Destiny's Last Bachelor? (14 page)

“Can I tell him how excited I am? And ask him when we’re going to have our date?”

Priscilla looked up at Holly’s mother. “Maybe I should explain things first—”

“You can talk to Dean another time,” Bonnie said to her daughter. “Besides, it’s Saturday morning where your daddy is and we don’t want to miss our video chat with him, do we?”

Getting to her feet, Priscilla gave Bonnie a quick hug and whispered, “Thank you. I want to explain everything to Dean before Holly talks to him.”

“It’s me who should be thanking you. The amount of money you spent—”

“It’s all going to a very worthy cause.” Priscilla waved off Maggie’s gratitude and then watched as the two gathered their things and disappeared into the crowd.

She should find her sister and corral her before she caused any more trouble tonight, but she had to talk to Dean first. Looking around, she tried to find him, but there were too many people. Then she spotted him near the far-stage area. It took her a few moments, but she finally reached him.

“Dean.” She put a hand on his arm to get his attention. The tightness of his muscles and his jerky movements spoke volumes of his mood. “Dean, please, I need to speak with you.”

He didn’t even look up from where he was stacking the metal folding chairs onto a rolling cart. “I think you’ve said enough tonight.”

“I want to explain what happened.”

“I know exactly what happened. I was the tennis ball in some sort of back-and-forth game of one-upmanship you and your sister were playing.” Another four chairs joined the growing pile. “Congratulations, sweetheart. You won the prize.”

Priscilla’s heart ached at his tone, but he had every right to be angry with her. Perhaps when she explained why she had done it... “You don’t understand.
I
didn’t win anything.”

“Thanks a lot.”

She shook her head at his sarcastic tone. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t want you to take me out—”

Dean turned to face her. “Too bad. The whole town knows you won me tonight. We’re going to have that date whether either one of us wants it or not.”

“Dean—”

“Are you busy this Sunday?”

His question confused her. “Sunday? No, I don’t think so, but—”

“Good. Leeann didn’t get a chance to mention it, but decent weather is required for the carriage and the balloon ride. I’ve made arrangements to have both on Sunday evening. I have on-site duty this weekend at the veterans’ center, but I’ll be back in time to pick you up around five. Dress casual.”

Priscilla looked around, noticing they were starting to get some unwanted attention, including that of the photographer. “If I could just talk to you privately, please?”

“Oh, if I’d known private time was included, I would’ve bid more. Much more.”

Jacqueline’s voice flowed over Priscilla’s shoulder and Dean narrowed his gaze, the dusky brown of his eyes going even darker. He opened his mouth to speak, but then pressed it closed and said nothing as he went back to work on clearing the chairs.

Priscilla spun around and came face-to-face with her sister. And her entourage. Ignoring the flashes from the photographer’s camera, she sank her fingers into the thick, furry pelt of Jacqueline’s coat, pulling her away from Dean. “What were you thinking?”

“Just having a little bit of fun and supporting a local charity.” Jacqueline yanked free from her hold. “Not as much fun as you’re going to have, of course.”

Priscilla looked closely at her sister, this time noticing the glazed expression in her eyes. The strong smell of alcohol on Jacqueline’s breath had her taking a step back.

“Hey, listen, these guys are going to do a story about you.” Her sister waved a hand at the two men standing next to her. “And the camp and the auction. You might want to talk to them.”

Priscilla sighed. Talking with a reporter was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had enough experience with these people to know if she didn’t tell her side of the story, they’d print what they’d learned from other sources, namely her sister. Still, she looked back over her shoulder, suddenly thinking perhaps Dean could sit in on the discussion to talk about the camp, but he had disappeared into the crowd. “Fine. I’ll talk to them, but not here and not now.”

“We need to do this soon, Miss Lennox.” The reporter stepped forward. “My editor wants me to file the story as soon as possible.”

“May I ask what outlet you’re with?”

“The
Jackson Hole Star.
It’s a weekly magazine. I met your sister at the Mountaintop Resort and Spa, and when she mentioned what you were doing here in this small town—”

“Yes, of course, but I still have things I need to finalize here concerning the auction.”

“They’re staying at the inn. Isn’t that convenient?” Jacqueline said with a tight smile. “You can talk to them when you get back to your room.”

* * *

The headache that had threatened from the moment her sister had shown up tonight finally fractured into a thousand pieces when Priscilla walked into her room at the inn. Snake greeted her from the comfort of his pillow with the rapid beating of his tiny tail.

“It’s always nice to have someone happy to see you, isn’t it, buddy?”

She kicked off her shoes and placed the cashbox from the auction on the bed. She’d kept it with her since leaving the bar, but now that she was back here for the night, she was thankful there was a safe in the room where she could lock up the cash, personal checks and credit-card receipts. When all was said and done, they’d raised more than ten thousand dollars for the camp.

Priscilla got a water bottle from the tiny refrigerator and quickly downed two aspirin, fearing they weren’t going to help very much. The headache had started during the half hour she’d spent in the front parlor talking with the two people from the magazine. She’d used her years of experience to downplay her sister’s involvement in the auction and steer the reporters away from pursuing the story angle that the two sisters were fish out of water slumming it so far from Beverly Hills. She’d tried to keep the focus on the camp and the wonderful work Bobby and Leeann were doing as owners, suggesting the reporters contact them to be interviewed, as well.

Thankfully, according to Minnie Gates, her sister had already gone up to her own room by the time Priscilla returned, but she still had no idea how and why Jacqueline had gotten those reporters to the auction.

And she wasn’t waiting until tomorrow morning to find out.

She retrieved her cell phone from her purse and dialed Jacqueline’s number. While she waited for her sister to answer, Priscilla looked at her dog. “Fair warning, she’s coming over.”

Snake jumped off his pillow, grabbed it with his teeth and dragged it into the bathroom. Priscilla couldn’t blame him one bit.

“I guess you want to talk to me now.” Jacqueline’s voice didn’t sound quite so animated when she finally answered. Perhaps her liquid courage was wearing off. “Is the queen requesting my presence?”

Priscilla rolled her eyes, but only said, “Would you please come over?”

“Your wish is my command.”

Tossing her phone on the bed, Priscilla stripped out of her dress and slipped into a pair of leggings and a baggy T-shirt just as Jacqueline knocked on the door. Priscilla let her in, noticing the elaborate makeup had been washed away. Jacqueline had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and wore a similar outfit.

Determined not to be swayed at how young her sister looked, Priscilla motioned for her to take a seat. Then she remembered the cashbox and turned back to the bed.

“Do we really have to do this tonight? I’m tired.”

Grabbing the box, Priscilla opened the oversize armoire and knelt in front of the safe. “Yes, we
really
have to do this tonight. What in the world were you thinking when you showed up at the auction and caused such a...disturbance?”

Silence filled the air. Priscilla leaned back and looked over at the love seat to make sure her sister was still awake. She was—in fact, she was staring at Priscilla with an almost stricken expression on her face.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Jacqueline blinked hard and shook her head, as if she was waking up from a trance. “Nothing. Other than my usual lack of decorum and manners.”

Priscilla went back, entering the four-digit code to ensure the safe was locked. She stood again, closed the armoire door and joined her sister. It was hard to believe it had only been five days since they had sat in these very same positions while Jacqueline poured her heart out. Priscilla had wanted so much to believe in the sincerity of her sister’s words, but now...

“I asked you to come over so I could find out why you bid on Dean tonight.”

“Oh, are we a bit jealous? Don’t be. You won.”

Priscilla decided it wasn’t worth the effort to explain the connection to Holly, but she did make a mental note to get in touch with Holly’s mother tomorrow to make sure that Sunday was okay for Holly’s date with Dean. She also had to get ahold of him to explain what he wouldn’t let her say tonight. His earlier words of praise filled her head, including how he’d initially been worried she’d somehow turn tonight into something overblown and dramatic but then came to trust her. Did he believe her when she’d told him she had nothing to do with her sister’s antics?

Focusing her thoughts, she looked at Jacqueline and asked, “Why did you leave town without telling me? And why did you bring those reporters back with you?”

Jacqueline grabbed one of the small pillows and hugged it to her chest. “You know why I left. I was bored. I wanted something to do. You might think this small town is a little slice of paradise, but it’s not to me.”

“If you were having such a fabulous time—shopping and being pampered at the spa—why did you come back so soon?”

Jacqueline mumbled under her breath but all Priscilla could make out was something about being cut off.

“What did you say?” she asked.

“I’m broke!” Jacqueline tossed the pillow onto the empty chair nearby. “I was asked to leave the resort because Daddy canceled my credit cards. He also blocked access to my trust fund. I had to find a way to pay the bill at the hotel, so when I met those reporters in the bar, I sold them the story about you, this big-shot Beverly Hills philanthropist spending her summer in a backwoods, Podunk town raising money for a kids’ summer camp. When they found out the auction was tonight, they paid my bill and offered me a ride back down here.”

Priscilla couldn’t believe it. Their father had finally taken a hard-line stance against Jacqueline’s irresponsible and immature behavior, but Priscilla was the one who was paying the price. Again. A month ago her world had been turned upside down, but the idea that anyone in Destiny could be hurt by what was going to be printed was so much worse. Destiny was a good place. These were good people. They didn’t deserve the backlash that something like this could create, especially if the wire news services picked up on the story. And because of her last name, they probably would.

She closed her eyes, willing back the sting of tears. To find such a wonderful place and to lose it in such a short amount of time, Priscilla suddenly felt as lost as she had the day she pulled into town.

“Priscilla? Are you okay?”

“You have more important things to be worried about than me.” She opened her eyes and looked at her sister. “What are you going to do now?”

Jacqueline seemed surprised by the simple question. “I...don’t know. I thought maybe you could help—”

“You’re on your own.” It was so easy to say the words, Priscilla wondered why it had taken so long for her to do so. “It’s time to grow up, Jacqueline. Own up to your mistakes. Make things right.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very. I’m guessing you can’t pay your bill here at the inn?”

Her sister started to say something, but then snapped her mouth shut and just shook her head.

“I thought not. Fine, your room was booked for a week. You’ll be checking out on Monday, but I don’t want to hear a peep out of you—and you know exactly what I mean by that—until you leave town.”

“So what happens on Monday? That’s only a few days away.” Jacqueline got to her feet, annoyance coloring her features. “I’ve only got a couple of hundred dollars in my wallet.”

“Then I suggest you either call Father or find the closest bus terminal.”

Chapter Twelve

D
ean sat at the bar, nursing his beer, enjoying the peace and quiet of the small hole-in-the-wall tavern on the other side of town from the Blue Creek Saloon. There were only half a dozen or so people here, most of them twice his age, as the clientele who came here were mostly older cowboys and ranchers. There was no dance floor, no menu. Just a jukebox and a scattering of tables.

Someone slid onto the barstool to his right, but Dean didn’t recognize the man as they exchanged a nod in greeting and then went back to minding their own business.

“I thought you had to go back down to the veterans’ center.”

Now, that was a voice Dean recognized. He turned as Bobby sat down. “I don’t have to report in until eight o’clock tomorrow morning. What are you doing here? I thought you were taking your wife home.”

“I did.” Bobby gestured to the bartender to bring him the same as what Dean was drinking. “After we got home, she told me to find you. Thought you could use a friend. I spotted your truck as I was heading back to the Blue Creek.”

Dean snorted. “Actually, I was looking for solitude.”

“Looking to drown your sorrows?”

“What sorrows?” Dean took a long draw from his beer and swallowed. “Just because the guys at the firehouse will keep what happened tonight alive for months? Or maybe if I’m real lucky, my picture will show up in the newspaper. Either way I’ve got a date with the lady who paid a lot of money to spend an evening with me, even if she doesn’t want to.”

“Did she come right out and say that? Didn’t you two talk afterward?”

Dean flashed back to when Priscilla found him after the auction had ended. It didn’t make any sense. She wanted to go out with him. She’d said as much said backstage before the crazy bidding war with her sister. Why was she backing out now? “She tried, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen.”

“Then maybe you just need to trust her.”

Dean exhaled loudly. “Why? What aren’t you telling me?”

“I just think...well, considering how much Priscilla paid for your company, I’d say otherwise.”

“Then you’d be wrong. She was just trying to outdo her sister. But I’m not really surprised. I guess that’s how Beverly Hills socialites get on in the world. With wads of cash. High society and a small town like Destiny do not mix well.”

“What in the heck do you mean by that?”

“Look back to when we first met. That woman was standoffish and wound tighter than that antique grandfather clock at your place. Walking around in her fancy dresses and high heels—”

“And looking damn good while doing so, you have to admit.”

Okay, Dean would give her that. “Yes, she did, but every word that came out of her mouth sounded like it was painted with twenty-four-karat gold—”

“She was a stranger in a strange place,” Bobby interrupted. “I remember a certain Jersey boy who had a bit of a hard time when he first came out West.”

Dean laughed, silently admitting his friend was right about that, too. “Yeah, well, it didn’t take me long to get into the swing of things.”

“It hasn’t taken Priscilla too long, either. She’s been here, what, a month, and look how well she’s gotten along with everyone.”

“Thanks to that crazy bachelor-auction idea.”

“An idea everybody in this town supported from the beginning, even you, with a little arm-twisting from my wife.”

“It didn’t take the city long to track her down, though, did it? I had a feeling something like this might happen.” Dean thought back to his initial concerns about the auction that first day on Bobby’s back deck. “That she would somehow find a way to turn tonight into a circus.”

“Are you sure you’re not thinking about someone else?” Bobby asked. “Someone who once tried to use your connections to skirt the law?”

Dean took another long draw on his beer. As the cold liquid flowed down his throat, he realized his first instinct had been to shoot down his buddy’s question, but he’d be lying. There were times he found himself comparing Priscilla to his last steady relationship, even though he knew it wasn’t fair. They were two different women and he was far from the same guy he’d been three years ago.

Maybe because he’d fallen hard for Katherine the first time he’d seen her and ignored the warning signs they were incompatible. Signs that had been so clear once the relationship ended. After seeing her true colors, he’d vowed not to be blindsided by a woman ever again. Everyone had their faults, him included, but was he purposely looking for liabilities in Priscilla that weren’t there?

“You can’t lay that on Priscilla. I only met her sister a couple of times this week, but she seemed like an okay kid. I know Priscilla wasn’t happy when she found out she’d taken off yesterday. Not that she said anything, but I got the feeling that making tracks is a habit of Jacqueline’s.”

That was the third time Bobby had been right and it was getting annoying. Priscilla had seemed genuinely upset with her sister, both backstage and during the bidding process. And if there was anybody who knew about the craziness of sibling relationships, it was him.

“And I’ve got to say she did jump right in and get her hands dirty at the camp,” Dean admitted. “From everything you’ve told me about what went on while I was gone, and everything I’ve seen for myself, she’s done an amazing job with the kids.”

“And
for
the kids,” he continued. “The auction tonight was a big success, despite the madness at the very end. Everybody had a great time, from the bachelors to the audience. It was exactly the kind of event Leeann and I wanted.”

Dean nodded in agreement.

“And you’ve got to admit one more thing.” Bobby leaned over and tapped the long neck of his beer bottle against Dean’s. “That mutt of yours does think that girl is something pretty special.”

Dean laughed and felt his bitterness over the night’s events fade. “Too bad that rat she calls a pet doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

“Maybe Snake isn’t sure about you because he knows you’re not sure about Priscilla. Yet.”

That was the problem: he’d thought he was, especially after that moment at the Blue Creek when he’d asked her out to dinner, but tonight raised old doubts. But how much of that was actually her fault? Probably not much, if he were honest with himself. He should have stuck around to hear her out but instead he’d run. And now it might be too late. Ever since that night down by the lake, Dean’s feelings for a woman he’d only known a few short weeks were growing and finding a way deep into his heart. At the moment, he didn’t have any idea where those feelings might lead. And after tonight he was worried that the answer was nowhere. Unless he could somehow fix things.

* * *

It took Dean longer than he’d planned to get to the Painted Lady Inn on Sunday afternoon to pick up Priscilla for their date. Probably because Sam Winchester, the owner of the rig, had insisted on giving Dean another lesson in handling the buggy and the horse.

But he was finally here.

And according to the voice mail he’d just listened to, he was actually taking out Holly Warren, that cute kid from the camp, tonight.

What was going on?

Dean climbed down and handed the reins off to the Major, who was waiting in the parking lot. “Would you mind keeping an eye on her while I see if my date’s ready?”

“Will do.”

Heading inside, Dean waved to Minnie and then got into the elevator. A few minutes later he was standing outside of Priscilla’s room. He knocked and an instant later she answered, wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, her feet bare.

He leaned against the doorframe, going for relaxed because damned if she didn’t look completely sexy. “I know I said casual, but isn’t this a little too casual?”

“You’re here.” She took a step forward and closed the door behind her. “Please tell me you got my messages.”

“The last one. Are you backing out on me?”

Priscilla laid a hand on his arm, her fingers cool on his skin. “I’ve been trying to tell you since the night of the auction—this date was never for me.”

What was she talking about? “Are you serious? I’m taking out—”

The door flew open and there stood Holly, all dressed up in her Sunday best. “Hi, Mr. Dean! Are you here to pick me up for our date? I’m so excited!”

Priscilla moved in close, her back to the room and her voice barely above a whisper. “As soon as Holly heard about the auction, she wanted to place a bid. On you. That was always the plan.”

Dean just stood there, his gaze going from the young girl to her mother, who stood behind her, and then back to the girl again. It took him a few seconds to process what Priscilla has just said, but then he put it all together. He couldn’t believe how wrong he had been about her true motives that night.

“Yes, of course I’m here for you,” he finally said to Holly, stepping into the room as he pushed the words past the lump in his throat. “And don’t you look pretty.”

Holly beamed, but her mother must’ve picked up on Dean’s initial confusion because she said, “Sweetie, why don’t we go into the bathroom and check your hair one more time?” She then sent a smile in Dean and Priscilla’s direction. “We’ll be right back.”

Dean waited until the door was closed before he turned to Priscilla, who was cradling Snake in her hands. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but please tell me the Warrens didn’t pay two thousand dollars for tonight,” he said. “All she had to do was ask. I would’ve done this for nothing.”

Priscilla smiled. “Why didn’t I think of that instead of spending my hard-earned money to win you...for her?”

Now it all made sense, including the cryptic answers Bobby had given him in the bar. He must’ve known about this, too. “So that’s what happened Friday? That’s what you were trying to tell me?”

“As soon as I learned of Holly’s plan, all the ladies on the committee worked hard behind the scenes to make sure that she would win.” She moved past him and put Snake down on top of the same pillow Dean had hunted down a couple of weeks ago. “Her mother, of course, agreed with the idea, telling us how much Holly misses her dad and the special one-on-one time they’d often spend together. Not that you can take her father’s place, but we thought...well, you must be aware that she has quite a case of hero worship for you.”

Dean felt his face go hot as he eyed the dog, a part of him wondering what the animal was going to do next. But Snake only returned his stare for a moment and then circled twice before curling up in a ball and closing his eyes.

“Dean? Did you hear me?”

“Yeah...sure, I noticed. It’s kind of hard to miss.”

“She had a little over ninety dollars saved up, and that’s what you would’ve gone for. If my sister hadn’t stepped in and caused all that trouble.”

Dean wondered if her sister was still in town, but that wasn’t important right now. “If
you
hadn’t stepped in to make sure that little girl got what she wanted.”

Priscilla lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug as she walked past him to the window. “I know what it’s like to have a wish.”

So did he. Dean walked up behind her and waited as she pulled the curtain to one side and looked down into the parking lot where the horse and buggy stood waiting.

“Oh, Dean...a white horse.” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

The lump in his throat grew. “Wishes are important. No matter how long it takes for them to come true.”

Priscilla turned back around to face him and Dean wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her. But a soft click told him the bathroom door was opening and his date was coming back out.

Priscilla grabbed a small white box off the corner of her desk and pressed it into his hand. “It’s a corsage for Holly. Trust me, all girls love flowers.”

Dean took the box and presented it to the very excited little girl with a great flourish while Priscilla and her mother looked on. Then the four of them went downstairs and joined the crowd that had gathered outside around the carriage. Dean introduced Holly to the horse, then gently lifted her into the carriage and sat there as Bonnie—and quite a few other people—took pictures. Then he grabbed the horse’s reins and they started off down Main Street.

“So where would you like to go for dinner?” he asked the young girl sitting next to him.

“Sherry’s Diner,” Holly answered without hesitation. “They have the best hamburgers and chocolate milk shakes in town.”

Dean bent down and gently nudged her shoulder with his own. “You’re my kind of date.”

* * *

It was just after 9:00 p.m. when Dean pulled his truck to a stop in front of the inn and shut down the engine. He thought back to what his parents had always said about how nobody needed to call someone after nine o’clock at night unless it was an emergency.

Looking up, he was relieved to find the light still on in Priscilla’s room. No, this wasn’t an emergency, but he couldn’t wait one more minute to see her again.

He got out of his truck and walked up the front steps of the inn. Entering the foyer, he spotted the Major sitting behind the front desk.

“Making a late-night call on one of my guests, soldier?”

Dean smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“Carry on.”

Resisting the urge to salute, Dean got into the elevator. When he arrived at Priscilla’s door, he took a deep breath and knocked. He heard her moving inside the room and he suddenly wondered if perhaps her sister was in there, too. Just when he thought he should go back downstairs and use the housephone to call her room, the door opened.

Every ounce of air left his body.

Priscilla stood in front of him looking like an angel. Her hair was just the way he liked it, loose and flowing around her shoulders, and she wore a white silky robe that belted at her waist. The deep V where the two sides came together at her breasts was edged with lace that didn’t quite conceal the creamy perfection of her skin. As his gaze dipped lower, he found her bare toes peeking out from the edge of the material and he immediately wondered if she were naked beneath her robe.

And if he’d gotten her out of bed.

“Dean, what a surprise.”

“I know it’s kind of late...”