LITMIR.BIZ

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that happening.”

      “Neither do I,” he admitted. “So I’ll expropriate your land.”

      “You can’t do that.” If it was her land, she should have a say.

      “Yes,” he told her firmly, “I can.”

      She believed him. “I’ll fight you.”

      Their relationship was about to get more adversarial than ever.

      “You can’t fight me on this one. And a petition won’t help.”

      “Do you enjoy being the bad guy?” asked Darby.

      “I’ve never been the bad guy. And I’m the good guy now. It’s what the people want, Darby. Accept it and move on.”

      “A referendum will tell you what the people want.”

      He shook his head and drew away, looking every inch in control. “The election already told me that.”

      * * *

      “What happens if they succeed?” Travis asked Seth from the passenger seat of the mayor’s official car.

      “Succeed at what?” Seth asked, needing Travis to narrow the question down. Darby Carroll was uppermost on his mind, but as mayor, he was battling problems on a whole lot of fronts right now.

      The two men were driving along the River Road on the way to a Rodeo Association dinner. Seth was at the wheel of his official vehicle, working hard at avoiding potholes.

      “Succeed in getting the railway referendum.”

      “They didn’t get enough signatures.”

      “It might not matter,” said Travis. “Abigail read the bylaw, and Darby isn’t wrong. There’s nothing specifically stopping her from submitting additional signatures after the petition is filed.”

      “It’s going in front of Judge Hawthorn.”

      “So?”

      “So, he grew up in the Valley. Half his family is still in ranching.”

      Travis frowned. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”

      “I’m saying Judge Hawthorn will give us a straight-up reading of the bylaw and the intent of the bylaw. He’s not going to go looking for esoteric little loopholes to derail progress.”

      “He’s honor bound to follow the law.”

      Seth splashed the car through a puddle, knowing he’d have to get it washed yet again. “Exactly. I’m counting on that.”

      Red and yellow leaves fluttered in bursts from the woods, ticking their way across the windshield. Seth rounded a corner and came to a rolling field where cattle dotted the golden wheatgrass. Snow was gathering on the high, distant peaks, and a chill blew down from the mountains.

      He angled the car into the gravel parking lot of the association’s clubhouse, sliding it between a powder-blue pickup and a steel-gray SUV.

      “Anything I can do to help?” Travis asked as they exited the car.

      “I’m the one who ran for office,” Seth responded, knowing, for better or worse, he was getting what he’d signed up for, and it was his responsibility to 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

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