Tomorrow's Promise (The Hawks Mountain Series) by Elizabeth Sinclair

aren’t doing it out of pity. They’re doing it out of love.”
    Sweetheart? Love? What was he trying to say?
    Just as quickly, she chastised herself for attempting to read more into his words than were really there. Don’t start building tomorrows that will never come, she told herself.
    “In my heart, I know that. I guess that’s the only reason I’ve accepted what I have so far. But when I realized what you’d done, that you’d lied to me, I just got so . . . so . . .”
    “I know, and I am as sorry as I can be that I made you feel that way. It was not intentional. If I’d thought it through more, I would have seen that.” He tucked his finger under her chin, tipped it up so she had to look at him, and smiled. “Forgiven?”
    She nodded. “Forgiven. But promise me that you won’t lie to me again.”
    “Promise.”
    Not until that moment did Faith realized Cole still had a grip on her hands. She eased them from his grasp, rose and retrieved the coffee pot, and busied herself with refreshing their coffee, coffee that neither of them had touched.
    “Explaining my stupidity wasn’t the only reason I came here.” Cole leaned back in his chair. “I have some good news for you.” He sipped his coffee.
    A quick flash of her confrontation with her mother passed through her mind. “I could use some good news.” She sighed. “After you dropped me off, I found my front door open. Then my mother—”
    Cole straightened and leaned toward her. “Wait! Your front door was open?” Concern filled his expression. Faith could almost see his law enforcement training materialize.
    “It was nothing. I checked the house, and there wasn’t anyone here.”
    Cole frowned and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Please tell me you didn’t do that.”
    Her cheeks burned with embarrassment at having to admit her foolhardiness. “Yeah, I did. But as I said, no one was here. Nothing was disturbed.” She shrugged. “I must have been in such a hurry when you picked me up that I didn’t latch it all the way.” That she’d been so careless in so many ways made her feel foolish all over again.
    Cole didn’t seem satisfied with her explanation. “You have to be more careful. Promise you won’t do that again. Call me first.”
    “I promise.” Eager to shift the conversation away from this subject, she asked, “So, what’s the good news you have for me?’
    “Hunter Mackenzie, the local vet, needs a receptionist.”
    Was this another of his invented jobs?
    He must have read the skepticism in her expression. “Before you jump to any conclusions, I didn’t make this one up or harass Hunter into hiring you. Doc Amos called me today. It seems Hunter’s wife, Rose, is having some problems with her pregnancy, and Doc wants her to keep off her feet and cut down on any stress for the remaining few months. The job’s not permanent, but at least it’ll give you an income for a few months while you look for something else. It’s yours if you want it.”
    Finally! A job!
    She and Lizzie would make it. Nerves that had been stretched to the breaking point relaxed. The constant fear she’d carried with her since coming back to Carson was replaced by a growing excitement. Suddenly, the elation ebbed just as fast as it had materialized. “But I don’t know anything about being a receptionist.”
    Cole laughed. The sound washed over Faith like a warm summer breeze. “You can answer a phone, right?” Faith nodded. “You can make appointments, right?” Again, she nodded. “Well, that’s all you need to know. Hunter has a nurse to help in the clinic, so you just need to man the phone and write in his appointment book.” He finished his coffee and stood. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and take you out there.”
    “Wait.” Something that could blow this opportunity came to Faith. “You can take me tomorrow, but what about after that? How am I going to get to work every day?”
    Cole grinned. “Got that