Rachel’s on the line,” Alexis announced a moment later. “And I brought her up to speed.”
“You weren’t kidding about doing something unexpected.” There was a hint of awe in Rachel’s voice. “Good for you, Tess.”
“Thanks, Rachel.” She swallowed hard. “But do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, the programs have already been printed, and no one knows that there’s going to be a bachelorette in the auction. What if no one bids on me? I don’t want to cause any embarrassment to the club or create negative publicity for the event.”
“Honey, the bachelors who aren’t in the auction are going to go crazy when they discover there’s a beautiful lady to bid on,” Rachel said confidently.
“We’ll put the word out that there’s going to be a big surprise, just for the fellas. I can email everyone on our mailing list. It will only take me a few minutes to put the email together and send it out,” Alexis said.
“Y’all are sure we can pull this off?” Tess asked one last time. “I swear I won’t be offended if you think we can’t. I rather you tell me now than to let me get up there and make a fool of myself.”
“It’s going to be awesome,” Alexis reassured her. “But I’m sensing hesitation. Are you second-guessing your decision? Because you shouldn’t. It’s a good one.”
Tessa grabbed a spoon and the pint of her favorite Neapolitan ice cream hidden in the back of the freezer. She sat at the kitchen island and sighed, rubbing her palm on her jeans again. She shook her head, casting another glance in the mirror. “It’s just that... I’m not the glamorous type, that’s for sure.”
“You’re gorgeous, girl. And if you’re concerned...hey, why don’t we give you a whole beauty makeover for the event?” Rachel said excitedly. “It’ll be fun and it gives me another excuse to buy makeup.”
“That’s a fantastic idea, Rachel!” Alexis chimed in. “Not that you need it,” she added. “But maybe it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
“Okay, yeah. That sounds great. I’d like that.” Tessa nodded, feeling slightly better. “I was gonna take tomorrow off anyway. Give myself plenty of time to get ready. But I’m sure you both have a million things to do. I don’t want to distract you from preparing for the auction, just to babysit me.”
“Alexis is the queen of organization. She’s got everything under control. Plus, we have a terrific crew of volunteers,” Rachel piped in. “They won’t miss us for a few hours. I promise, everything will be fine.”
“Have you considered what date you’re offering?”
“Date?” Tessa hadn’t thought that far in advance. “I’m not sure. I guess...let me think about that. I’ll have an answer for you by tomorrow. Is that all right?”
“That’s fine. Just let me know first thing in the morning,” Alexis said.
“I’ll make a few appointments for the makeover and I’ll text you both all the details.” Rachel’s voice brimmed with excitement.
“Then I guess that’s everything,” Tessa said, more to herself than her friends. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
She hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and shoveled a spoonful of Neapolitan ice cream into her mouth.
There was no turning back now.
Ryan patted the warm neck of his horse, Phantom, and dismounted, handing the majestic animal off to Ned, one of his ranch hands. He gave the horse’s haunches one final pat as the older man led him away to a stall.
Ryan wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He was tired, dirty and in desperate need of a shower.
He’d been out on the ranch and the surrounding area since the crack of dawn, looking for several steer that had made their great escape through a break in the fence. While his men repaired the fence, he and another hand tracked down the cattle and drove them back to the ranch.
He’d been in such a hurry to get after the cattle, he’d left his phone at home. Hopefully, his parents hadn’t called, worried that he wasn’t answering because he’d burned down the whole damn place.
He grumbled to himself, “You nearly burn the barn down as a kid, and they never let you forget it.”
Then again, his parents and Tess and Tripp’s seemed to be enjoying themselves on their cruise. Their calls had become far less frequent.
Who knows? Maybe both couples would decide it was finally time to retire, give up ranch life, and pass the torch to the next generation. Something he, Tessa and Tripp had been advocating for the past few years. They were ready to take on the responsibility.
When he’d been engaged to Sabrina, his parents had planned to retire to their beach house in Galveston and leave management of the ranch to him. Despite the fact that they hadn’t much liked his intended. Not because Sabrina was a bad person. But he and Sabrina were like fire and ice. The moments that were good could be really good. But the moments that weren’t had resulted in tense arguments and angry sex.
His mother, in particular, hadn’t been convinced Sabrina was the girl for him. She’d been right.
A few months before their wedding, Sabrina had called it off. She just couldn’t see herself as a ranch wife. Nor was she willing to sacrifice her well-earned figure to start “popping out babies” to carry on the Bateman name.
He appreciated that she’d had the decency to tell him to his face, well in advance, rather than abandoning him at the altar as Shelby Arthur had done when she’d decided she couldn’t marry Jared Goodman.
At least she’d spared him that humiliation.
Besides, there was a part of him that realized the truth of what she’d said. Maybe some part of him had always understood that he’d asked her to marry him because it felt like the right thing to do.
He’d been with Sabrina longer than he’d stayed in any relationship. For over a year. So when she’d hinted that she didn’t want to waste her time in a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere, he’d popped the question.
Neither he nor Sabrina were the type who bought into the fairy tale of romance. They understood that relationships were an exchange. A series of transactions, sustained over time. Which was why he believed they were a good fit. But they’d both ignored an essential point. They were just too different.
He loved everything about ranch life, and Sabrina was a city girl, through and through.
The truth was that he’d been relieved when Sabrina had canceled the wedding. As if he could breathe, nice, deep, easy breaths, for the first time in months. Still, his parents called off their plans to retire.
Maybe this trip would convince them that he and the Bateman Ranch would be just fine without them.
Ryan stretched and groaned. His muscles, taut from riding in the saddle a good portion of
