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August 2005
FLIRTING WITH FIREWORKS
by Teresa Carpenter
Mayor Jason Strong was devoted to keeping order in his small town. Only an exotic stranger with an impish glint in her eyes was disturbing the serenity of his quiet community. If the handsome widower and single father didn't watch out, the sparks flying between him and the lovely Cherry Cooper might make his peaceful life explode!
From Flirting with Fireworks, an August, 2005, Silhouette Romance by Teresa Carpenter
Cherry Cooper leaned into the curve, taking it low and tight. Hot wind whipped past her as she opened her cycle up on the straightaway and throttled down. She loved the power and speed, loved that both were under her control.
She savored the moment in a world suddenly out of sync. Especially as every mile under her tires brought her closer to Blossom, Texas .
A sense of unease caused her to slow down as she approached the outskirts of the city. Being psychic, Cherry paid attention to her senses.
She looked inward to determine if the feeling had to do with the city or her emotions in eventually losing her grandmother to this place.
Crossing the city limits marker, she had her answer.
A gray pall loomed over the city, a sense of sadness, as if the spirit of the city suffered from a festering wound. More than that, bad times were coming to town.
Not a good omen since in little more than a month she'd be part of a carnival troupe coming into town for a four week long stint at the county fair. Cherry believed in omens.
She concentrated on the feeling, but it remained vague, out of reach. Which meant the trouble would touch her life.
Great. More trouble to deal with.
She already had her grandmother's health to worry over. Nona suffered from arthritis and recovery from her recent hip surgery had been slow and plagued with complications. Her traveling days were definitely over. She'd chosen Blossom as the place she wanted to settle. All Cherry knew about Blossom was her mother died here. She'd been five days old when her grandmother bundled her up and took her on the road. It had been just the two of them ever since.
Whatever it took, Cherry would find a home for Nona. Her grandmother had dedicated her life to taking care of Cherry. Now it was her turn to take care of Nona.
With another surgery scheduled for the end of the week in Lubbock , Cherry wanted to take her grandmother something positive to focus on. Something to represent her potential home in Blossom, flyers, the classifieds, whatever she found. Cherry added another goal to the list. To see if the city was worthy of Nona.
Cherry followed the signs to City Hall, right to the heart of the city. The bank and professional offices along with City Hall and county buildings ringed City Hall Park, an oasis of grass, flowers and a romantic gazebo. A beauty parlor, a dress shop, a hardware store and The BeeHive Diner were also in view.
Here the pall shifted, lifted. Goodness and joy pushed the heaviness away. The promise of a good life bloomed here along with the purple pansies, yellow roses and pretty daisies.
For the first time Cherry smiled. Yes, Nona could happily live here. Yes, this city had suffered, but it was re-grouping and re-growing. She had the sudden clear image of a stronger, more united Blossom.
But that was the future.
Jason Strong followed a Harley Sportster into the city hall parking lot. He spared a thought for the biker's business and hoped he was only passing through town.
With the fair coming to town early next month, the last thing Jason needed was to worry about a biker invasion as well. Of course there could be an upside. If The Committee for Moral Behavior caught sight of the slim figure in black leather, the biker might distract them from their objections to the carnival troupe arriving soon.
Jason grabbed his briefcase and climbed from his car. The biker set the bike stands then swung a long, leather-clad leg over the seat to stand next to the Harley. Struck by the way the biker moved, by the lithe grace and slight stature, Jason wasn't really surprised when the helmet came off to reveal a head of dark brown, corkscrew curls and a delicate profile.
Taking in the willowy figure, the in-your-face leather, the hint of red in the wild curls, he had the sinking feeling his peaceful existence teetered on a fault line. A fear that was confirmed when the exotic stranger turned and nailed him with eyes black as the leather covering her every curve. The impact of her perusal ran like a hand over his body until she broke contact to speak to a woman entering the building.
Trouble had come to town on a Harley.Hopefully she wouldn't be staying long.
Life had fallen into a predictable pattern. Just how he wanted it. His daughter, his family, his town were all happy and healthy.
For the most part.
Okay, so his daughter was growing up without her mother, his mother was running away from her responsibilities, and the town was still recuperating from economic shock. The point was they were all doing fine. And with time, would do better.
With that comforting thought, he turned his back on the tempting vision in black and headed for the familiar ground of his office.
Ten minutes later his secretary buzzed him, "Jason, do you have a few minutes for Lady Pandora?"
Lady Pandora? He nearly groaned aloud. This was worse than he thought. What were the chances of two exotic strangers visiting City Hall today?
"Send her in."
He rose from behind his mahogany desk as his secretary escorted the leather-clad Lady Pandora into his office.
She was more beautiful than he anticipated. Dark curls framed delicate features highlighted by high cheekbones, barely arched brows and shiny pink, lushly full lips. Up close, he corrected his previous assumption. Her eyes weren't black; they were a decadent dark chocolate. And they snapped with challenge.
"Ms. Pandora." He held out his hand and received her gloved hand in response.
She returned his firm grip briefly before taking a step back and gracefully sinking into one of the chairs fronting his desk. She peeled off her gloves and pulled the zipper down on her jacket revealing black lace underneath.
He resumed his seat surreptitiously wiping the sweat from his palms. "What can I do for you?"
"You can allow me my rightful place in the fair," she stated in clear terms, her voice soft yet assertive.
"What place might that be?" As if he couldn't guess. Lady Pandora, right. More like Lady Charlatan. Jason scowled, disappointed that this lovely, exotic creature turned out to be a parasite of the worst kind. She had to be the fortuneteller he'd banned from this year's fair.
In his experience fortunetellers were frauds who preyed on the innocent and unsuspecting, dealing out false hope and bad advice. And that's when they weren't outright cheating the gullible public out of hard-earned savings.
"I'm sure you're aware the city has chosen not to have a fortune teller at the fair this year, Ms. Pandora."
"Call me Ms. Cooper. Lady Pandora is my professional name. As you've guessed, I'm a teller of fortunes. You disapprove, though I believe you judge us too harshly. There are the unscrupulous in every vocation, that doesn't mean all are frauds and parasites." Her brown eyes met his; hers rounded in exaggerated innocence. "It may surprise you to learn, Mr. Mayor, that politicians are often thought to lack integrity and to have only their own interests at heart, taking advantage of the masses while lining their own pockets."
Jason frowned, taking the hit directly to the gut. She'd pushed one of his hot buttons square on the head. Neither did he miss the fact her choice of words so
closely echoed his thoughts. He shook off the unease the coincidence generated.
He didn't believe in mind readers, in being able to see into the future. If she expected him to change his mind either about his beliefs or about letting her into the fair then she obviously wasn't very good at her job.
"Ms. Cooper, I'm afraid you've wasted your time. Blossom has a bad history with fortunetellers, which is why the ban stands."
"I'm sorry to hear that because I'm ready, willing and able to perform at this fair. I'm contracted with this carnival troupe which means I can't go to another fair and even if I could, it's too late at this delayed date."
She spoke softly, slowly, the cadence so serene the words lulled and suggested on an elemental level. Jason caught himself leaning forward to catch every word. Disgusted, he shook off her seductive spell.
"I sympathize, but that's hardly my problem."
"It is actually. I'd happily trot along my merry way, but I need the income from this fair. Not just for myself but for my family. And your ban is not only insulting, you're frustrating my purpose."
He frowned at her use of the legal terms: ready, willing and able, frustrated purpose. Her message came through loud and clear. Ms. Cooper had obviously been talking to a lawyer.
He might be worried except he'd drawn up the contract and knew it was airtight. Which didn't mean she couldn't contest it if she had the time, money and inclination. Given her transient life style, he doubted she'd go to the effort. Admiring the cling of leather to soft curves he almost regretted the necessity of sending her away. But the last thing Blossom-or he-needed was the trouble she represented.
"Still not my problem, Ms. Cooper. We contracted with the carnival months ago. I made it clear at the time no fortuneteller would be allowed in the fair. You need to take your grievance up with the carnival troupe."
"Oh," she waved a slim-fingered hand, uncrossed impossibly long legs, and flowed lithely to her feet "I have a better idea."
She inclined her head as if she'd heard something interesting, then focused those brown, brown eyes on him. "So you're an attorney as well as the mayor. How fortunate the townspeople of Blossom have you to safeguard their interests. But you needn't worry, they have nothing to fear from me."
She smiled a serene smile that did nothing to calm him and everything to arouse his suspicions, distracting him so he almost missed her next statement. "I believe we'll let them decide whether I should be allowed in the fair."
He shot to his feet and met her at the door. The scents of leather and honeysuckle made an intoxicating mix, making him lightheaded until he pulled himself together.
Just when had he developed such a biker babe fixation?
The sooner this hot mix of trouble vacated his town the better.
"There's nothing to decide Lady Pandora. I regret there's no place for you in Blossom."
She sauntered through the doorway, hips swaying provocatively before turning to deliver the last word. "Oh, no need for regret." This time her smile was pure challenge. "An apology at the end of the fair will do. You don't have a problem admitting when you're wrong do you, Your Honor?" She snapped to attention and offered a mock salute. "Or should I say, General, Sir?"
"What?" Shock rocked him back on his heels. How could she possibly know his childhood nickname? His grandfather had called Jason Little General when he was a tiny kid.
"The contract may not be as airtight as you think." She taunted him. "You were distracted remember? Someone didn't feel well."
Rikki. His daughter had had the flu. How could Lady Pandora know that? Before he pulled himself together enough to ask, she escaped out the door.
He stabbed his secretary's call button.
"Yes, sir?"
"Get me Sheriff McCabe on the line. I want to know everything there is to know about Lady Pandora."
"Oh wasn't she just wonderful, Jason?" his secretary practically gushed. "So helpful. She told me where to find the diagram for the new edition to the library. You know, the one I've been looking for two days. She told me it had slipped behind the copier, and sure enough that's right where it was. Isn't that amazing?"
Jason gritted his teeth. "Just get me the sheriff, please."
And there's much more playful tension and romance if you pick up Teresa's book! Just as a reminder, FLIRTING WITH FIREWORKS is the second story in the Blossom County Fair series (I wrote book number four, HER GYPSY PRINCE, which comes out this October.)! Hope you have a good time at Blossom County fair....
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