I was thinking when I win the date,” another woman chimed in, “I’ll cook dinner for you both. At my place.”
The woman probably had food in her refrigerator. In her pantry, even. Bristol hadn’t been to the grocery store in ages.
“Steak and baked potatoes,” the woman added. “Big, strong men like you deserve a good meal.”
Bristol fought the urge to mimic gagging herself as she turned back to the refreshment table. She still had a couple of cups available, but she needed a moment to catch her breath.
If she was the one who won the date with the twins, she’d hope for a nice restaurant, maybe some wine and conversation. Sleeping with them would be the last thing on her mind. On a first date. As if.
Oh, God.
Her face flamed as she realized that was exactly what had happened. Kaden had invited her over, she’d gone, and then…
Oh, crap. What was wrong with her?
A firm hand curled around her arm, tugging her around.
“Oh, my heavens! I’m so sorry I’m late,” Bianca blurted, her hair a bit disheveled.
Bristol schooled her expression, forced a smile. “You’re late? I didn’t even notice.”
“I got caught up with a resident. They stopped in at my office to talk about updating the equipment at the park. I told her we could go over it at the next meeting, but she insisted on talking to me now.”
Bristol eyed Bianca’s hair. “A resident?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s your husband, Bianca?”
“What?”
Bristol grinned, giving Bianca the knowing eye. “He’s in town, isn’t he?”
“Maybe.”
She laughed, patting her own hair as a signal. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
There was a rare blush on Bianca’s cheeks as she began to finger comb her hair.
Bristol motioned around the area. “As you can see, everyone’s enjoyin’ themselves. But I think they’re gettin’ antsy.”
“Good turnout. I can only hope they’re all gonna dig deep into their wallets.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” She had a feeling, like Jamie and Adeline, many of these single women had been saving up for this event.
And she very seriously doubted they were all doing it for a good cause. Selfish reasons probably played a pretty big part.
*
Kaden wished like hell he hadn’t signed them up for the auction.
Had he known that two days before they would’ve had an erotic encounter with the woman he was in love with, he wouldn’t have given this thing a second thought.
And yes, he was fairly certain he was in love with Bristol. Had been for quite some time now. The only thing keeping them apart was insecurity. Keegan’s and Bristol’s. Which meant Kaden was stuck in the middle, torn by his loyalty and love for both of them. This event was going to end up hurting them all, even if neither of them realized that.
How the hell had they gotten to this place? Two nights ago, for the briefest of moments, Kaden had seen his life laid out before him, that evasive happiness he’d been searching for within his grasp only for it to be ripped away at the last second.
Unfortunately, they were committed to this auction because Walkers didn’t go back on their word. And the turnout was good, which would hopefully reap the results the mayor was going for as far as raising money was concerned. What Kaden was worried about was Keegan, because his brother hadn’t been the same since Thursday night.
He’d gotten used to being called the moody twin while Keegan had the reputation of being fun-loving and never serious. But what people didn’t realize was that they were very much alike, not only in appearance but attitude as well. From the womb, they’d been close. Growing up, they rarely did anything apart. Why it worked out that way, he had no idea, but Kaden had never felt the need to be separate from his twin. The opposite, really.
For the past thirty-seven years, they’d had the same experiences, living life almost as though they were one. Perhaps because of that, he could often feel what his brother was feeling. They’d always wanted the same things, their interests mirroring the other’s. And that included the desire to own and operate a ranch one day and to settle down with one woman they would share.
The biggest difference between them was that Kaden had never lost hope that one day they would find that love that would last. Keegan, on the other hand, had sworn it off, hence the reason his brother had treated Bristol so callously the other night. Keegan was only trying