Page 44 of Marrying Mr. Majestic

“You’ve got so much on your plate already,” he said reasonably. “I was only trying to help?—”

“I know.” I sounded ridiculous and petulant, and I knew it, which only made me more annoyed. “I know! And I’m not saying it wasn’t kind of you, but Silas…” I lowered my voice. “What happens a few weeks from now when you’re gone, huh? Who’s gonna tell Brett about government programs and show Bernice how to use the apps you’re having her download? You’ll be back in New York, wearing your fancy suits, living your regular life. You won’t give Majestic a single thought, and why would you? But folks here… they’ll have gotten used to you. They’ll have started to depend on you. They’ll miss you.” I’ll miss you.

I snapped my teeth shut in horror. Where was this coming from? What was I even saying?

God, I’m such an asshole.

Silas’s eyes flashed with a split second of hurt and confusion, but then it was gone. “Alright,” he said calmly. “I understand.”

How could he understand when I didn’t understand, myself?

Guilt curled in my stomach, and an apology inched across my tongue. But before I could speak, he grinned easily enough. “What you’re saying is you just need me to keep my mouth closed and look pretty?”

“No. That’s not what I—Silas.”

He’d stepped closer, tilted his head to the side, and took my earlobe into his mouth with his tongue, and I promptly forgot the point of our conversation. Tendrils of desire took over my brain space with a happy buzzing.

This wasn’t helpful.

This wasn’t productive.

“I don’t have time to…” I began breathlessly. I tried to focus on what I was saying. “I… I need to check the…”

Silas moved his mouth down the side of my neck. “Mmhm. Check what?”

I put my hands on his chest, but instead of shoving him away, I fisted his shirt and held him close. “The thing. The… the thing. Fuck, will you stop? I can’t think when you…” I turned my head to press a kiss to his temple. The scent of my shampoo in his hair gave me a strange feeling of ownership.

He pulled back and grinned at me. “I like making you nonsensical, Mayor. It’s not as easy as one might think.”

I shook off the dizzying effects of his mouth. “Seems like you’ve got a handle on it. You do it often enough,” I muttered. “I really do need to get back to the office.”

“Mayor!” Clayton Spilling came out of the Mercantile, spotted me, and crossed the street to say hello. “Bernice said you’d be over here. I wanted to ask if you’d had a chance to ask the AdventureSmash folks if they’d finalized the bike route yet. Me and Cody want to ride it and do some social media posts about it to drum up excitement. See if we can’t boost attendance from the clubs in Riverton and Buffalo, maybe even down in Green River.”

“Clayton, this is Silas Concannon. Silas, Clayton Spilling and his brother Cody run our local mountain biking club. They’ve been a big help pitching the AdventureSmash deal.” The two of them shook hands while I faced Clayton again. “Yeah. They finalized all the routes yesterday. I’m heading out to Three Daughters tomorrow to check the condition of the trails and access to the rock climbing runs. If you and Cody can do the same for the bike route, that would be great. Let me know if there are any issues we need to address.”

We talked for a few more minutes before he took off.

When he was gone, I turned toward Silas. I realized I still hadn’t fully apologized for what I’d said before, but I had no idea how to explain myself. I appreciated his help, but I didn’t. I wanted space, but I liked having him near.

Clear as mud.

“Clayton’s also the town dentist,” I blurted awkwardly. “Fair warning, if you need a filling, he’ll spend the entire time telling you about his latest gnarly shred.”

“Ah.” Silas nodded. “Good to know.”

He fell in step with me as I started walking back toward City Hall, and I tried to shake off my mood. This time of year, I loved any excuse to get out of the office and feel the warm sun on my skin. While I enjoyed being the mayor of Majestic more than I’d expected, I also loved being outside, and the biggest downside to my job in town was being chained to a desk.

When we turned onto Poke Street, there were plenty of other people along the sidewalks. Some greeted me with a smile or a wave, while others continued on with their errands without paying much attention to the people around them. Silas reached for my hand again and held it as we walked.

“So,” he began. “You’re going out to Three Daughters tomorrow.”

“Yeah. It’s the cluster of three peaks you can see from my house. Clara, Alice, and Maude. It’s where the trail race and rock climbing events are. I need to make sure there aren’t any issues before the AdventureSmash advance team shows up.”

I felt his gaze on the side of my face. “What time do we leave?”

I ignored his use of the term we. “I’ll leave right after morning feed so I can get back in time to get some work done at the office before afternoon feed.”

Silas stayed quiet for a few moments while I exchanged greetings with one of Sheridan’s friends. Once we were well past her, Silas took a deep breath and asked carefully, “Are you asking me not to come with you?”

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