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“What’s happened?” Grace asked. “Has something changed?”
“I’m getting to that,” Sam said. “Today I got the news that Rulon’s being investigated for misuse of public funds. In other words, he’s been using town money for things like vacations with his wife, dinners, and car expenses.”
“That’s no surprise,” Grace said.
“It isn’t. But until now there’s been no accounting. Rumor has it that Rulon may resign rather than face prosecution. If he does that, since the election’s nonpartisan, and I’m the only other candidate, I might be asked to step in and finish his term.”
Maggie clapped her hands. “That would be wonderful, Daddy!”
“Not so fast, Miss Maggie,” Sam said. “It hasn’t happened yet, and it might not. I’d rather beat Rulon in a fair election, but if he’s been using our tax money for personal expenses, he doesn’t deserve to be mayor. However, there still needs to be an election next month. Rulon could decide to stay in the race, or somebody else could step forward and run against me.”
“But nobody would make a better mayor than you, Daddy,” Maggie insisted. “I love your idea about having a Christmas parade to go along with the Cowboy Christmas Ball. If you get to be mayor early, we could even do it this year.”
“That’s a pretty bigif,” Sam said. “That’s why you have to keep all this business a secret. Do you promise?”
“Cross my heart.” Maggie made a make-believeXon her chest with one hand. “You, too, Trevor.”
“Okay, I promise,” Trevor said.
“No, you have to cross your heart, like this.” Maggie demonstrated.
“Okay. Sheesh!” Grumbling, he made the gesture.
“You can count on the rest of us to keep your secret,” Grace said. “So what do you say we break out Maggie’s chocolate cake and have some dessert?”
* * *
After dinner, Jess offered to help Grace clean up. Maggie went to fetch her dog out of the backyard, and the two men, along with Trevor, turned on the TV in the parlor to watch what was left of the post-game show. The volume on the set was loud enough that the two women in the kitchen could talk without being overheard.
“So what do you think of him?” Grace scraped the plates and arranged them in the dishwasher.
“What can I say? He’s an eighth-grader. Even the easy ones can be hard to handle. Right now all we can do is try to keep him safe while he grows up.” Jess frowned. “What is it? Why are you smiling at me like that?”
“Because when I asked what you thought, I wasn’t talking about Trevor.”
Jess felt the heat creeping into her face. She shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t. I came here to meet a student, not a potential date. Your brother is gorgeous, but I’m not in the market. I get the impression he isn’t either.”
Grace gave her a mischievous glance before closing the dishwasher door. “Don’t be so sure. My brother was checking you out at dinner, and I noticed that you were doing the same with him.”
“Wait—are you telling me you set this up on purpose? Was meeting Trevor just an excuse? You may be my best friend, Grace, but I can’t believe you’d stoop that low.”
“Hey, last year, Maggie staged a sit-down strike in my class so her dad would have to meet with me. And look what happened. The whole year I’ve known you, Jess, you’ve never even dated. And now that Wynette is getting married, you’ll be alone. You can’t blame a friend for trying—and Cooper is a good guy, the best. It was his wife who cheated.”
Jess sighed. “Grace, I know you mean well. But trust me, I’m better off without a man in my life. So please, just let this drop. I’ll be on the lookout for Trevor at school and try to make sure he’s okay. But if your brother needs a girlfriend, I’m sure he’ll have women lining up around the block to date him.”
They finished in the kitchen. Jess took her leave with a reassuring hug. “It’s all right, Grace,” she said. “I’m not angry, just making myself clear.”
As she crossed the room to get her jacket from the coatrack, Cooper rose from the couch where he’d been sitting. “I hope you won’t mind my walking you to your car, Jess,” he said.
“It’s fine.” Her defenses slammed to full alert. Was he going to question her being here tonight? Was he going to talk to her about Trevor? Or should she be preparing to set some personal boundaries?
Whatever he had in mind, Jess sensed that she was about to face a moment of truth.
