A Moment To Love (22 page)

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

H
ow 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.”

Alexis kept the smile on her face. “Thank you. I’m just about to get to that. After spending more time in your lovely town than I’d originally planned, I’m certain that HSG and Whistle Stop can help each other.” She grabbed the laptop computer that was set up with her slide-show presentation.

As if on cue, the lights dimmed and her first slide appeared on the large screen to her right. “HSG is proposing to build a resort on the outskirts of Whistle Stop. It’ll mean lots of jobs—”

A cheer went up in the room. The energy that vibrated through the room was contagious, and Alexis couldn’t help but smile. When a calm settled over the crowd, she clicked through some of the tentative sketches that her team back in New York had developed. She hoped they would impress her audience as much as they did her. Still, as nicely as the buildings were drawn, she realized that she no longer wanted to buy Cord’s land to achieve her goals. But she had yet to secure an alternative location.

She wasn’t even finished with her presentation—and the best was yet to come—when a woman called out, “I know you’re trying to help us, but don’t all of these wonderful new jobs hinge on Cord Lawson selling you Haggerty?”

“Yes, they do—”

The crowd all spoke at once. Alexis tried to regain control of the meeting, but no one paid her the least bit of attention as they all vocalized their opinions at once.

Alexis couldn’t make out Cord’s face in the shadows, but she could feel his steady gaze on her. She just hoped that he wouldn’t leave before she got to the good stuff—the part that would show him that she did care about this town—and most of all him.

Mayor Ortiz took pity on her and moved to the podium. It took a few loud bangs of his gavel to restore order to the hall. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know there is a lot to discuss, but let’s hear out our guest before making up our minds.”

A man in the back stood up. “But if this all hinges on Cord’s land, shouldn’t he be up there, too? From what I hear around town, he shot down your plan.”

This is where Alexis had to tread ever so carefully or risk alienating Cord. And even worse, creating more animosity between some of Whistle Stop’s residents and Cord. That was the exact opposite of what she’d like to see happen.

“Mr. Lawson and I are still discussing a potential sale.”

A woman near the front stood and turned to Cord. “Is that right? Are you going to sell?”

Alexis inwardly groaned. She hadn’t wanted to drag Cord into the middle of this meeting. “How about I tell you the rest of my ideas?”

“We want to hear what Cord has to say.”

“Yeah!” chorused a number of people in the audience.

“Cord isn’t going to sell to you.”

“That’s right, lady! You’re wasting our time. We’ve heard enough.”

Again, the crowd erupted in boisterous conversation. Oh, this was a disaster. And then, above the din of voices, there was a loud and clear whistle. As the lights came up in the room, Cord was standing there with his hands pressed to his lean waist. All heads turned his way.

Alexis didn’t have a clue what he was going to say. His face was devoid of expression as he stared directly at her. She knew whatever he said now would decide the course of the rest of the meeting. Her lungs burned as she held her breath in anticipation.

“You aren’t wasting your time,” he told the crowd. “I’ve gotten to know Ms. Greer, and she truly cares about the land, about Whistle Stop. She’s trying in her own way to help the town. And this place could use some more people like her, people willing to go out of their way to help the town. You’d be wise to hear her out.”

“Are you saying you’re selling your land to her? You’re going to help the community?”

“Yeah, Cord, are you going to help us?”

Cheers went up in the crowd for Cord to sell.

The mayor stepped up to the podium and banged his gavel, bringing peace back to the unruly crowd. But all eyes were still on Cord, whose face was hard as stone.

“Well, Cord?” the mayor prompted.

Cord didn’t move. The only sign of life was a twitch in his jaw. The breath caught in Alexis’s chest as she awaited his answer. She silently prayed that he’d made the choice to save his home.

“I’m still considering her offer. Now dim the lights and let her finish her presentation.”

“We should have figured we couldn’t count on you,” a faceless voice called out from the back.

Alexis tightened her hold on the podium to keep herself upright. Had Cord just spoken up in public? And had he ridden to her defense like a knight in shining armor?

“Cord isn’t going to sell. This meeting is nothing more than a pipe dream. And I don’t have time to waste.” A man got to his feet and started for the door.

There had to be some way to get the people to listen to her. She truly wanted to help, and she still had more to share, more that didn’t relate directly to buying Cord’s land. But others got to their feet and followed the disgruntled man out the door.

Instead of feeling like she was an outsider here, she imagined she was back in New York in front of the HSG board. They were a lot tougher crowd. So why was she letting these townspeople unnerve her?

She struggled to maintain a calm, collected composure, but she had to do something to ease the crowd’s agitation with Cord. “Wait! Hear me out. I think I can help the town…even if the resort doesn’t get built here.” Her voice was clear, loud, and confident. “You’re already here, why not hear what I have to say? It won’t cost you anything. Consider it a thank-you to all of the kind people who’ve made me feel so welcome here.”

When her gaze sought out Cord, she couldn’t find him. The spot where he’d been sitting was now occupied by someone she didn’t recognize. Where had he gone? She really wanted him to hear this part. She wanted him to know that she cared about a lot more than HSG’s bottom line. She cared about Whistle Stop’s future and his future.

With the people seated once more, she didn’t have time to worry about Cord’s absence. This was her chance to do something good for the community. She just hoped they’d listen to her.

“When I arrived here in Whistle Stop, the first thing I encountered was the abandoned train depot. I couldn’t help but think that’s a huge opportunity for Whistle Stop—”

“That train isn’t going to create new jobs and that’s what we need here. Not some dumb train stop.” A man with a long beard got up and hustled his wife out the door.

Mrs. Sanchez stood and turned to face the crowd. “People, you’re being downright rude to our guest. Maybe she’s on to something here. Then again maybe not, but she’s at least trying to find ways to help Whistle Stop.” Absolute silence fell over the room. Mrs. Sanchez turned back to Alexis. “Please continue. Some of us would like to hear your thoughts. I know you’ve been working hard to prepare for this meeting.”

Once Mrs. Sanchez took her seat again, Alexis glanced at her notes to find her spot. “I know my idea certainly isn’t the entire answer to Whistle Stop’s declining economy, but I think it could definitely play a big part in its recovery.”

There were no interruptions this time, but there still was no sign of Cord. He was gone. Disappointment lodged in her chest.

“While I was investigating ways to get people to the resort other than by car, I checked into air and rail. I have a contact at the railroad office who is quite interested in the project. He said that, under certain circumstances, they’d be willing to add a couple more passenger cars and restore service to Whistle Stop. With the train starting out in Albuquerque and heading south to make two round trips a day, that’s four times it would pass by Whistle Stop. That has the potential for a lot of tourist dollars.”

Alexis could see that she’d intrigued some people, but others were shaking their heads. She’d been in business long enough to know that there was no satisfying all of the people all of the time. She just had to hope that enough people found merit in her idea.

“What circumstances are we talking about for the railroad to add Whistle Stop back to their schedule?” The mayor peered at her thoughtfully, and there was genuine interest gleaming in his eyes. “And do you know if they’d still be interested in this venture if the resort isn’t built here?”

Alexis started to feel more confident by the second. She turned so she could see the mayor, who was in one of the chairs behind her. “Actually, the railroad is quite interested with or without the resort. It’d be an additional revenue stream for them without a large capital expenditure. They seemed to think it could be a win-win for everyone.”

She took a moment to take a deep breath. This next part…well, it was the hard part. She imagined there would be lots of resistance.

“As for the conditions that the railroad would place on Whistle Stop before they are willing to move forward…well, the stipulations are a bit involved. First, the train depot has been abandoned for some time and left to decay—”

“But isn’t that their property?” called out someone in the audience.

“Yes, it is.” She had to word this carefully. “To be honest, I didn’t get into the reasons behind their requests. I was there to find out what it’d take to put Whistle Stop back on their map. That is all.”

“I’m not doing their work for them! I’ve got enough of my own.”

Alexis struggled not to lose her patience. “But think of what you’d gain in the long run.”

“And that’s all we’d have to do? Fix up the train station?”

“Not exactly.” If they didn’t like the thought of replacing a few broken windows and applying a couple of coats of paint to the train station, she knew they wouldn’t go for the other demands, and that saddened her greatly.

“The town square, well, it needs work too.” In actuality, it needed a lot of work, but she was doing her best to be as diplomatic as possible. “They’d also like to invest in the economic growth of Whistle Stop.”

“Why?”

“Really?

“There has to be a catch.” Shock and disbelief echoed throughout the room.

Alexis waited until people quieted down before she continued. “I was able to secure a promise that they’d help people reopen their businesses in exchange for a small, limited time stake in the businesses’ profits once the train depot is operational again.”

A roar of voices filled the hall as everyone vocalized their opinions at once. There wasn’t much more Alexis could add to the conversation. She just hoped that they’d find a way to make it work. Whistle Stop was an endearing town, and she didn’t want to see it end up like Haggerty—an abandoned ghost town.

She turned a pleading eye to the mayor to restore order to the meeting. He got to his feet and joined her at the podium. With a few bangs of his gavel, a hush fell over the crowd. Alexis thanked them for their time and wished them well with whatever they decided to do.

The mayor turned to her. “And you trust your contact?”

She nodded. “I do. I’ve worked with him before and he’s very reliable. He’s a high ranking executive who has the authority to make this all possible.”