deal with the problems.
“If you’ll recall, I tried to talk you out of it.”
“I recall,” Seth admitted.
He and his younger brother had had many lively arguments about his plan to become mayor.
“Are you saying I was right?” Travis pressed.
“I’m saying we’ve hit a snag.” A very beautiful, very compelling, very sexy little snag.
“What’s up with that expression?” Travis asked.
“What expression?” Seth focused on schooling his features.
“You looked kind of sappy there for a minute.”
“I’m not sappy. I’m nervous. I have to give a speech now.”
Travis scoffed out a laugh. “Liar. You’ve never been afraid of a podium before.”
“It’s been a tough week.” With no interest in explaining further, Seth left Travis behind and strode into the crowded room.
There, he immediately spotted Darby.
There were a couple hundred people in the clubhouse, but his attention seemed to zero in on her like a heat-seeking missile. He hadn’t expected her to be here.
Bad enough she was haunting his dreams. Did she also have to stalk his reality? The rodeo people were hardly her usual crowd. They were the ranchers, the hard-liners, the ones who were most angry at her stance on the railroad. She’d never get their support on a referendum or anything else.
But there she was, standing boldly in the lion’s den. She wore a short, steel-gray skirt and a soft, gray, sparkly sweater, with black tights and black ankle boots that had a distinctly Western flair. Her wavy, auburn hair, which cascaded past her shoulders, was tucked behind her ears to show off a pair of dangling black earrings.
“Looking sappy again,” joked Travis from behind him.
Ignoring his brother, Seth kept walking, moving closer to her.
As he made his way across the room, she was approached by Joe Harry. Joe was a big, ambling cowboy who’d barely made it through high school. He could work all day and party all night, but he wasn’t the sharpest nail in the toolbox, and social niceties had never been his strong suit.
He was clearly agitated, towering above Darby, face contorted, gesticulating as he spoke. Her expression became pinched under the onslaught, and Seth quickened his pace.
“...don’t know where the hell you get off,” Joe was saying, “messing around with the things in this Valley. My family has lived here for a hundred years.”
“As has mine,” she returned. “My aunt—”
“But not you, missy.” Joe waggled a finger in her face. “You’re as new and—”
“Hello, Joe.” Seth clapped the man firmly on the shoulder and held out his hand to shake. “I hear you gave Reed Terrell a run for his money in steer wrestling this year.”
The interruption seemed to rattle Joe. It took a moment, but then he put out his hand to shake Seth’s.
“Came second in overall points,” he confirmed.
“Way to go,” Seth said heartily. “That’s impressive.”
He gave Darby a fleeting glance. “Sorry to interrupt here, but I need to have a word with Darby.”
Joe frowned. “I was in the middle—”
“Don’t you worry about it,” Seth said, leaning in and lowering his voice to an overtly conspiratorial level. “I’ve got this one covered.”
“I’ve got some things to say to that woman.”
“I understand your perspective.” Seth nodded, his expression showing Joe he was taking this seriously. “And I do agree with you. My office is working on it.”
Joe gave Darby a disparaging look. “It ain’t right. She ain’t right.”
“I’m working to make it right,” said Seth. “Why don’t you go on over to the bar.” Seth fished into his pocket for the free drink tickets that had come with his invitation for the dinner. He handed Joe a red one. “Have a beer on me.”
“That’s kind of you, Mayor.”
“Enjoy the evening.” Seth turned from Joe to find Darby walking away.
“Hey.” He stepped fast to catch up with her, touching her arm.
“What the hell was that all about?” She shook off his hand.
Seth was taken aback by her tone. “Joe was obviously bothering you.”
“So you thought you’d rescue me?”
Seth’s brain scrambled to make sense of her words. He hadn’t expected outright gratitude, but he had done her a favor here.
“You’d rather I hadn’t?” he asked.
“One kiss does not make me yours to rescue. And I’d rather you gave me a little credit. I can handle a guy like Joe Harry.”
“I didn’t rescue you because I kissed you.”
“You don’t get to rescue me for any reason at all.”
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