Jaci Burton - Hope Flames

“Should I shop for food or something?”

“We’ll do that when we get up there. There’s a store nearby.”

“All right.”

“I should go so you can finish up your workday.” He pushed off the wall, then reached for the door handle in her office.

“Luke?”

He paused, turned his head to look at her. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for inviting me. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

Her voice was soft, like a caress over his skin.

He came toward her and grabbed her lab coat, tugging her toward him for a kiss. It was long, lingering, and made him want to stay for more. But he had work to do, and so did she.

“Me, too, Emma.”

EMMA DWELLED ON her weekend with Luke all during the workday. After she’d spilled her guts about her past with Vaughn, she figured he’d run like hell and not look back.

Most men would.

She should have known Luke wasn’t most men.

Most of her issues with the past were in her own head. It was high time she shoved the past into the closet, into the dark remnants of history where it belonged. She deserved to live again, to have some fun. And who better to have fun with than Luke, someone she trusted, someone she knew wouldn’t hurt her?

Luke wasn’t looking for anything long term, wouldn’t put shackles of ownership on her and make demands of her. He was a fun guy, certainly hot, and more important, he wasn’t out for a relationship. He was a fling kind of man. And when it was over, she could breathe a sigh of relief, put a checkmark on her “things to do to start living her life again,” and move on.

With that in mind, Emma was thrilled at the prospect of having a weekend alone with Luke. She’d been working nonstop since she started up the practice, and it was exhilarating to think she had three whole days off. She’d worked out a deal with the veterinary clinic north of town. They were taking emergency calls for this holiday weekend. She’d be on call for the next holiday.

She finished packing, put dog food in a container for both Daisy and Annie, packed up their bowls and toys, and laid it all by the front door, which gave her just enough time to dash into the bathroom to look in the mirror one last time.

Hair in a high ponytail. Capris, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt. All very casual. It wasn’t like she was trying to impress Luke.

Much.

Daisy barked, so that meant Luke was in her driveway. She opened the front door and saw Luke’s truck, with one really cool ski boat trailered behind it.

The dogs ran to him, already so familiar with him that they sat and stayed when he gave them the command.

“Nice boat,” she said.

“Thanks. I’m looking forward to taking it out in the water.”

“I’m looking forward to being out on the water.”

He grinned. “Annie’s coming along with her training.” He looked over his shoulder to watch her sitting next to Daisy.

“We’ve been working diligently on it. I didn’t want her running amok at the lake, and I really didn’t like the idea of boarding her this weekend. We practiced ‘stay’ a lot last night.”

He smiled. “We’ll keep watch over her. I think she’ll stick close to Boomer and Daisy.”

“She trails after Daisy like she’s her big sister. I don’t anticipate any problems.”

He reached down for her bags. “Is this everything?”

“Yes.” She grabbed the bag she’d loaded with the dogs’ stuff and locked the door behind her. Daisy hopped up into the backseat of Luke’s truck, and Emma scooped up Annie and deposited her next to Daisy.

“Hi, Boomer,” Emma said, giving Boomer a scratch behind the ears. “Ready for a big weekend at the lake?”

Boomer licked her hand.

“Boomer loves the lake. Surprisingly, he actually likes the water.”

“That’s good. Not a lot of dogs take to water. It reminds them too much of having a bath.”

“He also likes baths.”

“Clearly an exceptional animal.”

Luke gave Boomer a rub. “He thinks so.”

The ride up to Grand Lake took less than an hour. Boomer and Daisy spent their time looking out the window, while Annie curled up on the seat and went to sleep. Emma had gotten to work before the sun came up, so she found herself drifting on and off, her head resting against the passenger-side window.

She startled at Luke’s nudge on her shoulder and the sound of his voice.

“Hey, we’re here.”

She shot up. “Oh, God. I slept.”

“Yeah, you did.”

She took off her seat belt. “I’m so sorry. I got up really early today, but geez, I was terrible company for you on the ride.”

“It’s okay, Emma. I don’t need conversation. And you obviously needed a nap.”

She slid out of the truck and grabbed her bags. She and the dogs followed Luke the short walk to the cabin.

“Wow,” she said, trailing behind him.

He stopped, his boots kicking up dirt as he swiveled to face her. “You like the place?”

What wasn’t there to like? A two-story log-cabin style, it had pristine windows and a back deck upstairs she already knew would provide a stunning view of the lake. Trees so tall they shaded the hot afternoon sun surrounded them. It was isolated, which only added to its allure.

“The location is prime. Right on the lake. And one spectacular view.”

“Yeah, my dad owned it. Now it belongs to my brothers and me. Logan’s always busy on the ranch, though, so he rarely comes up here since he says there’s plenty of fish in the lake on the ranch, and of course, Reid lives out of state, so he’s never here.”

He unlocked and opened the front door, holding it open for her. As she brushed by, she inhaled the fresh, outdoor scent of him, making her want to lean in closer.

Inside was all wood floors, and nicely furnished, with a great kitchen. The place smelled of recent polish. “Did you come up here recently to clean?”

“No, but we have people to take care of it routinely, so the place doesn’t get musty.”

People. Must be nice to have “people.”

They let the dogs out back, and there were no neighbors, so the dogs could run free. They walked for a bit while the dogs stretched their legs.

“I don’t know how you don’t come here every weekend,” she said as they walked a worn path parallel to the lake. The dogs stayed nearby. “It’s beautiful and so peaceful.”

“Yeah, it is nice. I come out here from time to time. I came here a lot after my divorce, to get away and work on things in my head.”

“Some alone time is never a bad thing. Especially after going through a breakup.”

“Back then it wasn’t. Now coming here alone just makes me feel . . . I don’t know.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “More alone?”

His lips curved. “Maybe.”

“But you like your bachelor lifestyle.”

“I do. Doesn’t mean I always like being alone.”

Interesting. She’d enjoyed her freedom so much since she’d escaped from her relationship with Vaughn. She’d felt like a prisoner for so long, she’d vowed back then she’d never be tied to a man again.

But that had been a very long time ago. School and work had kept her so busy she’d never felt anything was missing in her life.

Until very recently.

“How was work today?” Luke asked.

“Easy. We took in a few dogs and a cat for boarding. I had one emergency, a dog that had gotten into a fight and needed some stitches. Otherwise, very routine.”

“Easy days are good. Seems like you’re settling in.”

“It does. I’ve been very lucky so far. Folks have been friendly and have been referring their friends and family, so my business is increasing.”

“Hope’s a friendly kind of town, you know. If you do right by people, they have no problem recommending you to others. They like to see good people succeed.”

“You sound like a politician now.”

He laughed. “Believe me, I’m not. I just know how it works in Hope, since I’ve spent my whole life here, other than a few years away for college.”

“Any thoughts about living somewhere else?”

“I’ve thought about it, especially if the chance to work in a bigger city police force ever comes around.”

“So you see what you’re doing now as a stopover point, something temporary?”

Luke studied the earnest expression on Emma’s face. He’d never considered the question, at least not in depth. He’d always thought of his job with the Hope police force as something he was doing right now, never giving much thought to whether it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Sure, he’d often thought about working for a larger police force in a bigger city, but working for Hope satisfied him.

Did it satisfy enough, long term?

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Her gaze held his. “Are you happy? With your job, I mean?”

“Yeah.”

“Then maybe you don’t need to look for that spot over the rainbow, to borrow from Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. A lot of people are so miserable in their jobs their whole lives, and no matter where they go, they’re never going to be happy. You are happy. Isn’t that enough?”

The wind had started to pick up, grabbing a strand of her hair and whipping it across her cheek. He reached out and tucked it behind her ear. “Maybe it is.”

She offered up a smile, and he wanted to pull her close, put his mouth on hers to see if she tasted as good as she looked.

She tempted him, made him want things he never thought he’d ever want again.

And that was the temptation of Emma.

Boomer barked, and Emma took a step back.

“Come here, Annie.” She crouched down and the pup came running. She scooped her up in her arms.

“She’s growing fast.”

“I know,” she said with a laugh. “Soon I won’t be able to hold her. Which is why I’m doing it now. She may grow fast, but she’ll be a baby for a while.”

He grasped Annie under her chin and stared into her dark eyes. “She’s a cutie.”

“I wasn’t intending on adopting another dog, not right now, anyway. I just started the new practice, and that’s keeping me plenty busy.”

“It’s like having kids. I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time for that, either.”

She laughed. “I guess not. Annie just showed up, and when no one adopted her, what was I supposed to do? Take her to the shelter? I was afraid no one would take her, and she’d bonded with Daisy, so she became part of the family.”

“Admit it. You’re a softy. Just hope you don’t adopt every stray that shows up at your clinic.”

“My house isn’t big enough for that.”

They continued walking. “You might have to get a bigger house.”

“Or better resolve. I’m not one to let animals go unclaimed. If I hadn’t been living in an apartment when I was working at the clinic in South Carolina, I’d likely have brought a few dogs and cats along with me when I came back home. Someone was always dropping off an animal they’d found.”

“There are shelters for that.”

“True. But people often take animals they find to their veterinarian because they figure the vet’s office will feed them, give them their shots, and do a better job of finding a home for them. If we have the space, we’ll give them a few days and put up a sign, hoping someone will adopt the animal. But if no one wants them, we have to take them to the shelter.”

“Then hope for the best.”

She nodded, her expression pained. “Yes.”

They made it back to the house. The dogs bounded up the stairs, even Annie, though she was a little slower than the other two.

“I’ll take you upstairs so you can stow your gear.”

She grabbed her bag and followed him up the stairs.

“There are two bedrooms up here. One bathroom.”

He was giving her the choice. He wouldn’t push her. Even though they’d been together once, he would never assume.

“Which one’s your room?” she asked.

“I usually stay in this one.” He inclined his head to the right.

She pondered for a few seconds. “Okay if I stay with you?”

He felt the jolt of awareness all the way down to his balls and let her know by giving her a heated smile. “Very okay.”

He led her into the bedroom where they dropped their bags and unpacked. After that, they went downstairs.

“You ready to head to the store and stock up for the weekend?”

“Sure. Do you want to make a list first?”

He leaned a hip against the counter and studied her. “So you’re a list maker, huh?”

She cocked a brow. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”