Thunder Mountain Brotherhood Collection by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Author:Vicki Lewis Thompson [Lewis Thompson, Vicki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488024849
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

HOPE DIDN’T HAVE another moment alone with Liam for the rest of the day, and she decided that might be for the best. Her emotions were all over the place and she needed time to regroup. She sincerely wished the subject of Tom hadn’t been raised, but she also realized Liam deserved to know why she’d demanded a deadline for their relationship.

She’d heard confession was good for the soul, but hers felt battered and bruised after bringing that awful episode out of the mental closet where she’d stashed it. He’d said she wasn’t over it, and she hated discovering he was right. Life had been so much easier during months of self-induced amnesia.

While talking about Tom with Liam, she’d struggled to stay in control of her negative emotions. His hot kisses had helped enormously, but she couldn’t indulge in that distraction when there was work to be done. Fortunately the bustle of preparations for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner provided protection. She cooked, cleaned and helped set up without anyone noticing that she wasn’t particularly chatty.

All the focus was on the wedding, thank goodness. The debate over arbor/no arbor had continued through lunch until Herb had finally mentioned that besides potentially blowing over, the problematic structure would obscure the view of the cabin.

Finn had to leave to pick up Chelsea at the airport, and everyone else, including Hope, pitched in to decorate the front of the cabin. They made a wildflower wreath for the door and covered the windowsills with greenery and wild berries. Damon climbed up on the roof and attached more greenery along the roofline. The cabin took on the look of a fairy dwelling.

By the time they declared it complete, Finn had returned with Chelsea. She was a bundle of energy with turquoise streaks in her blond hair. As everyone crowded around for hugs, Phil made sure to introduce Hope.

You’ll like her, Phil had said earlier, and Hope could see why. A year ago Chelsea would have been exactly the kind of person Hope gravitated to. Not anymore. Being friendly but maintaining a low profile was the name of the game. She wasn’t about to get chummy with that fascinating woman and risk saying something unintentionally revealing. Chelsea was a member of the creative tribe Hope had resigned from.

If Hope had still been writing, Chelsea would have made an interesting and stimulating friend, much as Phil, Debbie and Joan had been. She’d kept seeing all three during her college years until Tom’s paranoia had turned girls’ nights out into exhausting efforts not to let a writing secret slip. Later she’d been too embarrassed to contact them and admit what had happened. What she’d allowed to happen.

The habit of keeping secrets was hard to break, though. She was still doing it with everyone except for Liam. He glanced her way whenever they happened to be in the same area helping with preparations. Each time, he looked a little worried, but then his expression would shift and he’d give her a warm smile.

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