“So what are you saying?” I asked. “That we should scrap the whole idea until everything’s perfect?”
“I’m saying we should understand the risks before we commit,” she replied. “That’s not the same thing.”
It was hard to argue with that line of reasoning without sounding like a goddamn idiot, so I sat there and tried to come up with a response. The silence stretched.
Then, from somewhere down the table, a deep voice muttered, “The last thing we need is to open up old land issues.”
No one else said a word. The moment passed the way uncomfortable things often did around here… quietly, and without any kind of resolution. Across the table, Morgan didn’t comment, but I caught the way her attention sharpened, and the way she took note of everyone’s reactions.
Mayor Nelson cleared his throat again, louder this time. “All right. That’s enough.” He looked between Morgan and me. “If we’re going to move forward with the rodeo, we need cooperation. Morgan, you’ll oversee the land review. Slade, since your family is offering the site, you’ll be her point of contact.”
One of the old-timers shifted in his seat. “Shouldn’t we wait until Dawson gets back?”
As much as I didn’t like the idea of my buddy getting to spend so much time with the curvy town planner, I was more than willing to step aside if it meant the rodeo had a better chance.
“We can’t afford to waste any time,” Mayor Nelson said. “Slade can handle it and reach out to Dawson if he needs help.”
My head snapped up as my life changed in an instant. I didn’t want the job, but that didn’t mean I could walk away from it. Kincaids didn’t get to do that— not the ones people expected anything from. The reality of my new position settled on my shoulders, heavier than one of those big-ass bulls I used to ride.
At least the meeting wrapped up without her saying anything about the land marker. Chairs scraped. People clustered in low-voiced conversations. I waited until the room thinned before standing, catching Morgan as she stepped into the hallway.
“You could’ve given me a heads-up that you weren’t on board about the rodeo,” I said.
“I only found out about this meeting yesterday afternoon.” She turned toward me, her expression steady. “All I did was raise valid concerns in the appropriate forum.”
She was right, but it still felt like a personal attack. “Seemed to me like you were questioning the whole plan.”
“I was questioning whether the plan accounted for reality,” she said with a patronizing smile. “There’s a difference.”
I held her gaze, frustration tangling with something else I didn’t want to acknowledge. “You didn’t have to do it in front of everyone.”
“This isn’t personal,” she replied. “And it isn’t private.”
My jaw clenched. Sure as hell felt personal to me.
“I’m not trying to stop the rodeo,” she added, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper.
“Are you sure about that?” I studied her expression, looking for some sign that she meant it. Our breaths mixed. I was too aware of how close she was. Too aware of how easy it would be to close the last inch between us.
“You want this rodeo to work? Then prove it.” She held my gaze a second too long. Then she walked away.
I stood there, my pulse still racing, knowing damn well I was already in trouble. Morgan didn’t back down or soften her stance to make me feel comfortable. And she sure as hell didn’t apologize for it. That made her the most dangerous woman I’d met in years.
All I knew was that if I wanted this rodeo to happen and prove I was more than the reckless Kincaid everyone expected, I was going to have to step up in ways I hadn’t planned on. Whether I was ready or not.
CHAPTER 4
MORGAN
I tried to convince myself I wasn’t nervous. I’d walked into zoning hearings where developers shouted over each other, chaired meetings where half the room clearly thought I was underqualified and relocated my entire life for the chance to make a difference. The idea of spending a day in the field with Slade Kincaid shouldn’t rattle me.
Still, I checked my bag twice before leaving my office to make sure I had everything I needed. I wasn’t about to let the hot cowboy get under my skin. Or worse, see me fail.
Men like Slade Kincaid were used to being indulged. They were golden boys… town favorites with legacy names. The kind who mistook confidence for competence because no one had ever challenged them long enough to prove otherwise. I wasn’t here to admire the scenery. Or him. I was here to do my job, and if he made that harder than it needed to be, he’d suffer the consequences.
Slade didn’t seem reckless in the way a few of the locals had warned me he’d be. He was reactive. He pushed back when he felt cornered and bristled when authority brushed too close to his pride. Men like that didn’t scare me, but they could derail things if I wasn’t careful.
I locked my office and headed out front where Slade’s truck idled at the curb. He stood next to the passenger-side door, his shoulders looking even broader than I remembered under his thick jacket. He wasn’t scrolling his phone or leaning casually against the hood. He was waiting. That alone told me more than the rumors could. He wasn’t trying to impress me. Worse, he was measuring me.
