by Dylann Crush
“I suppose.” Bodie jerked his thumb toward the truck. “Can we get out of here? I’ve got a meeting back at the office in a bit.”
“Yeah.” Lacey swept her gaze around the area. The warehouse sat undisturbed. Off in the distance she could see the turret of the main house. What was going to happen to this space now that the Phillips family had shut everything down? With a sinking feeling settling in her gut, she followed Bodie to the truck.
four
“I’m home.” Lacey let the front door slam behind her.
“Did you bring dinner?” Her dad sat in his favorite recliner, the arms worn from years of use.
“Yes.” She set the bag of takeout on the table in the front hall while she shrugged out of her jacket. “Burgers again. Is that okay?”
“Beggars can’t be choosers, now, can they?” The resignation in his tone made her glance up.
“I wouldn’t exactly call you a beggar.” She carried the bag into the living room, the smell of grease making her stomach twinge.
He reached for the bag. “Thanks for taking care of your dear old dad, honey.”
She released the bag into his hands, glancing at the collection of empty beer cans on the side table as she did. “You get anything done today?”
The bag crinkled as he pulled a double-decker Bonanza Burger from the sack. “Sure. I went into the office, chatted up the city council, and made plans to reopen the warehouse that just closed down.”
Lacey sighed. The “poor, pitiful me” routine her dad had been pulling for the past few months was getting old. It was his own fault he ended up on house arrest. Why did he make it out to seem like he was the victim? “Very funny. I thought you were going to talk to that college buddy of yours about doing some consulting.”
“They don’t need me anymore. Although they did manage to hire someone else to help them with their new campaign.” He nibbled on a fry.
“I’m sure something else will turn up.” She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. The longer he sat here, unengaged and uninterested in anything going on around him, the longer she’d have to stay. She’d given up her place in town when he got sentenced to house arrest. At the time it made sense. Paying for rent on her small studio apartment seemed like an unnecessary expense when she’d be spending so much time at her dad’s place. Besides, now she could use what she’d pay in rent to afford her assistant.
“Saw you on the news this afternoon.” Dad spread the paper wrapper out on his stomach. “You handled that reporter from Houston pretty well, just like a pro.”
“Until Bodie butted in.” Lacey scowled. “He thinks I need his help. Which I don’t.”
Dad laughed, making his burger bounce up and down on his belly. “Bodie has a mind of his own, sweetheart.”
“You know, maybe you can help me. I need to figure out what to do now that the Phillips family is closing down their business.” Her dad had years of experience dealing with the inner workings of Idont. He might not be able to leave the house, but he could still help her navigate the muddy water she’d suddenly found herself drowning in.
“I was pretty surprised when I heard.” He took a bite of burger. She waited while he swallowed. “Seems to me like they’d want to stay on the good side of the town.”
“Why’s that?” Lacey sat down on the edge of the couch and eased her shoes off. Her feet ached from the short stint in heels this morning. She either needed to practice wearing them more or better yet, give them up for good.
“The town owns the land out there. Phillips defaulted on the payments about eighteen months ago when I was still in office. Their business isn’t doing as well as they’d like people to think.”
“What does that mean?” Lacey asked.
“Means whatever they left on the town’s property ought to belong to the town. Have you looked inside?” He reached for one of the beer cans on the table next to him, then drained it. “Hey, sweetheart, can you bring me another beer?”
She got up, padding to the kitchen on bare feet. While she filled a glass with water from the dispenser on the fridge, she thought about what her dad said. If the town owned the warehouse and everything in it, maybe they could sell the inventory to raise some money. But that still didn’t fix the fact that dozens of people were without jobs.
“What’s that?” her dad asked as she set the water next to him and gathered the beer cans.
“Why don’t you try to stay hydrated?” She turned, taking the cans to the recycle bin. Seeing her dad fall into the deep, dark hole he preferred to reside in had bothered her most of her life. Once upon a time he’d been full of smiles and laughs. Back when her mom was still alive. Lacey dumped the beer cans, grateful her mom wasn’t around to see how her dad was doing. Mom had been the love of his life, and when she passed away it was like a light inside of him had shut off. No matter what she did, Lacey couldn’t seem to get it lit again.
“I’m going to take a bath.” The need to wash away the failure of the day overwhelmed her. A nice warm bath and a glass of wine would do the trick.
“Thanks for dinner, honey.”
“You’re welcome.” She shuffled back to her bedroom to change into her robe before pouring herself a glass of wine from the box she kept hidden in her closet. It wouldn’t do any good for her dad to find her stash. He’d blow through that, too. If she could only get the local beer barn to stop delivering to him, maybe then he’d stop wallowing in self-pity.
Ten minutes later she settled into the tub, her glass of wine perched on the edge. Relaxing into the lavender-scented bubbles, she let out a deep breath. Being mayor wasn’t what she expected. Granted, she was only two days in, but it was supposed to be somewhat of an honorary title. It wasn’t even a part-time job. And now she had a whole town to save and a rekindled attraction to Bodie that needed to be stifled.
She opened her eyes, looking for something to distract her. A rack of magazines sat a few feet away. Lacey hadn’t flipped through those in years. Afraid she might come across one of Luke’s rags full of half-naked women, she settled on the one at the front. A photo of a summer bride decorated the front cover.
Lacey sighed as she gazed at the bouquets of lilacs and white roses. She’d dreamed of having a wedding like that one day. Back when she was a kid she’d even made lists of what they’d eat, what kind of flowers they’d have, and what kind of gifts she’d get for her twelve bridesmaids. A soft laugh escaped her lips. Twelve bridesmaids. She’d had big dreams back then. If she got married tomorrow she’d have only one person she was close enough with to invite to be in her wedding—her best friend, Zina.
It hadn’t been Zina’s choice to come back to Idont either, but at least they still had each other. Although, as the director of For Pitties’ Sake, the local pit bull rescue, Zina had even less free time than Lacey did.
Her mind wandered farther down the path of her childhood dreams. The groom. Her cheeks tingled. She’d almost forgotten. Every time she’d imagined getting married, she’d pretended the groom was Bodie. She sat up in the tub, causing water to splash over the side. Of course she’d pictured him. He was the only boy besides her brother who’d ever bothered to say anything nice to her. She shrugged away the thought that it might mean something and flipped the magazine open.
She skimmed the first few pages, passing over ads for cosmetics, promises of how she could make any man fall in love with her, and a quiz that would tell her which fairy-tale hero would be her Mr. Right. The next page flipped open, showcasing the same bride from the front cover. It was an article about how to plan the most romantic wedding. Lacey vaguely remembered reading the article years ago. She’d even circled some of the tips with her favorite purple pen.
As she devoured the single-spaced pages, including a whole section of wedding themes, an idea started to form. Idont needed a new source of income. People needed jobs. She needed a way to restore her family’s
name. What if she could take care of all three things at once?
five
Bodie sat at his desk, draining his coffee mug. He’d been working up the nerve to head over to his folks’ place and start asking questions. He could guess all he wanted, but the only way to find out for sure why his family decided to close the warehouse was to come right out and ask. As he got up from his chair, determined to go through with his plan, he noticed her in the doorway.
Lacey. She had on tight jeans, the kind that didn’t leave much to the imagination, and a pair of well-worn boots. She must have come from riding since she wore her dad’s old canvas jacket over a flannel button-down shirt. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling rather dry. She’d never looked so appealing.
“Bodie.” She met him on his way to the door. “We need to talk.”
He looked around the office. The sheriff’s secretary eyed them over her cup of tea. “I’m heading out to run an errand. Why don’t you come with me and we can talk on the way?”
She grabbed his arm. Heat seemed to scorch his skin, even through the heavy jacket he’d shrugged on. “I have an idea, a good one. A way to save the town, put people back to work, and—”
“Let’s go.” He pulled his arm out of her grasp and put his hand on her shoulder, steering her toward the exit.
Once they made it through the door and into the parking lot, she rounded on him. “What the heck? I come in trying to talk to you about my idea—my great idea—and you can’t even bother to give me a minute or two of your time?”
“Sorry, I didn’t want anyone to overhear. Tell me, what’s the big idea?”
Her cheeks pinked with excitement, her enthusiasm almost contagious.
“Weddings.” She climbed into the truck, bouncing onto the seat next to him. “They’re big business. Huge. In fact, the wedding industry pulls in over fifty billion dollars a year.”
“Weddings? What do weddings have to do with Idont?” Bodie backed out of his spot and pulled onto the road. “We don’t even have a hall big enough to host a reception.”
Her eyebrows lifted, and her lips curved into a smile.
“Wait.” Bodie eased the truck to a stop on the side of the road, then shifted in his seat, twisting to face her. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“It’s the perfect solution. I stayed up last night working out the details.” She reached into her purse, feeling around for something. A notebook. She leaned close. Close enough that he could catch a whiff of the sweet smell of hay and horses. “Here you go.”
He glanced at the notebook she’d set on the seat between them. Line after line of Lacey’s curly script covered the page. “Can you give me the condensed version?”
She huffed out a breath. “Fine. Did you know the average wedding costs thirty-nine thousand dollars? And about eighty-five percent of that goes toward the reception?”
“Those are great stats. But I still don’t see what that has to do with Idont. We’re not exactly wedding central around here.” He picked up the notebook and handed it back to her.
“That’s just it.” Next to him, Lacey practically vibrated with excitement. “Idont isn’t. But what if we change the town name to Ido? We could position the town as a major wedding destination. Ido, Texas. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”
He stared at her—the way her eyes shone with enthusiasm, the way her mouth curved into a smile. And then he laughed. A full-on, doubled-over, deep-from-the-belly laugh.
Her palms pushed at his arm. “It’s not funny.”
“Sorry, Lacey.” He put up his hands in an attempt to protect himself. “It is funny. It’s hysterical.” He tried to catch his breath, but every time he came close he thought of his dad or pops dressed up in penguin suits, ushering in another wedding party. “Who’s going to do the food? I guess you could serve Banzai Burgers. Maybe you can offer Jonah a job as master of ceremonies. The man does have a way with words.”
She gave up on pushing his arm, deciding to whack him over the head with her notebook instead. “I never should have told you. All you ever do is make me feel stupid.”
“Hey.” He caught her hands, his heart squeezing into a tight knot at the sound of heartbreak in her voice. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”
She pulled her hands away, turning to face the window. “Can you take me back to my truck now?”
“Lacey.” He reached out, brushing the hair from her shoulder. It was soft, softer than he imagined when he thought of holding her head in his hands, tilting her face at just the right angle so he could kiss her. “I’m sorry. I never want to make you feel less than you are.”
“Doesn’t matter what you think.” Her voice came out soft, low, full of hurt. “You go on, move to Swynton with your dad and your pops. I’ll figure this out on my own.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a groan. “I never said I was moving to Swynton.”
“You never said you weren’t.”
It was like arguing with the ten-year-old version of Lacey all over again. But they weren’t talking about which flavor of Airheads was the most sour. This was serious stuff. “I’m not going anywhere.” At least not yet. Not until he made sure she was safe and figured out what his dad and pops were up to.
“Wouldn’t matter to me either way.” Her shoulders curled forward, like she was trying to shield herself from him.
He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth as he maneuvered the truck into a wide U-turn in the middle of the road. “Fine. Why don’t we try talking about this again later?”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms across her middle. “But I need you to do something for me.”
Lacey wasn’t one to ask for favors. But he owed it to Luke to look after her while he was overseas, fighting a much bigger enemy than they’d ever face in their tiny corner of Texas. “Name it.”
She leaned against the door, adjusting her body to face his. “I need you to back the hell off.”
“Come again?” Did she seriously just tell him to leave her alone?
“I mean it. No one is going to take me seriously or listen to a word I say if you’re standing in front of me, trying to fight my battles the whole time.”
He draped one hand over the steering wheel. “Look, if it’s about Jonah—”
“It’s not just about Jonah.” She shook her head. “It’s about everything. First you interrupted my press conference—”
“You answered three questions. I’d hardly call that a—”
“Doesn’t matter what you’d call it. That’s my point.” Her chin jutted into the air. “I don’t want you calling anything. If we’re going to survive each other, I need you to butt out of my business.”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something he might regret. “You about done?”
“Maybe.” She sulked, leaning against the door.
Bodie almost laughed. Her attitude reminded him so much of when they were kids. When she didn’t get her way she’d pout, sticking that lower lip out just about as far as it would go. “You’re the mayor, Lacey.”
“I know that. The headache I’ve been dealing with for the past two days has been a constant reminder.” She put her hand to her temple as she gazed out the window.
“That means I can’t stay out of your business. The sheriff’s office works pretty damn close with the mayor’s office. I’d even go so far as to say your business is my business.”
“What’s that?” She reached over and put her hand on his leg. Dammit. His foot flew off the brake, and his hips almost bucked up at her touch.
“What the hell?” He regained control of his hormones as he swiveled to face her. For a moment Bodie forgot he was sitting in his truck with his buddy’s little sister. He was just a man and she was just a woman, and . . .
“Over there. Watch out!” Lacey poi
nted at something ahead.
Bodie slammed on the brakes, but not in time to avoid crashing into the trash cans at the edge of the sheriff’s parking lot. The truck came to a stop and he’d barely shoved it into park before he jumped out to take a look at his front bumper.
Lacey caught up to him. “Any damage?”
He straightened. “Nothing major.” Just another little dent in the bumper.
“Oh no.” Lacey turned to point at something behind the trash cans. “Not another one.”
“What?” He followed her finger, his breath hitching in his chest as he spotted the frightened dog. “Hell. You want to make a difference as mayor, figure out a way to catch the assholes who keep dumping their dogs out here.”
The animal stood shivering by a strand of scrubby bushes, its mouth bound closed by duct tape.
“That poor thing.” Lacey stepped next to him.
Bodie inched toward the animal. The dog didn’t move, just kept a wary eye on him. “I’m not going to hurt you, sweetheart.”
The dog glanced between him and Lacey, its tail starting to wag, just a tiny bit.
“Give me your belt, Lacey,” Bodie mumbled.
“I can’t do that, my jeans will fall off.” She clamped her hand on his arm, sending a pulse of awareness through him.
“It’s either that or it might run.” He rummaged in his pocket for something to offer as a bribe. The dog couldn’t be much older than a year or so. Baggy skin hung from its frame. Based on the size of its paws, it still had lots of growing left to do.
“Fine.” Lacey handed over her belt. “But if I end up mooning everyone in town, it’ll be all your fault.”
He cracked a grin at the thought of getting a glimpse at Lacey’s behind. “I’ll take full responsibility.” Arranging the belt into a loop, he took a few more steps closer to the dog. “Are you hungry, bud?” He held out a piece of venison jerky he found at the bottom of his pocket.