Truly caught off guard, GO wondered why she was going out of her way to piss him off. In the past she had been quite attentive, doing all she could to make sure that she stayed on his good side. Now, however, she was deliberately being confrontational and downright insulting. This not only came across as ungrateful, it was blatantly rude. Any thoughts of seducing this woman, no matter how tempting it might have been earlier, were quickly dissipating as the governor turned to deal with her as he dealt with anyone who was foolish enough to stand up to him. “You seem to be forgetting your history, Ms. Fields,” GO replied sharply. “It only took a single shot to ignite our own revolution.”

Jan didn’t let GO’s sudden change in demeanor upset her in the least. In fact she welcomed it, for it signaled an end to the tension she had felt since her arrival. By way of demonstrating that she was unimpressed by his show of anger, Jan took a sip of her coffee before looking up into GO’s eyes. “It took far more than a single bullet being fired in anger to bring this nation into existence. It took men of courage, principle, and passion, promoting a better way of life, a better system of government, and high moral standards to make the sacrifice at Lexington and Concord count.”

Lurching forward, GO leaned closer to Jan and made no effort to hide the anger he now felt. “Are you implying that what we stand for in Idaho is base and vile? That the people are unethical and their beliefs are of no account?”

“Oh, no,” Jan replied softly. “I was only speaking of their leaders, not the people.”

Jan’s words set GO Thomas off like a rocket. “You want to talk about unethical conduct? You want to discuss a lack of principle and self-serving politicians? Look to Washington! Look to those fools on the Hill and the moron in the White House. They,” GO spit out as he shook his finger wildly off in a direction that was supposed to represent the location of the nation’s capital, “they are the villains, not us.”

Maintaining her calm, Jan placed her cup of coffee down and folded her hands on her lap. “In over two hundred years, only once did a state feel its stand on an issue justified the use of armed force against the very institution that created it. What makes you and those you’ve managed to put into power think that you have the right answer? That your interpretation of the Constitution is the correct one, the only correct one?”