Chapter Eight
On the morning of election day, the sky over Tenacity was cerulean blue without a cloud threatening to pass over. As he made the turn off the highway onto Central Avenue, Seth hoped it was a good omen for the small town with what he hoped was a bright future ahead.
Nothing could be as bright, however, as his spirits when he exited Betty’s Bakehouse and spotted Andrea getting out of her car.
Holy hell, the woman wore jeans well. His gaze trailed down her shapely thighs to where her tall brown suede boots extended to her knees.
She was wearing a black sweater under a royal blue and black houndstooth wool coat, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail, allowing him a nice view of the soft-looking skin of her neck, where he could imagine placing his lips, kissing her and feeling the soft vibration of a moan.
She wore black sunglasses that made her look like a movie star.
He was going to have to act fast if he wanted any chance at Andrea Spence: There was no shortage of men in the area who would love a chance to take her on a date. He was resolved to be the only one who was successful in that pursuit.
Seth balanced the two coffees and the paper bag holding two apple fritters he’d shown up a few minutes early to pick up for him and Andrea. It was strange, making decisions with another person in mind.
His last relationship—if you could call it that—was over five years ago, with Melanie Chalmers, a society woman from Bronco Heights he’d met at a New Year’s Eve party at one of his parents’ friends’ palatial estates not far from the Triple T Ranch.
She’d sidled right up to Seth at the bar, leading with her impressive cleavage, and asked him when he was planning on taking her upstairs to make out—she had no intention of kissing anyone chastely at midnight.
Her dress had been cut just low enough and he’d had just the right number of Manhattans that night to take her up on her offer.
They’d dated for a few months, during which his well-meaning mother, Imogen, had not too subtly, on several occasions, inquired if Melanie might be “the one,” but Seth had known from the moment they kissed in the library of that mansion that Melanie was most certainly not the one for him.
But she made for excellent arm candy for the period of time when all his friends seemed to be coupled up, and the dark days of winter staring him down seemed a little more palatable with a companion.
It had been Melanie, at the end of the day, who’d broken it off—apparently, he was too detached, too hard to communicate with—but he’d been relieved, grateful even, that he didn’t have to be the breaker-upper. The breaker-upee, in effect, was often the pitied party, but Seth didn’t mind.
He spent the next few years dating casually—most recently what started as an exciting but devolved into a lackluster fling with Felicia, an actress at the Bronco theater.
But now, looking at Andrea Spence slinging her purse over her shoulder and checking that her car door was locked, which made him grin—she was still a city girl—he found himself suddenly wondering what life would be like with Andrea in it.
She started toward the Town Hall, but then looked over and noticed him standing outside the bakery. He nodded, doing his best not to completely disintegrate under the magnetic waves of her gorgeous smile.
“It’s already busy around here,” he said as soon as she was in earshot.
There were a number of people congregating on the front steps to the Town Hall.
Voting started at 9:00 a.m., and it seemed several citizens were eager to make their selection.
He passed Andrea her coffee. “I thought we might need these to stay warm.”
Andrea accepted the coffee, a small smile playing on her glossy lips. “Thank you,” she said, then looked down at the bag in his hand. “And I was regretting not taking you up on that apple fritter.”
“I’m aware,” Seth said. “I could see it written all over your face.”
She raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in eyes. “Thank you,” she said, taking a sip of the coffee. “Mmm. Alright, where are we stationed?”
Seth scanned the square in front of the Town Hall, where a voting information booth was set up, as well as a school trustee kiosk.
“Right there,” he said, pointing toward the empty table that Fred Devin, the front desk assistant for the town council, had promised Seth he’d leave out for them.
“Hang on. I’ve got some things in the trunk. ”
He passed Andrea his coffee, then popped the trunk of his car, where he had a vinyl banner and some pamphlets that the Taylor Beef office admin assistant had helped him put together in strict secrecy in exchange for an extra day off approved near the Thanksgiving weekend.
Andrea helped him affix the banner to the table. “A Tenacity Dino Dream” it read. That ought to get some attention. The pamphlets featured some basic information about the recent discoveries, and what they could mean for the economic future of the town.
Seth had also included his phone number and email address.
He had an instinct that while Andrea had agreed to be there with him, she wouldn’t want her personal information printed like that, and his hunch was confirmed when he watched her turn the pamphlet over in her hands, and nod slightly when she reached the contact section.
“These are great,” she said. “How do you think people will react?”
“We’re about to find out,” Seth said, as a couple in their seventies approached the table.
For the next twenty minutes or so, they had a steady stream from the early voters.
Most people seemed amused by the idea, but Seth didn’t sense any real pushback.
He supposed that it would take some real commitment and tangible plans until the reality of the project started to sink in, so for now it was best to be transparent and put out the feelers.
When there was a lull in foot traffic, Andrea and Seth took the opportunity to sit down.
“Good coffee,” she said, raising her mug to cheers his. “And a successful event so far.”
He smiled and tapped his paper cup against hers. “Good, coffee,” he agreed. But the company was much better.
* * *
Three hours had flown by, and Andrea had already met over two dozen Tenacity residents and local ranchers.
She was enjoying being with Seth and watching him share information about his plans with the curious citizens who stopped at their table on their way to vote.
He spoke with confidence and sincerity, and Andrea could see why Seth was a good businessman.
When someone spoke, he listened intently, validated their concerns and answered questions directly.
“Maybe you should run for mayor one day,” Andrea said.
Seth laughed. “I don’t know about that. Plus, you have to be a town resident. Now you,” he said, tipping his chin in a way that was decidedly playful, “would be a real contender.”
Andrea shook her head. “I like people. But I don’t like conflict.”
“Is that a prerequisite for the job?”
Andrea raised an eyebrow. “As far as I can tell.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have liked growing up in the Taylor household,” Seth said, giving her a wry smile. “I had to learn to hold my own from a young age.” He was smiling, but Andrea could tell it was a loaded comment.
“You’ve mentioned your brother Daniel. What about your other siblings?” She wanted to know all about his family. His childhood. What he was good at in school. What kind of life he wanted to build. She wanted to know everything about him.
“Daniel’s the eldest, and then there’s Ryan. We’ve got three sisters. Charlotte, Allison and Eloise. She’s the baby. She’s the one who’s married to Luca Sanchez’s cousin.”
“There are more Sanchezes than Luca and Nina?” Andrea asked.
“You’ll meet them sooner than later. There are the Tenacity Sanchezes, and the Bronco Sanchezes,” Seth said. “Every last one engaged or married off.”
“Got it,” said Andrea. “So, your siblings. Are you close with all of them?”
“Close might be a stretch. We get along fine now, but there’s the usual sibling drama.” He gestured toward her coffee cup. “Need a refill? Or something to eat? Are you warm enough?”
Clearly, he was steering the conversation away from family, but it didn’t escape her notice that he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.
Seth had given her no reason to distrust him, but she was on edge. Giving in to this attraction would be so easy. But the way it threatened her independence was terrifying. She couldn’t lose herself again.
She’d felt the same way with Harold, initially, before his ugly side appeared.
The Saturday afternoon after their first date, a dozen long-stemmed yellow roses had been delivered to her doorstep.
Whenever they went out, Harold went out of his way to jump ahead and open doors and pull out chairs for her. She didn’t need it, but she liked it.
But then, she slowly started to realize that his money and attention were just about all that he had to give.
Whenever they had a conversation, he had a way of subtly changing the topic to something about him: some kind of professional success he’d had or accolade he’d been bestowed with.
It was obvious that while Harold masqueraded as this charming, confident genius who sounded like a member of the royal family, he was in truth deeply insecure and compensated with his deplorable behavior.
The memory of feeling under his thumb made her stomach suddenly twist into knots. “I don’t need anything,” she said, standing up. “I’m just going to run inside to use the washroom.”
“Sure thing,” said Seth, a hint of concern in his eyes. “I’ll be here.”