Restoring Hope Read Online Free PDF

stood his ground staring down on drunken Jason, jaw tight, eyes hard, and hands on his hips looking formidable against any man. Jason’s friend mumbled, “It’s your funeral” and stayed in his seat, not backing up his friend. Though, Jason must not have been as stupid as she thought, ‘cause after a moment of staring Nic down, what was left of his brain cells started firing. He causally brushed of the threat with an “If she don’t want men to touch; she shouldn’t wear her shirts like that,” and then fell back in his seat and picked up his beer.
    Hope was looking down at her shirt when Nic grabbed her arm, turned her around and started walking away. Without thinking, she mumbled, “What’s wrong with my shirt?”
    “By my estimation, not a damn thing,” Nic muttered and she realized she had voiced that out loud. Hope looked over her shoulder at him and when she caught Nic’s eyes, he winked at her. Hope couldn’t help it herself, it was an involuntary response, she smiled slightly and then rolled her eyes.
    Nic chuckled at her response and then watched as she realized what she’d done and color returned to her face. Dieu, she was cute when she blushed.
    “I, um, thank you for, I, uh, need to go check on the kitchen, but thank you for, well, thank you,” Hope spit out on a rush of words, tumbling over them, breathy, and completely mortified that she was tongue tied in front of this man. The minute she’d laid eyes on him, he’d made her nervous. The second she’d looked into his eyes she’d felt rocked to her core. His eyes, dark brown and soulful, so brown they were almost black, but with sadness in them that she recognized. She knew that look; saw it each day in the mirror staring back at her. Not wanting to embarrass herself further, she turned quickly and went back into the kitchen.
    As she walked to the door, Nic felt something inside him tighten, but this time it wasn’t pain thinking of his daughter, it was a yearning for something beautiful. It had been too long since he’d had anything in his life that made him smile, other than his son, and that bit of loneliness he carried with him from Chelsea’s loss didn’t seem as sharp at that moment, watching Hope flee. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time for a woman, he needed to keep his focus on his son, so he walked back to his table to finish his meal and keep the lines of communication open with Nicky.
    Maman Rose stood at the back of the bar tallying receipts as she kept one eye on the floor and one eye on her newest love match. She was feeling pretty smug with herself when she watched Nic standup and defend T-Hope’s honor, and then the looks they gave each other when the other wasn’t looking. Yes, with a little well placed pushing she was sure it was only a matter of time before she could pat herself on the back at another job well done. “ Laissez le bon temps rouler .” Let the good times roll indeed, she thought.
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Night had fallen in Nevada; the temperature dropping by degrees until a person could finally tolerate being outside without soaking his shirt through from sweat. Not that John Cummings would have noticed, he was too busy staring at a picture of Jessica Hope Delaney Cummings. She’d snuck off in the middle of the night like a thief, but she wasn’t a thief she was worse, and she would pay for that. He should have kept a closer eye on her, should have put one of his boys on her 24/7, but he’d been busy managing his trucking empire, seeing to other matters that kept the books in the black.
    He’d spent years building his empire, he and his brother, and then Hope had entered their lives changing everything. She was like an angel with her light blonde hair and cherub face, but looks could be deceiving. He learned that all too well and she had to die for her betrayal to the family. She should have known her place, should have understood not to push a man, and she should have kept her mouth