A muscle in Sloan’s jaw hardened, but he answered evenly, if quietly. “You can’t always pick and choose who you love, Cirus. You of all people should know that. I loved Doe, just like you love Molly. I recall your pa raising Cain when you married an Irishwoman.”

The pretty ebony-haired woman at Cirus’s side elbowed his ribs. “Aye, ye great galoot, ye’d best be remembering how smitten ye were wi’ me, or I’ll be reminding ye wi’ a skillet upside the head.”

The crowd’s laughter was more strained this time.

“I don’t like this,” Sarah muttered loudly, perhaps to distract Heather from the subject of Sloan’s late wife. “They’re listening, but they’re still not convinced Sloan would be a better candidate than Quinn Lovell.”

“Maybe we need to take another approach,” Caitlin whispered.

“What did you have in mind?” Heather murmured.

“I think we should talk to the ladies.” Her blue eyes were narrowed thoughtfully. “If we can convince them how bad Lovell would be for us, then they can persuade their husbands to vote for Sloan.”

Chapter 12

SLOAN SHOOK HIS head in chagrin as the last of the ladies drove away dressed in their Sunday finery. A tea party. The duchess had turned a stuffy afternoon ritual into a political tactic, inviting all their female neighbors to tea to discuss the upcoming election. And damned if it wasn’t working. Heather and her cohort in crime, Caitlin, had persuaded over three dozen women to crusade for him. This was the third tea they’d held at the Bar M in the past week, and each time they’d barred him from the premises.

With a wry snort of amusement, Sloan stamped his dusty boots on the back porch stoop before opening the kitchen door. Now that the gaggle of guests were finally gone, he was able to enter his own house.

Cat was just leaving. She smiled at Sloan and kissed Heather’s cheek before picking up her new daughter. “I’ll call on you tomorrow morning at ten,” she said to Heather.

Sloan accompanied Caitlin outside and handed her into her buggy. When he returned, Heather had just made a final trip to the parlor to retrieve the remaining teacups and dishes. Sloan cleared a place at the kitchen table for her to set down the tray.

“The tea went well, I think,” she said brightly. “Better even than the first two.”

“That was the last of them, I hope. Why is Cat coming back tomorrow?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, I meant to tell you, I’ll be gone for a few hours tomorrow morning. Caitlin and I have an errand in town.”

“Errand?”

She hesitated an instant. “We have a strategy session with Sarah regarding your campaign.”

A grin curled his mouth. “Don’t you think you’re taking this campaign thing a mite too far?”