by Judith Yates
“If they break for lunch at noon, there won’t be time for adequate discussion before the vote.” To make his case, Jordan needed to respond directly to citizen concerns.
“Well, there’s another hitch,” Gabe grumbled. “The League of Women Voters booked the downstairs hall for their annual ham-and-bean supper. We’ve got to clear the building by 4 p.m. so they can set up.”
“But there must be at least four different items slated for voting.”
“The moderator proposed all voting be postponed to a special meeting two weeks from today. For lack of a better solution, my colleagues and I agreed. So it’s presentations and limited discussion today, further discussion and voting at the next meeting.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. Anything can happen in two weeks, Gabe.”
“I’m not wild about it, either,” he agreed. “Jordan has got to give it his best shot now. And you’ve got to get over here.”
“Did Jordan want you to call me?” An impulsive twinge of hope had compelled her to inquire.
Gabe groaned. “When I asked him if you knew about the schedule change, he shrugged and walked off. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but your shop is still part of this rezoning package, right?”
“Does it really matter? You’ve heard all the talk. People don’t trust Jordan.”
“Have you forgotten how long it took for this town to accept and trust you?”
His question felt like a stiff shake of common sense. “It’s really more of the same.”
“I think so. Now, how about putting that goodwill you’ve earned around here to some use?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Hurry. Jordan’s just been called to the podium.”
Discovering Gracie’s car parked behind hers, Holly lost several minutes just getting her vehicle out of the driveway. Then, turning onto the narrow road into town, she landed smack behind a tractor hauling a trailer piled high with bales of hay. Not only was the tractor puttering along very slowly, but its load was too wide to pass safely.
Holly tightened her grip on the steering wheel, refusing to believe fate was against her. Gabe’s call had made her realize how much Jordan needed her—even if he didn’t know it. None of the other stuff mattered now. She bit back her impatience as the tractor continued to crawl at a snail’s pace. Although she’d be a little late, she would get to the town hall in time to assist Jordan. Whether he wanted her help or not.
“Thank you for that informative presentation, Mr. Mason,” Dennis Metcalf, the town moderator said, reclaiming his position behind the podium. “You might want to stay up here to address questions from the floor.”
Nodding, Jordan glanced over at the long folding table where Gabe Sawyer sat with other town officials. Gabe gave him a thumbs-up, confirming that the presentation had gone well. But when he scanned the faces of those seated in the audience of the large cavernous hall, his confidence wavered. With the exception of a few new friends, no one was smiling.
This crowd was tougher than anything he’d faced before—tougher than the platoon of corporate hatchet men who’d wanted to separate him from CompWare. Now he understood that the result of this meeting and the opinion of this group of people mattered more than he’d realized. What he wouldn’t give to have Holly standing by his side now. Despite the angry words between them, he had hoped against hope that she’d come to support the rezoning, if not him.
She’d been told about the scheduling changes. Gabe had taken care of that. Apparently, it hadn’t made a difference. Holly was still nowhere to be seen.
“Okay, Earle Stacy, you have the floor,” Dennis boomed into the podium microphone. “Keep it brief.”
Seated in the front row with his general store cronies, Earle stood up and pointed to the easels where Jordan had displayed visuals of the apple packing plant. “Those are fancy pictures you have there, son. But what about the extra traffic this building will bring? Golden’s got enough cars on the roads as it is.”
Jordan passed up the moderator’s offer of the microphone, preferring to answer directly. “The relocation of two established businesses to the renovated building will actually alleviate traffic congestion in the center of town, which—”
A glimpse of pale-gold hair and a colorful, flowery dress, followed by the sudden hard thud of his heart, derailed his train of thought. Holly. His gaze was drawn to her like steel to a magnet. She was all that he could see.
Yet he couldn’t make eye contact with her as she slipped into a last row seat. She refused to acknowledge him in any way.
Old Earle tapped his cane on the floor. “Come on, young fella, spit it out. Which what?” he demanded to know.
“Which, ah,...” Jordan’s attention snapped back to the question at hand. “My point is that the center of town has the traffic problems. Our location will draw traffic away from the area.”
He kept checking the back of the hall, making sure Holly was still there, as the questions continued one after another. Gathering strength from her presence, Jordan handled the comments as best he could.
After the moderator gave a ten minute warning, however, the session took a nasty turn. Jordan struggled to hold on to his temper as he fended off the biting remarks and leading questions. Comments from all sides began flying across the room.
Dennis hammered his gavel repeatedly as he called for order. “No one speaks unless I say so. Understand?”
After the audience had quieted down to his satisfaction, Dennis gave the floor to Dr. Franklin Beck. Jordan girded himself for another onslaught. Dr. Beck was the ringleader of the small but strident group that had banded together to put him out of business.
“Mr. Mason, you must see that the citizens of this town do not look favorably on your effort,” the good doctor declared as if his word were gospel. “Many of us feel so strongly about this matter that we’re prepared to file suit against you—starting with a restraining order to stop any work on the apple packing plant.”
Ah, yes, a lawsuit. Jordan was just waiting for one to be threatened. “Dr. Beck, before you and your many friends spend another dime on lawyers, I’d advise waiting until after the vote is taken.”
A discordant mix of muffled laughter and vocal indignation filled the hall as Jordan indicated he was ready for the next question. Sounding the gavel again, the moderator recognized another speaker.
“How are we to know you won’t add another level with more stores in a couple of years?” one of Dr. Beck’s cohorts asked. “Or maybe you’ll try to squeeze a new building onto the lot.”
Gabe Sawyer answered before Jordan could. “He’d have to come back to us and go through this process all over again.”
“Hey, Gabe,” Howie McGovern yelled through his cupped hands, “is he going to buy votes all over again, too?”
“You’re out of order, Howie,” the moderator charged. “Sit down.”
But a chorus of agreement surged through the crowd. And it wasn’t just Franklin Beck’s cronies rallying behind Howie. Faces Jordan recognized from the everyday goings-on around town and people he had come to know all flowed into the groundswell of doubt.
And all their doubt was about him.
Holly’s pleas and warnings—the ones he’d refused to believe—came back to haunt him. Finally, finally, he realized just how right she had been.
“Dennis—over here!”
Jordan heard Holly’s voice ring over the restless crowd.
“Please, let me speak.”
“You want the floor now, Holly?” the moderator asked in disbelief as the meeting slipped out of his control.
“Recognize her, Dennis,” Gabe hissed. “Now.”
Pounding his gavel and barking orders like a drill sergeant, Dennis battled back. After bullying them all back into their seats, he gave the floor to Holly.
When Holly stood up, Jordan willed her to look at him. To his surprise, however, she fixed her gaze on Franklin Beck.
“Dr. Beck, yo
u’ve lived in Golden only a year or two. And I haven’t been here that much longer. It takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?”
Shooting her a wary look, Beck answered the question with a silent nod.
“Golden is one of those rare places where everybody knows everybody else, and that makes for values we newcomers might not grasp at first. I have and still do make mistakes. And so do you, Dr. Beck,” Holly asserted, her hands gripping the empty folding chair in front of her. “I suspect threatening lawsuits is not how this town wants to settle its conflicts.”
Dazzled by her courage, Jordan watched Holly as murmurs of encouragement and a smattering of applause rippled through the hall. She seemed oblivious to the support. Turning away from Dr. Beck, Holly faced the audience with challenge in her eyes.
“Jordan Mason’s made mistakes, too,” she declared, finally glancing toward the front of the room where he sat. Her amber eyes touched his gaze briefly. Too briefly.
“Because he’s been successful in business for many years,” she continued, “he’s had a hard time grasping that the rules are different here. While you thought he was trying to buy you off, Jordan thought he was proving that he cared about this community.”
“He shoulda known better,” one of the General Store Four called out.
The slightest of grins curved her lips. “I think he knows better now.”
Many people laughed. Although Holly’s jest was at his expense, Jordan couldn’t help smiling. She was right. And he deserved everything she cared to throw at him.
“In the end, what harm’s been done?” Holly asked when the laughter died down. “The retirement home now has a safe, air-conditioned van for its residents. The school and the library have been enriched—at no expense to the taxpayers, I might add. And you all still have the power to vote whichever way you think best.”
“Holly, I can give you only thirty more seconds,” Dennis informed her politely. “Anything else you want to add?”
“Just everybody, please, keep an open mind for the next two weeks.”
When she took her seat, it was all Jordan could do to keep from rushing to her side. His head was swimming with emotions he couldn’t begin to describe. He felt grateful and astonished, yes. But there was so much more. The lovely, delicate and warm Holly West of his nightly dreams had stood up to his detractors and faced them down. She had defended him. For some crazy reason, that made him feel really proud.
With a whack of his gavel, the moderator adjourned the meeting until one o’clock. Everyone applauded and began to file out of the hall. Jordan headed straight for Holly, struggling to make his way through the maze of people who stood between them. More than once someone stopped him to shake his hand or wish him well. He thanked each person quickly and kept on moving.
Jordan tried to keep her in his sight, but that was next to impossible in the constantly shifting throng. Eventually, he lost track of her halfway through the room.
“Do you see Holly?” he asked when Gabe Sawyer came up behind him.
“She’s around here somewhere.” Gabe then gave him a hearty slap on the back. “She sure saved your hide. Just keep your nose clean for the next two weeks and you might have a chance. Okay?”
Jordan nodded and pushed on.
He just wanted to get to Holly. He had to tell her how wrong he’d been; he had to set things right again. As the crowd thinned out and he inched closer to her, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. Jordan realized then that what he wanted, more than anything, was to sweep her into his arms and tell her all the things he should have said a long time ago.
Finally, after brushing past the last straggling well-wishers, Jordan made it to the back of the hall. He looked to his right and then to his left. He turned back to the podium, just in case. And then he peered out into the lobby.
Holly was gone.
Chapter Twelve
Holly sat on the soft summer grass in her backyard, unwilling to get up and leave.
She really needed to fetch Stephanie back from Gracie’s or go back to work for a few hours. But she didn’t budge. The tension from this morning’s session at the town hall had left her drained. And her impulsive, emotional public defense of Jordan now felt like a shock to her system. She felt vulnerable and exposed. Perhaps a little afraid.
So, she’d come home—to her quiet house, to the peace of the sloping back lawn beneath the old willow oaks, to the gentle red dog napping at her feet.
A tall shadow fell across the grass. “Holly, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Taffy lifted her groggy head to see who had come. Already knowing, Holly looked up, too. The suit jacket from the meeting was gone. Light-blue shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his necktie hung loosely knotted below his collar. Dark hair fell into his eyes. Yet even disheveled and uncombed, he was a man who made heads spin.
“Hello, Jordan.”
“It’s awfully quiet around here.” He scanned the yard.
“Steph’s not home.”
“I’m sorry to miss her. You’re the one I’m here to see, though.”
“You didn’t have to come, Jordan.”
“Did you honestly think I’d stay away?” His deep-blue eyes bored into hers. “How could I after—”
She cut him off by looking away. “I said what had to be said. That’s all.”
He sat down beside her, taking her fingers in his hands. “That’s not all. It can’t be.”
His touch made her achingly aware of how much she’d missed him. She had neither the strength nor the will to move her arm away. Jordan brushed his lips against her fingertips and then kissed her palms, making her skin tingle and her heart beat faster.
“Never has anyone stood up for me like that.” His voice was low as he traced slow, caressing circles along her arms. “I don’t know words strong enough to describe how it made me feel.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I know you’re grateful.” She looked down at her hands, the feeling of vulnerability that had driven her home stirring within her again.
“This time, something has to be said.” His fingers tightened around her forearms. “But thank you isn’t enough, and I’m sorry isn’t, either. I haven’t been fair to you. I made selfish demands, said terrible things. I ignored your advice and dug myself into a hole so deep no one would have blamed you if you’d left me there.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you.” Holly couldn’t keep from saying it—despite the risk and the fear. Her heart was beyond that now. Pulling back wasn’t an option.
“But why?” he implored, searching her face. “After everything that happened, you still stood up to this town for me. You put yourself on the line. Why?”
“Don’t you know?” Her throat felt tight, her eyes hot. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I did it because I love you.”
Jordan looked as stunned as she felt. Before now, she hadn’t admitted that she loved him, not even to herself.
“Maybe that’s not what you want to hear,” she added, uncertainty compelling her to fill in his silence, “but I do.”
“Oh, Holly.” His hands cupped her face. “I was afraid I’d never hear it. I thought you wouldn’t love me—or couldn’t.”
“Well, it isn’t easy,” she teased, feeling her eyes tear up. The emotion surging through her was so intense she had to resort to humor.
“I know.” Jordan kissed the one tear dangling from the corner of her eye.
“You’re one strong, wonderful woman to put up with me.”
The warmth of his breath on her face made her lids flutter. His arms coiled around her back as he pulled her against his chest. Her pulse and her euphoria soared in tandem as his mouth lowered to hers. With half-closed eyes, she breathed his name and opened herself to him.
He kissed her hard, his tongue probing her mouth so deeply it made her sigh. She felt the hunger in his kiss, and his heat and his urgency unleashed her own. Sliding her hand behind his head, she held
his lips captive against hers and paid him back in kind.
When she came up for air, Jordan murmured her name over and over as his mouth roamed from her lips to her throat, from her shoulders to the back of her neck, from her forehead to behind her ears.
“I need you, Holly—so much that it made me angry. That’s why I stayed away.”
She put her arms around him. “I know.”
Clutching her to him, he gently lowered her back onto the grass. “I do need you.” He kissed her deeply, covering her with his body.
They kissed and stroked with their tongues and fingers until her head was dizzy from the sensations and moist fingers of warmth rippled up from between her legs. And as Jordan caressed and kneaded the soft curves of her body, she could feel his hard desire beneath his clothes.
Holly moaned, unable to stand it anymore. She wanted to feel him inside her; she wanted to express this newfound passion. And more than anything, she wanted the touching, the tasting, the stroking, the kissing and the desire they so obviously shared to reach their natural fulfillment.
“Jordan,” she whispered breathlessly after tearing her mouth away from another heady kiss. “I want you.”
His eyes locked with hers and he lay very still. “You really mean it, don’t you?”
“With all my heart.”
Jordan glanced over at the house. “When will Stephanie be home?”
She couldn’t suppress a knowing smile. “Tomorrow morning. She’s sleeping over at Gracie’s.”
A silent laugh of surprise vibrated in his chest.
“Feeling like this is your lucky day, Jordan?”
“More like the best day of my life.”
As he grazed his knuckles against her cheek, Jordan’s gaze fell to her mouth. She ran her tongue across her lower lip, willing him to kiss her again. And with an unresisting groan of desire, he did.
As they continued kissing, Taffy began a restless romp around them. Wanting to play, the dog grew too insistent to ignore. “Let’s go inside,” Jordan said, his voice a ragged whisper.