Secret Pressure (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 4) (7 page)

“Hey, isn’t that….” Keefer pointed toward the stage, his brows scrunched together.

“Yeah…that is.” Jobe forced the acerbic words through tight lips.

Bids were already starting and he glanced around the room, wondering whose ass he was going to have to kick. The amount quickly headed higher, making his throat turn raw. Before he knew it, he was joining the bidding.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Cal asked then shook his head in disbelief.

“No,” Jobe growled.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ruby’s stomach turned as if she had eaten lead. She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this, thanks to her sister who hadn’t made it up on stage either.

The voluptuous red-head standing in front of Ruby was introduced and she stepped on stage, looking like she belonged there. The woman was gorgeous in her tiny black dress that showed off young assets.

Ruby blew a breath through her tight lips and focused on the stairs as her mind skipped through thoughts. What if she wasn’t bid on? What if she tripped and fell? Wasn’t that everyone’s worst fear? Her skin turned warm and she thought she could be sick. No, that definitely wouldn’t help in raising money for the fundraiser. She glanced over her shoulder at Violet who was at the end of the line looking comfortable and relaxed. She gave Ruby a thumb’s up and a bright smile. She inwardly groaned. Of course her sister was calm. She was a nurse who could handle the worst situations while maintaining her cool. But how did Ruby get roped into this?

It was for a good cause, point blank.

Looking around at all of the beautiful, professional women who looked elegant, including Violet, Ruby wondered how many of them had kids. She spent most of her time in sweats and T-shirts, or chasing Jack around the house, or playing with him on the floor. If the bidders knew that was her daily lifestyle, would they want to go out on a date with her? She had a feeling no man wanted to hear her talk about snotty noses and potty training concerns.

Really, she didn’t care if she was bid on. That meant she wouldn’t have to go on a date with anyone, but deep down inside, she didn’t want to be humiliated.

A shiver walked its way down her spine and stopped in her bottom as she tugged at the straps on her dress. It suddenly felt heavy and scratchy. Sweat beaded between her breasts and she sighed. Silk and sweat didn’t mix, and no man would bid for a woman with perspiration stains. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Relax, it’ll all be okay.

Her thoughts wandered to Jobe and their meeting. How he’d looked at her with contention, as if he had any reason!

But if he knew about their son, what would he do? Would he want to see him? Be a father?

For a mere moment, guilt had washed over her and she’d almost told him the truth—almost changed the present and the future for her son.

Thinking back, she had good intentions. She’d taken on the responsibility of her pregnancy alone, not planning too far ahead because fear had kept her from thinking about being a single mother. Then Jack was born and days passed, and the secret seemed easier and easier to endure.

Hearing hoots and hollers from inside the club, she cringed. Scanning the shadows of the backstage, spotting the bright red EXIT sign to her right, she could dip out and no one could stop her. They would let her run away, just as she had three years ago. She started to take a step in freedom’s direction when the busty red-head stepped off stage. Ruby gave her a nervous smile.

“Good luck, sweetie. It’s not so bad.” The other women beamed. She must have walked away raising a fortune. Ruby overheard a hushed voice in the line, someone saying, “Ten thousand.”

Ruby wanted to pass out. Ten-thousand. Sheesh.

Her name was announced and she listened to her bio read in the announcer’s deep voice, “She likes Hallmark movies.” Had she really said that? Of course she did. She was the mother of a toddler. And it was the truth. But why did she have to sound so, well, boring. She chuckled. Boring was her middle name. Once upon a time she liked exploring new things and meeting people, and now she hid away inside the four walls of her house writing adventure instead of living it.

“Let’s hear it for this lovely lady.”

The bubbly announcer waved a hand, her cue to step on stage.

Just get it over with
. The red-head said it wasn’t so bad.

Ruby strode up the creaky, wooden stairs that led to the stage. Each step grew heavier. Her stilettos like lead pipes. Her breath became huffed pants to her stuffy ears that happened when she was nervous. Oh no, she wouldn’t hear a thing. The announcer would ask her a question and she would stand there, smiling.

The lights were bright as she walked into the center of the stage, to the red x taped on the polished wooden planks. Someone whistled loudly from the crowd, and when she brought her head up the bright lights flashed in her eyes and she couldn’t see anything except for silhouettes. Was this the manager’s way of keeping the women from knowing who bid on them so they wouldn’t run off the stage? Good strategy, because she was a runner for sure.

The temperature rose under the strong lights, but thankfully she no longer sweated. Instead, the heat of a blush spread from the roots of her hair, down her body, and pooled into her toes. Everything went black for the next few minutes.

Wrapping her head around the announcer’s words, she heard… “This is getting good….we have five…now ten…keep it coming fellows.”

Her brain turned foggy. They were bidding.

“We have twenty, folks. A whopping twenty. Going once, twice, three times…and there we have it.” The announcer with a poorly shaped toupee turned to her, his too-white smile reflected by the overhead lights. “Best of the night so far, Miss Stone. If you’ll step off stage…” He waved a hand toward the exit.

That was it? Relief spread through her. She made her way down the steps and passed the other women who were smiling and offering her “Congratulations.”  Violet pulled her to the side, leaning in close and whispering, “See, I told you. You’re setting the bar high for the rest of us.” She winked.

Before Ruby could respond, a tall blonde wearing a head set and holding a clipboard approached her. “If you’ll come with me, Miss Stone, I’ll give you the information about your date, bidder 105.”

Ruby turned to Violet, “This is really part of it?”

Violet laughed. “Yes, sis, it is. Go have fun.”

“Good luck. Be safe. Follow your instinct like mom taught us.”

“I’m not ten, Ruby.” Violet’s gaze narrowed as she shooed Ruby away.

With a sigh, she followed the leggy blonde who didn’t take into consideration she wore tennis shoes and Ruby had on heels that could second as lethal weapons. When she finally caught up to the stage manager, she was already standing in a doorway, shooing Ruby in.

“Now for the quick details. You’ve raised twenty-thousand dollars and you agree to go on one date with your bidder. I’ll need you to sign here on the dotted line stating you don’t hold the charitable foundation responsible for mishaps.”

“Mishaps?” Ruby lifted a brow. “I thought this was safe?”

“No worries, Miss Stone.” The blonde looked at Ruby as if she were a kindergartener asking if the playground was safe. “You’re meeting at the restaurant next door where your table is waiting. You might get lucky and your bidder won’t show up.”

“Does that happen often?” Hope made Ruby’s fingers tingle.

The blonde slipped a gaze down Ruby, one corner of her mouth lifting. “I wouldn’t bank on it.”

“Oh.” She should have gone with the baggy shirt and jeans. “So then why do I have to sign this if it’s safe?”

The manager pulled back the clipboard and sighed in frustration. “Like if you decide to take things to the next level. We don’t encourage that, but it happens.”

“Oh, nooo, no…that certainly won’t happen.” Ruby’s cheeks warmed. “I have a kid at home.”

“And that makes you incapable how…?”

“I don’t do one night stands.”

The other woman didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, we’ve heard that before. Wait until you see the cowboy who bid on you.” She shoved the clipboard at Ruby who dutifully signed this time.

Once she was alone…the word ‘cowboy’ reeled through her mind. Of course it’d be a cowboy. This was a rodeo auction, all in good humor, to raise funds for the children’s at the hospital. She could take one for a child, but a one night stand would never happen.

She reached into her hand purse and grabbed her phone. Clicking on Violet’s name, Ruby texted…

“Violet. DO NOT leave the restaurant with your bidder! One night stands only cause issues, and are unsafe. Of course, I know you won’t. Love you.”

****

Jobe transferred his money, a whopping twenty thousand, and now he headed into the fancy restaurant, the place where the no-nonsense manager told him a dinner was set up for the ladies and bidders.

Shit! He still couldn’t believe he’d plopped down twenty grand for a date with a woman who he’d slept with before. Once he’d bidded and noticed the shock of disbelief wash over Keefer and Cal’s faces, Jobe also realized he wasn’t the only one who’d believed he’d stepped across the line of insanity.

What was he supposed to do? From the time he saw her step out on the stage with her big brown eyes and quivering bottom lip, he couldn’t have let the cowboy with the fancy western shirt walk away with her. His competitive side had kicked in and from there, well, he was a lot poorer.

Since they’d expanded the Walters R&R, money wasn’t an issue. Things were financially good. But he’d just spent the money on a woman he didn’t like, let alone want to end up in the same web he’d been in before.

He concocted a plan. He’d tell her he was the one who’d bid for her then walk away, without a date. He believed she’d appreciate it because, although he had no desire to be around Ruby, he was certain she wouldn’t want to be around him. At least the man with the fancy boots wouldn’t be dating her either.

What was wrong with him? He’d just spent twenty grand in keeping Ruby from going out on a date with a smug bastard. Hell, the rich man with a big gut wasn’t her type anyway.

He told the maitre’d who he was meeting and she asked him to follow her. He guessed Ruby was nervous, pondering if she wanted to go through with this. He knew he was having second—third and fourth—thoughts too.

The tables were filling up and he noticed the red-head who liked dancing. She gave him a flirtatious smile and he tilted his hat in greeting. Her date was a thin, smart-looking fellow who habitually pushed up his thick glasses every ten seconds. He knocked over a goblet of water that splashed over the table, spilling onto the red-head’s lap. She squealed and jumped up. Jobe felt for the guy. Nerves could make any man act foolish. He’d been there a time or two himself.

The maitre’d stopped and then he saw her…Ruby. Her head was lowered, interested in her phone. Well, she could go back to her texting once he said what he’d come to say.

“Ruby?”

Her head popped up and it took her a good second or two before her eyes narrowed and one corner of her pretty pink lips lowered. “What are you doing here?” She looked past him, probably looking for someone to save her. She certainly hadn’t been expecting him.

“I’m a bidder, sweetheart.”

She didn’t say anything at first, just stared, studying his face. He hitched in a shaky breath, tried to appear casual, like a man who hadn’t thought of her every day since she took off. That was next to impossible.

“You were at Heart Throbs?” she finally muttered.

“Sure was. Imagine that.” Her cheeks turned a perfect color of a lovely blush, much like the color they turned when he’d made love to her. His dick twitched and he swore she’d be the death of him.

“Well, how lovely.” She placed her phone on the table. “It was for a good cause. I’m waiting on my bidder and if he sees you standing here…”

“That won’t be a problem.” His body relaxed, some. He only realized then how tight his muscles had been standing there.

The color spread from her cheeks down her neck. “And why is that?”

The tempting little brunette was as beautiful as he remembered. She hadn’t changed a bit in the three years since he’d seen her—but if at all it was to only become sexier and more voluptuous. He’d hoped that, looking at her now, he’d see that she wasn’t as pretty as he remembered. That her upturned nose was in fact too thin and long and her smooth skin had developed scales. But nope. Beautiful as ever. Ah, hell. “Well, darlin’, it turns out I’m twenty grand poorer.” She didn’t say a word and the silence became too overbearing. “Well?” he finally prompted.

She cocked her head, her eyes glazed over and her mouth relaxing—a little. She studied him for the longest time until she finally crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

He scrubbed his jaw. “No, I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

“There’s been a mistake. We’ll just have to settle it with the fundraising manager. They’ll understand once we tell them that—” She started to push back her chair.