“It’s all right.” Maggie’s smile didn’t reassure Kevin. “Ask away.”
“It’s come to my attention that you’ve taken on a second job.” Barb knew how to tease an audience. People cocked their heads and shifted in their seats, wondering how this pertained to the development issue at hand.
“Of course she has. Mary Margaret tutors my boys,” Tom Bodine said impatiently. He sat in the front row, arms crossed, a supporter of the distribution center.
Warning bells rang in Kevin’s head. But Maggie? Her smile never wavered.
“I’m sorry, Tom.” There was nothing apologetic in Barb’s tone. “I’m referring to Ms. Sneed’s job as a stripper in Greeley.” She smirked.
The crowd erupted. Kevin’s shoulder twinged. In the back, Paul and Paula frowned at Kevin. Near the front, the Widows Club frowned at Barb. Maggie looked pale.
Tom Bodine got to his feet, jamming his cowboy hat on his head. He pointed accusingly at Mary Margaret. “You’re fired!” And then he walked out.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, no one else followed him out the door.
Kevin called for order. “This isn’t an issue under the town council’s jurisdiction, Ms. Kaine.” He used his ex-wife’s maiden name, not giving her the satisfaction of an association with him.
But Barb was getting satisfaction elsewhere. She held up a sheaf of papers like a minister holding up a Bible. “All school personnel sign an agreement to conduct themselves appropriately and in a way that—”
“Excuse me, Ms. Kaine.” Kevin was practically shouting into the microphone. “Are you bringing these allegations against my fiancée now, tonight, instead of at a school board meeting because you hope I’ll back down in my support of the distribution center?” So much for romantic holiday proposals.
Barb’s mouth dropped open, as did Maggie’s. They were speechless. The crowd quieted, on the edge of their seats, reluctant to miss a word of the drama playing out before them.
“I…” Barbara seemed shaken. “I’ve seen her dance.” She held up her cell phone. “I have pictures.” She passed her phone to the school superintendent, an ancient gentleman with thick glasses.
Maggie’s cheeks were beet red, and she wouldn’t look at Kevin.
“Who’s the blonde?” the superintendent asked. “I can’t see her face. Everything’s dark, and she’s wearing a mask.”
“And clothes,” Edith piped up from behind him. “That woman’s got all her clothes on.”
“I think it’s clear what’s going on here.” Kevin spoke into the microphone. “My ex-wife is jealous of my soon-to-be wife and trying to abuse her power.”
The crowd ate that statement up alive.
Barb snatched her phone back from the superintendent. Her parting shot—“This isn’t the end of this”—was swallowed by the chatter of residents happy to have witnessed the long reign of Queen Barbara end.
In a way, Kevin felt sorry for her.
But not as sorry as he was to see Maggie grab her things and hurry down the stairs.
He’d botched his marriage proposal. He wasn’t going to lose her too.
* * *
The roar in Mary Margaret’s ears didn’t come from the crowd.
Fiancée? He’d done it now. Kevin had attached an anchor to his career hopes and tossed it overboard.
A woman in a business suit toward the back of the auditorium grabbed her arm as Mary Margaret tried to pass. She smacked of self-importance. “Excuse me. You never denied any of those allegations.”
A man stood behind her in an equally fine wool suit, wearing an equally concerned expression. The pair’s appearance and demeanor said Important Political Party Member more clearly than any button pinned to their lapels.
They hold Kevin’s political fate in their hands.
Or rather, Mary Margaret did.
“I’m in a dance troupe,” Mary Margaret said, aware that everyone nearby hung on her every word.
The woman nodded but her brow didn’t clear. “And you’re engaged to Mayor Kevin Hadley?”
Don’t lie to me. Her father’s voice snuck beneath the near-deafening crowd noise.
Mary Margaret opened her mouth to deny being Kevin’s fiancée but he appeared at her side, took her hand, and drew her close.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Kevin lied swiftly, his case not helped by the shiner underneath his eye. “I had a ring, but when the moment is right, the question just pops out.”
There had been no question. And Mary Margaret doubted there was a ring anywhere outside of the circle of Kevin’s lies tonight.
Across the room, Barbara’s gaze captured hers. There wasn’t viciousness in her eyes. There was a plea. After all, practically Barbara’s entire life—outside of the bedroom, the salon, and the school board—had been devoted to supporting Kevin’s career. She knew Kevin would succeed on a bigger stage if given a chance. And to do that…
“Okay,” Mary Margaret capitulated to the pressure to explain. “I’m a dancer in a burlesque revue at the Hanky Panky in Greeley.” She swallowed thickly. “I don’t take off my clothes when I perform. I don’t do lap dances or disappear with men into back rooms. I dance solo and with a group of women I respect and admire. I dance because I love it, and—”
“She’s undercover.” Grandma Edith shoved her way through the crowd using her knitting bag as a battering ram. “It’s part of a sting operation.”
Uh-oh.
“That’s not true.” Mary Margaret met her grandmother’s gaze squarely, fighting back tears when the realization that she’d been lied to dawned in Edith’s eyes. “I’m not dancing to help the police or the FBI. I dance because…” She didn’t want to cast stones on Derek’s reputation but what choice did she have? “I dance because my husband left me with over a hundred thousand dollars in debt.”
That caused a stir in the immediate vicinity, including the suited pair with Kevin’s political fate in their hands.
“Mims and I have seen her dance.” Shaking off the disappointment of Mary Margaret’s deception, Grandma Edith pushed her shoulders back and glared at anyone foolish enough to meet her stare. “Shame on you and your dirty minds. It’s not one of those places.” She shook her finger at the crowd. “My granddaughter is an upstanding citizen.”
There were chuckles and looks of doubt.
“Excuse us.” Kevin hustled Mary Margaret out the door, whispering, “Best quit while we’re ahead.”
“Ahead?” Mary Margaret laughed mirthlessly.
“Yes, ahead.” He didn’t stop when they went through the doors and into the snowy night. He dragged her toward the parking lot, slogging through the snow. “That might have salvaged my career but it put an end to your dancing.”
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it.” Besides, she still had all that debt hanging over her head. “Now what am I going to do?”
“Marry me? I’ll take out a loan to pay off those loan sharks.”
She broke free of his hold. “Thanks for taking me under your protective superhero shield but you know that’s not the answer. I won’t let you take out a loan, and I won’t marry you. You don’t even love me.”
He frowned.
Does he love me? Her heart ka-thumped. Then again, it had been a nerve-wracking few minutes with lots of ka-thumping. “The club is going to be filled with Sunshine residents tomorrow night. I’m not going to back down. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Sinner.
The label pressed down on her.
Kevin shook his head. “You can’t dance again, not after this. Barb will bring the school board. Even with the mask, you’ll be recognized. Fired.”
“You forget.” She pointed toward Laurel and Hardy, taking a smoke as they leaned against the fender of their car at the far end of the high school parking lot. “I have obligations.”
“And you forget I’m the mayor. I’ll fix this.” He stepped to the side and made a phone call.
But he couldn’t fix t
he fact that he was ashamed of how he felt about her dancing.
“I like a man willing to risk it all for his woman,” Grandma Edith said as she arrived and hugged Mary Margaret, banging her with her knitting bag. “He wouldn’t be a bad addition to the family.”
“Grandma Edith, you know as well as I do that I’m not marrying Kevin.”
“You could do worse,” she said cryptically, gaze drifting to Laurel and Hardy.
“I’m sorry I lied about being undercover,” Mary Margaret said in a voice as shaky as her knees. “Paco isn’t a good guy. At least now you know the truth.”
“The truth doesn’t always set you free, honey.” Grandma Edith hugged Mary Margaret again.
Mims and the rest of the Widows Club board surrounded them.
Clarice leaned on her walking stick. “I’ve waited years for Barbara to be put in her place.”
“Hopefully, she’ll learn a lesson from this,” Bitsy said kindly. “I know she’s got a heart in that regal demeanor somewhere.”
The older women laughed, clearly doubting it. Mary Margaret stayed silent. She knew bitter Barb cared for Kevin.
People streamed out of the auditorium and toward their cars. Some called out greetings. Some gave Mary Margaret speculative glances.
Kevin rejoined them, staring at Mary Margaret. No one said anything.
“I should be going.” Mary Margaret dug in her purse for her keys.
“Wait just a bit more.” Kevin turned toward the center of town.
A siren sounded in the distance. The sheriff’s cruiser sped around the corner. Drew parked behind Laurel and Hardy’s vehicle and got out. “Gentlemen, we have a law against loitering. I’ll need to see some identification.”
Laurel and Hardy reached in their pockets for their wallets.
Mary Margaret tried not to get her hopes up.
Deputy Wycliff pulled up across the street in the department’s SUV. He hurried over, palm on the handle of his revolver. He was young and a little trigger-happy.
“Florida?” Lola’s husband, Drew, held Laurel’s and Hardy’s identification cards up to their faces, as if checking to see that the photographs matched. “What brings you to Sunshine? Or should I ask what keeps you in Sunshine?” He followed the direction of their gazes to Mary Margaret.
When they didn’t answer his question, he asked them to turn around and then handcuffed them. “You’re not being arrested, just detained. Do you have any weapons on you? Illegal substances? Anything sharp in your pockets that might stick me?” When they answered in the negative, he patted them down. “Is there anything in your car that’s illegal in the state of Colorado?”
Deputy Wycliff shined his flashlight into their vehicle. “Are those bullets in your cup holder, sir?”
Mary Margaret gasped.
In short order, Laurel and Hardy were loaded into the back of the deputy’s SUV.
Kevin was on the phone again, probably talking to Barbara or perhaps with Darcy, who’d gotten the news last week that she’d passed the bar. He’d promised to fix things. He’d better not be talking to his banker about a loan.
“You know, if you need to pay those two gentlemen off, I can loan you money.” Grandma Edith put her arm around Mary Margaret’s waist. “Although I’m loath to pay Paco. Do you know he stood me up? He was going to buy me a piña colada at the Hanky Panky.”
Kevin rejoined them. “Come on.” He took Mary Margaret’s hand.
“Where are we going?” She had no choice but to follow, looking back over her shoulder, relieved to find her grandmother scurrying after them with the Widows Club.
“I’m taking you to jail,” Kevin said in a flat voice. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sunshine’s sheriff’s office was the size of a small living room. It housed two small jail cells in an addition in the back.
Kevin, Edith, Mims, and Mary Margaret waited outside the office in the lightly falling snow while Laurel and Hardy were booked. Every time Edith or Mary Margaret tried to start a conversation, Kevin held up a hand and told them to wait.
Darcy and her husband, Judge Harper, pulled up. The judge looked like he’d had a hard day. His thin white hair hung limply about his ears, and his complexion seemed sallow under the streetlights. Mary Margaret was reminded of Lola saying the judge had ordered a coffin last spring. Was he seriously ill? Was that why he’d married the much younger Darcy?
“Thanks for coming out so late, Judge.” Kevin shook his hand. “The gentlemen I asked you about are inside. I think they were booked on possession of illegal bullets. Hollow points.”
Mary Margaret shivered. She watched enough television to know those did more damage than a regular bullet.
“These men have been harassing you about your husband’s debts?” the judge asked Mary Margaret in a gravelly voice.
“Yes.” Given his tone, Mary Margaret suddenly felt foolish. “They said Derek owed their online casino. They had a letter of validation.” All of Derek’s business creditors had provided one.
“Did they produce any other documents proving their claim?” The judge leaned against the metal railing on one side of the ramp leading up to the building’s entrance.
Darcy held on to his arm as if afraid he might collapse.
Mary Margaret nodded. “They showed me a receipt of his transactions.” It was sitting in her pile of bills back at the house.
The judge narrowed his eyes. “And you didn’t sign anything at the time your husband created this account? Anything that authorized him to borrow? Any agreement that you’d be responsible for the obligation?”
“No.” Mary Margaret was horrified. He thought she’d have allowed that? “I didn’t even know he was gambling online.” What kind of person did the judge think she was?
Sinner.
She wanted to go home.
Perhaps sensing she needed moral support, Kevin put his arm around her shoulders.
Judge Harper blew out a breath. “I hate bullies.” He leaned on Darcy. “Let’s go see these reprobates.”
They all traipsed in, including Mims and Grandma Edith, who was wide-eyed and silent for once.
“And here I thought our guests might have to wait until morning to see you.” Drew escorted them down a narrow hallway to see his prisoners.
Judge Harper asked for a chair. When he was seated, he introduced himself. “Gentlemen, forget for a moment that you had armor-piercing bullets in your vehicle.”
Mary Margaret’s blood ran cold.
“Forget for a moment that I suspect our mayor’s face might bear a bruise that matches that ring on your pinkie.” Judge Harper gestured toward Paco. The judge may have been old and not feeling tip-top but it seemed hard to get anything past him.
“I’m here to tell you about a federal law. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Now this law…this federal law…It states that no family member may be held accountable for a debt they did not create or authorize with their signature. Which means, gentlemen, that unless you can produce Mrs. Sneed’s signature on her husband’s account—which I doubt you can—insisting she owes you money is against a federal law. The sheriff tells me you had over eight thousand dollars in cash and checks in an envelope labeled Mary Margaret Sneed. I’m sure that money came from Mrs. Sneed. Am I wrong?”
The imprisoned men chose silence over an admission of guilt. Paco stared at Edith apologetically.
“I’m the law of the land here.” Judge Harper raised his gaze to Darcy. “And while I could recommend the sheriff charge you with blackmail or extortion, I’m reluctant to keep the taint of you in our fair town at Christmas. Therefore, I’m going to cut you a deal. If you return the money in that envelope to Mrs. Sneed, you’ll be cited and fined for illegal possession of armor-piercing bullets, and I’ll let you drive out of town tonight. But if you choose silence, in addition to the bullet charge, you’ll be referred to the federal prosecutor for blackmail and extortion charges.”
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The old judge cleared his throat. “If you need time to make your decision, I’ll most likely see you in my courtroom tomorrow morning, but I have to warn you, I’m not a morning person, and items on my morning docket are dealt with more severely than issues addressed at other times.” He got to his feet and made his way slowly down the hall, leaning on Darcy.
There was a law to protect her? Mary Margaret stood frozen in disbelief.
“We accept your conditions,” Mr. Hardy said.
“Good. I hate the snow,” Mr. Laurel added mournfully.
Kevin swept Mary Margaret into his arms.
“Thank you,” she whispered, trying to plant this moment in her memory because, even if Kevin didn’t realize it now, the representatives from his political party would make it clear.
Despite having Derek’s gambling debt taken off her shoulders, she was the wrong woman for him.
* * *
“I’m proud of you, son,” Kevin’s father said to him the day after the town hall meeting.
They sat in the Olde Time Bakery having coffee.
“Thanks, Dad. That means a lot.” Kevin nodded a greeting to each constituent who came in.
“But the problem isn’t resolved, is it?”
Kevin frowned. “We held a special council meeting this morning and approved rezoning and development of the old mill.” Victor had been the one vote against.
“I’m not talking about that.” Dad leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I’m talking about your Maggie.”
Kevin drew a deep breath, not wanting to have this conversation. Maggie had left last night with her grandmother and Mims. Kevin hadn’t had a chance to talk to her alone. “I got her out of debt. What more needs to be done?”
He knew what needed to be done, all on his end. Humble apologies. Groveling. Declarations of love. Promises of faithfulness. A formal request for her to marry him. Except…it felt as if she wanted none of that.
“You wanted to help her,” Dad said.
“Yes.”
“More than you wanted her to stop dancing?” Dad asked.
Kevin closed his mouth.
A Very Merry Match--Includes a Bonus Novella Page 26
