Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) - By Tina Leonard Page 0,98

for him in the worst way. “I’ll feel better once we get past our publicity stunt.”

“So if you’re worried about it, why don’t you tell him that you have a float you’re going to crash the parade with?”

“Maybe I should.” But that would make Jake a conspirator if he didn’t try to shut their entry down. He was the mayor pro tem. She didn’t have the right to drag him into her adventure.

“You want me to try to get his blessing?” Lucy asked, and Sugar shook her head.

“No. I’m going with the element of surprise.”

“I guess,” Lucy said, her tone uncertain. “Are you trying to spring this on Jake, or the Pillars and Vivian?”

Jake had told her no advertising at the parade. He’d only recently told her he would go against the town council’s ruling, giving her two months advertising on the billboard. She knew he hadn’t breathed a word of this to the town council—he probably just thought he’d throw the advertising up there and let the chips fall, which was what he was doing with Kel’s sign, which coincidentally was going up today.

Vivian was going to choke when she saw that Pecan Creek’s prime real estate for advertising had been usurped. “I’m tired of that damn phone ringing. Can’t we just disconnect it?”

“I don’t think so,” Lucy said. “Technically, this is not our domicile. Jake never dreamed the reporters would stir up such huge interest in Pecan Creek. We even got a call from Southern Living the other day. They want to come out and look at the house for a possible spread in the magazine. We must get twenty-five calls a day from the rich and famous who want the novelty of staying in the Best Little Sex Shack in Texas.”

Sugar shook her head and went out to the barn, Paris at her heels. She looked at the float for a long time, studying it from every angle. As floats went, it was huge and gaudy and eye-catching, a sure crowd-pleaser. She, Maggie, Lucy, Bobby and even Lassiter had worked like beavers to have it ready in time. Lucy had hired a photographer to snap photos, though it might not be necessary with all the reporters in town. Sugar had heard that two reporters had shown up at Pecan Fanny’s, bragging that they were planning to stake out what had become known as the Best Little Sex Shack in Texas, or simply, the Sex Shack. Unfortunately, the person the reporters had bragged to was Jake, who’d been over at Pecan Fanny’s taking inventory as he tried to figure out everything he wanted to do to the place. Jake had told the reporters if they got near his property—any of them, and he owned two restaurants and two houses, plus a good bit of land—they’d leave Pecan Creek with no story and some buckshot souvenirs.

Then he’d asked Sheriff Goody to assign some extra patrols and some cops around the Cassavechias’ place, to discourage any overly avid sightseers or reporters with a lust for their work.

She looked at the float again thinking about Jake and how much he meant to her. She looked at Paris in her reindeer get-up, smiling because even the dog was flourishing in Pecan Creek.

Yeah, life was good. It was good with Jake too. And it wasn’t just because of the nuts or the house or even the sex, which was pretty phenomenal. Mind-bending.

Some things in life had to be protected.

She reached for a paintbrush and a can of red paint.

Kel’s sign bloomed over Pecan Creek, heralding the entrance to the town that prided itself on being The Most Honest, Proper Town in Texas—sometimes.

Debbie, you make me stand up like a duck in weeds. There will never be another woman for me, because you’re my better half. I love you so much. Kel were the words written in red, encircled by a huge red heart. It was glittered up and flashy as hell, with red lights that would light up at night.

It would draw eyeballs for miles.

In Jake’s estimation it was a sign to be proud of, and he was proud of his buddy. The Pillars would have another opinion, because, admittedly, the sentiment wasn’t exactly Pillar-sanctified, but as mayor pro tem, he had Kel’s back on this one.

He thought about Sugar. Today would have been a beautiful day to launch her business, if life was normal, but all sorts of shit was going to hit the fan today. Sugar needed to work more on