A Maverick under the Mistletoe. Brenda Harlen

If anything, the more he learned about his brother’s plans and ideas for the town, the more convinced he was that Collin was the right man to lead Rust Creek Falls through this crisis and toward a better, stronger future. Unfortunately, instead of promoting his own ideas, Nathan Crawford was more interested in slinging mud at the Traubs.

      For some reason that Sutter couldn’t even pretend to understand, the Traubs and the Crawfords had been at odds for generations. According to the widely circulated rumors around town, the feud had originated with a business partnership gone wrong. Of course, that was only one version of the story and, depending on the telling, even it had several variations and discrepancies as to which party had done the wrong.

      In any event, the animosity that existed between the families since before Sutter could remember had come to a head a few years earlier when Collin and Nate had gotten into a fight over accusations that Nate’s girlfriend was stepping out with his nemesis. Collin’s announcement that he would run against Nate in the election had further exacerbated the tensions.

      “Where did you disappear to?” Collin demanded when Sutter finally got back to town hall.

      The majority of the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a handful of people in the building: volunteers stacking up chairs and sweeping the floors, Willa in conversation with a young couple who were just as likely to be talking to her about their daughter who was in her kindergarten class as an issue regarding Collin’s campaign.

      “I needed some air,” Sutter told his brother.

      “You didn’t follow Paige?”

      He scowled. “I’m not a stalker, but yes, I did talk to her. I wanted to thank her for the things she said.”

      “Her words did interject rationale and reason into an uncomfortable situation—at least for the moment.”

      “She promised that you have her vote,” Sutter told him.

      “I’m grateful for that,” Collin said. “But I’m more concerned about you.”

      “You’ve got my vote, too.”

      His brother cuffed the side of Sutter’s head. “I meant that I’m concerned about you and Paige.”

      “There is no me and Paige—there hasn’t been for a long time.” Of course, knowing that fact didn’t stop him from thinking about her—or wanting her. “Besides, she’s seeing Alex Monroe.”

      “I know that she’s gone out with him a few times,” Collin admitted. “I don’t know that it’s exclusive, though.”

      “It doesn’t matter,” Sutter insisted. “My life is in Seattle now, and she made it clear a long time ago that she has no intention of ever leaving Rust Creek Falls.”

      “Your business is in Seattle,” his brother agreed. “But your family is here.”

      “Now you sound like Paige,” he grumbled.

      “Really?” Collin seemed intrigued by the idea. “Well, where you choose to live is your decision. I just want to be sure that you’re not planning to go anywhere before the election.”

      “I’m not, unless you want me to.”

      “I don’t.”

      “That whole scene tonight—it happened because of me.”

      “It happened because Nate Crawford doesn’t know how to play by the rules.”

      Sutter couldn’t deny that was true, but he still hated to think that his brother could lose the election because of him. Certainly the tide of popular opinion had turned against him in a heartbeat tonight, until Paige’s timely interjection.

      “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Willa said, coming over to join in their conversation. “And I think Nate is feeling more than a little desperate.”

      Collin slid his arm around her. “Why do you say that?”

      “Because he knows he’s going to lose this election, and the defeat is going to be that much harder to take for a Crawford beaten by a Traub.”

      “While I appreciate your confidence, you might want to hold off on the victory speech until the votes are actually counted,” Collin told her.

      Secretly, Sutter couldn’t help but agree with his brother. As much as he appreciated Willa’s optimism about her new husband’s chances in the election, he didn’t share her faith. He truly believed Collin was the best candidate for the job, but Nate Crawford had run a clever campaign. Instead of focusing on his plans to return the town to its former glory—no doubt because he knew that Collin was leaps and bounds ahead of him in that regard—he’d chosen to focus on his family’s place in the town’s history, and on digging up dirt on his opponent.

      Not that there was much dirt to be found on Collin, which was surely why Nate had expanded his smear campaign to encompass the whole of the Traub family. And in doing so, he’d had more success.

      Sutter could only hope that Nate’s efforts would be in vain.

      Chapter Three

      Sutter said goodbye to Collin and Willa and headed back to the Triple T. He bypassed the main house and went directly to Clayton’s residence on the property. Since Clay had moved to Thunder Canyon, his place had become a guest house for visitors, and although Sutter wasn’t technically a guest, he felt more comfortable there than in the main house.

      Mostly he appreciated the privacy and the solitude, and he was grateful for both tonight. He didn’t feel like making idle conversation with anyone, especially not his well-meaning but undeniably interfering mother, and especially not if she’d somehow gotten wind of the fact that Paige had been present at the town hall debate.

      Ellie had always liked Paige, and despite the breakup with Sutter she hadn’t yet given up hope that they might somehow find their way back to one another. So she made a point of keeping him apprised of what was going on in Paige’s life—including the fact that she was dating the mill foreman.

      Sutter knew that the information hadn’t been intended to hurt him but to spur him into action, his mother expecting that he would charge into town and sweep Paige off her feet and into his arms again. Even if he’d thought such a grand gesture might be successful, Sutter knew that he had no right to interfere in her life now. Five years earlier, they’d made their own choices and gone their separate ways.

      And now she was dating Alex Monroe.

      That fact was more difficult to accept than he wanted to acknowledge. He didn’t know Alex well, but he knew who he was and he had nothing against the guy. He just didn’t like the idea of Paige with anyone else.

      Which was admittedly hypocritical considering that he’d hardly lived like a monk in the five years since he’d left Rust Creek Falls. But the truth was, he hadn’t been with anyone since Paige who had made him forget about her.

      He’d fallen in love with her when he was barely seventeen, and with the innocence and conviction of youth, he’d been absolutely certain that he would love her forever. They’d talked about their future together, when they would get married, where they would live, how many children they wanted. And he’d believed that she loved him, too—right up until the moment she’d told him she couldn’t marry him.

      Even five years later, the memory of that impulsive and rejected proposal stung. Because even now he knew he wasn’t completely over his feelings for Paige, while she seemed to have moved on without so much as a backward glance in his direction.

      The fact that she’d bought a house proved to him that she still wanted most of the same things they’d talked about. That she hadn’t let him get past the front door proved that he wasn’t a factor in any of her plans.

      Which, of course, made him wonder if Alex Monroe was. Had she invited him in for coffee? Had he been given a tour of Paige’s house? Had he seen her bedroom? Spent the