Chapter 5
Archer
“Oh, Dad,” Juliet says, motioning toward me. “You know Archer Kade. He gave me a ride into town when my car broke down.”
The mayor’s eyes shift back to Juliet’s. “I didn’t know you had a car.”
“It was just a quick purchase to get me home.”
“It broke down?” He shoots me a condemning look, as if it’s my fault.
“Yeah, the piston shot out, I think,” she says.
“What?” Mayor Monroe’s voice booms. “Honey...”
“Oh, Dad, calm down,” Juliet says with an easy grin, resting a hand on his arm. “It was nothing, I promise.”
“Still, I’d like the contact information of the man who obviously cheated you,” he grumbles.
“That’s not necessary,” she says, amused.
Her dad pauses, then his whole persona softens. “All right. I’ll let it go. For now.”
I can’t look away. It’s like watching a horse whisperer with a mustang the way her presence calms Mayor Monroe. Does that mean the war between us is on hold for the moment?
“Anyway,” Juliet continues, “Archer found me on the side of the road and was nice enough to bring me and my stuff here.”
Her eyes linger on me in a way I wish they wouldn’t. Not with her dad watching. He’s obviously deducing whether or not to send someone to have me arrested—again—or let me off with a warning for daring to pick up his stranded daughter on the side of the road.
Instead, the mayor extends his hand toward me. “Mr. Kade, thanks for picking up my daughter.”
Okay, so I guess he’s going the truce route.
This has to be because his daughter’s watching.
If we were alone, Mayor Monroe would have said at least three things by now to throw Horseshoe Holler under the bus, then brought up my less-than-perfect track record in Texas—just like he always does.
I would have already responded in the same way, too, lightly condemning his lawmaking or subtly jabbing his age.
All with a smile, of course. Because that’s how the two of us have nonverbally agreed to live out our days here in Autumn Ridge.
I accept the handshake, not willing to appear like the lesser man. “Happy to help, sir,” I reply with a furtive glance at Juliet.
She watches me with a knowing look, as if she’s saying, “See? I told you you’d back down. Everyone always does.”
But I’m not backing down. I’m just gauging the situation to see if this is all worth it. I know the mayor’s bound by law to do the right thing. And honestly, I’m sure he’s an honorable and upstanding guy—to everyone but me. But the truth is, he doesn’t like me, and he never will.
The feeling is mutual. I could never vote for a man who doesn’t believe in second chances.
“We expect only the best from those who live in Autumn Ridge,” he said all those years ago. “Shape up or get out.”
It wasn’t the worst thing an officer has said to me.
Still, a few years ago, I listened and tried hard to become an upstanding citizen.
When he refused to remove the target he placed on my back, I had no other choice but to lean into the status he gave me—a nuisance.
Like when I rode my horse through his mayoral inaugural speech, or when I went behind his back to gain support for my Sleepy Holler venue, despite his commandment not to.
It’s all harmless, really. But it does upset the mayor’s control of his town, which satiates my desire for justice.
Or vengeance, depending on your point of view.
“Run into any trouble on the way here?” he asks.
“Not at all, sir.”
We’re clearly pretending there’s no animosity between us, which means he hasn’t told Juliet about me—how I’d been caught loitering in a questionable location when I first moved to Autumn Ridge.
How the mayor challenged me on the legality of my business license.
How he arrested me when he was sheriff on some ridiculous charge.
If she knew any of that, she wouldn’t have taken a second look at me—because she obviously values her relationship with her father.
“He got me back in one piece, Dad,” Juliet says. “He was very attentive.”
“Was he?” Mayor Monroe mumbles. He watches me, daring me to respond.
If I push this button, I might end up kidnapped and dumped in the Mojave Desert. But I can’t help myself as the warning in his eyes grows stronger. I deliver the slightest, most innocent look in his direction, as if to say, “Oh, I was attentive.”
His eyes harden as the challenge between us strengthens. We’re not quite eye-to-eye, as I’m a few inches taller than him, which must bug him.
“How’s business coming at Horseshoe Holler?” Mr. Monroe asks.
“Thriving, as usual,” I say. “Booked up nearly every day. We even have a wedding we’ll be hosting in October.”
“Great. I love when businesses legally flourish in my town.”
Both words were said with the most subtle of emphases. I guess he can’t hold onto that upstanding mayoral vibe for long, even with his daughter listening.
“Even those who don’t have your blessing?” I shift my standing, and my boot makes a soft scrape against the road.
The mayor has never approved of my stables—or the ideas that come along with it.
They’re unfit for a small town, too expensive for Autumn Ridge, and not family-friendly enough.
He tries to get me shut down every other year or so, chalking it up to one hazard after another.
But I know the real reason is because he doesn’t like me or the police record I brought with me from Texas.
“What’s going on?”
Juliet’s words break our power struggle. She glances between us, clearly sensing the tension.
The mayor immediately softens and turns doting eyes on his daughter. “I was just about to head home for lunch, honey. Any interest in BLTs?”
She hesitates a minute, as if debating whether or not to pursue answers to what she’s just seen, but she ultimately nods. “That sounds great. Care to join us, Archer?”
Her dad looks appalled at her offer.
What I wouldn’t give to say yes. But I know she’s only asking to prove that I’m unwilling to stand up to her dad.
Juliet is the apple of her dad’s eye. I very well may now be dead for even looking at that apple. I can’t run Horseshoe Holler if I’m dead now, can I?
“Thanks for the offer, but I gotta be getting back.”
Juliet doesn’t look surprised, and the mayor doesn’t even respond.
“I’ve just got one quick call to make, Jules, then I’m all yours for the rest of the day. Let me pull my car around so we can load it from here.” He turns a stern gaze on me again. “You can put her belongings on the sidewalk.”
What am I, the Monroes’ personal errand boy?
If this wasn’t for Juliet, there’s no way I’d comply.
Mayor Monroe side-hugs his daughter. “So happy you’re here, Jules. My birthday is going to be that much better. Heck, the entire festival is.”
She gives her dad a little wave as he walks away, then turns back to face me.
Mayor Monroe shoots me a look over his shoulder before he disappears down the street, and I receive the meaning loud and clear.
“I’m watching you.”
Message received, Mr. Mayor.
I walk past Juliet with an averted gaze and open the tailgate.
“I can help,” she says.
“Nah, I got it.”
Her eyes track me as I move back and forth, shifting her belongings toward the back of the truck. “I take it you know my dad?”
I give her a side-eye. “You could’ve warned me.”
“I gave hints. What other dad in all of Autumn Ridge is as protective as mine?”
She has me there. I should’ve been tipped off the second I’d learned her dad didn’t trust me.
I hop onto the bed of the truck and pick up another suitcase at the back.
“I am sorry I didn’t tell you more clearly,” she says, standing at the side of the truck. “I’m sure you can see why I didn’t, though. You did what every other guy always does.”
“And what’s that?” I ask.
She squints up at me, bright sunshine pooling around her. “Run away.”
Am I running away? Sure. But only to avoid injuring her in the crossfire.
This whole thing is disappointing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun talking to a girl. Now, I can’t pursue her.
She tips her head to the side, loose pieces of hair fluttering around her as she positions her hand to block the sunrays from her eyes. “Are you upset?”
She sounds more curious than concerned.
“No.” I hop down from the bed, and she follows me as I bring her things to the sidewalk.
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.”
“Because if you are upset, I could always make you feel better by agreeing to answer your question from before.”
She dangles the knowledge like a carrot in front of a donkey. Her answer won’t change anything. Mayor Monroe is worse than King Kong. That giant gorilla just destroys cities. This mayor has the power to destroy the one thing that has brought me peace since I was twenty-one.
But I guess I’m the donkey because the carrot is just too good to pass up.
“All right,” I say. “Have at it.”
Her smooth lips curve. “Yes, I had a major crush on you when I was in high school.”
An airy feeling opens up inside of me. Then her words sink in. “Had,” I repeat.
“Had. Years ago. When I was a teenager. Those feelings are all gone now, which can only be for the best, seeing as how you have no intention of making good on that date you mentioned.” She gives me a knowing look. “Isn’t that right?”
I glance beyond her shoulder. The mayor’s black SUV drives toward us, but he stops to allow a mom to cross the street with her little girl.
I want to tell Juliet she’s wrong, that I have zero hesitation about her dad. But what’s the point if nothing can ever happen between us? I know which of the mayor’s buttons to safely push, and this is not one of them.
“Probably best for the both of us,” I say. “Your dad ain’t too fond of me.”
And the feeling is mutual.
“That has nothing to do with you as a person.” She pauses. “Does it?”
Her eyes search mine, but I’m not willing to divulge our six-year-long combat. “I guess not.”
The mayor pulls in two spaces away from us.
“Do you like my dad?”
“Everyone loves Mayor Monroe.”
She seems to catch my wording, but lets it go anyway. “It’s a shame we can’t go on that date. We probably could have had some fun together.”
“Even if your crush on me is gone?”
“There’s no pressure if there are no expectations.” She raises an easy shoulder, the smooth lines of her clavicle on display as her thin shirt shifts to the side. “Anyway, thanks for the ride. And thanks for letting me play out my teenage fantasy for a bit. Now I can lay it all to rest.”
A hollow sensation seeps through my chest. Juliet’s expression looks anything but upset, proving her crush on me really is over.
It’s a weird feeling, being disappointed about the end of something, even though I only found out about its existence minutes before.
Mayor Monroe exits his SUV, and I take a step back.
“I hope you have a nice break from school,” I say. “It was good to meet you.”
“Again,” she adds.
I try to step away, but the mayor’s at my side.
“Drive safe, Mr. Kade,” he says, clearly dismissing me with a warning as he emphasizes another word that brings up my past.
That empty feeling inside me leaves no room for energy to fight, so I nod in silence. Backing away, I catch his look of victory that says he won this round.
Okay, so I guess there’s a little room for pride. “Let me know if you need any help again, Juliet. I’d be happy to lend a hand. Especially in regard to that teenage fantasy you were telling me about.”
Surprise flickers across her features.
I flick an innocent glance at her dad, who narrows his eyes, then I climb into my truck and drive away.
I’ve only been known to back down once from a challenge. I was always the one to ride the toughest bulls and wiliest broncs. Mayor Monroe is another animal entirely, and I don’t think I’ll last eight seconds fighting him if his daughter is on the line.
But leaving on that note sure was worth it.