Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

He steered his way into the parking lot of David’s Market, a small grocery store just off Main Street not far from where he lived. It was hard to stock the pantry when he could only grab what he could carry either on foot or on the bike.

  Cole coasted up to the bike rack and swung his leg off.

  “Afternoon, Doc.” An elderly man lifted his hand and waved at Cole on his way out of the market.

  “Afternoon.” Cole nodded, no idea who the man was.

  This was so much different from when he was a kid. Of course back then everyone would have known he was the son of the woman who’d just moved in with the local felon. That kind of reputation didn’t endear a guy to people, but being the town vet did.

  He turned to go into the store, but his gaze caught on a familiar green Jeep parked along the store’s front. He stilled, studying the shadows. There was movement inside.

  Cole stopped, rocking up on the balls of his feet. The parking lot and the store noise faded away and all he could see was her. It was like gravity pulling him toward Scarlett.

  He should go in the store, get his things and go.

  Then why were his feet taking him closer to her?

  So much for keeping his distance.

  He circled around to the driver’s side of the Jeep parked a little way from the entrance. Scarlett sat slumped over the wheel, her face hidden from view by her hair. It was down in soft curls, the kind he’d wanted to tangle his fingers in.

  Something wasn’t right.

  He lifted his hand and tapped on the glass.

  Scarlett sat up straight with a gasp he could almost hear through the window. He forced himself to smile and waved, the first becoming an effort when he saw the tear track on her cheek.

  Who the fuck had made her cry?

  Cole tugged on the door and it opened.

  “Hi.” Her one word sounded watery.

  “Hey.” He leaned against the door and took her in. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

  Her lips didn’t even twitch.

  Instead of shorts and a T-shirt she wore a knee length white sundress with a cropped jean jacket that sported white lace panels. Make-up highlighted her cheekbones, and the eyeliner made her eyes seem so big he could fall into them.

  A date?

  Some asshole hadn’t treated her right.

  “Who am I beating up?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone light when he really wanted to know where this prick was.

  “What?” Scarlett chuckled and pushed her hair out of her face. “No one. It’s nothing.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” He lifted his hand then thought better of it. They didn’t really know each other. “May I?”

  “Hm?”

  “You’ve got a smudge right here.” He brushed her cheek with his thumb.

  The moment he touched her skin he felt a zing of awareness. Her eyes widened, and she leaned toward him.

  No.

  Not a good idea even if he liked it.

  He pulled his hand back, breaking the spell.

  “Shoot.” She sighed and flipped the visor down.

  “What happened? Bad date?”

  “Oh, God no.” That inspired a laugh out of her. She took a tissue out of the center console and daubed at her face. “My cousin, Garth, is being an ass. We had an early afternoon wedding today and between a difficult bride and him, I’m just done.”

  Not a date.

  Cole didn’t like the idea of her cousin being mean to her, but he could at least understand complicated family dynamics. He had them in spades.

  “There.” She turned toward him, her smile back in place and her makeup fixed. Her smile was a bit plastic, kind of fake, but at least she wasn’t crying.

  “Beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” Her gaze traveled down his torso. Did she like what she saw? Did it matter? “Did you start work?”

  “First day.”

  “That’s great. How’d it go?” Scarlett grabbed her purse, her cue to get him to back off.

  “Pretty well, actually.”

  She slid out of the Jeep into the space between him and the vehicle. Her chin tipped up, and he found himself falling into those eyes.

  They really had to give each other more space.

  Cole took a step back. He couldn’t get involved with her, not right now, which meant he was going to have to work on how to be a friend. He could do that, couldn’t he?

  “No one gave you a hard time or anything?” She looped her bag over her shoulder and stepped up on the sidewalk.

  “No, everyone was really nice. I’d halfway expected people to hate me on principal.” He joined her and together they walked into the market.

  “I think everyone here has the benefit of knowing AK’s history.”

  “I’m not the first then?” He’d gotten the drift there had been other men.

  “The first she got engaged to.”

  Man, he was a sucker.

  “Need a buggy?” Scarlett gestured at the shopping carts.

  “Nah, I’m still stuck on the bike.” He thumbed over his shoulder.

  “Thought about buying a car?”

  “Another one? Not yet.” He figured Allie was bound to turn up sometime and when she did, he could either sell the car or bring it here depending on what she’d done to it.

  “If you need to do a big shopping trip, I can give you a lift to your place. You don’t live that far.”

  “You’re busy. You can’t be chauffeuring me everywhere.” Though it would mean spending time together. Time he shouldn’t allow.

  “I’m offering.” She put her hand on his forearm and he was a goner.

  “You have to let me do something for you then.” He pressed his hand to hers, memorizing the feel of her palm on his skin.

  “Oh?” Scarlett glanced up at him. “Like?”

  “Have dinner with me tonight.” It was Saturday. She was dressed up. And he was tired of being in that house alone. He wanted to be free and right now he was losing all the reasons why being near her were a bad thing.

  “Maybe another night?”

  “Big plans?”

  Her gaze dipped to his lips and back.

  Was she resisting the urge to kiss him as much as he was her?

  “No, I’m just not good company tonight.”

  “But I’m great company. We’ll balance each other out. And, if I’m being honest, I don’t want to hang out at my house by myself. I opened a few boxes this morning and found my old dog’s things.”

  “The one that passed away?”

  “Yeah. Festus. It was his time, but I miss going home without him there.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Dinner out might be good for both of us,” she said softly and pulled away from him.

  Cole didn’t know if he should pump his fist or kick himself.

  * * *

  * * *

  Scarlett stopped on the walk leading to Cole’s front door and stared at the place. Even the sight of his ass in those thin scrub pants wasn’t enough to make her glance away from the house.

  “Okay, I have some serious house envy. This place is adorable.”

  “Is it? Come on in.” Cole hauled the bulk of the groceries up the stairs and unlocked his door.

  Scarlett followed him inside, peering around. Despite the small look of the place the layout was spacious, letting in a lot of light.

  “Is this a Rivas house?” She followed Cole into the kitchen.

  “Uh, I thought it was a Tudor?” He scrunched up his face.

  “No, I mean who restored it.” She chuckled.

  “I honestly have no idea.”

  “I bet it was the Rivas.”

  “Rivas? Who are they?” Cole opened a bag full of frozen foods.

  “The Rivas family. They do a lot of restoration jobs and move old houses around. Houses in this style in Texas are usually boxy and claustrophobic. This has been opened up. It feels bigger than it looks. That’s the kind of thing the Rivas do.

&n
bsp; “Now I’ve learned something.”

  “I’ll make you a deal; I’ll put all of this away if you go get ready to eat. I’m starving.” She gave his shoulder a shove. That was dangerous. She shivered and once again her comfortable bra felt like sandpaper.

  “If I were less hungry, that deal wouldn’t work, but I’m starving. So, deal?” Cole backed out of the kitchen, his eyes doing that thing where they seemed to turn molten and warm.

  “Go.” She shooed him out of the kitchen then turned her attention to the bags.

  She pulled out frozen foods, then things bound for the fridge, making quick work of his grocery haul.

  She heard creaky floor boards as he walked down the hall toward the kitchen. At least this time he didn’t scare her half to death.

  “Where do you want to eat?” he asked.

  “Depends, do you want to eat in town or go for a drive?” She glanced up and her mouth went dry.

  Sweet baby Jesus.

  Cole stood in the entrance to the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of jeans low on his hips. Those same muscles she’d seen before were making a reappearance, and they were every bit as fine as before. He frowned at his black T-shirt. She’d almost thought her memory had to be faulty when it came to his impressive body. It wasn’t.

  “Where do you want to go?” He pulled the shirt over his head.

  “How hungry are you?” Scarlett gave herself a mental shake and turned back to her task at hand.

  “Very.” Cole placed his hand at the small of her back and leaned over to snag the bag of canned food.

  “Then…” Her skin tingled, and she curled her toes in her flats. This was not the man for her. She would not get involved with him. She swallowed and tried her words again. “Maybe we hit up the grill then? It’s mostly hamburgers and stuff, but it’s good.”

  “That sounds awesome. Ready?”

  “Yup.” Scarlett turned toward the door and mentally tried to pull herself together.

  Cole was certainly a distraction from the fight she’d had with Garth earlier. Maybe not the thing she needed, but she was sure as hell going to enjoy the view and his company.

  Ten minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the Ransom Grill. A line of people waited to be seated inside, but they opted to sit on the patio since the fans created a nice breeze and the sun was almost gone.

  “You look happier,” Cole commented. He still hadn’t glanced at his menu.

  “All I needed was a reason to smile,” she said, reciting a line the groom had said earlier in the day. It had stuck with her.

  “Am I that reason?” Cole leaned his elbows on the table. His gaze told her to say yes. It would be the truth. She found herself smiling for no reason when he was near, but he was not for her. This was a relationship doomed to failure. Besides, she was still focusing on her.

  “Right now, it’s food.” Scarlett’s cheeks were so warm she knew she had to be blushing.

  The waitress bustled over, took their drink and burger orders then left them with nothing to do but look at each other.

  Cole studied her, those minty-blue eyes evaluating and calculating. It was unnerving, so she fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers.

  “Do you want to talk about what was bothering you?” he asked.

  He got right to the point, didn’t he?

  She hadn’t wanted to talk about her cousin. That was work and family, private things. And yet, Benji always swept their problems under the rug. The girls had no constructive suggestions for dealing with Garth. Maybe Cole might?

  “Garth is just being—Garth.” Scarlett sighed and shrugged.

  “And that includes making you cry?”

  “It was a stressful day. We had a crazy bride, and he got to me.” She was used to both on their own, but together it had been too much today.

  “Are all weddings stressful?”

  “Most have a degree of stress, but this one was over the top. I’m just thankful that tomorrow’s bride is very chill, laid back.”

  “Does being around weddings make you want to never get married?” He leaned forward, his focus completely on her. Nothing else mattered.

  “Actually, I love weddings.” Scarlett smiled and propped her chin on her hand. “There’s something magical about each and every one. These two people found someone they want to spend the rest of their lives with. I think it’s amazing. But…I probably won’t get married.”

  “Why not?”

  “Family curse.” Scarlett shrugged and sat back in her seat.

  “Family…curse?” Cole quirked a brow at her. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. Is it a load of bullshit? Probably, but…” She shrugged again. Just because she thought it was unlikely didn’t mean she was averse to being married herself.

  “What is this curse about? Weddings?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  The waitress returned with their drinks and burgers, saving Scarlett from having to regale Cole with the whole, sordid history. It was another one of those things that most people knew about. Explaining it to him would be awkward at best.

  “This isn’t over.” He wagged a fry at her before digging in.

  For several moments neither of them spoke, too focused on the greasy goodness. She was glad for the respite. When he looked at her, it was so intense and she wasn’t fully in control of herself. She needed the time to regroup and get her head screwed on straight.

  “Doctor Odell!” A frail, older woman waved her bony hand at him. The other clutched a four footed cane.

  “Hi, Pearl,” Scarlett said between bites.

  Pearl didn’t glance Scarlett’s way, which wasn’t a surprise. The little old ladies of Ransom were known to dote on attractive, younger men.

  Cole wiped his mouth then caught Pearl’s fluttering hand in his.

  “Hello,” he said with a warm smile. “How’s my patient doing?”

  “She’s doing so much better. You really handled my Pussy so well.”

  Scarlett choked on a fry.

  Had Pearl just said Pussy?

  “I’m glad to hear Prissy is doing well. I’ll be seeing you both in a few weeks, right?” Cole patted Pearls hand then nudged Scarlett’s foot under the table.

  “Pussy won’t be happy to see you, but I will. Have a nice night.” Pearl waved at Scarlett then inched along toward the exit.

  Scarlett peered at Cole over her hand, smothering her chuckles.

  “It said Prissy on paper.” He shook his head then picked up his burger.

  “Do you handle all—” Scarlett snapped her lips shut, but a laugh bubbled out.

  “I treat all of my patients with care.” The way he stared at her she wasn’t sure if patients were what they were actually talking about.

  She needed to change the subject.

  “I heard Sissy got her license revoked after the other day,” Scarlett said. It was a rumor, but one she was likely to believe.

  “Really?” Cole tilted his head.

  Two other people paused at their table to chat with Cole about their pets. She was content to eat in peace watching the rumor mill working in their favor. Every so often he glanced at her, his eyes saying he hadn’t forgotten about her, promising something she might be too afraid to take.

  He was a good guy that had been dealt a crappy hand. Somehow he continued to have a good attitude about it and finding his way. It was an admirable how he’d picked up and moved on. He was a perfect mess for her to fall in love with though. The attractive guy on the rebound with boxes of baggage. Yeah, if she didn’t stick to her guns and protect her heart she’d fall for him. It wouldn’t be anyone’s fault but her own.

  By the time Cole managed to finish his meal she’d thought herself in circles.

  He paid the bill without giving her the chance to split it. They left the patio to a chorus of well-wishes from other patrons and got in the Jeep.

  “You’ve been awfully quiet.” He set his hand ag
ainst her lower back and she almost purred.

  She didn’t offer an explanation. How could she?

  He opened her door and handed her in, showing off manners even Garth couldn’t fault.

  Cole climbed in, the silence stretching on. Her stomach knotted up at the idea of taking him home and leaving. She wasn’t ready to face her cousins again. But she was no match for him either.

  “Is it always like that?” He turned toward her.

  “You’re new and people just want to be friendly.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant, but about that—how did that old guy know Allie took my car?” Cole’s gaze narrowed, focused on her.

  Busted.

  She swallowed and started the Jeep.

  “Scarlett?” A note of suspicion reverberated in his voice.

  “I might have said a few things to a friend.” She sighed and turned her head toward him. “It’s just—when I got home Garth and Benji had heard all this crap about you. How you were the bad guy and all of this was your fault. So…I might have said something to my gossipy friend to share your version. I wasn’t going to stand for people thinking you’re the jerk when we all know AK is a flake.”

  She shifted into reverse.

  Cole said nothing.

  “The girls at the office were nice to me when I showed up to talk to Dr. Green,” Cole said after a few moments.

  “They should be.”

  “They wouldn’t have been if they’d heard what your cousin had, would they?”

  “I don’t know.” Scarlett slid down further in her seat.

  “I guess I owe you another dinner.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “You’ve been saving my ass ever since I met you.”

  “You did pull me out of the mud.”

  “It was my fault you fell.”

  “Touché.” She turned onto his street, still torn.

  “You going to tell me that long story now?” Cole asked.

  Scarlett glanced at the clock but it was still early. If she went home and Garth was looking to pick a fight, she’d be miserable all night. Or she could enjoy the company of an attractive man while she got a jumpstart on telling him her history before anyone else got there. After tonight she could do herself the favor or staying on her side of town. He didn’t need her anymore, and they didn’t have to be super friends. Just friendly.