Free Wicked Temptations by Patricia Watters

Adam said, "only the position of mayor so I can serve the cattlemen of this region, whom, I might remind you, are supplying beef to England. With homesteaders coming in droves and seizing vast acres of land, it won't be long before cattlemen will have no land for grazing, or trails for driving herds to market because of all the fences going up. When that happens, the cost of beef in England will be out of reach for ordinary people. There needs to be regulation to protect cattlemen against this incursion."
    "Well, if you fancy yourself mayor," Lady Whittington said, "you had better keep your eyes off Miss Phipps, or your electorate will think there is something wrong with you that you are unable to attract a decent-looking woman."
    Adam bit back a string of expletives. The fact that he found Priscilla appealing might be his assessment alone, but he liked the way she looked when she was scrubbed clean, and her green-brown eyes held that glint of passion he'd seen after he'd kissed her, and her hair was a tangle of carrot-red curls around her pretty oval face. Perhaps God gave him the eyes to see beyond her plain facade and into the soul of the exhilarating woman she was. But he'd never convince his mother that he could care for a woman who looked the way Priscilla did when she was the way God created her. "When Miss Phipps is fashionably dressed and made up she is a different woman," he said. "When I was at the church social last Sunday I had to outbid two men for her picnic basket, and her company."
    Lady Whittington looked at Adam as if he were deranged. "I cannot believe you would be drawn to the woman in any way."
    "That's because you don't know her," Adam said.
    Deciding it would do more harm than good to plead a case for Priscilla and chance his mother wanting her to move out, Adam said, "You can rest assured, Mother, I have no designs on Miss Phipps. I merely wanted to do something charitable for the woman, plain as she is, and it was, after all, a benefit for the church. But the main reason I asked her to live here is so she can keep an eye on Trudy, who has her sights on a young cowboy out at the ranch. Moving Trudy here, under Miss Phipps' watchful eye, would keep Trudy away from that temptation. Miss Phipps' virtue is above reproach, so she would be a good example for both Trudy and Alice to follow. And she has a razor sharp tongue when she has a mind to chastise someone. I can assure you, Trudy would be no match for her."
    Lady Whittington straightened her spine and pursed her lips, and her head gave a little wiggle, a clear sign that she was yielding the argument to him, which she confirmed, when she said in a conciliatory tone, "I was not aware of that side of Miss Phipps's nature. That being the case, I suppose it's good that she will be here."
    "I am glad you see it that way," Adam said, relieved to be done with the session.
    Lady Whittington offered him a self-righteous smile. "Don’t get me wrong, Adam. I have nothing against the woman. She seems pleasant in fact. It's just that she is so very unattractive."
    "Well, I hope you will not continue to hold that against her," Adam said, feeling his temper mount, knowing he'd better bring this whole unpleasant affair to a close before he said something he would regret.
    Lady Whittington bristled. "I am not so shallow as you portray me to be, Adam," she said. "I feel sorry for the woman because of the way she looks. But I would certainly not hold that against her. In fact, I hope to get to know her better."
    Adam stood. "You will soon be given that chance." He started for the door.
    Lady Whittington raised her hand to stop him. "Before you go, Adam, tell me... What is this business you say Miss Phipps plans to start?"
    Adam shrugged. "A singlesheet newspaper, which she will call The Town Tattler . It will cover topics appealing to women—recipes, society news and such, short stories, a bulletin where women can air personal grievances. Things like that."
    Lady