Page 1 of Coveted Justice

1

Tanner Marks read through his notes one more time before shoving the cards into his tuxedo jacket pocket. He had to make a speech tonight, and he didn’t want to mess it up. This was an important evening for him.

The elegant restaurant had been rented out for a political campaign fundraiser. Somehow he’d allowed the leaders of his party to convince him to run for governor of the state.

Governor.

He still hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around it. Not long ago, he’d been fired from his sheriff’s job in Springwood and now he was running for the highest office in the entire state. It didn’t make much sense to him, but here he was. He wanted to help people, and he wanted to make a difference. He’d always wanted that, to be honest, and that’s why he’d stayed in law enforcement for so long. But he’d found out that there were other ways to contribute to the betterment of society. As governor, he’d be leading his party’s policies in Montana.

He wasn’t, however, going to win.

He’d made his peace with that early, frankly, ambivalent about the whole damn venture. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to become the governor because it sounded like a major pain in the ass. Plus, running for office put his family into the spotlight. He was proud as hell of them, but they weren’t all that thrilled about the attention. Maddie and Amanda had been troopers about it all, but this governor’s race might be a bridge too far. They kept saying it was all fine, but he wasn’t convinced.

The party had put immense amounts of pressure on him. Right now, Tanner was popular with the citizens, his approval ratings higher than any other lawmaker. They wanted to capitalize on that before he did something that pissed everyone off.

Of course, not everyone liked him. He’d made a few enemies since entering politics. Tanner’s no nonsense, get-it-done approach had become popular in his home state. However, there were certainly more than a few people who thought he should burn in hell. To say the least, they weren’t fans. They thought he was dumb as a rock and dangerous to their own agenda.

That was something he’d learned early on. Everyone had their own agenda, and they didn’t much give a shit about anyone else’s unless their interests aligned or they thought some sort of deal could be made. It was survival of the fittest and the faint of heart need not apply. They’d get chewed up and spit out in a hurry. More than once, Tanner had questioned whether he truly wanted to do this. There were days when retirement looked damn good.

Tonight was the first fundraiser for the campaign. If it didn’t turn out well, it would be the bellwether for the future. If no one wanted to give him money, then he might as well pack his bags and go.

I think I’d be relieved.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and caught a whiff of familiar perfume. His wife. Maddie. The woman he loved and adored. He still couldn’t believe that she’d married him. He was one lucky bastard.

Turning, he leaned down to drop a quick kiss on her forehead, not wanting to mess up her lipstick. She and Amanda had both fussed with their clothes, hair, and makeup for over an hour before arriving tonight. Not that they needed to. They were both drop-dead gorgeous, easily the most stunning women in the room.

“Are you ready for your speech?” Maddie asked, her gaze darting to the empty podium several feet away and then back to him. “Do you have your note cards?”

His sweet Maddie was a worrier, at least when it came to things like this. She hated being the center of attention and the thought of speaking in public made her break out in nervous hives. She wasn’t the one making the speech tonight, but she was anxious for him.

Not that she wouldn’t be in the spotlight as well. She would be. Scrutinized by everyone here - donors and press. They commented on her hair, her clothes, her shoes. Anything they could come up with.

He hated that he’d put her in this position, although she kept telling him over and over that it was fine. She said it was all worth it because he could help people. She was fine with having her picture taken and answering the same stupid questions dozens of times.

He kept assuring her that he wasn’t going to win. He was five points down in the early polls, and his opponent was a total asshole who had millions in corporate money behind him.

He’d argued with his campaign manager Brian that he didn’t want a bunch of wealthy donors who would expect favors later. So far, he’d run his campaign with small grassroots donations, but Brian had been pressing him that they needed more money if they wanted to compete with radio and television ads.

While Tanner assumed he was going to lose, Brian was absolutely convinced that they would win. They only needed a bit more effort. And money. He kept saying that Tanner was riding a wave of popularity that could end up in the governor’s mansion.

“I have them,” he said, patting his pocket. “Although I’m not sure about the speech. I might change a few parts of it.”

He’d been surprised to find out that candidates for governor didn’t usually write their own speeches. They had staff for that. Tanner had always written his own with his family’s help until now. Tonight, the words on the cards simply didn’t feel like his own.

“Trust your gut,” Maddie said, giving him an encouraging smile. “Your instincts are right most of the time.”

His gaze ran over the crowded room, everyone dressed to the nines. There was some serious money represented here, and for some crazy reason they wanted to give it to him. Total strangers wanted to write him huge checks because they hated his opponent. Probably more than they liked Tanner. That thought always made him chuckle a bit. In politics, hate was always stronger than love.

“We can turn around and run out of here,” he offered. “If you’re having second thoughts, I’ll pull the plug. Just say the word. It’s still early in the campaign. No one would say anything.”

Maddie tilted her head, regarding him closely. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Yes. Second, third, fourth. I think we’d be absolutely nuts not to be having them. This entire idea is batshit crazy. Me for governor? It’s too far-fetched to be real.”

She placed her hand on his arm, the warmth of her touch seeping through the material of his jacket.

“It is real, though. I, personally, think that you’d make a wonderful governor. You really care about the people of this state, and that’s hard to find these days. You truly want to make their lives better.”

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