“Don’t be,” Daniel said assuredly. “I can’t imagine a man alive could find fault with the way you look tonight.” He smiled, then scrubbed a hand across his forehead. “Or any night...of course.”
They both laughed.
“Well, thank you.” She relaxed a little. “You already know why I feel like a fish out of water. But why do you look so out of sorts tonight?”
He exhaled heavily, the frown returning to his face. “For one thing, I’d rather not be in the lineup. I’m doing this at my grandmother’s insistence.”
“Ms. Rose seems like a perfectly reasonable woman to me. And she loves you like crazy. I’m pretty sure if you’d turned her down she would’ve gotten over it fairly quickly.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But the truth is that I owe my grandmother so much. Don’t know where I would’ve ended up if it wasn’t for her. Makes it hard to say no.” A shadow of sadness passed over his handsome face, tugging at Tessa’s heart.
Daniel had been raised by Rose Clayton after his own mother dumped him on her. It made Tessa’s heart ache for him. She couldn’t imagine the pain Daniel must feel at being abandoned by a woman who preferred drugs and booze to her own son.
“Of course.” Tess nodded, regretting her earlier flippant words. She hadn’t considered the special relationship that Daniel had with his grandmother and how grateful he must be to her. “I wasn’t thinking.”
They were both quiet for a moment, when she remembered his earlier words.
“You said ‘for one thing.’ What’s the other reason you didn’t want to do this?”
The pained look on Daniel’s face carved deep lines in his forehead and between his brows. He drained the glass of whiskey in his hand.
“It’s nothing,” he said in a dismissive tone that made it clear that they wouldn’t be discussing it any further.
She was digging herself deeper into a hole with every question she asked of Daniel tonight. Better for her to move on. She wished him luck and made her way over to the buffet table.
“Hey, Tessa.” Lloyd Richardson put another slider on his small plate. “Wow, you look pretty amazing.”
“Thanks, Lloyd.” She decided against the slider and put some carrots and a cherry tomato on her plate instead.
There wasn’t much room to spare in her fitted pantsuit. She wore a jacket over the sleeveless garment to hide the large cutout that revealed most of her back. That had been one idea of Rachel’s for which she’d been grateful.
“Hey, you must be plum sick of people saying that to you by now.” Lloyd seemed to recognize the discomfort she felt at all of the additional attention she’d been getting.
Tess gave him a grateful smile. No wonder her friend Gail Walker had a crush on Lloyd. He was handsome, sweet and almost a little shy. Which was probably why he hadn’t made a move on Gail, since he certainly seemed interested in her.
“Okay, bachelors and bachelorette.” Alexis acknowledged Tess with a slight smile. “The proceedings will begin in about ten minutes. So finish eating, take a quick bathroom break, whatever you need to do so you’ll be ready to go on when your number is called.”
Alexis had her serious, drill sergeant face on. Something Tessa knew firsthand that a woman needed to adopt when she was responsible for managing a crew of men—be they ranchers or ranch hands.
Still, there was something in her eyes. Had she been crying?
Before she could approach Alexis and ask if she was all right, she noticed the look Alexis and Daniel Clayton exchanged. It was brief, but meaningful. Chock full of pain.
Could Alexis be the other reason Daniel hadn’t wanted to be in the bachelor auction? But from the look of things, whatever was going on between them certainly wasn’t sunshine and roses.
Tessa caught up with Alexis as she grabbed the door handle.
“Alexis.” Tessa lowered her voice as she studied her friend’s face. “Is everything okay? You look like you’ve been—”
“I’m fine.” Alexis swiped at the corner of one eye, her gaze cast downward. “I just... I’m fine.” She forced a smile, finally raising her eyes to meet Tessa’s. “You’re going to kill them tonight. Just wait until you come out of that jacket. We’re going to have to scrape everyone’s jaws off the floor.” She patted Tess’s shoulder. “I’d tell you good luck, but something tells me that you aren’t going to need it tonight.”
With that, Alexis dipped out of the green room and was gone.
When Tess turned around, Daniel was standing there, staring after the other woman. He quickly turned away, busying himself with grabbing a bottle of water from the table.
There was definitely something going on with the two of them. And if there was, Tessa could understand why they wouldn’t want to make their relationship public. Daniel’s grandmother, Rose Clayton, and Alexis’s grandfather, Gus Slade, once an item, had been feuding for years.
In recent months, they seemed to at least have found the civility to be decent toward one another. Most likely for the sake of everyone around them. Still, there was no love lost between those two families.
“Looks like Royal has its very own Romeo and Juliet,” she muttered under her breath.
Tess took her seat, her hands trembling slightly and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She closed her eyes, imagining how Ryan would react to seeing her out there on that stage.
Chapter 5
Ryan hung back at the bar as the bachelor auction wound down. There were just a couple more bachelors on the list, then Tess would be up.
He gulped the glass of water with lemon he was drinking. He’d talked to just about everyone here. But with neither Tripp nor Tess to hang out with, he’d been ready to leave nearly an hour ago.
Then again, his discomfort had little to do with him going stag for the night and everything to do with the fact that his best friend would be trotted out onto the stage and bid on. His gaze shifted around the garden at the unattached men in attendance. Most of them were members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Some of them second, third or even fourth generation. All of them were good people, as far as he knew. So why was he assessing them all suspiciously? Wondering which of them would bid on his best friend.
The next bachelor, Lloyd Richardson, was called onto the stage and Alexis read his bio. Women were chomping at the bit to bid on the guy. Including Gail Walker. She’d started with a low, reasonable bid. But four or five other women were countering her bids as quickly as she was making them.
First the bid was in the hundreds, then the thousands. Suddenly, Steena Goodman, a wealthy older woman whose husband had been active in the club for many years before his death, stood and placed her final bid. Fifty-thousand dollars.
Ryan nearly coughed. What was it about this guy that had everyone up in arms?
Steena’s bid was much higher than the previous bid of nine thousand dollars. The competing bidders pouted, acknowledging their defeat.
But not Gail. She looked angry and hurt. She stared Steena down, her arms folded and breathing heavily.
Alexis glanced back and forth at the two women for a moment. When Rachel nudged her, she cleared her throat and resumed her duties as auctioneer. “Going once, going twice—”
“One hundred thousand dollars.” Gail stared at Steena, as if daring her to outbid her.
The older woman huffed and put her paddle down on the table, conceding the bid.
“Oh my God! One hundred thousand dollars.” Alexis began the sentence nearly shrieking but ended with an implied question mark.
Probably because she was wondering the same thing he was.
Where in the hell did Gail Walker get that kind of cash?
Alexis declared Gail the winner of the bid at one hundred thousand dollars.
The woman squealed and ran up on stage. She wrapped her arms around Lloyd’s neck and pulled him down for
a hot, steamy kiss. Then she grabbed his hand and dragged him off the stage and through the doors that led from the garden back into the main building.
Ryan leaned against the bar, still shocked by Gail’s outrageous bid. He sighed. Just one more bachelor, Daniel Clayton. Then Tess was up.
“That was certainly unexpected.” Gus Slade ordered a beer from the bar. “Had no idea she was sitting on that kind of disposable cash.”
“Neither did I, but I guess we all have our little secrets.”
The older man grimaced, as if he’d taken exception to Ryan’s words. Which only made Ryan wonder what secrets the old man might be hiding.
“Yes, well, I s’pose that’s true.” Gus nodded, then walked away.
Ryan turned his attention back to the stage just in time to see Daniel Clayton being whisked away excitedly by an overeager bidder.
There was a noticeable lull as Alexis watched the woman escort Daniel away. Rachel placed a hand on her cohost’s back as she took the microphone from Alexis and thanked her for putting on a great event and being an incredible auctioneer.
Alexis seemed to recover from the momentarily stunned look she’d had seconds earlier. She nodded toward Rachel and then to the crowd which clapped appreciatively.
“This has been an amazing night, and thanks to your generosity, ladies, and to the generosity of our bachelors, we’ve already exceeded our fund-raising goal for tonight. So thank you all for that. Give yourselves a big hand.”
Rachel clapped a hand against the inside of her wrist as the rest of the audience clapped, hooted and shouted.
“But we’re not done yet. It’s time for the surprise you gents have been waiting for this evening. Fellas, please welcome our lone bachelorette, Miss Tessa Noble.”
Ryan pulled out his phone. He’d promised Tripp that he’d record his sister’s big debut.
There was a collective gasp in the room as Tessa stepped out onto the stage. Ryan moved away from the bar, so he could get a better view of his friend.
His jaw dropped, and his phone nearly clattered to the ground.
“Tess?” Ryan choked out the word, then silently cursed himself, realizing his stunned reaction would end up on the video. He snapped his gaping mouth shut as he watched her strut across the stage in a glamorous red pantsuit that seemed to be designed for the express purpose of highlighting her killer curves.
Damn, she’s fine.
He wasn’t an idiot. Nor was he blind. So he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that his best friend also happened to be an extremely beautiful woman. And despite her tomboy wardrobe, he was fully aware of the hot body buried beneath relaxed fit clothing. But today...those curves had come out to play.
As if she was a professional runway model, Tess pranced to the end of the stage in strappy, glittery heels, put one hand on her hip and cocked it to the side. She seemed buoyed by the crowd’s raucous reaction.
First there was the collective gasp, followed by a chorus of Oh my Gods. Now the crowd was whooping and shouting.
A slow grin spread across her lips, painted a deep, flirtatious shade of red that made him desperate to taste them. She turned and walked back toward where Rachel stood, revealing a large, heart-shaped cutout that exposed the warm brown skin of her open back. A large bow was tied behind her graceful neck.
Tessa Noble was one gift he’d give just about anything to unwrap.
She was incredibly sexy with a fiercely confident demeanor that only made him hunger for her more.
Ryan surveyed the crowd. He obviously wasn’t the only man in the room drooling over Tessa 2.0. He stared at the large group of men who were wide-eyed, slack-jawed and obviously titillated by the woman on stage.
Tessa’s concerns that no one would bid on her were obviously misplaced. There were even a couple of women who seemed to be drooling over her.
Ryan’s heart thudded. Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air in the tented, outdoor space. He grabbed his auction paddle and crept closer to the stage.
Rachel read Tessa’s bio aloud, as Alexis had done with the bachelors who’d gone before her. Tessa stood tall with her back arched and one hand on her hip. She held her head high as she scanned the room.
Was she looking for him?
Ryan’s cheeks flushed with heat. A dozen emotions percolated in his chest, like some strange, volatile mixture, as he studied his friend on stage. Initially, he wanted to rush the stage and drape his jacket over her shoulders. Block the other men’s lurid stares. Then there was his own guttural reaction to seeing Tess this way. He wanted to devour her. Kiss every inch of the warm, brown skin on her back. Glide his hands over her luscious bottom. Taste those pouty lips.
He swallowed hard, conscious of his rapid breathing. He hoped the video wasn’t picking that up, too.
Rachel had moved on from Tessa’s bio to describing her date. “For the lucky gentleman with the winning bid, your very special outing with this most lovely lady will be every man’s fantasy come true. Your football-themed date will begin with seats on the fifty-yard line to watch America’s team play football against their division rivals. Plus, you’ll enjoy a special tailgating meal before the game at a restaurant right there in the stadium. Afterward, you’ll share an elegant steak dinner at a premium steak house.”
“Shit.” Ryan cringed, realizing that, too, would be captured on the video.
There was already a stampede of overly eager men ready to take Tessa up on her offer. Now she’d gone and raised the stakes.
Just great.
Ryan huffed, his free hand clenched in a fist at his side, as her words reverberated through him.
You’re only supposed to bid if no one else does.
Suddenly, Tessa’s gaze met his, and her entire face lit up in a broad smile that made her even more beautiful. A feat he wouldn’t have thought possible.
His heart expanded in his chest as he returned her smile and gave her a little nod.
Tess stood taller. As if his smile had lifted her. Made her even more confident.
And why shouldn’t she be? She’d commanded the attention of every man in the room, single or not. Had all the women in the crowd enviously whispering among themselves.
“All right, gentlemen, get your paddles ready, because it’s your turn to bid on our lovely bachelorette.” Rachel grinned proudly.
He’d bet anything she was behind Tessa’s incredible makeover. Ryan didn’t know if he wanted to thank her or blame her for messing up a good thing. Back when no one else in town realized what a diamond his Tess was.
He shook his head. Get it together, Bateman. She doesn’t belong to you.
“Shall we open the bidding at five-hundred dollars?” Rachel asked the crowd.
“A thousand dollars.” Clem Davidson, a man his father’s age, said.
“Fifteen hundred,” Bo Davis countered. He was younger than Clem, but still much older than Tess.
Ryan clenched the paddle in his hand so tightly he thought it might snap in two as several of the men bid furiously for Tess. His heart thumped. Beads of sweat formed over his brow and trickled down his back as his gaze and the camera’s shifted from the crowd of enthusiastic bidders to Tessa’s shocked expression and then back again.
“Ten thousand bucks.” Clem held his paddle high and looked around the room, as if daring anyone else to bid against him. He’d bid fifteen hundred dollars more than Bo’s last bid.
Bo grimaced, but then nodded to Clem in concession.
“Twelve thousand dollars.” It nearly came as a surprise to Ryan that the voice was his own.
Clem scowled. “Thirteen thousand.”
“Fifteen thousand.” Now Ryan’s voice was the one that was indignant as he stared the older man down.
Clem narrowed his gaze at Ryan, his jaw clenched. He started to raise his paddle, but then his expression softened. Head cocked
to the side, he furrowed his brows for a moment. Suddenly, he nodded to Ryan and put his paddle back down at his side.
“Fifteen thousand dollars going once. Fifteen thousand dollars going twice.” Rachel looked around the room, excitedly. “Sold! Ryan Bateman, you may claim your bachelorette.”
Ryan froze for a moment as everyone in the room looked at him, clapping and cheering. Many of them with knowing smiles. He cleared his throat, ended the recording and slowly made his way toward the stage and toward his friend who regarded him with utter confusion.
He stuffed his phone into his pocket, gave Tess an awkward hug and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek for the sake of the crowd.
They all cheered, and he escorted Tess off the stage. Then Rachel and Alexis wrapped up the auction.
“Oh my God, what did you just do?” Tessa whispered loudly enough for him to hear her over all the noise.
“Can’t rightly say I know,” he responded, not looking at her, but fully aware of his hand on her waist, his thumb resting on the soft skin of her back. Electricity sparked in his fingertips. Trailed up his arm.
“I appreciate what you did, Rye. It was a very generous donation. But I thought we agreed you would only bid if no one else did.” Tessa folded her arms as she stared at him, searching his face for an answer.
“I know, and I was following the plan, I was. But I just couldn’t let you go home with a guy like Clem.”
* * *
Tessa stared up into his green eyes, her own eyes widening in response. Ryan Bateman was her oldest and closest friend. She knew just about everything there was to know about him. But the man standing before her was a mystery.
He’d gone beyond his usual protectiveness of her and had landed squarely into possessive territory. To be honest, it was kind of a turn-on. Which was problematic. Because Rye was her best friend. Emphasis on friend.
She folded her arms over her chest, suddenly self-conscious about whether the tightening of her nipples was visible through the thin material.
Tempting the Rancher Page 20
