Page 31 of Unlikely to Stay
“I don’t see why you just don’t bid on him already,” Annie said.“Who knows?Maybe I’ll bid on him for you.”
CC glared at her friend.“You better not!”
“Why?It’s not like I don’t have the money.”
“Iknowyou have the money.But I have told you two amilliontimes—I.Do.Not.Want.To.Participate.In.The.Auction.If you bid on him for me, I will be ridiculously mad.The end.”
Breckin whistled.“Wow,” she whispered quietly.“I think she really means it.”
Annie’s eyes widened.“Are you serious?”
“As our friendship,” CC replied.“Please, please, please.Don’t bid on him.”
Annie let out a sigh.“Okay, you win.I won’t bid on him.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
CC smiled at her friends.“Good.”
But as soon as she said the word, a small twinge of remorse shot through her body.Damn Brant Billings and his chocolate-colored eyes.
Brant was waiting impatientlyfor the bachelor auction to start.Annie and Breckin had requested from the coordinators of founder’s day that the bachelor auction be the last activity of the day.Maybe they thought it would keep people hanging around longer.The day had lasted forever.About half an hour ago, the Oklahoma sun had disappeared under the horizon, leaving the sky filled with purple, pink, and orange streaks of color.Nothing could beat an Oklahoma sunset.
He had been standing behind the stage for what felt like an eternity.Most of the shops had closed their booths when the sun went down.The crowds, especially families, filtered slowly away from downtown to their cars parked in church parking lots up the road.Even with people leaving, the streets were filled with spectators waiting to see who the lucky bidders were going to be.
He guessed Annie and Breckin’s thought to put the bachelor auction as the last item was the right one.For some reason, though, the girls had listed him as the last bachelor to walk onto the stage.He hoped they knew what they were doing.
Brant was surprised at the number of men who had volunteered to participate.All he could think was the way Colleen Chandler treated him was probablyincrediblydifferent than she treated the rest of the community.He didn’t know if they would rally around her if she did.
And to be honest, Brant was surprised at how well things were going.The old women in Parker must have had some pretty rich husbands before they kicked the bucket because it seemed like their supply of money was never-ending.Maybe that was why CC’s friends had put him last in the lineup.Deplete the women’s pockets so it would make it easier for Annie to win.
He had just seen Donnie Cooper, Breckin’s dad, go for three hundred bucks to Griff’s mom.Since Griff and Breckin were an item, that was probably going to shape up to be a very interesting family dynamic should the date develop into something more.
Brant sent up a silent prayer that Annie’s scheme would work and he wouldn’t be wearing a toga and feeding Madge Perkins grapes any time soon.Prickly as she was toward him, Brant would much rather prefer the company of the pretty little hairstylist than the lady with the palm leaves.
“Next up is a bachelor new to our town of Parker.”
Brant heard Griff’s voice speaking into the microphone.Of course Breckin had roped him into being the auctioneer for the event.When Brant had asked Griff how she had convinced him, Griff had given him a grin and said it was better than being bid on by a bunch of old women.After hearing Madge’s idea about the togas, he tended to agree.
“This is the newest bartender at Red’s,” Griff continued.“Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to Wrigley Hart.”
“Wowzers!That is one fine piece of eye candy!”Brant heard an old woman’s voice call from the chairs in front of the stage.“I bid twenty bucks!”
“Damn it, Kelda!If you’re with me you can’t be biddin’ on no young, virile stud muffins!Besides, you ain’t guaranteed no sex with any of them!Me, I’m a go getter.In fact, we can go right now!My groin’s done healed and everything!”
“Meemaw!Burt!You need to calm down!”Griff’s voice boomed out of the microphone.
Brant laughed.Leave it to Kelda to bid on a younger man with her live-in boyfriend in tow.But it was good to know Burt’s groin had healed.Either that or he was lying to get his woman under control.
Brant thought he heard Kelda tell Griff and Burt they were buzzkills but couldn’t be sure over the laughter of the crowd.Brant guessed that they had managed to shut her up or she and Burt had left because Griff began speaking again.
“Wrigley is from Oklahoma City but has decided to settle here in Parker for the time being to help an old buddy out.Check out those muscles, ladies.Wrig, want to do the women a favor and turn for them?”
Wrigley must have obliged because Brant could hear a ripple of oohs and aahs coming from the crowd of females.Brant figured this bid was going to be a big one.Wrigley Hart was one big, muscled, tattooed man with hair that rivaled Fabio’s.Brant wouldn’t be surprised if Wrigley wasn’t a cover model for one of those mommy porn books.He definitely looked the part.The old women were going to go wild.
“How’d Griff ropehiminto this?”Brant asked Marty, who had yet to walk the runway.He and Burt were as gossipy as the old women in town.If someone had any news of how Wrigley got here, it would be one of the old geezers.“He doesn’t seem like the type of man who would be hurting for female companionship.”