Town Darling Read Free

dry on her diploma.
    “The tavern again?” Brandon
asked while shaking his head.
    It was obvious he didn’t
approve of his daughter hanging out at the local bar, but with limited
entertainment in town, there was little else to do most evenings.
    “We considered going cow
tipping, but Dina prefers cowboy tipping,” Casey teased.  “What else is there
to do in this town?”
    Her father frowned his
displeasure.  “We need to have a serious talk about that place.”
    “I know what sort of place
it is, Dad.”
    Although Darwood Falls was
filled with mostly law-abiding, wonderful people, it had a dark, seedy
underbelly most refused to talk about.  As if on cue, a wealthy man in his late
forties, Ernest Harford, approached their table.  Ernest was part of that seedy
underbelly.  He was the richest man in town and imposed his wishes upon
everyone like some schoolyard bully.  His brother-in-law being the mayor
certainly didn’t help the town escape his clutches.  Catherine and Casey
avoided looking at Ernest.  Both shared the same opinion of him.  They were repulsed
by the sight of him.  Not that he was physically repulsive, but his arrogance
and iron-fisted tactics made him unappealing.  Despite his wife and daughter,
Brandon attempted to remain polite to the retched man.
    “Good afternoon, Remington
clan,” Ernest announced cheerfully and paid special attention to Catherine, who
didn’t bother looking at him.  Although obviously captivated by her beauty, he
didn’t seem fazed by her disinterest.
    “Hey, Ernest,” Brandon
replied, being the only one to even acknowledge him.
    “I heard a rumor that you
might be running for mayor,” Ernest announced with a smile that almost mocked
him.  His directness was a form of control.  He liked catching people off
guard, believing they would show their true feelings.
    Brandon faked a look of
surprise.  “Oh?” he said with a laugh.  “That’s news to me.” 
    Casey’s father wasn’t
easily played.  He knew how to handle men like Ernest.  He’d spent enough time
in the military to learn how to deal with all types of attitudes.  Ernest was
no different from higher-ranking officers who enjoyed pushing around enlisted
men.  He enjoyed the power.
    “I sort of figured,” Ernest
remarked and laughed.  “You’d find that job tedious and boring.”
    “I don’t know,” Brandon
teased while casually reclining in his seat.  “Pie judging sounds like one hell
of a perk.”
    Casey’s father was just
playing with Ernest now, and, sadly, he had no idea.  Ernest may have been
wealthy, but he wasn’t very smart.
    “Probably the only perk as
mayor in this hick town,” Ernest announced with a chuckle.  He appeared pleased
with Brandon’s response and was ready to move on to things of more importance. 
“You guys have a nice day.”  Ernest continued toward the cashier in the main
dining area with his check from lunch. 
    Catherine glared at Brandon
with her loathe for Ernest evident in her eyes.  “That man makes my blood run
cold.”  Her mother’s claws were finally coming out.
    Just once, Casey wanted to
see her mother verbally hand Ernest his head.  She could do it too.  She wasn’t
as sweet and innocent as she’d have people believe. 
    “He thinks he owns the town
because he owns the mayor and the local law,” Casey said with a sneer while
adding her two cents.  She couldn’t let her mother have all the fun.
    Brandon appeared
uncomfortable and shifted in his seat.  “Let’s be civil.  There are big changes
coming,” he announced.  Her father was oddly non-confrontational for a former
military man.  “Sheriff Wiley’s about to retire and our young deputies have
more enthusiasm for upholding the law.”
    “Deputy Tucker, the town
stud, is next in line for sheriff,” Casey mocked.  “He’s dating the mayor’s
daughter.  That means he’s practically bought and paid for.”
    “I hope Deputy Holt becomes
sheriff,” her