Brody broke the cookie evenly, offering India half.
The brush of his fingers against hers was far too potent for her liking. “That’s right, Amberleigh. Manners are important,” India agreed.
Amberleigh smiled. “Where’s Cal?”
“He’s still at school.” She grinned.
Amberleigh nodded.
“In a few years, you’ll be at school, too,” Scarlett said. “You’ll see Cal all the time. And bunches of other kids.”
Amberleigh perked up.
She’d have to talk to Brody about the half-day pre-K program the school offered. Amberleigh was smart and busy and ready for more social interaction. “Lose your shoes again?” India asked, smiling at the little girl.
Amberleigh shook her head. “Daddy’s truck.”
“I pick my battles,” Brody
said, winking at her.
India tried not to stare.
But Brody’s gaze held hers, and his jaw tightened.
“Want me to go put Amberleigh in the truck?” Scarlett asked. “Or wait outside?”
Heat singed her chest, up her neck and cheeks. “He fixed my computer.”
“After I spilled water all over her,” he interjected.
“The hug was a...thank-you?” Scarlett didn’t buy it. But she smiled. “That’s all?”
“What else would it be?” Brody asked. “I’ve got too much sense to fall for a woman who has no intention of staying put.” He scooped up Amberleigh. “We’d better head out soon or your grandparents will run for the hills.”
“Thank you, Brody,” India said, waving them off.
Scarlett waited until they’d gone before turning a wide-eyed gaze her way. “You know, Fort Kyle is a good place, India. I’d love it if you stayed. So would Mom. I know you and Dad don’t always see eye-to-eye, but that won’t change whether you stay here or go. Don’t let him steal your chance at a very good thing.” She pointed out the large window at Brody and Amberleigh. “That right there is a very good thing.”
India watched Brody pack his little girl into his truck, her sister’s words more tempting than they should’ve been.
Chapter Four
“What in tarnation is happening to this town?” her father asked, slamming the newspaper down on the breakfast table hard enough to make the glasses shudder and the cutlery clink.
“What’s the matter, dear?” her mother asked, unruffled by his outburst.
“That boy, that Wallace boy, is running for mayor? There’s an official press release,” he thundered. “What is he thinking? Why, he hasn’t even been in Fort Kyle long enough to run, has he?”
He’d done it. Brody Wallace was officially running for mayor of Fort Kyle. And, after spending the last few months listening to her father hem and haw over the current mayor, he stood a very good chance of winning. Even with the last name Wallace. India caught Cal’s eye. He winked at her, chewing his pancakes with enthusiasm.
“He’s a lawyer, isn’t he?” Scarlett asked. “He’s really nice, Dad—”
“Really nice?” her father interrupted. “A snake in the grass, I’ll bet. Just like his father. Full of venom, too.”
Scarlett glanced at her and tried again. “Click knows him pretty well—”
“Click Hale?” he snapped. “Hmph. I know he up and married your cousin Tandy, but that doesn’t magically erase his past. Makes sense he and the Wallace boy would be friends.”