Page 14 of Her Wild Coast Promise

I pull into the federal building’s parking area and take a ticket from the automated booth, then park in a spot that gives me quick access to the exit.

“Okay,” Noah says, his tone brisk. “I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass and say this is going to be easy. Putting a stop to the criminal activity should be your priority right now, and you have an excellent team to help you. But for the election, you need someone to run it for you.”

I lower the windows to let in the cool air then turn off the engine. “Right. But who?”

“Remember who ran my campaign? Who fought tooth and nail for every vote? Who stood by me until the end?”

“Cora,” I say, my voice raspy. I close my eyes, but all I see is Cora in a body-hugging dress, smiling up at me while I twirled her around the dance floor, the flower in her hair matching the rosy blush of her cheeks.

“Yep,” Noah says, snapping me back to the conversation. “Want me to ask her?”

“No,” I snap, then grit my teeth. I need to stay chill or my best friend is going to know something’s up, and I don’t want him suspecting that I’ve had dirty thoughts about his little sister since his wedding.

“She’s in Montana, right?” I ask to cover my blunder.

“Working a thankless job and dating a selfish prick. Also her landlord is a pothead.”

My gut hardens—boyfriend? Shit. I release a hard sigh. “And this makes you sure she’ll jump at the chance to temporarily move to Alaska to run my campaign?”

“You’d be doing me a favor. At least with you, I would know she’s safe.”

I clench my eyes tight and force a slow breath from my lungs. Why did he have to say that?

“I’ll think about it,” I reply. Which is my polite way of saying no fucking way.

He grunts.

We end the call and I step out of my SUV. The idea of Cora swooping in to save my ass is appealing. She ran Noah’s campaign with determination and grit. She’s smart, creative, and loves adventure, with just enough mischief in her gaze to keep me on my toes.

She’s also sexy as hell, with bright blue eyes, curves that beg for my attention, and a sassy mouth I’d like to tame.

But I’m not asking her to give up her life in Montana to help me win this election. Working side by side with her for two months without being able to touch her would be agony.

But without a solid plan, Peyton Reece is going to win. That’s frightening enough, but worse is the chain reaction it’ll set off in this valley. It won’t take long before we’re at war—one we’ll be powerless to stop.

ChapterFour

CORA

I pokemy straw at my mango-strawberry Bottoms Up smoothie and draw in a long sip while Libby finishes her tirade about Doug’s behavior Thursday night.

Libby takes a long sip of her chocolate Walk of Shame. “Anddidhe call you?” Her big, brown eyes fill with empathy.

“He texted me a YouTube video about Box Breathing.” I zip up my fleece against the chilly morning air.

She cringes. “How are you feeling about everything today?”

With another sigh, I set my smoothie aside. “Bittersweet, I guess? I wasn’t looking to break up with him, but I wasn’t ready to be engaged.”

“Engaged at all, or married to him?”

“Him.”

Libby’s eyebrows arch up. “You want to think about it first?”

“I feel bad for storming out like I did.”

“Cora, he didn’t even listen to you or try to understand why you were so upset! Then he not only springs this proposal on you, with no warning, he tries to solve your problem, also without asking if that would be helpful, by switching to a brand-new career you have zero interest in. I’m surprised you didn’t dump his spaghetti on his head for good measure!”

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