Chapter 7
I don’t know why I keep on moving. Except men are the same everywhere. The only thing I can change is the scenery.
Jessie hadn’t slept well at all the previous night. The evening’s interactions with Flynn played through her mind on a loop.
It had almost happened. The thing she’d felt—feared—could happen if she ever got too close to him. But this was not the time.
Will it ever be the time?
No. Not with him. Not with him.
She was playing with fire, but she was Jessie Jane Hancock, so she ought to be able to handle that.
He’d been pissed off, though, when she left. Probably because he was a man and he’d had a moment there when he’d thought he might get laid, and then he didn’t.
She needed to focus on what was in front of her, which was not Flynn Wilder, but her campaign.
That’s why she was headed to the library to talk to Millie about setting up a little campaign booth in the parking lot. Just as she walked into the library, Danielle Lefevre was walking out.
“Jessie Jane,” Danielle said, managing to orient her body so that she barely missed running into Jessie, all while smiling in such a toothy manner, Jessie thought she might have been dropped into a toothpaste commercial.
“Danielle.”
“Declaring for mayor. Really?”
“Yes. Really. As anyone can.”
“You’re not … It’s not … It isn’t serious, is it?”
“I filed paperwork, Danielle, and I’m not about to engage with bureaucracy for the sake of empty entertainment.”
“It isn’t going to bring me any joy to beat you as soundly as I’m going to.”
The door opened behind Danielle. “Jessie,” Millie said, smiling wide.
The small, brown-haired woman was wearing a floral dress.
She had very large glasses perched on the end of her nose, and a person who wasn’t observant could be forgiven for labeling her as mousy or retiring.
But Jessie paid attention to people. It was one of her strengths.
Part of what made her charismatic, if she was going to call herself that, and she just might.
“I thought you were on your way to an appointment?” Millie asked Danielle, pointedly.
Jessie knew that there was bad blood between the two of them. It was why she thought Millie might make a good ally. And why she was totally surprised to see Danielle at the library.
“Yes. But of course I had to stop and talk to Jessie. We might be rivals, but I have compassion for the fact that she’s about to go through a difficult time.” Then she turned her glittering blue eyes to Jessie. “I guess I’ll be seeing you soon. For a debate at town hall?”
A debate. Fantastic. Jessie could think of nothing better, especially when she got all her favorite cowboys, barflies, and buckle bunnies to attend. “I would love to.”
Danielle walked quickly to the parking lot and got into her big white SUV.
Jessie turned toward Millie. “I assume there’s a story here.”
“A little bit of one,” Millie said. “You know how she is.”
“I do know how she is, but I’m shocked she’d come into the library after what she did to you.”
Millie wrinkled her nose. “Shocked? Really? She is …”
“Fair enough. People think I’m shameless, but I got nothing on her.”
“No indeed.” Millie cleared her throat. “She was wanting to put election materials up on the library bulletin board. I told her I would have to consider it. The library can’t be partisan. It’s funded by taxpayer dollars.”
“Danielle wants to take library funding.”
Millie grimaced.
Jessie tapped her chin. “What if you let her put her flyers up on the board, and then I can do a booth in the parking lot.”
Millie blinked. “Come in.”
Jessie stepped past the threshold and into the library.
She’d never been inside the library before.
It was a lovely facility, all new and nice—which meant it had been built in the last twenty years.
There were lots of cushy chairs, desks and tables, nice nooks to read in.
It was a bit more industrial and less cozy than Jessie would personally prefer, but it made her feel a little sad that this was the first time she had been in the building.
Another way that she was just … odd, an outsider.
“What is it you’d like to do?”
“Flynn is helping me out with my canvassing, and he mentioned that it might be a good idea to have a booth with drinks and baked goods. I thought it was a great idea, and I thought the library would be a good location, seeing as you’re his sister-in-law …”
“And Danielle stole my fiancé?”
Jessie choked on a laugh. “Well. I thought that might not hurt.”
“I don’t care that she took him. In fact, it’s the nicest thing anyone ever did for me.”
“Well. You’re not wrong. That guy is a weasel. And so is she. That’s why I’m running against her.”
“I can list a hundred reasons why it’s good you’re running against her. And Austin … He explained to me that Flynn is involved because … you know how it is.”
“I’m getting the picture, yes. As far as the town is concerned, we’re dating.”
Millie looked at her, her eyes bright. “You aren’t, though?”
“No. I think Flynn would rather take some of my hairspray, douse himself with it, and set himself on fire than actually date me.”
“That wasn’t the impression I got,” Millie said softly.
“Oh, he thinks I’m hot,” Jessie said. “I know that. But he doesn’t like me. I think he might sleep with every woman in this town before even considering me. In fact, he seems to be attempting to prove that theory right.”
She felt overly hot and sweaty just saying that, but knew her agitation wasn’t showing. She was being exactly what someone like Millie expected her to be. She was being a straight talker. She was being that honest, slightly risqué version of herself people responded to so well.
“I have no issue with you and Flynn using the parking lot to distribute materials, and I’ll let Danielle hang up her campaign poster.”
“Perfect. And honestly, if she complains, it’s going to look like she feels threatened by me.”
Millie regarded her for a moment. “She should be. I think she’s overestimating her popularity.
When I went up against her on the issue of funding Gold Rush Days, her stance wasn’t popular enough to win the vote.
She was close, but the loyalty people have to her is directly related to what they think she could do for them.
Yes, there are some people who aren’t going to want to give up that connection, but there are plenty of people that will jump ship.
The thing is, Danielle isn’t loyal. Because of that, she doesn’t engender a lot of loyalty. ”
“That’s what I’m counting on. And the truth is, a lot of people don’t get involved in this community because they don’t think there’s any point. I’m hoping to bring them out of the woodwork.”
“Smart plan.”
“I’m smarter than people think.”
“Do you want to come have dinner at our place tomorrow night? I’m going out with my friend Heather tonight, but tomorrow … You and Flynn could discuss your plans, and the whole family can get their story straight. And we could discuss them canvassing when and where you’d like them to.”
“Great. I’ve also got my horse-shoeing clients. I’ll be talking to all of them. What I’d really like is to hear the concerns that Austin and Carson have as ranchers. Flynn obviously has had a chance to weigh in already.”
“And that is very smart. Because this town isn’t just about tourism.”
“I feel like I occupy a middle position, between businesses that cater to tourists and ranchers. I think we can serve both parts of the community.”
“If anyone can, I think it might be you. I’ve always admired you, Jessie. People have always thought that I was nothing more than the quiet librarian. And for a good portion of my life, I suppose that’s been true. But I’ve always thought you were a badass.”
Millie looked slightly thrilled that the word “badass” had come out of her mouth, even if at a low volume. Jessie could only smile. “And I’ve always known that you were actually a force to be reckoned with, Millie Wilder. Your marrying Austin made it clear that I was right all along.”
“I suppose it did,” she said.
“Well. I’ll see you for dinner. And then for the booth. What’s your favorite baked good?”
Millie frowned. “My favorite baked good?”
“I love to bake.”
“Lemon bars?”
“Then there will be lemon bars. And thanks for the dinner invitation.”
Jessie was halfway back to her truck when she realized that she had just been invited to Austin Wilder’s house for dinner.
Likely, Millie was going rogue with the invitation. Because she could not imagine that Austin would be any too pleased about it. Hell, come to that, Flynn probably wouldn’t be too pleased either.
Jessie felt amused down to her socks.
When Flynn showed up at his brother’s house for dinner with a cooler full of elk steak, he was greeted with a phrase so insane, he was convinced that he had misheard it: Jessie ought to be here in about a half hour.
“Excuse me?”
His sister-in-law grinned at him. “She didn’t tell you? She stopped by the library and talked to me about the two of you doing a booth there tomorrow.”
“I hadn’t received those details.”
“I invited her to come to dinner, because honestly, I thought we should all have a unified story. Also, I want to make sure that I support her mission in any way I can.”
“Still feeling frosty toward Danielle?” Austin asked, from his seat on the couch where he was holding Emma.
“Yeah. I do. I don’t mourn the loss of Michael, don’t get me wrong, but I still think she’s an awful person. And I’m not over the things she said about you when we started dating.”
“Dating,” Austin said. “Is that how we are reframing that?”
Millie went scarlet. “Eventually we dated. Well, eventually we got married.”
“We never did anything half so civilized as date, Millie Mouse.”
Millie made a tsking sound and moved to the couch to steal the baby.
“I’ll tell you what, Jessie Jane is smart,” Flynn said. “She managed to find a family with two built-in allies.”