A Hopeful Kind of Love

Chapter One - LauraNote to readers: Chronologically, this novella takes place after “A Forever Kind of Love” but before “A Wonderful Kind of Love”. It also contains characters from “Saltwater Kisses” and “Yours Completely”. You do not need to have read any of these books to enjoy this book. If you like this story, “A Wonderful Kind of Love” picks up where it leaves off.Laura“Oh God, it's him.”Laura wished she could just melt into the floor and vanish for a few hours. Of course he had to come to this. He was the last person she wanted to see today.“Who?” Mia asked, looking around. She still had brochures in her hands as she tried to organize the table.“Ethan. Ethan White,” Laura answered. She tried to move behind Mia to hide, which wasn't too hard since Mia was pregnant and due in just a month. Mia shook her head and kept organizing the information table.“Ethan?” Mia turned so that Laura couldn't hide as easily. “He's a sweetheart. I like him. Why don't you?”Laura watched as h

EthanThe arena smelled like sawdust and hay, punctuated by the smell of horse. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but Ethan preferred the outdoors to being inside with horses. Horses were not his thing. He could see the appeal, but he'd never understood the depth of Carter's love for horses. To him, they were just big, stinky, dogs that you couldn't bring in the house.Bright spring sunshine filtered through the windows in addition to the house lights being on. It made the whole area festive and bright, which was good for the kids. He hoped they were more excited about the horses than he was.The arena consisted of a large center open space made of dirt. A metal railing surrounded the dirt, giving a spectator area. Three horses were tied to the railing at various intervals. They each had a saddle and bridle. Ethan didn't know much about horses, but he thought they looked ready to ride. He couldn't see the kids yet.Carter crossed the arena, his cowboy boots stirring up the dry dust as

LauraPresent dayShe shook herself to break free of the memory.“He didn't want you,” she whispered to herself as she put away the horse blankets. “He got rid of his phone and never even made an attempt to contact you. You don't go where you're not wanted.”She sighed and wished things were different. She wished a lot of things were different, but that didn't change them. She had to live the life she had. She remembered her mom's saying: if wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets to the sea. She didn't have time for wishes.She checked her phone to make sure there were no messages from her siblings. She was so glad that Mia had invited them to come to the event today. She didn't have anyone to watch them, so the fact that Mia was willing to have them here meant the world to her.She wouldn't have survived without their help.She was lucky to have a boss as great as Mia and Carter. If she didn't have them, she didn't know what she'd do since her parents died. They'd helped her not only

EthanEthan watched as Laura walked off, muttering to herself. He couldn't hear what she was saying due to the wind, but he had a good idea that it was about him. She was not happy that he was stuck with her.He followed behind her, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, trying to keep his hands warm and out of the wind. He looked up at the sky, trying to figure out a way to make the situation better, but short of miraculously finding her brother, he had no ideas. He shook his head and grumbled. Why did Jace have to stick him with her? Who died and made him boss?Laura wanted nothing to do with him. She'd made it very clear that she didn't want to talk to him after their night in the museum. She'd told him so in multiple texts. He'd even tried calling her, but some guy answered the phone and read him a riot act. The guy told him to never call back and that Laura wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.So, he didn't look her up or try to contact her again. He didn't know why she h

LauraThe kiss blew all thoughts out of her mind. The way his lips pressed against hers, the way his hands instinctively cupped her body, and the heat of his touch all had her thinking of only one thing. Ethan.It threw her off, completely. Despite the snow falling all around her, despite the fact that she had to get back to scold her brother, her thoughts flooded back to that night at the party.* * *One year ago...She pulled him out of the Rocks, Crystals, and Gem exhibit and toward the back of the museum. She'd looked at the maps of the museum when she arrived, and she had a pretty good idea of where she was headed. It was supposed to be up the stairs and by the “Creatures of the Pacific Northwest“ exhibit.“Where are you taking me?” Ethan asked, his voice amused as they went further into the museum. Most of the guests were either dancing or drinking, so the exhibits were empty and quiet. “I don't know if we should try another exhibit. That security guard is probably watching us