Bidding Wars (Love Strikes)(2)

“Terry and I are having a baby.”

She was silent. She knew this was coming. Any day now she expected to hear it from someone, whether it was at the grocery store or a family member calling. She hadn’t expected Steven to call her, and she didn’t know what to say.

“Molly.”

“Uh, yeah. Um, congrats.”

“I don’t expect you to be happy for me. I wanted you to know before the news got around.” He cleared his throat. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

The least he could do. She really wanted to yell at him and tell him how she felt, but what good would it really do? “OK.”

“I won’t keep you.”

“OK. Well, bye.” She hung up and buried her face in her hands, fighting back any tears that threatened when her phone rang again. It better not be Steven again.

She picked the phone up from her lap and saw it was Diane. Something in her gut told her it wasn’t the news she was wanting. She gazed up toward the ceiling and mouthed a silent prayer before answering.

“Hello.”

“Molly.”

She could tell by her agent’s tone that her gut feeling was right. “You have bad news. Give it to me.”

“It’s not entirely bad, but I’m sorry to tell you that there have been multiple offers. You have forty-eight hours to decide what your absolute highest and best offer is.”

“Crap. OK.”

“You already have a damn good offer, and I doubt anyone has trumped it. Give it a lot of thought. You still have some wiggle room on the amount you were preapproved.”

“Max it out. The full amount I was preapproved for. I need this house.”

“You sure? That’s nearly forty thousand over asking price.”

“Diane, if I lose it, I’ll be devastated. I might as well give the best fight I can.”

Diane was silent a moment. “OK, I’m going to draw up the papers. Check your e-mail in about twenty minutes.”

“Will do. Thank you.” She hung up and dropped the phone next to her on the couch. She let out a loud moan, which was followed by Tigger kneading her paws into her thighs. She scratched the cat under the chin. “Don’t you worry. Mommy’s getting us a brand new home and you’ll get your own room. I just need to convince the competition to drop out.”





Chapter Two





Luke stared at the papers in front of him. His real estate agent had faxed them over. Apparently, more than one person wanted the place on Maple Street, and he now needed to decide if he wanted to offer any higher.

He’d really liked the old house. It would be great for when his son came to visit every other weekend. But now he had to decide how badly he wanted the place. Of course, this could be some gimmick from the sellers. They knew what a gem they had there and probably wanted the most they could get. He had forty-eight hours to come up with his new offer, if he decided to. He already had a good offer on the house—but was it good enough? He rubbed his temples and brushed the papers to the side of his desk. If he didn’t get it, there were other homes.

Some sort of commotion was coming from the front of the station. It was always something. Sometimes he wished that one day at work could be slow and boring. Perhaps he should have chosen a different profession.

He went to see what was going on. At the front desk, he found a very familiar-looking brunette demanding to talk to someone. Women were never patient when they needed something.

“Ma’am, calm down. I’m Sheriff Logan. Can I help you?”

The woman looked him square in the eye. “You! You’re who I am looking for.”

He flinched beneath her bold, accusing stare. “Why don’t we go back to my office, and we’ll see what I can help you with.”

She followed him down the hall, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor. This woman was really uptight. He took a seat and pointed toward the chair in front of his desk, but she didn’t sit. She looked as though she was ready to burst.

“I won’t be here long enough to get comfortable.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“You’re trying to steal my house,” she snapped.

He knew just who she was now. The image of a beautiful brunette who looked as though she were biting her tongue standing in front of a yellow house flashed through his mind. Perhaps he should act as if he didn’t remember. “Excuse me?”

“The house on Maple Street. I want it. And I’m guessing you do as well.”

He raked his hands through his hair. No faking it now. “Does your agent know you’re here?”

“God, no. Diane would kill me.”

“It’s a great house.”

“I want it. No, I need it. Please withdraw your offer.” She stared at him as though her request had to be taken seriously.

He looked the stunning woman up and down. She was skinny, but still had curves. Her hair was long and straight, and her eyes were the color of almonds. She could use some sun and had an overall sad look to her. Something tugged at his heart while he watched her.

“I’m sure there are other houses out there.”

She glanced at him, blinking her eyes. “Officer Logan, I’m sure there are. But this house felt like home. While I was there, I was finally happy. I felt like I was where I needed to be in life. I’ve had a year from hell, and it’s beginning to look up. If I don’t get that house, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Will you be homeless?” He hated when people complained about life and blamed others for it. Everyone was responsible for his or her own happiness. Yet, most of the folks he encountered didn’t get it.

“Of course not.”

“Look, Ms.…”

“Molly Harper.”

“Look, Ms. Harper, I get that you want the house. So do I. Maybe I felt all those warm and fuzzy feelings you did as well. And I don’t mean to come across rude, but I hear sob stories every day. It’s hard to sympathize sometimes. I’m sure your last year has been hell, as you said, but the only way for things to get better is to change. This house doesn’t make your life instantly better. Only your attitude can do that.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know nothing about me or my life. And I wasn’t looking for your sympathy. I’m over that from people. I thought maybe I could talk to you and get you to see that I really love that house. But now I see that talking with you doesn’t do any good.”

“You didn’t come in here and try to talk, Ms. Harper. You came into the station demanding to see me, and once you got back here you demanded I withdraw my offer. You weren’t looking for a pleasant chat.”

“How dare you! You know what? May the best offer win.” Molly left in as much as a ruckus as she’d come.

She crossed the station with fury in her step. What had just happened? Clearly, she wanted that house with a passion. If she didn’t get the house, would she show up here again?

He grabbed the property paperwork and tried to focus. Molly Harper’s words played in his head: may the best offer win. Did he want to make a competition out of this, as she clearly did? Or did he want to leave his generous offer alone. He picked up the photo on his desk of his five-year-old son. Sammy would love that house. Several big oak trees in the back yard were perfect for tree houses. The back yard was a little boy’s dream place to explore—already fenced and perfect for the dog he’d always hoped for.

He’d always liked competition. When he first discovered eBay, he spent hours enjoying the thrill of winning. He wanted the house, and he was willing to go as high as he had to go. He drummed his fingers on his desk as his thoughts flashed back to how attractive Molly appeared when she was angry. That’s right, Molly Harper, with your sweet ass—may the best offer win. He grinned and picked up his phone to make a call to his realtor.



* * *





“I don’t understand. What’s taking so long?” Molly parked the car in front of her small condo.

“They’ve got to look at each and every offer. I’m guessing they’ve received quite a few, since we’re still waiting,” Diane said on the other side of the phone conversation.

She let out a loud groan. “My lease is up soon, and I’ve already told the landlord I won’t be renewing. Someone needs to hurry up and figure something out. In the event I don’t get it, you and I need to get back out there.”

“I understand. I promise, as soon as I hear something you’ll be the first to know. I’ve done all I can do on my end.”

“I guess, but this is just getting ridiculous.” She was beyond irritated and couldn’t stand having her entire life up in the air.

“It’s Friday. Try going out tonight and having a little fun. Forget about all of this.”