Dirty Work by Chelle Bliss, Brenda Rothert

One of the boys dives for it and ends up face planting into the mud.
    It’s coming my way, so I bend down and creep closer. I’m just a few feet from the pig when one of my flip-flops slides in the mud, and I fall flat on my ass.
    The crowd roars with amusement. The mud is thick and wet, and I’m covered in it. I figure I’m all in now, so I might as well get that pig. I crawl toward it on my hands and knees, seeing two of the boys edging in on the other side. One of them lunges for it, and the pig squeals and takes off in my direction.
    I reach for it, grabbing ahold of it for just a second before it slips through my very muddy fingers. Then I slide out of control and end up facedown in the mud.
    Well, this was not my best idea. I’ve got mud everywhere, from my hair to in between my toes. My campaign bus is a mile away, so that’ll be a fun walk.
    If I stand, I’ll just slide and fall over again, so I crawl over to the edge of the enclosure. I’m debating whether to keep chasing the pig I’ll never be able to catch when I see a pair of shiny black dress shoes on someone standing on the outside of the enclosure. I’m only a couple feet away, and I almost hate to look up because I have a sinking feeling in my gut.
    I draw a mud-covered hand over my face to move my hair away from my eyes as I look up. The shoes lead to a tailored dark suit, a bright red tie over a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and then up to a face covered in dark scruff wearing a smirk I know all too well.
    “Hello, Reagan,” Jude says.

Chapter 11
    E ven covered in mud , she’s stunning. This is a side of Reagan I never expected to see, especially not in the middle of a campaign. I watched from the stands as she chased the pig, unable to control my laughter when she fell on her ass.
    I wasn’t looking forward to the fair until I heard Reagan would be there too. I had our reunion planned out differently in my head, but this is almost better.
    “Jude,” she says with wide eyes like she’s a deer stuck in the beam of headlights as she peers up at me. She smoothes back another clump of muddy hair and clears her throat. “What are you doing here?”
    “Same thing as you, but I don’t plan on kissing a pig.”
    She shrugs and a small smile creeps across her face. “It wasn’t my first.”
    She’s trying to get to me, but I don’t let her. “I’m sure I can find something better for you to kiss.”
    She raises a coated eyebrow. The darkness of the mud makes her eyes stand out more and appear larger. “I’m good,” she says with a snarl.
    “How have you been?” I feel bad that I haven’t messaged her in days. After running into Jim, everything fell by the wayside except for campaigning and prep. I wasn’t in the mind space to talk to her either. Any playfulness I had vanished until tonight.
    Seeing her again caused my stomach to flip and made everything else fall away.
    “Fine.” Her answer’s short and abrasive. “I have to go get cleaned up. It was good to see you.” She starts to walk away, but I grab her arm.
    I loosen my grip when she glares at my hand around her bicep. “Reagan, don’t go.”
    Her narrowed eyes come to mine. “Get your hands off me, Jude.”
    My hand drops and is now covered in mud, but I don’t even care. I’m not ready for her to walk away yet. “I’m sorry I haven’t texted you.”
    She shrugs at my side and looks straight ahead, avoiding my eyes. “You don’t owe me an apology.”
    “I do.” I step backward and into her line of sight again. My fingers find their way to her chin and force her to look at me, forgetting where we are.
    “Don’t,” she whispers and closes her eyes. “People will see us.”
    I grit my teeth but drop my hand. “I’ve had a bad few days. I wanted to talk to you, but I just couldn’t find the words.”
    “Hello isn’t really hard.”
    I can see the pain in her eyes, and it guts me. “I know. Will you meet me tonight? I need to talk to