8. Chapter Eight
Stoney Ridge”s grand ballroom buzzed with excited chatter and the clinking of glasses. The women mingled around tables draped in silk cloths, their eyes darting impatiently to the stage where the town”s most eligible bachelors were about to be auctioned off for charity.
”Can you believe this turnout?” Maya whispered to Sarah, her eyes widening as she took in the crowd of women.
”Small town, big hearts—and bigger wallets when it comes to snagging a date with a heartthrob,” Sarah quipped, adjusting the microphone on the podium.
Maya chuckled, watching as the brothers, clad in sleek tuxedos that seemed tailor-made to accentuate their broad shoulders and trim waists, stood backstage. And then there was Jackson Hart. His dark hair was styled just right, and his jaw was set in that familiar stubborn angle that made women go weak at the knees.
Or was that just me?
”Alright, ladies! Get your bidder paddles ready!” Sarah”s voice boomed over the speakers; her infectious energy palpable. ”First up, we have the man who many of you saw his … assets… recently on social media. You know who I am talking about ladies. Sadly, tonight though he is in a tux and not his jocks. But let’s welcome out Jackson Hart!”
The crowd erupted into cheers as Jackson strode onto the stage, his sapphire eyes scanning the audience with a mixture of amusement and reluctance. He flashed a rogue grin, offering a wink that sent a collective sigh through the room. Maya rolled her eyes at the display but couldn”t help the flutter in her stomach. That man knew exactly what he was doing.
”Starting the bid at fifty dollars!” Sarah announced.
Paddles shot up in a frenzy, numbers climbing higher as each bid tried to outdo the last. From the corner of her eye, Maya caught sight of Kane leaning against a pillar, a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched the spectacle unfold.
”Going once, going twice—” Sarah paused, building suspense, her gaze flicking over to Maya who had yet to make a bid, and then to a figure in the back of the room. Sarah grinned.
”Sold! To the mysterious gentleman in the back for a whopping five hundred dollars!” Sarah”s voice was triumphant.
The crowd of women parted as Kane sauntered forward. He handed over the cash to a flustered volunteer before turning to Jackson with a mischievous glint in his eye.
”Looks like you”re mine for the evening, Jackie boy,” Kane teased.
”Really Kane. You don’t get enough of me on the ranch” Jackson replied, his voice carrying a note of resigned affection.
”Ah, but I”m not keeping you,” Kane said, his gaze finding Maya amidst the crowd. With a flourish, he extended an arm toward her. ”You, my pigheaded brother, are a gift for our lovely friend.”
Maya opened her mouth, then closed it, words escaping her in the face of Kane”s unexpected gift.
”Kane, what are you—” Maya began, but her voice trailed off into laughter, the situation too absurd to process.
“I have one condition though,” Kane smirked as Jackson started to growl at him. ”Trust me, Jackson,” Kane said. ”You”re going to thank me for this one.”
”Alright, I”ll bite,” Maya said, crossing her arms. ”What”s your grand plan?”
”Simple!” Kane beamed, loving the attention. ”You two are going on an adventure!”
”An adventure?” Maya echoed.
”Yep, a good old hike in the forest,” Kane declared. ”Nature, fresh air, and the two of you, alone, hashing it out—what could possibly go wrong?”
”Hashing it out?” Jackson asked, his voice dry. “We’re not some reality TV show contestants.”
”Think of it as... immersive journalism,” Kane replied, winking at Maya. ”You get your story, Jackson gets some company, and who knows? Maybe some perspective?” Kane said as he starred at Jackson. “Or maybe some sparks will fly and all that jazz.”
”Kane, you do realize we”re not in a Disney movie, right?” Maya shot back.
”Hey, life”s what you make it,” Kane retorted with a shrug. ”Besides, I”ve already set it up. Tomorrow morning, you two, the great outdoors, and a chance to clear the air. I getting tired of you too fighting all the time. It’s getting old.”
Maya glanced at Jackson. She felt a jolt of excitement mixed with nerves—this was either going to help them get together or break them apart permanently.
”Fine,” Maya conceded, shaking her head but fighting back a smile. ”But if we get eaten by bears, I”m haunting you first, Kane.”
”Deal,” Kane said, grinning, knowing he was getting his way. ”But just so you know, bears are more scared of you than you are of them.”
Jackson scrubbed a hand down his face. He looked from Kane to Maya, the corners of his mouth twitching in reluctant amusement. ”Comforting,” he muttered.
”Great!” Kane clapped his hands together. ”It”s settled then. A date with nature—and whatever might happen out there.”
”That would be nothing,” Maya said.. “All I know is that I’ll get my interview after all.” She said smugly as she looked at Jackson.
”Interview only then,” Kane said, all innocence. ”Nature does its own thing.”