CHAPTER ONE
“It’s unnatural, Adam. I mean, Mayor Bridger.” Eli Hawthorne stood, his gnarled hands clutching the rim of his Stetson as he faced the Mustang Valley Town Council. “Your Auntie Kat has no business participatin’ in our Polar Bear Club doings. You need to tell her to stop coming to our Friday plunges.”
Stifling a groan, Adam focused on his irrepressible great auntie. She winked at him. Of course she did. She was a pistol, cleverly disguised as a harmless white-haired lady in a red sweater and tight jeans.
She sat in the front row along with his entire family—his mom, grandma, two more great aunties and seven siblings. They’d all turned out in honor of his first in-person meeting, since a blizzard had forced the council to hold the January one online.
Their long-time friends and neighbors Carrie and Jeff Gilmore had front-row seats, too. They’d come to cheer him on and support their daughter Tracy, the town’s legal counsel.
Tracy’s official front-row seat was directly across from him and he appreciated having her near-at-hand. He’d studiedRoberts Rules of Orderbut he didn’t know them cold. She did.
Normally she would have flashed him a grin following Eli’s comment. Kat and Eli had been entertaining the town for years with their public feud.
But Tracy wasn’t smiling. Or showing any emotion. His jaw tightened. New Year’s Eve had changed everything. And not for the better.
He returned his attention to his great auntie. “What do you have to say, Auntie Kat?”
“It’s sexual discrimination, plain and simple.” The gleam in her eye told him she was gearing up for battle. “They’ve denied me membership and now they’re saying I can’t come to the water hole on Fridays. But it’s public property.”
He shifted his attention to Tracy. “Any thoughts?” Seeing her face-to-face was tougher than he’d anticipated. Online had been easier.
Tracy’s blue-eyed gaze was steady. “The discrimination issue rests on whether the Polar Bear Club meets the definition of a private club.”
“We’re private, Tracy,” Eli said. “Extremely private.”
She swiveled in Eli’s direction. “I’ll need to see your organization’s documents.”
He blinked. “Documents? Uh, we don’t… oh, yeah, right. I’ll get those to you. Um, soon. Got a crazy week goin’ on, but you’ll get ’em.”
“After you make some up,” Auntie Kat muttered.
“As for the water hole,” Tracy continued, “it’s public property, open to everyone.”
“See there?” Auntie Kat lifted her chin in triumph. “I’m legally entitled.”
“Oh, yeah?” The color rose from Eli’s collar. “Are you legally entitled to be theretopless?”
“Why not? You’re topless,” Auntie Kat shot back. “And you have man boobs.”
As the packed chamber erupted in laughter, Adam resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. But he was the mayor, so he banged the gavel and called for order.
“I’m outta here.” A flushed Eli crammed on his hat and made for the door. “Mark my words, Katharine Bridger! Show up tomorrow and I’ll be buck naked!”
“Now you’re just teasing me, you old flirt!”
Adam surveyed his fellow council members, who were clearly trying to control themselves. Except for Reg, who looked affronted. “Anybody want to speak to this issue?”
“We should give your great auntie a medal,” said Betty, the council secretary. At ninety-two she was still blonde and still winning elections. “That takes cojones. I wouldn’t jump topless into that freezing water even if my ass was on fire.”
“Aw, c’mon, Betty.” Thelma, an artist and a newly elected member who favored bright colors and hoop earrings, leaned forward to gaze down the length of the table at her. “Let’s both go tomorrow. Keep Kat company. A plunge-in for women’s rights.”
Betty waved a hand. “You go ahead. Your girls are still perky. Mine have lost their fight with gravity.”
“Let me remind you ladies that we have public decency laws.” Reg puffed out his chest, straining the buttons on his white shirt. He was clearly offended. His reputation as a tightwad made him a great treasurer, but he was also a prude, which annoyed the hell out of the rest of them. “Will you clarify that for them, Tracy?”
She gave a little shrug. “We have a law on the books, but folks assume it applies to the square and the surrounding neighborhoods. Technically the water hole’s within the town limits but you can’t see it from the road. Most everyone’s skinny-dipped there at least once in their life.”
“I haven’t.”
