The Winning Bid: The Auction Series, Book 1

by Windsor, Michelle

  Drew continued to watch as she unlocked the metal casing covering the door, then slid it up and out of the way. The metal must be cold because she was rubbing her hands together while blowing her breath on them. She found another key on the set she held and unlocked the interior door of the shop, opening it and walking in, closing it behind her, the faint tinkling of the bell carrying on the breeze. He stayed for another thirty minutes, waiting to see if this morning would be any different than the last three. It wasn’t. Her co-worker arrived just before 8:00 a.m. and a delivery truck full of flowers a few minutes later. He popped his earbuds back in, pushed play on his iPod, and with his head down began the run back to the hotel before she came out to meet the delivery driver.

  Acknowledgments

  This may be the hardest part of the book to write for me because there are so many people that helped and encouraged me along the way, not only in writing this book, but in making me believe I could actually do this. I apologize in advance for my wordiness-my editor will be shaking her head I’m sure…

  To the person who has been there for me since the very beginning, I must first and foremost thank my mom, Sandy Erickson. She’s ALWAYS been my number one fan. From the time I started writing in high school, she would read my work and always, always encourage me to keep going and tell me she couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. Well Mom, it took me awhile, but I finally finished one for you. I promise I’ll keep my fingers working overtime for you.

  To my boys; all three of you. Doug, Tyler and Tommy; you who make my world go round and complete it with your love and laughter. Doug, thank you the very most for pushing me to follow my dreams, and for giving me the space to do it. For making dinner for the boys when I lost track of time and didn’t realize it was way past a reasonable time to feed them. Who knew boys needed to eat so much?? For helping with the laundry, their homework, our crazy houseful of animals, but mostly, just for loving me the way that you do. No one, and I mean no one, could ever make me feel as special as you, and even though I’m positive I don’t say it enough, I love you so much. Tyler, thanks for understanding when I asked you not to play your drums or hook your guitar up to your amp, and still being able to make the most beautiful music. I heart you so much. Tommy, for always asking how my book is going, how many likes I have on my page, and for making sure I always had a drink or a snack; my cup runneth over at the love I have for you.

  To my sisters, Tammy, Laura and Karla; thanks for always having my back and for loving me no matter what. I know I’m the bossy one, and the jealous one, and the emotional one… but you know I love you so hard and couldn’t imagine a world without you three. Seriously, you girls are my best, best friends and the loves of my life. After wine, tequila and my books of course… ;)

  To my friends, Robin, Julie, and Joel. Thank you for so much for all the support and words of encouragement you’ve given me over the last six months. You literally lifted me up some days with your words of praise and belief in me. Joel, you should get a special award for listening to me talk so much about this book and how much it meant for me to be writing it. You asked me endless questions, I’m sure to appease my self-doubts, (as well as keeping Doug from talking any more smack about the Cowboys), but your constant interest and your intelligence really did drive me to work harder at creating the best work I could. Robin and Julie, the two of you are without a doubt the best support system a girl could have. From bringing me Prosecco to celebrate milestones, to endless ‘how are you doing and can I do anything for you’ texts, for talking me off the cliffs I came so precariously close to jumping off of on more than one occasion, you are always there when I need you. You’re the best of the best. I love you girls, so, so much. Sinseriously.

  Finally, I want to thank three authors that had a profound impact on my life over the last two years, and ultimately led me to begin writing again. First is Erica Stevens. Two years ago, I bought one of her books, (Captured), and devoured it in one sitting. I picked up the next book in the series, and shortly thereafter, the next one. I fell in love with her writing and her story and wanted so badly to tell her. So, I did something I had never done before; I found her on Facebook and sent a message telling her exactly how I felt. And – OH MY GOD! – She actually wrote back to me. That had never happened to me before. A real live author was talking to me about her book. She asked me to be on her street team, which I of course accepted, and from there was introduced to another world I had no idea existed; The Indie World. (Yes, I put it in caps. It’s another dimension as far as I’m concerned.) Introduction to this new world was like an awakening for me. I discovered authors, made some amazing friends, (Gina, Connie, Gretchen, Amanda, Rory, Donna), started my own blog, and learned how possible it was for a person to publish their own work if they wanted to. Along the way, I stumbled across Casey Clipper, and after reading all her books, started bothering her (ok, I think we became friends, even though she likes the Steelers), and learned even more about the author community. Casey, thank you so much for answering my endless questions about publishing my book. You were so helpful and always willing to help, never once losing your patience or blocking me (hee hee). I aspire to one day be able to help guide a new author the way you’ve so generously helped me. You are a diamond in this sometimes rough neighborhood and your friendship is treasured. The last author, whom I sure has no idea that I exist, (even though one may classify me as a stalker if my search/view history was checked), is Colleen Hoover. She’s a big name in this industry, and for those of you who know her, and her work, will hopefully agree that her writing is a step above brilliant and the humanitarian work (I think this is what it should be referred as), she does define a new level of generosity that we should all aspire to. See, I told you I love her. Probably too much. But in all seriousness, it’s not her books, or the work she does to give back to others, it’s her personal story that inspired me. She’s just a normal girl, (I mean, there are some that might question this), married, with three boys, trying to get through life like the rest of us. Some days harder than others, barely struggling to get by. She gets brave, she gets bold and decides to start writing again, even though she knows, from earlier attempts, that she probably isn’t going to make a living from this, but she does it anyway, just cause she loves to write. And you know what, two years later, she’s written numerous best selling books, is published internationally, supports her entire family, (and others I’m sure), and has a fan base that adores her. She was the little train that could. She was the Horton who heard a Who and actually listened. She was… ok, you get the point. And the point is, is that she just went for it. And she did it. She did what so many of us dream of doing. So, I thought, I can do this. And so I did it…

  About the Author

  Michelle Windsor is a full-time working mom of two teenage boys, one grown daughter, and wife to one seriously amazing husband. She lives in a suburb about 25 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts with her two dogs, two cats and two birds. She jokes that all she needs is an Ark and she could set sail.

  Her love of reading started with Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Little House on The Prairie Series, and fell in love with writing as a teenager. She always dreamed of writing, and may have even started a few stories over the years, and finally got the nerve up to share some of her wicked imagination with you.

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