by Bobbi Smith
"All the monies raised go to the orphans' home that the church supports," Elise told him. "As soon as Reverend Ford gets ready, he'll have Mrs. Stevens call us up to the front table and start the bidding. She and her daughter, Julie, are running the fund raiser for the orphanage this year."
"Why, there you are, 'Ben'!" Julie said as she spied them across the grounds and went to speak with them. "I was wondering if I'd ever get to see you again."
Trace looked in her direction to see a very beautiful young blonde coming their way. "Hello."
"Hello," she said in a rather sultry voice, eyeing him with open interest. She'd done a lot of thinking overnight, and her anger and heartbreak over Ben disappearing had been replaced by curiosity over this new man in town. "I'm Julie-and I know you're not really Ben."
Trace laughed aloud. "No, I'm not, and it's very perceptive of you to notice. My name's Gabe West."
"I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to speak with you after your wedding. Things were a little confused there for a while."
"So you were there-I thought you looked a bit familiar."
Julie's smile widened, and she gave a toss of her blond mane. He had noticed her. The knowledge only reinforced the decision she'd made earlier that day: She wanted to know more about this man-much more. "Oh, yes. I wouldn't have missed Elise and Ben's nuptials for the world, but you can imagine my shock when you were the one who came out with Preacher Farnsworth. Yours was quite the most exciting wedding I've ever attended."
"It did have its moments," he agreed, his expression darkening as he thought of Farnsworth's desperate attempt to escape using Elise as his shield.
"Well, it's delightful to meet you, Gabe." She said his name with soft emphasis as she touched his arm in a familiar way. "And I hope you enjoy your stay with us in Durango. Will you be staying here long?"
"It certainly looks as if he will be," Elise interrupted her. There was something about Julie that irritated her, but she could never decide exactly what it was.
"Why, Elise." Julie turned her attention to the other woman. The day before she would have had difficulty speaking to her, believing she was truly marrying Ben, but now she smiled at her with ease as she said, "Congratulations on your success yesterday. You must be quite pleased."
"Yes, we are. We helped to put an outlaw and his men behind bars."
"We?"
"Gabe, here, is the new owner of the Star. He's the man who won the Star from Ben in a poker game."
"You're the new owner? That's wonderful! It's so good to know that you really will be staying on in Durango!" Julie was truly surprised by this bit of news.
"I'm going to enjoy living here, I'm sure," Trace said. "I plan on working with Elise and Andy to make the Star the best newspaper in town."
"I'm sure you will, Gabe," Julie told him.
Elise watched the interplay between the two, and for some reason, found herself grinding her teeth in irritation. Not that she cared one way or another about Gabe. It was just that Julie was such an accomplished flirt that she always had men falling all over themselves trying to impress her. Even Ben had not proven immune to her charms. She was talking to Gabe now in the same way she used to talk to Ben, and he seemed to be as smitten as Ben had been with her flirtatious ways.
"Do you know whose dinner you're going to buy tonight?" Julie asked him.
"When everything smells so delicious, it's not going to be an easy decision," he replied evasively. "But I have it from reliable sources that Claire and Mrs. Buxton are the two best cooks in town."
Julie tried not to look annoyed by his answer. "If it's only food you're looking for tonight," she said in a softer voice, leaning toward him, "then you'll be quite pleased with anything those two ladies cook up. But rememberthere's more to the social than just eating a dinner. There will be dancing afterward."
"Oh, I see." And he did. He recognized the look in her eyes, and he had to admit that she was an attractive woman. Right then, though, he couldn't risk getting involved with any female. He had only one thing on his mind, and that was getting ready to take on Harris.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" came the call from Adele Stevens as she accompanied the Reverend to the head table. "It's time for the fun to begin."
Julie knew she'd be needed to help her mother with the bidding, so she excused herself. She looked up at Gabe and said with meaning, "I hope I'll get to see more of you later."
"I'll be here."
"Good." She hurried off.
Elise watched Julie walk away and was glad she'd gone.
"Is everyone hungry and ready to eat?" the Reverend called out.
A rousing "Yes" came from those gathered around.
"Then without further delay, let's start the bidding." He walked to the first table that had a meal displayed for all to see.
"This is Miss Charity Hancock's box. For tonight's festivities, she's cooked stew for her main dish, and she has a thick, delicious pudding for dessert. "What bid do I have for our first meal tonight?"
The bidding started at a reasonable rate, for no one wanted to buy anything too cheaply. The idea was to raise money for a good cause, so everyone wanted to pay as much as they could afford to help out. After some bidding back and forth, her dinner was sold for five dollars. The woman was pleased with the amount-and with the man who'd bought it. They walked off together arm-in-arm carrying her basket with the food in it. The Reverend went on to the next woman's meal.
"Five dollars is about average for a dinner," Elise confided to Gabe as they watched all that was transpiring.
"No wonder you were so impressed with the twenty-five that was paid for your grandmother's."
"Oh, no!" she said suddenly, tersely.
The dramatic change in her tone surprised Gabe, and he glanced down at her sharply. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to be up for auction in a few more minutes, and Clint Parker just got here." She all but groaned.
"Who's Clint Parker?" Gabe asked, wondering at her reaction to him.
"He's one of the ranch hands on the Double Bar M Ranch."
"And?" Her description had done nothing to explain her reaction to the man.
"And he always comes to these auctions to buy my dinner." She saw Clint watching her, and she did her best not to make eye contact with him. She concentrated instead on what she was saying to Gabe.
"So you don't want this Clint to buy your dinner? I thought that was the purpose or this whole thing-to get people excited about the auction."
She gave him a strained look. "That's the problem. Clint gets excited all right. He fancies himself in love with me."
"I take it you don't return his feelings."
"No, and from the look on his face, I'd say he just found out that I didn't officially marry Ben yesterday. It's going to be a very long night."
Trace said nothing, but looked on quietly as the cowboy shouldered his way through the crowd, making his way toward Elise. Clint Parker was a big, powerful-looking man. Trace could see that the other man's gaze was riveted solely on Elise, and there was a look of open hunger in his eyes.
"Well, hey, darlin', what's this I hear that your wedding wasn't real?" Clint asked, grinning broadly as he strode up beside her. "It just about broke my heart when I heard you were getting married-to somebody else."
Elise was as ready for him as she would ever be. "That's right, Clint. I set the whole wedding up as a trap to catch Preacher Farnsworth and his gang."
"You had me worried there for a while, sweetheart. I thought you were really going to go through with it. You know you could have used me in the ceremony," he said, his voice thick with meaning. "I would have been happy to help you out."
"The next time I plan a wedding like this one, I'll make sure to ask you."
"Good, and maybe your next one will be a real one with a real preacher," he said, grinning lustily at her, imagining all the fun he would have had with her as his bride. "You could do a lot worse than of Clint, you know."
"I'
m sure I could," she answered, although right then she doubted it. She was already dreading the rest of the night to come. She knew he would be hovering nearby all evening long. "Clint, this is the new owner of the Star, Gabe West. Gabe, this is Clint Parker."
The two men acknowledged each other.
Clint turned his attention back to Elise and winked at her knowingly. "How soon is your dinner going to be up for bids? I'm real hungry tonight."
"I think there are two or three more before mine."
"I'll just have to wait around for the fun to start, then," he declared, determined to buy her dinner and spend the rest of the social with her.
Elise managed a smile, but it wasn't easy. "I don't imagine it will be long, the way things have been going."
Even as she spoke, the Reverend was concluding the bidding on another dinner and getting ready to move on to the next.
Trace watched as Mrs. Buxton's was the next to be offered. The bidding was hot and heavy, and she was finally auctioned off for twentytwo dollars.
"Not a record, but a wonderful amount!" Reverend Ford announced with pride. "Thank you, Mrs. Buxton. And now for your stiffest competition. Gentlemen-it's time to bid on Claire Martin's dinner. Claire, would you care to come up here and join me?"
Claire made her way to stand with him at the table over the food she'd prepared. Everything looked delicious, especially her apple pie, and Trace easily understood why hers went for such a high price.
"Do I hear an opening bid, please?"
"Ten dollars!" George shouted out, wanting to impress Claire with his fervor.
"Twelve!" another man countered.
"We have twelve dollars. Do I hear any other bids?"
Trace was watching Claire and knew the friendly competition between her and Mrs. Buxton meant a lot. He called out, "I bid eighteen!"
A rousing round of applause swelled through the crowd. Elise didn't say anything, but she gave him a questioning look.
"It's for your grandmother's dinner," he said simply.
Clint looked over at him and, immediately judging him by his clothing and eyeglasses, dismissed him as totally harmless. He grinned at him as he asked, "So you like to eat dinner with little old ladies, do you?"
"I like good food, and Elise tells me that Claire's cooking is the best."
As they were talking, George bid again, running it up to twenty dollars.
"Twenty-two," Trace countered, drawing looks from all in attendance.
The tension mounted, for they were even with Mrs. Buxton's price now. Everyone waited, breathlessly, to see if George or anyone else would top his bid. The silence was deafening.
"What the hell-uh, er, pardon me, Reverend," George mumbled. He turned red when he realized what he'd said. "I bid twenty-five dollars. I paid it last year, I might as well pay it again."
The crowd roared with good-natured laughter over his slip of the tongue. They all knew George was an honest, God-fearing man. Everyone waited to see what the new owner of the newspaper would do next.
"You going to bid again?" Clint asked.
"Do I hear another bid?" the Reverend asked.
Trace was wondering whether to push the bidding any higher, when Elise shifted a little nearer to him.
"I think I may need your help in the bidding tonight, if you know what I mean." Her greeneyed gaze mirrored the desperation she was feeling as she glanced toward the other man, letting Gabe know without saying a word that she was hoping he would save her from having to spend the evening with Clint.
Trace frowned for a moment at the thought that she needed to be rescued from the cowboy. As he thought about it, though, he actually found the situation mildly amusing. This was the same woman who'd taken on an outlaw preacher the day before and had seen him sent to jail. Yet today, she wanted to be saved from an ordinary ranch hand. "You know," he told her, grinning down at her easily, "I did get paid recently, so I do have an extra ten dollars I can spend on dinner tonight."
Elise didn't say a thing. She saw the twinkle in his dark eyes and hoped it meant what she thought it meant. She turned her attention back to the bidding on her grandmother's meal.
"I have a bid of twenty-five dollars. Do I hear another?" Reverend Ford called out one last time, looking Trace's way. "No? Then you're the lucky man, George. Come on up here and get your dinner."
Trace watched with pleasure as George picked up Claire's basket and escorted her away to one of the tables where they could relax and dine together.
"Looks like you ran out of money," Clint remarked smugly. "Too bad."
"There are a few more dinners left," Trace reminded him casually. "I don't think I'm going to go hungry."
"Looks like it's my turn now," Elise said as she started forward to stand with Reverend Ford.
"Don't worry, darlin', I'll take care of you," the cowboy promised boldly. He'd been saving his pay for weeks now just to have enough to bid on her dinner. He didn't get into town to see her very often, so he had to take full advantage while he could.
Elise approached the Reverend. As she neared the table, he put his hands up in the air.
"Don't arrest me, Elise! I really am a preacher!" he quipped.
Everyone roared with laughter.
Elise blushed as she laughed along with them. "Don't worry. My days of arresting preachers are over. You're safe with me."
"That's good to know. Congratulations on your accomplishment. That was a very brave thing you did yesterday. I'm glad it turned out all right."
"So am I."
"Shall we open the bidding for Elise's dinner?"
"Five dollars!" Clint shouted eagerly. He'd been waiting for just this moment, and he was ready.
Several others continued the bidding. Trace waited, watching to see what would transpire. After several more offers, Elise's meal was up to nine dollars, with Clint having been the one who'd offered it. Trace glanced at Elise and noticed the tenseness about her. No one else seemed to be aware of it, but he could tell.
"I bid ten dollars," Trace jumped in.
Clint cast him a puzzled look and upped the bid. "Twelve."
"Fifteen," Trace countered.
The cowboy was not pleased. "Sixteen dollars," he bid, glaring at his competition.
"Seventeen."
"This one's mine," Clint told him.
"I don't think so."
"Eighteen," Clint upped it again, feeling rather proud of himself.
A murmur went through the crowd. They were used to a competition between Claire and Mrs. Buxton, but no one had ever driven up the prices of a younger woman's meal before. Most found it quite interesting. They were waiting eagerly to see who was going to come out the winner in the bidding war-Clint or the new man in town.
"Twenty dollars." Trace topped him.
Clint was growing angry. He knew Gabe had at least twenty-two dollars on him, for he had bid that much earlier for Elise's grandmother's dinner. "Twenty-two!"
"Twenty-five."
Clint was shocked. He'd had no idea the other man had that much money. He had all his savings with him, and from the looks of things, he was going to have to spend every cent of it right now to get rid of the other man and claim Elise as his own for the evening. Irri tated but determined, he called out his final bid, wanting to end the bidding right then. "Twenty-six dollars!"
Those gathered around gasped at the amount. Twenty-six dollars was a lot of money. No one had ever gone that high for a dinner before.
Reverend Ford was astonished. "That's twenty-six dollars-"
Trace looked over at the ranch hand and knew what he had to do. "I bid thirty dollars."
Clint's jaw tightened in frustration at his offer. There was nothing more he could do. He had only twenty-six dollars to his name.
"Clint?" The reverend looked to the ranch hand to see if he wanted to up it again.
Clint just shook his head, his expression grim. The bidding war was over, and he'd lost. He looked over at Gabe resentfully.
Trace looked him in the eye. "I like having dinner with young ladies, too."
"Young man, come on up here and get your dinner!" the Reverend exhorted him.
Trace went to stand beside Elise. He could see the look of relief in her expression, and he was glad that he'd won.
"Enjoy your dinner! Your bid set a record for the auction. We thank you for your generosity, sir."
"It was worth every cent, I'm sure," Trace told him.
Julie watched as Gabe escorted Elise to join Claire and George at their table. She couldn't remember when she'd ever suffered so many disappointments in such a short period of time. It had been upsetting enough to attend the wedding the day before, thinking the real Ben was going to marry Elise, only to find out that the whole ceremony had been a sham. Then to discover that Ben had gambled away the paper and was never coming back to Durango-well, that had just about broken her heart. She had thought she meant something to him. She had thought that he cared about her. Obviously, she'd been wrong.
Gabe West's appearance in town, though, had turned Julie's disappointment to delight. Since she'd been educated back East, and Gabe looked like an Eastern gentleman, she was sure that he was just the type of man she neededespecially after Ben's heartless defection. She had fully expected Gabe to bid on her dinner, but once again, fate had intervened in the person of Elise.
Fighting back the jealousy that threatened, Julie managed a smile when she heard Reverend Ford call her up to the front for her turn in the auction.
"We have Julie Stevens's dinner next. Which one of you fine young gentlemen would like to have dinner with our Julie?" he announced.
The bidding started. It went steadily upward, and Julie kept a smile on her face for the duration of the sale.
"I bid twelve dollars!" Clint spoke up.
Julie supposed she should be pleased that at least several men were bidding for her dinner, but she also remembered that Clint had bid much more than twelve dollars, on Elise's dinner, and her jealousy was piqued again. The thought kept her mood somber.
"Do I hear a bit higher than twelve?"
No one responded.
"Miss Julie's is sold to Clint Parker!"