Chapter 15
I’m staring at myself in Mateo’s bedroom mirror, and I barely recognize the woman looking back.
She’s wearing a deep burgundy blouse tucked into black slacks. Professional but not corporate. Her hair is down, brushed into soft waves. Minimal makeup except for the lipstick Jess insisted I wear.
“Power red,” she’d called it. “Armor.”
I look put together. Confident.
And I feel like I’m about to throw up.
“You’re going to be incredible.”
I turn. Mateo leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with that steady gaze that’s become my anchor over the past two weeks.
“You don’t know that,” I say, even though we’ve had this exact conversation a dozen times.
“I do.” He pushes off the frame and crosses to me. His hands settle on my waist. “You’ve practiced that speech until you could say it in your sleep. You know it by heart.”
“Knowing what to say and actually saying it in front of a room full of people who might hate me are two very different things.”
“Some of them might hate you,” he admits. “But most of them don’t. And the ones who matter? They’re already on your side.”
I turn back to the mirror. Mateo stands behind me, his reflection meeting mine, his hands on my shoulders. He’s wearing a dark button-down and jeans. It’s the closest thing to formal I’ve seen him in. He looks unfairly handsome.
“What if I freeze?” I whisper. “What if I get up there and forget everything?”
“Then you look at me.” His hands slide down my arms to my hands, fingers intertwining with mine. “I’ll be in the front row. And I’ll remind you why you’re doing this.”
“Why am I doing this?”
“Because Sierra Rose Ridge is your home, and you don’t let people take your home away without a fight.”
The pulse in my chest settles.
He’s right. This is my home. My town. My life.
And I’m not running.
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Not quite.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out something small. A necklace—a delicate silver chain with a tiny wildflower pendant.
“Mateo—“
“I made it.” He steps closer, unclasping it. “For luck.”
He fastens it around my neck, his fingers brushing my skin as he works the clasp. The pendant settles just below my collarbone, cool metal against my skin.
I touch it gently. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” He turns me to face him, hands cupping my face. “And strong. And brave. And you’re going to walk into that town hall and show them exactly who Sadie Pierce is.”
“Who am I?”
“A bestselling author. A business owner. A woman who writes love letters to the places and people she cares about.” He kisses me softly. “My tesoro.”
The nickname makes my chest warm. How did I ever think it was just a joke?
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too. Now let’s go prove to this town that they’re lucky to have you.”
The drive to the town hall is quiet. Mateo’s hand rests on my thigh, thumb tracing idle patterns that keep me grounded. I watch the familiar streets pass by until we pull into the parking lot behind town hall, and my stomach drops.
It’s packed.
Cars are everywhere. People stream toward the entrance. It’s way busier than I expected.
“Holy shit,” I mutter.
“Deep breath,” Mateo says. “Remember, most of these people are here to support you.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Judith’s an asshole, and people don’t like assholes.”
I laugh. He grins and squeezes my hand. “Ready?”
“No,” I admit.
“Good. Let’s go anyway.”
We walk toward the entrance together. His hand finds mine, fingers intertwining, and I hold on like it’s a lifeline.
The doors open, and the noise hits first. Dozens of conversations overlap, chairs scrape, and the crowd buzzes. Then I see the room. Every seat is filled. People stand along the walls. It’s packed.
And right in the middle of the front row, wearing her signature white blazer, sits Judith fuckin’ Ashford.
She sees me. Smiles that cold, practiced smile, and my steps falter.
“Hey.” Mateo stops, turning me to face him. “Ignore her. Eyes on me.” I look at him. “You’ve got this. And I’m right here. The whole time.”
I nod and take a deep, steadying breath as we walk down the aisle together. Carol gives me an encouraging nod. Lin waves. Even Mayor Benally offers a warm smile from his seat at the panel table.
But I also see the hostile ones. Mrs. Patterson with her too-straight lips. David Torres with his arms crossed. Karen Voss whispering to the woman beside her while giving me the evil eye.
Finally, I see my people. My family. Jess, Macy, Isabel, and Dean have saved seats in the first row, on the opposite side of the aisle from Judith’s crew. Jess gives me a thumbs up. Mateo guides me to sit between him and Jess. His arm goes around my shoulders immediately.
“You look amazing,” Jess whispers.
“I look terrified.”
“Same thing.” She places her hand on my knee. “The lipstick hides the fear, I promise.”
Mayor Benally calls the meeting to order. The room quiets.
“Thank you all for coming tonight,” he begins.
“We’re here to discuss a matter that’s been the subject of significant conversation in our community over the past two and a half weeks.
Sadie Pierce, a local business owner and resident of Sierra Rose Ridge for the past five years, has recently been identified as author Sienna Saguaro, who wrote the bestselling romance novel Wildfire Summer.
Some community members have expressed concerns about this, and tonight we’re giving everyone a chance to voice their thoughts.
This is an open forum, so please be respectful. ”
He looks directly at Judith.
Judith stands immediately. Of course she does.
“Thank you, Mayor Benally.” Judith’s voice is smooth, practiced. “I appreciate the opportunity to address this serious matter.”
She turns to face the crowd.
“For those who don’t know me, I’m Judith Ashford, president of the Sierra Rose Ridge Historical Society. I’ve lived in this town for thirty years. I’ve dedicated my life to preserving our history, our culture—“ Her gaze turns on me. “Our integrity.”
Then she pauses for effect, because Judith doesn’t do anything if not for attention.
“Which is why I’m deeply troubled by what Sadie Pierce has done.”
My hands clench in my lap. Mateo squeezes my shoulder.
“Sadie Pierce wrote a book—a romance novel,” she spits out.
“Which I’m told contains explicit sexual content.
And to make it worse, she set it in a town that is unmistakably Sierra Rose Ridge.
She used our landmarks. Our legends. Our history.
She took the stories we’ve built over generations and turned them into adult entertainment. ”
Judith’s voice drips with disdain on that last word. I don’t dare look around to see the community’s reactions.
“She used the Farmers Market. The winery’s Sips & Stars event.
The Red Rock Cliffs. The legend of Rosa Delgado and her forbidden love.
She took all of it and repackaged it for disgusting profit without any consideration for this town.
” Murmurs of agreement ripple through parts of the crowd.
Shivers crawl beneath my skin. Judith’s face twists like she’s tasted something rotten.
“She turned our town into a backdrop for her pornography.”
“It’s not pornography,” I hear myself say.
Everyone turns to look at me.
Judith’s smile sharpens. “I’m sorry, did you want to speak now? I wasn’t finished.”
“Then finish,” Mayor Benally says firmly.
Judith smooths her blazer.
“As I was saying, Sadie Pierce has profited significantly from this book. It’s hit number one on .
She’s made thousands—possibly tens of thousands—of dollars by exploiting our community and turning into a literary brothel.
” She turns to face me directly. “And now she wants us to do what? Congratulate her? Thank her for making Sierra Rose Ridge into a setting for her... her disgusting fantasies?”
Her words drip with contempt.
Bile rises in my throat. My mother’s voice overlaps with Judith’s: Disgusting. Degrading. Shameful. I’m eighteen again, watching my parents burn my first manuscript in the fireplace.
My chest tightens. The room feels too small, too hot. I want to stand up and run, just like I always do, but Mateo’s hand finds mine and holds tight. He leans in.
“Don’t let her get to you, tesoro,“ he whispers. “She’s wrong about all of it.”
“I believe Sadie Pierce owes this community an apology.” Why does she keep saying my full name? “But an apology isn’t enough. Not for this level of degradation. No, Ms. Pierce needs to leave Sierra Rose Ridge.”
Gasps from parts of the crowd ripple through the room. Mateo fidgets in his seat like he’s itching to get up and say something.
She wants me to leave. Just like Owen did. Just like my family did. Everyone always wants me to be smaller, quieter, gone.
But I’m not running. Not this time.
“We don’t need her kind of publicity. We don’t need pornography readers coming here looking for the ‘real Sunset Ridge’ so they can gawk at us like we’re characters in some author’s sick fantasies.
We have standards here. We have values. And we will not be made into a brothel for one woman’s profit. ”
She sits down.
The room erupts in noise. Some people clap. Others argue and shout. Mayor Benally bangs his gavel. “Order! We’ll have order!”
The room quiets.
Mayor Benally looks at me. “Ms. Pierce, would you like to respond?”
Every head in the room turns to me. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. I stand. My legs are shaking.
Please don’t give out on me now.
Mateo’s hand squeezes mine once before letting go. I walk to the center front of the room and turn. I see Jess’s face, fierce and proud, my friends nodding with encouragement, and Mateo’s eyes locked on mine like I’m the only person in the room.
I can do this.
Deep breath.