He gestured for Greg and his missus to go first, then followed them to the podium. He stood at attention while Noah made the appointments.
Noah pinned the gold sheriff's star to the right side of Gregory's vest. "Gregory Simmons, I hereby appoint you sheriff of Ridgeway."
Thad watched the light of pride dancing in Mrs. Simmons’s eyes as the pinning was done.
Now Noah moved toward him, with the silver deputy's star in his hand. "Thaddeus Stern, I hereby appoint you deputy sheriff of Ridgeway."
The pin slid through the leather of his vest, and clicked into place. He reached out to shake Noah's hand. "Thank you, sir."
Noah moved back to the podium. "Folks, we have a grand surprise. Our new sheriff has another announcement to make."
A collective gasp rose in the room, as well as a lot of speculative chatter.
Thad only smiled, aware of what was coming.
Noah handed a silver shield to Gregory, who faced the assembled crowd.
Gregory's voice filled the space. "My first edict as sheriff is that we will now be actively seeking female officers for our police force. If I'm honest, I must say I was inspired by my wife." He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
There were a few male grumbles from the crowd.
Gregory continued. "From now on, any woman who feels she has the courage and goodwill for her neighbors to pursue a career in law enforcement is welcome to apply for a position. I'll expect to see many of you stopping by the office in the coming weeks."
But the women in the room drowned them out as they jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping. Janice was among them, and Thad couldn't help smiling as he watched her displaying her happiness. The bright smile she wore, and the merriment dancing in her brown eyes, easily made her the most beautiful creature in the room.
Noah banged his gavel, tempering the celebration. "I have one further announcement to make. I've spoken with Rod Emerson, and I am pleased to announce that in the spring, we will break ground on a new concert hall and theater here in Ridgeway: the Myrna Lane Corcoran Performance Hall."
Another round of cheers went up. Thad looked to the newly minted Mrs. Simmons, and saw the tears standing in her eyes. He knew she must be very proud to have her aunt honored that way.
When the day's festivities began to wind down, Thad wove his way through the groups of townsfolk still congregating in the room. Janice was speaking with the librarian Ms. Parker, so he stood back a few steps to let them finish their conversation. When Prissy drifted away, he inched closer to Janice.
"Hello, Miss Smart." He clasped her hand, raised it to his lips for a gentlemanly kiss.
She blushed. "Hello, Deputy Stern. Congratulations on your appointment."
"Thank you." His heart thumped in his chest so loudly he swore she could hear it. They'd been secretly meeting for more than three years now, but still kept up this facade of formality in public.
She offered a small smile. "You're welcome. Tell me, how will you celebrate this occasion?"
He looked at her, and sensed a bit of teasing in her words. He leaned down near her ear, so that only she could hear. "Why, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to steal away with you."
"Why, Deputy. It's just fortunate for you that Adam has gone back east to visit his godmother."
He knew she spoke of her nephew, whom she'd been raising since he was a tot. The boy was about ten, and as charming as could be, but Thad had to admit he was glad to get Janice to himself. "Then what are we waiting for?"
The blush deepened, but she said nothing. Instead, she clasped his hand.
He let her lead him through the open doors of the hotel, and out onto the walk.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I hope you enjoyed Electing to Love. Writing Gregory and Angel's story was a long and research intensive process; for a while there I had to “move” to Ridgeway, or at least I felt like it! Still, it felt good to expand the story beyond the word counts of the first three books, and give my readers the longer book they've been asking for. I tried to hit a sweet spot, giving you just enough about the character's developing relationship to help you understand their journey without overwhelming you, and just enough historical information to enlighten you without boring you. Hopefully I've achieved that goal, and you'll stick around for the next trip to Ridgeway!
If you have a moment, please swing by the book's product page and leave a review. To make it super easy, I've included a link:
Click here to leave a review of Electing to Love
I'm sure you've guessed it by now, but the next book will be Thaddeus and Janice's story. Look for Lessons of the Heart, The Roses of Ridgeway Book 5, in 2017. The best way to keep up with my release schedule, what I'm doing and where I'm going is to subscribe to my mailing list. Simply visit my homepage (www.AuthorKiannaAlexander.com) to sign up.
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All the Best,
-Kianna
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Other Titles by Kianna Alexander
(**links are live on available titles**)
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Electing to Love Page 18