The Hotter You Burn

Keep walking. Harlow wasn’t male, but she was given a score anyway. Both girls held up big fat zeros.

I wrote the word slut all over Jessie Kay’s locker on more than one occasion. I dated Scott, Sunny’s ex-boyfriend, only to dump him a day later. This is deserved.

Bad choices, nasty results. No exceptions.

“You’re lucky we don’t have negative numbers, Glass,” Jessie Kay shouted.

Maybe if Harlow tried being nice for once, she’d see better results? “You look real pretty today, Sunny,” she said, flashing a smile. Forced, yes, but also sincere. The blonde was a knockout. “And Jessie Kay, I think you’re more beautiful every time I see you.”

Sunny gasped. “You dirty, rotten bitch. How dare you imply we’re ugly!”

Ugly? You’ve got to be kidding. Would no one ever give her the benefit of the doubt?

Her five-step plan might need a little tweaking.

Head down. Shoulders in. Gait fast. When she turned a corner, she noticed Mr. Brooks struggling to hang an oversize 10% Off sign in the window of his antiques shop.

Harlow hurried over. “Here, let me help you.” She placed her books at her feet and reached for the sign.

Mr. Brooks nearly fell over in an effort to keep her hands off his property. “Trying to steal from me again, Harlow Glass?”

“No, no. I just wanted to—”

“Desecrate the sign and stake it in someone’s yard. I know.”

“Give me a break,” she practically begged, picking up her books. “I’m not that girl anymore. I just wanted to help you.”

“Oh, I know exactly who you are. Now get. Get!” He kicked at the air.

“Fine. Enjoy your back strain.” She tromped off, spotting the elderly Mrs. Winthorp carrying a bag of groceries across the street.

Their eyes met. Mrs. Winthorp turned and walked in the other direction.

Nice.

Maybe Harlow should have stayed in school rather than choosing a home-study program. By the time she’d dropped out, she’d already changed, and the kids would have been forced to spend time with the new Harlow and eventually, they would have grown to like her. Physically, however, she’d been unable to sit still for long periods of time. She’d been in too much pain.

Her fingers itched to rub her scars, the habit ingrained. Think about the attack, feel the proof she’d survived it. But all she could do was squeeze the books tighter.

By the time she’d been strong enough to venture outdoors, her friends had wanted nothing to do with her.

They just need time, her mother had told her. You’re a good girl who was raised in a volatile home, and that’s my fault. I should have left your father the moment he showed his true colors. But I didn’t, and you paid the price. Now I’m going to make it up to you. As long as there’s breath in this body, I’m going to do everything in my power to take care of you.

True to her word, she’d woken Harlow every morning with breakfast and a hug. She’d encouraged Harlow in her studies and praised her every accomplishment. She’d left notes on Harlow’s pillow every night, positive affirmations meant to build her confidence.

You are a bright light.

There is nothing you cannot do.

You are a true beauty, glowing from the inside out.

“I miss you so much, Momma,” she whispered to the sky.

Martha Glass had fallen from a stepladder, and though she’d merely seemed bruised at the time, the impact had knocked loose a blood clot and she was dead by morning.

Harlow’s chin trembled, a lone tear streaking down her cheek, as hot and stinging as the sun. As much as she looked forward to a cooldown in temperature, she wasn’t looking forward to a cooldown in temperature. There were four seasons in Strawberry Valley, but unlike the rest of the world, those seasons were classified as “hotter than hell,” “tornado,” “a brief moment of intense, icy cold” and “the warm-up before hotter than hell.” Her tent often felt like a sauna, but when the snow and ice came, it would feel like a freezer.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and she swung around, arm lifted to defend herself. A scowling Scott Cameron barreled in her direction, and she stepped out of his way. He simply angled toward her, giving her shoulder a purposeful shove with his own.

“Watch where you’re going,” he spat.

She stumbled, saved from falling flat on her face by the wall of the post office. “Why don’t you grow a pair of testicles and act like a man,” she called, unable to hold back the words. A girl could be a punching bag for only so long before she had to start punching back, no matter the consequences.

Scott swung around, the muscles in his shoulders bunching, and for a moment she thought he would return to her and...what? Hit her? She didn’t want to think the worst of him, but he wasn’t giving her much choice. In the end, his gaze moved behind her and widened, and he spun to motor on.

Finally, something had gone in her favor, but it only depressed her more. The fact that a guy hadn’t punched her or called her a horrible name was the highlight of her day? Wow.

She made the trek out of town, stopping occasionally to pick up trash on someone’s lawn while mosquitoes—aka flying vampires—attacked her in droves, hungry for a little Harlow dinner. As she slapped her arm to kill one of the fiendish suckers, a prickle at the back of her neck suggested she had an audience. Tensing, she studied the tangled landscape—trees, thick underbrush, dead piles of crispy leaves—but she found no sign of a pursuer.

Her brain must be melting. She continued on, not stopping again until she reached Virgil Porter’s house. A pile of brushwood had blown in front of his mailbox, and Mr. Fritz, the postman, was the cranky sort who wouldn’t make a delivery if he had to step out of his vehicle.

Ten minutes into her work to clear it away, movement in Mr. Porter’s living room caught her attention. Her heart banged a song of panic against her ribs as she met Daniel Porter’s gaze, Mr. Porter’s son.

He’d left for the military a few years ago and, according to whispers, had only returned to Strawberry Valley a few days ago. And oh, wow, he was shirtless, ripped with muscle and tattoos, standing with his hands on his hips, watching her. About to storm outside to rail at her for trespassing?

Harlow grabbed her books and dashed off. About halfway home, her legs began to tremble so intensely she feared she would go down and never get up. Somehow she found the strength to troop onward, on the lookout for scorpions, listening for the telltale hiss of nearby snakes.

At long last, she reached her destination, dropping the books in front of her tent as her arms finally gave out. Her biceps trembled and burned, and she knew they’d be sore tomorrow. Sighing, she sank in front of the tomes and surveyed her home of the past however many months. A small blue tent with a faulty zipper sat beside an even smaller pond. She’d stacked a circle of rocks around a stack of twigs to create a fire pit where she boiled water in the only pan she had. There were gopher mounds everywhere, dirt flung in every direction, but at least multiple oaks offered shade...and branches for birds to poop from.

She imagined Beck showing up for “tea.” Sanitized pond water.

Oh, how far the queen bee has fallen. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The lap of luxury to this. No real home. No security of any kind. No way to eat or drink whenever the urge struck. No comfy bed or modern conveniences of any kind.

She turned her attention to her new books...and blinked in shock. Gardening for the Super Ignoramus. 101 Ways to Seduce Your Dream Man. The Male Penis: What You Really Need to Know.

But...but...when had the small-town library begun carrying books like that? They’d nearly banned a paranormal romance series about supersexy demon-possessed warriors for being too racy!

She reached for the gardening book, really she did, but her fingers somehow curled around the spine of Seduce Your Dream Man and riffled through the pages—and oh, wow! There were pictures. She ended up “reading” until the last tendril of sunlight vanished.

Now, back to work. She started a small fire with the lighter she’d found—no one would notice the smoke at this time of night—and set a pot of water to boil. After she drank her fill, she called it a day and nestled in her tent. The tear in the top allowed her to gaze up at the stars, diamond pinpricks in a sea of black velvet. One of God’s finest creations, second only to Strawberry Valley. And speaking of Strawberry Valley, it was time to face the facts. Her five-step plan didn’t just need tweaking, it needed scrapping. At this rate, a hundred-step plan wouldn’t work.

If she wanted different results, she had to do something different. The most obvious choice was simple. Finally make the heart-wrenching move to the city.

Panic and heartache instantly converged. No. Not that. Not yet. This was her home, and the man of her dreams lived here. He had to live here. They would fall in love and raise their kids here.

But who would want her? As a military man, Daniel Porter was used to dealing with hostile people and situations. Could he forgive the past?

A few years ago, Jeffery James had moved to town. He’d heard rumors about her, sure, but he had no personal experience with her. Of course, she wasn’t attracted to him, but what did that matter? Love could grow from support, affection and stability.