Hope Burns

Molly Burnett reluctantly comes to her old hometown of Hope, Okla., for her sister’s wedding. She plans to return immediately to Austin, where she can resume hiding from former boyfriend Carter Richards. But Carter is in the wedding party, and an untimely parental mishap forces Molly to cancel her plans and remain in Hope until further notice. Molly is drafted to fill in for her injured mother on a committee with the man who broke her heart years ago. She vows that history will not repeat itself. The tension is primarily erotic, as Molly and Carter reach a peace agreement that includes hot casual sex. But this friends-with-benefits thing only goes so far, with Carter still carrying a torch for the flighty woman who ditched him 12 years before. Burton sets the bar high for smalltown allure and just-folks characters who like a good romp—or six—in the hay. (Oct.)