too.”
“When a guy really cares about you, he’ll wait, years if he has to.”
Jill made a disparaging noise. As if Vince had waited for her all this time. “You came here to punish me, didn’t you?” As if what she’d been through wasn’t punishment enough. “I may have accepted the longest pity date on the planet from you, but you don’t have to string me along and pretend to like me.”
When he offered no defense, Jill pulled out onto the road, gunning the truck over a rise past the rickety gas station on the edge of town and down Railroad Stop’s Main Street. She drove past the smattering of faded, older-model trucks and sedans facing outside the porch-lined storefronts. It was like traveling through a time warp. Her clients loved visiting the quaint little shops along Main Street. Jill could appreciate its charm, but that didn’t erase the facts—she wasn’t really married, Vince didn’t love her. All she could do was stop, stand up for what she believed in and hope she could keep Vince from changing this place.
“Should you be parking here?” Vince asked as Jill waited for a lone car to pass before she turned into her spot. “The sign says that’s the mayor’s parking space.”
“It is.” Jill hopped out the door, letting a rare glimpse of pride show on her face. “I’m the mayor.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
W HY THE HELL hadn’t Arnie come right out and told Vince his wife was the mayor?
And why the hell hadn’t Jill told Vince she was the mayor?
Dragging inches of soggy trouser, Vince stomped after Jill as she crossed the raised wooden sidewalk lugging her last purple, green and red sign. With wet, muddy leather on his feet and muck-sodden wool up to his knees, Vince clenched his jaw to keep from shouting at Jill as she unlocked the glass door with Mayor stenciled in gold letters.
As Jill swung the door open, a bell tinkled loudly enough to be heard three stores down, announcing the arrival of a fool.
“You must think I’m an idiot,” he said. Contrary to their roadside conversation, Jill wasn’t a helpless woman in need of rescuing. Nobody elected that kind of person into office. Vince kept thinking he understood his wife when it was becoming clearer that he knew nothing about her or how to talk her around to the casino.
“You’re the mayor.” Vince jabbed his finger at Jill. He disregarded the vibration at his hip, announcing his BlackBerry had finally received a strong-enough signal to download his messages.
“Yes.” Ignoring him, Jill yanked on the cord to raise the dusty aluminum blinds on the front window.
Vince stabbed his finger in her direction again. “You don’t want the casino.”
Jill gave him a crooked smile that showed not an ounce of remorse, making him want to kiss that smug look right off her face. “That’s correct.” Then Jill propped the NO CASINO sign on the window ledge and lowered the blinds behind it.
Vince sank into an old, wood-and-red leather captain’s chair. She was evil.
Sure, Jill was only trying to defend her turf. That didn’t keep Vince from coming to a slow boil as he remembered painting the signs with her last night and recalled the look on Jill’s face just now when she told him she was the mayor. She was sending out signals only the class idiot wouldn’t pick up on—that the priorities in her life were herself and Teddy. No one else mattered.
“You betrayed me,” Vince whispered, rubbing his chest absently.
And still Vince was aware of his need to bury his face in her silky hair, wanted to taste her lips again. He’d been working too hard, had neglected his personal life too long. His gaze drifted to the window. There had to be other attractive women in Railroad Stop. Except the entire town knew he was married to Jill.
“Can you say you haven’t betrayed me in some way, too?” Jill couldn’t seem to look at him when she asked the question.
At once Vince knew Jill wasn’t talking about the casino. She was referring to
“When a guy really cares about you, he’ll wait, years if he has to.”
Jill made a disparaging noise. As if Vince had waited for her all this time. “You came here to punish me, didn’t you?” As if what she’d been through wasn’t punishment enough. “I may have accepted the longest pity date on the planet from you, but you don’t have to string me along and pretend to like me.”
When he offered no defense, Jill pulled out onto the road, gunning the truck over a rise past the rickety gas station on the edge of town and down Railroad Stop’s Main Street. She drove past the smattering of faded, older-model trucks and sedans facing outside the porch-lined storefronts. It was like traveling through a time warp. Her clients loved visiting the quaint little shops along Main Street. Jill could appreciate its charm, but that didn’t erase the facts—she wasn’t really married, Vince didn’t love her. All she could do was stop, stand up for what she believed in and hope she could keep Vince from changing this place.
“Should you be parking here?” Vince asked as Jill waited for a lone car to pass before she turned into her spot. “The sign says that’s the mayor’s parking space.”
“It is.” Jill hopped out the door, letting a rare glimpse of pride show on her face. “I’m the mayor.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
W HY THE HELL hadn’t Arnie come right out and told Vince his wife was the mayor?
And why the hell hadn’t Jill told Vince she was the mayor?
Dragging inches of soggy trouser, Vince stomped after Jill as she crossed the raised wooden sidewalk lugging her last purple, green and red sign. With wet, muddy leather on his feet and muck-sodden wool up to his knees, Vince clenched his jaw to keep from shouting at Jill as she unlocked the glass door with Mayor stenciled in gold letters.
As Jill swung the door open, a bell tinkled loudly enough to be heard three stores down, announcing the arrival of a fool.
“You must think I’m an idiot,” he said. Contrary to their roadside conversation, Jill wasn’t a helpless woman in need of rescuing. Nobody elected that kind of person into office. Vince kept thinking he understood his wife when it was becoming clearer that he knew nothing about her or how to talk her around to the casino.
“You’re the mayor.” Vince jabbed his finger at Jill. He disregarded the vibration at his hip, announcing his BlackBerry had finally received a strong-enough signal to download his messages.
“Yes.” Ignoring him, Jill yanked on the cord to raise the dusty aluminum blinds on the front window.
Vince stabbed his finger in her direction again. “You don’t want the casino.”
Jill gave him a crooked smile that showed not an ounce of remorse, making him want to kiss that smug look right off her face. “That’s correct.” Then Jill propped the NO CASINO sign on the window ledge and lowered the blinds behind it.
Vince sank into an old, wood-and-red leather captain’s chair. She was evil.
Sure, Jill was only trying to defend her turf. That didn’t keep Vince from coming to a slow boil as he remembered painting the signs with her last night and recalled the look on Jill’s face just now when she told him she was the mayor. She was sending out signals only the class idiot wouldn’t pick up on—that the priorities in her life were herself and Teddy. No one else mattered.
“You betrayed me,” Vince whispered, rubbing his chest absently.
And still Vince was aware of his need to bury his face in her silky hair, wanted to taste her lips again. He’d been working too hard, had neglected his personal life too long. His gaze drifted to the window. There had to be other attractive women in Railroad Stop. Except the entire town knew he was married to Jill.
“Can you say you haven’t betrayed me in some way, too?” Jill couldn’t seem to look at him when she asked the question.
At once Vince knew Jill wasn’t talking about the casino. She was referring to
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