Destiny's Last Bachelor? (8 page)

Just then her gaze caught on the tall figure walking across the parking lot. Dressed casually in jeans and T-shirt, Dean headed toward a red convertible pulling into a parking space a few feet from hers. While she loved her new Mercedes with a passion, the other convertible was obviously a vintage model and a very beautiful one at that. Bobby and Leeann got out of the car and joined Dean, heading for the hall.

It only took a moment before they passed her car. As they did, Dean slowed and reached out, his fingertips seeming to gently caress the trunk. A shiver raced through Priscilla as if the man had just touched her skin.

“So tell me more about this bachelor auction. Which is a simply yummy idea!” Her friend’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Sugar, I am so tempted to fly out there and bid on a cowboy for myself. Or a firefighter. Unless I’d be stepping on someone’s toes?”

Priscilla shot to her feet, reaching back for her leather tote. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lisa laughed again. “Oh, listen to my best friend all flustered!”

“I have to go.” After a deep breath—okay, a few deep breaths—she’d be fine. “Things are about to get started.”

“If you ask me, they already have! And hey, send me some pictures. I want to see you in cutoff jeans with that hunky firefighter of yours!”

“Dean is not mine. My goodness, this time last week I was wearing another man’s ring.”

“On your right hand after he gave it to you at the end of a business meeting with a let’s-see-where-this-might-be-going speech. Please! We both know you settled for the jerk because he was appropriate and easy and cut from the same expensive cloth as you. Something tells me your Dean is 100 percent the opposite. And that’s a good thing.”

“I just told you—”

“Oh, I’ve got to run! Toodles, darling!”

Priscilla wanted to protest further, but her friend had already hung up. She tossed her phone inside her tote, turned her back to the parking lot and inhaled deeply through her nose, the sweet scent of the nearby yellow rose bushes filling her senses. As hard as she tried to rid her head of her friend’s parting words with each exhale, Priscilla couldn’t help but compare the two men. Other than both being very good-looking, they had nothing in common.

Jonathan was rich, entitled and often so involved with his work it was hard for him to acknowledge anyone else’s time or efforts. Dean, on the other hand, seemed to have just as busy of a life, but from his job at the veterans’ center to his volunteering with the local fire department and the summer camp, his work was centered on other people’s wants and needs.

Including hers?

What did she want? Need? Wasn’t that what she was supposed to discover during this time away from Beverly Hills and the foundation?

* * *

“And in conclusion, we are very excited to announce the auction will take place three weeks from this coming Friday at the Blue Creek Saloon. We’ve already secured several bachelors who are excited to participate in this worthwhile event.” Priscilla paused and glanced at Dean, who stood nearby, in time to see the slight grimace cross his face. She widened her smile and turned back to the packed room. “We hope you ladies plan to attend, and if any of you bachelors out there would like to join us, please let either Dean or myself know.”

“Give us some more names, sweetie!” The loud demand came from a woman who had to use her walker in order to be able to stand up. “Zip is a hell of a catch, but we want to know all our options. Or is that a secret?”

Priscilla hesitated as laughter filled the air. When she’d first started her presentation, it was difficult to judge if she had anyone’s attention. Many in the crowd seemed more interested in getting their supplies for the evening or lining up for food and drinks while she spoke about the camp, the hard work Bobby and Leeann had put into the facility over the past year, and all the good things a place like that did for children.

Then Dean had stepped forward to announce the fund-raiser would be a bachelor auction and that he’d been the first one to sign up. He’d taken some good-natured teasing from the crowd, but soon charmed everyone into listening. Priscilla had then stepped back in and kept her remarks short and sweet.

Leeann came forward and laid a hand on Priscilla’s arm, giving her a quick squeeze. “We don’t want to make any official announcement until we have secured all the gentlemen, but I will tell you that besides Dean, we’ve got three cowboys, two police officers and three local businessmen up for bid, so stay tuned!”

Cheers and whistles came from everywhere. Dean took that moment to gently remove the microphone from Priscilla’s hand. “So I’m not the only prize. Good to know.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t leave you hanging out there all by your lonesome,” Leeann said with a big smile as Bobby joined them. “Now, let’s play some bingo!”

“I’ve got us seats at Elise Murphy’s table. You still feeling up to staying?” Bobby asked, putting an arm around his wife.

“Yes, I feel fine. I think I’ve finally kicked that flu bug.”

“But you’re still going to the doctor’s tomorrow as planned.”

Bobby and Leeann kept talking as they walked away while Dean told the crowd the night’s events would be starting in just a few minutes. The noise level rose even higher after that and Priscilla wasn’t sure where she should go now that her work here was done. Then she saw Leeann waving at her from a table a few rows back.

“You’re sticking around, right?”

She turned and found Dean standing behind her. “So it seems. I haven’t played in years, but I’m guessing it’ll come back to me.”

“It’s bingo. It’s not that hard. Bobby said you’ve been at the camp every afternoon helping out.” His gaze drifted for a moment to her feet. The corner of his mouth rose into a smile. “Hope you’ve found other shoes to wear.”

“As a matter of fact, Leeann took me to a few shops here in town on Monday. I’ve been properly outfitted.”

“I’ll bet.”

Priscilla had no idea what he meant by that, but before she could ask, they were joined by three men all dressed in the same blue shirt sporting an embroidered emblem for the Destiny Fire Department over their hearts.

“Hey, is this where we sign up for the auction?” the first man asked. Well over six feet tall with dark square-framed glasses, a full mustache and the most mischievous grin Priscilla had ever seen, he wrapped one arm around Dean’s shoulders. “Lord knows we can’t have Zip here be the sole representative of the department.”

Dean sighed. “Like any lady would be crazy enough to bid on you, Hall?”

“Hey, we’re all fine examples of the lesser sex. Why not us?”

Dean waved a hand between the men and Priscilla. “Chris Hall, Steve McIntyre, Scott Wallace...this is Priscilla Lennox. Priscilla, these guys are a few of my crew from the firehouse.”

Priscilla smiled as she shook hands with each of them, mentally adding their names to the auction list. “It’s so nice to meet you all. And thank you for volunteering to be part of the auction. The more the merrier.”

“It sounds like this fund-raising stuff is right up your alley,” Steve said, “but please don’t tell us you’re all work and no play.”

Confusion filled her. “I’m sorry?”

Dean shrugged off his friend’s arm, his smile gone. “Knock it off, Mac.”

“Hey, she can bid on a bachelor just like any of the other ladies in the audience, right?”

“Yes, I suppose I could.” Now she understood what he meant and the gleam in his eyes told her just who he’d like her to bid on. “But I’ll most likely be too busy running things backstage to have the opportunity to participate.”

“You sure?” Scott added. “I’ve got a cabin on a lake outside of town and a sweet eighteen-foot speedboat. We could make it a day on the water.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Chris nudged his friend in the side with his elbow. “I can whip up a gourmet meal that would put a five-star restaurant to shame. Beef bourguignonne with a fine Burgundy wine. After that I’ll give you a sunset tour of the countryside on the back of my Harley. How does that sound?”

It sounded wonderful, but not for the reason either of the men suspected. “I think both of those dates sound terrific!”

“You do?” All four male voices spoke in unison.

“What exactly does that mean?” Dean pushed. “You’re planning to bid on them?”

“I think any of the ladies would be excited to bid if the bachelors come up with unique date packages.” The idea swirled inside her head, quickly taking shape as she spoke. “We could work with some of the local businesses to either donate items or offer services at a discount. This way the lucky lady will know right from the start what kind of date her bachelor will be providing. Doesn’t that sound great?”

“What if the guy’s plans are for just a simple dinner at one of the local restaurants?” Dean asked.

Priscilla wondered if that was all Dean would plan for his date. “There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but this is a special event and the dates should be, as well. I’m sure we can help those bachelors who need assistance in coming up with ideas. If, say, you were looking for something more creative—”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, darling.” Dean took a step forward, putting himself directly between her and his buddies. “This bachelor can be as creative as the next guy.”

The gleam in his dark eyes as he looked down at her had Priscilla taking him at his word and wondering just how inventive he could be.

Chapter Seven

A
week had gone by and Dean still hadn’t decided what he was going to do for his bachelor-auction date. He wanted to plan something that would knock Priscilla’s socks off, but kept coming up blank whenever he tried to think about it. Besides, how could he decide what to do when he didn’t know if his bidder would be using a walker—which would rule out a romantic nighttime hike—or a college kid who never removed her earbuds?

He pulled his truck to a stop in his usual spot at Camp Diamond. Granted, today was the first time he’d really thought about the auction—ah, hell, that wasn’t true. Priscilla had been on his mind a lot, both during his waking hours and making a couple of appearances in his dreams at night.

Still, he was coming up empty with any ideas for a night’s entertainment with whoever might win him. He’d heard Priscilla’s date-package idea had been popular with both the ladies on the auction committee and the guys who’d agreed to participate. They were up to fifteen bachelors and Priscilla wanted each of the dates to be unique. Besides what his firefighting crew had conjured up, the ones most popular with the committee were a sunrise horseback ride with a breakfast picnic, a limo ride to Cheyenne for dinner, and a show and a trip to Jackson Hole for the day via private helicopter.

That last idea had to be Liam Murphy’s. Both he and his older brother Nolan had been wrangled into participating in the auction, but as president of Murphy Mountain Log Homes, Liam could afford such a luxury. Especially since the helicopter was part of the family business and Liam himself would be at the controls.

He bet the princess would be interested in bidding on that!

He thought back to how he hadn’t spotted Priscilla’s little red car in the camp’s parking lot out near the main entrance. Since she’d been so gung ho to help out last week, he’d figured she’d be here today. They hadn’t seen each other since bingo night, and even then she’d left when Bobby and Leeann did while he’d still been acting as host and calling numbers. The plan had been for the four of them to get together at Bobby’s place last Friday for dinner and to discuss the auction, but it had never happened. One emergency after another at the veterans’ center had kept him from attending as well as making him miss his physical-therapy session with the Major earlier that same day.

Shutting off the engine, Dean sat in the quiet interior of his truck. Leaning his head back, he pulled in a deep breath and willed his muscles to relax. It never stopped amazing him how many of the young men and women—some of them barely out of their teens—were in need of care after returning home from the ongoing war in the Middle East. For both their physical and emotional injuries. His caseload held some difficult patients, none more so than an amputee who was still in the beginning stages of learning to live with his new artificial legs after losing his from above the knee when his tank had been bombed. Last Friday the young man had learned his wife had left him for someone else.

Determined to shake off his gloom, Dean got out of the truck and stretched, still tired even though it was well into the afternoon. He’d finally returned home around dawn, and while it felt good to be back in his own bed, it hadn’t been the same without Daisy curled up at his feet. She’d been staying with Bobby and Leeann after he’d called and explained what was happening at work. When he and Bobby had spoken earlier today, before Dean headed to the inn to give the Major his therapy session, Bobby had said he’d been bringing Daisy to the camp and they would meet up with him out here.

Daisy had been a regular at Camp Diamond during the building stages last summer and Dean had brought her with him a few times once they opened this year. Given her advanced age, Daisy usually spent her time curled up on a cot next to Dean’s desk in the health center, but when she did venture out, she was very friendly with the boys and male staff and avoided getting anywhere near the females.

That was, until she’d met Priscilla.

According to Bobby, Daisy had been the woman’s constant companion whenever she was at the house, which had been daily as they worked out the details for the auction.

The auction. Jeez, he really needed to come up with something—

Dean heard a door to the dining hall slam and then a quick bark. He turned, smiling, as a blur of golden-brown fur raced toward him. “Hey, girl!” Kneeling, he welcomed his dog’s enthusiastic greeting as Daisy launched into his arms. “Yes, I’m happy to see you, too.”

He scratched her behind her ears and accepted lots of doggy kisses, finally rising when Bobby joined them. His friend had a grin on his face and Dean suddenly remembered the other news Bobby had shared when they spoke earlier.

“Congrats, Daddy.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m guessing you’re going to be sporting a goofy grin until the rug rat arrives sometime around...when?”

“The New Year.” Bobby laughed, a look of pure joy on his face as he returned Dean’s handshake. “And you bet I am.”

Bobby and Leeann had been trying for a baby since they’d married on New Year’s Eve a few years ago. His buddy had confided his concerns that his racing accident might be the cause of their inability to conceive, but tests had proven otherwise. The doctors’ advice had been to relax and keep trying and it worked.

Dean was genuinely happy for them. “So, does that make me an honorary uncle?”

“Uncle? Hell, Lee and I want you to be our child’s godparent.”

Stunned, Dean could only stare at his best friend. He and Bobby had met many years ago while serving in the army overseas. Their friendship had been born in the blood, sweat and tears of hellish duty long before the current conflict that was still going on over there. They’d stayed in touch after leaving the army, back before the attacks on the World Trade Center. When Bobby had needed Dean’s services as a physical therapist after his crash, Dean had quit his job and followed his buddy to Destiny.

Thanks to his two married sisters, Dean had four nieces and nephews back in New Jersey, but so far hadn’t been asked to take on the title of godparent. He was humbled. “Wow, I don’t know what to say.”

Bobby’s grip tightened. “Say yes.”

“You sure you want me having such influence over your baby?” Dean tried to go for humor as the responsibilities that went along with the position filled his head. “There’s no telling what kind of trouble I could lead them into.”

“Your job will be to keep him—or her—out of trouble.” Bobby let go of his hand and gave him a hearty thump on the back. “And give good advice, like always listening to their parents, obeying the rules.”

“Aw, what’s the fun in that?” He smiled, suddenly feeling a lot better than he had just a few moments ago. “I’d be honored. Thanks for asking.”

Bobby returned his grin, then turned to stand next to him as they looked out over the camp. “Boy, it sure is quiet around here with the kids gone.”

Dean took in the view from this spot, loving how he could see all the way down to the lake and then the stables just off to the right. “Yeah, I’m sorry I missed the bonfire Saturday night.”

“The kids missed having you there, too, not to mention your ghost stories.”

“Have you guys been working on anything new while I was gone?” Dean asked.

“Yes, we have, and you’re here just in time to help.” Bobby pointed straight ahead. “See that area staked out across from the arts-and-crafts building?”

Dean spotted the patch of land cordoned off by ropes tethered to a series of evenly spaced stakes. “What’s going in there?”

“A performance pavilion.”

He looked at his friend. “A what?”

“An outdoor stage. Nolan was here on Wednesday to discuss the design and dimensions. Since Murphy Mountain Log Homes built the original camp buildings, we want any new ones to match. We decided to go with a three-sided structure, with a roof of course, and leave the area in front for seating, probably with the same type of benches we have at the campfire. You want to go down and check it out?”

“Sure.” Dean walked next to Bobby while Daisy tagged along, trotting between them. “Is a stage really something the camp needs?”

“Well, we use either the dining hall or the campfire area whenever we do anything like a talent show or the skits the counselors come up with, but this way we’ll have a set location for those things. We won’t have to shuffle things around as much. It was one of Priscilla’s ideas.”

Just hearing her name had Dean scanning the camp again, looking for any sign of her. Nothing. Maybe she was inside the office. Or maybe she’d grown tired of the place after a week. Hanging around a kids’ camp was a far cry from the European holiday she’d originally planned. She’d claimed at bingo she’d bought more casual clothes, but that night she’d looked just like she always had.

Rich and beautiful and way out of his league.

“The plan is to clear the area for the foundation. We want to get it poured tomorrow.” Bobby’s voice droned on until he finally nudged Dean and said, “Hey, did you hear what I just said?”

“No, I was thinking—what did you say?”

“I said I volunteered you to help the crew get the foundation in place.” Bobby grinned. “But I think the only thing you heard was that the idea came from Priscilla.”

His friend was right about that. “Why does she figure the camp needs an outdoor stage?”

“The kids held an unplanned talent show after lunch on Friday. I wasn’t there to see it, but I guess Priscilla was a good sport about joining in. She said when one of the counselors used a table as a makeshift stage to play his guitar, it came to her that a real stage area would be a good addition to the camp. And a whole lot safer than a table.”

Boy, what he wouldn’t give to know what Priscilla’s contribution to the talent show had been. “You said ideas. As in plural. What else did she come up with?”

“An organic garden and—”

“A what? A garden?”

Bobby nodded. “We used the area behind the dining hall. Already have the soil turned over and it’ll be ready for the next group of campers to do the initial planting. Not sure how many vegetables we’re going to get seeing as how we’re starting this late in the summer, but the kids will have fun. That’s what really counts.”

Dean guessed he was right about that. So, a performance stage and a garden. He wondered what else she’d come up with. “Anything else?”

“You know that blank interior wall between the office and the camp store? The one where we talked about having a mural painted?”

Dean remembered. “Didn’t Leeann mention getting someone local to do it? Please don’t tell me Priscilla suggested something along the likes of a Picasso or a Renoir?”

“Very funny. No, she thought we should cover that area with chalkboard paint and allow the campers to provide the artwork instead. We can assign each cabin a set number of days when their work would be displayed, take photographs of whatever design they come up with to keep for the camp’s photo albums and then wash it off so the space is ready for the next masterpiece.”

Dean had to admit the idea was a good one. A great one. What kid wouldn’t like to walk by and see his artwork on display for the entire camp to enjoy?

“You should’ve seen her and Leeann yesterday when they painted the wall. By the time I got here, I think they had more paint on themselves than anywhere else.” Bobby laughed. “Priscilla readily admitted she had no experience with a paintbrush outside of an art class here or there, but— Ah, there she is, and looking paint-free today.”

They’d stopped beside the area for the outdoor stage, but Dean’s gaze was already centered on the tall woman leading a horse from the nearby stable into the smaller of two attached corrals. He immediately picked up on the rider as being Holly Warren, a sweet kid and one of Dean’s favorite campers. Her mother was the camp’s nurse, meaning Holly was often here even during the off weeks. Due to a neuromuscular disease that left her right leg weak, she wore a brace full-time but she never let the impediment stop her from being fully involved with all camp activities.

The girl’s infectious giggle could be heard clear over where he and Bobby stood, but it was Priscilla who captured Dean’s attention.

Holding the reins of the pony with ease, she seemed to be speaking to both the four-legged creature and to Holly. Priscilla looked just like any other member of the staff, but was stunningly beautiful in an outfit far different than her usual style.

Jean shorts made her long legs look even longer, while a plaid shirt, sleeves rolled back to her elbows, hung loose and unbuttoned—he guessed she had a T-shirt on underneath. A straw cowboy hat of all things sat perched on her head with her blond waves pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck.

It seemed she’d also captured Daisy’s attention, too. The dog took off toward the corral, trotting straight for her friend.

“Daisy, halt.” Dean’s voice was low, but the command was firm. “Stay.”

This time his pet actually listened, stopping just outside the wood fencing and planting her butt on the grass. Her tail wagged hard, but she stayed put. Both Holly and Priscilla looked their way when Dean called out, and offered a quick wave in their direction before turning back to their lesson.

“Hey, buddy.” Bobby waved back but then snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of Dean’s face. “You still with me?”

He was, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Priscilla. Her ease with the animal was evident, but what he couldn’t get over was how right the princess looked in that getup. He couldn’t tell what she wore on her feet from this distance, but he’d bet it wasn’t the sexy heels she’d claimed to be able to run a marathon in.

“Hey, I forget to tell you,” Bobby continued. “A bunch of the guys are coming over to the house tonight for barbecue, beer and to watch the ball game. I know you’ve had a long week, but you’re welcome to join us.”

If Bobby was talking about the usual crowd, that would be at least five or six men. “You sure Lee is going to be up for all that company?”

“Oh, she’s going out with the girls tonight to the Blue Creek.” Bobby’s grin widened. “They’re taking Priscilla out for her birthday.”