Hays Hart was full of surprises … and for some reason the thought made her smile—until she glanced at one of his WANTED posters fluttering in the wind across the road at the general store. Was he pursuing her because he genuinely liked her, or was he pursuing her to fulfill his father’s wishes and secure a bride for his inheritance?
The obvious answer left her feeling sadder than it should.
Chapter Four
Hays squinted as he tipped his head back and gulped from his canteen. The day was unseasonably warm, and even if it hadn’t been, his impending conversation with Gage was making him sweat. Overhead, the afternoon sun hung in a cloudless sky, and underfoot the brown grass crunched beneath the horses’ hooves.
Gage sat next to him, carelessly crossing his gloved hands over his saddle horn, his gaze on the herd of cattle grazing nearby. “Looks like it’ll be a successful drive up to Wichita come May. We’ve never had a better herd.”
The herd was remarkable this year, but it was the last thing on Hays’s mind. It had been four days since Emma had asked Hays to find bachelors for her auction—and nine days since his pa’s unexpected edict. He wanted to please both Emma and his father, and to do so he would have to find a way to make the auction a success.
“I’ve got a strange request,” Hays said. “And I don’t rightly know how to bring it up in normal conversation.”
Gage slowly turned his head, his eyes shaded under the brim of his hat. “You’ve made more strange requests than anyone has a right to.”
Hays had gotten him and Gage into a lot of trouble over the years—unintentionally, of course—but this was different. “It’s for a good cause.”
Gage gave him a skeptical look. “What kind of cause?”
“A schoolhouse.”
“You mean it’s for Miss Longley.”
“You can look at it how you want. I just need volunteers for a street dance.”
“I’m listening.”
Hays shifted in his saddle. Usually, he could make light of most situations and ease his way through difficult tasks, but for some reason, seeing how upset Emma had been at his carefree attitude after the meeting, he wanted to take this job seriously. “Emma plans to hold a bachelor auction during the ball, and she asked me to find at least a dozen bachelors who would—”
“A what?” Gage took off his hat and ran his hand over his hair.
“A bachelor auction. Each bachelor will stand onstage, and the women will bid for the chance to dance with him.”
Gage stared at Hays, his mouth tipped down at the edges. “You’ve got to be joshin’.”
“I thought it sounded a bit strange, too, but the ladies at the meeting seemed eager to bid.”
“What happens if you stand up there and no one bids?” Gage shook his head and set his hat in place. “Nope.”
“Come on, Gage. I’ve always been able to count on you.”
“Not this time.” Gage gripped his reins and touched his spurs to his horse. “Ask your brothers. They’re more desperate than I am.” He was gone before Hays could call him back.
His brothers? They were the last people Hays wanted to ask. He was still set on finding a bride before the rest of them, though none of them had shown any interest in the prospect of marriage, even after Pa’s declaration. But, beyond that, he couldn’t imagine them in an auction. They weren’t the type of men who liked to be on display.
Hays rode back to El Regalo and glimpsed Travis’s buckboard parked out front.
He hated asking his brothers for help, but the only way to prove to them that he wasn’t a child was to find a bride and move onto his spread of land.
And the only way to get his bride was to find her a dozen bachelors. What better place to look than the 7 Heart Ranch?
Hays strode toward the back of the house, knowing Perla would be in the kitchen. Even before he opened the door, he could smell the spicy aroma of steaming tamales. His stomach growled as he walked inside.
“Perla,” he groaned. “Are you gonna make me wait for supper?”
Perla stood at the stove with a large apron wrapped around her red skirt. She glanced at Hays, and the wrinkles around her eyes deepened when she smiled. “When have I ever made you wait for my tamales, Se?or Hays?” She lifted a spoon from the pot she had been stirring.
He took two giant steps to her side and tasted the filling. The meat fell apart in his mouth and mingled with the spices. “Mmm. Me encanta sus tamales, Se?orita.”
She patted his cheek. “I know you love them.”
Hays tried to take another spoonful, but she swatted his hand away. “You can wait for more.” She laughed and went back to her work. “What brings you into the house?”
“I need to talk to my brothers.”
“The only one here is Se?or Travis. He is in the office talking with your papá.“ She added more spice to the pot and continued to stir. “The others are out working.”
“I know. I saw Travis’s buckboard and thought I’d talk to him first. If I can persuade him, then the others might follow.”
Perla didn’t bother to look at Hays. “I won’t even ask what trouble you are planning now.”
“Good.” He bent and kissed her wrinkled cheek. “Make sure you set aside the biggest tamale for me.”
She winked at him. “I always do.”