Page 4 of Forbidden Cowboy
I send her a glare. “Josie, seriously.”
“I am serious.” Josie leans forward to look around me at our sister. “And don’t think for a second we believe you made up the rumors about the kinky stuff Hart is into.”
“I did make that up.”
“Right. Yeah. Sure you did. And a lot of good yourrumordid.” Josie air quotes the single word. “Every woman in this room wants Hart to do kinky things to her.”
“Not back in the day—”
“Oh, don’t you fool yourself. They did.” Josie sucks air between her closed teeth. “I’m getting a retaliation vibe from you. Scorned lover after a secret affair gone wrong.”
Jade straightens to the point it appears uncomfortable. Maybe there’s more to the rumors than she lets on. “Watch it,Josie, you’re going to end up like the Quylt twins, thinking you have insight into everyone else’s love lives.”
The knock of the gavel on the front table demands attention. “Rocky Ridge Creek’s town meeting has come to order.”
“It’s time.” Josie pulls a bag of popcorn out of her leather knapsack. “Let the fun begin.” She wedges her insulated YETI bottle between her legs. I bet the juice is spiked.
Town mayor Thomas Banks clears his throat. “Tonight’s meeting is dedicated to the fair for the upcoming rodeo.”
His panel is accompanied by the deputy mayor, Rita, whose big red hair resembles an eighties Reba McEntire. She taps her long red fingernail on the microphone, and it squeaks at us. “Alright, y’all, let’s try to get through today in a timely manner.”
“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” Grumpy Wayne quotes John Wayne, who he prides on being named after, even if he is always grumpy.
Then there’s councilors Wilma and Faye, who always have glints of troublemaking rebellion in their eyes.
“Knit Happens closed early again yesterday!” A vulture shouts from behind us. Or should I call her the cat lady? Miss Graves has a maze of wood-crafted outdoor two-story cat apartments in her backyard.
Thomas visibly breathes deeply through his nostrils.
Josie snickers.
I press my lips together to keep my snicker at bay.
If Thomas hasn’t learned by now that town meetings never go as he plans, he never will.
My head twists back and forth between Thomas and Mrs. Graves.
“Mrs. Graves, tonight we are discussing the fair.” Shades of red are already beginning to creep up Thomas’ face.
“They closed two hours early.” The older woman holds up two wrinkled fingers.
“Two,” Josie coughs.
I save my glares and scolding because she’s encouraged chaos at town meetings since she sported pigtails.
“Knit Happens closed two hours early,” cackles Mrs. Graves. “They can’t up and take the afternoon off on a Wednesday afternoon.”
“Absolutely not.” Josie slurps on the straw she stuck in the top of her YETI. Her wide grin can’t be broken. “It’s unacceptable.”
“I heard there was a death,” a loud whisper offers.
“Who?”
“Out of town for sure.”
“Or is there an afternoon lover?” Josie’s contribution enrages the fire of local gossip.
Thomas hits the gavel three times until the whispers simmer down. His face is hot red now. “The town has no control over business owners setting their hours.”