Page 92 of Whispers and Wildfire

Finally, he introduced the auctioneer. The room suddenly sparkled with excitement as people—mostly ladies—grabbed their bidding paddles and sat forward in their seats.

The first bachelor to take the stage was probably in his mid-twenties, dressed in a suit and tie. He played to thecrowd as the auctioneer introduced him, spreading his arms wide as if to saygo ahead, ladies, bid for me.

Bidding began, and paddles were thrust into the air. Mom and I laughed as we watched the commotion. The crowd clapped and cheered as the price climbed. Finally, the bidding reached a crescendo and there was a winner—a woman two tables away from us.

Next up was a firefighter who clearly understood the assignment. The crowd erupted in cheers as he took the stage shirtless, wearing only his turnouts and suspenders. All he needed was a kitten, and half the room would have swooned out of their seats.

The bidding for him was bonkers. My mom even raised her paddle a few times. Dad just eyed her with a slight grin every time her arm went up. Finally, someone was declared the winner. He ran down the steps from the stage to give her a shirtless hug. I had a feeling she already considered it worth the money.

A guy in a sheriff’s deputy uniform took the stage next. Although he was dressed, his muscular arms and aviator sunglasses were too much for the crowd to resist. Everyone went wild. Mom bid on him too, although I could tell she wasn’t serious. Eventually, after an intense bidding war between two women at the same table, there was a winner.

The auctioneer announced the next bachelor—Theo Haven. I clapped for him as he sauntered onto the stage, dressed in a blue flannel and jeans. He tucked his thumbs into his pockets, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. That was all it took to get the crowd going—no bare chest or cool sunglasses necessary. Even I found myself gazing at him appreciatively. There was just something about those Havens.

After a frenzy of bidding, Theo was auctioned off. I was about to take another bite of my dinner when the next bachelor took the stage. My mouth hung open, and I dropped my fork with a clatter.

Luke Haven.

I didn’t know why I was so surprised to see him. Maybe because he was injured. Or because he hadn’t said a word about the auction all week. Of course, why would he? Our weekend plans hadn’t come up. Still, I found myself feeling slightly pouty that I hadn’t known he’d be there.

“My nephew,” Louise said, pointing at the stage. As if we all didn’t know they were related. “He’s such a catch.” She turned and made eye contact with me, eyebrows raised.

That was weird.

I looked away as the bidding began.

Paddles flew into the air while the crowd cheered them on. Luke ran a hand through his thick hair, a sheepish grin on his face.

Why did he have to be so freaking gorgeous? He wasn’t even dressed up, but the faded Haven Auto T-shirt and perfectly fitting jeans were so… him. Understated but sexy. I watched as he squinted into the crowd. It was probably hard to see from up there with all the lights. People kept bidding, and the auctioneer kept calling out numbers.

I glanced around as people dropped out, the bids getting too high for their taste. Someone across the room seemed very determined to get him. Her paddle went up instantly every time someone outbid her.

Wait. I leaned over, trying to see her through the throng of people. It wasn’t… It couldn’t be…

It was. It was Jenna.

I huffed in disgust. Jenna? Why was she bidding on Luke? Who bid on the guy they were dating?

Were they dating?

They’d been on a date, but I actually had no idea if they’d seen each other again. Was she just bidding him up, trying to raise more money for the SPS? Or did she actually want to win?

Without thinking it through—at all—I grabbed my mom’s paddle and thrust my arm into the air.

The auctioneer pointed at me. “Bidder 131 has entered the fray.”

“What are you doing?” Mom asked.

Jenna outbid me. I raised the paddle. “I’ll pay you back when I have a real job again.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Jenna bid, so I bid again. “Of course not. I’m being completely irrational.”

“Okay, as long as you know.”

After I outbid Jenna one more time, she twisted in her seat to see who was giving her a run for her money. Our eyes met, and her mouth dropped open.

My eyes narrowed. So did hers.

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