Maybe he’d thought she’d try to one-up him with in-depth knowledge of town problems, or try to prove to the media that she was as invested in the town as he was. He wasn’t quite prepared for a partner, real or fake, and right then, he realized how grateful he was to have her out here on these steps.
“Oh, it’s real,” Connor said softly.
“Oh, come on,” Rose insisted, exasperation in her voice. “How come no one ever saw you together?”
“I saw them practically making out at Bushrod’s a while back,” someone in the crowd called out.
Connor felt his brow flick up, and Sadie almost smiled at that. So their little first-meet was going to help them after all.
“Sorry,” Rose said under her breath, looking from one to the other. “I’m still not buying it.”
“Buy it,” Connor said to the reporter.
“Prove it,” she shot back.
Just as before, Connor could practically read Sadie’s thoughts. At least, he thought he could. Her eyelids fluttered. Her lips parted. Her chest rose and fell with a breath, and her whole body moved one fraction of an inch closer to him.
Prove it.
He could think of only one way, and Sadie sure looked like she was thinking the same thing.
Without another second’s hesitation, he lifted both hands and cupped her delicate cheeks, giving her a chance to slip away if this wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t, so he lowered his head and whispered, “One for the crowd, Ear Girl.”
He felt her lips rise in a smile just as their mouths joined in a kiss. Behind him, the crowd reacted, and Frank gave a few noisy barks, trying to get between them, which absolutely delighted the audience.
But all of that disappeared in a blur as he kissed her, long, slow, sweet, and tender. When they broke contact, her eyes were still closed, and her color had deepened.
“You believe us now, Rose?” he asked without looking away as Sadie’s eyes opened slowly.
“Anyone can kiss,” the woman hissed.
“Not like that,” Sadie whispered with a little shudder. Then she turned to Rose and smiled. “Do you have any other questions?”
Chapter Twelve
When it was all over, Connor and Sadie walked through the square, letting Frank set the pace, both of them quiet until they were certain no one had followed them, and they were completely alone.
That happened as they neared the massive bronze founder’s statue and stately tree at the center of the square, all surrounded by shrubs.
“So, Thad, old boy,” Connor said as he stopped in front of the man, who stood with one hand up in a classic orator’s pose. “I have so many questions. Like, did you know all along that this was a hickory tree when you planted it, claimed it to be a bitter bark, and named the town after it? Or were you just dumb as the dirt you stuck the seed in?”
“It’s a hickory tree?” Sadie asked, surprised.
“Folklore has it that there was already a Hickory, North Carolina, not far from here, and he liked the sound of Bitter Bark, so he told everyone this was a bitter bark tree.”
“Thad!” Sadie said on a dramatic sigh. “You lied? Then why all the articles and statutes about morality and stable relationships?”
She felt Connor’s gaze on her as she looked at the statue.
“You really surprised me out there, Sadie,” he said softly.
“Didn’t think I could work with you instead of against you?”
“I guess I expected you to come out with guns blazing, talking about infrastructure and budget cuts.”
“We’ll get to that,” she said. “But it took this to beat Easterbrook.”
“You know what we did, don’t you?”
She reached out one hand, turned it over, and tapped the palm. “Had them eating out of this?”
“Yes. Not only did they buy the engagement…they kind of embraced the engagement. It was brilliant. You were brilliant.”
She stopped at a bench facing the statue and dropped down on it, eyeing him. “I might have been wrong about you, too,” she admitted. “I thought you would just joke your way through that, but there’s more serious stuff going on in your head than I gave you credit for.”
“I can be serious,” he said, joining her after he unclipped Frank’s leash. “Run free, pupper.” But, of course, he didn’t go six inches from Connor. “You’re just confusing being funny with not being serious. Also, what was it you said?” He leaned into her. “Take your breath away, do I?”
She fought a smile. “You have your moments.”
“And you have yours. Actual full hours and probably long days.” He dropped back on the bench and locked his hands behind his head, watching Frank, who didn’t stray. “Since you were so honest with me yesterday, I want to tell you why I’m running for mayor.”
“Frank’s running,” she reminded him with a little nudge.
He laughed. “Of course he is. And we’re getting married in the summer.”
An unexpected shot of something warm and fluttery went through her stomach. “Set a date, did we?”
“June?” he guessed. “Don’t all girls want June weddings or am I just thinking about my little sister?”
“I never wanted any wedding,” she said softly, getting a surprised look from him.
“I thought all little girls fantasized about their wedding day.”
“After seeing a divorce, I’ve never longed to be married,” she said, a little surprised at her honesty, but not completely. He had a way of getting her to open up. “Now why are you running for mayor?” she asked, not wanting to lose that thread of the conversation.
She felt his shoulders drop a bit next to her, as if he’d let out a very small sigh.
“To be taken seriously?” he said. “To be…the man I’m supposed to be?” He let out a dry laugh. “Wow, that sounds douchey.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You wouldn’t. Tell another firefighter, and I’m ruined, though.”
She suddenly ached to slide her arm around his, but she didn’t, no matter how natural it might have felt at that moment. “Well, you take things seriously in your own way, it seems.”
“I do. And that’s probably…no, it is why I’m running. And Frank’s just my insurance for a win.” He threw her a look. “Well, he was. Not entirely sure I can beat you.”
He bent over and picked up a stick, holding it in front of Frank. “Listen to me, doggo. When I throw, you fetch. Remember seeing all those dogs at Waterford do it?”
Frank stared at him with endless love.
“Here we go. Ready?” He tossed the stick, and Frank looked at it, then back at Connor.
“He wants you to go with him,” she said on a laugh.
“No, boy.” He rubbed the dog’s head. “You are the fetcher. I am the thrower.”
“He’s scared of you disappearing.”
“Man, you have no idea. Separation anxiety like I’ve never seen before, along with fear of strangers, desire to eat nonfood items, and refusal to submit to a belly rub.”
“But you’re making progress with him,” she said. “Go, get the stick, and bring it back to me. He’ll do it if you do.”
He threw her a look as he got up. “Yes, I definitely underestimated you.”
“Because I’m willing to play with a dog? Wow, you must think I’m a stone-cold bitch who’s going to beat the pants off you in the election.”
Twenty feet away, he picked up the stick and held it in front of Frank’s mouth. The dog snagged it, dropped to the ground, and started gnawing on it like he’d been given lunch.
“No, Frank. You don’t eat it. You take it to the person who threw it. Watch.” Connor freed the stick from Frank’s mouth and jogged back to her, dropping onto the bench. “Now, what were you saying about getting my pants off?”
She laughed and gave in to the urge to slide her arm through his. And she got rewarded with one of those toe-curling Connor Mahoney smiles she liked so much.
“
I said ‘beat the pants off you,’ not take them off.”
“Shame. We could give new meaning to celebrating with a bang.”
The next laugh bubbled up, along with some very natural warmth, at the joke. Which might not be a joke, considering how frequently she found excuses to touch him.
They sat like that for a long time, her arm in his, Frank at their feet, Thaddeus Bushrod looking down at them. They talked about the press conference, the town, his family, some people they knew in common, and what each of them would do as mayor.
When it came time to part, Sadie did the only thing that felt right. She invited him to walk her home and meet Boomie and Nana.
“I’d love to,” Connor said. “But you know I’ve met them already.”
“Not as my fiancé.”
He slowed his step. “You know what I remember about your grandfather’s house the night I was there? His sizable rifle collection.”
“Damn straight, Mahoney. Be nice, or he’ll shoot you.”
He grunted. “No more pants-off and banging jokes.”
“Don’t stop those,” she said, tugging him closer. “You make me laugh.”
“Do I?”
“Mmmm. And you sure can kiss.”
“I’m available to practice anytime.”
She looked up at him, considering one more, right here in the square, with no one looking. “We should probably leave the kissing for our adoring public only.”
“Chicken.”
She didn’t bother to argue.
* * *
“Oh, well, look at what we have here.” Margaret Winthrop opened the screen door of her brick ranch on Cypress with a huge smile that immediately reminded Connor of his own grandmother. “If it isn’t my future grandson-in-law.” That smile faded instantly, replaced with a scowl that deepened a few creases on her face. “Boomie darn near had a heart attack when we heard. Hello, Connor, I’m Margie. Nice to see you again.”
“And you,” he said as Frank pulled on the leash for a sniff.
“We have cats,” Margie said. “They’re inside, and we’ll sit out here. You can let him go.”
He unleashed Frank and looked behind her into the house. “I’m happy to check out Mr. Winthrop, if you like. I mean, if he really is having chest pains.”
“Nonsense. He’s in the den watching TV. Jimmy!” she called. “The newlyweds are here.”
“Nana, stop,” Sadie chided her grandmother. “You know it isn’t real.”
“That’s what the woman from the Banner said when she called a few minutes ago.”
Sadie and Connor shared a look. “What did you tell her?” Sadie asked.
“That she should call Finola Kilcannon and talk to the source.”
Connor made a face. “I better warn my grandmother to be careful what she says.”
“She certainly isn’t going to say it’s fake,” Margie said on a chuckle. “She and Agnes are sure to count this ruse as a Dogmother win, and I think they’ve set their sights on John Santorini next.”
Sadie laughed as she sat on a porch swing. “Those two are hilarious.”
“Unless you’re their target,” he said dryly. “And I wouldn’t be so sure about what Gramma Finnie would say. She wants real engagements, not a publicity stunt.”
“Publicity stunt? Is that what it is?” The ragged voice came from behind Margie right before Jim Winthrop appeared, his thinning gray hair a little unkempt, his blue T-shirt hanging loose on a narrow frame. He stepped onto the porch and reached out a hand to Connor as Margie disappeared inside. “Hello, young man. Nice to see you here without a stretcher.”
Connor shook the man’s bony fingers. “Nice to be here. And thank you for letting me get engaged to your granddaughter, even if it isn’t real.”
“And this is the dog who saved that kid?” He went right to Frank, who was still sniffing the perimeter of the porch, and rubbed his head.
“He’s our local hero,” Connor said. “And the next Mayor Frank of Bitter Bark.”
Mr. Winthrop pointed a finger. “Now that was a great mayor.”
“And will be again,” Connor assured him.
Sadie moaned. “Nana and Boomie aren’t going to vote for anyone but me.”
“I don’t know,” the old man teased as he got settled into a chair. “I like dogs.”
“Boomie!”
“And you, missy. I like you.”
Margaret came back out with tea and glasses on a tray, along with a small bowl of water and a piece of turkey for Frank.
“Something special for our hero,” she crooned, giving it to the dog.
“Thanks,” Connor said, taking his tea. “And sorry again for giving your pacemaker extra work,” he said to the older man. “I’m sure Sadie explained everything to you and why we’re doing this.”
The minute he said it, he knew he shouldn’t have. Margie looked down at the porch boards. Jim was suddenly fascinated by his tea. And Sadie slid him a silencing look.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Margaret finally said, her voice tight. “No one would like the…option of, uh, an unopposed candidate.”
“You still got that rock on your finger?” Jim asked with a deft subject change. “You better not lose that, missy.”
“I wish you’d take it back to Shane and Chloe,” Sadie said to Connor, sliding the ring off and handing it to him. “I can get something else that will do the trick.”
“Speaking of things that do the trick,” Jim said with a nod to Connor, “that pacemaker sure works—”
Jim’s words were cut off by a loud, high-pitched screech coming from the side of the house.
“That’s Demi!” Sadie shot up, and Connor looked around for the dog, stunned that he wasn’t in sight.
“Where did Frank go?” He stood, too, almost getting knocked over when Sadie bolted by him.
“I don’t know, but that was my cat.”
He followed her off the porch, darting around the house to a huge side yard with a half-dozen large raised garden beds, all surrounded by tall oak trees. At the back corner, he saw what looked like an oversize dollhouse, where Sadie was running and Frank stood barking.
An orange cat had leaped on a low branch of one of the oak trees, hissing hard at Frank, who stared up at her, not two feet away and close enough to lunge.
“Oh no. She’s going to jump him.” Sadie slowed as she got closer, and Connor caught up. “Unless he attacks first.”
“Don’t move,” he whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. “He’s not aggressive, but this is a first for us. Will she go after him?”
“She might. I told you, she hates dogs.”
To underscore that, Demi hissed again, her mouth wide, teeth bared, hackles raised as if she wanted to leap on Frank and tear him up.
“C’mere, boy,” Connor said, taking one very slow step closer. “Back away, Frank.”
But he didn’t move, didn’t even turn his head to look at Connor. He kept his gaze locked on Demi, his thick chest heaving a little.
“Frank, come here, buddy.”
Frank did exactly the opposite, though, taking a step closer to the tree and making Demi let out a long, loud cry that was more anger than fear.
“Whoa, boy.” Connor kept his voice steady and low. “Don’t scare the pretty kitty. She’s more afraid of you than you are of her.”
Frank barked at Demi, who scrambled up to the next branch with another mighty howl.
“Hey, come on, now.” He reached for the dog, who lunged toward the tree with another bark.
Demi squealed and climbed higher, flight winning out on fight against this much bigger, louder animal.
Connor got a hold of Frank’s collar and eased him back, getting a loud bark, and that scared Demi even more.
She cried out and kept going higher, making Sadie run closer.
“Demi!” She watched in horror as the cat scurried up and out of reach. “Don’t go any higher!”
But Demi ignored
the order, moving on instinct now, climbing the almost bare branches at an alarming rate.
“Damn it.” Sadie put her hands on her hips and looked up. “Get down here.” But Demi was a ball of orange fur, curled on a branch, looking down.
With a good grip on Frank’s collar, Connor squinted up into the branches, too. “She do this often?”
“Never. But she does come and go freely through a pet door on the other side of my little house right there.”
“Can she get down?”
“Can she, or will she? This is one stubborn animal you’re looking at. Also scared spitless.”
“I’ll get her,” he said easily. “Can I take Frank inside?” He nodded to her guesthouse. “She won’t come down while she can see him.”
“Of course.” With one more glance at Demi, Sadie walked to the door to unlock it. “Really sorry if she upset Frank.”
“It’s his fault for scaring the crap out of her,” he said, leading the dog in and glancing around a surprisingly cozy studio-style home. “Nice garden shed, Sadie.”
He walked Frank into the main room, past a kitchenette, noticing that the hardwood floors were covered with braided rugs, and the two windows had been lovingly draped with ruffled curtains.
“When I was a little girl, this old garage was where Boomie stored all his garden tools. That’s why we call it that,” she explained. “Then they renovated it with a kitchen and bathroom for my great-grandfather and left it as a guesthouse when he passed away.” She added a smile. “Not the glass contemporary one-bedroom I had in DC, that’s for sure.”
“Good enough for Frank to cool off while I go climb a tree and save a kitten.” He pointed at Frank. “You do not move, mister.”
The dog dropped his head and collapsed to the floor, heavy with shame and his hatred of being reprimanded.
“Aww,” Sadie crooned.
“You said there’s a dog door? I don’t want him to get out.”
“It’s in the bathroom, but I don’t think he’d fit through it. Also…” She gestured to the dog, flat and sad. “He’s not going anywhere.” She reached down to pet him. “I’m sure Demi taunted you. She can be an absolute horror.”
“He shouldn’t have scared her,” Connor said. “Come on, let’s save a kitten in a tree. It’s my specialty.”
Chasing Tail Page 13
