Page 41 of Marrying Mr. Majestic

But it was… different.

Distracting.

And it set me on edge for reasons I couldn’t explain.

Bernice’s face softened further after I took the papers from her. She extended her other hand, which held a small brown bag I recognized from the Love Muffin. “Also, he brought you a sandwich again. Scrambled eggs on toast.” She bit her lip and sighed happily. “He said you didn’t eat breakfast before you left the house. Isn’t he the sweetest?”

I glanced back toward the office, torn between wanting to see if Silas was still hanging around City Hall and needing to meet with Foster at the sheriff’s office about the traffic diversion needs during the AdventureSmash exhibition.

“Sure.” I handed her back the signed documents and took the bag. “Did he, ah… say what he was up to today?”

“Uh-huh. He said he was going to the sheriff’s office to talk to him about the traffic thing.” She said this with a huge smile like she expected me to smile, too.

Instead, I stared at her. “He what?”

“Well, when he stopped by with your sandwich, we got to chatting, and I mentioned how stressed you were about the situation, what with the budgeting concerns and the personnel issues, and he said he had some ideas. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Amazing,” I repeated. As in, I was amazed Silas had even known about the traffic thing and further amazed that he’d decided to interfere in my work without even asking.

Did the man not have enough to do with his corporate strategy shit? Did he not know how to stick to his own business?

“I told him you were headed to talk to Foster after your meeting with Jackson and Lake,” she continued. “He said he’d just head on over and told me to tell you he’d meet you there. But then you lit out of the conference room so fast after your meeting, I didn’t have a chance.” Bernice shrugged.

“Right. Okay.” I lifted my hat to run my fingers through my hair. I reminded myself Silas meant well. That the only reason he’d stayed in Majestic at all was because I’d asked him to. That he and I were happy husbands. “I’ll talk to him. Please just… instead of talking to him about my work from now on, tell him to ask me directly, okay?”

Her lips tightened. “He offered to help. Would it kill you to let him? He cares about you very much, Mayor.”

Bernice Milsom had known me since I was six years old, and she was a part-time school bus driver on my route. When the previous mayor had turned out to be a cheat and a thief, she’d felt an overwhelming guilt—even though none of it had been her fault—that had caused her to become overly formal in everything she did in her role. Regardless of how many times I’d asked her to call me Way, she’d refused.

At least she was still able to mother me, even if she wouldn’t call me by my first name. I didn’t dare correct her and let her know Silas cared more about solving the town’s problems than caring about me specifically.

If there was one thing I’d learned about Silas in the past week, in addition to just how talented his oral skills were in the bedroom, it was that he had a driving need to fix things… and it was going to drive me right off the deep end.

After thanking Bernice, I contemplated jumping in my truck and driving to the sheriff’s office since it would get me there quicker, but I opted to walk. The Dodge had started slipping gears the past couple days, and I’d been meaning to find someone to take a look at the transmission. Yet another thing I hadn’t handled this week because I was too distracted by my husband.

I unwrapped the sandwich, ripped off a large bite, and angry-chewed as I stalked down the street. I wondered if maybe asking Silas to stick around hadn’t been such a good idea after all. I felt even less in control of my life and everything in it than I had before my Vegas mistake.

Before I’d gone more than a couple blocks, Natana Whiteplume stepped out of my sister’s pottery studio across the street and gestured for me to wait for her.

“Just the man I wanted to see,” she said with a smile, flipping her long dark braid over her shoulder. “I was heading to your office next.”

The judge’s younger sister had always been one of my favorite people. She was a trick rider on horseback and was a fan favorite at our summer rodeo for tourists. ZuZu adored her and had spent the past several years trying to get me to ask her out. Natana fell into the category of women I definitely couldn’t date without the entire town knowing all about it, so I’d never even considered listening to my sister’s hints.

“What can I do for you? I’m actually headed to the sheriff’s office for a meeting, but we can talk while we walk if you don’t mind?”

She nodded and fell in step with me. “First of all, please thank Silas for his help at your place yesterday. I couldn’t get one of the paddock gates to stay closed, and he came along at just the right time. I worked with Letty for a couple of hours and would like to lease her this summer if that’s still good with you. She’s a quick learner, just like you said.”

It took my brain a minute to catch up with her request. Once again, here was someone thanking me for Silas’s help. It had become a little bit ridiculous. “Of course. Same terms as last summer. Shoot me an email, and I’ll get the paperwork together.”

“Great. I also wanted to let you know… I’m afraid I can’t help with roundup after all.”

I glanced over at her in surprise. Natana could always be counted on as a trusted rider during roundup. “Why not?”

“My great-aunt down in Lander is having a heart cath procedure, and there’s no one else to help her. Kush has court stuff he can’t leave, and my mom’s still recovering from her knee surgery.”

I blew out a breath. “Oh, shit. Is your great-aunt okay?”

She nodded. “Probably. But she’s old and scared. Doesn’t trust doctors much, so she’s looking for any excuse to get out of it. I promised my mom I’d go.”

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