Hope Falls: Hearts Afire (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Julie Prestsater

  They had been on the road for an hour when his phone started ringing. He looked at the screen and saw that it was her. His chest squeezed and his throat tightened like he was being strangled. He sent the call directly to voicemail.

  She didn’t leave a message but called again. And again. He silenced his phone, but he could still see her name light up on his screen. Each time, he sent her call to voicemail. He really wanted to turn the damn thing off, but he wasn’t allowed to do that while he was on shift. His phone didn’t light up again, though. Only this time, he noticed the little icon at the top of his phone appear. She had left a voicemail.

  He stared at his phone. What could she possibly say? “I’m sorry.” As if that would make him feel any better about being used. He was confused about why she was calling in the first place. She’d gotten what she wanted so why was she even bothering?

  As much as he wanted to ignore the icon staring him down like he was in a duel, he couldn’t do it. He had to pull the trigger. He tapped on his phone and held it up to his ear.

  “Oh my word, Casey Palmer, I don’t know whether to cry or scream. You bastard. You just left and didn’t even give me the chance to explain anything. You left. I went to the station to try to talk to you, but they said you left town to take on some action. I can’t believe it. You left me. You said you’d always be here. That you were a small town firefighter who loved your small town fires and your small town people. You’re full of shit. Maybe you did take me all the way to see my mom to get into my pants. God, I’d hate to think I was that stupid. I thought you cared, Casey. I thought you loved me.” He could hear the sniffles in her voice. She had been crying. It pained him to know that she was hurting, but he didn’t understand why. Why did she care? “I wasn’t wrong, was I?” There was a long pause before she continued. “Listen, here’s the deal. I write romance novels. Or, I’ve written one. Have I written about you? Yes. You’re my inspiration, my muse. But details…about you…about us…have never made the final cut. Especially the scene you read today. My book is fade to black, Casey. I tried to tell you that but you wouldn’t listen. I want my HEA, Case. I want it with you. I’m not going to let you ruin it. I’m not going to do the drag-out, rip-your-heart-out kind of all-is-lost misunderstanding with you either. I am going to make you understand even if I have to beat it into your thick skull. I need you, Casey. I can’t find my pants. I’m cold. I have snot dried up on the side of my face and I need you. Be my hero, Casey Palmer. Don’t leave me like everyone else. I’m worth it. I promise.” A pause. “This is Katie. Bye.”

  This is Katie? He chuckled. As if he didn’t know who was spewing nonsense on his line. He couldn’t help but smile at her message, even though he had no idea what half of it meant.

  He recognized some of what she said as author terminology, but he didn’t know all of their meanings. Quickly, he dialed a number and held the phone to his ear again. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Casey, what’s going on? Katie called.”

  “Everything’s a mess. I need your help. Think romance novel terms. What does it mean to ‘fade to black’?” he asked. He couldn’t believe he was calling his mother for help, but he needed to understand what the hell Katie was talking about.

  “Honey, it means that the novel doesn’t have any sex scenes in it. The sex is insinuated, but there aren’t any details. The scene fades to black. You know the couple is going to do the deed, but you don’t get to read about it.”

  That was odd. He had clearly read explicit detail with his own two eyes. Fade to black, his ass. Katie was the one who was full of shit.

  “Katie told me what happened. You need to listen to her. Authors write thousands and thousands of words that never make it to print. Sometimes, they just need to write whatever comes to mind to keep the words flowing. She never had any intention of including your private life into her final draft.”

  He was trying hard to believe what she was telling him, but it still hurt. After all that he had gone through with Nicole, he couldn’t believe that Katie would think it was okay to write about what they shared, period—whether it was for her first or final draft.

  “Okay,” he told her. “What about knock out, drag out, heart ripping out or something kind of misunderstanding? What the hell is that?”

  His mom actually chuckled at that one. “Oh, goodness. You are one silly boy. Haven’t you ever watched a romance movie? The misunderstanding is like the ‘all is lost’ moment,” she said.

  “Yeah, yeah, she mentioned all is lost or something. What’s that?” If he was going to talk to Katie again, he had to understand.

  “That’s usually when there is some misunderstanding that breaks up the couple so all of us readers can feel their pain and cry our hearts out. Then when you can’t cry any more tears, they finally talk and all is right in the world again. The couple gets back together and they have their happily ever after.”

  “She said she wasn’t going to do the big misunderstanding with me.”

  “Well thank the heavens for that. She’s telling you she’s not going to drag this out, honey. She loves you and she wants to resolve this thing as quickly as possible.”

  “You think she loves me?” Casey smiled, relief washing over him the more he talked things through with his mom.

  “Of course she does.”

  That’s all he needed to know. They said their goodbyes and for the first time since he left the B&B, he could finally breathe easy. They still had a lot to talk about, but he felt better knowing he’d be back soon. And then, as his mom put it, all would be right in the world again.

  But first, he had to text Katie. He couldn’t call her. Chris had shaken his head in his direction earlier. Now, he had a stupid smirk on his face. He didn’t need to hear their shit. And he also had no idea what Katie would throw at him. Like she’d lost her pants. What the hell was that all about?

  He stared at his phone for a second before he tapped on the screen.

  I’m not full of shit. I didn’t leave you. I’m on a call just outside of town. I should be back tonight. I’ll call you when I get in. I don’t want to drag this out either. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I know you’re worth it. I’m not going anywhere. Ever. You’re my HEA, Kate… PS: what happened to your pants? PPS: you might want to wash your face.

  KATIE

  Katie sat in her car in front of the station, waiting for Casey to return. He was due back any minute, and she wasn’t about to waste anytime clearing up this colossal misunderstanding. He had called in someone to cover the rest of his shift. There was no way they were going to be able to wait until the morning to make up. She needed to see his face. She needed to see that he understood she wasn’t going to publish the most intimate details of their relationship. She also needed to apologize. She should have told him what she was doing.

  She could hear the truck coming before she saw it. She read his text message one more time. You’re my HEA, Kate. That part got to her every time. Tears stung her eyes and her heart swelled with happiness. She might have to talk to him about that line. Maybe she could negotiate a deal of some sort so she could use it in her book. It’s was too perfect to pass up.

  Nervous energy stirred within her as the truck pulled into the station. Loud chatter could be heard as the guys spilled out from all directions. Katie inhaled and exhaled a long, deep breath. Then she got out of her car and walked up the driveway to where the guys were talking. She’d grown up around firemen, yet seeing them in uniform still made her pause. There was nothing sexier than a man in uniform, especially a firefighter.

  Especially her firefighter.

  “Hey, Katie.” Eli raised his arms in the air “Welcome.”

  Chris came over and gave her a hug. “Go easy on him. He knows he screwed up.”

  She patted him on the back. “It wasn’t just his fault, but thanks for the intel.”

  “Get your hands off my girl,” Casey teased. “Give me a minute,” he said to the guys.

  “Take all the
time you need,” Eli told him. “Your replacement is already here.”

  When the guys walked away, Casey closed the distance between them.

  “I know I need to apologize, but first things first… You look crazy beautiful. What’s the occasion?”

  Katie loved the way he was looking at her. She actually saw his mouth drop when she first walked up. That was what she was hoping for. All of their time together had been spent on the trails, at the B&B, his place, or JT’s. He had yet to see her really dolled up with makeup on and her hair actually combed. She had taken his advice. She started by washing her face and she kept on going. She was wearing her favorite dress and a pair of heels that made her legs look great. The dress was a gorgeous shade of blue that made her think of Casey’s eyes.

  “You’re taking me to The Cove for a late dinner. I figured it’s the least you could do for yelling at me and making me cry.”

  He reached for her, but she stepped away.

  “Slow down, Casey.” He hadn’t listened before. She was grateful when he listened this time. “I know your mom explained my writing process, but I want to tell you I’m sorry. I should have told you what I was doing. I never meant to disrespect you or hurt you.”

  “What does SFC mean?” he asked.

  “Save for Casey,” she told him. “I planned on compiling all of our parts in a journal, kind of like a diary of our story. Something that we could look back on. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I won’t—”

  “Do it, Kate. Keep the journal. I would love to read it every year on our anniversary.” His smile was weak, but she could see he was trying hard to speak to her with his eyes. She could see he was sorry before he even apologized. “Katie, I’m so sorry I jumped to conclusions and didn’t listen to you. I promise I will never let that happen again. From now on, we’ll do what brought us together. We’ll talk it out. Forgive me, please.”

  “Only if you’ll forgive me.”

  Casey didn’t answer her with words. He grabbed her and kissed her with all he had. She loved that she could feel the passion in his kisses. With each stroke of his tongue, each press of his lips, she knew he was all in. “I love you, Kate,” he said as he planted gentle pecks all over her face, from her forehead to her chin. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, Casey. I’m yours. Today, tomorrow, and forever.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her neck. He made her feel so good, but she couldn’t help what she was about to say. “It’s cold as balls.” She shivered, snuggling into his jacket. She was sure he hadn’t even realized he was still in his full uniform. Helmet and all. She wasn’t about to complain. The man looked hot as hell. Hot enough to warm her up if the weather would agree with her.

  “That dress is going to be the death of me. You look gorgeous, but it’s freezing out here.” He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She could feel his warmth surround her. Her legs were still cold, but she didn’t care. He put his arm around her and they started walking back toward the house. “So, what happened to your pants?”

  Katie shrugged. “I lost them. I figured you’d find them for me.”

  “Pants are overrated.” He swayed his hip into hers. “You know. Like bubbles.”

  She hip-checked him back and was surprised when he didn’t trip over his own feet.

  “So maybe we can negotiate a deal,” she said. She gave him her best smirk when he looked down at her. “My pants can stay lost. You can even lose my panties.”

  Casey stopped and turned her toward him. With a mischievous smile on his face, he asked, “In exchange for what?”

  “Your words,” she said. She could sense that he had no idea what she was talking about. She chuckled knowing it wouldn’t be the first time or the last. “Today, I finished my book except for the last line. I know exactly what I want it to be. It’s perfect.”

  “What’s stopping you from writing them?”

  She took his hands in hers, looking up into his dreamy blue eyes. “They’re not my words. They’re yours.”

  He cocked his head to the side, looking amused. “What could I have possibly said that was good enough to use at the end of your romance novel?”

  “You actually texted them, Prince Charming.” Katie couldn’t hold back the tears in her eyes. She loved this man so much and with three little words, he had completely rocked her world. “You’re my HEA.”

  Casey beamed, shaking his head at her. “Use it.” He bent down and kissed her again. “You are my HEA, Katie. It doesn’t only happen in fairytales or in Hollywood. This is real. What we have is real. I love you.”

  Katie stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him crazy. “Do you think you can still help me find my pants?” she asked, making him laugh.

  He hugged her tightly, and she could feel his body shake with his chuckle. “That was a pretty good line, wasn’t it?”

  She shrugged. “It was all right.”

  “Just all right?”

  “Okay, it was brilliant. But, they’re only two words that are better.”

  “Tell me.”

  “The end.”

  Other Titles by Julie Prestsater

  The Fire Me Up Series

  Tell Me You Love Me, #1

  Tell Me You Want Me, #2 (Coming soon)

  Tell Me You Need Me, #3 (Coming later on)

  Tell Me It’s Forever, #4 (Coming down the road)

  The Double Threat Series

  The Double Threat Box Set

  So I’m a Double Threat, #1

  Double Threat My Bleep, #2

  Double Time, #3

  Double Threats Forever, #4

  Before Someday- Alex Tells All, #9 includes books 5-8

  Before Someday- Part One: The Wait, #5

  Before Someday- Part Two: The Moment, #6

  Before Someday- Part Three: The Hold, #7

  Before Someday- Part Four: The Forever, #8

  The One for Me: Ben’s Story (coming someday in the future)

  Losing It: A Collection of V-Cards

  The Against The Wall Series

  Against The Wall: The Complete Series

  Against The Wall, #1

  Between The Sheets, #2

  Straddling The Edge, #3

  Playing Chase, #4

  Standalone Titles

  Without You

  More Than a Friend Request

  You Act So White

  Other links:

  Julie on Facebook

  Double Threat Series on Facebook

  Julie on Goodreads

  Julie on Twitter

  Julie’s website