I arched my eyebrow as we followed Lottie inside, hands clasped firmly together.
‘I’m going to need longer than that,’ I replied, feeling my whole heart melt under his gaze, the way he stroked my ring finger.
‘We can take as much time as you need,’ he said, his tone changing, expression turning serious.
I smiled, knowing exactly what he meant and feeling nothing but excitement and happiness welling up at the thought of him, of us.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered, squeezing his hand as we walked into the main area, where the auctioneer was currently selling off a weekend stay at the Four Seasons penthouse downtown.
I clutched at Jesse as eventually, after working its way round the room, it was sold to someone in a group of tourists near the back. They whooped and hollered when he shouted, ‘Sold!’
‘Holy shit,’ I exclaimed, catching Lottie and Cole’s eyes across the floor. Both were grinning – partly at the eight thousand dollars the lot had raised but partly because, as Cole lifted his hand in greeting, Jesse had put his left arm round my shoulder and pulled me close, kissing my hair.
‘Next lot for sale is . . . well, ladies and gents, a real Jackson exclusive!’
There were a few laughs from the crowd and a long, loud wolf whistle from Bailey.
‘That’s right, this lot is a date night with none other than Jackson’s very own Elizabeth Dean, Jackson High’s most beautiful Prom Queen and fifth generation Jackson Hole rancher!’
There was a chorus of encouraging whoops, shouts and yells as Lottie brought Lil up to the stage area.
‘Now, sadly, her equally beautiful cousin isn’t part of the deal,’ the auctioneer went on, prompting a hard glare from Cole, ‘but we’re only accepting top quality bids here for the chance to take Miss Dean out for dinner. Let’s start the bidding at four hundred dollars. Do I have four hundred dollars?’
Jesse chuckled as Lil exclaimed, turning to face the auctioneer with a bemused expression, clearly unable to believe anyone would bid that much. But, in the same moment, one, then two, then three people raised their hands. As the price went up, Lottie barely covered her laugh as she watched her cousin’s expression.
‘Man, there’s some money in this town,’ I said, Jesse humming in agreement. ‘I mean, Lil’s gorgeous and fucking hilarious, but fuck – fifteen hundred dollars for a date?’
The bidding paused as things slowed, until –
‘Five thousand dollars,’ a voice called out from the back, hidden from view by the crowd.
‘Well!’ the auctioneer called, above a burst of cheering and clapping. ‘Now, Miss Dean is a mighty fine date, but that is quite the generous bid! Do we have any further advance on—’
‘Eight thousand!’ another voice called from the opposite side of the room – a similar tone to the previous bid. It was almost as if the same person had shouted twice. Lil’s face, already incredulous, drained of all colour as a figure began striding forward through the crowd.
‘Who the hell . . .?’ I asked, turning to Jesse, but he shook his head in confusion, frowning as he noted Lil’s reaction too.
‘Ten thousand,’ the first voice said, the accent now clear. It had a Wyoming edge, but the rest was all British. This bidder too appeared to be making his way through the crowd towards the front of the room.
As he stepped into view, I felt Jesse go rigid. Lil’s mouth fell open.
‘Ten thousand dollars,’ the man repeated as everyone stared at him. He was tall, dressed in an expensive suit, with short, dark hair and a tanned, chiselled face. He nodded a greeting to Lil, his expression firm, then glancing in the direction of the other high bidder as if challenging them to continue.
There was a silence, broken only by whispers throughout the crowd. After a pause, the auctioneer carried on, clearly as stunned as everyone else.
But no one was more astonished than Lil. As the auctioneer declared the date sold, the room erupted. The man in the suit glanced at her, gave one more nod in her direction and then turned away, stepping back into the crowd.
‘What the fuck just happened?’ I breathed, turning back to Jesse, following his stare to Cole. Then both of them looked up at Lil.
Lottie was with her, concern in her eyes, talking rapidly as she supported her cousin.
‘That right there was Ryder Sinclair,’ Jesse said, frowning, his gaze still on Lil. ‘Son of Zach Sinclair, the owner-in-waiting of the Diamond Back’s biggest rival, Elk Creek. And . . .’ He winced, shifting his gaze back to me. ‘. . . Lil’s onetime fiancé.’
CHAPTER27
HESTIA
It wasn’t until the first flurries of snow had fallen, coating the fir trees around the ranch house, that I realized how quickly time was passing.
