Jaci Burton - Hope Flames

She pulled into the driveway, and he drove up next to her, got out, and was right there when she got out of the truck.

“I’m fine,” she said as she fumbled in her purse for the keys. He saw the gun in her purse.

“You could have shot him,” he said as he pulled his set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the front door.

“That’s why I invited him into my office. My purse was there, in the drawer. The gun is in my purse.” As they stepped inside and Luke shut the door, she lifted her gaze to his. “I thought about whether or not I could shoot him.”

“If he tried to attack you, I’m sure you could have done it.”

He took her into the living room and sat her on the sofa. Boomer and Daisy came over to her, and she absently petted them.

“How about a beer?”

“That sounds like a really great idea.”

As he grabbed two beers, he forced himself to calm down, but he was really damned pissed off about Vaughn showing up where Emma worked. He sat next to her and handed her the beer. She gulped down two or three swallows, then held the beer between both her hands.

She looked at him for the longest time, then let out a sigh. “He came here first. And he knows about you. He asked about my boyfriend at my house.”

“So he’s been stalking you.”

“Apparently.”

She took several more swallows of beer, emptying the bottle before placing it on the table. She took a deep breath, then let it out. He’d never seen her look more defeated than when she gazed up at him. “I’m tired.”

“He’s locked up, Emma.”

“But for how long? I know how the system works. He’ll be out on bail tomorrow. And then what?”

“Then . . . we’ll figure out a way to get him out of your life.”

“We?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s my problem to deal with.”

“No. He’s our problem to deal with.”

“Not tonight. I don’t even want to think about him tonight.”

He wished they could continue to talk this out, but he understood she’d just gone through a lot. “Okay. Let’s go to bed.”

They stood, but she laid a hand on his chest. “I don’t want to upset you or make you angry, but would you mind . . . I need to be alone tonight.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I just need to be in my own head, to think some things through.”

In other words, she was pushing him away at a time when what she really needed was someone to hold on to, to be close to. But yeah, he got the hint loud and clear. “Sure. Come on, Boomer.”

Boomer, who was curled up next to Daisy, lifted his head. When he saw Luke head to the front door, he followed.

Emma leaned against the doorway. “I hope you understand. It’s nothing you’ve done. I just need some space right now.”

“I understand.” He opened the front door. “Good night, Emma.”

“Good night, Luke.”

The door locking behind him had a note of finality to it.

He’d been there for her when she’d needed him.

But maybe that was the thing—she didn’t need him, or want him. Maybe she’d already had a guy in her life who was there for her way more than she’d ever wanted, and maybe she never wanted to go down that relationship road ever again. He knew she was afraid—of men, of relationships, and what that meant. Hell, so was he. But he was taking the steps.

Emma just didn’t want to.

Fine with him. He’d never wanted a relationship in the first place. He and Boomer had been doing just fine as single guys.

He started up the truck and backed out of the driveway. He made a call to one of the guys on duty to keep watch over Emma’s house during the night.

Like it or not, he was still going to make sure she stayed safe, even if she didn’t want him in her life.

“To the single life again, Boom,” he said as he drove away.

EMMA HAD RECEIVED a call from one of the sergeants on duty at the Hope Police Department the next day. She needed to go in and file a report. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Luke was nowhere around in the precinct.

She’d spoken to her lawyer, who told her Vaughn’s violating the restraining order could send him to jail, for a short or possibly long time. That was up to the judge. But he would make bail today, and there was nothing Emma could do about that other than be on guard.

She wouldn’t be caught off guard again, that was for certain. Him showing up at the clinic last night freaked her out and reminded her how hard she’d worked to become independent and gain back her self-esteem. It had taken years of therapy and dragging her ass back to school, starting over when she had allowed herself to get so far behind, to get where she was now.

And she had almost taken a step back again, had almost allowed herself to fall in love again, to put her heart in the hands of a man who could possibly break it. Where had her vow gone to never fall in love, to never have a relationship, to never trust a man again?

Luke had made it so easy. He’d been there for her time and time again, including last night. He’d walked in just in time to save her from Vaughn, who would have done God only knew what if he hadn’t stepped in.

But what if Luke hadn’t shown up at the clinic? What might have happened? Maybe . . . just maybe, Emma could have handled the situation.

She’d never know now.

Well, goddammit, she didn’t need any man to protect her. She had a gun, she had a license, she had taken self-defense classes. She was a grown woman, a business owner, and she could damn well take care of herself. She didn’t need some knight in shining armor to show up on his white horse and rescue her, then tie her down and make her fall in love and forget all her carefully orchestrated plans for her future.

And it might have stung like crazy when she’d kicked Luke out of her house last night, and she might have lain awake the rest of the night because she realized she’d been so wrapped up in herself and her own misery that she hadn’t bothered to ask him about the sting operation at the pharmacy, which made her realize she was a terrible girlfriend, and he should have been the one breaking up with her.

That revelation had made her toss and turn and feel even more miserable. Even worse, she missed him in her bed, but she’d just have to get used to that because independent women like her didn’t need a man and didn’t need love. And even if she had realized she was in love with Luke, she once thought she was in love with Vaughn, too, so she wasn’t exactly the best judge of that whole love thing, was she?

“Are you all right, Dr. Emma?” Leanne asked as they dealt with a particularly ornery chow who didn’t want to have his shots or his temperature taken or his ears inspected.

Emma fought back the tears that had been threatening all day long. “I’m fine. Allergies or something.”

“Oh, those are the worst. Do you need to take something?”

Yeah. A vacation. On some deserted tropical island. “No, I’m good. Let’s just take care of Barney here so the poor guy can go home.”

Work was an endless day of dogs, cats, birds, a snake and, for a fun change of pace, a lemur with a diarrhea problem. After that, she went home, fed the dogs, then grabbed a glass of wine and sat on her sofa, determined to do nothing but watch mindless television all night.

Until her doorbell rang. Immediately tensing, she looked over to the table where her purse lay. Deciding to check and see who it was first, she looked out the peephole, then smiled and opened the door.

“Hey, Chelsea. I didn’t know we had plans.”

“We don’t. I just popped by on the chance you’d be home. And you are.”

“Well, come on in. I’m having a glass of wine.”

“Which just so happens to be my favorite pastime.”

Emma poured a glass for Chelsea, who had tossed her purse on the end table and was sitting cross-legged on the floor playing with Daisy and Annie.

“I love Annie. I wish I could have dogs in my apartment. I’d have adopted her in a heartbeat if I could.”

Emma laughed as Annie slurped one side of Chelsea’s face. “She loves you.”

“Yeah, I’m just a lovable sort.” She climbed up on the sofa and took the glass of wine, then sipped. “Oh, nice. What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion. Just unwinding.”

“Always a good excuse. And where’s the hotshot stud who’s been sharing your bed lately?”

She took a sip of wine. “I sent him back home.”

“Uh-oh. This could be a two-bottle night. Spill. What happened? Did you two have a fight?”

“No. Vaughn showed up at the clinic last night.”

Chelsea’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. Are you all right? Did he try to hurt you?”

“I’m fine. He tried to intimidate me, but he never did anything. And then Luke showed up, and Vaughn was arrested for violating the restraining order.”

“Thank God.” Chelsea frowned. “Okay, so somewhere in there you kicked Luke to the curb?”

“Yes.” She finished her glass of wine, went into the kitchen, and brought out the bottle, refilling her glass. Chelsea was still working on hers.

“You’ll have to explain,” Chelsea said. “Because I’m not understanding how Luke coming to your rescue resulted in you breaking up with him.”

“It’s . . . complicated.” She avoided making eye contact with Chelsea as she took another sip of wine.

“I can do complicated. I’m a math teacher.”

“I was handling Vaughn. He was just . . . talking. Trying his typical intimidation tactics. And I had my gun in my purse, which was in my desk in case he tried something. And then Luke showed up and did the whole macho thing by arresting him.”