Whistle Stop certainly didn’t like change, and that was the reason half of the storefronts were vacant. Normally, he’d have told them that they were foolish to cling so tightly to their traditions and their famous line: But that’s the way its always been done. However, in this particular instance, he was counting on the town rejecting Lexi’s ideas—ideas of change.
He made his way to the door of the long adobe building with a red Spanish tile roof. As he stood in line to get in, he could feel the curious gazes leveled at him. He ignored them.
Once inside, he wasn’t surprised to find every single wooden bench filled to capacity. People were milling around the sides, and even the back of the large room was standing room only. Luckily, he was tall and able to see over the crowd in front of him.
“Hi, Cord. I’m surprised to see you here.” Mimi smiled up at him. Did she just bat her eyes at him?
He stifled a groan. “Hey, Mimi. I didn’t know you came to these sort of things.”
She tucked her arm in his. “I don’t normally, but the whole town is buzzing with rumors about what that hotshot New York City woman is planning. I know that she wants to steal your land out from under you—”
“She does not.” The wide-eyed stare Mimi sent his way had him regretting his severe tone. He cleared his throat. “I mean, she made me a reasonable offer.”
“If it’s so reasonable, why didn’t you accept it?”
“I didn’t want to.”
How in the world had he let himself get drawn into this conversation with Mimi of all people? His gaze swept around the room. Lexi stood near the podium, and she was staring right back at him. Then her gaze moved over to Mimi and back to him. Her face was a mask of indifference, but her eyes told a different story. They were full of questions. When her attention turned to the mayor, Cord’s gaze continued around the room, looking for an empty spot where he wouldn’t be disturbed.
A hand waved. Was it waving at him? He peered closer and found it was Tony Granger waving at him. He pointed to a vacant seat next to him. It was an aisle seat and the second row from the back. Perfect for a quick escape.
“I’ve gotta go.” Cord quickly detangled himself from a frowning Mimi and worked his way across the crowded room. “Thanks for the seat.”
Tony slid over, giving Cord ample room to sit down. “No problem. I was saving it for my mother, but I see she already has a seat next to Mrs. Sanchez.”
“Seats are at a premium tonight.” Cord glanced around as the ceiling fans were switched on and all the windows and doors were opened.
“I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say they are going to violate the fire code for the number of people in here tonight. Speaking of the fire department, I hear you’re considering joining up.”
“You did?” This was news to Cord. Then he recalled Manny mentioning the idea a couple of times. “Let me guess. Manny mentioned my name.”
“He did. With men moving away from Whistle Stop to look for work, we’re running short on volunteers. Would you consider signing on?”
It was on the tip of Cord’s tongue to say he already had his hands full running the Brazen H, but he stopped himself. Tony had his own ranch to run, and so did a number of the other volunteers. Still, they somehow made time to keep their community safe. Maybe it was time he stepped a bit out of his comfort zone. Maybe he could be of value in this way to his neighbors.
“I’ll give it some thought.”
“Sounds good. Just don’t take too long. We’re going to be starting up classes soon.”
The thought of classes made him uncomfortable. Would there be books to read? Tests to take? His thoughts turned back to school. His gut tightened into a knot, and his palms grew damp.
Before Cord could find the words to back out of volunteering without hurting his friend’s feelings, the mayor banged his gavel on the podium, calling the meeting to order. Cord’s gaze moved to Lexi. She sat rigidly in her seat, staring straight ahead. Was it possible he wasn’t the only one to feel out of his depth at this meeting? Or was she having regrets about what she was about to do? Was she about to turn everyone against him to force him to sell?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
How could she have forgotten how much she’d hated public speaking in college?
Alexis wished she were anywhere but sitting here in front of a couple hundred restless people. Cord was the only friendly face she’d located, but the last time she’d checked, he was occupied with Mimi Ortiz. Just the memory of that woman draped on his tanned, toned arm sent a stab of jealousy through Alexis.
Mayor Ortiz was long-winded as he went over a list of Whistle Stop’s current events. He started by thanking the quilt guild for donating to their small hospital twenty-five hand-stitched baby quilts for new mothers. He then moved on to a request for more volunteers to help keep the library from having to reduce its hours. What really impressed Alexis was the fact that he was able to gain a couple of volunteers without a lot of arm-twisting. It gave her hope that the people of Whistle Stop would be receptive to her ideas about revitalizing the town—a place she’d fallen in love with, not to mention falling for one of its residents.
Much too soon, Mayor Ortiz introduced her. Alexis swallowed hard and got to her feet. She straightened her suit jacket and was suddenly plagued by second thoughts about her attire. She’d wanted to give off an air of confidence and leadership, but as she looked around at the roomful of jean-clad ranchers and casually dressed store clerks, she worried that they’d look at her as an outsider, an interloper. Which she had to remind herself that she was, even if she was starting to feel at home in Whistle Stop. It was more than she could say about her high-rise apartment in Manhattan, where she didn’t even know most of her neighbors.
Alexis stepped toward the podium, stopping to shake the mayor’s hand and to thank him for his kind introduction. She leveled her shoulders and turned to face the row upon row of curious onlookers.
She licked her dry lips and gripped the podium. “Hi. I’m fortunate to have met some of you, but for those of you I’ve yet to meet my name is Alexis Greer. I am the acting president of HSG Holdings. I must admit that until recently I’d never heard of Whistle Stop, New Mexico, and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived here. So imagine how surprised I was to be welcomed with open arms by so many of its residents—”
“Quit buttering us up,” a man called from the back of the room. “Just tell us what you want.”