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Oh. That makes a lot more sense.
“So, I don’t have to get up on a stage or nothing?”
Violetta shakes her head, smiling at me with imploring eyes.
“What if I don’t want to go on a date with any of ’em?”
Seriously, though. I haven’t met a ton of cowboys in Darling Creek. The ones I have met are all married or engaged. The single ones who’ve chatted me up on occasion at Willie’s Bar & Grill didn’t seem all that serious, and I’m not interested in one-night stands.
“That’s the other thing I wanted to ask of you, Casey. You’re new here, and well, you don’t have the prejudices that some folks have about other people here.”
Oh my god, where is this going? I feel my stomach do a somersault.
“And?”
“And we have one particular cowboy bachelor on the roster that nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to bid on. Nobody who knows him, anyway. But I thought he might do well for you,” Violetta says with a hopeful peek at me.
“’Cause I’m not picky?”
“It’s not that. He’s very good-looking. Very, very good-looking,” she says. The woman fans herself.
“But,” I say, urging her to finish, eyeballing her while shoving the last bit of my sandwich in my mouth.
“But he’s responsible for the town curse.”
She says that as if it instantly explains everything.
“Curse?”
Violetta nods. “Tanner Murphy is a world champion bull rider who’s been on the rodeo circuit nonstop for years. He’s stopping here on his way to Calgary and agreed to be a part of the auction. His agent thinks it will help with his lothario image, and Tanner himself has expressed a desire to give something back. And we sure do need the money. The problem is, back when he was the star quarterback at Darling Creek High School, he totally blew it in the championship game against our rivals at West Bozeman.”
I’m intrigued. I’m not going to do it, but I’m intrigued by this yarn she’s spinning. I don’t think I’m classy enough to go out with someone who has an agent—sounds too Hollywood for my blood. And besides, I don’t have time for lotharios and womanizers. They can all go kick rocks.
“How did he curse the town?”
She blinks several times. “Well, Darling Creek hasn’t won a championship since he cheated on Hattie Wilkins, the poor dear. The curse can’t be lifted until he comes home and apologizes.”
This gets nuttier by the second.
“But he’s not here to apologize. He’s here to give back. Seems to me giving to charity might be more important than a stupid make-believe curse,” I say.
Violetta’s face darkens, and she leans forward to whisper conspiratorially. “It’s not made up. Trust me. Listen, if the curse isn’t lifted, it’s no skin off my nose either way. We just need the money for charity.”
I roll my right shoulder, working out the stiffness in my joint from roping one of the juvenile bulls who decided to be stubborn today. “Professional bull rider, huh? Sounds like a pretty boy.”
Again, Violetta fans herself. “Oh, he is indeed pretty.”
Hmm. “And you want me to bid on him out of pity.”
“Only if nobody else bids on him.”
This sounds like a terrible idea. What use would I have with a pretty boy with a reputation for putting a curse on the town? And one who’s known to sleep around, at that?
Then again, I presume he knows how to ride a horse and lasso a calf.
“What kinda date does it have to be? Like dinner and a movie? I ain’t got the time to go to Bozeman for anything like that. Plus, I don’t own any nice dresses.”
Violetta gives me a reassuring smile. “If you cast the winning bid, the nature of the date is entirely up to you. With his consent, of course. Don’t let me catch wind of you roping him up without a safe word.”
