Page 30 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

Laughter rumbled around the room.

“I’ll keep this short and sweet because all the info is on the posters, but let me say, I hear you—all of you. I hear your complaints, I see your pain, and I understand the destruction and turmoil that have landed here ever since construction started on the highway. The floods alone in spring should have brought everything to a halt, but the mayor is a stubborn man.”

It interested me that in this scenario, he was no longer her father. Was that for her benefit or to keep the peace with the townspeople?

“He is blinded by money, and I am out of ideas. I have done everything in my power to make him see sense, and he just doesn’t care. Which isn’t what you all want to hear, but it’s as honest as I can be. So I had an idea, and it took some persuading, but I got my mom on board. The Yuletide Ball, what used to be everyone’s favorite time of year? It is nowback,and you are all invited! That’s right, every single one of you. And I know what you’re thinking. It’s been years since anyone here went to a ball.”

“Been years since anyone here even went to a party!” croaked up an elderly voice, drawing another rumble of laughter.

“I know, I know.” Kitty chuckled. “But this year? It will be amazing. We have Melanie catering, for one.”

A cheer rose up, and Melanie paused her drink pouring to take a couple of quick bows.

“And I have left my credit card with the seamstress, so if you’re having trouble getting a dress or a suit, it will be taken care of for you. But this isn’t just a party.” Kitty sighed and gazed around the room. “This is our last chance to stand up, as a town, and make the mayor see sense. This is our last chance to get him to listen to the pain he’s bringing down on us all. Face to face, he can’t turn us all away, and he can’t ignore us!”

The silence in the bar was different. People were actually listening. Pride swelled in my chest as I watched Kitty pace back and forth. Standing up to her father was difficult, and doing it in front of everyone? Even more so.

She was amazing.

“We can show him the beauty he’s overlooking. We can force him to look business owners in the eyes. We can spread this over social media, to every corner we can think of, and then?—”

Suddenly, the door to the bar slammed open and several of our security team stormed inside. I surged forward toward Kitty while grabbing my radio, fearing that an emergency had flared up and I’d missed it.

But there was nothing on the radio.

I reached Kitty at the same time as her father’s security, and just as they dragged her off the stage, I caught sight of him.

The mayor stood in the doorway, his face thunderous.

13

KITTY

“Outside! Now!”

My father bellowed across the bar, making me jump right out of my skin as I was roughly dragged outside by his security team. My struggles meant nothing against the arm gripping me tightly until Rook came along and wrenched the man free. I should have thanked him, but my attention was on my father as he strode across the parking lot toward his jeep.

“Dad!” I yelled, chasing after him. “Dad, you can’t run away from this! There are people inside,yourpeople, who want you to listen to them because that is what the mayor is supposed to do! And instead, you’re so focused on?—”

“Enough!” Dad spun to face me, and his eyes were small and dark. “That’s enough, Kitty. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to have one of your shareholders call you and tell you that your very own daughter is walking around the town inciting rebellion?”

I stumbled to a stop and scoffed. “Rebellion?”

“Yes! Because that is what you are doing. You’re out here forcing your own opinions onto other people, holding these littlemeetings as if those people are there for you and not the booze churning out of those taps.”

“It’s not like that!”

“Isn’t it?” Dad yelled. “How do you think I found out? Did you ever consider that maybe not everyone in town thinks like you do? That there are people who see the good in what I’m doing and they’re excited for the influx of income I’ll be bringing to this place? Did you ever stop and think about that?”

“Of course I did!” I snapped back, heat rising up my collar. “But then I was attacked in the store because the people whose lives you’ve destroyed have no other option. Because you are so fucking blinded by greed. You’re hurting people! I mean, look at the barn! Look at the flooding! The mudslides!”

“That’s because it rained, Kitty,” Dad growled. “It always rains, or did you forget that part? How do you expect me to police the weather?”

“It’s more complicated than that and you know it!” My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty, and my knees were knocking together as adrenaline surged. I was so angry at him, angry at his inability to see beyond his own bubble. Angry that I had given a poster out to someone who clearly ran straight to my father. And angry that I was dragged out of the bar like he’d just discovered me drinking underage.

“Kitty.” My father took a deep breath. “You are so set on what you think is right that you haven’t considered the other side. My side.”

“Oh? Can you say you’ve done the same? When was the last time you walked the town? Popped into the stores of the people who put you in power? Spent time at the parks or the community center, huh? When?”

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