Page 30 of Her Wild Coast Promise

CORA

The slender brunettewith perfect skin and a cunning smile, arms crossed like she’s the badass the rest of us wish we were flashes past in a blink of light and bold colors. Her simpleTOUGH ON CRIMEmessage clatters through my mind like a pinball, making my head throb with the beginnings of a very bad headache.

I swivel to face Seth. “I’m confused. I thought Sheriff Kauffman announced his retirement like a week ago. How did she get a billboard made so fast?”

Seth keeps eyes on the road, but his grip on the wheel is so tight his knuckles are glowing. “Maybe she heard about the chief early.”

“From you?”

His face tenses. “No. We don’t talk.”

Something about his reaction is tickling the base of my core. It’s not a pleasant feeling.

“I guess you should probably know…there’s some history there,” he adds.

Dread pools in my gut. “What kind of history?”

“The, uh, casual kind.”

He might as well have dropped a load of bricks from the sky. “Oh, Seth.”

“She has no experience.”

“In bed?”

“No!” He shakes his head, his jaw tight. “In law enforcement. She’s a prosecutor.”

Slowing my brain enough to adjust to these details is costing every ounce of energy I have. “One with seriously deep pockets. Do you know how much a billboard like that costs?”

“Why does that matter?”

His lack of understanding about this would be cute if the stakes were not so terminal, but there’s no room for that now. Talk about a curveball. Did he keep this little tidbit from me on purpose?

“There are two main components to winning a campaign, Seth. One is having the endorsements and support of your community. The second is moneyand orinfluence from people in power. You can’t win without a strong combination of these elements.”

“I don’t have money, Cora. I only have my word and my reputation.”

I slowly inhale then release the breath, willing my pulse to stop chiseling at my temple. “That’s not enough, Seth. Especially if your opponent has a limitless budget.”

With his face set in a grimace, he turns onto a wide street. Moderate sized houses tucked into the thick forest flank both sides. “I can’t let her win.”

I glance his way, a retort on my lips. But his face is so tight it’s going to crack in two. He’s unhappy about his former hookup running against him, but it’s clear the reason isn’t personal. This is about taking care of his community.

Which means I need to quit being petty and get on with helping him win.

“We won’t let her,” I say as Seth turns up a gravel driveway, the headlights washing across a grey two-story house with a covered front porch framed by giant fir trees.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he says. “I ended things with her after Noah and Vonnie’s wedding.”

Whoa. “Why?”

He taps the remote clipped to his sunshade and the door on the matching garage opens. Seth pulls in, the hum of his engine filling the tight space. His department SUV is parked in the second bay, black and sleek.

“Because I had more fun with you that weekend than I had in six months with her.”

My windpipe twists shut and my head pounds. I try to get my bearings, but he opens his door and walks around to open mine. Standing there, lit by the bright garage lights, his expression earnest and so vulnerable I could kiss him, I take his hand and step down from the truck.

“Why did you want me here?” I gaze up at him.

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