“I hate to break it to you, old boy,” Bryce snickered with a scornful sneer, “but no one’s going to believe you, either. I think the word of the respected mayor carries a little more weight than an ex-con’s.”
“That’s exactly what I’m counting on.” Rhett yanked the silk cord, and the curtain toppled to the stage, revealing a sea of shock and outrage. Between the microphone and the echoing curvature of the sign, the crowd had heard every incriminating word.
Bryce paled as he realized what he’d done in his arrogant carelessness. “It—this—it’s not what it looks like,” he stammered.
“It looks like you’re a fox guarding the henhouse,” Frank snarled from the front row. “And do you know what happens when we catch a fox in our henhouse?”
Bryce instinctively inched backward as Luke stepped forward in the crowd, flanked by his closest friends. More than half a dozen men stood shoulder to broad shoulder, staring Bryce down like a battalion. And perhaps even more intimidating were the women who’d crowded in front of them, led by Eliza, whose fiery glare made her look ten feet tall. Donna pressed a palm to her chest, her heart bursting at the sight of so many people poised to protect her daughter.
“This has all been a simple misunderstanding. A harmless mistake.” Bryce tried to backpedal, but Donna noticed the beads of sweat on his brow.
“The only mistake,” Frank grunted, “is letting you be our mayor. But you know what they say. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’ll run ya out of town.” He turned to his wife, trying to keep a straight, menacing face as he asked, “Can we still tar and feather, Bevy?”
“I’m afraid not, darling.”
“That’s a shame.” Frank pinned Bryce with a withering scowl. “You know what else is a shame? Having a daughter like Cassie and being too brainless to see how lucky you are.”
“If you’ve hurt her…” Luke growled, taking another step toward the stage.
“Hey, listen.” Burns held up his hands in a gesture of capitulation. “Things are getting a little carried away. Remember, you need me. According to the bylaws, the mayor has to be from one of the founding families.”
“Bylaws can be changed, right, Luke?” Eliza asked, keeping her gaze narrowed on Bryce.
“I don’t think they have to be,” Donna blurted before the thought had fully formed. All eyes turned in her direction as the townspeople waited for her to elaborate. As the impulsive idea coalesced, she realized it made all the sense in the world.
“What do you have in mind?” Rhett prompted, standing beside her for support.
“I know exactly who our new mayor should be.”
“Ourmayor?” he said softly, as if he didn’t dare hope.
She smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she swept her gaze from Rhett to the familiar faces beaming back at her in accord as they realized who she meant. “Shall we take a vote?”
“Hold on! You can’t do this—” Bryce protested, then snapped his mouth shut at Frank’s warning glower.
“All in favor?” Donna asked, ignoring Bryce’s objection.
Every hand shot into the air followed by celebratory shouts and cheers.
Donna wanted to share in their happiness, but with one hurdle overtaken, her focus shifted to a more challenging one that lay ahead—seeking her daughter’s forgiveness. Again.
Only this time, the damage might be too great to overcome.
CHAPTER31
CASSIE
Cassie’s shoulders shook with each sob as she lay facedown on the mahogany desk, her head propped on both forearms, blocking out the world that hadn’t stopped spinning since she’d learned the truth.
The truth…Normally, such a comforting word. Noble. Freeing. Worthy of pursuit. But this time, she wasn’t so certain. Had her mother been right to keep it from her?
She lifted her heavy gaze to the portrait above the mantel. The stalwart black eyes of Chadwick Burns met hers, but this time, they didn’t belong to a stranger from the past. They belonged to her great-great-great—she wasn’t sure how far removed—grandfather.
At one time, she would’ve been thrilled to discover she had ties to one of Poppy Creek’s founding families. But now, she felt nothing but heartache. Heartache over a man who was so disinterested in being her father, he’d lived in the same town for over two years without ever striking up a single conversation.
Grief and a wave of humiliation she couldn’t explain washed over her, churning her stomach. Had he known she was looking for him? Had he heard the rumors and laughed, thinking if only she knew? Or was he so indifferent he didn’t think of her at all?
Another sob rose in her throat, and her chest heaved as she struggled for air. How could he look her in the eye—his own flesh and blood—and feel nothing?
