Chapter 5 #2
Lauren shakes her head and climbs onto a barstool. “The bidder hasn’t confirmed her payment details yet. Once she does, I’ll know more. But can you imagine? If the other guys go for this much, we’ll save the retirement home for sure!”
She reaches to hug him, but all it takes is an arched eyebrow from me, and Cord steps back. Her expression falls, but he pretends not to notice. “I have to go…”
“Find a shirt,” Flint says. “We have to go find shirts now before we catch our death of a chill.”
“But you’re both wearing shirts.” She frowns.
“Oh, trust me, we’re cold,” Cord mutters as he turns toward the door. He and Flint make a quick exit without bothering to look back.
“That was weird,” she murmurs and turns her attention to me. “See how happy he was? You should totally let the men on your farm do this. It’s quite the ego boost.”
Before I can argue with her, Menace comes along and sticks his big head on her thigh, looking up at her with those puppy eyes that he always tries to give me after he’s finished munching on a beloved boot.
“And who is this cutie? Why have you been keeping him from me?” Her stomach rumbles as she gives him a scratch behind the ears that has his tongue lolling out of his mouth. She doesn’t pay any attention to her hunger cues, completely consumed by my furry little monster.
“His name is Menace,” I mutter as I turn and focus on the fridge. I survey the options quickly before grabbing the last of a Mexican casserole I made a couple of nights ago when I couldn’t quiet the memories from my last tour.
“You did not name such a sweet boy Menace,” she protests.
I put the food in the microwave. “Oh, I did. Especially after I realized his favorite hobby is chewing my boots to pieces.”
Menace is completely enraptured with the girl who gives him the best ear scratches. He even has the audacity to flop onto his back and show her his belly in a blatant bid for tummy rubs.
Lauren obliges, climbing down from the stool. She drops to her knees in that pretty little vintage skirt and rubs his exposed belly. “I don’t believe you. He’s such a good boy. He’s a perfect gentleman, I can tell.”
I’m not jealous of my dog, not wishing she’d run her hands all over my skin and give me belly rubs and well…lower. Nope, not going to think about that.
The microwave finishes with a beep, and I grab the hot plate, setting it gently on the kitchen island. “Eat.”
Her cheeks heat, turning a beautiful shade of crimson. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’ve lost weight since I last saw you, and I’m not having it. Sit your ass down, and eat some good food,” I demand.
“It’s been hard to eat lately,” she murmurs.
I nod because if anyone gets how much stress can fuck with your digestion, it’s me. Lost thirty pounds after my first tour overseas. “Just eat a little bit.”
While she nibbles at the casserole, I sit down on the stool next to her and flick through the website on her laptop. “You built this?”
“It was hard, but I figured it out. Some of the fundraising platforms charge insane fees. I wanted every dollar possible to go back to Aunt Elaine.”
I feel a rush of pride at her accomplishment. I’m not going to agree to this insane idea, but I can tell she put an incredible amount of thought and effort into it. “How does the site work?”
“Well, you see that little box beside Flint’s picture, you can type an amount of money you’re willing to bid to win his cuddles,” she explains.
“I set the auction up, so the winner gets to spend a weekend with her prize. Friday through Monday morning. Does this mean you’re going to agree?
” She pushes more casserole around the plate, looking up at me through lowered lashes.
“Nope.”
Menace whines as if he’s pleading on behalf of his new friend, the little traitor.
“Is there anything I can say to convince you?”
“Nope.”
“OK.” She nods and takes her cellphone. “Then let me cancel the interview with the reporter.”
“What interview?”
“Well, the auction caught the eye of a reporter from The State Daily. I need to let him know that the event has been canceled.” Her chin wobbles.
Anyone else and I would think I was being manipulated. Not Lauren though. I’ve never once seen her try to manipulate someone. She’s as good and honest as they come. Just like her brother.
I fight the urge to reach for her, to take her hand in mine the way I did last night. But it’s not good for me to touch her like that. It fills a cowboy’s head with all sorts of longings that he shouldn’t have. “Tell me why this matters so much to you.”
She swallows, and I watch her throat bob. See the way she fights to regain her composure. “He left when I was eight. Do you know what he told me then? He said he’d always come back to the community center. He said it was home.”
We had the memorial service. She hosted it. In fact, she was the one who insisted on it. She was determined it would give all of us closure, a sense of peace about what had happened. But despite all of her talk, here she is, caught somewhere between hope and heartbreak. Same as me.
I swear, a habit I do far too often when she’s around. “OK, you got yourself a deal. You can auction any man on Valor Ranch that’s willing.”
She looks up at me then, her eyes still filled with tears. “Does that mean you’re mine?”