Page 5 of Hot to Trot

Pain razored across Scarlet’s chest, but she ignored it. "Guess I missed the 'speak now or forever hold your peace' part of the ceremony."

''Scarlet," Rayne stammered, glancing desperately at her handsome groom. "You’re here.”

Cameras edged closer, but Scarlet was accustomed to being in front of them. They were an afterthought. ''Yeah. I am. But obviously a little late. Would have been here on time…if I had gotten the invitation for this sham of a wedding."

Rayne's eyes grew as big as the diamond on her left hand. Which was pretty damned big. Her sister looked at Brent, who glared at Scarlet.

"See? I told you not to call her," he said.

"Call me?" Scarlet looked past the elegant lace on her sister's shoulder to where her mother and father stood with Aunt Frances. They looked fairly alarmed, too. "No onecalledme."

One cameraman came too close. Scarlet whirled. ''Back off, buddy."

He immediately stepped back.

Amateur.

"Scarlet, you're making a scene," Brent said, taking her elbow so he could move her out of the way.

"Really?" Scarlet asked, trying like hell not to cry. Rayne hadmarriedthis too-good-looking waste of skin. All this effort to stop Rayne from making a colossal lapse in judgment, and Scarlet had arrived minutes too late.

If only that cop hadn't stopped her, she might have made it. Might have burst in and objected... on the grounds that Brent Hamilton was not fit to lick the soles of her sister's shoes.

"I always make a scene. It’s in my job description.” Scarlet wrenched her elbow from his grasp and ignored him. She looked at her sister instead. "Rayne?"

"Sorry, Scarlet. I love you, but I love Brent. We're married and we're staying that way. I don't care if he screwed half of Texas, he's my husband now. So stop the drama." Rayne pushed past Scarlet, dragging Brent with her. The limousine driver opened the door with a flourish.

Rayne turned around. "You can come to Serendipity and celebrate with us if you'd like."

Then she disappeared into the depths of the car with Brent right behind her. Henry, Rayne's son, sped by Scarlet and leaped onto Brent's lap. "Come on, Aunt Scarlet! We're gonna party!"

Scarlet didn't say a thing. She couldn't have if she wanted. She'd failed miserably. She felt like crying into a vodka tonic, but Oak Stand was a dry town. Hell. If there was any time she needed a drink, it was now.

Her mind tripped back to the little bottle of rum lying beside the crumpled speeding ticket. It was all she had to take away the sting of failure. The sting of hurt.

Then across the town square, she glimpsed motion near where she’d haphazardly parked her car.

A flash of dark, a glinting of ….mirrored sunglasses?

Officer Hinton ripped the ticket off the pad he carried and slid the paper beneath her windshield wiper.

Right. Of course.

This was the homecoming she deserved.

CHAPTER TWO

HE'D LOST HIS COMPOSURE.

Not cool. He shouldn't have baited her. Shouldn't have implied she was trouble. And he damned sure shouldn't have touched her.

Adam Hinton dusted the dirt and gravel off his boots as he watched the taillights of the BMW fade into the distance. He'd polished the black motorcycle boots last night and now they looked dusty.

Damn it.

He reached inside the cruiser for the backpack holding an assortment of necessities. First-aid kit, flashlight, extra clothes, and other things he might need when away from the small house he rented in the middle of Oak Stand. He pulled a package of wet wipes from the depths. Not the best thing to use on leather, but it would do. He'd apply another coat of polish later tonight.

He needed to stop by the Hamilton reception. He'd told Brent he would, even though technically he was on duty. It could count as his lunch hour. He liked both Rayne and Brent though he didn't know them as well as others in the small town did. He'd only been in Oak Stand for nine months. But as the newlyappointed police chief, it was in his best interest to drop by the much-anticipated event. Nearly everyone in the town had been invited to the wedding and reception, which was being filmed as the premiere ofSouthern Kitchen,a new show featuring Rayne Rose, a rising chef in the culinary world. Not only was it a joyous celebration of the love shared between the couple, but also of the opportunity Rayne Rose had given Oak Stand when she'd talked the network into using Serendipity Inn as the base for filming the show. Everyone was thrilled about the potential benefit to a town still trying to get on its feet after a tornado ripped through last spring.

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