Page 188 of Tessa and Nash

Mayor Caldwell fixes her attention on me.

“Mr. McCoy,” she says carefully, “you are telling this council that the engagement between yourself and Miss Long was fabricated in order to influence how this town, and this council, perceived your development proposal.”

I swallow hard. “Yes.”

“And Miss Long agreed to participate in this arrangement.”

A hundred eyes swing toward the back of the room again.

Tessa hasn’t moved.

“She agreed to help,” I say. “But it was my idea. The whole thing.”

Mayor Caldwell glances briefly toward Tessa before returning her attention to me.

“Miss Long,” she says.

Tessa straightens slowly where she stands near the door.

Even from across the room, I can see the tension in her shoulders.

“Were you aware that Mr. McCoy intended to represent this engagement as genuine during council discussions regarding the Juniper Creek proposal?”

The room holds its breath.

Tessa nods. “Yes.”

A ripple of reactions moves through the crowd.

Mayor Caldwell nods once, her expression tightening. “Very well.” She folds her hands together on the table. “I think it is important for everyone present to understand the seriousness of what has just been disclosed.”

The chamber goes still.

“This council has spent weeks reviewing a proposal tied directly to land currently under dispute between two of Buckhorn’s founding families. During that time, the public and members of this council were led to believe that a private agreement between those families might be developing through this engagement.” Her gaze shifts between me and Tessa. “You are now telling us that belief was based on a false premise.”

“Yes,” I say.

Someone in the back mutters something that sounds a lot like damn right it was.

Mayor Caldwell ignores it.

“That deception may have influenced public perception of the dispute and the council’s expectations regarding its resolution,” she continues. “Which means we will now have to review several aspects of this matter again.”

The room erupts in protest.

“Are you kidding?”

“So we start over?”

“This is ridiculous, shut it down⁠—”

Bang.

The gavel cracks sharply against the wood.

“Enough.” Her voice carries the kind of calm that usually means patience has run out. “This council will not conduct a shouting match in the middle of a legal matter.”

The room quiets again.