Hope Flames: Hope Book 1 (9 page)

“Is that right?”

She pulled her gaze away from the game and looked at him. “Well, yeah. Can’t you tell? Trainor’s either hiding an injury or needs to lose some weight. And judging from the paunch in his belly, I’d say he needs to lay off the cheese-burgers.”

Luke snorted. “Maybe you should have a talk with his conditioning coach.”

“Somebody needs to, or he’s going to find himself booted down to Single-A ball.”

“I had no idea you knew so much about baseball.”

She shot him a grin. “I love sports. I played softball all through school. I’d have played it in college if I’d had the time. I was good enough to get a sports scholarship.”

“But that’s not what you wanted to do.”

“No. I had big plans to become a vet.” She stared out over the field.

“And now you’ve got your own practice.”

“Yes. Finally.” She shoved another handful of popcorn into her mouth. He wished he could see her eyes behind her sunglasses, because he could tell her thoughts had drifted.

“So you ended up changing colleges? You went to school in South Carolina?”

She focused on the game for a few minutes before she answered. “I had a hiccup in my school-and-career plan for a while. Kind of derailed me for a few years, so when I decided to apply to vet schools I couldn’t get back into school here in Oklahoma. That’s how I ended up in South Carolina.”

She turned her head to look at him. “How did you know about South Carolina?”

“It’s on your ‘About Dr. Emma’ page on the clinic’s website.”

“Oh.” Her lips quirked. “You’ve been to the clinic’s website?”

“Yeah. Have to know who’s treating my dog, you know.”

She laughed. “Of course. How very thorough of you. Did you run a background check on me, too?”

“Nah.” He grabbed a handful of popcorn and resumed watching the game. “Not yet, anyway.”

She looked at him, and he again wished she wasn’t wearing her sunglasses, because there was definitely something going on. She wasn’t smiling.

“I’m kidding, Emma.”

She laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. “I knew that.”

Okay, so the idea of a background check freaked her out. What did she have to hide?

Not that he did background checks on women he dated. He never investigated girlfriends—which Emma wasn’t, and would never be, despite her sun-kissed cheeks and the way she yelled at the players and how much Boomer looked up at her with adoration.

Or how much he wanted to kiss her again.

As she watched the game, she absently petted Boomer’s head. It was an unconscious act, but Boomer ate it up and leaned into her hand.

“He likes you,” Luke said.

Her gaze drifted to his and she smiled, the kind of smile that punched a guy in the gut. She grabbed a handful of Boomer’s fur and ruffled it. “I like him, too.”

“You’re so natural with animals.”

She shifted. “You seem surprised by that.”

“No. Well, yeah. My ex hated animals, and especially Boomer.”

“Your ex-girlfriend?”

“Ex-wife.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“For me or for Boomer?”

She laughed. “Both of you. Who wouldn’t love this dog?
He’s perfect.” She leaned down and pressed her forehead against Boomer’s. Her affection was so natural, and when Daisy came over and the dogs started to play, she stood.

“They’re restless and they’ve both been so good for so long. How about a walk?”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

They got their hands stamped by one of the attendants at the gate and took the dogs across the street to the park.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been divorced?”

“Almost four years.”

“Wow. A long time ago.”

“Yeah. We were both too young to get married, but we met my first year in college, and it kind of stuck. We got married my junior year, and she moved out to the ranch to live with me.”

“And that didn’t work out?”

He let out a short laugh. “Uh, no. Rebecca was country club and lattes for breakfast every morning, and going shopping with her friends, and getting manicures and pedicures. Being stuck on a dusty ranch with a bunch of stinky cows and a husband who wanted to be a cop wasn’t as romantic as it had sounded. She hated the ranch, hated the cattle and the horses, and she especially hated the dogs, especially Boomer.”

Emma stopped and stared at him. “Wow. Really?”

“I’m not exaggerating, Emma. The woman I fell in love with and married totally disappeared once she stepped foot on the ranch. Rebecca was sweet and fun and full of life and laughter, but she really goddamn hated that ranch and the life associated with it.”

“But you didn’t end up living on the ranch, either. So why not move off the ranch?”

They resumed their walk through the park. “She knew that was the eventual plan, but patience wasn’t one of her virtues. Besides, Boomer would have still come with us, and she made it clear she wanted a no-animal household. Then I brought up having kids, and she balked.”

“She didn’t want kids, either?”

“No, though that’s not what she told me when we were dating. She wanted travel and expensive cars and a big house. Not kids and definitely not animals.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You’re kidding me, right?”

“I wish I was. There were just too many obstacles to overcome, so eventually she hightailed it back to Tulsa, and we got a divorce. It was a clean break. All she wanted was out of the marriage, and by that point I was more than happy to have her go.”

Emma laid her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Luke. It must have been miserable for you.”

“It wasn’t the happiest time of my life, that’s for sure. But I learned a lot from the experience, and next time—if there is a next time—I’ll know better.”

“Surely you want to get married again.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Someday. I don’t know.”

Her lips quirked. “A little skittish about that first go-round of happily-ever-after?”

She read him well. “That’s an understatement.”

“That’s what you meant that night when you said that’s not how you usually do it.”

He stopped. “Huh?”

“When you were offering to take me out. You don’t ‘date.’”

She used air quotes around the word
date
.

“Oh, right. No, I don’t. Not often.”

She paused and pulled the leash around her hand. Daisy sat dutifully at her feet as Emma crossed her arms. “Well, after what you’ve been through, I can’t say I blame you. Women must scare the hell out of you.”

And that was a little too close to Emma having him figured out in one afternoon.

He wasn’t sure he liked that.

Chapter 7

EMMA WATCHED THE myriad of expressions cross Luke’s face as he talked about his ex-wife. A lot of anger and resentment, for sure, mixed with sadness, which she appreciated. He had obviously wanted it to work out with his ex, and it so clearly hadn’t. He and his ex hadn’t been well-matched.

That happened. Sometimes people weren’t honest about what they really wanted in a relationship. No one knew that better than her.

Of course her situation had been different, and the person she’d become involved with had been deliberately deceptive.

At least they hadn’t gotten married.

She shuddered at the thought. She’d been tied so strongly to him as it was. If their relationship had been legally binding . . .

She shook off the unpleasant thoughts and focused instead on the interesting revelation about Luke. His reticence about taking her out became so much clearer now. It wasn’t that he didn’t find her attractive. Not that she really cared about that—much. Okay, maybe she did, just a little, but she dismissed the thought. Her ego could rest comfortably now.

It was Luke’s fear of relationships that held him back. He was obviously a one-night-stand kind of guy, gun-shy about women since he’d been burned by his ex.

Now
that
she understood all too well. They were kindred spirits in that regard, though she didn’t do one-night stands.

Or any-night stands, for that matter.

She watched Luke with Boomer, his patience and affection with his dog.

Someday he’d make a great father. You could always tell. Guys who were great with animals would also be good with children.

Not that she was shopping for a father for her as yet nonexistent children. And if she was, Luke wouldn’t be on her list, since he was currently living in one-night-stand land.

“You went quiet,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “I was thinking about you.”

He cocked a brow. “Yeah? What about me?”

“You, your ex-wife, the fact you’re afraid of relationships, and how good you are with your dog.”

He laughed. “That’s a lot of thinking. And I’m not afraid of relationships. I’m just not in the market for one right now.”

“Me, either.”

“Did you get burned by an ex, too?”

And there was a conversation she didn’t want to have with Luke. Not in detail, anyway. “I did. In the worst way. Who doesn’t have an ugly breakup in their past?”

“True. Were you married?”

“No. It was just a bad relationship.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. And now I’m too busy with the new clinic.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t live it twenty-four seven.”

“That’s true, but relationships take time and commitment, and I don’t have the time or the energy for one right now.”

“I understand. So coming out with me today is perfect. No strings attached, but you can still get out and have some fun.”

She liked Luke. “You’re right. We’re perfect for each other. Neither one of us has any expectations of the other.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

And for some reason, that made her wish for more.

Which was the dumbest thing ever.

Damn that kiss, anyway.

After a short walk, they went back and caught the rest of the game. Fortunately, the home team won and even the dogs seemed to enjoy the day. She sure did. Luke took Emma back to her place. As he pulled into her driveway and she and Daisy climbed out of his truck, she leaned inside, not quite ready to let go of the day—or Luke—just yet.

“Without expectation, would it be all right if I fixed you dinner, or do you have a non-date date for tonight?”

He cocked a grin. “No, I cleared the whole day for you.”

“Now I feel special. Come on in.”

She held the door for him and Boomer.

“Nice place,” he said.

“Thanks. It was my grandmother’s. It’s small, but it’s perfect for me and the dogs.”

She let Annie out of her crate, which led to crazy barking and greeting. She let all the dogs out into the backyard, then shut the slider.

“Would you like a beer?” she asked.

“Sounds good. Thanks.”

She grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator and popped the tops off the bottles, then handed him one. She leaned against the counter and couldn’t help but watch him as he took a long swallow. In his jeans and long-sleeved Henley, he looked lean, yet the muscles outlined against his shirt were unmistakable. If she were in the market for a guy—which she wasn’ t—Luke McCormack would be one hell of a man to play with.

He caught her watching him, and cast a look at her that made her body tighten in all the wrong places.

Just friends, Emma, remember
? It was more important for him to think of her as a buddy, as just one of the guys.

Unfortunately, with her nipples beading and everything south screaming for her to jump on top of him and unzip those very worn jeans to get to the goods, she wasn’t thinking of herself as one of the guys. She was thinking of herself as a woman who hadn’t had sex in a very long time, and as Luke who was someone she’d really, really like to have sex with.

Did he have to keep looking at her? He had to have the hottest mouth she’d ever seen.

She shuddered as she inhaled. “So.”

He licked his lips. She watched his tongue, and swallowed—hard.

“So. What’s on the meal agenda?” he finally asked.

Meal? What meal? She wanted to devour
him
for dinner. “Uh . . . right.” She turned and stuck her head in the fridge. “How do hamburgers on the grill sound? I make killer bacon cheese fries, too.”

“How can I resist that offer? What can I do to help?”

It would help if she hadn’t stupidly asked him to come in for dinner. Distance from men was her salvation. Or at least, distance from Luke.

“You can go wrangle the dogs while I get things started in here. Oh, and the grill is out on the back patio. Can you turn it on and get it ready?”

“I can handle that.”

As soon as he left the kitchen, she exhaled, grabbed her beer, and took several long swallows, needing the cool brew to relieve her parched throat. Unfortunately, there was no help for her other throbbing body parts.

Good Lord. What was wrong with her? She’d been cool, calm, and totally immune to men ever since . . .

Well, ever since. And now there was Luke, and there was something about him that got to her in a way that no man had gotten to her in a very long time.

She wasn’t ready for it. Not yet.

Though it had been a lot of years. Maybe it was time she did get ready for it.

She’d made a lot of vows once she’d escaped the worst
relationship of her life. And the number one vow was to never get involved with a man who hit all her hot buttons again. She’d only do safe and boring in the future.

Luke McCormack was anything but safe and boring. She could go up in flames with him, lose her sense of self. If he crooked his finger at her, she’d come running.

She’d done that once, and it had been a disaster.

Never again.

She set the oil on to heat, then peeled and sliced potatoes, the activity clearing her head. By the time Luke came in with the dogs, she had the distance she needed.

Until he came up behind her, and she inhaled the scent of him. He smelled of outdoors and something distinctly male.

“Need help?” he asked as he leaned over her shoulder.

Her breathing quickened. “I’ve got this. How about you make the patties?” Preferably somewhere far away, like Texas.

He took the meat out of the fridge and made the patties standing next to her, while she concentrated on not cutting off her finger. Hard to do since she was acutely aware of him and his big body nestled beside her.