The Maverick's Dating Deal

August 2025

THE ULTIMATE FAKE DATE

Tenacity’s favorite flirty cowboy has an image problem, and Graham Callahan thinks Cassie Trent is the perfect person to improve his reputation. Cassie doesn’t want to be his phony plus-one, until she realizes this could finally get her matchmaking mom off her back. The scenario seems foolproof…until one unexpected, mind-blowing kiss in public knocks their boots off. The “lovers” have done their job a little too well, and now they have to deal with the fallout!

Montana Mavericks:
Behind Closed Doors, Book 1

Chapter One

It was a little past noon on the first day of August in the small, dusty town of Tenacity, Montana. Cassie Trent and her lifelong best friend, Victoria Woodson, were having lunch at the Silver Spur Café.

“What is it?” Vicky asked—softly, so no one at the nearby tables would hear. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”

Cassie didn’t answer immediately. She was still trying to decide how much whining to inflict on her friend.

As Cassie thought over what to say, she gazed out the big plate glass window beside their small café table. A lone tumbleweed, blown by the summer wind, rolled down the middle of Central Avenue.

“Come on,” said Vicky. “You know you want to talk about it.”

Cassie ate a bite of her pulled pork sandwich and chased it down with a sip of iced tea. “Honestly, it’s nothing new.”

Vicky wasn’t buying. “It’s your mom, right?” Vicky whispered. “Just admit it, Cass. I know your mom. You’re bummed because she’s not going to leave you alone until you agree to bring a date to the wedding.”

The wedding, Cassie thought glumly. Her older sister, Renee, would be marrying Army veteran Miles Parker in three weeks—which was great. Cassie loved her sister dearly, and Renee couldn’t wait to say I do to Miles. But not every woman on Earth dreamed of a ring and love everlasting. “Really, Vick. It is what it is and you don’t need to hear it.”

Vicky sighed, glanced at her phone and put it back, face down, on the edge of their table. “I just thought you might want to vent.” She eased a bit of bacon from her BLT and munched it without enthusiasm. When she glanced up and saw Cassie watching her, she made an effort to smile, but it didn’t quite happen. Because Vicky seemed every bit as miserable and preoccupied as Cassie was.

The two of them usually enjoyed their occasional lunches at the Silver Spur Café. Cassie looked forward to catching up with Vicky, laughing over this or that, sometimes reminiscing the way longtime friends will do.

But today Cassie just wasn’t into it. She was feeling grim about the wedding. Her mom’s constant nagging was getting her down. Vicky looked equally gloomy—and how many times had she glanced at her phone?

Several. Vicky had major family problems and was probably anticipating an urgent call from her mom or her brother, Brent.

Clifford Woodson, Vicky’s dad, had recently stepped down as Tenacity’s mayor—a position he’d held for more than two decades, and also one he hadn’t given up willingly. The painful truth was that Mayor Woodson’s unscrupulous behavior had finally caught up with him.

Not only was the mayor in disgrace, but Vicky’s mom was now believed to have stolen a huge sum of money from the town coffers fifteen years before. June Woodson, it turned out, had been in love with another man at the time. She’d stolen the money as part of her plan to run away with her lover.

When the money vanished, municipal projects were tabled, and one small business after another folded. Many townspeople attributed Tenacity’s financial downturn to the loss of the money June Woodson had taken.

Vicky, still waiting for Cassie to talk about her problems, whispered sternly, “Come on. Spill.”

“You sure?”

“Talk to me. Now. Tell me all about it.”

Cassie gave it up. “You’re right. Everybody’s after me. You know how they are. They all think I need a man to put a ring on it. It doesn’t matter how many times I remind them that I’ve been in love more than once—and when the moment of truth was upon me, I choked.” So far in her twenty-seven years of life, Cassie had turned down three sincere marriage proposals. “I said no to three fine men—and you know why I did it, too.”

Vicky did know. “Because the single life is the life for you.”

“Exactly. Why can’t my mother see that?”

Vicky reached across the table and patted the back of her hand. “I’m with you. I do understand…”

“Thanks. It helps to hear you say it. Because, believe me, you are the only one who gets it. It doesn’t matter how many times I explain that I have given up men, no one takes me seriously. Especially not my mom. She acts like I’m just being stubborn, you know? Like if she keeps after me long enough, I’m going snap out of it, grab the nearest single man and drag him to the altar.”

Vicky shifted in her chair. It was a definite tell. She was about to say something she knew Cassie wouldn’t like. “Listen, I get your frustration…”

Cassie let out a big sigh. “But…?”

“Well, Cass, it’s just a date.” She leaned in close again and lowered her voice another notch. “You don’t have to marry the guy.”

Cassie tried really hard not to roll her eyes. “That’s what you think. My mom wants me married, and she’s not going to stop until I’ve got a ring on my finger. A date for Renee’s wedding is just the first step down a slippery slope.”

“Honestly, I think you’re making a big deal out of—”

“Uh-uh. No, I’m not. I don’t want a date for the wedding. I don’t want a date under any circumstances. I’m done dating. Over. Finished. Through. Have I made myself clear?”

“Okay, okay.” Her BFF put up both hands in surrender.

“Good, then.”

Vicky took a bite of her sandwich. As she chewed, she seemed thoughtful. And then she asked, “Do you believe that Miles and your sister have what it takes to make it for the long haul?”

Thinking about Renee and Miles actually lightened Cassie’s mood. She smiled. “You know what? I do. They’re good together and they really love each other.”

“I hope you’re right.” Shaking her head, Vicky added mournfully, “Because forever is a long, long time…”

“Hey…” Cassie held her friend’s gaze.

“Hmm?”

“Your turn.” Cassie pressed, “Tell me what’s on your mind. Whatever it is, I’m here and I’m listening.” When Vicky looked away with a sad little shrug, Cassie caught her hand and whispered insistently, “Just talk to me. Come on…”

Vicky met her gaze again. “You asked for it.” She made a mournful little sound and whispered, “The inevitable is finally upon us. After more than thirty miserable years together, my mom has pulled the plug. She filed for divorce from my dad.”

They’d both known it was coming. Still, the reality hit hard. “Oh, honey…”

“My dad’s on the rampage, blaming everybody but himself. As usual. And Brent and me? We’re the town pariahs.”

“No. Vicky, that’s not true.”

“Yes, it is.” Vicky’s voice was flat. “You know it is.”

“Uh-uh. No one can blame you or your brother for what your parents did.”

“Sure they can,” she muttered.

“Who blames you or Brent? Tell me. I’ll have a long talk with them.”

“I’m just saying, people look at me funny now…”

Cassie gave her friend’s hand another squeeze. “You are not to blame. And, Vick, there really is something going on with you, isn’t there?”

“What? No…”

“Yeah, there is—something beyond the old scandal and the revelation that your mom stole the money. Something beyond your mom finally filing for divorce.”

Vicky looked away with a shrug.

Cassie kept after her. “Just tell me. Whatever it is, we can work it out together.”

For a long count of ten, Vicky said nothing. Then she shook her head. “It’s just…I’m sad, Cass. Very, very sad. I mean, it seems like everyone in this town is at least partly complicit in what happened back then.”

“Everyone? That’s not so. You’re upset and you’re exaggerating.”

“Think about it. Why is it that no one ever questioned the ridiculous story my dad made up?” Fifteen years ago, after Vicky’s mom stole thousands of dollars from the town accounts, Vicky’s dad had wrongly accused straight-A student Barrett Deroy, Jr. of the theft. At the time, the people of Tenacity had believed that lie.

“Hmm.” Cassie nodded. “You know, you do kind of have a point about that. It never made any real sense that a high school student could get access to the town’s money.”

“No kidding.” Vicky’s whisper was weighted with scorn. “It makes no sense today and it made no sense fifteen years ago, yet somehow, back then, everyone believed my dad’s lie.”

When the scandal broke, the Deroys were so worried that their son would go to prison, they took Barrett, Jr. and skipped town.

But the real story, which had only come out recently, was that Vicky’s dad had accused Barrett, Jr. to punish his wife for her affair—with Barrett, Sr. Now, with everyone in town knowing that Mayor Clifford Woodson had wrongly implicated an innocent young man, Vicky’s dad had been forced to step down from office.

Across their small table, Vicky’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes wet with barely controlled tears. “I just… Oh, Cass. I don’t know what to do…”

“What to do? What can you do? Nothing that’s happened is in any way your fault…”

Vicky looked stricken. She hung her head. “Really, Cass. There’s more to this than you…” Right then, her phone rang. Vicky turned it over again to look at the screen. “Oh, no. It’s my mom. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“But Vick…”

“Really, I do have go. I hate to run out on you, but it’s a hard time for her and she needs me right now.”

Cassie nodded reluctantly. “Okay, then. Do what you have to do.”

Vicky whipped out her wallet, dropped some bills on the table, scooped up her phone and pushed back her chair. “Talk soon, I promise.” She turned for the door.

Wondering what her best friend was keeping from her, Cassie watched her go. She wanted to help, but how could she do that until Vicky came clean?

Resigned, Cassie picked up her sandwich for another bite—just as two friends from high school appeared at her side.

Larinda Peach and Roslyn Ainsly were both married, with small children. They wanted to know how the wedding preparations were going—and to quiz Cassie on which “lucky” guy would be her date for the big event.

Cassie chewed and swallowed, smiled and nodded. She said that the wedding was going to be beautiful and she couldn’t wait to watch her big sister walk down the aisle. As for who her date would be, she nibbled more barbecue and said, “It’s a secret.”

“Why?” Roslyn demanded.

“Well…” By then, Cassie was feeling a bit contrary and more than a little frustrated. Because so what if she had a date for her sister’s wedding or not?

Roslyn and Larinda were as bad as her mom, prying into her nonexistent love life like they had a right to know her private business.

“Tell us!” Larinda begged.

“We’ll keep your secret,” whispered Roslyn.

“Yes!” insisted Larinda. “Tell us who he is and we won’t say a word to anyone.”

“Honestly, you guys. There’s no one.”

Roslyn frowned in puzzlement. “You just said it was a secret.”

“Yeah, well. It is a secret. And the secret is, there’s no one.”

Larinda chuckled. “Oh, now. You know we don’t believe that.”

Cassie cast a glance around the busy café. People were watching—and then looking quickly away when she caught them at it. If she came up with a name, it would be all over town by dinnertime. But she wouldn’t do that—because there was no mystery man.

She might, however, be getting annoyed enough with the situation to start saying things that weren’t true. No, she shouldn’t tell a lie and she knew it. But if people just had to be all up in her business, she would definitely find a way to get them off her back.

“The thing is…” She nibbled a French fry—and crossed the line between truth and fiction. “I’m kind of seeing someone.”

“Who?” asked Roslyn breathlessly.

Cassie tried her best to look regretful. “Can’t say.”

“But why not?” inquired Larina.

“Because as of right now, we’re keeping it low-key.”

“Why?” Roslyn frowned down at her.

“Well, it’s new, this thing between us.” And it was. So new it hadn’t even happened. “We’re taking it slow—and besides, my…friend isn’t sure he can make it to the wedding.”

“Oh, no,” mourned Larinda. “He has to come to the wedding.”

Cassie put on a glum look. “You know how it is, Larinda. Sadly, sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want them to.”

Roslyn patted Cassie’s shoulder. “It will work out. You’ll see. He’ll be there.”

Cassie nodded solemnly. “Oh, I do hope so…” No doubt about it. She was going to hell for being a shameless liar.

Larinda and Roslyn made more sympathetic noises and asked her to please reach out if she needed someone to talk to. Cassie lied some more and promised she would absolutely turn to them when the longing to confide became too strong to bear.

They’d just left her in peace when one of her mother’s friends, Myrna Ripley, came by. “Cassie, honey. It’s so good to see you…”

“Myrna, hi…” Cassie got up and hugged the older woman. Like Cassie’s high school friends, Myrna asked about Renee’s wedding. Cassie brought her up to speed.

And then Myrna said, “I know you’re…on your own lately. But of course the maid of honor needs a date.”

“Yes, Myrna,” Cassie replied with a stiff little smile. “But don’t worry. I have the date situation handled.” Because I’m not going to bring a date. “And I want you to confess…”

“Confess what?” Myrna tried to look innocent.

“Myrna, I know my mom put you up to this.”

Myrna widened her eyes. “Honey, honestly. Your mother did no such thing.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure!”

Cassie stifled a sigh. “Okay, Myrna. Whatever you say—and as for needing a date, I don’t. I really don’t.”

Just like Larinda and Roslyn, Myrna patted Cassie’s shoulder. “Yes, you do, sweetie. And you need to get on it. The wedding is coming up fast.”

“Yes. I know. But, um, you see, it all depends…”

Myrna leaned closer. “On what?”

Cassie pretended to be deep in thought. In reality, she was actually wondering if she ought to fall back on the imaginary boyfriend story. Could it get her through the wedding? Maybe. When the boyfriend never showed, she could tell her mother that it simply hadn’t worked out with the guy…

Right now, with Myrna looming over her, an imaginary boyfriend seemed more and more like a viable plan. Every time her mom got on her about a date for the wedding, she could claim that the guy was trying to juggle his schedule, that he was doing everything he could to make it work…

“Cassie, honey…?”

Blinking, Cassie refocused on Myrna. “Sorry. You were saying?”

“Well, sweetie, it all depends on what?”

Cassie had no idea. “So many things, Myrna. It all depends on so many things. Life’s a mystery, no doubt about it.”

Myrna peered at her more closely. “Are you all right, dear?”

“I’m just great, never better.”

A moment later, Myrna finally gave up quizzing Cassie and moved on.

And a good thing, too. By then, all she wanted was out of the Silver Spur as quickly as possible. She signaled Eileen, the server, for the check.

And right then, Graham Callahan sauntered in.

Tall, lean, hot and handsome with a devilish gleam in his dark eyes, Graham was the kind of guy who made an immediate impression on everyone he met. Everybody loved him, even though he had a well-deserved reputation for breaking a long chain of feminine hearts.

He owned a ranch in partnership with his three equally tall, handsome brothers. Today, he carried what looked like a pile of flyers, and he was wearing his best killer grin.

“Here you go.” Eileen set down Cassie’s check and cleared off the remains of her lunch as Graham started making the rounds of the restaurant.

He shook hands and passed out the flyers as he moved from table to table. “I’ve got big news,” he announced loud enough for everyone in the place to hear. “Now that Mayor Woodson has stepped down, I’m putting my hat in the ring to take his place!” And with that, he whipped the hat off his head and waved it around before pressing it to his heart.

By then, he stood in the center of the restaurant. “And I hope you will all put your trust in me!”

The little speech was met with cheers and applause. Privately, Cassie wondered why everyone seemed to think that Graham Callahan was mayoral material. The guy might be a total smoke show. But good looks and way too much charm hardly qualified him to run their troubled township.

Then again, she thought, why not? Graham was enthusiastic and upbeat. After the backbiting and dirty tricks Clifford Woodson had put their town through, the citizens of Tenacity could use a change of pace.

As that thought popped into her head, Graham spotted her watching him. That sexy grin widened. He was coming her way.

Graham had to be—what? In his early thirties by now the way she figured it. He’d been four or five years ahead of Cassie in school. She watched him weave his way through the tables toward her and thought how, until this moment, the two of them had never shared more than a nod and a smile in passing.

But this was Tenacity. Everybody knew far too much about everybody else—even the people they’d never exchanged more than a few words with.

He stood across the small table from her. “Cassie Trent. How are you?”

“Just fine, Graham. You?”

He had a dangerous gleam in those gorgeous dark eyes. “From where I’m standing, the view is downright beautiful.”

She gave him a cool smile. “So nice of you to say so.”

He tapped the back of the empty chair across from her. “Mind if I join you?”

She started to say that she was just leaving. But then again…

Okay, Graham was brash. And a little bit over-the-top. But his smile was real and his outlook so positive.

Maybe a little of that optimism would rub off on her. Because seriously, her friend Vicky was downright miserable and completely unwilling to talk about it. And then there was Cassie’s own frustration with the constant pressure from all sides to get herself a man and settle down.

Right now, the idea of hanging out for a while with the hunky, cheerful mayoral candidate felt like just what the doctor ordered.

“Have a seat, Graham.”

He pulled out the chair and dropped into it. “You know, Cassie. I really like your attitude.”

She almost laughed. “Which attitude is that?”

“I like that you’re doubtful.”

“About…?”

“Me.”

She wasn’t sure she understood. “Okay, so… I have a doubtful attitude about you and you like it?”

“Exactly.” He put the stack of flyers on the table and set his hat on top of them.

Right then, Eileen reappeared. “What’ll you have, Graham?”

“Steak sandwich and whatever’s on tap.”

“You got it.” Eileen turned to Cassie. “How about you, Cassie? Chocolate Lava Cake?” Eileen grinned. “You know you need it.”

“I’m good, thanks. Maybe next time…”

As Eileen trotted off, Graham pulled a flyer out from under his hat, set it on the table—and spun it around so it was facing her. “So I get it,” he said. “You’re just not sure I’m mayoral material.”

She glanced down at the flyer. It was a headshot of Graham framed in a red, white and blue graphic. “Graham Callahan for Mayor!” the flyer proclaimed. “Your Vote, Your Voice!”

“Okay, I’ll bite,” she said. “The truth is, we need someone not only trustworthy but steady and serious to run this town. The way I see it, you’re not exactly…” She got stuck there because he was a good guy, really, and she hesitated to call him a lightweight.

“That,” he said, pointing his finger at her.

“Er, what?”

“Whatever you’re not saying. It’s why you and I have to talk. Because you’re just the kind of voter I need to convince. It’s clear that you’re skeptical of my readiness for the job, and that’s why I want you to lay it on me, Cassie. I want you to tell me what you think I need to do to show this town I’m the man to be their mayor.”

She met his eyes and didn’t blink. “Be careful what you ask for, Graham Callahan…”

He smirked. “Bring it on.”

“Alrighty then. For starters, I’m guessing you’re used to people saying yes to you. But, Graham, good looks can only take a person so far in this world.”

“Hmm. So you think I’m good-looking?”

She almost laughed. He was so relentlessly upbeat, not to mention egotistical in the most attractive way. “Yes, I do think you’re good-looking. And your looks and charm might win you the election, but that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to do the job.”

He seemed to take zero offense at her assessment. Instead, he laughed, a carefree sort of laugh, the laugh of a confident man. “Cassie. I wish that everyone was as direct as you are—and you’re right. I have no experience in government. But I do know economics and I have solid ideas as to how to put this town back in the black.”

She vaguely remembered he’d gone to college in Seattle. “Economics, huh?”

He nodded. “I got my MBA at UW.”

“Wow. Fancy.”

He looked at her sideways. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, Graham, of course not.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.” At least he was smiling when he said that.

“It’s just, you come across as fun and easygoing. I never realized you were an economist.”

“Yeah, well. Economists can be fun, too. And I’m one of the fun ones.” He winked at her. “In fact, I worked as a financial analyst at a major construction firm for three years before I moved back home.”

“Why?”

“Pardon me?”

“Why did you move back home?”

“I realized I didn’t want to live anywhere else,” he replied. She believed him, as far as it went. But something in those dark eyes told her there was more to the story. Before she could ask him for the real reason he’d come home to stay, he went on. “I know my way around a budget—and a financial statement. I’m running on fiscal transparency and responsibility. I think this town deserves a fresh start, and we won’t get that if we just elect another guy who says trust me and then blames an innocent kid when the town accounts come up empty.” Eileen set a mug of beer in front of him.

“Thank you,” he said as he pushed the flyers to the side. Eileen bustled away and those dark eyes settled on Cassie again. “So here’s a question. Would you consider stepping up as my deputy mayor?”

“Whoa!” Cassie laughed. “Graham, I’m a rancher, not a politician, thank you very much.” She peered at him more closely. “Wait a minute. You’re serious?”

“I am.” He wasn’t smiling now. “And that you have to ask if I mean what I’m saying, well, that’s my biggest problem.” He lowered his voice for her ears alone. “Everybody’s always happy to see me, but no one thinks I’m serious about this. Cassie, I do care about this town, and I think I could make a real difference if only voters would give me a chance.”

“But, Graham…” She hesitated. Because just to lay it right out there, to say, You’re a hot, flirty cowboy breaking hearts right and left, and nobody’s going to choose you to run this town…

Well, it might be true, but it was also kind of harsh.

Cassie found she didn’t want to be harsh to Graham. Now that she was having her first real conversation with the man, she found him to be sweet, charming, sincere—and well-meaning, too.

She made an effort to tell the truth in a gentle way. “My point is, you don’t come across as very serious. A candidate for mayor really should be thoughtful and steady.”

“And I will be. You’ll see.” Graham glanced around them. Right now, their neighbors at the other tables seemed to be minding their own business. He asked, very quietly, “This is about my reputation as a hound dog, right?”

She leaned in and whispered back, “I never said you were a hound dog.”

“Fair enough. But let me just clarify something, would you, please?”

“All right.”

“Well, as for the women I’ve dated here in town, I’ve always made it clear that I’m never getting serious, that if a woman is looking for love and a wedding ring, she’s not going to get that from me.”

She folded her arms and kept her voice low. “Honestly. This conversation has gotten dangerously personal. I don’t know what to say to you.”

“The truth, Cassie. Just tell me the truth.”

“Okay, then, Graham. The truth is that telling women you won’t ever get serious hasn’t really helped. They still fall for you and end up with their hearts broken. I mean, come on. You’re just like my brother Ryder. I think you’ve dated every unattached woman in town.”

“Not true.” His dark eyes gleamed. “Think about it, Cassie. I’ve never dated you.”

Laughing, Cassie shook her head. “See what I mean? It’s like a knee-jerk reaction with you. You see a woman, you put a move on her.”

“But I’m not putting a move on you.” Was he serious? She honestly couldn’t tell.

Eileen bustled up to the table again, this time with Graham’s steak sandwich. He thanked her, and she rushed off to deliver more orders. Graham shook out his napkin and glanced up at Cassie. “Mind if I…?”

She waved away his hesitation with a flick of her wrist. “Eat.”

He dug in. For a minute or two, they were both silent.

When he finished chewing and swallowed, he drank from his beer and said, “Truth is, Cassie Trent, I find you a little bit intimidating. Always have.”

“How could you find me intimidating? You don’t know me. This is the first time we’ve ever actually talked.”

“Cassie. It’s Tenacity. Just because we’ve never shared a conversation before doesn’t mean we don’t know way too much about each other. And I know about you, Cassie Trent. You call them as you see them.”

She thought how she’d considered not mentioning his reputation as a heartbreaker because she didn’t want to treat him harshly—and yet, in the end, she’d called him on it, anyway. “You’re right. I do say what’s on my mind.”

He munched a steak fry. “Thank you for your honesty. You should run for town council. I need you on my team.”

“You actually have a team?”

He glissaded right by her question. “I really would like to nominate you for my deputy mayor.”

“Graham. Don’t get ahead of yourself. First, win the election. Then you can decide who to put forward as your deputy mayor.”

“You do seem to know a lot about how things work in town government.”

“Not particularly. But I…” She thought of Vicky again—and hoped she was okay. “Well, I do have a dear friend whose dad used to be the mayor.”

He set down his half-eaten sandwich. “That’s right. You’re close with Victoria Woodson, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.” She said it defiantly.

He picked up on her attitude and put up both hands. “Hey, now. What’d I do?”

“Nothing. So far. But some people in town judge my friend and her brother because of what their parents have done.”

He looked at her steadily. “Not me.”

“Good. Because Vicky is my dearest friend and she is innocent of all blame in this mess her parents created.”

“Gotcha,” he said with a nod. “And I meant what I said. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders and to know a lot about how this town is run. All I’m asking is that you think about my offer. If nothing else, say you’ll be a sounding board for me in the race, help me to better understand what I’m up against.”

“No, thanks.” She grabbed her check and got up to go.

“Tip’s on me!” Graham said with a wink. He fished a bill from his pocket and dropped it in the middle of the table. It was a twenty.

Cassie gave him the side-eye. “I see your plan. You’re going to win the election one tip at a time.”

“Hey, Eileen deserves a little extra.” He grinned up at her, and she couldn’t help grinning right back. It was always a good sign when a man acknowledged and appreciated the people around him who made his life easier. Graham Callahan was a sweetheart—and a real hunk to boot.

“Everything tasty?” asked Eileen at the register as Cassie paid for her meal.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

As Cassie turned for the door, she spotted former deputy mayor Marty Moore sitting a few feet away. Marty had stepped up as acting mayor when Vicky’s dad left office in disgrace, and now Marty was running to claim the job permanently.

“Hello, Miss Cassie Trent.” Beneath his bushy walrus mustache, Marty’s fleshy mouth quirked in what could have been a smile but looked more like a sneer.

“Mister Marty Moore.” She refused to call him by his temporary title. He might be the mayor for now, but Cassie was certain he’d be voted out come the election in November. Maybe in favor of Graham, who had his shortcomings, but really did seem to care about Tenacity.

Marty Moore only cared about the fellow he saw when he looked in the mirror. The acting mayor was just one of those guys—the smug, borderline creepy sort. The look in his eyes alone made her uncomfortable. And had he been listening in on her conversation with Graham?

Well, so what? It was Tenacity, after all, she reminded herself. Everybody was always sticking their noses in everybody else’s business. She wasn’t letting Marty get to her. Not now.

And not ever.