by Kiki Abbott
Crane turned to the studio audience. “Does it?”
Everyone nodded and some even spoke out loud. “Yes.”
“So, it took sorting out in my mind and watching the show every week, but now I have this desire to find the person I thought Liam was. I’m more determined than ever to discover my soul mate.” She smiled, knowing that she’d put it into words as best she could.
“And we are going to help in that quest.” Crane turned to the camera. “In just a few more months, you all will be able to watch Kat’s journey for love.” He turned back with warmth in his smile. “Are you excited?”
“Very. Very excited.” Her heart pounded at the realization that millions of people were watching this moment on national TV, judging her. Looking over to her parents, she nodded and they tried to return the emotion, although the trace of worry was still prevalent on both faces.
A few minutes later when Crane said “Goodnight America”, and the cameras stopped rolling, Kat walked over to a group of girls from the mansion who’d come to cheer her on. She’d enjoyed friendship with most of the girls and they were excited for her opportunity to be the next Bachelorette. “You can be a famous painter after this is you milk all the publicity,” someone said. Kat just smiled.
“When they asked what type of men you like, did you tell them you like men who look like Channing Tatum?”
“Yes, and the Old Spice guy who rides that horse backwards,” they joked.
After each one of the twenty-five men greeted Kat on the flagstone path at the mansion and advanced to the party room, she felt overwhelmed with the opportunity. So many of them and they were all so handsome. Kat was hoping that somewhere in the group of gorgeous, charming men was her future husband.
She’d kissed three on the lips, twenty on the cheek, hugged everyone, and watched a contestant in striped pants and a bow tie, glide in on his unicycle. Among the possibilities was a pro wrestler, a sports lawyer, a nuclear physicist, a farmer, a sculptor, a Broadway musical dancer, several business men, a realtor, four sales men and an out of work standup comic. Trying to not judge quickly and shoot herself in the foot, Kat had greeted them all with an open mind. Her hand was kissed, poetry was quoted, men got down on one knee, little gifts were given, and the men strutted and impressed The Bachelorette in hopes of a rose at the ceremony later.
All day she’d been nervous to meet the hopefuls, sure there’d be someone in the group who wanted a wife who’d adore him forever. Because that’s what she wanted. To find her forever man who would be her best friend. The first time around when she’d been signed up by her girlfriends to be on The Hunt, Kat had been skeptical about the process, but after watching Jaxie and Crane, she was inspired. Not that they’d met as a result of the dating process on The Husband Hunt, but they were deeply in love, happy and thanking their lucky stars every day that they’d found each other. Jaxie had assumed the mommy role quickly and Crane had become this man who couldn’t stop smiling. Kat wanted that kind of love. And lately, dating had become a horrid chore to satisfy some single girl rule that you had to keep social or your dating muscle would atrophy and be dead when the real one came along.
Stepping into the room of attractive men, Kat’s heart beat hard against her chest. As a group, they were overwhelmingly handsome, charming, and eager. But she had to remember that men were competitive, and individually, they couldn’t all be so wonderful. Promising herself to look at each man as a potential husband and father and not as a hunky date, she proceeded into the room to make idle chit chat.
The next few hours were speed dating at its finest. Within an hour, she’d eliminated several of the men in her mind. Although it would be fun to keep the comic around, did she really see herself married to a standup comic? No. And the likelihood that he was on the show to promote himself was about 99%. She had to be firm and let him go, unicycle and all.
“What did you say your name was?” Kat greeted an extremely handsome man who’d told her he was from New York when they’d first met.
“It’s Pierce. And you are...?” He grinned at her.
Of course they all knew her name by now. She was the only woman in the room. “Kat, as in Meow”, she countered. God, he looked like Bradley Cooper with long hair. Her heart fluttered and her head sent a warning signal to calm down. “What led you to be on The Husband Hunt, Pierce?”
His smile widened, revealing perfect teeth and Kat imagined childhood orthodontist bills. “My sisters actually convinced me to do this. And now I’m glad they did.” He took her hand and lightly touched it with his warm lips, gazing at her reaction.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Ten.”
She almost jumped.
“Kidding, I have two older sisters. They want to see me find the love of my life.” He shook his head. “Dammit, I’m trying really hard to say something unique here but everything I say sounds like a cheesey cliché.”
“It’s okay. You’re doing well. It’s just the first night. We’ll get to some real conversations later.” She wasn’t supposed to hint that she might give anyone a rose but she liked this guy and wanted to get to know him after only five sentences. He exuded a genuine warmth mixed with an almost primal sexuality. She excused herself and moved to another group of men.
Brad was a surgeon from Dallas and she had to wonder how a doctor was able to come on a reality show for three months. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t find love in traditional ways? “How can your patients spare you?”
“I’m going to set up practice after this. I just left my stint as an ER surgeon but I’m getting into private practice next. I’m on hiatus, right now.”
“No more middle of the night shifts.”
“Exactly. I want a life.”
Brad was not traditionally handsome but nice looking with wavy brown hair and deep brown eyes. His steel framed glasses made him look studious in a Clark Kent, sexy way. He was attractive, nothing amazing but looks only made a good first impression and after that it was all personality.
Kat talked at the pool with a group of men until one of them stripped down to his boxers and jumped in the water. “Come on in. Don’t be spoilsports.” He’d had way too much to drink and she tried to not hold that against him but it was a very bad sign if someone got drunk on the first night. When the guy threw his boxers out to the side of the pool and called for her to join him, she mentally crossed him off the list of who to offer a rose. “Sorry Scott, but I’ve got to keep a clear head tonight.”
“Good choice,” someone beside her whispered. Turning, she saw it was the sports lawyer from Atlanta, Ben. When she smiled, he explained. “He’s going to be hurting tomorrow.” A few of the men laughed.
She nodded and walked back in the house to join another group. There were two men she wanted to talk to before she made her final decision on who to eliminate tonight. One was a cowboy from Arkansas, and the other was a personal trainer named Tony. The latter was extremely handsome in a Greek/Italian sort of way but she’d never envisioned herself as the wife of a fitness freak. She loved sports but didn’t want anyone making it a prerequisite in her life.
The cowboy was very cute but she wasn’t sure she wanted a husband who was rural and down home. Maybe. She’d never known a cowboy before. Judging them this early might eliminate some very good men and as she approached the group, she asked to borrow Colton, the cowboy with the bolo tie and cowboy boots.
They found a cozy alcove and sat on a window seat. “Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked. If he said ‘yes ma’am’, he was toast.
“It’s a strange kind of a party with only one woman in sight.” His smile was tentative. “I’m used to having my own girl at a party.”
She laughed. “I know. Did you hear I was on this show with twenty-five girls last time?”
“I did.”
“I can appreciate how you feel.”
He took her hand gently. “It’s nice to have a moment with you now, though.”
&nb
sp; Colton had light brown hair and long eyelashes, probably was older than her, maybe not. She imagined him riding around on a horse and getting mad when a cow broke through a fence. “What exactly do you do for work, Colton?”
“I’m a developer. I have a company that buys land and builds office buildings, stores. And when I’m not at the office or on the job site, I like to hang out at my ranch outside town.”
Kat had to remind herself that he might not own a ranch outside town and buying land and building offices might mean his father did it and he was tagging along on a family business. “Sounds like a good life.”
“It is. I’m motivated.” He looked down at his lap and rubbed his thumb along her palm. “I have a six year old daughter.” He looked up.
Her heart melted as she put Colton on a level above the other guys, unintentionally. “You’re a dad.”
“I am. And I take that job very seriously. My wife passed away four years ago and I’m her only parent.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.” She was. That would be rough.
The producers gestured that it was time to move to the next room and she ignored them. “I’ll bet she’s pretty cute. What’s her name?”
“Jessica Lynn, but I call her Bug” His smile was gorgeous and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Thanks for telling me about her. I love kids. I was an art teacher in the elementary school system until funding for art programs was pulled recently. Now I’m trying to make a go of being an artist.”
He looked interested.
Okay, she’d done what she told herself not to do, give away a little piece of herself to someone so early in the game. But he had a daughter and it wasn’t a nasty divorce that separated him from his wife. Reminding herself to watch for signs that Colton was still getting over his wife’s death, she made a note to tread carefully with the cowboy. “They’re trying to get us to go back now.” She gestured to the producer waving them into the next room. “Time to make some decisions, I guess.” She smiled at Colton as they walked into the next room. His hand on the small of her back felt reassuring and solid.
One hour later, Kat said goodbye to the comic, a realtor, a model, an insurance salesman, a science teacher and several others, and returned to the mansion’s lavishly decorated main room to toast the remaining twelve contestants. “To an adventure in finding love,” she said.
They raised their glasses and drank. The drunk swimmer was long gone having been all but carried out to the waiting car. The remaining men looked like most women’s idea of heaven. Of course everyone looks gorgeous in a suit, Kat thought as she smiled at Ben, the lawyer who looked like he had some muscles under his jacket. In the group of twelve, Kat had Pierce, the Bradley Cooper look alike sculptor, Colton the cowboy dad, Blake the Florida-based waterski salesman, Brad the surgeon, Tony the personal trainer and an assortment of men she had yet to get to know. How she’d delve into who they actually were without being around them on a constant basis was going to be damned difficult and Kat reminded herself to take it one day at a time in this quest to find the man for her.
Pouring her second cup of coffee, she gazed out to the canyons and hills beyond the house and made her plan for the day. The date that day would be a group outing to Universal Studios in Studio City. They’d take a big limo to the theme park and spend most of the day doing the activities and seeing the attractions. But, what no one knew was that when they took the tour bus down to the sound stages at Universal, two of them would be in a movie. The hours at Universal would involve a test to see if the men on the date were good sports, if they liked kids and if they got along with dogs.
Kat missed her dog, Chico, with a passion and had originally asked if Chico could live in the house with her, then backed out. She would be gone too much on dates and filming. And taking a beagle around with her on dates would distract her from the task at hand. Chico was better off with her mother in Napa.
For the date, she’d chosen to wear her Joe’s jeans, a baby blue eyelet blouse and low heels, for the rides at the theme park. They’d be walking around a lot and Kat wasn’t used to the fashionable high heels that Jenny had tried to get her to wear for the day. Pulling her long sun-streaked hair back in a ponytail, she wondered if she wasn’t looking glamorous enough for the camera, then remembered this was her show, and she wanted the men to see what she looked like on a regular basis.
Eight men were waiting when she walked in the house to film the departure. California sunshine streamed in through the back windows and doors where the pool glistened in the distance. All twelve men had congregated on the couch and when Kat sauntered in wearing her tight jeans, the man beside her whistled. She smiled and thanked Tony, who was staring at her like she was a chocolate éclair.
Sitting around in jeans and shorts the men looked happy and handsome. Different from the formal suits of the night before. Pierce had his shirt off and was holding a basketball like he’d just come in from a sweaty game of 21. Looking almost perfect, his chest and arms were solid and strong, like any sculptor who works with clay. But today, he wasn’t going on the date. Neither was Ben, the sports lawyer, or Nils, a gorgeous Nordic ski instructor or Grant, a computer programmer with Microsoft who had dreamy eyes. Those men would go on other dates.
“Hello Men!” She stood in front of them and imagined herself teaching an art class to calm her nerves. An art class to a bunch of hunky twenty-something men. Didn’t work. It wasn’t easy to ignore their male testosterone leaking into the atmosphere from every angle. “It’s nice to see you, this morning. Did everyone sleep well?” Her gaze rested on Tony who was still staring at her with his cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. Damned he was so sexy! Kat pegged him as a bad boy.
Cameras rolled, green lights glaringly obvious. Kat knew they’d edit out anything that didn’t make good TV. She’d been coached to just be herself and talk like there were no cameras.
“We are going to have a lot of fun today. I can’t tell you what we’re doing but I’ve always wanted to go to this place, and if you like movies, you’re going to love it too Who’s ready to join me?” She motioned to follow her and on her way out the door, was stopped by Pierce and pulled aside.
“Tell me you are not going to an art gallery. That you saved that date for you and me.” He looked like a little boy who’d been denied dessert.
“We aren’t.” She smiled at him sympathetically and looked back at the men who would remain at the house. She felt badly for leaving them behind, but this was the process. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
The limo ride almost felt too competitive for Kat. She’d seen some playful jostling for top spot with her, and even though she laughed a lot at the men’s jokes and antics about being better suited for her, mental notes were taken of who was playing unfairly. At the theme park they walked around, went on rides, and took the escalator down to the next level to ride the Jurassic Park waterfall drop.
Once in line, the men joked about who would sit next to her, and she warned that she was a screamer when things got scary. Several backed away. Kat had ridden this ride with a producer when they’d been scouting for date locations and knew what to expect at the end- a sheer eighty four foot drop to the chute below that left your stomach somewhere at the top of the waterfall. But when they approached the drop, she grabbed Tony’s arm and screamed. He held on to her tightly until they were safely floating again and then looked over. “That was awesome. You did great! You okay?”
His concern touched her and she nodded and smiled at all the guys. “Oh my God, that is one scary ride!”
After doing several more rides, they got burgers in the cafeteria and sat around outside in the sunshine. Grant the programmer was nice, quiet and reserved and Kat couldn’t help wonder if he was good in bed. She’d heard that the most unlikely men sometimes were. He was tall, with short blonde hair, a tan that suggested he didn’t spend all his time inside on computers, and had a perfect toothpaste commercial smile. His hands were attractive,
with long fingers and golden hair on the knuckles and she took one to examine his palm. “You are going to lead a long, happy life.” When she was little, she’d had a book on palm reading and told him this.
“With you?” he raised his eyebrows and she mentally gave him a point for rising to the bait.
“Doesn’t say, just that you’ll have lots of kids.”
He grinned like that was what he wanted to hear. “Sounds like fun.”
When they boarded the tour bus and headed off on the Universal Studios tour, Kat sat amongst the men, this time beside a guy name Keith who owned a landscaping business in North Carolina. She liked his energy He was easy going, funny and she wondered if living in North Carolina would be pleasant, as the wife of a landscaper. Would we have a beautiful front yard with a water feature, and a backyard with a swing set and a bridge leading over a creek, if we got married, and live in North Carolina with our kids? “We might. Sounds good to me,” he added. At first she thought he meant life with her and kids sounded good, then he elaborated. “A creek in the backyard is golden but if there is no natural waterway, I can always design and build one.”
This time she nodded. “What do you like to do when you’re not working, Keith?”
“I play a bit of basketball, on a men’s league. And I have an unusual hobby.” He smiled at her like revealing the hobby might be a deal breaker. “I collect antique toy soldiers so on weekends I go around antiquing, searching.
“I’ll bet that’s fun!” She meant it.
My parents like antiques so sometimes we go with my brother and his wife. Make a day of it. I even flew to New Orleans to get a soldier once for my collection.”
For Kat, this made him more interesting. Having a passion was important.
At the sound stage they were greeted by the film’s director, and two child actors from the movie. Kat shook everyone’s hands and watched how the men reacted to the kids. Some were more engaged than others. When they brought out a tiny terrier of some sort, mangy and sparkly eyed , Kat smiled at the men, her eyebrows raised.
