Heart Race

By Kelly J. Popwell

Because of the wrongdoings of the last administration, the looming November election is proving to be the most important in American history. When young New Hampshire attorney Kasey Butler decides to run for US Senate, she never imagines she will experience both love and hatred in the same year.

Her first task is to recruit a campaign manager. After interviewing the intelligent, handsome Rick Springer, she hires him on the spot. As Rick immerses himself in his new job and Kasey focuses on creating her campaign slogan, it is not long before they realize they share an undeniable attraction. After falling in love with Rick, Kasey’s political career and personal life take her on an emotional rollercoaster ride. But her life quickly becomes more challenging when the Democratic incumbent, Travis Evans, suddenly decides to re-enter the race. As Kasey and her staff become the victims of the corrupt and vindictive tactics of Evans and his cronies, will she find a way to rise above the sleazy behavior and win the election?

In this political thriller, a candidate running for a US Senate seat sets out down an unexpected path lined with forbidden love, intrigue, and a ruthless incumbent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Sep 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665708807

Kelly J. Popwell

Kelly J. Popwell grew up on a farm in Central Pennsylvania. She holds an associate’s degree in early childhood education from the University of the District of Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the College of New Jersey. Kelly currently works at the Office of Chief Counsel at the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. She and her husband, Noel, reside in Ewing, New Jersey.

Book preview

Chapter 1

E very election is important, but this November was going to be the most important ever. The last administration had absolutely destroyed our economy; and our relationship with allies and created a large division in our country. This was the reason that Kasey Butler decided to run for political office. She had managed to win the elections for class treasurer in her sophomore year at Hanover High School and for class president at Boston University. She had attended law school there for four long, grueling years until she got her law degree and eventually passed the bar exam.

Kasey had been asked several times to run for a Senate or House seat, but she didn’t think she was ready for that challenge. It was after she saw the first African American president be elected, female secretaries of state; and an openly gay cabinet member be appointed, and numerous immigrants win seats; that she decided that this was the year to begin her candidacy. She just needed to get her affairs in order and begin choosing her political advisor, campaign manager and close staff members.

America: It’s Time We Got It Right was going to be her political slogan. She was tired of having all these state representatives and senators make promises they couldn’t keep after they were elected. It was time for her to do something about it. Even though she was a very good attorney, she could not understand how many people still called her a shark. Just because she was a lawyer didn’t mean that she was dishonest in any way. In fact, she stood on her complete honesty and integrity. This was something she was very proud of as well.

She was proud to be a volunteer throughout her school days from the sixth grade Girl Scouts to her college trip to Haiti to help build houses in the poorest Caribbean country. She always did what she needed to do to help her fellow man and to help the less fortunate. She knew it was a time for change in Washington DC and she wanted the opportunity to be the one to do it. She could always be heard saying Gosh, we have got to get this right soon, which explained her slogan. It’s time we got it right. She very much wanted to represent her home state of New Hampshire in DC to get things done quickly. She knew that the best way to win an election was to hire the best campaign manager around, so she began her long and tedious search. She had found a few prospective ones; but then had to begin the process of elimination. She first started with Barry Wingate from New York. He had been involved with several New York mayor candidates for years. He was very knowledgeable and a go-getter, but she opted for someone a bit younger. She was afraid he would be more prone to suffering a medical emergency at his age. She didn’t need that in the middle of her campaign, although she really wanted his experience. Next she interviewed Charles Grubber from Boston. He, too, was very famous for the work he had done with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the California gubernatorial race, but again, she was unsure of his tactics. She was honest and didn’t want any dishonesty in her campaign. She finally opted for an interview with Rick Springer from Charleston, South Carolina. He was intelligent, well known and very handsome. Real eye candy for the cameras.

Although Kasey was single, she had no intention of getting involved with Rick. She arranged to have him flown in for the interview and made reservations for an overnight stay at the Hilton in downtown Concord. She had her list of questions written on her legal pad when she arrived at the Hilton. Rick arrived and checked in shortly after.

Hello, Rick. How are you? I am Kasey Butler, she said with an outreached hand.

I am doing rather well today. I had a safe and uneventful trip, and the hotel is certainly five-star quality, he answered. How are you this evening?

Very well, thank you. She wanted to get on with the interview process so she could get home to her beloved black lab. Bella did not like it when Kasey stayed out too late. She wanted her walk before ten o’clock every night.

Kasey was wearing a form-fitting dark blue pinstriped suit. The skirt was rather long and reached to her mid calves. She had on a pair of navy-blue pumps with about three-inch heels. Her dark brown hair was up in a bun, and she had on her wire-rimmed glasses. Rick was dressed in a nice black Giorgio Armani suit with a pale salmon shirt and a black-and-gray striped tie. She thought he looked amazing. His short, dark hair was freshly trimmed, clean, and looked so soft she would have loved to run her fingers through it. They both looked very professional in the hotel lobby. They took the interview into the hotel bar. The very young, blonde waitress in a black bow tie suit came to their table.

I would like a white wine spritzer please, Kasey ordered. Rick what would you like to drink?

I would like a cranberry juice with a shot of 7-Up.

You don’t want a cocktail or a glass of wine? she asked.

No ma’am. I do not drink when I am conducting any kind of business and frankly you shouldn’t either, he grumbled.

She was appalled by his comment. How dare he say this to me? Who does he think he is? Then she realized, Wow maybe he is right. Boy, she had never thought of that before. Not that she drank excessively; she was just having a white wine spritzer. Geez, it wasn’t like she was knocking back shots of whiskey or anything, but she understood where he was coming from.

Hmm, where do we begin? Kasey asked. Why don’t you begin with your background? We have a good long time, so I would like to hear briefly from your childhood up through your college years and how you came to be on my list of interviewees today.

OK. Wow, where to begin.....I was born and raised mostly in Alabama. Go, Crimson Tide! My father was a farmer and my mother worked in a small grocery store only a few hours a week. She only worked to get extra money to put shoes on our feet and clothes on our backs. Most of our food was grown on the farm where we lived. All of us had chores to do every day from gathering eggs, milking cows, and planting, hoeing, and harvesting vegetables from our garden. My parents, my siblings, and I were not rich by any means. We had enough of what we needed and none of the extra, frivolous things we didn’t. I was a very studious student in grade school and most of high school. I graduated in the top ten percent of my class. I received several minor scholarships to attend the University of South Carolina. There I got my degree in economics and political science. I liked the state of South Carolina so I stayed there after I graduated. I got my first job out of college at an accounting office near the capitol building and every day I looked at that building and thought, someday I would be working in there. I met lots of the congressional pages during their coffee runs to Starbucks and even more during the afternoon lunch breaks at the local sandwich shop. I eventually got an interview, became a page and worked my way up the government ladder, and here I sit now with you. How is that for a brief introduction?

Very well put. The waitress was back with their drink order. Now tell me how you would represent me and my campaign if I truly decide to run in the November election? she asked as she sipped her wine spritzer.

Well, for starters we need to focus on your honesty and integrity. Supporters and common folk like to know the candidate is honest and sincere and is going to take that to Washington on their behalf. Do you agree with that? Rick asked.

Of course I do. That is exactly what we need to get across to the public. I know they can check public, school, and police records, and I truly have nothing to hide. I don’t think the parking ticket I got years ago will even be an issue since I had it revoked. A police officer gave me a parking ticket while visiting a friend in Vermont on a skiing trip, but I had a visitor’s pass displayed on my dash, and he was too blind to see it. I sent in the evidence of the visitor’s pass and the ticket was dropped. If it is out there at all, it should show that I was cleared of that offense. I think that is the only thing bad that I have ever done in my life.

OK, well good then. No surprises during the campaign about ruthless affairs, corrupt business deals, or drug addictions. Good going Little Miss Perfect, he joked.

My parents raised me right.

"Well, since I told you my background briefly, can you tell me a bit about yours so I can see where you came from and how you got to be here running for election?" he inquired.

My dad was chief of police in the little town of Milford which is about forty miles south of Concord. We had a nice little house on a residential street in a nice neighborhood. I grew up with a brother and a sister. The three of us were close and still are today. I liked to be involved in a lot of things such as Brownies, Girl Scouts, softball, UNICEF, and such. Yes, I went on camping trips and sold lots of boxes of cookies for my troop, and every Halloween I would walk around the neighborhood with the little orange box that said UNICEF on the side. Then we would go to the bank and exchange all the coins I collected, and my mom would write out a check and send it to the orphans in my name. Rick, do you remember the little orange boxes we had to put together to get those donations?

Of course I do. I remember receiving them from our school teacher the week before trick or treating and even though I never used it, I do remember he said.

Why did you never use the box?

Well, we were poor and so were most of our neighbors. When we went trick or treating we were more focused on the candy we would receive rather than collecting for charity. Sorry, but that was about the only time we got sweet treats and we were NOT going to give that up for a few pennies in an orange box. I know it sounds horrible, but hey, that was 25 years ago. Today I would definitely do the charity box rather than the candy. My dentist would also agree since I would have cavities after Halloween every year. he said.

Ok, now that we have your early years taken care of, let’s go later in life and I want you to tell me about your high school days and up through college. I just want to make sure there is nothing scandalous there either, Rick said with intrigue in his voice

Hey, are you trying to imply that I have a wild side or a skeleton in my closet? She said angrily.

"No, no, no heavens no! He sighed. I am just trying to make sure there is nothing that you or your family has done in the past that could hamper your campaign in any way. Some things you may not consider wrong may be wrong by somebody else’s standards"

Ok, well let me continue then. During high school I was a very good student. I was popular and well-liked by my fellow students, teachers and all office faculty. I guess you could say I was a goody two shoes, but I was just being me and my actions were from how I was raised. My family is the same way. All of my immediate family members were good, law abiding citizens too. I was class treasurer and I was in the National Honor Society. I helped to tutor younger classmates after school and I did a lot of volunteering too. I went to Boston College the fall after I graduated and had a 3.85 grade point average at least all four years, if not higher. You can check the records to verify if you like. Then my junior year of college we were given a four month pass to assist with the clean-up, rebuilding and aid to the island of Haiti. That was the year they got hit with several destructive hurricanes.

Wow, sounds like you have lead a very exciting and productive life! What about boyfriends? Did you date a lot? Are you dating anyone currently? Any of them in any kind of scandals? Just to let you know this is what a lot of the voters focus on. If they send someone to Washington they don’t want to send someone who has moral issues such as having affairs with married men, tax evasion or even being associated with anyone with immoral thoughts. Do you understand where I am coming from? He asked.

"Yes, I certainly know where you are coming from and believe me you have nothing to worry about. I have nothing to hide. Seriously." she added.

When was your last boyfriend and do you have one currently? he asked again.

I have not dated in a while. My last serious relationship was with a guy from Canterbury and he was also a lawyer from a rather good family, but things got too serious for me at the time.

"What do you mean too serious?" he asked.

Well, he wanted to get married and start a family, but I was too involved with some very high profile cases and I did not have much time to devote to him, a wedding or possible children at the time. Although he was a very nice guy and I did truly love him, he was not willing to wait any longer so he broke it off with me. She said with a lump in her throat. She hadn’t thought about Todd in a long time.

That is too bad. To find true love and then not act on it because of work is a horrible thing. To me love should come first. You know that is something else a lot of voters look at too. If a candidate is happy in their marriage or relationship, then the candidate will make better choices for them. Studies show that people in general, whether they are elected officials or not, make much more sound decisions when they are happy he said.

Really, I never thought of it that way. You seem to know your stuff, Rick. You did come highly recommended for this position you know. It is getting late and my dog Bella will be getting very anxious for her walk. I do need to get home. Would you like to take the job or would you like to sleep on it and give me a call later? She waved her hand for the check.

Most times I would say I have to sleep on it and weigh the options, but getting to know the real you tonight, I think I can truly say that I believe I could do wonders for your campaign. If it is not to forward, I would like to say that I’d love to accept your offer right now. We just need to work out the business end of salary, strategy, tactics and commitments. He added.

Certainly that will be taken care of as soon as possible. Enjoy your stay here tonight in Concord. I have the check and anything you wish to order to your room will be paid for by me. I really need to get going and hope you have a safe trip back to South Carolina tomorrow. She stood and shook his hand to show that they had a deal. Rick Springer would be her new campaign manager.

Rick, still standing from her handshake, watched her exit the hotel bar. He thought she was absolutely stunning. She had a great personality, great figure and a wonderful aura about her. He was so glad to be given this opportunity to become her campaign manager. He was very excited to be able to get to know her better too. He knew that over the next eight months he would be spending an enormous amount of time with her both publicly and privately. He could not wait to get begin this new endeavor with her.

Rick stayed in the hotel bar for another hour. He ordered himself a Heineken since he was no longer in a business setting. He knew that he could have whatever he wanted to drink. He noticed that the TV was turned to ESPN and a basketball game was on television. He placed an order for a quarter pound hamburger smothered in Swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms and spent the rest of the evening cheering on his team. When the game was over he retired to his suite at the Hilton and fell asleep thinking of his next meeting with Kasey.

Chapter 2

T he next several weeks were very busy for Rick. He had to come up with his strategy for the campaign trail and on top of all the political work he had to do he also had to find time to move himself to New Hampshire. Thank goodness he only had a small apartment in South Carolina, which he decided to sublet to two college students.

The young couple was perfect for Rick to rent to since the apartment was furnished and his personal things were going with him at the time. He had the couple sign a lease for the rest of the year addressing the condition of the place. If anything was to be broken or destroyed they would have to repair it before getting back their deposit. He knew that they were a good, quiet couple and he would not have any problems with them. He packed his most treasured items into boxes and put them in his car. He decided he would drive the sixteen long hours to New Hampshire so he would not incur the expense of renting a car for all those months. Besides, his car would be just sitting there on the street for any hoodlum to break into or vandalize. He would wait until he got to Concord to look for a cheap apartment. He would have to spend several nights in a hotel until he found the apartment.

He left South Carolina with his car all packed and ready to head north. As he entered North Carolina he stopped for some gas and a hot cup of coffee. While sitting at the tiny cafe table he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kasey’s office.

Hello, Kasey Butler’s office, Janice speaking, may I help you? said the secretary.

Janice, this is Rick Springer calling, how are you today darling? he asked.

Oh, Mr. Springer you are too kind. You don’t have to call me darling every time you call.

Sorry Janice, does that make you uncomfortable? he asked.

Oh heavens no Mr. Springer but you can call me sweetheart, sugar or pumpkin too you know, she laughed out loud.

He laughed loudly and almost spit his coffee across the table. Boy you are not at all shy are you Janice? You don’t have to call me Mr. Springer, please call me Rick or sweetheart, sugar or pumpkin.

She laughed flirtatiously at his response. She knew that it was going to be fun working with him. His funny conversations were what she looked forward to.

Can I please speak to Kasey if that is alright, pumpkin? He giggled.

Sure thing I will put you right through, ta-ta until later. She said.

The next voice he heard was Kasey. Hello, Kasey Butler here.

Kasey how are you today sweetheart? he joked.

I beg your pardon? Who is this calling and why are you calling me sweetheart? she said angrily.

I am sorry Kasey. It is me Rick. Your secretary and I were just having some laughs on the phone. I hope that I didn’t offend you.

After she knew it was him it was fine for him to call her sweetheart. She didn’t mind one bit. Where are you now Rick? she asked.

I am in the southern part of North Carolina right now. Just stopped for some coffee and gas. Had to stretch my legs a bit. I have been thinking along the journey what color scheme you would like to use for your campaign posters and t-shirts?

Oh geez I never thought of that. I would like to stay with something basic like a dark blue but I want something that people will remember when they get to the polling booths like a bright pink or purple. You seem to be the genius here what do you think?

Well I will come up with something but I wanted to see if you had your heart set on a specific color before I began, he said.

Nope I trust your judgment and will allow you to make that decision on your own. Have a safe trip up and if you need to ask any more questions feel free to call back. I am sure Janice would like to hear your voice again too. She giggled as she hung up the phone.

Kasey had goose bumps all over her arms when she placed the phone back on the desk. She loved to hear his deep voice with that southern accent. She knew it was from his Alabama heritage and not a South Carolina accent. She could listen to him talk for hours. Even though she would rather he be standing in the same room so she could adore his sweet face and voice. Of course the rest of the package was something to die for too. His body was very firm. You could tell he worked out at least three times or more a week. Kasey was hoping that he would be interested in working out with her while he was here. She too was very fit and enjoyed her time at the gym and walking with Bella, even though with Bella it more or less became a jog or run when she spotted a black squirrel and chased it up a tree.

Rick called again the following day. Again Janice was pleased to speak to him. She giggled and transferred the call straight to Kasey’s office. Hello again Kasey. I just wanted to let you know that I am in central Pennsylvania right now. I am in Amish country. You should see the beautiful scenery and the horse and buggies everywhere. I applaud these Amish for how they preserve their heritage and live without the modern conveniences that people like us can’t live without. Can you imagine if you could not use your TV, microwave or God forbid your cell phone for a day? We would go insane, but these people seem to not even have a care in the world. Actually, I was just driving through a town called Intercourse and my mind turned to you so I thought I would call you. He said jokingly.

Why, Rick, you silver tongued devil. Would your mother wash out your mouth with soap if she heard you talk to your boss that way? She laughed. She was glad that he was not a hard ass and enjoyed having fun. She knew that he meant nothing sexual about it, but she understood that probably every man that traveled through that town made the same joke to a female. Why the Amish would call a town Intercourse is still unknown.

You know I am only kidding Kasey. Just wanted to hear you laugh today. You can tell Janice I said that so she can laugh too. I will be stopping in New York to spend the night and will be in New Hampshire sometime tomorrow evening. he said.

"When you get in please call me and if you like, we can have dinner at the hotel unless you are too tired from the drive. Of course, I will be ordering a virgin daiquiri this time since no alcohol during business meetings. See, I remembered your first order of business from the interview," she laughed.

That would be great so we can go over some sketches I have come up with for your posters and campaign slogan. I will call you tomorrow evening when I get in. Hope you have a good remainder of the day and tell Janice I said hello and I called her sugar. He hung up the phone smiling from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat.

He was anxious to get there and have dinner with Kasey. He was so anxious that he didn’t see the unmarked police car behind the large, concrete, bridge barrier until the car was behind him with the lights flashing and the siren blaring. He pulled to the side of the road cursing. Rick rolled down his window and waited for the officer to approach.

Good afternoon, sir. Can I see your license and registration please? said the uniformed trooper. Do you know why I pulled you over?

No I don’t, but I am guessing that I did something wrong, Rick responded.

I clocked you at seventy-eight miles per hour and the limit on this highway is sixty-five. May I ask where you are headed in such a hurry?

I am on my way to New Hampshire to begin a new job, Rick explained. I am sorry but my mind must have been wandering and I was not concentrating on the road.

Well, you need to be more conscious because there a lot of deer in the area and can jump out in a flash. We have one of the highest deer related accident statistics of any state. Many of these accidents result in fatalities. Please have a safe trip to New Hampshire and observe the posted speed limit from now on. The officer said as he handed Rick a speeding citation.

He could kick himself for not paying attention better. The officer wrote him the ticket and Rick was on his way again. This time he tried not to think of Kasey in any manner but professional. Her last phone conversation would certainly cause him to exceed the speed limit again and he could not afford another ticket.

He arrived in Concord at around six-thirty. As soon as he checked into his hotel room he called Kasey to see what time she would like to meet for dinner. She said she could be there around seven o’clock and to meet her in the hotel restaurant.

The thirty minutes it took for Kasey to get to the hotel seemed like an eternity to Rick. He was patiently waiting in the hotel bar sipping on a Cherry Coke. She arrived right on time. It was seven o’clock on the dot. Not six fifty-nine and not a minute past seven but seven o’clock sharp. He admired her punctuality. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was a goody two shoes.

Kasey, over here! Rick stood waving his hand. Kasey acknowledged him and headed towards the table. I ordered you a diet ginger ale with lime, I hope that is ok? Glad to see you again. Yes, the diet ginger ale is fine. So how was the drive up? Bet you will be ready to hit the sack tonight after all that driving. She asked.

Yes, I certainly will be able to sleep well tonight. However, I did get a speeding ticket on the way. It was in Pennsylvania right after I spoke to you yesterday. Guess my thoughts were on the campaign posters and color schemes that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings and never saw the trooper until he pulled me over. He didn’t want her to know that he was thinking of her and not the campaign and that was the real reason for his error in judgment. He wasn’t going to let that happen again.

Oh my, what a shame. You should drop the summons off at my office and my staff will take care of the payment. I am so sorry that it happened to you, she said.

Well let’s get started here since it is seven o’clock and you have to be home by ten to walk Bella. He surprised her.

I can’t believe you remembered that. You even remembered her name. Heck, Todd barely remembered her name and he was around a lot longer than you.

Just remember, it is my job to know and remember everything about you. You never know when I will be asked on the street or during a rally specific things about you and I don’t like to be seen as a fool and not know the answer. I remember everything from your dad being a cop to you getting money for charity in the orange UNICEF boxes, he answered.

"By golly,