He waggled his brows. “Of course.”
It was good he thought I meant I needed to compose myself after he ravished me on my desk. In reality, I needed to get myself in order about Alyssa and the guilt that threatened to bring me to my knees.
After a few minutes of getting my brain back on work, and checking that my clothes were in order, I headed to the mayor's office.
I knocked on the door as I opened it. “You wanted to see me?”
He nodded to the chair in front of his desk. “Everything alright with you?”
I rolled my eyes as it was clear he was waiting for my marriage to implode. On the other hand, it was likely he wouldn’t have to wait long. Once I told Wyatt the truth about Alyssa, if he didn’t forgive me, I could be divorced lickity split.
“Great. What’s up?” I asked, sitting in the chair.
“Stark is saying that Wyatt is physically threatening him and his people.”
“I’m really disappointed in you, Mo.”
He flinched.
“His men made an implied threat on Alyssa. They're harassing Wyatt, and me, on his own land. He’d be well within his rights to beat them to a pulp.”
He leaned forward, a look of horror on his face. “They threatened you and Alyssa?”
“They’re subtle about it, but yes.”
“Did you call the sheriff?”
“They leave when we tell them we're calling. They’re wily, Mo. I don’t think Salvation is the only town they’ve bullied.” I made a mental note to investigate that idea further.
He sat back, steepling his fingers as he thought. “The governor called, asking what was going on. He’s invested in this project. He wants to show Nebraska is moving forward and creating jobs.”
“By taking family farms?’ I shook my head.
“Sometimes the old ways have to go. Where would we be if we preserved buggy-making to stop the advancement of cars?”
“That’s apples and oranges. People eat. They need farms.”
He shrugged.
“You and the governor might consider that being on the wrong side of this fight will suggest you're against families. Stark is a big corp and you’re not only enabling him to terrorize families, but also to basically steal their land. You can be sure that will be used in negative campaign ads next election cycle. For the governor in particular, that could be bad. Nebraska is a farming state.”
“I don’t want this to be a fight between us, Sinclair, but you have to support the mayors’ office stance.”
“Firstly, I thought we were neutral on this. Secondly, I always support your agenda at work, but on my own time I support my husband and our community. It’s still America. I can have my own views.”
His jaw clenched. “I admire your strength, but you need to remember that farmers aren’t the only people in town. We need jobs.”
“So, look at bringing in jobs that don’t require forcing people out of their homes. We’ve got empty buildings in town that could hold tech companies or other businesses.”
He studied me for a minute.
“Are you going to reprimand me or fire me?” I asked.
His lips twitched up in amusement. “I hired you because you keep me on my toes. A good mayor needs that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you will.” He dismissed me after that. I hoped that I’d made an impact and he’d tell Stark to stop his thuggish ways.
I felt good about the meeting. I felt Mo heard what I said and would consider it as he made decisions.
As I left work, my mind turned to a more immediate issue. How did I tell Wyatt that he was Alyssa’s father?
29
Wyatt
Being a man, one would think the thing that would be foremost in my mind as I headed home was how I’d just had sex with Sinclair on her desk. In the mayor’s office. And while that was wonderful, what was really hanging over me was her response to my asking about adopting Alyssa. I couldn’t read her. One thing was clear; she wasn’t thrilled about the idea and that hurt. Still, she hadn’t completely nixed the idea either.
I told myself that she had to think about Alyssa and what she’d want. Would Alyssa want me to be her father? Was the father out there somewhere and they were both waiting for him to come back? I’d never heard anyone talk about who the father was when I was around townsfolk, although I never asked. Perhaps it was because I didn’t want to know.
I arrived at Sinclair’s parents’ house to pick up Alyssa. She chatted the whole way home about this and that. She had me smiling and laughing. I wondered if life had ever been this free and easy for me. Maybe when I was with Ryder and we were off getting into mischief as boys.
I watched as Alyssa tacked up her horse, checking the girth before helping her on. Then I led her to the ring for a lesson. She was learning quickly and I determined that next time, I’d saddle up with her and take her out into the pasture.
After her lesson, we headed back into the house. She ran upstairs to clean up while I went into the kitchen where my mother was making supper.
“You don’t have to cook for us all the time,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder and looking over it to see what she was making.
“Just doing my share. You and Sinclair work so hard all day.”
I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. Popping the top and tossing it in the trash, I leaned against the counter.
“I asked Sinclair if I could adopt Alyssa.”
My mother’s gaze jerked to mine. Her eyes twinkled. “You did? So, this marriage isn’t fake?”
I shrugged because while things were going well, I couldn’t say if they were real. “Whether it is or isn’t, I want to be her father. Seems like a girl should have one.”
My mother’s
