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Chapter 1
Holly
In front of the stage, men called out numbers in a rapid back-and-forth I couldn’t keep up with. The first bachelorette of the evening, Hanna Roberts, swayed on her feet.
Was it too hot on the stage with the spotlights?
When her eyes rolled back, someone shouted a warning. Heath moved from his spot in the shadows and dropped to his knees with his arms held out in front of him, catching her before Hanna’s head could hit the floor.
Sebastian leapt onto the stage and knelt beside her.
Heath eased Hanna into Sebastian’s arms, who pleaded, “Hanna, wake up.”
The crowd quieted, everyone waiting to see if Hanna would respond.
Sebastian bowed over her body, his mouth brushing a kiss over her forehead as he whispered something I couldn’t hear from where I stood.
A second later, her eyelids fluttered, and Sebastian’s shoulders lowered.
“Is it over?” Hanna asked in a soft voice, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“The auction? You were only the second person to go,” Sebastian said as he shifted her to a seated position.
Her forehead creased. “Am I done?”
Sebastian stood and held his hand out to Hanna. “Let’s get you out of here and get you something to eat.”
Marley stepped to their side and rested a hand on Hanna’s arm. “Are you okay?”
Sebastian helped Hanna off the stage, and the three of them moved toward the door.
All I could think about was that I was next on the auction block. I almost wished I could feign light-headedness so that I could escape with Hanna.
When Marley returned, her cheeks were flushed as she held the clipboard to her chest.
“Do you think we should cancel the rest of the event?” I asked her hopefully.
Marley attempted to smile at me, but it was brittle. “Absolutely not. Hanna is fine and in good hands with Sebastian.”
I briefly wondered why Sebastian had bid on his best friend, but I brushed it away because I was more concerned about my predicament. In a few short seconds, I was going to stand in front of a room of eligible bachelors while they bid money to go on an elaborate date with me.
Marley fixed her gaze on me. “Remember, this is for a good cause. We’re raising money for the farm and a local animal shelter.”
I scanned the crowd to see if there were any men I could be interested in. Having grown up here, I knew most of the men in the barn. But my gaze snagged on the dark figure in the back. The one leaning against the wall, his shoulders lowered, his stance casual, but his gaze was fixed on mine. “What’s Talon doing here?”
Marley smiled as she glanced at her clipboard for the hundredth time. “All the Monroes are here to support the event. You know that.”
Now my stomach was tightening for a different reason. We’d dated in high school, and it had ended badly. Talon hadn’t wanted to break things off, but I didn’t have a choice. Everything was my fault, and I couldn’t see past the guilt. I couldn’t subject him to that, so I’d let him go, and I’d regretted it every day since.
When I started working for the Monroes on their Christmas tree farm, creating hand-painted ornaments for their holiday shop, we’d run into each other a few times. We’d even danced at Marley’s holiday party at the inn, but we hadn’t spoken of the past. It reminded me of the homecomings and proms we’d attended in high school, making my heart ache.
Back then, it had been easy between us. Our relationship was a natural progression, and we quickly fell in love. It was the summer after senior year when real life set in and everything fell apart.
At some point, I’d have to talk to him. But if I could put it off for some time in the future, I was more than okay with that.
Marley stepped up to the podium and gripped the microphone, sending my heart racing. “Sebastian is taking good care of Hanna, and she’s doing great after her fainting spell. So, we’ll move on to our next eligible bachelorette.” Marley swung her arm in my direction, and I took it as the prompt to step forward. I’d opted for a red dress that was soft and comfortable and had the added effect of looking amazing against my skin.
I hadn’t dated in what felt like forever, and I’d never put myself out there like I had with Talon.
