Sapphire Falls: Going Hearts Over Heels (Kindle Worlds Novella) (My Country Heart Book 3)

by Rachelle Ayala

  “Poor guy was his own cock block.” Candi giggled, slapping the bed.

  “Oh my, how blue his balls must have been.” Ginger guffawed so hard, she choked, coughing.

  Honey opened the door and came in. “You two are having too much fun in here. Is everything okay?”

  “Ginger’s fallen in love,” Candi said. “But you can’t tell Max or anyone in this nosy town, because she’s going to be unavailable to Marsh. You know, Dr. T’s advice.”

  “Right, can’t let any man know, or we women will lose our advantage.” Honey bounced onto the bed and hugged Ginger. “Marsh is a good man. A very good man, but he’s been burned before. His high school sweetheart dumped him right before their wedding. He was crushed.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know.” Ginger wanted to hug Marsh and comfort him from his grief. “No wonder he doesn’t want to get involved.”

  “Once burned, twice shy,” Candi said. “You should get another date at the auction and see what happens.”

  “But, if I do that, wouldn’t that make him feel I don’t care about him?” Ginger scratched her head. “I don’t see how going to the bachelor’s auction’s going to get him to like me better.”

  “It’s the competition,” Candi said. “Trust me. Guys want to compete. They can’t help it. Once he sees you with someone else, it’s going to burn him so badly, he’ll do anything he can to get you for himself.”

  “And that’s when you score the winning hand. You ask for nothing less than one hundred percent full commitment.” Honey chopped her hand to emphasize her point. “Anything less, and you keep your options open.”

  “These farm boys here are territorial, just like that bull in the pen,” Candi added. “Besides, if he lets you go out with someone else, then he wasn’t the one for you anyway. Better to know now before you sink too deep.”

  The thought that Marsh might truly not mind who she dated sank Ginger’s heart into the pit of her belly. None of the other men she’d been with had cared if she moved on. Why should he be any different?

  “Who should she bid on?” Honey asked Candi.

  “There’s Scott Hansen, that young cop,” Candi suggested.

  “Or that Derek guy, the bartender. He’s hot,” Honey added.

  “You know what would be diabolical?” Candi’s eyes lit up. “Mike Wolff, the younger brother.”

  “That’ll get his attention, for sure,” Honey said. “You should do it.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Ginger wrung her hands, as her stomach squeezed and clenched. “What if he’s happy I’m going to the dance with any one of those guys?”

  Honey put her hand on her shoulder. “It means he doesn’t care about you, and you should let it go. This method of Dr. T’s is not a guarantee for any particular guy, but it’s a way of finding out if the guy you like is truly the one for you.”

  “It’s so complicated.” Ginger lay back on the pillow and covered her eyes. “I wish we clicked and everything is hearts and roses.”

  “Actually, something did click,” Candi said. “You owe us details. What did you guys do all evening? Troy said Marsh was at Tucker Bennett’s borrowing his tailgate tent.”

  “Max says the pastor’s wife caught Marsh at the grocery store buying a box of rainbow condoms,” Honey added.

  “So,” Candi said, tapping her. “How many colors have you used?”

  “Every color of the rainbow,” Ginger groaned. “And it was beyond incredible.”

  “Wow,” both sisters exclaimed in unison.

  “No wonder you’re exhausted.”

  “And in love.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Marsh slid the cashbox out from under his bed and counted the money in his honeymoon stash. Eight years of inflation had eaten up the worth of the bills he’d stashed away, and he had never touched the money until now.

  Maybe it was superstition or just plain stupid, but he always felt that if he spent his honeymoon money, it would mean he would never marry and go on a honeymoon.

  It was time to spend the money.

  The trip to New York would mark the end of his days of being stuck in a rut. From now on, he was his own man, and he would do what he wanted, whether his family approved or not.

  Every year, he’d take a vacation to someplace different. He’d meet new people, eat new cuisines, experience new adventures.

  As for Ginger, he’d make one last ditch effort to win a date with her—this time on her home turf. She had high standards in men, and just because she’d spent two nights with him didn’t mean he could assume she wanted more.

  It was awfully kind of her to lend him her apartment, but what else could she do? She was family, tied together by her sister and his brother. When his mother mentioned it to Max that he hadn’t found a place to stay, Max would have spoken to Honey, who would have passed the message to Ginger. How could she not help him?

  Marsh counted almost fifteen hundred dollars and tucked it into his wallet. With this money, he should be able to top any bid for the Times Square Valentine Party tickets.

  He hadn’t asked Ginger this morning if she’d go with him, because he wasn’t sure if he could score the tickets. But he’d worked the grapevine good, and all the Bennetts, Spencers, Wolffs, and Andersons knew he wanted those tickets and why.

  Feeling more confident, Marsh pulled on his jeans and a flannel shirt. He trimmed his whiskers to the two-day growth length, and waxed his hair up and back the way Ginger taught him.

  “Ready to go?” Mike walked into his apartment without knocking. “Who do you think will win a date with you?”

  “No one. I’m not going to be in town.”

  “Good. Means more bids for me.” Mike paraded around making muscles with his biceps. “Think Ginger will be there?”

  “I don’t really care.” Marsh spoke under his breath as he went down the stairs in front of his brother. He didn’t want Mike to pester him any further than he already had.

  “Then why the heck are you bidding on those tickets and telling everyone to stay away from them?” Mike slapped him on the back, almost making him stumble down the last few steps.

  “Mind your own business,” he grumbled as he got into his truck.

  “If you have a plan, you better think it through,” Mike said. “Otherwise, how would you know if she wants to go with you or not?”

  “I’m going to wait and see who she bids for,” Marsh said. “If she wants someone else, it means she’s not the one for me, and I won’t bid on the tickets.”

  “You could still use them yourself,” Mike said. “A Times Square party’s a big deal.”

  “Like I said, I’m going to wait and see,” Marsh said. “It’s a silent auction and everyone’s promised me they won’t bid.”

  “How do you know someone won’t double-cross you?” Mike asked in his usual annoying way of stating things no one wanted to hear.

  Marsh didn’t answer. He curved around the block trying to find a parking spot. The entire town was gathered at the Come Again for the bachelor’s auction—mostly to spectate and place bets on who would win the biggest bids and gawk at which women would bid on which guy.

  By the time they found a spot, which usually was an easy deal, they had to walk three blocks and could barely get in the door.

  The crowd was packed. Kate Spencer wandered from one side of the small stage to the other, singing the praises of each bachelor. Up on the block was Scott Hansen, one of two police officers in town.

  Mike and Marsh ordered drinks and crammed themselves in a corner to watch.

  The bidding was slow, to say the least, mainly between two women, Peyton Wells and a newcomer wearing a Chicago Cubs cap. Every time Peyton bid, the entire town cheered, but when the Cubby put in her bid, there were scattered boos.

  “Looks like this thing is rigged,” Mike said. “I’m going to be picked up by Penny Barnes for a penny.”

  “There are a few tourists who don’t know the score. Maybe you’ll get a bidding war over
there.” Marsh gestured to a group of city girls taking pictures of everything around them, including beer signs, farm instruments mounted on the walls, and of course, the bachelor on stage.

  Marsh felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle, and when he turned to hook a look at the door, he spotted Ginger and her two sisters sliding in.

  They spotted him and looked away quickly, tapping Ginger in warning. She glanced briefly, seemed to want to smile, before her attention was drawn to the guy on stage.

  What was that all about? She looked guilty as sin like she was either avoiding him or about to betray him.

  “Come on, ladies, you can do better than a Ben Franklin,” Kate said. “This guy can let you off a speeding ticket. That’s got to be worth something, right? Do I hear one forty-five? Anyone?”

  Ginger’s sister nudged her, but she shook her head.

  Marsh settled in to watch her, and once she became aware he was staring at her, she moved so that she could watch the stage without making eye contact with him.

  Scott was finally sold to Peyton for a hundred-sixty dollars.

  “Folks, don’t forget to check in at the bar,” Kate reminded. “We have an auction for two tickets to one of New York City’s finest Valentine’s Day parties. Put in your bid at the bar before the bachelor’s auction is over.”

  Marsh’s gut clenched as a group of tourists headed toward the bar, including the girls who had been taking pictures. Mike was right. Someone from out of town could snatch those tickets, and then he’d have nothing to give Ginger a reason to go back with him to her hometown.

  The next guy up was Derek, the popular bartender. He was still tending bar, so he asked for a five-minute break.

  Marsh decided to use the men’s room.

  “I’ll be back,” Marsh said to his brother. “Tell me if Ginger bids or not.”

  “Sure you’ll believe me?”

  “Word will get around. Trust me.” Marsh left his beer.

  On his way to the restroom, he stopped by the bar to check if any outsiders had bid on the Times Square Valentine Party tickets.

  * * *

  “You should bid on Derek,” Candi said to Ginger after the bidding resumed. “He’s lots of fun and he can do all sorts of tricks with his tongue.”

  “And how would you know?” Ginger shot her sister a questioning glare.

  “I teach dance, remember? Girls talk.” Candi laughed. “I wonder why Marsh went to the bathroom.”

  “Maybe he had too much to drink.” Ginger couldn’t help checking every so often to see if he’d appear. “If I bid on Derek, how would Marsh know about it?”

  “Trust me, word will get to him,” Candi said. “Then it’ll show him you’re not available. You have other prospects, and he’ll be that much hotter for you.”

  “Okay, I don’t know.” Ginger wiped her hand through her hair. “I have nothing to lose, right?”

  “Absolutely. If he was interested in you, he would have come over as soon as he saw us and claimed you so you wouldn’t have a chance to bid.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better,” Ginger groused.

  “Yes, but it’s reality,” Honey said. “So, the only way to find out if he’s interested, is to give him some competition.”

  On stage, Derek paraded around strutting and flexing his muscles.

  “Ladies, ladies,” Kate said. “This man is multi-talented and heaps of fun. He can not only make you a Fuzzy Navel, have Sex on the Beach, but also give you a Screaming Orgasm. Who wants to place the first bid?”

  Candi gave Ginger a nudge, so she shouted, “Ten dollars.”

  “Ten dollars to Ginger Myers,” Kate yelled. “Can we top that? Fifteen in the back. Good, good.”

  “Twenty.” Ginger waved her hand high when she saw Marsh exit the bathroom.

  He narrowed his eyes and gave her a hard look before going to his brother’s side.

  “He saw me,” Ginger said to Honey and Candi. “Now what? Do you think he’ll come over and ask me what the hell I’m doing?”

  “Only if he cares,” Candi said. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

  Ginger let the other patrons duke it out for Derek, because truthfully, she only wanted to get Marsh’s attention.

  Soon, the bartender was sold to someone whose name she didn’t catch, and Kate gestured to the men in the crowd. “Who’s next? The bidding is heating up. Who’s the next bachelor from Sapphire Falls?”

  “He’s coming this way,” Honey said. “Don’t look. Pretend you’re not noticing him.”

  “Yes, I think it worked,” Candi whispered out of the side of her mouth.

  Ginger’s heart leaped with joy and she smiled to herself. Her sisters really did know how to wrap a man’s heart around their fingers.

  She allowed herself a quick glance at Marsh, but instead of stopping near her, he continued up to the stage and jumped onto it.

  “Woohoo! We have Marsh Wolff for the first time in eight years,” Kate hooted. “Could there be a reason he’s here? This year? Ladies, what a golden opportunity to land one of Sapphire Falls’ finest farmers. Let’s start the bidding. What do we have?”

  Ginger felt her heart drop to the ground, bloodied and squished. Marsh had pretended to the entire town that he didn’t know her, even though he was Honey’s brother-in-law.

  And why should he greet her? He’d already gotten everything he wanted from her. She was no longer fresh and mysterious. She was a known quantity.

  “Should I bid on him?” Ginger felt her heart cry in desperation. “Maybe I should bid.”

  “Definitely not.” Candi clutched Ginger’s hand so tight, it hurt. “He snubbed us on purpose, and if you bid now, you’ll seem weak and pathetic. No guy wants to be chased.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Honey said. “Do you want to go home?”

  “No, I’m not going to let him scare me.” Ginger said. “I’ll bid on the next guy and win it if it takes all the money I make from the tickets. By the way, when are they auctioning off the tickets?”

  “It’s a silent auction,” Candi said. “The mayor didn’t want anything that wasn’t Sapphire Falls to be in a live auction. You won’t know until the end.”

  “Oh, then I have some of my haircutting money I can spare.” She refused to gawk at the perfect farmer specimen parading on stage.

  “Marsh birthed two calves on his farm today,” Kate Spencer said. “A baby bull with Brahmin ears and a red heifer. Do we have another bid for big Marshall Wolff?”

  The tourist ladies squealed and several of them bid against each other. A few of the local girls also threw in bids, but the tourists had bigger purses.

  “Sold to the lady with the Yankees cap for two seventy-five.” Kate pounded a gavel on the lectern. “And now, for our next bachelor, we have Marsh’s brother, Mike. So, ladies, if you missed out on one farmer, here’s your chance to score another pea from the same pod. But before you do, folks, there’s a silent auction going on at the bar for a set of two tickets to an exclusive Times Square Valentine’s Day party put on by the Billionaire Brothers. I see some folks from New York City here, and our last bachelor, Marsh Wolff, is traveling to New York for Valentine’s Day, so go ahead and submit your bids at the bar.”

  Marsh sauntered off the stage without a single glance at Ginger, giving her all the answer she needed.

  That did it. She wasn’t a shrinking violet, no way. She was a flaming redhead, and he really got her red riled up now.

  “For our next bachelor, we have Marsh’s younger brother, by only a year, Mike Wolff. Now, Mike is not your ordinary farmer. He’s also an actor in our community theater and a thespian. Any fantasy you have, Mike will act them out with you, so, let’s start the bedding, er, I meant the bidding.”

  “Three hundred,” Ginger shouted, waving her hand.

  “Wow, three hundred says the redhead in the front,” Kate shouted. “Are we going to have a bidding war here?”

  One of the New Yorker’s friends shouted,
“Three fifty.”

  “Oh my, the auction’s heating up. Keep the bids coming.”

  “Four hundred,” Ginger countered, marching right up to the stand in front of Mike.

  A group of church ladies made a commotion in the back, and one of them shouted, “We pooled our money and bid four fifty.”

  “Four fifty to the ladies in the pool.” Kate pointed to the group.

  “Five hundred, and I’ll throw in free haircuts at the senior center,” Ginger raised her hand.

  “Woohoo!” A cheer rose among all the gray-haired spectators. “Sold, sold, sold, sold.”

  “Quiet, quiet,” Kate shouted. “Can anyone top our visiting hairdresser, Ginger Myers’s offer?”

  A collective sigh passed around the bar, and Ginger felt everyone’s eyes on her, especially Marsh’s burning a hole through her head.

  “Going once, twice, three times.” Kate scanned the crowd. “And sold. Mike Wolff goes to Ginger Myers for five hundred dollars and free haircuts at the senior center.”

  “Whoop!” Everyone cheered, and people lifted Ginger up, passing her around the bar.

  Mike shrugged and slunk off the stage, and try as she might, she could not find Marsh. Ginger’s heart shriveled into the size of a peanut and even though she was among many new friends, and being lifted and held up by her admirers, she couldn’t help grieving for the loss of the fantasy she’d built up between her and Marsh Wolff.

  “Wait, wait, we’re not done,” Kate announced. “We have a winner for the silent auction.”

  Someone handed her a slip of paper and she unfolded it. “The winner of the two tickets to the Times Square Extravaganza Valentine’s Day party is Marsh Wolff at a bid of fifteen hundred dollars. It looks like Marsh and the lady with the Yankees hat are going to have a ball. Congratulations!”

  The crowd let Ginger down, and she signaled to her sisters to go. She’d been humiliated in front of the entire town when Marsh snubbed her and put himself up there to date someone else.

  But before she could exit, a middle-aged woman with multi-colored spiked short hair approached her. “Hey, Ginger, I’m Ellen Anderson. Nice to meet you.”