The auction might be a way to pair up the single people, but the boxes made up by the married women fetched good prices, too, since good-natured bidding often broke out between a husband and his brothers or brothers-in-law.
The older women kept the children entertained and provided food for them and those too old to be interested in the bidding, while the adults drifted away to share their meals. The afternoon would be whiled away with games of horseshoes, baseball and tag, while others meandered to the creek or found a quiet spot beneath the shade of a tree and indulged in a nap.
Rachel and Danny were wandering through the crowd, speaking to people she knew while he chatted with his friends. She saw him give a handful of wildflowers to eleven-year-old Bethany Carpenter, Ellie’s daughter. He always went out of his way to show her some kindness. She saw a smiling Sheriff Garrett talking to Ellie, and a strained-looking Meg Thomerson, the baby in her arms and little Seth clinging to her skirts. Elton stood next to her, looking surly and already three sheets to the wind. Rachel said a quick prayer that he would not lose control again.
She glanced over to her father’s vantage point beneath a large oak from which he had chosen to observe the festivities. It was close enough to the action of the bidding to observe what was happening but far enough away to be out of the throng.
He was smiling with pleasure; problems did not seem to be the insurmountable obstacles for him they did for Rachel.
She was about to turn back to check on Danny when she saw Libby Granville approach Edward’s wheelchair. As Rachel watched, Libby smiled at Edward and extended both hands in greeting. Their mutual pleasure was evident, and the faint sounds of their laughter drifted across the meadow, along with the buzz of friendly chatter, squealing children and birdsong.
Rachel watched as Gabe and two strangers joined the pair. The siblings made an attractive trio. Blythe was dressed in a pretty summer frock of rose-hued organdy. With his dark blond hair and golden eyes, Win was as handsome as Gabe, but in an entirely different way. Elegant and self-possessed, he was the epitome of Boston fashion in a pale gray pinstripe suit.
Gabe said something and Rachel saw her father give a shrug and a vague wave. Gabe turned to scan the throng and spied her in the midst of the crowd. His serious expression transformed into the amazing smile that never failed to cause her heart to flutter. Despite the scar that grew fainter every day, he was a gorgeous man and would still be handsome when he was her father’s age.
Day by day she was learning that there was more to him than a pretty face and inborn charm. She’d noticed many of them all those years ago, but when he left her, she’d thought he only pretended to have those qualities she’d fallen in love with.
He was kind and generous and blessed with patience and a dry sense of humor that popped up when she least expected it. He truly liked interacting with people, especially women. He paid close attention to their opinions, which she believed was the reason the new line of ladies’ clothing he’d added to his inventory was so successful. He’d been blessed beyond most. It just wasn’t fair.
“What isn’t fair?”
The sound of his voice pulled her from her daydreams. She must have been deep in thought if she hadn’t seen him coming. As he stood there smiling down at her as if neither had a care in the world, she suddenly felt nothing like a successful physician who dealt in life and death, and more like a gauche miss just out of the schoolroom. But then, she’d always felt that way around Gabe.
“It’s nothing.”
“You didn’t look as if it were nothing. You looked...dismayed.”
“Can you blame me with everything that’s going on?” she asked, hoping to switch the conversation from one unacceptable topic to another.
“Hey!” He chucked her beneath the chin. “It’s not that bad. We all had a very revealing talk last night, and Caleb and I know exactly what happened. My mother said she didn’t have an affair.”
“And you believe her?”
“I do. So does Caleb. I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, why don’t you come and meet her. I took all the blame for what happened between us, and she was more than happy to let me.”
“You talked to her about us?” Rachel cried in a scandalized whisper.
“I told you I would, and you know it had to be said. There was no way around it.”
She turned her face away. “I imagine she thinks I am some sort of hussy who—”
“She most certainly does not. Now stop trying to see the bad in this and look at the good.”
“What good?” she asked, turning to face him again.
Before he could answer, Danny raced up and grabbed Gabe around the waist. “Dad, can Ben and Caleb go fishing with us when we go?”
“Certainly,” Gabe said, “but it will be later, after we all have our picnic.”
“Okay,” he said, already off and running toward his friends.
Gabe’s face wore a smile of complete satisfaction. “There went the good.”
He meant it. He didn’t see Danny as a burden or something to be ashamed of. He was truly thrilled about being a father, thrilled to be Danny’s father. That much was good. In fact, it was wonderful.
He held out his elbow for her to take. “Ready?”
“I suppose we might as well get this over with,” she said crossly, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.
He laughed at her distinct lack of enthusiasm and gave her hand a pat. “That’s the spirit!”
The laughter drew attention to them, though it seemed that they’d attracted a gaggle of gawkers just by standing there.
“Excuse me for not being too keen on the idea, but it’s more than a bit humiliating.”
“Don’t I know it? Don’t forget that it’s an experience I was subjected to when I had to face your father. Thankfully he didn’t shoot me, and I promise that my mother won’t attack you, either.”
Rachel glowered at him.
“She isn’t going away any time soon, sweetheart,” he said, smiling that easy smile. “Come on. We’ll face the music together.”
She was hardly aware of their progress across the green field with its patches of yellow and purple wildflowers. She was too rattled by his casual use of the endearment. Sweetheart.
If only I were his sweetheart.
Where had that come from? she thought irritably. It was one thing to vow to be kinder and more forgiving. She could even love him, as long as he didn’t suspect how she felt. That would be disastrous, something she had to remind herself of several times a day.
Everyone in the group surrounding her father was laughing, but they turned as one as Rachel and Gabe drew nearer. Expressions ranged from pleasant inquiry to guardedness to thoughtful. Emotions that fit the circumstance, depending on one’s perspective, Rachel thought. To her surprise, it was her father who spoke up instead of Gabe.
“Rachel, this is Libby Granville, Gabe’s mother—which I’m sure you know,” he added with a cheerful grin. “Libby, this is my daughter, Rachel, Danny’s mother.”
Rachel offered her hand and Libby took it in a light grasp. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Rachel. Gabe has told me a lot about you, and you’ve certainly done a fine job with Danny.”
Rachel wondered if her face blanched at the woman’s directness. Clearly Libby Granville was not one to beat around the bush. Having that frankness focused on her, she found, was a bit disconcerting.
“Thank you, Mrs. Granville. He’s a wonderful little boy, but he can be a handful sometimes.”
“He wouldn’t be his father’s son if he wasn’t a handful,” Libby said with a rueful smile. “And please call me Libby. Mrs. Granville was my mother-in-law.” She gestured toward the couple standing nearby. “This is my stepson, Win, and my daughter, Blythe.”
Blythe shook her hand somewhat awkward
ly. Win’s grasp was warm and firm, and she wondered if it was her imagination that he held her hand a tad longer than necessary. His tawny eyes brimmed with good humor. “My pleasure, Dr. Stone.”
“Thank you. And everyone please call me Rachel. We don’t stand on ceremony in Wolf Creek.”
“Rachel, then,” he said.
Rachel’s glance encompassed them all. “So how are you finding our town so far? I’m sure it’s quite a change from Boston.”
“It is very different,” Win agreed, “but it does have its points of interest. Mother has been excited about coming ever since Abby wrote to her more than a year ago.”
“I wanted to come so badly then, but Sam was very ill, and there was no way I could leave him,” Libby explained. Her eyes darkened with sorrow. “He passed away just after Christmas, and when Abby wrote telling me about Eli, I told Win and Blythe I simply had to come back. They both wanted to meet Gabe and Caleb, so here we are.”
The conversation fizzled for a moment, and Rachel scoured her mind for something else to say. Unfortunately, her brain appeared to have turned to mush.
Gabe came to the rescue. “Everyone is going fishing with Danny after the auction and picnic,” he said, coming to her rescue. “Would you and Edward like to join us?”
She was about to open her mouth to say that she had things to do when Edward spoke up.
“We’d love to.”
“Are you sure you’ll be up to it?” Rachel hedged, appalled at the thought of spending any significant time with the Granvilles. “It will make a long day.”
“But a good one,” Edward assured her. “Libby and I have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
He did spend too much time inside, she thought. Mostly because she wasn’t always there to see to it that he got out and about as he should. And he was also tied down with watching Danny and being responsible for starting the evening meal. She shouldn’t begrudge him this short time with a friend, even if she knew she would be miserable.
She mustered a smile. “If you’re sure we won’t be intruding, we’d be glad to join you.”
As everyone was expressing their pleasure, someone rang a dinner bell and announced that the auction was about to begin. Mayor Talbot had been designated as the auctioneer, and bidding on the first basket started with a description of what was in it and who’d contributed it. Offers flew briskly, and cheers went up when Abe Caldwell had to pay three dollars for his wife’s box.
Abby’s was up next, and to everyone’s surprise, Win got into the spirit of the day and joined in the battle, raising Caleb’s every bid so that he was forced to pay seven dollars to share lunch with his wife. Gabe and Win were laughing so hard they could hardly catch their breath.
Caleb’s face looked like a thundercloud as he paid the money, but Abby turned toward Win and gave him a wide smile and a wave. She was still laughing as she and Caleb sauntered off to find a spot down by the creek.
“It isn’t like he can’t afford it,” Gabe offered, pulling out a monogrammed handkerchief and wiping his eyes.
Three more boxes sold, and then Rachel’s came up.
“This basket was donated by Dr. Rachel Stone.” Homer Talbot lifted the blue-patterned feed-sack dish towel and peeked inside. “Looks like fried chicken, homemade biscuits, pickled beets, a jar of slaw, some of Edward’s famous lime pickles and pound cake with— What’s this, Rachel?” he asked, holding up a pint jar.
“It’s called ‘lemon curd.’ Something I haven’t tried before.”
“Looks dee-licious!” the mayor said. “Some gentleman out there is going to have a real treat.” He looked directly at Gabe. “Who’ll start the bidding at fifty cents?”
Gabe raised his hand, and someone across the way raised him a dime. Then, from behind Rachel, a voice said calmly but firmly, “Five.”
The crowd gasped, and Rachel and Gabe both turned to see Win standing leaning against a tree, his eyes alight with mischief.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Gabe snapped.
“Bidding on the lady’s basket,” he said. “It all sounds delicious, and I haven’t had any lemon curd since I was in London a few months ago.”
“Let’s keep things moving,” Homer said. “Do I hear five-fifty?”
Glaring at his stepbrother, Gabe held up his hand. “Eight,” he said over the murmur of the crowd.
Win’s gaze locked with Gabe’s. “Ten.”
Gabe’s face was as red as the jar of beets in the basket. “This isn’t funny. What kind of game do you think you’re playing, brother?”
“You thought it was funny when Caleb had to pay, brother,” Win reminded him. “And it’s no game. It’s just that when I see something I want, I go after it.”
Chapter Eleven
Gabe bid twelve dollars and Win relented with a shrug. The crowd was abuzz over the spirited bidding rivalry and curious about what it might mean to Dr. Stone and Gabe’s relationship.
It was a ridiculously high price to pay, but there was no way Gabe was going to let the aristocratic Bostonian share a lunch with Rachel. Who did that blue-blooded upstart think he was, anyway? Just because the Granvilles were somebody back in Boston didn’t mean Win could come into Gabe’s neck of the woods and try to snatch the woman he loved out from under his nose. If Win was entertaining some half-cocked notion to “go after” Rachel, he’d soon find out that he’d have another battle on his hands!
Gabe pulled the cash from his wallet and went to pay the fee to Ruby Talbot. Collecting the basket of food amid a chorus of good-natured ribbing, he stalked toward the group gathered beneath the trees.
A sudden thought struck him. Was it possible Win was thinking of spending more time in Wolf Creek than he let on?
The previous evening, his stepbrother’s conversation seemed centered around the town. He appeared to have looked things over since arriving and had asked a lot of questions about businesses or storefronts for sale, about what the town needed and what possible avenues for growth there might be not only in Wolf Creek, but in the surrounding area.
At the time, Gabe had assumed Win was just making conversation and had listened but offered little to the discussion. Caleb had lived here his whole life and had his fingers on the pulse of what was happening. He’d answered Win’s questions without reserve, discussing several possibilities for new businesses.
Now that Win had all but come out and announced his interest in Rachel, Gabe wondered if he’d misjudged the older man. Was he attracted to her enough to be a true rival? Enough to relocate his business?
Stalking along toward the group beneath the trees, Gabe’s stomach twisted beneath the reality of the situation. Maybe she would rather have someone like the upstanding Granville heir than a ne’er-do-well who’d done everything in his power to mess up his life. And hers.
He approached the gathering, automatically looking for the outsider. Win was still lounging against the tree, regarding him with an amused expression. Though he’d seemed okay at first, Gabe wasn’t sure he liked his stepbrother overmuch. He was sure of one thing, though. His plan had been to take things slow and not pressure Rachel, but with Win in the picture, maybe it was time to move things along. He was going to ask her to marry him. Soon. The worst that could happen was that she would say no.
* * *
Rachel picked up a quilt she’d brought and her wary gaze moved from one man to the other. “Will you make sure Danny gets something to eat, Dad?” she asked Edward.
“Of course I will.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Your father and I have it well in hand,” Libby said. “I’ll even fix Edward a plate.” She gave a shooing wave of her hands. “You two go on now and enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said and hurried to catch up with Gabe, who evidently had no qualms a
bout leaving her behind.
“What was that all about?” she asked, as she fell into step with the irritating man.
His face held wide-eyed innocence. “What was what all about?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean, Gabriel Gentry. What was that between you and Win?”
Gabe shot her an irritated look. “You heard him. When he sees something he wants, he goes after it. Meaning you, of course.”
The notion that Win Granville might be interested in her was stunning. He was too self-confident, too sophisticated, too everything she would not be interested in. She laughed. “He was just stirring up a bit of controversy for the fun of it—he does seem to have a wicked sense of humor—or he was just helping out the town by bidding up the price of the baskets.”
Gabe stopped and turned to her. “That’s a very generous observation, and one anyone who knows you would expect you to make, but don’t be naive,” he said. “You must know that you’re a very beautiful woman, even though you make me want to bang my head against the wall most of the time.”
She stared at him, uncertain whether to laugh at his frustration, thank him for thinking she was beautiful or smack him for saying that she drove him crazy. Then she saw the uncertainty in his eyes.
She pressed a palm to her heart that gave a ridiculous little flip of joy. Oh, my! It would be easier to believe that the world would stop turning before believing she would ever see what her eyes were telling her now.
He was jealous.
More than that, for perhaps the first time in his life, he was unsure of himself. Her heart thudded beneath her hand. He’d kissed her and told her he cared and she’d believed him as far as it went, but was it possible that he really truly cared for her? The thought was almost overwhelming.
“You’re imagining things,” she said, willing her voice to steadiness. “And I may be naive, but I’m not silly enough to fall for the likes of Win Granville. The man is as handsome as sin, but he definitely has heartbreak written all over him.”
Wolf Creek Homecoming Page 18