LITMIR.BIZ

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made the choice to be here because the fundraiser was important to him. He’d do his bit to help it succeed, even if it meant humiliating himself in front of the town. But that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

      He scoffed quietly and glared at Slade, whose lips twitched to keep back a grin. Jax’s scowl deepened.

      “Settle down, people. Settle down.” Jo spoke directly into the microphone, cringed at the earsplitting feedback and flipped it off. It wasn’t as if she needed the thing. Her voice easily carried across the distance of Serendipity, Texas’s community green, where practically everyone in town had gathered for this event. “Time to get this party started.”

      Jax crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. Since when was pure torture considered a festive occasion?

      Today, apparently.

      When the ruckus didn’t immediately subside, old Frank Spencer—Jo’s crotchety husband—put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. “Listen up, folks. The First Annual Bachelors and Baskets Auction is about to begin. Gather ’round, y’all.”

      Jax crushed the toe of his tan cowboy boot into the soft grass, wishing he was anywhere else. Where did Jo come up with this silly idea, anyway? It wasn’t like any auction he had ever heard of, although he didn’t know why he was so surprised by the fact. Serendipity wasn’t exactly known for being normal with anything, especially with Jo Spencer at the helm.

      What had started out as Jo’s simple if archaic idea to pawn off the single men for money had grown into something much larger and more complex. She might have originally set out to nab the town bachelors, but her idea had spun so far out of control that now nearly every man in town was lined up to strut his stuff, single and married alike. Now, the idea was that the women could bid on men for tasks instead of dates—with the tasks to be determined by the winning bidder.

      Want someone to do the cooking for your barbecue party next weekend? Bid on the man with the secret-family-recipe barbecue sauce that he refused to share with a soul. Want someone to fix up that rusting old truck in your barn? Bid on the town mechanic, and he’ll get it running like new. Or go ahead and bid on your husband or sweetheart...and then put him to work. Jax had overheard one woman saying that when she won her husband, she was going to make him clean out the garage, the way he’d been promising to do for the past five years.

      The new twist meant that anyone could participate, even if he was already married or dating. Apparently, Jo figured the more men, the more money would be raised, and Jax supposed there was some truth to that. He just wished he wasn’t wrapped up in it. With this many men, did they really need him?

      He scoffed under his breath. Tell folks they were meeting for a good cause and they showed up in spades. Actually, just tell people there was a party. Any reason to celebrate was reason enough for Serendipity, and the fact that the auction was to benefit the building fund for the new town council–approved senior center and hospice was icing on the cake. It was a good cause—one close to his heart, which was the only reason Jax had come out this morning.

      Not to be outdone, the ladies in town had started offering to bring picnic baskets to share with the men they won in the auction. Then the event had morphed into bachelors and baskets—which was catchy, even if it was far from accurate, since a good half of the men being auctioned off were married or in serious relationships. If nothing else, Jax was looking forward to the food. He never turned down a good meal. Delicious, down-home country cooking. Too bad he had to put himself through such a ridiculous spectacle just to be able to fill his belly.

      Slade nudged Jax with his elbow. “Who do you think is gonna bid on you?”

      “How should I know?” Jax snapped derisively. He didn’t expect much. He didn’t expect anything at all. Most likely he was going to stand up on the stage and make a fool of himself for nothing. No woman in her right mind would bid on his ugly mug, no matter how worthy the cause.

      “I can’t wait to eat Laney’s picnic lunch. She packed fried chicken.” Slade licked his lips in an overstated motion that made Jax want to snort in exasperation. For a moment he wished he were Slade, who knew exactly whom he’d be spending the day with—his wife. Slade and Laney were expecting a child in the fall, a baby sister for two-year-old Brody, but they still acted like a couple of goofy newlyweds.

      “You sure she’s gonna bid on you, baby brother?” Nick goaded, bumping Slade’s shoulder with his. “Maybe she’ll take your money and bid on a handsome man—like me, for example.” He chuckled.

      Nick was a big bear of a man with a grouchy personality to match, but he knew how to turn on the charm when he wanted to and he was no slouch with the ladies. Laney might favor her own husband over Nick, but there was no doubt Nick would get his fair share of interest at the auction. He’d get bid on, or bought or whatever crazy word they were using for it.

      Slade winked and flashed his wedding ring at his brothers. “I have it on good authority that it’s a done deal.”

      Jax wanted to slug the self-satisfied look right off Slade’s face. Just because he was happy with his married life didn’t mean the rest of the world had to suffer his gloating. Especially when Slade knew that the topic of marriage was still a tender wound for Jax right now.

      Jo pounded a gavel—probably the same one her town-council president husband, Frank, used—on the podium in front of her.

      “First up, I’d like to offer Slade McKenna to our viewing public.”

      Slade flashed his brothers a confident grin and stepped onto the platform. He tipped his hat to the roaring crowd and then flexed his biceps for good measure.

      Seriously? If anyone—anyone—thought Jax was going to get up on that stage and make a raging fool out of himself like his brother was doing...yeah, that was so not happening.

      The crowd roared with delight, hooting and hollering. Actually encouraging Slade, as if he needed a bigger ego than he already had.

      “Look at the strength in those shoulders,” Jo said, punctuating her statement with a hoot of her own. “Former bull rider and current member of our esteemed police force, Slade will pitch in and use that brawn and brute strength for any project of your choosing. Laney, dear, would you like to open up the bidding?” Jo suggested with a chuckle. “Surely you must want this handsome hunk all to yourself.”

      Jax thought it was silly for Laney to bid on her own husband. Slade was pretty much at her beck and call anyway, and all she had to do was smile at him—it didn’t cost her a dime.

      “Oh, I have the perfect project for him.” Laney jumped in without a moment’s hesitation. “Dishes and laundry for a month.”

      Slade groaned. “Really?”

      Jax chuckled. Served his brother right for being so cocky.

      “Three hundred dollars,” Laney offered, already halfway up to the podium. There was no question that she was the clear winner of this particular item.

      Alexis Haddon, a local rancher and part of the fundraising committee, stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting to pass a lariat to Laney.

      “Make it a good one, darlin’,” Slade coaxed his wife with a sideways grin.

      She whooped and swung the lariat toward Slade. Jax scoffed under his breath. Laney wouldn’t be able to rope the broad side of a barn with technique like that—or rather, total lack of technique.

      She gave her best effort but the lariat soared a good couple of feet past Slade’s head. She yanked on the end of the rope in a vain attempt to correct her overthrow but to no avail. She would have come up empty-handed were it not for Slade’s quick thinking. He dived for the loop and slipped it over his head, then rolled toward her until he was completely wound up in the line.

      “Guess you caught me,” Slade said, laughing with the crowd.

      Jax shook his head. He had to give his little brother props for putting on a good show. Even when he was little he had loved

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