by Elle James
Rider almost laughed out loud at the disgruntled look on Lola Engel’s face, and the smile of glee on Mrs. Cleyburne’s face. She’d won the bid. Hopefully, Mrs. Cleyburne had spent all her money on Chance and wouldn’t have any left to bid on Rider.
“Rider, you’re up,” Lily said.
Chance danced back behind stage to the cheers of the crowd. He turned and gave Rider a shove, pushing him through the curtain out onto the stage in front of what appeared to be a million women all waving money toward him like he was a dancer at a Chippendale’s show.
Bump and grind music played, and Rider searched the crowd for Selena. For one frightening moment, he couldn’t find her and thought perhaps she’d decided not to come after all. Then his gaze met hers, and a sigh of relief filled his chest.
Once again, the bidding began at five hundred dollars. The first bid came from Lola Engel.
“Move around the stage,” Lily urged from the sidelines.
Rider walked around the stage, feeling awkward.
“Take it off,” a woman called out.
More women joined the chant, “Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!”
The bidding jumped to a thousand dollars.
Rider shot a quick glance at Selena. She grimaced and shrugged. He gave her a slight nod, encouraging her to continue bidding.
“Take it off,” the crowd of women chanted. “Take it off!”
“Come on, baby.” Lola Engel waved a wad of hundred-dollar bills above the crowd. “I’ve got two thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket. Take off the shirt.”
Rider shot a desperate glance towards Selena. She grimaced and raised her hand. “Two thousand and one hundred dollars,” she cried above the crowd’s noise.
Lola looked toward where she stood and frowned. “Two thousand and two hundred,” Lola said.
Selena upped her bid, “Two thousand three hundred.”
Another woman cried out, “Twenty-five hundred dollars!”
Lola waved her money in the air again. “Three thousand dollars. He’s not Chance, but he’s a Grayson brother, and by golly worth every penny.”
Selena gave Rider a desperate glance. “Three thousand one hundred dollars,” she yelled.
“Four thousand dollars,” a woman yelled from the back of the room.
Rider tried to see who was calling out the bid, but he couldn’t find the woman.
“Four thousand one hundred dollars,” Selena cried out, her voice shaking.
“Lordy, girl.” Lola laughed. “I’m gonna have to raise your rent, if you have that kind of money.”
Rider couldn’t believe how high the bidding had gone. He had the money in the bank, but holy hell, four thousand one hundred dollars?
From the back of the room, a woman yelled, “Five thousand dollars.”
Selena looked to Rider.
He gave her a slight nod.
“Five thousand one hundred dollars!”
“Six thousand dollars,” the woman cried from the back of the room.
Rider strained to see who was talking but couldn’t find the source of the bid.
Selena cried out, “Seven thousand dollars!”
Rider held his breath, waiting. Seven thousand dollars was a lot of money. Granted, he could count it off on his taxes as a charitable contribution. But seven thousand dollars? To buy himself? It was insanity.
Still he held his breath and waited. The woman at the back of the room remained silent. “Going, going, gone!” Audrey Anderson pounded the gavel against the podium. “Sold! To this young lady for seven thousand dollars. Congratulations on winning your cowboy for a date.”
“Hey, he didn’t take off his shirt,” a woman yelled.
More women yelled, “No, he didn’t take off his shirt. Take it off! Take it off!”
Before he could step down from the dais, a couple of women stormed the stage, grabbed his shirt, and ripped it off his body. If a man had done that to him, he would have decked him. But these were women, and his momma had taught him never to throw a punch at a woman. But oh, he was tempted.
Selena climbed up on stage and blocked more women from attacking him. “Back off,” she yelled. “I won him fair and square.”
Rider grinned and slipped his arm around Selena’s waist. “That’s right. She won the bid. I’m hers for the night.”
Selena smiled up at him and whispered beneath her breath. “I hope I did okay.”
He leaned down. “You sure did. Thank God.”
Selena grimaced. “That was a lot of money.”
“It’s okay. I can afford it,” Rider said.
“Let’s sign the check and get out of here.” Selena slipped her hand into his, and together they waded through the crowd to the table to pay, and then to the exit.
Outside the door, Rider sucked in a deep breath and let go of it. “Holy crap, that is more insanity than any man should have to suffer.”
Selena giggled, and then her giggle turned into a laugh, and before long she was holding her sides laughing as hard as she could. “You should have seen your face when they yelled take it off.” She laughed again.
“You weren’t the one being mauled by a thousand horny women.”
Selena tried but couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she looked up into his eyes. “Well, you did volunteer.”
“Volunteer? I was pushed into this by Lily and Chance.” He snorted. “So much for family looking out for each other. Never again.” Rider glanced at Selena. “How did you get here tonight?”
She smiled. “I drove myself.”
Rider glanced around the parking lot. “I rode with Chance. I don’t suppose you have time to give me a ride home?”
“I guess since I won the bid, it would be nice of me to give you a ride home. All the money you brought in for the charity was a tremendous amount. The children will be happy.” She nodded toward a vehicle sitting on the far side of the parking lot. “I’m parked under the light, way over there. Come on, let’s get you home and into a shirt.”
“That was one of my best shirts,” he groused.
“All for a good cause,” she reminded him.
As they approached her car, a figure detached itself from leaning against it.
“I HEAR you just dropped seven Gs on this gringo.” Raul pushed away from the car and advanced toward Selena and Rider.
Great. Just when the evening had gone so well, Raul had to come along and spoil it. Selena crossed her arms over her chest. “What I spend my money on is none of your business, Raul.”
“Is this why you dumped me?” Raul pointed at Rider. “For this gringo?”
“I didn’t dump you because of Rider.” Selena shook her head. “We didn’t have anything in common, Raul. And I didn’t appreciate you bossing me around. I’m my own person. I have my own idea of where I’m going in life. And it has nothing to do with you.”
“He is a Grayson, Selena.” Raul jerked his hand toward Rider. “Graysons don’t marry Sanchezes.”
“Just what’s that supposed to mean?” Rider asked. “Are you saying the Graysons are better than the Sanchezes?”
Raul tipped his chin up. “It’s true. The Graysons think they’re better than anybody else in the county.”
Rider shook his head. “That’s not true. I don’t think of myself as any better than Selena or any member of her family. So, they work for the Graysons. Everybody has jobs. The Graysons work the land, sell the cattle to keep in business. The Sanchezes work for the Graysons. We couldn’t do what we do without their help.”
Selena didn’t jump into the argument. Her father had drilled into her head that the Sanchezes worked for the Graysons. They did not comingle or get silly ideas in their heads about marrying into the Grayson family.
Raul jerked his head toward Selena. “You think by going to school and becoming a Physician Assistant you’ll become an equal to the Graysons. You’re wrong,” he said. “They’ll never accept you as one of their own. You’re Hispanic. You’re not white
. You will never fit in with the Graysons.”
Rider took a step forward. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Raul.” Rider’s hands bunched into fists.
Raul took another step toward Rider, his own fists coming up in front of him.
Selena stepped between them. “Raul, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not like I’m going after one of the Graysons. I have school ahead of me. I don’t have time to be chasing after anyone. I am on a one-track path to get my education and become a PA. I want to help people who need my help. That does not include marrying a Grayson or marrying you, Raul. I have my own path, and I intend to follow it.”
Raul snorted. “Yeah, well, seven grand is a lot of money that could’ve helped you toward your education.”
“That seven thousand dollars is going toward a good cause. And where I got that seven thousand dollars is absolutely none of your business, Raul.”
Raul sneered. “Yeah, well, seven thousand dollars is a lot of money to pay for a date with a man you’ve been panting after since you knew the difference between boys and girls.”
Rider stepped forward. “Apologize to the woman,” he demanded.
Raul sneered. “I’m not gonna apologize for stating the truth.” He tipped his head toward Selena. “She’s been panting after you all her life. Even when we were dating, all she could think about was you.”
Heat filled Selena’s cheeks. She was glad for the darkness so that Rider couldn’t see her blushing. “None of it matters, Raul. The seven thousand dollars wasn’t mine. I don’t even plan on going on a date with this cowboy. I bid in the auction as a favor to a friend. Not that it’s any of your business.”
She stepped back and waved toward the two men. “If you guys want to bash each other’s heads in, go for it. I’m not going to stop you.” She pulled her keys out, stuck them into the lock on her car and twisted.
Rider stared at Raul, his eyes narrowed. “Leave Selena alone. Apparently, she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
Raul gave him an answering glare. “You should have stayed in Dallas with your own kind. Selena isn’t the one for you. If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Selena gasped. “Raul Jemenez, you have no right to be threatening anyone. I can defend myself when I need to. I don’t need you or anyone else sticking up for me. I can take care of myself.” She slipped into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window. “Rider, if you’re hitching a ride with me, you’d better come now.”
Rider stared at Raul a moment longer. “I’m going to let your threats slide this time,” he said. “Because I truly believe you have Selena’s best interests at heart, even though you’re going about it all wrong.” He backed a step, turned, rounded the back of the car and climbed into the passenger seat.
Selena backed out of the parking space, careful to avoid hitting Raul. She pulled out onto the road and hit the accelerator a little harder than she intended. But the anger inside made her push even harder. Selena sped toward Hellfire, still so angry her hands shook on the steering wheel.
“I’m sorry Raul was such a pain tonight.” Rider’s voice cut through the silence.
Selena didn’t respond. So many thoughts were racing through her head, she wasn’t capable of expressing any words. She didn’t know who she was angrier with…herself or Raul.
On the one hand, everything Raul had said was true. She didn’t belong in Rider Grayson’s world, and a Grayson would never marry a Sanchez. She was angry at Raul for pointing it out.
But she was angry at herself for harboring those little dreams stuck in the back of her mind. Dreams of her walking down the aisle toward Rider Grayson were just ludicrous. Yes, it was the twenty-first century, and yes, racism was supposed to have be a thing of the past. But with the current political climate, racism had gotten worse. She’d even been threatened by some of the more hardcore rednecks in Hellfire, telling her to go back to Mexico where she belonged, just the day before. The thing was, she didn’t belong in Mexico. She’d been born and raised there in Texas.
Texas was her home. Having all the Graysons sitting around the kitchen table with the Sanchez family didn’t change any of that, as much as she would have liked it. All these thoughts were spinning around in her head when she pulled to a stop in front of Rider’s garage.
The headlights hit the walls of the building, exposing huge swaths of painted graffiti, with the message, Go back to Dallas.
Selena gasped.
Rider swore beneath his breath and jerked open his door. He jumped out and hurried toward the front of the building.
Selena, moving a little slower, exited the vehicle and walked up to stand beside Rider. The letters were printed in bold red spray paint across windows, overhead garage doors, and on the building’s siding.
“What the hell?” Selena said. “Who would have done this to you?”
Rider shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Selena pulled out her cellphone and dialed 911.
“What are you doing?” Rider asked.
She held the phone to her ear. “Calling the sheriff. We have to report this. Someone has to pay for damaging your property.”
Within minutes, Deputy Nash Grayson pulled up in his service vehicle and jumped out. “Wow.”
“You don’t have to be polite,” Selena muttered.
Nash turned to his brother. “Who’d you piss off?”
“I’ve made it a point since I’ve been back to keep my head down and my nose clean,” Rider said.
Selena shook her head. “Yesterday, he broke up a fight between Shane Fetterlein and Raul Jemenez.”
“Oh, yeah. The fight that was over when I arrived.” Nash took out a pad and a pen and wrote down the names. “Do you think one of them could have done this?”
Rider shrugged his shoulders. “I really can’t say. I didn’t see it happen, so I can’t name names. However, we did just have a confrontation with Raul at the Ugly Stick Saloon just a few minutes ago.”
Selena’s eyes narrowed. “He could have come earlier,” she said. She glanced around. “Town’s pretty deserted right now. Most everyone we know is out at the Ugly Stick Saloon bidding on cowboys.
“That would account for most of the women of Hellfire,” Nash murmured.
“I understand the men who didn’t get selected for the auction have joined forces at the community center to play some serious Texas Hold ’em Poker,” Nash said. “I’ll swing by and see if Shane Fetterlein is one of the players. And I’ll ask what time he showed up to play.”
“In the meantime, what do you want me to do with this?” Rider asked.
“Leave it as it is,” Nash said. “I need to come by in the daytime to get pictures before you attempt to clean or paint over it.”
Nash went ahead and shot some photographs using the headlights from both vehicles but promised to get more images in the morning. He left a few moments later to run by the community center to see who was there and ask questions.
Left alone, Selena and Rider stood staring at the building and the ugly writing on the wall. Selena moved closer and slipped her hand into Rider’s and squeezed. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“It’s just paint.” Rider’s hand closed around hers, his fingers tightening. “It’ll wash off, or I can paint over it. Either way, it’s not permanent.”
“Well, I hope it doesn’t make you change your mind about staying in Hellfire.”
He sighed. “I guess I remember Hellfire as being a friendly little town where people got along.”
Selena chuckled. “Most of the time it is. But we aren’t perfect. You saw how that worked out yesterday.”
“I’m not going to let a little paint make me feel like I need to leave. I find that in most cases there’s just one or two people who make it miserable for the majority, and I won’t be bullied.”
“And I’m sure the majority are glad you’re back in Hellfire,” Selena said. She leaned into his shoulder. “I, for one, am glad yo
u’re back.”
Rider slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Me, too.” He turned her in his arms and stared down into her eyes in the glow of the headlights. “For the record, Raul is wrong. There’s no difference between the Sanchezes and the Graysons. We’re all people. We all live in the same place. We’re allowed to love whomever we want. I just want you to know that.” He stared down at her for a long time, and then slowly lowered his face until his lips hovered above hers.
Selena couldn’t resist the pull. She tilted her face upward until her lips were a breath away from his. She knew it was wrong. She knew she was tempting fate. But she couldn’t resist Rider Grayson.
And when he did kiss her, it was everything she could have imagined and more. She gasped, opening her mouth to his. His tongue slid in and caressed hers in a long, slow, sexy glide. Selena’s knees wobbled. She rested her hands against his chest and leaned into him, deepening the connection.
The kiss seemed to go on forever, and yet it ended way too soon.
When Rider lifted his head, Selena closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She ran her tongue across her lips, tasting him again. “You know you don’t owe me anything for bidding on you at the auction. It was your money. You don’t owe me a date or anything else.”
“When I kissed you, owing you anything was the furthest thing from my mind,” Rider said. Then he bent and kissed her again.
Again, Selena had no will to resist. She fell into him with her entire heart.
CHAPTER 5
AFTER PULLING BACK from the kiss, Rider kept her his arms, but stared at the paint on the wall of his garage. Anger rose again, not so much because of the paint and all the cleaning he’d have to do to get it off, but because of Selena’s reaction. He didn’t want her to worry.
“Do you want me to take you back out to the ranch to stay the night?” Selena asked.
“No, I’ll be fine here.” Rider turned to Selena. “Let’s get you to your apartment before I call it a night.”
Selena looked up at him. “I don’t need you to come with me to my apartment.”