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“That’s not how an auction works, darlin’. The way I see it, every eligible bachelor in this room knows that pie would be the perfect excuse to worm his way into your pretty little heart. And I intend to do just that.” I raised my arm again. “Ninety-five dollars!”
A noise of surprise swept through the room at the jump in price. The auctioneer whistled. Rory groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“I have ninety-five dollars for Miss Rory’s pie,” the auctioneer said. “Do I hear a hundred?”
Silence. A few cowboys shifted in place, looking like they wanted to speak up, but the price had risen too steeply for their comfort.
“Going…going…”
I smiled at Rory. She crossed her arms.
“Sold! To Beau Collins in the front row over here.”
The pie was placed in a box and handed to me. I opened the lid and inhaled a deep breath of the sweet scent.
“Looks like I’ll be having pie for dinner,” I said. “Would you care to join me for a bite, sweetheart?”
Rory growled and rose to her feet.
“I told you before. When it comes to you, the answer will always be no. Just because you threw away a ridiculous amount of money to buy my pie doesn’t mean I’m flattered. That was foolish, Beau.”
“Men always do foolish things when they’re in love, darlin’,” I countered.
For a split second, Rory seemed stunned. She blinked and her mouth worked like a fish out of water.
“Well, look at that,” I said. “I finally made you speechless.”
Rory huffed, spun on her heel, and stormed off.
Chapter Four
Rory
Beau talked too much. He said plenty of things he didn’t mean, using flattery and flirtation and that lethally smooth charm to get any woman he wanted.
For some reason, his words had rattled me this time though.
Men always do foolish things when they’re in love, darlin’.
My traitorous heart galloped like a racehorse against my ribs. As I pushed out of the exhibition building and into the late evening light, I felt a little dizzy and it was hard to catch my breath.
Beau Collins was not in love with me. No matter what he might say.
I was nothing more than a challenge to him. One of the few women in this small town he hadn’t managed to win over yet, and it was probably driving him crazy.
To my relief—and the slightest prickle of disappointment I chose to ignore—Beau didn’t follow me. That should be proof enough that he didn’t really mean what he’d said. He teased and toyed with me but it was simply a game to him.
I was the one with a crush that wouldn’t go away. I was the one pining after a man and harboring feelings for him when he never intended to stay like I wanted him to.
A deafening roar of applause and cheers rose from the arena. It sounded like the perfect distraction to get my mind off Beau. When I headed over and stepped inside, the bleachers were nearly full, punctuated by the hum of conversation.
“Rory, over here!”
I scanned the crowd until my gaze fell on Cody. He raised both arms over his head, waving to get my attention. He often tagged along with Beau or Grady on their trips into town, and he was always sweet to me. I could use a friendly face right now, so I picked my way through the packed seats toward him.
Cody moved over to make room for me on the bench. A piece of paper with a number was pinned to the back of his shirt.
“Are you competing today?” I asked.
