Chapter 3

Ryan

“So nice to meet you,” I said, plastering a smile on my face as I met each of the town elders.

They were all very nice, though I was afraid that as old as they were, I might break something shaking each of their hands. Grange Hall was small and smelled like musty wood, kind of like my grandfather’s basement in New York. I had to admit, though, it was fairly tastefully decorated … if you squinted when looking at the Christmas lights decorating every available surface, and they twinkled too. How nice. I was on my third whiskey, and I needed to remember to thank the organizers for including a bar along with the cheap spaghetti dinner and salad bar that I paid for but passed on.

The first round of the auction was fairly simple, and I had bid a thousand dollars for an overnight at a local winery bed-and-breakfast, figuring if I didn’t use it while I was there, I would give it as a gift to one of the councilmen and his wife. The bid was well above the hundred-dollar previous bid, and I was satisfied with my purchase. I figured it would be enough to build some goodwill with the town and help out a cause that was actually pretty neat for a small town like this. If nothing else, my PR rep would get off my tail for at least a few hours, and I might get to drink some wine later on in the week. I looked down at the time and then around the room, making sure I had said hello to all the important people. I figured it was about time I hit the road and headed back to my hotel for the night. I was pretty sure I saw a liquor store on the way over and could make sure to stock up on some whiskey for the hotel room. I had a feeling I was going to need it while I was there.

As I turned, the owner of the organization took the stage again, announcing the next round of auctions. I laughed to myself, realizing it was going to be a girl auction. I tried to hide a smirk as all the guys shimmied up to the front, and the women stood in the back gossiping to each other. Why did every fundraiser run by a woman include the same old song and dance? It was like it was written into code that if you had a fundraiser and you were a woman, you had to auction each other off like cattle. You bid whatever you wanted and tried for a date with one of the town’s most eligible women. The women seemed to be as excited as the men about the whole thing, and I had a feeling this was a really big deal in Bonanza, though from the comment about the black eye, last year didn’t sound too successful. Maybe it was some weird rite of passage for a woman, or maybe it was just a really good way of drawing money from the men’s tight pockets.

I turned and stuck my hands in my pockets, unable to look away. It was like a train wreck, and I had to see who was going to come out on that stage. I mean, what kind of women could really be left eligible in a Podunk town like Bonanza? Most of the women grew up looking for a husband so they could raise some children and eventually become one of the snickering old women in the back. As the girls started walking out on the stage and interviewed with the perky emcee, I found myself actually surprised at how well put together and hot they all were. There was no one I was interested in bidding on, but they were definitely more interesting than the New York City socialites I was used to seeing at functions like this. They had spunk to them, and I could tell almost every single one of them had a twinkle in their eye, looking for the next husband in line. It was both amusing and incredibly interesting to watch.

When it was down to the last girl, I was about to leave, but then Sara Baxter walked out on the stage, and I couldn’t budge my feet. She was wearing a skintight blue gown with sequins that sparkled in the Christmas lights. Her dark, shimmering hair had fiery highlights and gave her a dangerous edge. I cleared my throat and turned back, feeling an instantaneous feeling of want in the pit of my stomach. There was something about this girl that hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to stop myself from bidding, remembering that I was only going to be there for a couple of weeks, weeks when I needed to stay focused and on my game. These couple of weeks were just enough time to do what I came to Bonanza to do. I needed to get my ranch going, get everything set up and working correctly, and then give some interviews to the reporters that the PR company had sent out. Those, I needed to be on my game for, knowing I needed good press to polish my public image.

Small town Sara did not look like the kind of girl who was up there to fool around. She also didn’t look like the girl looking for a husband like the rest of them. I could tell there was a fire to her, something she might be trying to hide behind that pretty blue dress and heels, but something I could see right through. It almost made me want her that much more.

“Our last contestant is Sara Baxter,” the emcee said. “For those of you who don’t know Sara, she was born and bred right here in Bonanza. She’s a veterinarian, also able to make house calls for those who need it, just an FYI. And in her spare time, Sara donates her skills to the organization, working tirelessly with the horses.”

A hometown, house-calling, veterinarian who had a knack for volunteering her time. I definitely needed to stay away from this girl. I needed to stay far, far away from her, in fact, and no matter how much I was yearning to take her out, I needed to remember what I was in that town to do in the first place. Too bad I didn’t have any pets, though. That would be one house call I would love to have had. Sara’s look and background screamed that she was a “good girl” from her head to her toes, and me? Well, I was a bad boy and had been for most of my adult life. It wasn’t on purpose, but I was never the one to be tied down and had this uncanny knack for accidentally hurting almost every girl I took out. That was more than evident by the trail of broken hearts that followed me everywhere I seemed to go. It was the reason I was in a mess or dramatic situation almost all the time, and it was more than a little annoying and distracting when I thought about it.

I figured I would stand there and watch, having never actually seen one of those auctions take place before then. I had a feeling Sara was going to be a town favorite, and even the old, catty women in the back were smiling and waving at her. She was the town sweetheart. I had every intention of not bidding, but when it started, I changed my mind really fast. I watched the crowd hearing different bids being shouted out. They started innocently enough with twenty-five dollars here, thirty dollars there, and so on. Then, out of nowhere, a deep voice bellowed out.

“One hundred dollars,” the voice shouted.

I followed the voice over to the side where a tall, thick man in a cowboy hat was standing. He had a gold star tacked to his old school leather jacket and his face was firm. Everyone got silent in the crowd, and no one else bid any further. It was like they were afraid of the guy or something. I had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with the dollar amount and more about the size and stature of the man. He was obviously someone important in town, but it was crazy to me how everyone cowered back. I looked back on the stage at Sara whose face had tightened, and the emcee cleared her throat uncomfortably. There was a sudden flash of fear in her eyes as she looked over at the woman with the mic, obviously trying to signal her without making a scene.

I didn’t know what it was, whether it was the look of fear on Sara’s face or the hush of the crowd around me, but something happened inside of me. Suddenly, there was no way I could let this girl walk off that stage with that man. I took in a deep breath and then raised my hand nonchalantly.

“Two hundred dollars,” I said loudly from the back.

Everyone immediately turned their heads toward me, including who I now realized was the sheriff. He frowned at me across the room, trying to bully me into submission. I had seen worse, especially growing up on the streets, so some wannabe cowboy wasn’t going to shake me.

“Three hundred,” the sheriff said, staring me in the face.

I smiled and nodded my head at him, thinking quickly. There was no way this guy was going to bully me. I shuffled in my stance for a moment and then looked up at the emcee.

“Four hundred,” I said with a grin.

Everyone’s heads were moving back and forth between us as we bid higher and higher. He bid five hundred, I bid seven hundred, and then finally, he smirked and bid one thousand dollars. Obviously, this guy didn’t know who he was dealing with.

“Wow,” I said with a smile. “That’s impressive. I bid five thousand dollars.”

Everyone in the room gasped and looked back to the sheriff whose mouth fell open for a second. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction. I looked up at the girls on the stage, and the emcee collected herself quickly.

“Sold to the highest bidder for five thousand dollars,” she shouted excitedly.

Everyone started to clap loudly, cheering in my direction. I was pretty sure I had just become the new hero of the town. My eyes shot back over to the sheriff who was now throwing daggers at me with his eyes. He turned and disappeared out the door, followed by a squirrely-looking chubby man in a smaller cowboy hat. I looked up at Sara who looked relieved, nodding at me and then disappearing offstage. I downed the rest of my whiskey and wandered over to the table to pay for my purchases. Everyone stared quietly at me as I walked along, whispering to each other. I nodded at the mayor who tipped his hat at me and smiled uncomfortably. Obviously, what I had just done ruffled more than a few feathers, and I hoped I hadn’t gotten into the middle of something I was going to regret. She’d looked like a damsel in distress, and I was definitely a sucker for a girl in need, though in my gut, I had a feeling she could take care of herself just fine. I guessed I would soon find out.