Chapter 6
WILLA
Right as I pull up to the house after a long day of work, Drew’s front door opens. I haven’t seen him since we had lunch and our almost-kiss the other day. But I do smell him nearly every day when I walk through the front door, so I know he’s working.
It appears as though the streak of not seeing him will continue when Izzy bounds down the stairs, a bright pink hairbrush in her hand. She rounds the Jeep just as I let Maya out.
“Hi.” She gives Maya a stroke on the head before the dog wanders off to do her business. “I asked Daddy to braid my hair like you do yours, but he can’t get it. Can you do it?”
“Right now?”
“You don’t have to do it for her right now.” Drew walks around the side of the car and bends down to get on Izzy’s level. “We don’t have a ton of time before I have to get you to the sitter’s house.”
My stomach drops. Does that mean he has a date?
“How long will it take?” she asks me.
“To do this?” I point at my dutch braids.
“Yeah.”
“Not that long.”
“Please.” She turns pleading eyes on him.
He crumbles beneath the weight of her gaze. “Okay.”
“Oof, you folded like a paper airplane,” I say under my breath as Izzy takes me by the hand and tugs me upstairs. “She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”
“From day one,” he says in agreement.
“Daddy’s getting sold off tonight,” Izzy says as she clomps up the stairs.
“Isabel.” His voice holds so much exasperation. “It’s not like that.”
“That’s tonight?” I look over my shoulder at him.
“Yeah. The actual auction doesn’t start until nine, but there's a cocktail hour beforehand, and Izzy’s going to a new sitter since the woman who usually watches her is in charge of the auction.” His eyes are pinched in the corners as I let Izzy drag me into the house.
“I’ll take you to my room,” Izzy says, still locked onto my hand.
I make eye contact with Drew just as he opens the door for Maya to come into their house. I don’t know why, but it makes my heart squeeze to see him welcome my dog into his house just like that. It’s sweet, but I have other friends who would do the same. Why does it feel different when it’s him?
Izzy leads me to her room, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I can’t imagine a better room for a little girl than this one.
The walls are covered in a lavender wallpaper with a delicate floral print.
She has a white sleigh bed with a cream-colored gauzy canopy draped over either side at the head.
There’s an entire play kitchen setup with a tea party at the child-size table.
She sits down at a small vanity, and I pull over one of the chairs from the table.
“Do you have a comb?” I ask her as I settle in.
“Yes.” She pulls a wide tooth comb out of the drawer and hands it to me.
I run the comb through her curly, dark strands a couple times to ensure there are no tangles. “I’m going to section it first.” I drag the comb in a straight line from her forehead to the nape of her neck.
She listens to me as I tell her all the steps of making the braids. Once I finish I take two small ribbons and tie them into bows at the end of her braids.
“Thank you.” She turns and gives me a big hug. “Daddy, look how cute my hair is.”
“It’s so cute, Bug.”
“I’ll get going.” I push to my feet.
“You should buy Daddy tonight, Willa. He said he hopes no one gets him.”
“Oh really?” I turn my attention from her to him. “Why is that?”
“Just nerves, I guess. I haven’t done much dating in the past few years.”
“He needs a girlfriend,” Izzy says.
“What do you know about girlfriends?”
“Jaxon says his dad has a new girlfriend every week.”
“Who is Jaxon?” I ask.
“A boy in her class with a big mouth.” Drew rolls his eyes and steps out of my way, so I can walk past him into the hall.
I stop in my tracks when he reaches out, his palm resting on my stomach. “Thank you for doing her hair. I’ll have to have you show me how to do it sometime.”
“Anytime. Have fun tonight.”
“Hank’s Saloon.” His fingers flex over my shirt. “The auction is at Hank’s Saloon.”
“Hank’s is always a good time.”
“Come.” His sapphire gaze locks on my eyes.
“Is that a question, a demand, or a promise?”
It feels like all the oxygen has just been sucked from the air as we look at each other. The pull is back. If I go to this auction tonight, I know I won’t be letting anyone outbid me for him.
“It’s whatever you want it to be.” His eyes dip to my lips.
“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” I give him a slow smile as I slip past him and walk down the stairs.
I call Maya, and as soon as the cold air hits me, I release a long breath.
My cheeks burn against the chill, but the sharp winter wind is what I need to clear my mind from the cloud of desire fogging my brain.
I only have a couple minutes to stand out here and try to find some sort of clarity, some reason why I shouldn’t go to the auction tonight.
Maya nudges my leg and then sits, her tail swishing through the dusting of snow on the wooden planks of the front porch. He did mention the auction is benefiting the local animal shelter. I love animals. So it’s not like it isn’t a good cause to support.
Who even says I have to go on a date with him? Izzy said he was hoping to not be bid on. I could just bid on him and release him of any date expectation. That would actually be a great way to thank him for letting me stay here. It’s so obvious now, of course I can do this for him.
The first thing I notice as I pull into the parking lot at Hank’s is a banner hanging over the front door announcing the Hunks for Hounds Auction.
I chuckle at the name and pull down the visor to check my lipstick.
Since I’m always outside and rarely wear makeup, I check myself compulsively in case I mess something up. Luckily everything still looks good.
I picked out one of my sweater dresses that hugs my body. It doesn’t matter that it’s a turtleneck and the hem hits just above my knees, the fit is perfect and leaves little to the imagination. Not that I’m expecting anything to happen tonight, it’s just always nice to look cute.
A blast of warm air hits me as I walk into the saloon. There’s a table set up with a jar for extra cash donations and a woman selling tickets just inside. She smiles as I approach her.
“Hi, I’m Ava,” she greets me. “Did you buy a ticket already or do you need to purchase a day of ticket?”
“Day of.” She asks me a few questions, takes my payment, and then hands me a paddle. “This is like any other auction. The guys will be up on stage and introduced one at a time with bidding following directly after. They’re all great, I picked them myself.”
“Sounds like a fun job.”
“A few of them are more like brothers, actually one is my brother.”
“Which one?”
“Aiden, he’s a chef at the resort.”
“I work there, too.” Her eyes light up, but I shake my head assuming she’s thinking I mean the restaurant. “I’m a ski patroller and instructor.”
“Oh.” She bounces with excitement. “Drew’s instructor?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. He mentioned you might be swinging by.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” I give her a nod and smile as a group walks in behind me.
I leave her to greet the women and venture further into the bar. Groups of women stand around cocktail tables while men walk around mingling. A cursory glance around the room shows no sign of Drew, so I turn and head toward the bar. If I’m going to do this, I need a stiff drink.
“What can I get you?” The bartender tosses a rag over her shoulder and braces her palms against the counter. “The Man Candy martini is half off as the signature drink for the auction.”
After she rattles off what it’s made of, I order one. Might as well go all out. It is for a good cause after all. Plus, since it’s a martini, I’m more likely to sip on it instead of gulping it down like a beer.
Just as I lift the martini glass to my lips, I feel the heat of a body at my back. Two hands that shouldn’t be familiar, but are regardless, land on either side of me, caging me in between his strong arms. I turn and look up into his fathomless blue gaze.
“You came.”