Bachelor at Her Bidding (Bachelor Auction Book 2)
Kate Hardy
Chapter One
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“Ryan Henderson. Just the man I was looking for.”
Ryan knew that drawl well. Lily Taylor was one of the regulars at Grey’s Saloon, and he enjoyed flirting with her as much as she enjoyed flirting with him – because both of them knew there was no chance of them being anything other than friends. Gorgeous as Lily was, Ryan wasn’t in the market for a relationship. Not now, and not for the foreseeable future.
But a friend was another matter. He could always do with a friend.
And he liked Lily Taylor. A lot. She was smart, sassy, and told it to you straight. He knew she was a favorite with Reese Kendrick, the laconic saloon manager, too – or she wouldn’t have been allowed back here in the kitchen. If anyone else had thought about coming back here, one look from Reese would’ve kept them on the other side of the bar.
Ryan looked up from the huckleberry pies he was making and smiled at her. “What can I do for you, Lily?”
“It’s about the Bachelor Auction on Saturday night.”
“The fundraiser for Josh Dekker, you mean?” The poor kid had been in a bad fall on Copper Mountain three months ago, and after he’d been airlifted to hospital the medics had discovered that Josh had a spinal cord injury, leaving him in a wheelchair. Molly, Josh’s mother, was a single parent; she was struggling to get the care her boy needed, let alone trying to meet the cost of refitting the house to meet Josh’s needs. Lily, as Josh’s godmother, had gone straight into action and organized a fundraiser to help.
“Reese has already talked to me about the food,” Ryan said, “but I’m happy to run the menu by you and tweak it if you need me to.” He grinned. “And – before you ask – yes, of course I’m making red velvet cheesecake. Especially for you.”
“Good boy.” Lily gave him a sultry look and flicked her long dark hair out of her eyes. “But it’s not the menu I want.” She paused for effect. “It’s you.”
“Me?” Ryan looked at her, perplexed. He was just the cook. If she didn’t want to talk about the food for Saturday night, what on earth did she want with him?
The question must’ve shown on his face, because she said, “As one of my bachelors.”
She wanted to auction him?
No way.
Ryan was more than happy to do his bit to help with the fundraising, but being auctioned off was something he most definitely wasn’t up for doing. “Whoa, there.” He lifted both floury hands in a “stop” gesture to back it up. “I can’t do that, Lily. What I can do is make you all the cakes you want – stuff you can auction off after you’ve done the bachelors.”
She gave him a pointed look, and he groaned as he realized what he’d said and how it could be taken. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Lily’s past had made some of the smaller minds in town snub her. But the people she allowed to know her well enough all knew that the ex-stripper had a heart of purest gold. Not to mention a smart mouth that could put down anyone faster than they could try to put her down. And watching Lily Taylor in full flow could be a lot of fun.
“Well now, Ry. I’m thinking you owe me for that one,” she drawled.
He sighed. “Lily, I’m sorry. I just can’t do it.”
“You’re a bachelor, right?” She hoisted herself up on to a clean area of the counter – something that nobody else but Lily would’ve dared to do – and crossed her legs.
Ryan couldn’t argue with her assessment. “Right.” But he could argue about something else. “I don’t date. I don’t have time to date.” When he wasn’t working at Grey’s, he was looking after Phyllis, his grandmother. And that wasn’t negotiable.
“If you weren’t so stubborn and ornery about it,” Lily said, “you know we’d have a rota of people to sit with Phyllis like a shot. She’s a legend.”
He knew that. His grandmother had been one of the most popular teachers in her years at the high school, always willing to spend time in her breaks or after school with someone who was struggling with math and helping them to get it. Her old colleagues from the high school dropped in to visit with her regularly – history teachers, Gemma Clayton and Chelsea Collier, who’d once been her pupils; vice principal, Kate Pearce; and even principal, Sharla Dickinson. They’d all told Ryan they’d be happy to sit with Phyllis for an evening – or any time during the day, out of term time – to give him a break from looking after her.
But Ryan wasn’t the sort to dump his responsibilities on other people, no matter how well-meaning they were.
“Yes, she’s a legend,” he agreed softly. “And she’s my responsibility.” Ryan was the only family Phyllis had left. She’d taken care of him when he’d needed her most; and now it was his turn to repay that favor and take care of his grandmother when she needed him most. He wasn’t going to let her down.
Lily sighed. “Ry, I know the situation at home. And I wouldn’t ask you to do something like this ordinarily.”
No. She would’ve just negotiated twice as many desserts as he had time to make. And for her he would’ve made the time to do it. “But?”