Pressure is slowly building on the two conservative political parties in Alberta to put aside their differences, park their egos and unite under a common banner.

And those who dream of the two entities gathering under one flag again also fantasize about a high-profile figure arriving on the scene to take the reins of the newly constituted political entity and lead the charge to power.

And then they wake up.

To this point, much of the white-knight speculation has focused on Jason Kenney, the former federal Conservative cabinet minister from Calgary who was one of the most highly regarded members of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s inner circle. Mr. Kenney has been silent so far about the grassroots hope that he would consider running for the leadership of a united Progressive Conservative-Wildrose party. (The leading candidate for a new name is: the Conservative Party of Alberta).

The main problem with the plan is that many suspect Mr. Kenney intends to seek the federal Conservative Party leadership. So far, there have been no signs from his camp that this is, in fact, his intention. The other name you hear as a potential leader for a united conservative party in Alberta is Rona Ambrose.

Ms. Ambrose has drawn strong early reviews as the interim leader of the federal Conservatives. Like others who served under the ever-controlling Mr. Harper, the Alberta-born MP is blossoming in the absence of the strict messaging and the often dire and negative tone of the former government. She has managed to put a friendlier face on her party. She is a good speaker and sharp on her feet.

She said on CBC Radio recently that she was “not interested” in going for the leadership of a united conservative party in Alberta. But she also said she was “absolutely interested” in helping to unite the right. This week, I sat beside Ms. Ambrose at a Vancouver event that I was moderating. She told me that for any kind of unification of the right to happen in her home province, people were going to have to be willing to let go of some power.

When I asked her if she would be interested in the leadership she said: “Oh, I don’t know. I’d have to see what happened.” Which is a far cry from “absolutely not.” When I asked her a little bit later if it would be okay if I said she would be interested in exploring the top job if Wildrose and the Progressive Conservatives were able to join together, she replied, “Oh, no, I’ve got too many friends back there so don’t say that.” I’m not sure what that meant.

I still think she could be persuaded. I still think she would be an extremely daunting challenger to NDP Premier Rachel Notley, perhaps the most formidable of any of the names mentioned to this point.

Ms. Ambrose has agreed to stay on as interim federal Conservative leader until a new one is chosen in the spring of 2017. It may take that long for any kind of deal to be hammered out between Wildrose and the PCs anyway – if it happens at all.

One thing is certain: Ms. Ambrose will be monitoring the situation closely; she has indicated she is regularly in touch with people in Alberta trying to make a merger happen.

The only people who can truly make this occur are those in positions of power in both of the parties, and there is a lot of bad blood between the two groups that can’t easily be washed away. The anger that exists in some camps is deep-seated; merger talk is seen as the ultimate act of betrayal. If you’re someone trying to talk the two sides into putting aside their differences, those feelings of distrust are a serious impediment to any peace accord.

I can tell you that one group that is profoundly unhappy with the current state of affairs is the Calgary business community, the suits in the oil and gas towers. There is lots of threatening chatter about leaving town, moving headquarters, if the province’s two conservative parties can’t get their act together and merge for the sake of the common good.

Ultimately, this is where the greatest pressure for a new coalition will come from. The ending of this story is far from written.

Follow Gary Mason on Twitter: @garymasonglobe