Hope Flames: Hope Book 1 Read Online Free

and he’d been her nightmare. She refused to think about him ever again.
    But today . . . now . . . she’d thought about a man. A very attractive, very sexy man. Was that such a bad thing?
    She might not want to have a man in her life, and she might not have one in her master plan for right now, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t allow herself to think about one. She was human, after all. And a woman.
    She had the right to fantasize, dammit. A sexual reawakening was a good thing.
    Her phone rang. She wrinkled her nose, pondered ignoring it, but knew better. It would just ring again. And again,until she picked up. She wiped her hand on the washcloth and grabbed the phone from the edge of the bathroom counter, already knowing who it was.
    “Hi, Mom.”
    “You knew it was me, didn’t you? How was your first day? I was going to drop in, but when I drove by, the parking lot was full so I didn’t want to bother you. I’m so excited for you, Emma. I knew you were going to be a huge success. Dad says hi, by the way.”
    So much for relaxation. Her mother was a tornado of energy, both physically and verbally. “It went great.”
    “We should have had balloons and a big grand opening.”
    “It’s not a retail establishment, Mom. It’s a veterinary clinic. No balloons. When they pop, the animals will swallow them. Bad for the intestines.”
    “Oh, that’s right. Still, I think you need a grand opening. It won’t hurt to draw in more customers. You need to advertise, Emma. I already told you we’ll help with that. You have to push, push, push to be successful.”
    Push was her mother’s middle name.
    “And I already told you that Dr. Weston had plenty of customers. Let me see who we get back first. Word of mouth is the best way to draw in clients.”
    “Whatever you think is best. For now. We’ll talk more about that when you come over for dinner on Sunday. Tell me all about your day.”
    Emma stared longingly at her empty wineglass while she filled her mother in on her first day. She loved her mother, but Georgia Burnett was a force to be reckoned with and rarely took no for an answer once she had an idea in her head. She was opinionated, stubborn, and one of the strongest women Emma had ever known. They’d butted heads from the time Emma was a child.
    She’d thought long and hard before coming back home to set up her practice, but buying out Dr. Weston’s practice had been a deal she couldn’t pass up. Plus, she’d wanted family in her life again, needed the comfort of familiar places and faces. It was scary enough going into debt, eventhough her parents tried to help with the loan for the practice, which she didn’t want. She’d been dependent before, and she’d never be that way again. This time she was doing it all on her own. But she was doing it with family close by.
    “Do you need anything?” her mother asked.
    “No, I’m good, Mom.”
    “Your dad and I are worried about you, Emma. All the money you’ve poured into the business, plus your college-loan debt. It’s too much. We can help—”
    “I’m going to be fine. You know I used some of the money Grandma left me in her trust to help fund the practice. It’ll start making money right away.”
    “But it’s going to take years to pay off your college loans. It’s just you by yourself and it’s a huge burden. Why do that alone when you don’t have to?”
    She took a deep breath, and let it out. “Because I have to do this myself. And you know why.”
    Her mother was quiet for a few seconds, which Emma knew was a rare thing.
    “I understand. Of course, I do. But, Emma, we’re here for you if you need us. No questions asked.”
    Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back. She’d already cried enough tears for a lifetime. Never again. “I know, Mom. That’s why I came home.”

Chapter 3
    LUKE DROVE DOWN the main highway. It was after rush hour, so the streets weren’t full of cars like they’d been an hour ago.
    There