* * *
“ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, everybody sit down or stand up against the back and shut up.”
Sadie’s voice filled the room as completely as the attendees. Savannah wasn’t surprised. As far as she was concerned, Sadie should be in charge of all meetings, including the ones at her company.
“I can’t stand up the whole damn time!”
“Well, then, Avery, go on home,” Sadie said. “No reason for you to be here anyway.”
“Hey, I got my rights.”
“You have the right to be quiet. All of you have that right to remain silent through the presentation. We’re not having a circus like last week. I mean it. There will be time to ask questions afterward. If you don’t like the rules, bring it up at the next council meeting. If you don’t keep to the rules, you’ll be escorted out.”
“I’ll forget what my questions are by then.”
Savannah recognized that old codger standing in the back. She wouldn’t have minded if he’d forgotten to attend.
“I’ve got notepads and pencils for anyone who has a question. Mallory, do me a favor, help me pass these to anyone who wants one.”
“I don’t want no paper and pencil.”
“Then don’t ask questions, Jasper. It’s up to you,” Sadie said, smiling.
The mumbles that went through the crowd came in a wave from the back forward, but they mostly stopped before the folks in the reserved seats. Savannah wasn’t going to begin until Sadie had everything quiet, but her PowerPoint presentation was ready and her notes were in order, although she probably wouldn’t have to look at them. The only thing she had to remember was to not stare at Mike through the whole thing.
After Mallory sat down, Sadie quieted the room in her signature take-no-prisoners way then introduced Savannah, finishing with a reminder that anyone who stepped out of line would step out the door.
“Thank you, Mayor,” Savannah said, clicking to the first PowerPoint slide, which showed the town’s logo. “In the interest of full disclosure, I want you all to know that I ran into some of the town merchants at the diner on Saturday, and we had a nice visit.”
“Those weren’t the only people you ran into,” came a snarky voice from the rowdy section.
A couple of people turned around and looked at Mike. But they were all discouraged by Sadie’s immediate rise, and her point directly at the one who’d spoken. “Earl, you do that again, and you’re out.”
Savannah continued as if nothing had happened. “I’ll begin with a brief recap of our meeting on Friday, and then I’ll get to the heart of what my colleagues and I discovered about your charming town, and how to not only increase revenue for all the local businesses but to make Blackfoot Falls a valued destination for anyone who wants to work or live in northwestern Montana.”
As she went through the opening slides and gave her recap, the crowd was a little restless but mostly polite. Two more remarks were made, one by a woman and another by Earl, though he cut himself off when Sadie rose.
After the group chuckle was over, Savannah began the presentation in earnest. “I’m a firm believer that a town that works together can create great opportunities for themselves, their families and their community. The first thing we spoke about on Friday was the town’s lack of proper signage. However we didn’t discuss the solution. The first one is obvious—more signs.
“In conjunction with that, a visitor information center or welcoming committee would do very well. By that I mean a group of three or four community members getting together to figure out how best to direct folks to the local sights, the places to eat or where to stay, and how they can make the most out of their visit to Blackfoot Falls. That would include finding other interesting sights in the area, like the dinosaur tracks in Munson, the great fishing in Greenville and the Minersville ghost town.”
“We’re paying you to add income to our pockets, not our rivals’.”
All Sadie had to do was stand up, and the miscreant shrank back into his seat.
“They’re rivals in sporting events, yes, but none of these small towns, including yours, have enough unique experiences and shops to draw tourists by themselves, but by working together, you can all benefit greatly. You’ve got the advantage of being on the way to Glacier National Park. Why let people continue to pass Blackfoot Falls? It’s a shame to send all that money to Kalispell and the park when some could be staying here.
“Together, you can also encourage new businesses to come and open their doors. Look how well the Full Moon has done. The Cake Whisperer. The new motel. They’re all thriving and could do even better. I’d love to see all the town merchants join forces for a Facebook page, in addition to other joint social media efforts. Remember how well that’s worked out for the Sundance ranch. All of that can be yours for very little capital, especially if—”
“We don’t want new residents. We’re happy just the way we are.” The speaker was a middle-aged woman Savannah didn’t recognize.
Then someone else from the crowd stood. “It all sounds great, but we’re already working as hard as we can. You know what it takes to make money off a working ranch?”
The next person to rise was Thelma, and Savannah prepared for a deluge of negativity.
“You can’t be serious. I mean, sure, we can use more signs, no complaints there, but why would we want all the trouble that comes with the internet? Stalkers and porn, that’s what’s on there. No decent people go on that internet.”
“That’s nonsense, Thelma,” Sadie said, getting to her feet. “Just because you don’t know how to navigate in the twenty-first century doesn’t mean the rest of the town has to stay in the past.”
Savannah clicked to the next slide, which pictured Safe Haven animal sanctuary. “You have so much to offer here,” she said, making her voice the loudest in the room. “Like this amazing shelter for neglected and abandoned animals. People would love to visit and see the good work that goes on there. Maybe you could team up with the folks there and add a petting zoo. Families would eat that up.
“You also have great hiking, and trails for horseback riding and for ATVs. Possibly snowmobiles in the winter. And what a jackpot in movie sets you have. Does anyone have a list linking the sets to the movies?” She paused, though she knew the answer.
Most of the audience just stared blankly.
“These are great ideas, people.” Rachel, from the Sundance, stood. “All of us could benefit. The local stores need every bit of help they can get. And we could use a few more motels and B & Bs, maybe even a campground. I bet we could draw more events like rodeos, if the fans weren’t forced to drive to Kalispell for accommodations.”
“I agree.” Alice rose. “Listening to all this, I’m much more enthusiastic about opening my B & B. Sounds like we can all make some money. Tourists are a great way to let a lot of us older folks retire in comfort.”
Just as Savannah was going to add her two cents, Jasper shouted everyone down. “The real problem is that some fancy Denver company and Miz James don’t know the first thing about small towns. We’ll lose every damn thing we hold special if we let her talk us into this carnival sideshow.”
“Sir...” Savannah held up a hand. “I understand your concern. I really do. I happen to come from a small town, myself—”
“Like hell.” Snorting, Jasper gave her a disdainful look. “You’d lie about anything to sell us a bunch of your malarkey...”
That did it. The whole crowd was devolving into chaos, and she had to get everyone back on track. Now. “Excuse me,” she said. “I’m not a liar. I do know what small towns are like. In fact, I know what this small town is like, because I lived here for fourteen years.”
“What?” Jasper’s bewildered frown narrowed to a glare. “I don’t know you and I’ve lived here all my life.”
“My name is James now, but it used to be Riley.”
“Are you Francine’s daughter?” someone asked, the voice steeped in disbelief.
And then... Thelma raged to her feet. “How dare you step one foot in this town. You and your no-good family disgraced the name of Blackfoot Falls and every person who lived here. Your whore of a mother lured my husband away from me, and got him fired on top of it.”
Sadie had stood up and was saying something, but the woman overrode her.
“He left town with no references because of you and your kind. The whole school almost crumbled because of you. We were made fools of, all of us.” Thelma’s eyes blazed. “You think you can waltz back in here like you aren’t a taint upon the name of everything we hold holy and good?”
Savannah’s breath had left her in a rush, and all the blood in her body turned to ice in her veins. Was that actually Mr. Jenkins’s wife? Oh, God, why hadn’t Mike warned her? She looked at him, but that made half the people now standing turn to stare right at him, too.
Rachel shot up from her seat and started telling everyone to settle down. Mallory tried to help, but chaos ruled. Even Sadie couldn’t get them to all be quiet, and Savannah had to sit down before she fell to her knees.
Chapter Nineteen
Mike’s first instinct was to rush to Savannah’s side. But he quickly decided he would be of more use defusing the situation. Besides, the way some folks were eyeing him, like he was Benedict Arnold, meant going anywhere near Savannah would only throw more fuel on the fire.
After grabbing a bottle of water that Sadie had stashed under the table, he went straight to the source of the commotion.
Gently, he touched Thelma’s arm. She swung to face him with bloodlust in her eyes. She couldn’t have been more than ten years older than him, but bitterness had aged her beyond her years.
“Here,” he said, uncapping the bottle and offering it to her. “Why don’t you sit down and have a few sips? It might help calm you.”
“Calm me? I’m not some silly hysterical woman looking for drama. Is that what you think?”
“Nope. Don’t recall saying so either.” He smiled and held out the water again. “I just thought you could use something to drink.”
Thelma hesitated, breathing hard, her face red and tear streaked. At least she’d stopped shouting. She accepted the bottle and as she sipped from it, he risked a look in Savannah’s direction, hoping she understood he wasn’t consorting with the enemy.
Her head was bowed and Sadie and Rachel were speaking quietly to her. Around the room, people were griping about one thing or another; how could Savannah have fooled them, why had she pretended to be a tourist, why hadn’t she identified herself right off. That she was a spy for Twin Creeks seemed to be a popular theory. A trio of gray-haired, grandmotherly types were texting so fast, it was a wonder their thumbs didn’t stiffen up. Probably trying to scoop each other. Under different circumstances, it would’ve given him a good laugh.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to be divorced and alone. It’s not easy,” Thelma muttered, searching through her purse.
“I do. And you’re right. It isn’t easy.”
She pulled out a tissue and blinked up at him. “Are you divorced?”
Mike nodded.
“How long?”
He stopped to think. “About eight years now.”
“I’ve seen you before,” she said, squinting at him.
“Probably at the market or hardware store. Our ranch is a ways from town.”
She looked down and dabbed at her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, clutching the water. “For being so kind. I can’t believe I made such a scene. They’ll be talking about this for weeks.”
“Nah, you know how folks are around here. They’ll find something juicier to gossip about by supper time.”
She glanced up with a tentative smile then caught sight of Savannah and scowled again.
“Don’t worry about Savannah,” Mike said. “She’ll be fine.”
Thelma stared at him as if he’d committed an act of high treason. “You think I care about her? This whole thing is her fault.” She glared at Savannah. “Strutting up there like a damn peacock. Announcing who she is like she’s proud of herself. Acting like her mamma wasn’t the biggest tramp—”
“That’s enough.” Mike didn’t raise his voice, but his stern tone got Thelma’s attention. “Savannah was fourteen years old when she was forced to pack up and leave the only home she’d ever known. She was just a kid. Do you have children, Thelma?” He paused, waiting for his words to sink in. But she wasn’t quick to let go of her anger. “Savannah was a victim, too.”
Thelma blinked, her eyes slowly filling with shame and regret. “I’m—I didn’t stop to think,” she murmured then cupped a hand over her mouth.
The room had grown quiet.
Sadly, it didn’t take long for the rumblings to resume.
Mike had raised his voice at the end, just enough to get everyone’s attention. “Tell me something...all of you people who are so quick to judge...are you all prepared to pay for the sins of your parents?” He looked at each of the more vocal agitators. “How about your children—you expect them to pay for yours?”
Despite the sheepish expressions, Mike fought to control his temper. If he heard just one more person mutter about the apple not falling far from that tree, he was going to lose it.
“Well, hell, Barnett, it ain’t no surprise you’d stick up for her,” someone in the back said. “She sent her fiancé packing so she could take up with you.”
Mike thought he recognized the voice and turned to look at Lawrence Peabody as a smattering of agreement rippled through the crowd. “Come on, folks,” Mike said. “That guy wasn’t her fiancé. You all can’t be that ignorant.”
The indignant gasps made him sigh.
“Please...” Savannah got to her feet. “Don’t—”
“Mike’s right, you bunch of sorry jackasses,” Sadie said, cutting her off and glaring pointedly at Lawrence, Jasper and Earl. “I can’t figure out if you’re being hardheaded or if you’re just plain stupid.”
“Sadie, Mike, please.” Savannah’s voice was shaky and her face was blotchy, but she tried to smile. “It’s okay.”
“No.” Mike shook his head. For her sake, he should probably shut up, but he couldn’t hold back. “It’s not okay. I defended this town, all of you people—at first I thought it was a bad idea for Savannah to tell you who she was. I advised her against it, but she needed closure and she’s had a lot to overcome. She didn’t have to take this job, and she certainly didn’t have to go to all this effort trying to help Blackfoot Falls.
“So, I changed my way of thinking. I swore you’d never blame her for what her mother did. I tried to convince her that you were kind, fair-minded folks. That you would help her put that painful part of her past behind her.
“I thought I knew you. You folks helped me and mine through some hard times. We’ve always helped each other when we were able. I love this community, and I’ve been so proud of what we stood for. But now, I’m deeply ashamed of it. She was a kid. And her world fell apart, and now it’s falling apart again for something she had no control over.”
Thelma, tissue in hand and her cheeks pink, stood up next to Mike. But she didn’t face the crowd. Instead, she looked right at Savannah. “I’m very sorry for what I said. I was wrong to blame you. And I was wrong to be so ugly, no matter what.”
Savannah’s red eyes looked as bad as Thelma’s. “No apology is necessary.”
The older woman shook her head. “It most definitely is.”
Earl, who’d sneaked closer to the door, coughed. “Apologize for the truth? That’s a bunch of bunk.”
Savannah seemed to shrink even more, which Mike hadn’t thought possible. All he wante
d to do was hold her tight and take her far away. He knew that most of these folks had cried out in her defense—had never blamed her—but he doubted that was what Savannah would recall.
It didn’t help that Avery, Jasper and Lawrence all pushed off from against the wall, standing with hands on hips, like they’d been the ones assaulted. Idiots.
“Okay, that’s it,” Sadie said, leaving Rachel to stand by Savannah. “You jackasses need to leave right now. I mean it. As far as I’m concerned, there’s going to be some new rules about who’s welcome at town meetings.”
The room quieted, except for the old troublemakers stuttering their objections.
“We got rights,” Jasper said. “Just ’cause we tell the truth don’t mean—”
“Get out,” Sadie said, except this time it was a command that reverberated against the walls.
Several of the merchants stood, staring daggers at those still complaining. Then Kevin, the motel manager, turned to Savannah. “I, for one, think your business ideas have a great deal of merit, and I’m willing to help form a committee in whatever area you think we need it.”
“Hear! Hear!” said someone Mike couldn’t see.
“I’m volunteering, too,” Kylie said. “I’ll do everything I can to make this town all it can be.” Then she turned to Savannah with a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” Savannah said, her own smile quivering.
After the worst of the crowd had left, the place emptied out quietly. But most all of them seemed to need to take one final look at Savannah, which wasn’t helping.
Savannah sniffed and took a step away from the table.
Mike moved toward the back, making sure not to block anyone’s exit, ready to shut the door when they were all gone. He didn’t know what Savannah wanted to do. But he truly had lost a lot of faith in his community today, and he wasn’t going to count on a single thing.
He thought back to that day Savannah had told him he was one of her best memories of Blackfoot Falls. It was very easy to imagine the wound that had just been reopened and the scar she’d bear from it. And when all was said and done, he had no idea how he’d come out of this. Would she still think of him fondly, or would he end up lumped into the pain that had just been brought down on her?
Her Cowboy Reunion Page 17
