language.

“You’re walking a thin line,” he told her.

She smiled. “Are you going to fire me?”

“No.”

“Then I fail to see the danger.” Her smile faded. “You could do some good here,” she told him. “You’ve taken to the work. You like it. This is much bigger than your grandfather. This is about the community.”

“Want to know that I don’t give a rat’s ass?”

She stared at him for a long time. “Then expecting more from you was my mistake.”

She left without saying anything else. When he was alone again, Riley turned in his chair and stared at the portrait of his uncle.

“Sorry, big guy,” he said. “I’m not interested in saving your town. You thought you’d won this round-that I would do what you said to get the money. But things aren’t going to turn out the way you expected. I’m going to win-my only regret is that you’re not alive to watch me screw you.”

GRACIE ARRIVED at the community center just before three. She had a lot of memories of the old building-many school events had been held there, along with her Girl Scout meetings. There were smaller classroom-size spaces on the second floor and a larger open area on the first. She knew the debate would be held in the largest space, but she didn’t head in that direction. Instead she circled around back and came in a rear entrance, so as not to cause a stir. She found Jill hovering by the heavy door. Her friend waved her in.

“I saved us a couple of seats,” Jill said in a low voice. “Hurry. They’re about to start.”

Gracie followed her inside. The lights over the audience had dimmed a little, leaving the two candidates in bright light up on stage. People were still settling and talking.

Jill led her to two seats on the far right side, three rows from the back. Gracie let Jill go in first, so she could be on the end and duck out quickly if she had to.

“It’s a big crowd,” Jill said quietly as she glanced around. “I doubt anyone will notice you’re here.”

“That’s the plan,” Gracie said. “I didn’t expect this many people.”

“Me, either. They’re broadcasting the debate live on the radio.”

Gracie slumped down in her seat and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. “I probably should have stayed home and listened to it there.”

It would have been the sensible decision, but in truth, she’d really wanted to see Riley. Being around him seemed to set her world back on its axis. She supposed she should be upset about them making love, but she wasn’t. It had felt too right to be in his arms. And last night…when he’d held her…she couldn’t help wanting him to never let go.

She did her best to ignore the red flashing Danger signs in her head. Yeah, yeah, she knew the drill. Getting involved with Riley was a mistake on too many levels to count. Even if she was willing to ignore the humiliation of falling for a guy she’d once stalked, there was the whole two different lives thing. His idea of a long-term relationship was one that lasted two nights. She wanted forever. Until recently he’d lived on an oil rig and traveled the world and she rarely left her neighborhood. They had nothing in common and…

She frowned. Except for his seeming inability to commit to a woman for more than twenty-four hours, what was the problem? He was a great guy, she liked him, they had fun together. Was she overanalyzing this? Was there-

“So what’s going on with you?” Jill asked, keeping her voice low. “How’s the cake business?”

“Good. Busy. It’s that time of year. The Pam thing is difficult.”

Jill grinned. “Are the cakes taking one look at her and falling?”

Gracie chuckled. “Actually not. It’s more creepy than that. She’s…nice.”

Jill raised her eyebrows. “Not possible.”

“I know. That’s my feeling, too. But it’s true-she’s pleasant and friendly and accommodating. She even said nice stuff about Riley. I can’t decide if I should just accept her at face value or continue to be wary.”

“You know what my vote would be.”

“Yeah. To keep my distance and carry a cross at all times.”

“Exactly. Everything else okay?”

Gracie nodded. As much as she would like to talk about her family, this wasn’t the place. Nor could she tell Jill what had happened with Riley. Eventually she would come clean, but not in a crowd.

Maybe she should regret what had happened, she thought. But she couldn’t. The pregnancy thing was a little troubling. She pressed a hand to her stomach and told herself it wasn’t possible. Statistically, the odds were seriously against it. Although she had to respect the irony of the situation if she was pregnant, what with Pam faking her pregnancy all those years ago so Riley would marry her.

Gracie had a feeling that even if she turned up pregnant, he wouldn’t be making an honest woman of her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. While she’d never planned to be a single mother, she wouldn’t turn her back on her baby. If Riley wasn’t willing to participate, that was okay. But it made her sad to think he would walk way from his own child. Still, getting married just because of a pregnancy seemed like a recipe for disaster. She didn’t want a relationship based on “have to.” She wanted heart-stopping, bone-melting, forever and till death do us part love.

“What are you thinking about?” Jill asked. “You have the strangest look on your face.”

“How did you know Mac was the one?”

Jill sighed. “I just did. At first we were just friends.” She smiled. “Okay, he was just friends and I was crazy about him. He’s so sexy. Anyway, we spent time together and it was always great. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted to know him. One thing led to another and then I was in love with him. Why do you ask?” Her gaze narrowed. “Are you-”

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the moderator said. “Welcome to our first and only mayoral debate between our current mayor, Franklin Yardley, and his opponent, Riley Whitefield.”

“Don’t think I’m going to forget what we were talking about,” Jill murmured in her ear as she turned her attention to the front of the room.

Gracie figured she would simply appreciate the interruption and deal with her friend later. She listened to the introduction of both candidates. Franklin Yardley looked as slick and polished as ever, but he was much older than his rival. Riley had the advantage of youth, size and mystery. There was something very appealing about the dark- haired stranger sitting on the mayor’s left. Gracie had a feeling she wasn’t the only woman in the audience who felt the pull.

The moderator explained the format. Each candidate would make an opening statement, then they would answer questions from the panel of newspaper reporters and professors from U.C. Santa Barbara. Finally, there would be a four-minute closing statement. Before the debate, the two men had drawn straws and Riley would be going first in the opening and closing statements.

He stood as he was introduced. Gracie found herself leaning forward, as if anticipating what he was going to say. He looked good, she thought. The dark suit flattered his strong, hard body. He wore his hair relatively short and brushed away from his face. His diamond stud glittered in the harsh overhead lighting.

Would the good citizens elect a man with an earring? Gracie wondered.

“Mayor Yardley has served our community for sixteen years,” Riley began with a smile. “That’s half my life. He’s seen Los Lobos through good times and bad, strong tourist seasons and weak ones. He’s learned the ins and outs of the job. I would guess after this many years, there aren’t any surprises. He’s a professional and a man of many talents.”

He looked around the room. For a second, Gracie would have sworn their eyes met, but she was pretty sure she was sitting too far back for him to see her.

“I’ve spent the last fourteen years traveling around the world,” he continued, “but in the end, there was only one place I could call home. While the sentimental side of me appreciates that Los Lobos has barely changed in all that time, the businessman inside of me wonders if that’s really for the best. If we want our children to have a superior education that allows them to have a better standard of living, we need money to pay for schools. If we want a community that can stand on its own and not always be at the mercy of the tourist dollar, we have to come up with a thoughtful, innovative plan that will take us forward without forcing us to lose touch with the very values and philosophies that make us what we are.”

“He’s good,” Jill whispered. “I’m impressed.”

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