Then the clean-cut man reached the podium. "Good afternoon. My name is Sebastian Jakobsson, and I'm going to guess that many of you have never heard of me. Some of you may have heard of my horse, Trebuchet. Together, we won the gold in dressage at the last Summer Olympics. We got silver in the one before. We intend to get gold again in the next one coming up. Recently, I have partnered with another Olympic rider to broaden our stable's focus to include both show jumping and dressage. Now, I realize that most people in this area are most likely Western riders focused on cutting, roping, and reining. However, Texas is the ideal place to breed and raise horses. We have recently been looking at potential properties for a facility right here in Cats Peak. Just like the last gentlemen, the idea came to us from one of our assistants. Kristin King is the only other person besides myself allowed to ride Trebuchet. Imagine my surprise to find that she is also an alumni of Southwind."
He paused to look at the back of the room and smile, then turned back to the Council before him. "For me, the main incentive to operating a facility here will be the chance to work with the juvenile improvement program. It is well-known that horses make great rehabilitators, so we have always offered a mentorship system. Our goal is to take urbanized young people and introduce them to the equestrian life. Sadly, not all of them become English riders, but most of them do become horse people, and horse people is what North Texas is founded on. Thank you."
Luke was twisted in his chair scanning the back of the room. "Kris is working for some fancy Olympic rider?"
"Scarlet," Cy corrected. "She got the name for her hair. Believe it or not, that auburn shade is natural."
"But she's Black?" Luke said, dropping his voice like he wasn't sure if that was offensive or not.
"Half Black," I told him. "And yes, her hair is natural."
But the next person to step up was the last man I wanted to hear from. Paul Simmons grabbed the microphone, bending it to angle towards his mouth. A horrible squeal rang out across the room, making people flinch from the sound. Mr. Simmons didn't seem to care. The man had a scowl on his face and a stack of papers before him that had to be his speech.
"Bull riders? Olympic equestrians? Celebrity endorsements? What do any of these things really matter to us? These people are going to pass through here to get a little bit of attention, and then continue on and never think about us again. Let's talk about the real problem with Southwind." He turned to glare at me. "You, Miss Dawson, aren't trying to save our youth. You're trying to corrupt them. You don't see a single thing wrong with exposing young, impressionable children to homosexuality. You yourself flaunt your body, encouraging young girls to be promiscuous. Are these really the sorts of things we think children should learn?"
Just to make his point, he thumped his fist on the podium. "When Vera ran Southwind, she couldn't keep control of those kids. We had graffiti on the side of the gas station. I can't count the number of times my fence was cut and my cattle were let out. They want to talk about these troubled teens as if they're just poor, misunderstood children. They aren't. Those kids are heathens who are going to come in here and corrupt our own sons and daughters. After all, why should our kids be good if the ones who commit crimes get to spend the summer riding horses and playing around with arts and crafts? If we know what's good for our town, we'll vote no to Southwind. This is a good community, and we need to keep it that way."
Chapter Sixty
When Simmons walked away, the mayor nodded like he agreed with the man. That wasn't a good sign. I was pretty sure that Paul Simmons had contributed quite a bit of money to the mayor's campaign. In fact, Paul Simmons had made it clear that he all but owned Don Campbell. That had actually been the first name Mr. Simmons had used to threaten me when I came here. But the moment the podium was empty, David, the pastor from the church, stepped up to claim it.
"Good afternoon," David said. "I would like to think that most people here know who I am, but for those of you who don't, my name is David. I'm the pastor of the Baptist Church here in Cats Peak. My father was the pastor before me, God rest his soul. So for me, guiding this flock that most people would call a town is a family affair for us Bigsbys. And while some people might be worried about the differences between all of us, I'm more worried about how God says we should treat our neighbors. Love, kindness, and compassion - these are the things that good Christians are supposed to embrace. Maybe it's easier to judge others, but there's nothing Christian about that.
"There also aren't many of us here who can say we're perfect. Paul Simmons brought up the fact that homosexuality is embraced at Southwind. Well, I would like to make it clear that it's embraced in Cats Peak, too. It's welcome in my church, and not just Ash and Cy's relationship. It's not just about the rumors you've all heard about Luke. Those three aren't the only people who've come to ask me if they're going to Hell because of the way God made them. Our Lord does not make mistakes. He offers us chances to prove ourselves, and loving our neighbors is one way to do that. There isn't a single thing wrong with gay men or lesbian women. Bisexuality isn't a choice. If we're going to judge people for their sins, then we need to all stop and look in the mirror first. But, instead of focusing on the mistakes we all make, let's focus on the good they can do.
"Over and over, I have watched the people of Southwind step up and do good when no one else would. We have gossiped about them, we have shunned them, and no matter what, they just keep being nice. I can't think of a better example than that of the kind of person I think should help the unwanted children of the world. Kids aren't born bad. They get forgotten, set aside, and put on the wrong path, which is how they become bad. That doesn't mean they have to stay that way. With places like Southwind, our entire community can work together to change that. I've tried to be impartial, but I honestly believe in what Southwind wants to accomplish. I want to do my part to help, and because of that, I say we vote yes to Southwind."
The words were barely out of his mouth before the entire room burst into applause. When David turned away from the podium, he looked over at me and smiled. I nodded my appreciation, and though I was hopeful, that didn't make the nervousness go away. We'd just played our hand, and if this didn't work, what did I have to fall back on? Would the possibilities offered here today really outweigh the fact that Paul Simmons had donated directly to the man who would lead this vote?
When the applause carried on for a little too long, Don Campbell picked up his gavel and banged it twice. Slowly, the room began to quiet, but that hum of conversation was still going. Again the mayor tapped his gavel, and kept tapping until the room was quiet.
"On the matter of approving a business license for the organization known as Southwind, how does the council vote?" he asked, looking down the row at the four other councilmembers.
"Aye."
"Nay."
"Aye."
"Aye."
"And I also vote nay," Don Campbell said. He paused to suck his teeth, then sighed. "The ayes have it. Motion passed. The organization known as Southwind is hereby granted a license to operate a business in the city of Cats Peak, Texas."
My heart stopped. I wasn't even sure I remembered to breathe. The vote had been three to two, but we actually won? That was it? There was no way it could be this easy!
But the room was already starting to empty. The people sitting in front of me turned to offer their congratulations. More heading up the aisle did the same. For just a moment, I was overwhelmed with the attention, trying to thank everyone while my mind was spinning. Luckily, I was good at this part. I just couldn't make myself actually believe it.
Then Berto stopped and gestured for me and my group to step into the flow of traffic before him. "There are some people here you want to meet."
"Did you do this?" I asked. "And how?"
"Billy called in the colors," Berto explained. "Indigo pulled her strings. Scarlet pulled others. I sent a statement to each of the councilmembers last week, making it clear that Southwind represented the conservative values that our party wants to uplift, and that to do anything but vote yes would require me to notify the Texas branch of the Republican Party that they refused to uphold party values."
"Which means," Ash said as he guided me forward, "that we hit them from all sides."
Luke just chuckled. "You always said you were the one with connections, Violet. I think you just proved it."
"And your connections seem to be the entire town," Berto agreed.
