite woman he’d surprised. “I’m sorry, ma’am.” He held his hand up and approached slowly. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Is everything okay here?”

  She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes darted down to his gun before she shook her head. “No,” she said. “I mean, yes. They’re fine.”

  Her voice shook and Rhys again cursed himself for being paranoid for pulling his weapon on a stalled car. He must be exhausted, and he was letting it get to him. There was no need for the big city dramatics. Especially now that he saw the unfamiliar woman, who was likely one of the many new tourists who had descended on the quiet town once the Springs resort opened up the hill. She was also remarkably beautiful. A fact that was definitely not lost on Rhys.

  “Which is it?” He tried to keep his voice light. “Everything okay? Or not?”

  She shook her head and opened her mouth to say something before she changed her mind. “No,” she said. “Everything is not okay.” She turned to face the engine again, and instead of following her gaze, Rhys studied her profile. Smooth, creamy skin, delicate features, and…a bruise.

  “Ma’am.” Rhys took a step forward and glanced down at the bumper of the car. “Are you hurt?”

  “What?” She stared at him. “No. My car won’t start.”

  “You didn’t crash into anything?”

  “What?” she asked again. “Why would you…Oh.” Her hand flew to her head. Her fingers danced carefully over what looked to be a tender spot. “Yes.” Her voice broke. “I had a bit of a fender bender the other day.”

  Rhys raised his eyebrow and looked again at the immaculate bumper of the sedan. Following his gaze, the woman added, “It was fixed up already. They were really quick.”

  He knew she was lying. His training had taught him to read the signs and body language, and her body language screamed that she was hiding something. But his training also taught him when to back off.

  “Well, what seems to be the problem with the engine?” He put a smile on his face and moved under the hood. He didn’t miss her soft exhale as he dropped the matter of the accident. “Maybe I can see what’s going on.”

  “Thank you. I really am sorry to trouble you. I didn’t mean for the police to come out but she insisted she should call.”

  “Wait.” Rhys stepped back and turned his attention from the hoses and belts in front of him back to the beautiful woman whose name he still didn’t know. “Who insisted?” As he asked the question, he knew the answer. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “No. Let me guess. Sweet little old lady, about this tall.” He held his hand somewhere around chest height. “Lives over there?” As Rhys pointed, they both turned and looked in the direction of the yellow house with the white porch. “Hi, Aunt Daisy,” Rhys called. To the woman, he whispered, “She thinks I can fix anything.”

  “It’s sweet.”

  He looked down into the most interesting eyes he’d ever seen. A blue so deep they were almost black; white flecks made them look almost like marbles he’d collected as a kid. Stunning. Especially since the owner of those eyes was smiling. The first he’d seen from her.

  “I don’t know about sweet.” He waved at his aunt and turned back to the engine. He’d have to go over and say hi when he finished. It’d been too long since he’d been to visit. “Let’s see if we can get this working for you…I’m sorry, you didn’t tell me your name.”

  She flushed. Her skin turned a pretty shade of pink; the blush spread down her neck, into her…Rhys lifted his eyes, forcing himself to focus on her face.

  “It’s Kar—Kari,” she said. “Kari Fox.”

  “Okay.” He nodded despite the fact that something seemed a bit off. “Kari.”

  It was a pretty name and it suited her. Delicate and feminine, but with an undercurrent of something more. Something he might like to investigate further.

  She swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip. “Thank you, Officer. I probably—”

  “Rhys,” he cut her off. “Call me Rhys.”

  She nodded and clenched her hands together. “Can you fix it?”

  “No.”

  Her face fell and for one terrible moment, Rhys was afraid she might cry.

  “It looks like your timing belt is torn and honestly, the best thing to do is get it to Doug. He’ll be able to tell you better than I can exactly what you’re up against. But one thing is for sure. You’re not going anywhere in this car for a few days.”

  Dammit. This couldn’t be happening. She needed that stupid car. What good was a Mercedes if it wouldn’t run when it was supposed to?

  Her lip quivered and, afraid she would cry, Kari bit down on her lip again. She couldn’t fall apart. Especially not in front of a cop. A very attractive cop. She pushed the thought from her head the moment it popped in. That was the last thing she needed.

  “Kari,” Rhys said. His voice was kind and concerned and for a moment, a very brief moment, Kari let her guard down. But then he reached for her.

  Instinctively she jerked back, out of his reach. “No.”

  “Whoa.” He held his hands up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Again. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. This was ridiculous. He was just trying to help and she was acting like a freak. She needed to get a hold of herself. And quickly.

  “I’m the one who should be sorry,” she said. “You’re just trying to help. I think I’m just tired. It’s been a long day and I was really hoping to get farther today but this…” She waved her hand in the direction of the car and forced a smile. “What can you do? How do I get a hold of this Doug fellow?”

  Rhys gave her a strange look. It hadn’t been the first. She really needed to pull herself together or he would ask questions, and that would only lead to trouble.

  “I’ll call him for you and get your vehicle towed to the shop. Being Sunday afternoon, he’s probably out fishing, but I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled and the dimple in his left cheek made an appearance. She’d noticed it the first time he’d smiled at her. It was so cute, and so totally at odds with the rest of his big, tough cop exterior. “Where are you staying?”

  “Pardon?” She focused on what he was asking. “Staying?”

  “Tonight? I’m going to guess you’re up at the Springs?”

  “The Springs?” she repeated, feeling more and more like an imbecile. “What’s that?”

  Rhys closed the hood of her car and wiped his hands on the legs of his uniform. “Grab your bags,” he said. “I’ll give you a lift up there.”

  She couldn’t get in the car with him. She had to take control of the situation and figure out what she was going to do. Kari glanced around. They were in the middle of a residential street. There wasn’t anyone around, except for the elderly lady from earlier, and Rhys— Officer Anderson, she mentally corrected herself. There was no point getting too friendly with him. He seemed nice enough and he was a police officer. That probably meant she could trust him, at least to take her to the hotel.

  “Kari?”
>
  His concerned voice broke through her racing thoughts. She forced what she hoped was a friendly smile. “Yes. Just let me grab my purse.”

  Slowly, she walked around to the side of the car and opened the passenger door. When she bent down to pick up her purse from the floor, she squeezed her eyes shut and used the moment to take a deep breath. Think, think.

  When she straightened, she took a look through the window at Officer Anderson, who was speaking into his radio and not looking at her. Quickly, she opened the glove box, snatched the registration papers and stuffed them in her purse.

  Kari grabbed her tote bag from the back seat and went around to meet the waiting officer.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Is that all you have? Just one little bag?”

  Kari glanced down at her overnight bag. She’d grabbed what she could; it would have to do. “That’s it.”

  “Well then, let’s get going.” His smile was bright, and there was that dimple again. Kari felt herself relax a little bit, but just a little bit as she slid into the front seat of the cruiser next to him. “Where were you headed, anyway?” He put the cruiser in gear and drove away with a wave at the woman who still watched from the porch.

  The question caught her off guard, which was ridiculous because of course he was going to ask. And way out in the mountains the way she was, it wasn’t as if there were a lot of excuses she could give him. Cedar Springs was hardly a “passing through” kind of town. She certainly couldn’t tell him the truth. That the night before, after grabbing what she could, she’d gotten in the car and just drove as fast as she could away from the city, and her life. And she most certainly couldn’t tell him that the car wasn’t technically hers. Being a man of the law, he was sure to look at the situation a whole lot differently than she did.

  “I’m…well…” Kari took a deep breath and forced a lightness she didn’t feel into her voice. “Honestly. I wasn’t headed anywhere in particular. I needed a break from work, so I thought I’d drive until I found a nice little town to get some R&R.” It wasn’t totally a lie.

  “Really?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve never heard of anyone actually doing that before.” He shrugged. “But good for you. And, you definitely landed in the right town. It’s beautiful in Cedar Springs at the end of summer. And it looks like we’re going to have a nice fall.”

  She nodded politely and turned to look out the window. He was right. The town was beautiful. She’d never heard of it before, which wasn’t totally surprising considering the only holidaying she’d really done was for Brice’s business travels, and that certainly didn’t include picturesque mountain towns.

  But she didn’t want to think about Brice. That was the whole idea of leaving. So she didn’t have to think of him. Or see him.

  “Where is it we’re going?” she asked, when they turned out of the town and onto a much more remote road. She clenched the seat and worked to control her breathing.

  Officer Anderson glanced at her, and then did a second take. “Don’t worry,” he said. “The Springs is just up the mountain a way, but it’s not too far. It just opened, so I’m sure we can get you a room and if not, I know the owners.” He winked at her and she tried hard to relax. There was nothing to worry about as long as she was sitting in the front seat of the police car. Brice had no idea where she was and once the car was fixed, she’d get moving again. A few days wouldn’t make too much difference.

  Kari forced a smile. “It sounds nice.”

  But it was more than nice. She saw the sign first. The name of the resort was carved into a large rock, a waterfall gently cascading down next to it. It was beautiful. It was also very understated and classy. The hair on the back of Kari’s neck stood up. She recognized upscale; it was like radar. Her fears were confirmed as they rounded the corner of the mountain road and she caught the first glimpse of the elegant building.

  It wasn’t as large as she would expect, but as they drove up the drive, she could see the building had been carefully designed. Without even going inside, she could imagine the interior.

  “Isn’t it something?”

  Kari turned to the officer. “What type of hotel did you say this was?”

  Officer Anderson beamed with obvious pride. “It was built around the natural hot pools,” he said. “They’re known for their healing properties and the Harrison brothers created a world-class resort to allow people to benefit. It’s pretty amazing. I think you’ll really like it.”

  No doubt about it, Kari thought. She would love it. But there was no way she could afford it. If she used her credit cards, Brice would know right away where she was, and she wasn’t going to let that happen. Not until she could figure out what to do about her husband. Ex-husband, she quickly corrected herself. Regardless, she needed to figure something out. And quickly.

  Rhys pulled up to the front door and put the car in park. He would have liked the drive to last longer, so he could get Kari talking a bit more. She was a hard one to figure out. Going from tense to, well, not totally relaxed, but at least less tense. He twisted in his seat to look at her.

  “What do you think?”

  “Officer—”

  “Rhys.” He interrupted her. “Please, call me Rhys.”

  “Okay.” She swallowed hard and her hand fluttered to her chest. “The thing is…um…I don’t know if the Springs is really the right place for me to stay.”

  All his senses went on high alert. There was something going on with this woman. Before he could say anything, she continued. “What with the car repairs and everything. Maybe it would make more sense for me to stay in town, to be closer to things. And they’re probably all booked up already. I’d hate for you to have to talk to your friends.”

  Her eyes darted around, and when the valet opened the door, Rhys thought she might scream. Reflexively, he put a hand on her knee to still her. She jerked away, as if she was set to run out, but seeing the valet blocking her way, sat back hard in the seat.

  “Give us a minute,” Rhys said to the valet attendant. He raised his eyebrow and quietly clicked the door closed. Kari sagged back against the door.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She wouldn’t look at him, but Rhys spotted her shaking hands. “I’m just a little jumpy. It’s been a long day.”

  “Right.” He drew out the word. There was something about her. His training told him to dig and ask the right questions to figure out what was going on with her. But all he really wanted to do was put his arms around her and pull her close to protect her from whatever it was that had her ready to run.

  “Is there anywhere else I could stay?” she asked in a shaky voice. “Somewhere less…”

  She didn’t have to finish her sentence. It was money. The Springs screamed expensive. Maybe he’d been wrong about her financial situation. He should know better than to judge someone by the type of car they drove. Maybe it wasn’t her car? The thought flashed through his head. He hadn’t even checked her license or registration. Of course, why would he? It was a broken down vehicle; she hadn’t done anything wrong or given him any reason to be suspicious. Except for pretty much everything she’d said to him since they’d met.

  “I have just the place,” he said before he overanalyzed the situation any further. “My friend Sam has a room over her pub, the Grizzly Paw. It’s right in town, and I could probably convince her to give you a good deal. We’ve been friends forever. Sound good?”

  She nodded and the tentative smile on her face made Rhys forget any of the suspicions he had. He might be a cop, but he was also a man and there was no doubt about it, Kari was very beautiful. And he was a sucker for a damsel in distress.

  Rhys put the car in gear and headed back down the mountain.

  “You can come in if you want.” Rhys put the cruiser in park in front of the Grizzly Paw and unclipped his belt. Knowing his friends the way he did, they’d still be on the back deck enjoying the last o
f the summer day, but he wasn’t going to expose this clearly fragile woman to that rowdy bunch. No, he’d go in the front door and try to get things figured out quickly.

  In response, Kari opened the door, clutched her tote bag to her chest, and got out of the car.

  He shook his head and joined her in the gravel parking lot. “There’s nothing to be worried about.” He led the way up to the porch. “Sam’s really nice and I know it isn’t much, but her rooms are clean and comfortable, and you’ll be—”

  “I’m not worried.”

  The steel in her voice stopped him. Rhys turned and for the first time took her in. She was petite, but by no means small. Despite her strange hot and cold behavior, she really couldn’t accurately be described as frail. She stood with her shoulders back, a hardness in her eyes as if she was trying to convince herself that her terrible day was going to turn out fine. She held her lips in a firm line, as if she was determined not to give up any indication of how she was feeling. “I believe you,” he said after a moment, and meant it. He pushed the door open and waited for Kari to walk into the dimly lit bar.

  Sam closed the Grizzly Paw on Sundays, but just like everyone else in Cedar Springs, she didn’t lock the door. Besides, Rhys knew she was on the back deck with the rest of the gang, just the way she always was on Sunday afternoons, and just where he’d be, too. As soon as he finished getting Kari settled. He stole a glance at the woman. Maybe she’d like to join them?

  “It doesn’t look open.”

  “It’s not.” Rhys led the way across the room. “But it’s fine. Just wait here. I’ll pop outside and grab Sam.” He gestured to the spacious deck they could see through the windows on the far wall. The lake glistened in the background, and Rhys felt the familiar pull to jump in the water as soon as he got a chance.

  He took one more quick look back at Kari before heading outside.

  “Hey,” Dylan greeted him. “You’re back. What was the call? You got it sorted out already?”