Page 83 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

“I’m sure there’s more to it than that.” Like, had she loved him? Was the cheating bastard why she didn’t want a serious relationship? How badly had she been hurt? He had a lot of questions.

“Not really. I was naive, is all.” She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. She was much more affectionate tonight that she’d ever been. And he liked it. A lot.

Which made his questions about her ex-fiancé that much more important. Before he got in too deep. But tonight he’d promised himself that he’d go with the flow.

“We have some things to talk about.” She snuggled against his neck. He liked that too. “Like what I’m going to do for the three months you’re at the academy.”

That sounded promising. “I look forward to the discussion.”

Laurie Matthews and her husband were on the stage announcing the opening of the fundraiser, reminding people of why they were there.

The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. “I’ve got some details to attend to, and you’ve got to be ready for jail. Ariel will come get you when it’s time. Be on the lookout for her.”

“If you don’t win the bid…” And he hoped she did. “You have to make sure we get at least one dance in.”

The other end of her mouth shot up. “Absolutely. I see Mel is here, but you mentioned another guy?”

“Colby Johnson. The guy who is going to attract some big bucks at your auction.” He pointed to a table near the back, where Stetson was also sitting.

Her phone made a sound. She fished it out her pants pocket. “I’d love to meet him.” She checked her phone. “I just got a text from Marcia, wanting to see how the maze is going.”

She kissed him again, a quick, light kiss but just as satisfying, waved her fingers at him, and then walked toward the maze entrance. A nice hip-swaying dance that had him thinking about more than dancing.

***

Kristy stood to the side of the stage. Her muscles tensed and her stomach clenched as the auctioneer (who usually auctioned off livestock in the nearby stockyards) mounted the stage. She had her phone on video chat so Marcia could see what was happening. Ariel, who had corralled all the “outlaws” behind the stage curtain, including Greta, Rusty, Mel, and Rusty’s friend the rodeo champion, had stepped beside Kristy.

“Everyone made it?”

Ariel nodded. “Including Greta. She changed her dress, and she looks stunning. Bids for a dance with her could break two hundred.”

“Let us hope so. It’s all for charity,” Marcia barked from the phone.

The first “outlaw” was brought onto the stage in handcuffs by two uniformed policemen, courtesy of Gillette’s finest, and placed in the jail. Per his bio, he was an engineer for one of the energy companies. He had blond hair and a Nordic look. Several women at one of the company tables were already clutching their bidding paddles.

“All right, ladies and gentlemen. We have our first outlaw. Who is going to bail him out of jail for a chance to dance with him tonight?”

Several paddles went up.

“Do I have ten?” He pointed at a paddle that was raised high. “Do I have twenty?” And from then on he called out the dollar amounts in a fast and furious manner until he reached one hundred and fifty dollars. “Do I hear one-sixty? Do I hear one-fifty-five? One-fifty it is. Bailed out by the pretty lady in the pink dress.”

The audience clapped, and the successful bidder cheered. The blond-haired guy seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that it was over as a policeman opened the door of the jail to release him.

“That went fine,” Ariel said.

“Looks good,” Marcia said from the cell phone. “I’ll sign off for now. Ring me when it’s done and let me know how much you’ve raised.” The line went dead.

Kristy let out a sigh. Now if they all went that well.

Next up was a young lady from one of the social service tables. She was dressed in a flattering midnight-blue sparkling dress, which set off her lovely brown hair. After some rapid-fire bidding, the gavel came down at one hundred and sixty dollars.

Then it was Mel’s turn. Ariel had her paddle ready. Mel wore a dark suit and a black cowboy hat and looked every inch an outlaw, with a five o’clock shadow outlining his chin. The bidding started. There were several bidders, largely from the social services table, including the young lady who had just participated as an outlaw. The amount climbed to one hundred and twenty dollars.

“One more try and then I’m giving up,” Ariel said as she raised her paddle.

The gavel came down on one hundred thirty dollars.

Ariel let out a breath.

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