Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  “I’m looking to speak with Kari Fox.”

  “Rhys? It’s Carmen.” There was a tone in her voice that bothered Rhys. His senses alert, he sat up straight.

  “Can I talk to Kari?”

  Silence. And then, “She’s not here.”

  “What do you mean? She’s working this morning. I left her…it doesn’t matter. Where is she?” Panic pricked at him. Something wasn’t right.

  “Something happened this afternoon,” Carmen began, “and…well, one of the guests recognized Kari, only…well, she should probably explain. I don’t really know exactly what happened. But she was pretty shaken up, so I gave her the day off. I don’t—”

  “Where is she?” He didn’t need the details. He needed Kari, because without a doubt, whatever had happened at the Springs that morning had something to do with the car, and there were a lot of questions he needed answers to.

  “I don’t know.” Carmen’s voice was shaky, uncertain, and for a moment Rhys felt a twinge of regret for being so gruff with her. He’d apologize later. First, Kari.

  “Did she go back to the Grizzly Paw?”

  “I assume so,” Carmen said. “I’m sorry, Rhys. I—”

  He didn’t wait to hear what else Carmen had to say. He pushed End on his cellphone and without thinking about it, opened the email from Rex.

  It was time to get some answers.

  She couldn’t stay at the Springs. Kari’d already made the decision to leave before Carmen returned from dropping Brandi at the spa. But a sense of duty to her friend caused her to wait until Carmen returned so she could say goodbye.

  “I’m sorry,” Kari said as soon as Carmen returned to the desk. “I can’t—”

  “Go.” Carmen put her hand on her arm and squeezed. The touch almost undid her. This woman had become her friend, but instead of being able to confide in her, Kari needed to run. It was the only thing she could do.

  Kari managed a weak smile she didn’t feel and blinked back the tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I don’t mean to leave you like this, but…it’s complicated and…thank you for dealing with…I just need…”

  “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. But I’m here if you need anything. Just ask, okay?” Kari tried to think of something to say, an explanation she could give her friend, but she couldn’t think of anything except that she’d been discovered. She needed to figure out what to do. Where to go. She wasn’t a fool. The second Brandi had a chance, she’d be on the phone and it wouldn’t be long before Brice would find her.

  The panic that welled up inside her was too much. She didn’t need to be afraid. Brice wouldn’t hurt her, not really. Would he? She couldn’t answer that. He’d threatened her. And he was Brice. And…it didn’t matter. She’d been stupid to think she could start over in a new place, as a new person. It was over.

  “Kari?”

  She blinked and focused on Carmen. “Can I borrow your car? I don’t have any way to get—”

  “Of course.” Carmen opened a drawer and pulled out her car keys. “I can pick it up from the Paw later. Just leave the keys with Sam.”

  Kari wrapped her fingers around the keys. She turned to leave but before she did, she threw her arms around Carmen and squeezed. “Thank you. I mean it.”

  Before the tears that were threatening could spill, Kari gave Carmen one last squeeze and then turned and ran from the Springs.

  When she got to the Grizzly Paw, Kari had her emotions in check. Or at least, more so than she had when she got in the car, which was very much a good thing. A little distance between her and the woman who in a few hours would ruin everything helped.

  Fortunately, it was still too early for the dinner crowd, so the bar was empty. Kari was pretty sure the last thing she needed was to answer any questions about her frazzled appearance, and she knew without looking in a mirror that she would look like hell. All she really needed was to get upstairs, pack her stuff and get out.

  The how and where—she’d figure out later.

  She got up to her room, changed out of her Springs uniform, and threw the rest of her meager belongings into her duffle bag. Her cell phone sat on the dresser. Impulsively, she picked it up and dialed.

  “Karina.” Her mother’s voice came on the line. She must have recognized the number. Knowing her mother, she’d been waiting for her to call since the last time. “I’m glad you called.”

  “Are you?”

  “Of course.” She could practically see her mother pursing her lips together. “Brice’s been going crazy trying to find you and once the car was located, well, you can imagine the—”

  “Wait.” Kari froze and stared sightlessly at the wall. “What do you mean, the car was located?”

  “Well, obviously Brice had the car reported stolen, Karina. And when—”

  “It wasn’t stolen,” she said, her voice blank. “It was mine.” But it wasn’t really, and Kari knew that. She opened her purse and saw the registration papers she’d tucked in there the day the car had broken down. Isn’t that why she took them out of the glove box in the first place?

  “Karina.” Her mother’s patronizing voice gave Kari the urge to scream and throw the phone. “It’s Brice’s car. You know that. But it doesn’t matter now; he’s on his way to get the car. And you, obviously.”

  “What? When?”

  “Come on, darling. You didn’t really think this could go on forever, did you? Brice is your husband. He loves you.”

  “He’s not,” she said through clenched teeth. “And he doesn’t.”

  “You’ll be happy to know that I spoke with him, and he’s willing to forget any of this ever happened. You can be remarried any time, and I’ll even arrange—”

  “When?” She needed to know how long she had before he arrived. “When did he leave?” If Brice was on his way, she no longer needed to worry about Brandi blabbing her secret. But it also meant she didn’t have nearly as much time to figure out what she was going to do as she’d hoped.

  “I spoke with him just after lunch,” her mother said. “He was going to leave right away.”

  Kari didn’t have to look at a clock to know what that meant. It was only a matter of time.

  “It’s a good thing, Karina.” Her mother was still talking. “Brice has always been so good to you and me. He cares about us and—”

  “Stop.” To her surprise, Kari’s voice was controlled. Even. Despite the fact that the room spun around her and she felt if she didn’t sit down, she might topple over completely, she was in control of that one thing. And as she listened to her mother, everything she’d been trying so hard not to see became very clear. “He’s giving you money, isn’t he?”

  “What? No! I don’t—”

  “Don’t bother denying it. Anything you’ve ever done has been for money. And that’s all Brice has ever been to you. It never mattered that he treated me badly, or hit me.”

  “He never hit you.”

  “He did! And you didn’t care. Not as long as your allowance came in.”

  “Karina, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done for you.”

  “Save it.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “And it’s Kari now. I’m not that girl anymore.” As she spoke the words, she realized how true they really were. She didn’t wait for her mother to say anything else.

  There was nothing else to say. She powered off the phone and tossed it in the garbage can, taking one last look around the room.

  Her uniform was folded neatly on the bed. Looking at it, Kari had to swallow hard to force the lump in her throat down. It was crazy how in such a short time that uniform had come to represent so much. Independence. Freedom. Love.

  That was silly. The uniform didn’t represent love. That was Rhys. And without the resort and Cedar Springs, Rhys wouldn’t have happened either. Kari didn’t try to stop the tears that spilled from her eyes when Rhys came to mind.

  How was it, le
ss than twenty-four hours ago, she’d been in his arms, feeling safe, protected, and utterly loved. Before she’d met him, she never would have thought falling in love in such a short time was possible. But it was. Because the ache in her heart was very real. If she ran, she’d never see him again. But how could she stay? Brice would be there within the hour, maybe two if she was lucky.

  Footsteps on the stairs froze her in place. “Kari.”

  For a moment she didn’t move. She could run. And then what? There was no point. Slowly, Kari turned around. “Hi, Sam. I really have to—”

  “Go? I know.”

  “Carmen called you.”

  Sam nodded. “Of course she did.” She gestured to the bed, and although part of her yearned to turn and run, another, bigger part wanted to sit. She sat.

  Sam sat across from her and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, Sam said, “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on. But I hope you do. Because you need to know that whatever it is, we’re your friends, Kari. If you need help, we’ll help you. But we can’t do that if you don’t talk to us.”

  “I wasn’t going to…” She trailed off. She couldn’t lie to Sam. “I want to tell you. I just don’t know where to start.”

  Her friend reached out and squeezed Kari’s hand. “From the beginning.” She smiled. “Just start talking and then we can figure out the rest.”

  Kari gave Sam the abridged version of things, which was all that was really necessary. By the time she was done, Sam practically bounced out of her seat, ready to take action.

  “First things first.” Her friend pulled her into a strong hug. Sam’s arms felt good, but more than that, it felt good to know that Kari had allies. She really did have people who cared.

  “Thank you.” Kari wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. There was no time to cry. “It means a lot to know you support me. Really.”

  “Of course.” Sam’s smile was warm. “Now, what’s going on with Rhys?”

  “Pardon?” It didn’t really seem like the right time to talk about her love life.

  “I mean, I—”

  “Oh, I don’t need details.” Sam’s laugh was infectious and despite everything, Kari blushed and smiled. “I know there’s something going on there. What I want to know is what he thinks about all of this.”

  Kari looked down at the quilt, her smile gone. “I didn’t tell him.”

  “Anything?”

  She shook her head. “There wasn’t a good time and I was going to…” She broke off when she looked up and saw Sam’s face. “What?”

  “Rhys…he…” Sam shook her head and tried to smile again. “I’m sure it’ll be…well, why don’t you talk to him?”

  The feeling of unease settled over Kari again and weighed heavy on her shoulders. What wasn’t Sam saying about Rhys?

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Come on.” Sam stood and pulled Kari to her feet. “Let’s go find Rhys and—”

  “Sam. What?”

  “I shouldn’t say anything.”

  “But you will.” Kari raised her eyebrows. “Please.”

  Sam sighed, the sound heavy in the small room. “Okay. Did Rhys tell you about his girlfriend in the city and the history between them?”

  Kari nodded, the memory of the conversation coming back to her. “He did.”

  “So, he told you how important honesty was to him?”

  Kari squeezed her eyes tight. She remembered.

  “Yes.” A deep voice startled her. Her eyes flew open and landed on Rhys in the doorway. He looked directly into her eyes. “I told her.”

  “Rhys.” Kari took a step toward him.

  His reflex was to go to her, take her in his arms and kiss away the worry on her face. He crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Who are you?”

  She flinched at his words, and if he wasn’t so angry and confused by everything he’d read in Rex’s report, he would apologize. But he couldn’t.

  “I’ll leave you two to talk.” Sam walked to the door. “I’ll be downstairs, Kari. Whatever you need, okay?” Kari nodded and Rhys let Sam pass.

  They were alone. A few hours ago, he wanted nothing more than for them to be alone together again. To be in the same space, where he could touch her, feel her soft skin beneath his fingers, her lips on his, and the way her body moved beneath him. Now…everything was different.

  “Rhys,” she said again. Her voice sounded small, but using his training, he steeled himself to it. “Let me explain.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Rhys.” She pleaded with him and he could see the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. He hated himself for doing that to her. For causing that pain. But he had to protect his heart.

  “Who are you?” He repeated the question, his eyes locked on her.

  Kari’s shoulders sagged. “My full name is Karina Callahan. Kari was a nickname when I was a kid. Fox was my maiden name.”

  “And your husband?” It was harsh. He knew it but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “His name?” He already knew the answer but he needed to hear it from her lips. He needed to hear it all.

  “Brice.”

  The name hit him in the gut. Rhys shook his head and for the first time looked away.

  “He’s not my husband.” Kari spoke softly, but her voice was hard. “Not anymore.”

  The file Rhys’d read did say “ex-husband” but the divorce was still fairly new.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does,” she said. “A lot. And how did you know?”

  There it was. She was going to find out that he’d done a search on her. Just the way his ex had. He’d destroyed things then, and he was going to destroy it now.

  But she’d lied. He’d repeated those words in his head since he’d found out the truth. As if that would justify his own breach of trust.

  She’d lied.

  Rhys walked to the window and stared out at the street below. He needed a minute to pull his thoughts together. His mind had been going a mile a minute since he’d finished reading Rex’s report. And then read it again.

  The moment he clicked open the email and started reading, he’d regretted it. But there was no turning back. But hadn’t Kari, or Karina, done that first? And hadn’t he known all along that something wasn’t right? Wasn’t that really the reason he was so mad at himself?

  He clasped his head with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. He’d known. From the moment she’d told him her name, he knew something wasn’t right. Every bit of his training as a police officer had honed his instincts, and that didn’t just go away because of a pretty face and a great pair of legs. The truth was simple: he hadn’t wanted to see it.

  Rhys turned and looked at Kari. Her shoulders sagged, hurt was written on her face, and…something else. Strength. Despite her obvious pain, there was no mistaking the strength in her.

  Dammit. He still didn’t want to see the truth. But he couldn’t undo it now.

  “You lied,” he said. “About everything.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Not everything.”

  “What wasn’t a lie?” He hated the anger in his voice, but he couldn’t control it. “Your name? Who you were? Whose car it was? What you were doing here? Lies by omission are still lies, Kari. Or should I call you Karina?” She flinched. “So tell me, what didn’t you lie about?”

  “How I feel about you.” Her words stopped him. “That wasn’t a lie.”

  They stood only a few feet apart, but it might as well have been miles.

  He wanted to believe her. He needed to believe her. Needed to believe that everything he’d been feeling since he’d met her wasn’t a lie.

  He opened his mouth to say something. Tell her that he felt the same way, that he cared about her, too. That despite everything he could feel himself falling in love with her a little more each second. Instead, he said, “If you really felt that way, we wouldn’t be standing here
right now having this conversation.”

  Rhys saw her face crumple. The tears that threatened now spilled down her cheeks.

  He’d done that. With just a few words, he’d caused that pain.

  “Rhys. Please.”

  Every fiber in his body yearned to go to her, hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay.

  He turned away. He couldn’t stay there and look at her, knowing her deception.

  “Don’t go.” Her voice broke.

  Rhys steeled his spine, walked to the door, and left her.

  He’d left her. After everything that’d happened between them. He’d just left. Kari watched the empty door for a minute before she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. It was fine, she told herself. She didn’t need him. It didn’t matter that she’d never felt with any man the way she felt with Rhys. That from the moment he stopped on the side of the road, she’d never felt safer, more protected, but also strengthened, like with his support, she could do anything.

  But he’d left. She’d looked him in the eyes and asked him not to go and he’d left anyway.

  Kari exhaled slowly, emptying her lungs before filling them again. She couldn’t dwell on it. Later, when there was time, she would let herself hurt.

  She picked up her duffle bag and went to find Sam. She knew one thing: even if Rhys never wanted to speak to her again, she didn’t want to leave Cedar Springs anymore. And maybe Sam could help.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” Sam said. They sat at the kitchen table in her tiny house that was just a few minutes away from the pub. As soon as Kari confided in her friend that she didn’t want to leave Cedar Springs even if Brice was coming after her, there was no question about it. Sam dragged her to her house and insisted that she would stay there until they figured everything out.

  “It’s not like I’m really here much,” Sam said. She put a mug of steaming tea in front of Kari and returned to her seat. “Trent hates staying here. He prefers to be up at the Springs, and...you don’t want to hear about this.” She smiled and Kari noticed a faint blush.

  “No, I do.” Kari wrapped her hands around the mug to absorb the warmth. The day had turned cool when a storm had come across the mountain and it was only getting worse as the sun began to dip below the mountain. In an instant, summer had disappeared, replaced by cold, hard rain and unyielding wind. Even if she had decided to run again, Kari could imagine herself stranded on the side of the highway, a slave to the weather. It was definitely better to be safe and warm inside. “It takes my mind off everything,” she said to her friend. “Tell me about Trent.”