past her shoulders. Her expression was curious and inviting, and though there was once a time when he might have taken the bait, right then he wasn’t falling for it.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, stepping to the side and out of the way.
She smiled, stopping in her tracks as she eyed him curiously. “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” she said, in an attempt to draw him into conversation.
“It is,” he responded. “Have a nice day.” And he turned abruptly and resumed his run, thoughts of Naomi Stallion chasing after him.
* * *
Patrick O’Brien was standing just inside the doorway of the Cushman and Wakefield offices. His imposing stature caught Naomi off guard and made her breath hitch. Although she had expected him to be there, seeing him so suddenly had her nerves frazzled, and she couldn’t begin to explain why. He wore a designer suit that fitted him like a second skin. He looked different from how he had the other day, in the gray silk jacket, white dress shirt and paisley-printed necktie. His shoulders were pulled back even straighter, pushing his broad chest forward more and complementing his narrow waist and long legs. His shoes were polished to a high sheen and his silky curls had been tamed with a fresh haircut. His stance was majestic and he commanded attention. As she looked around, she saw there wasn’t anyone in the room who wasn’t giving him his due.
Naomi turned swiftly, hiding behind her brother’s large frame. She suddenly regretted not having gone home to change out of the denim coveralls she wore into something more feminine. The dress she’d considered still lay across the foot of her bed, matching sandals kicked beneath a chair. She brushed her hands over her cheeks, praying that there wasn’t a speck of farm dirt or dust looking like bad makeup on her face.
Noah eyed her anxiously. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, looking past his shoulder toward the other side of the room. “Yeah. I’m fine,” she snapped, everything about her expression saying otherwise.
Noah turned to see where she was staring, and burst out laughing. He shook his head, chuckling warmly. “Get it together, little sister. You can’t afford to fall apart now,” he said.
“I’m fine!” she snapped again. “Just anxious for this to be over so I can get back to work.”
Her brother nodded. “What can I do to help?”
She lifted her eyes to his. “Pray,” she said. “Just pray.”
* * *
When the auction started, Naomi pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She clutched the numbered bid paddle so tightly that her hand had begun to cramp and her fingers turn white from the restricted blood flow. She shot a look in Patrick’s direction and found him eyeing her with a warm smile. She gave him a slight smile back, then shifted her eyes away. He’d tried a few times to get her attention and draw her into conversation, but she’d gone out of her way to avoid him. She didn’t need the distraction. She needed to be focused now more than ever.
A sudden commotion at the door drew everyone’s attention. Turning to look, Naomi was shocked to see the renowned Nolan Perry and his son enter the room. Both glanced quickly about, then moved to where Patrick was standing. The trio spoke in hushed tones and then the two newcomers moved to the back of the room to hold up the wall, their arms crossed over their chests. Patrick shot another look in her direction and smiled, his expression almost consoling. Naomi felt herself bristle and then her body began to shake, her knees threatening to give out beneath her. Her brother’s strong hand pressing tightly against her shoulder was the only thing that kept her standing.
Noah spoke, his voice controlled and even. “It’s okay, Naomi. You knew this was a possibility.” He gave her shoulder another light squeeze.
Naomi nodded, tapping his hand with her own.
The auctioneer called for everyone’s attention, announcing the start of the auction. There was a brief description of the lot up for sale and then it started. “We will open the bidding at one hundred thousand dollars,” he said.
Naomi lifted her paddle and gave the man a slight nod.
“I have one hundred. Do I hear one twenty-five?”
Someone else answered the call. “One twenty-five.”
Patrick countered. “One fifty.”
“Two hundred thousand,” Naomi called, cutting a quick glance in his direction.
“Two fifty,” he responded.
Naomi took a quick breath and held it. That land had been appraised at just over one million dollars. She had no desire to see the bidding go that high, but something told her with the Perry Group in the mix she wasn’t going to have much choice. She blew the air she’d been holding past her lips and countered, “Three hundred thousand.”
The back-and-forth intensified. By the time the bidding hit eight hundred thousand dollars, Naomi and Patrick were the only two still in the game. Garrison had moved to the other man’s side, urging him on. With each bid she countered, he glared in her direction and Naomi glared back.
She felt her heartbeat quicken, and her chest tightened with a vengeance when Patrick bid one million dollars for the land they both wanted. He turned, contrition painting his expression as he waved his bid paddle in the air. Naomi bit down on her bottom lip as everyone waited to see what she was going to do. Her budget had been blown at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. To go any higher would mean a total reevaluation of her business plan and the productivity her current farms would have to be able to make up the difference. She calculated and recalculated the numbers in her head, with nothing adding up the way she needed it to. She suddenly wanted to cry and had to bat her lashes fervently to hold the tears at bay.
Noah suddenly leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Bid,” he said, as he held out his cell phone for her to read the text messages on the screen.
A series of responses had come in back-to-back, answering Noah’s message for help. Each of her siblings, and her Texas cousins, billionaires John and Mark Stallion, had pledged their support, promising to help with any shortfall if she needed it. Money wasn’t going to be a problem if she didn’t want it to be.
“One million going once. Going twice...” The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the room.
“One point five million!” Naomi chimed. She crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to give Patrick a look.
The man’s eyes widened. Garrison Perry inched forward, the resulting terse exchange seeming heated. Nolan had joined the two men, eyeing her and her brother with sudden interest. His unwelcome, intense stare sent a shiver up Naomi’s spine.
The auctioneer paused before continuing. “Going once... Going twice...”
Garrison nudged Patrick’s arm, but the man didn’t budge, his gaze still locked on Naomi’s face. When the auctioneer cried, “Sold to the highest bidder,” and slammed his gavel on the wood podium, Patrick smiled, his grin widening into a chasm of gleaming white teeth. Beside him, Garrison threw up his hands in frustration.
Naomi jumped up and down excitedly, then threw herself into her big brother’s arms. Noah hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Congratulations!” he said. “Now you need to figure out
