Wrangling a Family
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Kathy Douglass
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Chapter One
“Let me stop you right there,” Alexandra Jamison said, holding up a hand and shaking her head. She needed to stop her friends before they got carried away by this ridiculous idea. “The answer is no.”
“Don’t say no so fast,” Veronica said, her fork suspended halfway between her plate of shrimp scampi and linguini and her mouth. “At least not until you hear the entire plan.”
“I’ve heard enough to know that I don’t want any part of it.” Alexandra replied.
“Perhaps you don’t understand,” Kristy said. “Because if you did, you’d realize it made perfect sense.”
“I did understand,” Alexandra said. Kristy was a sixth-grade math teacher and Alexandra suspected she was about to use her spoon to diagram the plan on her napkin. “We all bought tickets to the Aspen Creek dinner and bachelor auction. Now Veronica wants me to bid on a bachelor.”
“It’s for a good cause. The money raised will support several local programs for youth and new programs at the library.” Veronica Kendrick, the children’s librarian, was normally levelheaded, so this loony idea was out of character.
“I have no problem attending,” Alexandra agreed. “It’s the bidding on a bachelor that I don’t want to do.”
“Why not?” Marissa asked. Marissa and Alexandra were both nurses at the local hospital. Marissa worked in the ICU and Alexandra worked in pediatrics. They’d become fast friends when Alexandra moved to Aspen Creek five months ago. Marissa introduced her to Kristy and Veronica, and they’d become friends too. They got together regularly for dinner and conversation. Their bimonthly girls’ night out had started so normally that Alexandra hadn’t expected this at all.
“It’ll be fun,” Kristy promised.
“How is bidding on some guy I don’t know so I can spend the night with him fun?”
“You don’t have to spend the night with him. It’s just a date,” Veronica said.
“You know what I meant. Besides, it’ll make me look desperate.” She hadn’t uprooted herself and her child only to have that reputation follow her here. It had been bad enough back home, where someone had started the rumor that she’d gotten pregnant in order to trap her rich, former boyfriend. It hadn’t been true, but that hadn’t stopped the gossip from spreading like wildfire around the hospital where she worked.
“No it won’t. It will make you look like a caring member of the community who appreciates the importance of contributing to charity,” Veronica insisted.
“You’ll look like someone who wants to have fun,” Marissa added.
“And you don’t have to bid on a stranger,” Kristy added. “You can always bid on someone you know.”
Alexandra frowned. “That’s even worse. Can you imagine bidding on one of the doctors I work with? That would be too weird.”
“So no doctors,” Kristy said, making a note on a piece of paper that seemingly materialized out of nowhere.
“Why am I the only one who has to bid on someone?”
“I would love to participate, but I can’t,” Veronica said. “I’m the auctioneer. It would be hard to bid and conduct the auction at the same time.”
“I suppose not,” Alexandra conceded. She looked at Kristy and Marissa. “But what about you two? Neither of you has a steady boyfriend.”
“So what? We have busy social lives and date quite a bit. You, on the other hand, only leave the house to work or meet up with us. This will give you the chance to go on at least one date.”
“I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now. I have my daughter to think about. Chloe needs all of my time and attention.”
“Nobody is saying that you have to start a relationship. Just have dinner with a nice guy,” Marissa said.
“And maybe go to a club,” Kristy added, doing a little chair dance.
“That sounds okay in theory. But things have a way of getting complicated really fast. I’d rather not take that chance right now. I still think that you two should bid on someone. It sounds like fun. And it’s for charity.”
“Don’t be so quick to say no. There won’t be any complications. And we know plenty of men. Besides, we expect the bidding to go high,” Marissa said. “We’re going to have to pool our resources in order to win even one date.”
“Really?”
“Yes. These aren’t just any run-of-the-mill bachelors you’ll be bidding on. These are some of the most eligible men in Aspen Creek. And from out of town too—a couple of the guys even live in Denver,” Veronica said. As one of the coordinators, she would know.
“Didn’t you even look at the list of participants I gave you at lunch yesterday?” Marissa asked.
Alexandra shook her head. “Why would I? The names wouldn’t mean a thing to me. Not to mention that I had no intention of bidding.”
While Alexandra was speaking, Kristy rummaged through her purse. Now she pulled out the flyer advertising the Aspen Creek Bachelor Auction, pushed Alexandra’s empty plate aside, and set the paper in front of her. “I had a feeling that might be the case, so I circled the names of men you might be interested in bidding on.”
“That was such a good idea,” Veronica said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s see who you think Alexandra would like.”
“Let’s not,” Alexandra said. She could have saved her breath. Her friends were too busy looking at the flyer to pay much attention to her.
When Veronica squealed, “Oh no, you didn’t,” Alexandra couldn’t help but glance over to see who they were talking about.
“Who?”
“Dr. Hunt.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Kristy asked. “I think he’s cute.”
“We know,” Marissa said. “So why are you trying to set Alexandra up with your secret crush?”
“I don’t have a crush on him, secret or otherwise. I just appreciate how gentle he is when I bring Twinkie in for his exam.”
“Is Dr. Hunt your vet?” Alexandra asked.
Kristy nodded. “Yes. And he’s a good one. Twinkie adores him. And you know how cats can be.”
Alexandra was a dog person, so she had no idea. But she nodded anyway. “You do talk about him a lot. Maybe you should bid on him for yourself. I’m willing to contribute to the cause if you think he’ll go for a lot of money.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Kristy said, waving her hands. “I don’t have a crush on him.”
“Right,” Marissa said, stretching the word over several syllables.
“Who else is on the list?” Alexandra asked, getting into the spirit despite herself. Besides, looking didn’t hurt anything. And hearing about the different bachelors would help her to learn more about her neighbors.
“Oh, you really are interested,” Kristy teased.
Aspen Creek, Colorado, was a resort town and a very close-knit community. Despite the fact that the population of the town grew significantly during the winter months as vacationers came to ski and participate in other outdoor activities, and less so during the warmer months when people came to fish and hike, the town still managed to keep its sense of community. That was one of the things that had appealed to Alexandra.
“Not really. I’m an outsider. I need these bits of information to get a complete picture of the people in town,” Alexandra said quickly. She’d moved to town to help her great-aunt who’d injured her hip. Alexandra’s parents wanted to move Aunt Rose in with them in their suburban Chicago home, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She loved Aspen Creek and refused to leave the home she’d lived in all of her adult life. As a compromise, Aunt Rose allowed Alexandra and her daughter to stay with her and provide the care she needed. Since Alexandra had just ended a disastrous relationship and wanted to start over fresh, it was the perfect solution for both of them. A man—even one that supposedly came with no strings—was not part of the plan.
“What can you tell me about him?” Alexandra asked, pointing at a random picture. He wasn’t one of the ones that had been circled, and she wasn’t any more interested in him than she was in the others, but she wasn’t above gathering what information she could.
“That’s Nathan Montgomery,” Marissa said. “I still can’t believe he agreed to enter.”
“Why? Is he a selfish jerk?”
“Nothing like that. He’s generous and supports all the fundraisers. It’s just that Nathan’s all work and no play. There is no room in his life for anything other than his family’s ranch. I would expect him to write a check and be done with it.”
“So he’s the serious type.” Someone who wasn’t interested in a relationship was the type of man she’d want to bid on. Not that she was going to bid on anyone.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Marissa said. “And not at all the type of man I would choose for you. Now Party Marty would be a better fit.”
“Party Marty,” Kristy said with a smile. “I agree. He would be better.”
Veronica nodded. “He’ll definitely show you a good time.”
A guy named Party Marty couldn’t be further from what Alexandra wanted. “No. I don’t think so.”
“So who are you going to bid on?” Veronica asked.
“I told you, I’m not bidding on anyone. I’ll be happy to watch the auction.” Alexandra took a breath and said firmly, “I’m really not interested in going out with anyone.”
“Even though there is no second date? No commitment?” Kristy asked, clearly disappointed.
“Even then. I have enough on my plate right now. So, it’s a no for me.” Alexandra handed the flyer back to Kristy. “I won’t be bidding on anyone.”
Nathan Montgomery grabbed the crumpled flyer advertising the Aspen Creek Bachelor Auction from his back pocket and held it out to his brother Isaac, so that he could read it. Nathan barely reined in his anger. This nonsense had Isaac’s fingerprints all over it.
“What’s that?” Isaac asked without looking at it.
“It’s a flyer advertising the bachelor auction.”
“And why are you showing it to me? I certainly have no interest in it.”
“I thought you might find one of the names particularly interesting.”
Isaac dropped the saddle he’d been about to place on his horse, snatched the paper from Nathan, and began frantically searching it. “I’m not on here, am I? Savannah is laid-back, but I don’t think she would appreciate me going out with another woman, even if it is to raise money for charity.”
Savannah was Isaac’s fiancée and one of the sweetest people Nathan had met. She’d suffered the loss of her first husband and child and had found happiness with Isaac. Nathan looked at his brother, his suspicion temporarily suspended. “Are you saying you didn’t do this?”
“Do what?”
“Enter me in the bachelor auction.”
“What? No. Why would I do something like that?”
“As a joke.”
“Again, no. Although I have to admit the idea of you strutting your stuff down the catwalk is kind of funny.”
“You think so? Well, I don’t. I am not interested in anything to do with this shenanigan. But if you didn’t do this, who did?”
“Maybe your name was added as a mistake.”
“And my picture? No way. Somebody had to intentionally put me on the list.”
“Good point. But instead of accusing innocent people, why don’t you just call the person in charge and ask how you were added? There’s a number right on the flyer.”
“Good idea.”
“I’m more than just a pretty face and great body.” Isaac winked and then flexed, striking a pose. Despite his annoyance, Nathan laughed. Of the three Montgomery brothers, Isaac, the youngest, had gotten the majority of the charm, which had made him popular with the single women of Aspen Creek. Nathan didn’t envy him though. He had goals that charm wouldn’t help him accomplish. His serious nature and willingness to do the hard work was what had him in line to run the Montgomery Ranch when his father retired. Those qualities might not be what women were looking for, but they were going to help him make the business even more successful than it was now.
Right now, theirs was the biggest beef ranch in the state and enjoyed a superior reputation. But Nathan was eyeing more than Colorado or even the Midwest. Over the next five years, he wanted to expand the operation until they distributed their organic beef across the entire United States.
Being a rancher was in Nathan’s blood. From the time he could walk, he’d followed his father around, mimicking everything he did. Nathan learned the business from the bottom up. He’d cleaned stalls, fed cows, participated in cattle drives, and arranged for the stock to be taken to market. The only time he hadn’t lived on the ranch had been when he’d gone away to Howard University, earning first his bachelor’s and then a master’s degree in business. Although he’d enjoyed his time at college, he’d itched to return home to Colorado. Now, unless he was on a business trip or on a weekend getaway, he was on the ranch.
Nathan made a mental note to contact Veronica Kendrick when they were finished moving the cattle from their current grazing site to another. “I wonder what’s keeping Miles.”
“Probably Jillian or the kids. Besides, we aren’t supposed to leave for another five minutes, so technically he’s not late.”
Nathan nodded. He knew that was true, but he liked to have everything in order ahead of time, just in case an issue arose at the last minute. He didn’t like surprises.
“Hey,” Miles called, jogging into the stable and heading for his horse. In a minute he’d saddled it and ridden up beside them. He looked at the flyer Nathan was still holding. “Oh, I see you have that. Good. With all of the busyness surrounding the wedding arrangements, I forgot to mention it to you.”
“You’re the one behind this?” Nathan’s fist clenched, crushing the flyer.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“You have to ask? Of course there’s a problem. Why in the world would you enter me in this ridiculous bachelor auction?”
“If you recall, you had me start attending those Chamber of Commerce meetings. They are such a waste of time. I agreed to go once because I was grateful that you babysat the kids so I could spend more time with Jillian. That one time morphed into me going every month.”
“And I appreciate you taking that task off my plate.”
“You say that as if I had a choice.”
“So...what? This is your petty payback? Instead of coming to me with your issue like a man, you signed me up for this bachelor auction?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Miles objected.
“We all have to do our part to keep the ranch running. It is a family business. And the last time I checked you were part of the family.”
“The ranch means as much to me as it does to you. And no, this isn’t payback. When I have a problem with you, you’ll know. But when I mentioned the fundraiser, you didn’t let me go into detail. You just said that it was important that Montgomery Ranch be represented in a very visible way. To show that even though we are not geographically a part of Aspen Creek, that we are a part of the town in spirit. That whatever matters to the town matters to the Montgomery family.”
Miles was quiet by nature, so this long speech was out of character. And unnecessary. Nathan wound his hand in a “get to the point” gesture. They had a schedule to keep.
“Well, Nathan, the fundraiser is this ridiculous bachelor auction. It was Deborah Lane’s idea. But it quickly won the support of most of the women at the meeting. A few of the men even thought it was a good idea and signed up for it on the spot.” He shook his head. “They decided to contact the single men in town to see if they were willing to participate. Apparently quite a few were.”
“Nobody contacted me.” He would have shut down that foolishness in a minute.
“That’s because when they asked me if one of the Montgomery men was willing to participate, I said yes. Clearly I’m out. I’m getting married in three weeks. And Isaac is out because he’s engaged. That left only you.”
“You could have said no.”
“Oh, how short your memory is, dear brother. The last time I said no about a fundraiser, you jumped all over me because I made the ranch look like a poor neighbor. I believe your exact words were always say yes, Miles. Always.”
“I remember that,” Isaac said, not being the least bit helpful. But then, knowing Isaac, he hadn’t intended to be. He delighted in being annoying. It was his superpower.
Nathan recalled the conversation too, although he wasn’t going to admit it now. “And somehow you took that to mean I wanted to be bid upon like a cow?”
“Don’t turn this on me. I was just following your blanket order. If you want to back out, then that’s on you.”
“Oh, come on. Why would he want to back out?” Isaac asked. “This is the stuff dreams are made of.”
“How do you figure?” Nathan asked. Even Miles looked interested in Isaac’s reply.
“Dozens of women willing to spend their hard-earned money for a chance to go out with you. What man wouldn’t love that?”
Me, thought Nathan. I wouldn’t.
But he and Isaac were different. Before Isaac had met Savannah and fallen head over heels in love, his nickname had been Isaac “love ’em and leave ’em happy” Montgomery. He’d dated nearly every woman in town, somehow managing to remain on good terms with all of them.
Nathan had never been as popular with the women as Isaac. But then, nobody was. Being a ladies’ man wasn’t among Nathan’s goals. Not that he was opposed to relationships. They had their place. And time. And now wasn’t the time for him to become involved with anyone. The ranch kept him busy and he wouldn’t be able to give a woman the attention she deserved.
Not that he hadn’t tried on more than one occasion. His last relationship had been a colossal failure. Janet had been a single mother of a six-year-old. He and Billy had been wrecked when the relationship ended, and Billy and his mother had moved to Iowa. But Nathan had learned his lesson—no dating single mothers.
There was an order to things. First he would establish the ranch as the premiere beef ranch in the nation. Then—and only then—would he look for a woman to share his life.
He didn’t see what the big rush was to find a woman and get married anyway. After all, he was only thirty years old. There was plenty of time for a relationship in the future.
He’d explained himself to his brothers and parents several times, but they didn’t understand. He wasn’t going to waste his breath saying it again. “I don’t want to lead anyone on.”
“Lead them on how? They’re bidding on one night. Dinner and maybe some dancing. Or a movie or concert. Nobody is expecting a marriage proposal. Or even a second date,” Isaac said.
“Really? If that’s all they want, why would they spend all that money for one date?”
“You got me,” Miles said. “The whole idea is silly to me. There are plenty of other ways to support a charity. Like writing a check.”
“Because it’s fun,” Isaac said. “You two really are sticks-in-the-mud. I can’t believe we’re related. Let me break it down for you. Not every date has to lead to a relationship. Sometimes people do things just for the sheer pleasure of it. Like bid on a date at a bachelor auction. Don’t read more into it than is there.”
“When did you get all logical?” Nathan asked. “You’re actually making sense.”
“I don’t want to be out here all day. Savannah and I have plans for the evening, so I don’t have time for you to have an existential crisis over something that doesn’t matter. Take the winner to dinner and take her home. Thank her for her time and her charitable donation, and leave. Easy.”
“Right?” Miles agreed. “What’s the big deal? And it will generate goodwill for the ranch. That’s something that’s important. If you back out, we’ll lose that goodwill and maybe even stir up some bad blood.”
“And you definitely don’t want to do that,” Isaac said.
“No.” That was the last thing he would ever want. The ranch was everything.
“Good. Now that it’s settled, let’s get this show on the road,” Isaac said, leading the way from the stable, Nathan and Miles behind him.
As he rode out to the pastures beside his brothers, Nathan tried to convince himself that it was going to be as easy as Isaac claimed.
But he had a sneaking suspicion that the auction was going to be much more complicated than that.
