Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  He’d run late this morning after lying awake for too long last night, replaying that last conversation with Scarlett.

  She was a woman who knew what she wanted, and it wasn’t him. That was honest, and it stung. He wasn’t in a place to offer her anything. Backing off was smart. It didn’t change the fact that he liked her.

  He needed to remain focused on his life, his job and finding his siblings.

  When he’d cut ties with his mother, he hadn’t considered the future, what it would be like without a family. He’d just seen a cycle of behavior that hadn’t changed in twenty years and couldn’t take it anymore. Not with her four months pregnant with yet another kid whose father was probably doing time again.

  He gathered his things for the day, determined to put thoughts of Scarlett and his family out of his mind. It was going to be another full one. He’d had this crazy idea that since no one knew he was in town, it would make for a slow introduction to the clinic.

  Boy had he been wrong.

  He was booked solid with patients who’d opted to move up their appointments now that he was here. He had more work than he’d juggled while in St. Louis.

  Cole pushed through the rear entrance. The smell of coffee and vet clinic mixed together in a comforting way.

  Animals had always been his friend. They didn’t know he wasn’t loveable that they should keep their distance. Companion animals were the embodiment of good in the world.

  Maybe it was time to get a new dog. Or a cat. Something to watch over the house when he wasn’t there and hang with him when he was. He missed Festus. That dog couldn’t be replaced. Cole just didn’t know if he had it in him to go looking for a new friend right now.

  “Morning, Dr. Green.” Cole waved at the older man seated behind his desk. He’d head out soon, making house calls on their larger patients.

  “Cole?”

  “Sir?”

  “I’d like a word.” Dr. Green waved him into the office.

  Cole wiped his hands on his scrubs and perched on the guest chair.

  “You have any questions for me? I’ve tossed you in the deep end and left you to it.” Dr. Green patted the pockets of his utility vest, with a dozen different medical tools and creams stashed in the pockets.

  “No, so far so good. I think it’ll speed up the day to have both the techs in.”

  “No doubt.” Dr. Green nodded and his eyes…twinkled? Was the man actually human? “You’ve made a good impression so far. Keep up the good work so I don’t have to fire you.”

  “That’s the plan, sir.” Cole nodded.

  “Okay, well then, I’m off. Won’t be back until tomorrow.” Dr. Green pushed to his feet and grabbed a kit off the floor.

  Had his boss just smiled and complimented him?

  “Dr. Odell?” Luna called out.

  “He’s in here,” Dr. Green said.

  “Patients here?” Cole glanced up at Luna.

  “Yes.” She stared at Cole with questions in her eyes. He’d gotten that look from a few people and he was beginning to understand what it meant, why Scarlett needed them to take a step back.

  Cole stood, and they both watched Dr. Green exit out the back door.

  “How are…?”

  Luna glanced at the door once more, ensuring the coast was clear before she answered. “Good. They’re eating regularly.”

  “Where are they now?” He hadn’t thought to ask the other night, but kittens had to be fed round the clock.

  “My mom has them. I think she wants to kill me for this.” Luna grinned.

  “Kittens are hard work.” He shook his head.

  “Hey, what’s this I hear about you and Scarlett Lively going out?”

  “We are just friends.”

  “Oh. Well, she’s good people. You know, in case you two become more than friends.” Luna backed away. “I’m going to get the patient in room one ready for you.”

  Lord save him from meddling women.

  Chapter 6

  Scarlett hit print on the event to do list for tomorrow. It was a small affair with zero additional work for her, which was rare.

  If only she could say the same of their Saturday bride.

  Just thinking about her made Scarlett want to groan.

  Benji was right. They needed to have an option for the DIY bride who couldn’t actually do it herself. That was when it fell to Scarlett to pull it together. This week alone she’d sourced materials for centerpieces and coordinated where everything was going. She still hadn’t responded to the bride’s email inquiring if Scarlett could do the assembly for the arrangements.

  They needed to have more options for decorations of their own.

  She grabbed her notebook and flipped it open to a fresh page for ideas.

  It wouldn’t be terribly difficult to spot trends. The trick would be convincing Garth it was worth their time. There was also the question of where the things would go.

  A shadow stretched across the floor.

  She didn’t have a meeting this afternoon.

  Her stomach knotted up.

  A moment later the office door swung open and Garth stepped in.

  Great.

  They’d been avoiding each other since Saturday. She’d been happy sneaking around him, giving him a wide berth.

  Garth grabbed one of the two guest chairs and dragged it to sit next to the desk. He perched on the edge and dragged the back of his hand across his mouth. He and Benji must have finished working on the exterior because Garth was freshly showered. There was still water clinging to his hair. He was casual for once, too, in jeans and a T-shirt. She wondered most days if he even owned anything besides polo shirts.

  “I’ve been an ass lately,” he said by way of breaking the ice.

  Scarlett stared at him, unsure what to say. If she agreed was he going to bite her head off? Or was he accepting that maybe he wasn’t perfect?

  Garth leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees and stared at the ground.

  “I’m sorry, okay?” He didn’t sound too pleased about having to make the apology.

  “Did Benji put you up to this?” She crossed her arms over her chest. If Garth had his way, they’d sweep every unpleasant thing under the rug and keep going. But that wasn’t the right way to act. “What are you sorry for?”

  “Everything.” He glared at her.

  “Don’t look at me that way. If you aren’t seriously apologizing, leave. I’ve got three lists to work through for Saturday and I don’t feel like fighting with you right now.”

  Garth’s expression eased, though his brow remained furrowed.

  “What’s she asking for now?” He leaned over to peer at her desk.

  “Everything.” She sank down further in her chair. Even pissed at each other they could talk work.

  “I knew that one was high maintenance.” He shook his head. “What can I do?”

  Scarlett stared at Garth for a moment, unsure how to answer.

  They all had their roles.

  “Um, well, I don’t think there’s anything I can hand off. Right now I’m big on the word no.”

  “Good.” Garth nodded. “This job is stressful enough without taking on more than we are paid to.”

  “Agreed.” She sighed. “Has Bunny tracked you down yet to sign the petition for the fall festival?”

  “No.” He groaned. “I heard they weren’t organizing anything.”

  “That’s terrible what with no trunk or treat happening.”

  “I bet Bunny makes something happen.” Garth sat back in his chair. “Benji talk to you about the Colorado thing?”

  “He did.” She slid a stack of stapled pages aside to reveal the brochure.

  “And?”

  “And if we want to expand our offerings, it could be a good move,” she said slowly.

  “We don’t need to be everything. There are businesses that do that.”

  “How often do we end up pitching in and helping above what we bill for? How often do you en
d up help do set-up? Decorating? Hm?” She clicked her pen in her hand. “How often do I end up being the wedding planner the day of the wedding? I’ve talked to other venue owners. They have pricing for what we end up doing for free.”

  “But it’s not a guaranteed kind of thing. If you do this trip, will we really recoup the money? Or are we paying for you to go on a trip with your wedding industry friends?”

  “You don’t think I could make it happen?” She bit the inside of her cheek. Garth wouldn’t ask Benji if he could make ten dollars out of five, but he didn’t trust her.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Then I won’t go.” She slid the brochure off her desk and into the trash. It wasn’t like she’d set her heart on going because she knew this argument would happen.

  “Scarlett. Don’t be like that. Come on, between us three you’re the only other one who understands how much responsibility this is. Benji doesn’t get stressed out about anything. You know what we’re up against. What we have to lose.”

  She slumped back and crossed her arms over her chest. There was no more fight in her.

  Garth would always see her as dead weight. She was still the girl in that lost girl in the hospital bed. The one who fell apart over everything. In his eyes she’d never really grown up, and her life choices reinforced that perception to him. Because he couldn’t let go of his role in her life as a guardian.

  “Okay,” he said after several long moments staring at each other. “Be mad at me. All I’m trying to do is make sure we keep us fed and that we don’t lose the land.”

  He shook his head and stood.

  “That wasn’t—I didn’t say that, Garth.” She sighed and threw her hands up. “I could be good at this, that’s all I’m saying.”

  He paused with one hand on the door and spoke over his shoulder. “I’m not arguing that, but I’d have thought you would understand what’s best for this family comes first.”

  She clenched the arm rests and watched the office door swing shut.

  Scarlett understood, but Garth? He only understood his way. Trouble was, his way wasn’t the only way.

  * * *

  * * *

  Cole picked up the plastic bin of glue and wool.

  How had he gotten roped into the last minute float making night? And why did a small town need a parade with so many floats?

  He’d gathered along with others in one of the parking lots by the school. The lights provided light by which they could work on the dozen or so trailers in the fading daylight. A few groups had paired off already and begun the finishing touches on their assignments. Cole glanced in the bucket he’d been handed and didn’t quite know what to make of it.

  “Me and you are on the 4-H float.” A man clapped Cole on the shoulder. He had brown hair, a generous stubble and familiar light brown eyes.

  A lot like Scarlett’s.

  The man gestured at a flatbed trailer with a farm scene playing out on the bed. A wooden playhouse had been covered in paper to look like a barn. A horse stood at the front of the trailer and two chicken wire frames sat at the end. The fenders were covered in green clovers, but they tapered off the further up the trailer, as if someone hadn’t been done yet.

  “4-H?” Cole fell into step with the man.

  “4-H.” The man peered at Cole. “Like FFA?”

  “Sorry, man, I don’t know what any of that is. Wait, isn’t FFA some sort of agriculture thing?”

  “Kind of like that. FFA is done through the school. 4-H is separate.”

  “What does one do in 4-H and FFA?” Cole asked slowly.

  “Depends. What do you want to do?” The man chuckled. “They do a lot of agriculture stuff what with showing animals, but they’re both all about teaching kids leadership and career skills. Hell, with home economics dying out it’s about the only place they learn domestic skills, too.”

  “Oh. Cool.”

  “How does a vet not know about 4-H and FFA, and work in a small town?” The man stepped up on the flatbed.

  “I worked in St. Louis. People don’t exactly keep livestock in their back yards. I didn’t catch your name.” Cole was almost used to everyone knowing his name and story by now.

  “I’m Scarlett’s cousin.” The man’s smile cooled.

  Cole studied the guy. That explained the eyes and the guy’s hair did glint a bit red in the light. Was this the asshole cousin or the other one?

  The image of Scarlett sitting in the driver’s seat of her Jeep, tear tracks marring her cheeks, came to mind. He clenched his fist and stared right back at the man. If he was the asshole, Cole might be hard pressed to play nice.

  “Which one?” Cole asked slowly.

  “Relax, I’m Benji,” the man said brightly and slapped Cole’s shoulder again. “Not the other one. Come on, we’ve got a naked sheep to take care of.”

  Benji. So not Garth.

  Cole climbed up onto the float and stared at the two wire frame sheep.

  “Okay, we’re…putting wool on the sheep?” he asked.

  “Yeah, here, I’ll show you real quick.”

  Benji dropped his bucket and pulled out some wool. Using plain old twist ties he secured the poof to the frame, fluffed it then did another one.

  “See? Easy, just time consuming. Want to start on the other side?” Benji nodded.

  “Sure.”

  Cole ducked around the sheep and picked a spot to start.

  “You and my cousin are getting on,” Benji said far too casually.

  “Scarlett?”

  “No, Garth. You two are drinking buddies, from what I heard.” Benji glanced at Cole. “Of course Scarlett.”

  “She’s was very helpful. I really appreciate all she’s done.” They had gotten on well and that was their problem.

  “Scarlett’s a good person.” Benji’s off-handed, easy going manner set Cole’s teeth on edge. The man was going for disarming, which wasn’t working.

  “Something you want to say to me?” Cole wasn’t going to spend hours biting his tongue. Besides, he was barely resisting going up the hill to talk to her as it was.

  “Nah, people are just talking is all. I was curious about the guy my baby cousin’s been hanging out with. She’s more like my sister than my cousin. You have any sisters?”

  “I do.”

  “Ah, then you know what it’s like?”

  Cole didn’t offer commentary. He’d raised different sets of sisters over the years and a few brothers as well. With how they’d been raised he was always protective of them. No one else was going to be there for them.

  Where were they?

  Could they be happy?

  He knew once he found his sisters he’d want to find the others. The question was, how many brothers and sisters did he have? Where were they? Did they have happy lives?

  “Sisters are their own special kind of hell, are they not? Hogging the bathroom, all those tears and teenage freak outs. Scarlett had it rougher than most what with putting up with Garth and I. How she came out so sweet is a miracle.”

  Was this Benji’s way of saying Scarlett deserved a nice guy? Was this a commentary on Cole? Did Benji know something?

  It wouldn’t be impossible for someone to dig into Cole’s past and connect the dots between him, his mother and father. That would easily lead to all kinds of information, including a less than stellar juvenile record that documented his periods of acting out. He wasn’t proud of that history, but he’d gotten past it and to date the worst he’d gotten was a speeding ticket.

  “You’re sure chatty,” Benji said.

  “I haven’t seen my sisters in a long time,” Cole said.

  “Ah. Yeah. I remember when Scarlett moved out of town for a while.” Benji shook his head and his expression tightened. What had happened during those years? “I sure don’t mind having her back.”

  Cole bit his cheek to keep from asking.

  Had someone hurt her? Was there a story there?

  “Scarlett dated this guy.
Real prick. Controlling type. He convinced her seeing us was a bad idea. Her heart’s too big for her body.”

  Cole stared at the back of Benji’s head.

  Controlling boyfriend? Was this the same one who’d manipulated her?

  What had happened to Scarlett? When had it ended? Had she been okay?

  His gut knotted up.

  “Is this your version of the mess-with-my-sister-and-die talk?” Cole secured a bit of fluff to the frame, gritting his teeth.

  “Does this need to be?”

  “No.”

  “Then it isn’t. I’m just getting to know a new friend of the family.”

  Benji’s conversation meandered away from family and sisters. He asked Cole questions about the vet practice and they argued the finer points of football. Benji was that guy, the one who was the life of the party, pulled too many pranks. Cole knew the type, but Benji seemed like an alright guy.

  They finished up the sheep then separated to tackle the sides of the float. By the time the guy coordinating the float making told them the time with the lights was up, they were slapping on the finishing touches.

  “All done, man.” Benji circled the hitch and picked up Cole’s bucket of tools.

  “Think it’ll hold together until Friday?” he asked.

  “I hope so.” Benji shook his head.

  They turned and began walking toward the coordinators truck then handed in their buckets.

  “Hey, Cole?” Benji kept step with Cole as he strode toward the main lot where he’d left the car.

  “What’s up?” Cole glanced at Benji’s face in shadow.

  “Mind if we talk?”

  “We haven’t been?”

  “I don’t want to put Scarlett in a tough spot, seeing as you two are friends and all. Garth isn’t going to refund the money for the venue. Scarlett’s doing her best to find someone to sublet the day from you so you.”

  “I see.” It was what Cole had been expecting.

  “Just didn’t want that to mess up your friendship with Scarlett.”

  “We barely know each other. I don’t know if that makes us friends or not.” Cole didn’t know why he said it, the words just came out.