Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Mina kept to a low crouch as she snuck around the small building that served as City Hall.
There really wasn’t much to it. It was a prefabricated, metal structure that looked nice with the lush green grass out front and colorful flowers planted on either side of the smoothly paved walkway that led to the front door. There were more flowers in the planter boxes that had been added just below the windows on either side of the entrance.
She raised her gaze just high enough to see into those windows. Sure enough, she could see Sheriff Quinn Hardin inside talking with the real estate developer, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Looking to the back wall, however, she noticed that the rear windows were open.
Bingo!
She quickly and quietly made her way around the building until she was positioned where she could hear the conversation, even if she couldn’t see the two people involved.
“Joe Graves is the town’s mayor,” the sheriff was explaining. “He would need to be involved in this discussion. As would our general counsel. But I don’t think?—”
“Are you an attorney?” Hugo Sparks asked sharply.
“Well, no. As I stated, I’m the sheriff. But?—”
“Then you have no room to pass judgement on if my claim is valid.”
Quinn cleared his throat, and even without seeing the man, Mina was willing to bet he was getting pretty hot under the collar.
That fact was further confirmed when his voice sounded even more strained as he replied, “You don’t know what I was going to say because you interrupted me. This discussion is over until we have the mayor and our attorney present.”
“It needs to happen soon,” Hugo countered.
“And I’m sure it can,” Quinn said. “But our attorney doesn’t even live in Big Cedar. And we aren’t her only clients. Surely you understand it isn’t likely to roll into town without an appointment, after business hours, and expect to get this thing settled.”
Mina couldn’t help herself. She quickly snuck a glance inside, seeing the men standing in the center of the room, facing one another. Even from her vantage point, she could read the intensity of the exchange.
What was this guy doing in Big Cedar? She cursed herself for not getting down there quicker. As a reporter, she needed to stay on top of things like this.
Of course, she hadn’t been expecting drama to crop up so soon in a town this small. And she’d been more than a little preoccupied with thoughts of the sexy cowboys that were taking her to dinner. But still. She was a professional. It was imperative that she stay ahead of the curve.
Quinn moved a little as he scratched his jaw. Mina hastily ducked. She hoped she wasn’t seen.
The thudding of Quinn’s boots reached her ears, and she could tell he was walking the visitor toward the door.
The fancy developer’s shoes didn’t seem to make a sound. Her mind flashed back to when she’d watched him leave.
Expensive Italian loafers.
Well, that’s what they looked to be, at least. Could be fake. But he seemed like a guy who prided himself on having the best.
It made sense they weren’t as noisy as cowboy boots. They weren’t near as sexy, either. But that was just her opinion.
Mina crept to the side of the window, stood, and put her back to the building. The metal was a little warm with that early evening sun shining down on it, but it wasn’t unpleasant. After a sigh, she started running through her options.
Going on about her business was one. Reporter or not, she was brand new in town. It wasn’t really any of her business what was going on, and the sheriff might not be in a mood to tell her, anyway.
Might not hurt to ask, though.
Which led to another option.
She had some pretty good snooping skills. A journalist had to if they wanted to be effective.
So, she could poke her nose around, do some old-school investigating, and see what she turned up.
That was all on her mind when a voice said, “What are you doing back here, little missy?”
Startled, she jumped high.
“Whoa there,” Slater said. “A mite touchy.” He looked over at Jackson who was walking beside him as they approached. “You know, pard, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say this cutie is up to something she shouldn’t be.”
Jackson nodded. “Up to no good, I reckon.”
“Oh, hey guys,” Mina said, trying to appear and sound as casual as possible while she stepped toward them. She hoped the conversation wasn’t drifting into the windows the way the sheriff’s conversation had drifted out. How would she explain all this?
“What are you doing back here?” Jackson asked, arching an eyebrow and cocking his head to the side.
“Just… uh… well…” She sighed, her shoulders slumped as she hung her head in defeat. “Some fancy guy stopped by my place a few minutes ago. I was curious why he was in town so I came over here to try and see.”
“Being nosy, huh?” Slater questioned, though the smirk he wore revealed that he wasn’t upset.
Mina relaxed a little.
“Or she’s being a reporter,” Jackson said.
“Oh, that’s right,” Slater conceded while nodding. “Forgot her occupation.”
“Did someone call a meeting back here?” Quinn asked.
A moment later, Mina saw him step around the corner, grinning.
She groaned. Busted. No way around it.
“No. I was snooping around,” she admitted glumly.
The sheriff laughed. “I know. I saw you.”
“You did?” Mina winced, angry with herself for not being better at her craft.
He nodded. “Saw you when you looked in the front window.”
“Oh.”
He just chuckled. “Guess you were looking for a juicy story.”
“Yeah! What did that guy want? He stopped by my place first,” she told them.
“Did he step out of line?” Jackson asked.
All three of the men stared at her, intent to hear the answer.
“No, no. Nothing like that,” she replied. “He said a property search online revealed the newspaper building was owned by the city. So, he assumed it was City Hall.”
“Or so he says,” Quinn said.
“You don’t believe him?” Mina asked, inching closer as her reporter instincts once again took over.
There was a story there. She just knew it!
“Well, you’ll find out soon enough. I suspect much doesn’t get by you. So, I might as well spill it,” Quinn said.
That was a compliment, as far as she was concerned. She laughed, feeling her cheeks glow a rosy hue. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His smile faded as he spoke again. “That guy says he has legal claim to some of the properties around here. He’s threatening to take the city to court.”
“You think it’s valid?” Mina asked.
“Nah. I think he’s a developer wanting to get rich. Vacation property goes at a premium around here. Hey, this wouldn’t be the first time someone tried something shady. We had a real-estate guy setting fires a while back.”
Mina couldn’t suppress a shudder. “That’s terrifying!”
“Don’t worry,” Quinn said. “He’s in jail and will be for a long time. He won’t set anything else on fire. Or hurt anyone around here ever again.”
“But what about this guy?”
The sheriff waved it off. “Our attorney will handle it. As long as this guy keeps his fight in court, that is. If he gets out of line, well, I’ll handle it.”
“And we’ll back you up,” Jackson said.
“You can even deputize us,” Slater added.
“Hopefully it won’t come to that!” Quinn said. “I think this is going to be a legal fight.” He shook his head, his facial expression growing even more serious. “What some folks will do for money…”
The others agreed before a question popped into Mina’s head. “How did you know to look for me back here?” she asked Jackson and Slater.
It was Slater who grinned. “We were coming into town when we saw you catfooting around. Figured we’d see what you were up to.”
“Oh man,” she grumbled. “I guess I’m not very good at being sneaky. You all saw me!”
All three of the men smiled.
“Just be careful,” Quinn told her. “I think you’re just being a good reporter. But we don’t know this guy. If you see him, I wouldn’t go poking around in his business. I’m sure he’s harmless. But just to be on the safe side…”
The warning sent a chill down Mina’s spine, and she decided to change the subject. “Sorry to be nosy.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Quinn replied.
“I’m mighty hungry,” Jackson said. “We gonna go eat now?”
“You bet!” Mina answered eagerly.
“I’ll let you all get to it,” Quinn said. “Just remember what I said, honey. This guy probably isn’t dangerous. But when people are chasing a payday, well, they can do desperate, stupid things. Sometimes evil things.”
She promised to be careful before setting out with Jackson and Slater. There would be time to worry about this Hugo Sparks guy later. Right now, she had a date.
Or kind of a date.
Maybe it was just dinner.
Whatever, she was in the presence of two strong, gorgeous, sexy cowboys.
And she wasn’t going to let Sparks or anyone else ruin the experience for her.