Page 10 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
Aubrey popped a piece of cheese into her mouth before saying, “Let’s hear it.”
Charly dunked a cracker into the hummus and said before she ate it, “Point one—Beck and Hilary said he loves women. He’ll be sure to accept a bit of attention. Point two—if we want the town talking, why not auction off the guy every woman wants and use the proceeds for charity?”
Willow hesitated, munching her cracker. “It would certainly get tongues wagging. And helping the community is always a good thing. But which charity should we choose?”
Charly grabbed her cell phone and showed them the website she had found earlier. As soon as Willow saw the screen said Haley’s Place, her eyes welled. It was a shelter for women who had been abused.
Handing the phone to Aubrey, Willow gave a sad smile. “This is just right for us. Thank you for finding it.”
“I think it’s perfect,” Aubrey concurred.
Charly smiled, knowing this was good for Willow too. Helping others who faced what she had could only benefit her.
“While I love this idea,” Aubrey said, “I’m not sure this cowboy will say yes, even if it is for charity. We don’t even know him.”
Charly glanced between her friends and grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the cowboy.” She paused to shrug. “Besides, he can always say no and back out if he doesn’t want to, and I’ll have a backup plan in case that happens. But something tells me he’ll love being center stage.”
Willow laughed and shook her head in disbelief. “I’d usually doubt you here, but I’ve seen your persuasive skills in action. You’ll get him to agree one way or another.”
Charly tossed the last cracker into her mouth and grinned confidently. “You got that right.”
Three
The next morning, Jaxon delivered two horses to their new owners and then took some time to train the three colts he’d taken under his wing. Around midday, he had started receiving phone calls from loyal regulars at the bar, angry at him for selling the place to big-city outsiders who didn’t understand life in Timber Falls.
By late afternoon, he was exhausted and needed a pick-me-up when he finally reached Main Street and parked his truck at the curb. He left the vehicle and walked into The Book Bean café, where he was greeted with the aroma of coffee, dusty paper and spices as the door chimed.
On one side were shelves of books and round tables filled with bestsellers on display. On the other side customers sat in comfortable chairs with their drinks. Meanwhile, Jaxon could hear pages being turned crisply and the espresso machine brewing up a strong roast.
Behind the counter stood Isabella, a pregnant brunette with a kind smile. “Jaxon,” she said warmly. “Good to see you.”
“Same to you,” he answered, as he stopped at the counter, where the tip jar was half filled. He had dated Isabella back in high school. It hadn’t lasted long after he’d kissed another girl at the school dance and Isabella, rightly so, had dropped him on his ass. “So how are things?”
Isabella lightly patted her round belly and said, “The little guy is a week late now, and I want him out.”
“Too comfy in there, huh?” he asked as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet.
“Apparently so,” she said as she went to get his usual coffee. When she set the paper cup down in front of him, she added, “I’m starting to feel like this is going to be an eternity of pregnancy.”
He chuckled and took out a five-dollar bill before putting it on the counter. “Let’s hope not for your sake. Take care of yourself.”
“Thanks,” she replied and tried to give him change but he had already started walking away.
He always gave tips to small businesses since he knew firsthand how difficult it was to get them established. When he’d owned the bar, it had been successful because he’d used all the money he’d earned during summers working for his father. But Isabella had started from scratch by renting the place first before buying it out. Even if he would never say it out loud, that extra tip every day was also, in a small way, an apology for how he’d treated her in high school.
As he continued down the street, passing old trucks and friendly faces, he waved and greeted everyone while two women near the sidewalk smiled at him warmly.
Jaxon walked on and entered the next door on his left, finding Billy’s assistant, Sara, sitting behind her desk.
“Hey,” Jaxon said. “Is Billy in?”
She nodded. “He’s free. Go on in.”
Jaxon passed her desk, entering the office to the right. His old high school buddy Billy Palmer—a real estate agent two years his senior—was behind his large desk. Billy had been scouted for the NFL before a knee injury ended his career.
“Jaxon, this is unexpected,” said Billy cheerfully, gesturing to a chair for Jaxon to sit in. “What can I do for you?”
After putting down his coffee cup on the small table next to the chair, Jaxon got straight to the point. “Tell me you didn’t know what these ladies were going to turn the bar into.”
