Finding Hope (Nugget Romance 2) by Stacy Finz

Author:Stacy Finz [Finz, Stacy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Family Saga, Womens Fiction, Small Town, Mountain Town, California, Recession, Lost, Lonely, Beginnings, Cookbook Writer, Eccentric Residents, Rancher, Landlord, Tenant, Wife Deceased, Scandalous, Son, Grief, Understanding, Fragile Trust, Pasts, Steadfast, Rugged, No-Drama
Goodreads: 25644495
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Published: 2015-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

Clay tucked his shirt into his nicest pair of jeans and put on his best boots—kangaroo leather embossed with the McCreedy brand. Justin came into his room just as he finished cinching his belt.

“You two work out what you want for dinner?” he asked Justin.

“Cody wants cereal.”

“For supper?”

Justin shrugged. “How come you’re taking the charity case to dinner instead of Lauren?”

Clay cocked a brow and glared. “You want to rephrase that?”

“Why are you taking Miss Mathews out instead of Lauren?”

“Because Miss Mathews is my friend.”

“Isn’t Lauren your friend?”

He pondered Justin’s question. Lauren was beautiful, clever, and adventurous in bed. But he didn’t consider her a friend. They flirted and made small talk about nothing deeper than the weather. Come to think of it, friendship had never been part of Clay and Jen’s relationship, either. They’d fought and fucked. That was the sum total of their partnership.

Emily . . . he could tell her anything. His concerns about the boys. His marriage with Jennifer and about her affair. He liked the way she listened. Really listened, sometimes offering advice and other times just being a good ear. He’d never had that kind of relationship with a woman before. Clay chalked it up to the fact that he didn’t want to sleep with her.

Turning to Justin, who had sprawled out on his bed, Clay said, “It’s a different kind of friendship.”

“Because you like Lauren as a girlfriend?” Justin emphasized “girl.”

“I guess you can say that.” It was as good an explanation as any, Clay supposed. “Will you guys be okay for a couple of hours alone?”

“Seriously, Dad?”

“Okay. Take care of Cody. You know how nervous he gets when I’m gone.”

“Yeah, he’s a freak.”

Clay threw his wet towel at Justin, jogged down the stairs, and shouted goodbye to Cody. When he got to Emily’s she was already waiting on the front porch, swaying back and forth on her new rocking chair in that same black dress she’d worn to Shep’s funeral. The one that looked so good on her.

It pleased him that she’d dressed up, even though this wasn’t a date date. Nonetheless, it was a celebration.

“Hey.” He got out of the truck, opened the passenger door, and helped her in. “Hungry?”

“I could eat,” she said. “Nice boots.”

“Nice dress.”

He put the truck in gear and turned on the radio. A Della James song came on and Emily groaned.

Clay looked at her askance. “You don’t like country music?”

“I like it just fine,” she said. “But I get enough of her voice on the telephone.”

He chuckled and changed the station to classic rock. “When I was a kid that’s all my father played. Hank Williams. Lefty Frizzell. Merle Haggard. They were all staples in my house. What about in yours?”

She laughed. “My mother loves Édith Piaf. She used to play “La Vie en Rose” over and over again. It drove me nuts. Drew was into Creedence Clearwater Revival.”

She never talked about her ex and it made him curious. “Creedence, huh? Was he older than you?” He estimated that Emily was about his age—a little young for CCR.

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