Rugged Cowboy - Elana Johnson Page 0,45

Ted and Nate to do was suddenly much different than boxing up everything he owned and trucking it south to Sweet Water Falls.

He’d make more money selling it here in the city, and Dallas needed the money. When they’d arrived on Friday afternoon, he, Ted, and Nate had decided quickly to host a weekend sale that was really an open house. People could come see the furniture, the decorations, the dishes, any of it. If they wanted it, all they had to do was name a price.

Dallas had taken a ton of pictures and he’d posted them everywhere online that he could think of. The online classifieds. The yard sale pages on social media. The estate sale sites for the City of Houston.

Nate had a realtor friend in the area, and he’d called to let him know about the big sale. Hans had used his network to get the word out, so come Sunday morning, when Dallas opened the front door, he found a line of people.

“Oh,” he said, and he called over his shoulder. “Ted, Nate, it’s game time.”

The woman at the front of the line looked beyond hopeful, and she held up a picture of the four-poster bed in the master bedroom. “I want this, and I’m willing to pay two thousand dollars for it.”

“Sold,” Dallas said, and he realized he might need a way to itemize what he’d sold already so he could avoid hurt feelings and possible fights if two people wanted the same thing. He decided to stay by the door and greet each person, then ask what they were looking for.

The second person in line had also printed a picture, and it was of the dining room table and chairs. “Is this solid wood?” he asked.

“Yes,” Dallas said. “It was custom-made at the Boulevard.” Martha had paid five figures for the dining set, and they’d entertained surgeons, hospital administrators, and other VIPs at the table.

“It’s a Doug Rutheford piece, isn’t it?”

“I believe it is,” Dallas said, something jogging in his memory.

“I’ll take it for eight thousand,” the man said, his eyebrows up.

“Sold,” Dallas said again, marveling at how well his idea had worked. One by one, more people stepped up to the front door. Some said they were just browsing. Some had specific items and prices in mind. Those items he sold immediately if the price was even close to fair. Those who wanted to wander and browse had to check with him, Ted, or Nate first, as Dallas had started a sheet with the things he’d sold as people walked through the door.

Mid-morning, his phone rang, and Jess’s name sat on the screen. He didn’t answer, because a group of three women had just arrived, and they wanted to see the wardrobe in the master closet. Dallas gave them to Ted, who started to lead them through the house.

His phone rang again, and again, he saw Jess’s name. “Nate,” he said, and his friend came over to man the front table they’d set up after realizing how this sale should be handled.

Dallas swiped on the call and said, “Hey, Jess, I’m in the middle of something really big.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll talk fast.” She started a story about a dark-haired man named Josh, and that was when Dallas started blinking to keep his vision working properly. Martha had mentioned Josh a couple of times.

“He didn’t say what he wanted?” Dallas asked when he sensed the story was almost over.

“He said you two needed to settle a debt.”

Fear ran through Dallas in cold waves, and he was glad he’d wandered away from Nate and any shoppers. “I don’t owe anyone any money,” he said.

“He said he’d get in touch with you,” Jess said. “He was kind of creepy, Dallas. That’s why I called. I thought you should know.”

“Thanks, Jess,” he said at the same time he heard someone shout. “I have to go. I’ll call you tonight.” He hung up and turned toward the commotion. A woman faced a man, and they both had one hand on a piece of art Dallas had bought during a hospital auction, years ago.

“I’ve been standing here for ten minutes with this painting,” the woman said. “You can’t just waltz up and claim it.”

“Yes, I can,” the man said. “I checked with Nate at the front door, and he said it hadn’t been claimed.”

“I claimed it,” the woman said. “I just haven’t seen one of them to make it official.”

“Can I help you?” Dallas asked. They both looked