Bachelor for Hire (Bachelor Auction #1)

by Charlene Sands

  The idea left her breathless and slow heat climbed up her throat. “Code, if you don’t kiss me soon…”

  “I’m right on it, Hayles.” His mouth came down on hers in a bone-melting, inspiring kiss that rocked her back against the front door and brought beautiful images to mind. He kept her trapped there, his arms braced on the door behind her, his hips crushing hers and making her ache for him. Then he broke off the kiss far too quickly. “I have more to say.”

  “My heart can’t take much more.”

  “Not true. You’ve got the biggest heart I know, sweetheart.”

  “Go on,” she whispered against his lips, fully consumed by his raw, male scent. “Please.”

  His eyes lingered on her mouth for a few seconds and then finally, “It wasn’t Mindy Sue’s stunt that had me believing. It was you. Instead of ranting about how badly she’d scared you with her misguided notions, you handled her with kid gloves, with patience and understanding. You took her hand and spoke softly to help ease her fears, when you were the one who’d been frightened enough to seek me out as your bodyguard.”

  “Code, as long as we’re being honest, let me just say I would’ve tried to see you, regardless of the threats. I never stopped thinking about you after I left. I’d daydream about what happened in the barn before we were interrupted. For all those years, I’d wondered if I made a mistake leaving Marietta, and you, when I did. The truth is, I ran scared. My feelings for you got out of control and they threatened everything I wanted. I had never cared for anyone quite so much, and I think I fell in love with you. But I’d guarded my heart so preciously I couldn’t afford the risk of having you one day reject me. I didn’t want anyone to get that close and then I got that offer from Hollywood and it seemed the right path to take.”

  He took her hand and gave a gentle comforting squeeze. “I’ve always known how much your folks hurt you, Hayley, and I’m sorry about that. It’s their loss, if you ask me. But at the same time, maybe we both needed to take the paths we did, to come to this place and time. To become the people we truly are so that we could find each other again.”

  “Yes, maybe. I’m sorry if I have abused our friendship in the past, but I will never do that again, Code. I promise.”

  “God, Hayley. I don’t just want your friendship. I want so much more. I’m in love with you, sweetheart.”

  Hayley squeezed her eyes closed for a moment hearing those beautiful words. And then she replied, “Code. I’m in love with you, too.”

  A grin stretched across his face immediately. “That’s good news, because if you weren’t sure I’d be ready to do whatever it takes to win you over.”

  “Sweet,” she said, running her hand lovingly through his thick, dark hair. “But you have no worries there. It’ll be complicated. My life isn’t normal.”

  “I want to marry you, Hayley. How’s that for complicated?”

  Those were words she never thought she’d hear from Cody. And, now that he’d said them, her mind worked fast and crazily, reassessing her priorities. She didn’t have to work so hard anymore. She didn’t have to take every role handed to her by her agent. She could live in Marietta with Code and work part-time. Her career could take a backseat to something she wanted much, much more. Code’s love and affection filled the void inside her.

  “You know what? I can un-complicate my life pretty easily as long as I’m with you. We can live here in Marietta, Code. I can work only when something really appeals to me. But I promise to spend most of my time with you.”

  “And anyone else that comes along?”

  Immediately, her joy doubled. “You want kids?”

  He nodded. “Your kids, yes.”

  Code really loved her. He wanted children and she was certain their babies would be wanted and loved beyond reason. They would never know a day of rejection. They would never feel abandoned. And neither would she anymore. It took Grandma Marie’s and Code’s love to cure her of all doubts. “I can’t imagine anything I want more than you and your babies, Cody Matthews.”

  He gave her a beautiful smile. “Hayley, I may have taught you a few things about riding a horse and shooting a gun, but you’ve taught me so much more, about myself. You’ve had faith in me and trusted in me, when I couldn’t trust myself. The way you forgave Mindy Sue tonight showed me your grace and generosity, but it also schooled me in how to forgive myself for my past mistakes. You’ve taught me that things aren’t always black and white. There are a hundred shades of gray and you led me away from the darkness and showed me how to open myself up to let the light in again. Without you, I would still be lost and in limbo.”

  Code went down on one knee and she gasped, the gesture bringing tears to her eyes. Before her, she saw a shining new beginning and a man who would never let her down. Her hand smothered in his, he lifted gleaming dark eyes to her.

  “Hayley Dawn O’Malley, would you do me the honor of marrying me? Be my wife, the mother of my children. I promise you’ll never regret it, sweetheart. I love you with all of my heart. Marry me, Hayley.”

  A tear dripped onto her cheek as pure joy entered her heart and the words flowed from the depths of her soul, “Yes. Yes, Cody. I’ll marry you.”

  And then he was standing before her, her body encircled snugly in his arms and she was kissing him and loving him the way he deserved to be loved. The kiss sealed them together as one, in devotion and promise and desire. Code was the only man for her. She’d waited a long time for him. “And I promise to always put you first, Code. Before, I thought I needed a career and all the attention and adoration of my fans to close the gap in my heart. But now I know I only need one person, the right person. You fill up all my empty places.”

  Code’s eyes, too, swelled with moisture. “God, I love you.”

  A voice called out from next door. “Cody, you proposing to Hayley?”

  Code’s forehead bumped hers and they chuckled. They didn’t have to look across the lawn to know that Catherine was standing on the porch, probably with Ralphie by her side.

  “Yes, I’m proposing,” Code said loud enough to reach her ears.

  “Wise choice,” she said and then added, “Congratulations, you two. You’re grandma would approve, Hayley.”

  “Thanks,” she called out, smiling. “I think so, too.”

  Then Code whispered into her ear. “You think we should go inside now and share the news with Uncle Brand before he finds out through the Marietta grapevine?”

  “Yes, I think that’s a great idea.”

  And then Code locked her up tight in his arms as they entered the house. “After we make the call, I have plans for my new fiancé up in the bedroom that would scandalize the neighborhood if the news ever leaked.”

  “Does it have to do with getting naked in the shower?”

  “It does darlin’, in the shower, out of the shower, in the bedroom and—”

  She cut him off with a kiss. “I can’t wait for you to scandalize me, Code.”

  With a sexy arch of his brow, his eyes gleamed in steady solid promise. “Buying me in that bachelor auction turned out to be my lucky day, sweetheart.”

  It was for her, too.

  Cody Matthews, her bachelor for hire, wound up being the best bargain she’d ever made in her life.

  The End

  Enjoy an Excerpt from

  Claim Me, Cowboy

  Copyright ©2015 Charlene Sands

  Ty parked his SUV outside the gates of the Circle W Ranch and put his boots down on Marietta soil for the first time in eleven years. His gut, already in turmoil, only clenched tighter when he took stock of the ruin that lay before him. Set up against Copper Mountain, the small yet once prosperous ranch that held its own against the bigger ranches in the area, looked as worn out as he felt inside, coming back here.

  Marietta wouldn’t welcome him and he sure as hell didn’t relish being here.

  But his old man had died one month ago and, while people would look upon him and see him here only for the r
odeo as the saddle bronc-busting champion coming back to rub their noses in it, he would’ve come back regardless. He had dealings to contend with…dealings that were as foreign to him as a three piece suit and tie.

  His old man’s estate, for one, needed his attention.

  And then there was the other matter.

  He decided to walk his way in, needing the time to think, to stride the winding path that led to the house he’d grown up in as the only son of Owen Warren. Thoughts muddied his mind and he nearly turned back. But then, he caught a flash of something golden up ahead, honey-yellow hair catching light, flickering from sun to shade under the big, old oak facing the side yard.

  Summer.

  She was on the wood swing, her head falling back, her legs dangling, and her arms loosely gripping the ropes in slow, carefree movements that brought him back to a time when they were together, madly in love. It had been the best time of his life.

  Until things went sideways.

  He stopped his stride to watch her take those leisurely moments and when she’d had enough, she jumped down, her feet landing firm on the ground. She marched toward the house, not seeing him standing behind, her long hair swishing in the breeze, her hips swaying side to side like some top-notch runway model.

  “Shit.” He pushed his hand through his hair, his breath hitching.

  She was still perfect, still beautiful, and even more female than he remembered.

  Damn her, damn this town.

  He sped his steps now, ready to get on with it. No more thinking of what was. All that mattered now was the present. That was how he’d always lived his life. When the porch door swung shut, he was only a few seconds behind. The scent of cattle, raw earth, and horse dung filled his nostrils. They weren’t unfamiliar smells, he’d lived the life of a rodeo rider for years now, but it was different somehow, because he was…home.

  It galled him to knock on his own front door. He gave it two sharp raps.

  “Coming,” Summer called out. The sweet lilt of her voice burdened his ears.

  And when the door opened, he stared into the face of the only woman he’d ever loved.

  She gasped when she saw him. “Tyler.” So formal now, the singsong in her tone disappearing.

  “Summer.” He frowned. Eleven years only added to her beauty. She had creamy skin that tanned to golden brown under the sun’s light, big Montana sky, bluer than blue eyes, and a heart-shaped mouth he’d kissed a zillion times. “You know why I’m here.”

  She nodded. “The rodeo.”

  Of course, she’d think that. “Yep.”

  “Would you like to come in?” she said finally, the reluctance in her voice egging him on.

  “Being as it’s my house, I think surely I’ll come in.”

  Her pretty mouth turned ugly for a moment and she stepped aside, allowing him entry. He took off his hat and held it at his side as he surveyed the hallway, the parlor to his right and the staircase that led to the bedrooms. Nothing much had changed, the place held onto its country charm even though the sofa was dingy now from years of wear, the curtains needed replacing, and the walls had lost the vibrancy of color.

  “I’ve got cookies baking in the oven,” she said. “Excuse me for a second.”

  Excuse her? Like hell. He followed her into the kitchen as the sweet, homey scents wafted to his nostrils. She placed her hands into oven mitts, opened the oven, and pulled out a tray. Chocolate chips and were those walnuts erupting from the cookies? She set the tray on the countertop and removed her gloves. Then she turned to face him head on. “You should’ve come sooner.”

  “And ruin the surprise?”

  She shook her head and her hair flowed around her face like a halo of gold. “I meant before your dad died.” She tucked those strands behind her ear. “He would’ve liked to have seen you, Tyler.”

  “It’s Ty now.”

  “Why didn’t you come?”

  He chewed the inside of his mouth. “I had my reasons.”

  She put her head down. She was judging him, the one thing she’d never done when they were together. She’d accepted him for who he was back then. And now she was like everyone else. Giving him a hard time. “I’m here now.”

  “It’s a little late, don’t you think?”

  He sighed, pulled out a kitchen chair, turned it around, and straddled it, his arms hanging over the top. “Maybe. But like I said, I had my reasons.”

  “What kind of reason keeps a man away from his dying father?”

  “Don’t lecture me, darlin’.”

  She faced him with scorn. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I forgot. No one can tell Tyler Warren what to do.”

  When she turned to see to the cookies, he squeezed his eyes shut. “I see you’ve made yourself at home already. How long have you been living here?”

  He already knew the answer, thanks to Buddy Mahoney, who’d been on the ranch since almost the beginning. The old guy never stopped nosing around in everybody’s business. Buddy was his only friend in Marietta, more like a father to him than his own dad.

  A short time after Summer’s husband Lee died in a freakish tractor accident, Owen took sick and she’d quit her nursing job at the hospital to care for him exclusively. Ty always suspected his daddy’s heart troubles started the day Lee died. His father adored Lee Nichols, Ty’s best friend, and made no bones about comparing him to Lee every chance he got. And just this past year, Owen Warren had changed his will, the codicil giving Summer half ownership of the ranch. Nice man, his father.

  “About a year, give or take,” she said.

  “Didn’t take you long to worm your way into my daddy’s good graces.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll ignore that, Ty. Because you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Maybe not. Or just maybe his philandering father made a move on her after Ty’s one-time best friend, passed on. It wouldn’t be out of character for Owen to pursue a beautiful woman, a lovely, lonely widow. Hell, sounded like something straight out of a soap opera.

  “You gonna frown at me all day, or offer me one of those cookies?”

  Her lips quirked up. “Still have a sweet tooth?”

  “Some things never change.”

  She put some cooling cookies onto a dish and set it in front of him. “Who’re they for anyway?” he asked, plucking one up from the plate.

  “My folks. I was going over for a visit today.”

  He said nothing. The Simmons family didn’t have a spare sentiment for him.

  She poured him a glass of milk and he looked up at her closed off expression. “Don’t let me keep you.”

  “I’ll go… as soon as you finish up here.”

  He sunk his teeth into the cookie. Sheer heaven, warm and soft and delicious. He had a taste for sweet things. Summer had been the sweetest girl he’d ever met and the irony of sitting here in the kitchen with her, tasting her baking, and breathing in the vanilla scent of her, wasn’t lost on him.

  “There’s no need to wait on me. I’ll be moving my stuff in today.”

  Summer’s mouth almost dropped to the ground. She had a hard time clamping her lips back together. “You’re …you’re not staying here.”

  Tyler wiped his mouth on a napkin that had magically appeared by his plate and stood up. “Darlin’, this was my house, long before you took to living here. And yeah, I’m staying here.”

  “But…you can’t. You…we can’t live under the same roof, Tyler. That’s not going to happen.”

  “Sure, it’s gonna happen. Unless you’re willing to move out? Otherwise, while I’m here…we’re gonna be roommates.”

  He rose then, and stood his ground two feet away from her. He got a closer look at her face, colored rosy now, her well-kept rage just under the surface, and those sky blue eyes going as dark as a Montana storm. “Unless, of course, you can’t handle it. Us, living here together?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Tyler.”

  “You think it’s ridiculous
for me to move back into my house while I’m here? That’s rich, Summer. You’ve horned your way into my daddy’s life and got half ownership, and now you think you can kick me to the curb? That ain’t happening, honey.”

  “Tyler, why make this hard on everybody? There’s a great hotel in Marietta.”

  “Maybe, because I’m not the only one moving in. Maybe I got someone and she’s not used to hotel living.”

  Summer’s mouth curled into a big fat O. She thought she had the picture. Everyone always thought they knew what he was about.

  But this time, she’d be dead wrong.

  *

  Summer stormed out of the house, mindless of the temper tantrum she was about to have. She didn’t give a fig about keeping up appearances in front of Tyler. Those days of being the good girl, the one that everyone put on a pedestal, were gone. She’d been through a decade of hurt and pain and she was ready to scream at the injustices in life.

  Her husband was gone.

  Her good friend, Owen, was gone.

  And Tyler Warren was back in town, giving her grief already. She’d dreaded his return and yet she’d hoped for Owen’s sake, the man would have the decency to see his father before he died. To hold his hand in those last moments and make peace with him or maybe show up for his funeral?

  Now it was too late.

  Her stomach churned like a rusted, old box fan, thinking about him bringing a woman to live in the house with him.

  “Ha!” She climbed into her car, gripped the steering wheel, gunned the engine, and drove off, the tires of her sensible Honda sedan kicking up a world of dust.

  She reached her parent’s home on Collier Street and just sat there on the driveway, staring out the windshield her mind a million miles away. Tyler always knew how to provoke emotions out of her. He had been a master at that, but she couldn’t let him get to her. Her entire body shook and she deepened her breaths, letting them out slowly.