“Yeah, thanks.”
Conner took the stage, forcing a smile on his face. Reminding himself that it was all for a good cause. Trying to ignore the red bidding paddle in Veronica’s lap. He might get lucky and end up on a date with an elderly woman, like Edith. He could handle that.
“Our next bachelor is Doctor Conner Michaelson. The thirty-two-year-old veterinarian recently relocated to Sunset Ridge this past spring from Houston. He’s a dog lover, ladies. His shepherd husky mix, Boomer, is not only a rescue—our favorite kind!—but also an Instagram sensation and heart stealer. Conner enjoys late-night walks—I didn’t make that part up, I promise.”
Laughter erupted in the audience, drawing his eyes to the dozen rows of seated women. He spotted Sadie in the far corner with Boomer. She gave him a flirty wave that made him forget he was supposed to be playing up his bachelor status. He missed the rest of Dani’s spiel and the first few bids.
“Do I have a hundred?”
Edith raised a paddle.
He formed a heart with his fingers and held it against his chest for her, winning a few laughs from the audience.
“One twenty-five,” Delilah Matthews announced, raising her paddle and causing her Yorkie to bark in her lap. He was happy to see Waffles so perky, and guess he’d laid off those cucumbers.
The bidding bounced around the audience in twenty-five-dollar increments. Mostly women with fur babies he’d treated at the clinic. Some little old ladies that made googly eyes at him. He was feeling relatively good about things until the bidding took a jump.
“Five hundred,” Veronica called out, holding up her paddle. Looking smug as ever as she stared at him. As if she had a secret he desperately needed to know. The day he’d figured out she’d been stealing from the children’s charity caught her off guard, left her more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her. But there wasn’t a trace of that shame today. Her expression implied she was completely in charge of this situation. If she wanted to win, she would.
“Five twenty-five,” Beth Evans called out from the middle of the audience.
He barely had time to flash Beth a smile of gratitude before Veronica coolly raised her paddle. “One thousand.”
“Eleven hundred.” Sadie’s voice rang above the crowd, surprising many. Including Boomer who let out a deep bark. But no one was more surprised than Marc, who spilled water down the front of his shirt when the bottle missed his lips. His hardened expression zeroed in on Sadie. If looks could kill, Sadie would be incinerated on the spot.
Conner stared at Sadie from the stage, hoping she read the silent question on his face.What are you doing?
“Two thousand.”
“Twenty-five hundred.”
Sadie wasn’t paying attention to the stage anymore.Her narrowed, determined gaze fell on Veronica. He doubted Sadie realized who was bidding on him, but even if she’d figured it out, this was not the time to play jealous girlfriend. He loved her and her fiery passion—oh, yes, he absolutely did—but he wished more than anything he could get her to cool her jets right now. To trust that he wanted nothing to do with his ex-fiancée and would get her on her way out of town to anywhere else the second he could convince her to leave.
“Fivethousand.” The smug, victorious smile Veronica sent to Sadie was noticed by half the audience as they watched the exchange with widened eyes and heated whispers. At least five phones were recording. Another five snapping pictures. Conner could only guess the rumors that’d immediately start to circulate.
“Five thousand going once. Five thousand going twice.” He caught the determined glimmer in Sadie’s eyes as she finally looked at him. He gave a discreet but firm head shake, and she lowered her paddle. But she didn’t look happy about it. “Sold!”
The crowd clapped, but the cheers were awkward at best. They were all trying to piece together what had just happened.
Conner marched off the stage, his first order of business: Veronica. He hoped to be rid of her before Marc was auctioned off so he could head off his best friend before he confronted Sadie, which he most definitely would.
“DoctorConner Michaelson,” Veronica said in that sultry voice she used to get what she wanted. It used to work on him. It used to work on a lot of people she cheated. She shimmied from her row and met him at the side. In her designer clothes and perfectly styled hair and makeup, he felt dread. Who had she stolen from this time? “I’ve missed you, babe. We havesomuch to catch up on.”
“Cut the crap, Veronica.”
She didn’t so much as blink. “If you don’t want me to cause a scene, you’ll behave.”
14
SADIE
Sadie watchedfrom the back row as a gorgeous woman with dark wavy hair and a slender to-die-for body wrapped in a super expensive-looking dress Sadie would never be able to afford in her wildest dreams embraced Conner like an old friend. The winning bidder kissed him on the cheek and held on to his neck with fingers Sadie could tell from thirty feet away were perfectly manicured with bright-red polish.
Boomer let out a low growl.Smart dog.
“Who is that?” Haylee asked. “And how does she have five thousand dollars?”
“Good question.” Except, Sadie was certain she already knew the answer considering Conner was staring at the woman like he’d seen a ghost. Why wasn’t he squirming out of her grasp? She remembered how easily he talked about his past as if it no longer affected him. But what if in reality he’d pushed down his feelings instead of dealing with them?
