True-Blue Cowboy Read online

  “Definitely. A chance for the bachelors and the high bidders to mingle and for you to shine. It’ll be up at my house.”

  “That’s your house?”

  Ed nodded, a trace of smug satisfaction in her gaze.

  “So you’re the Ed I’ve been hearing about, the one who owns this ranch? I thought it belonged to some guy.”

  “I shortened my name for dramatic effect. Do we have a deal?”

  “Oh, we have a deal, chica. And we need to talk so I can find out how winning some trophies and playing bit parts in a few Westerns resulted in this.” She spread her arms.

  “Compound interest and solid stocks.”

  “Talk to me, girlfriend.”

  “I will, but first we’ll head over to the arena so you can familiarize yourself with the setup.”

  “Good. I always insist on that. This isn’t amateur hour.”

  “Not with you at the helm. After we check out the stage and lights, we’ll grab a six-pack of hard cider and I’ll tell you all.”

  “Excellent.”

  Ed tipped her hat to Quinn and Kendra. “Great seeing you two again.”

  Quinn stepped forward and offered his hand. “Thank you, ma’am. Ellie Mae, you’ll make a terrific auctioneer.”

  “And you’re going to regret letting Edna Jane steal me away.”

  “Don’t worry,” Kendra said. “If business doesn’t pick up, I’ll send the Whine and Cheese Club out with sandwich boards.”

  Ed brightened. “The Whine and Cheese Club is here? How did I miss that?”

  “We’ve kept our presence low-key. Didn’t want to step on any toes, namely those of the Babes on Buckskins. This is your event, but if you need any—”

  “Oh, we can use you—all of you—as facilitators. Please tell anyone who’s willing to help to show up at the arena around six.”

  “Will do.”

  Ed turned to Rafe and Nick. “Ellie Mae, allow me to introduce two members of the Buckskin Brotherhood, Nick Le Grande and Rafe Banner.”

  Nick and Rafe whipped off their hats and held them against their chests as they each murmured a polite greeting.

  Ellie Mae gave them an appreciative once-over. “Buckskin Brotherhood, huh? That sounds sexy. I recognize both of you from the bachelor auction flyer, but you’re even better looking in person.”

  Nick flushed. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “So, Nick, what would you like me to say about you before the bidding starts?”

  He blurted out the first thing that came to him. “I’m strong as an ox.”

  “I’ll just bet you are. You’re straining the seams of your shirt. Your physical strength is obvious, but what about your character? Who are you inside?”

  He drew a complete blank.

  “I can tell you,” Rafe said. “You can count on this guy. He’ll be there for you, no matter what.”

  “That’s lovely.”

  Nick glanced at him. “Thanks, bro.”

  “What about you, Rafe? What should I say about you?”

  “I wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “That’s commendable since clearly you could squash most things flat if you wanted. People, too, I’ll bet.”

  “I don’t, though.”

  “But it’s not like he’s harmless,” Nick said. “Go after something or someone Rafe loves and you’d better watch out.”

  “A protector.” Ellie Mae nodded. “Excellent. If the other bachelors are anything like you guys, we’ll raise a ton of money for Raptors Rise tonight.”

  Chapter Four

  Country music poured from the speakers mounted in a surround-sound configuration in the arena. Finding a seat on the crowded bleachers wasn’t easy. Eva finally spotted an opening five rows up that would work.

  She pointed it out to her friends and led the way, excusing herself as she edged past other spectators to get to it.

  “Well done.” Fiona plopped down on the seat next to Eva. “This is crazy. Are all these people here to bid?”

  “I doubt it.” Beth settled next to Fiona. “I think most folks are just curious.” She took out her phone and silenced it. “Phones, everybody.”

  Eva silenced hers. “And some will have deeper pockets than mine. But I’ll stick to my limit and see what happens.”

  “Well, I’ve decided not to bid on Jared at all.” Beth gave them a look clearly designed to end the discussion.

  “You’d better have a really good reason,” Fiona said, “or I’ll point at you and start clucking like a chicken.”

  “I have a great reason. If he wanted to ask me out, he would have done it already. It’s been a year since I opened my shop next to his and we decided to cross-promote. He’s had ample opportunity to—”

  “As Fiona mentioned before,” Eva said, “so have you. We’re past the days when the guy has to make the first move.”

  “But I’m the new person in town. Shouldn’t he be the one to—” She broke off as Fiona started making clucking noises. “How many guys have you asked out since you arrived in Apple Grove, Miss Fiona?”

  “None, yet, but I—”

  “Did you bring your checkbook?”

  “It’s always in my wallet, but I’m not going to—”

  “Why not?” Beth stared her down. “What better time to take the plunge than tonight, when the money supports a worthy cause?”

  “I’m supporting it in other ways. I bought one of Lucy’s sketches.”

  “So did Eva and I, but they weren’t expensive. The bachelor auction is the big money maker.”

  “But you just said you weren’t biding on Jared, so you’re not contributing to the cause, either. If I’m doing it, you’re doing it.”

  Beth sighed. “All right. I’ll risk making a fool of myself. You need to pick somebody.”

  “I didn’t even look at this thing.” Fiona pulled the flyer out of her purse and consulted it. “I don’t know any of these guys, except Jared, of course. Stationery shops don’t attract male customers, as a rule.”

  “I wouldn’t know them, either,” Eva said, “except they come in for haircuts. If we all went to the Moose on a regular basis, we’d—”

  “I can’t justify it,” Fiona said. “Getting that business off the ground is more important than meeting sexy cowboys.”

  “Clearly they don’t come into Racy Lace, either,” Beth said. “Eva, you have the inside track. Who should she bid on?”

  “Well, I—”

  “What about him?” Fiona tapped on a picture. “Leo Marston is gorgeous. I’ve never dated anybody that handsome.”

  Eva glanced at the picture. “He’d look even better if he’d get his hair cut at Tres Beau.”

  “I thought they all did, now.”

  “All of them except Leo. He’s the only Buckskin Brotherhood holdout.”

  “Is it because Tres Beau is more expensive? I don’t want to bid on a tightwad, especially since we’d be going on a dinner date.”

  “It’s not the money. Nick says it’s almost as if Leo resents being so handsome. He constantly downplays his appearance.”

  “I’m intrigued.” Fiona tucked the flyer back in her purse. “A handsome guy who’s not full of himself. I’ll bid on him, but I refuse to empty my checking account.”

  “I’m not doing that for Jared, either.”

  “Should we all agree on a set amount?” Eva had one in mind, but she’d let them chime in.

  “Here’s a reasonable benchmark,” Beth said. “The price of a cut, color and tip at Tres Beau.”

  “That works.” Eva had intended to spend twice that. Nick would probably bring a lot more, which meant if she stuck with their agreed-upon limit she wouldn’t win the bid.

  “Where do you suppose they’re keeping the guys?” Beth scanned the arena. “You’d think they’d want them out here where we could eyeball them.”

  “Not necessarily.” Eva looked around, too. “They could be hiding in plain sight, but I don’t think so. My guess is they’re tucked awa
y somewhere to build the suspense. Henri’s going up to the mic. We must be getting close.”

  Fiona leaned toward Eva. “I want to be Henri Fox when I grow up. I’ve always been self-conscious about being tall, but look at how she carries herself.”

  “She’s regal. All the Babes walk tall and proud, for that matter.”

  “Lucy hasn’t got that down yet,” Beth said.

  “Yeah, but she’s shorter.” Eva admired the heck out of Lucy. “And a newbie. Give her another year as a Babe and she’ll be strutting around like the rest of them.”

  Beth laughed. “She needs to get platform boots.”

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” Henri’s clear voice quieted the crowd immediately. “Welcome to Apple Grove’s first-ever bachelor auction!” Cheers and applause followed. She waited for it to die down. “I’m sure you’re eager to start the bidding on our dashingly handsome bachelors. First, though, let’s hear from the founder of Raptors Rise, Zane McGavin!”

  “Hey, he’s cute,” Fiona murmured as the crowd applauded for Zane. She pulled out the flyer. “Is he one of the—”

  “He’s married,” Eva said.

  “Shoot.”

  Zane acknowledged the crowd’s enthusiasm with a brilliant smile. Then he nudged back his hat with his thumb. “Folks, I can’t tell you how much that welcome means to me. I dreamed about creating a sanctuary for birds of prey when I was a teenager. Back then I thought establishing Raptors Rise in Eagles Nest would be the ultimate high.”

  He took a breath. “Expanding the project to Apple Grove has shown me that I didn’t dream big enough. I’m grateful to Henri Fox for donating the land and to all of you for generously supporting a second location for Raptors Rise.”

  The crowd responded with more energetic applause.

  Zane’s voice became gruff with emotion. “Because of you, the magnificent eagles, hawks, owls and falcons who live in this valley will have a sanctuary where injuries are healed and orphaned chicks get a second chance. The information center will educate and advocate for the birds and a sustainable environment that will benefit us all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” With a tip of his hat, he stepped back from the mic as the crowd roared its approval.

  Henri returned. “Thank you, Zane. Beautifully stated.”

  Fiona nudged Eva again. “Is he happily married?”

  “Very.” Eva grinned at her. “Put your tongue back in your mouth.”

  “Before we start,” Henri said, “I need to make a few more introductions. Please hold your applause until I’m finished. Our auctioneer will be Ellie Mae Stockton, a veteran events coordinator from Eagles Nest who has a background in the film industry.”

  A woman dressed in tailored jeans, high-heeled boots and a sequined black Western shirt came forward.

  Beth glanced at Eva. “Do you know her?”

  “Haven’t a clue. I heard that Ed was going to be the auctioneer.”

  “Our facilitators,” Henri said, “include our own Babes on Buckskins.” She gestured toward the six women who stepped up on stage. “We’ll be assisting our bachelors.”

  The Babes received a warm welcome from the stands.

  “Joining us from Eagles Nest,” Henri continued, “are the six women of the Whine and Cheese Club, staunch supporters of Raptors Rise. They’ll escort our top bidders to the Winner’s Circle where winner and bachelor can meet and discuss their planned activity.”

  “Yikes.” Fiona sucked in a breath. “I didn’t expect we’d come face-to-face tonight.”

  “No chickening out,” Beth said. “You promised.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Eva said. “Just confirm the arrangements and thank Leo for volunteering to do this. No big deal.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Fiona gave her a look. “You’re just hiring a handyman. He’s not taking you on a date.”

  “True.” Instead, in the unlikely event she won, she’d have a muscular cowboy tromping around in her house and working shirtless in her backyard tomorrow. For twelve hours.

  As the music swelled and the crowd grew restless with anticipation, she faced the truth of Fiona’s comment. A bachelor auction had a sexy vibe.

  Oh, well, didn’t matter. She wouldn’t win.

  Chapter Five

  Let’s get on with it. Nick’s plan to relax and have fun disintegrated under the pressure of his impending performance. The double doors at the back of the arena were open a crack so the bachelors could hear what was going on inside.

  Each of them held the reins of the horse Ed had provided for their use, except for Jared, who’d brought his gray gelding. Nick had a big caramel-colored palomino named Thor. At least he’d make his entrance on a showstopper horse.

  Half of the guys stood to one side of the doors and half on the other, staying in the shadow of the building. Even when the doors opened, only the cowboy riding through would be visible.

  Ben had appointed himself head wrangler. Fine with Nick. Ben had volunteered to kick off the action and demonstrate how simple it would be. Yeah. Jumping off a cliff was simple, too.

  Nobody was talking. Most of the guys had a hand on their horse’s muzzle to help keep them quiet. The idea was to maintain an element of surprise, at least until Ben charged through the back door.

  Nick was the only one rocking a T-shirt, although it wasn’t the same one he’d worn today. Like everyone else, he’d brought a change of clothes and his shaving kit.

  Teague, Ed’s wrangler, had a house on the property. He’d made it available so the guys could shower, shave and put on clean clothes.

  Nick’s T-shirt choice had worried him some when the others had busted out their fancy shirts with embroidery on the yokes and collars. Too late to do anything about it, though.

  The back door opened and Ed slipped through. “We’ve added a wrinkle to build suspense. For each entrance, we’ll start your music soft and the Whine and Cheese ladies will do a little dancing. Then Ellie Mae will call out your name, we’ll crank up the music and you’ll barrel through the doorway. Everybody got that?”

  All the guys nodded.

  “Ben, take Ranger out about ten yards so you’ll have a good head of steam when you burst on the scene. The rest of you follow his example when it’s your turn.” She glanced at her phone. “Two minutes. Then Josette and I will open the doors. Thanks for doing this.” She ducked back into the arena.

  Nick gulped. Not long now. He was third in the lineup, better than first and preferable to last, Rafe’s position. He glanced over and gave Rafe a thumbs-up. The big guy responded in kind. He looked a little green around the gills, but maybe that was a trick of the light.

  The opening to Ben’s chosen song, Toby Keith’s How Do You Like Me Now? filtered out through the crack in the door. Then Ellie Mae Stockton’s voice rang out. “Give it up for the owner of the Choosy Moose, Ben Malone!”

  Ed and Josette threw back the doors. With a whoop, Ben slapped Ranger on the rump with his hat. As the sound system belted out the tune, the powerful bay leaped forward and dashed through the doorway at a full gallop. The open door gave Nick a partial view as Ben circled the arena, standing in his stirrups, his hat lifted in salute to the cheering crowd, a huge grin on his face.

  “Damn,” Rafe muttered from behind him. “He’s having a blast.”

  “Maybe you will, too, bro.”

  “Fat chance.”

  The music cut off and Ben wheeled Ranger to face the bleachers while Ellie Mae talked him up. Then she started the bidding.

  The pace was brisk and the amount kept climbing. Nick turned to Rafe, eyebrows lifted. “Don’t hear Henri.”

  “Nope.”

  Then she jumped in, her voice carrying over the rest. The amount she called out was huge, enough to bring a collective gasp from the onlookers.

  “Going once.” Ellie Mae paused. “Going twice… sold to Henri Fox! Henri, go meet your bachelor in the Winners’ Circle.”

  Leo chuckled. “Sure wish I could see Ben’s face
right now.”

  “I’m happy for him,” Nick said.

  “And her,” Rafe said. “She really should give Ben a shot. They’d go good together.”

  “Maybe now they’ll figure that out.” Nick’s tension eased some. Henri and Ben would make a good match. But his anxiety came roaring back when Ed and Josette signaled to Jared.

  He mounted Shadow and guided the horse to the spot Ben had vacated. The intro to Alabama’s Mountain Music was easy to hear now that the doors stood open. Nick had a glimpse of the Whine and Cheese ladies doing a line dance.

  Then Ellie Mae came on. “Make some noise for the owner of Logan’s Leather, Jared Logan!”

  The music blared as Jared and Shadow bolted through the door. Putting the reins in his teeth, Jared lifted his hands over his head and clapped in time to the music. The crowd joined in, clearly having fun.

  “The guy has skills,” Rafe muttered.

  “Uh-huh.” Nick’s nerves were jangling and he didn’t catch much of what Ellie Mae said about Jared. Or much of the bidding, either. Heart thudding, he mounted up when Ed and Josette signaled to him.

  His song was Stay a Little Longer by the Brothers Osborne, a tune chosen because it had a line about T-shirts. Seemed to take forever to position Thor at the starting line and even longer while the opening bars of the song played.

  Ellie Mae’s voice nearly gave him a heart attack. “Let’s show some love to bachelor Nick La Grande!”

  Nick dug his heels into Thor’s ribs and the palomino exploded, hurtling through the open doors. Nick hunched over the horse’s neck, the cream-colored mane slapping him in the face as they took that circuit at a breakneck pace.

  The music cut off and he pulled up in a cloud of dust, breathing hard. Thor snorted and pranced with impatience, wanting another run. Nick murmured to the big palomino and stroked his sweat-darkened neck.

  “What a thrilling entrance, Nick.” Ellie Mae turned toward him and blew him a kiss before facing the spectators again. “As the program states, Nick is offering twelve hours of manual labor, and you can see for yourselves he’s up to the job. Wooooee!”