Page 8 of Home to the Cowboy's Arms

Game on indeed.

Chapter Five

“I’m impressed. Punctualand you pack light.” Cade could have added that she was also a female who didn’t have a problem with getting up before the sun. But he didn’t want to push his luck. So far, things had been ‘pleasant.’ But there was no guarantee that would last. Tori Parker stepped forward with her small suitcase in hand as he opened the back door of his truck. He moved to take the case from her but she sidestepped and lifted the case on her own and placed it inside. She did allow him to close the door as she stepped back.

Small victory.He went for double or nothing. Cade did a quick move and managed to reach around her, and his hand met hers on the door handle of the front passenger-side door. “I believe I got here first.” He added a smile as she slowly released her hand with reluctance from the top of his. She stepped onto the running board and then up into the passenger’s seat. He shut the door.

What is her problem? She’s like a prickly pear cactus that fairly shouts: don’t get too close.Cade climbed in and noted the way her gaze was taking in the interior of his truck.

“Sorry if the truck isn’t your preference. I like to be prepared when traveling some of the mountain roads where we’re headed. My Boy Scout upbringing I guess.” That bit of humor fell flat as that blue gaze stayed steady on him for a moment or two.

“A Boy Scout,” she finally responded. “Who would have guessed.”

“Indeed. Well, daylight is burning. Let’s get this excursion underway.” The engine purred to life and they headed out of town.

The silence in the cab was notable. If she wanted silence then she could have it, was his plan. After a good twenty minutes of it, he was the one to wave the white flag.

“Only four hours and twenty minutes to go. Time flies.”

“When you aren’t having fun,” she responded. Not what he would have expected…exactly. “One would think given all the gauges and gadgets that this truck is decked out with, you’d have a button to move us to warp speed.”

He had to grin. Did she have a sense of humor locked inside that cool exterior? Granted that she wasn’t bad on the eyes. If one liked reddish-gold hair that seemed to be worn in a perpetual ponytail at the back of her head, allowing a good length to hang over her shoulder. The side view highlighted the straight set of the jawline—more like the stubborn line of her jaw, he amended in his mind. A nose that might be described as pert…a bewitching upturn at the end which made him think of a witch from a television show on late-night fare.

The one item that caught attention most often, he would wager, were those eyes. Dark eyelashes framed them, and they only heightened the incredible azure blueness…the color of a lake he once backpacked to in the high country. That memory had popped into his brain the first time she’d faced him down on his property…right before he’d ordered her back into her car and off his land. Not the best of first meetings, he had to admit. The fact that she fitted into the prerequisite jeans quite nicely hadn’t gone unnoticed. The oversized sweatshirts and blouses with jackets in the office were okay but he had to wonder why she might not step up her look once in a while. Of course, it was no concern to him.

“Warp speed? I can imagine that there might be some member of the city council in Destiny’s River who could find reason to impound my truck next if I tried that.”

“I had no idea you still harbored bad feelings about your truck being towed…even as it was an obvious violation of the law.”

“No bad feelings here, Miz Mayor,” he drawled. “I have always been a law-abiding citizen. I just never figured you for one who followed space movies.”

“And why should you? We’re virtual strangers. Even though you did express personal opinions when you ran against me for mayor.”

“I believe that we kept our political differences to the issues.”

“For the most part. But you did keep alluding to my not being a part of your community and such. Which is ridiculous since my brother has been the duly elected sheriff here for two terms now. And I have been in the community for over a decade…most of it as a business owner. One can be a good citizen and supporter of the place where they have roots. Mine might not be quite as deep as your family’s, but then my ancestors weren’t here to form the first community. Even so we can still be invested in it.”

“That you can. That is a fair statement. Your brother has been a fine sheriff and done a good number of positive things for the town and county. I agree I don’t know that much about your little inn, but it seems to be a popular place and well thought of among others in the community.”

“Exactly why did you agree to thisexcursion, as you call it?” She now gave him her full-force gaze that had a way of pinning you to the topic at hand whether you wanted to be there or not.

“I believe it was Maggie who gave it that name first.”

“Don’t be obtuse. You know what I mean. You complain about how busy you are, yet here you are…going to someplace I am certain you would not have on your radar ever and with me along…a thorn in your side. Did that clarify the question for you?”

“I remember that one of those campaign slogans of yours said something along the lines…plain talk and determination…and that does seem to sum you up. So why not see if that is really your stance or is this just some political grandstanding on your part? Others have tried to gain control of our land in one way or another, but this is certainly a different angle.”

“I can assure you that this is no political angle, as you put it. And you would realize the positives involved here if your hat wasn’t so tight on that big head of yours.” She turned her attention to the window beside her, arms crossed in front of her, and a very determined set to the jaw visible.

Silence again.He would have come right back with a smart reply…usually. But he had an idea that would get him nowhere. And he needed to get through this little exercise in patience and then get back to the committee and tell them no way, no how, and discussion was closed for good. Then he and Miss Lady Mayor could go their separate ways.

But in the meantime, they needed to get along. What was her story anyway? Her brother was a nice enough guy. Reasonable and dedicated to the community. Caleb had tried to pull bits and pieces from his memory of the campaign materials, but that had been a while back. Maybe he would do his own brand of fact-finding this trip also. What made this obstinate woman tick?

“Okay. I think we need to bury the hatchet.”

She turned and looked at him once again, a fine eyebrow raised in silent question.

“Bury the hatchet, you say? Bury it where?”

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