All That I Desire Read Online Free Page B

way. You’ll meet my maternal grandparents at the auction.
     My paternal grandparents are in Europe on an extended holiday, but both are very interested
     in bidding on your daughter-in-law Phoenix’s sculpture.”
    “That’s good to hear. You’ve worked very hard on this,” Ruth said. “You’ll be rewarded
     in more ways than you can imagine.”
    Skylar glanced at Mrs. Grayson, thinking once again that she’d missed something.
    The women walked through the door Greg held open, nodding their thanks. He passed
     them and continued down a long hallway. Students clutching books, cell phones, and
     backpacks passed them.
    “This brings backs memories.” Skylar gazed at the pictures on the wall, stopping at
     one with Sabra Raineau Grayson surrounded by smiling young people. “Your daughter-in-law
     is a beautiful and talented woman. The bid to sit in the front row on the opening
     night of her new Broadway play and have dinner with her later has already reached
     over a thousand dollars.”
    “Probably Pierce. My son trusts Sabra, but not the man who might take her out.” Mrs.
     Grayson tsked. “It took some hard talking on her part to get him to leave his name
     off the dinner engagement.”
    “I understand Sierra met Blade when she took Sabra’s place at another auction because
     she had recently married Pierce.” Skylar continued down the hall. “Isn’t it wonderful
     how a chance meeting can lead to love?”
    “Isn’t it.” Ruth stopped a couple of feet from where Greg stood in front of double
     doors. “But there’s something also to be said for allowing love to grow over time.”
    Skylar jerked her head around to stare at Ruth, but she’d already released her arm
     and continued to Greg. When she looked back at Skylar, she wore the same warm, friendly
     expression she always did. Skylar chastised herself for being overly sensitive about
     Rio. She had to stop this. Sierra, and now Ruth.
    Just because Ruth had said No man should walk alone didn’t mean she knew Skylar had the hots for Rio. Yet as she entered the room full
     of people waiting for her, she couldn’t quite be sure.
    *   *   *
    Skylar pulled away from St. John’s College two hours later, a full hour longer than
     had been scheduled for her to explain the auction. Everyone there had been excited
     and grateful. She thought the reasons for the lengthy meeting were mostly to do with
     the delicious food that Brandon Grayson, owner of the renowned Red Cactus restaurant,
     had unexpectedly showed up with, and the regents and other teachers angling for invitations
     to the auction.
    Ruth became the woman of the decade when she passed out the coveted invitations to
     the regents and to her staff. Rio had cleared all of them weeks ago. For a moment
     Skylar and Brandon thought they would hoist his mother into the air.
    Ruth had been right about one thing: Those were some very big dogs there. The regent
     whose granddaughter wanted to win the bid for Rolling Deep was the president of one
     of the largest banks in the area. The silver-haired woman had topped the bid to three
     thousand dollars. Her eyes had been narrowed at the time. Skylar and Ruth had shared
     a smile. The woman didn’t plan to lose.
    Skylar’s contentment with the event faded in the slow traffic out of Santa Fe. The
     new cook said she’d serve at six. It wasn’t likely Rio would show up for the dinner.
     And if he did, he’d ignore her as usual.
    But he hadn’t last night, a small voice said. So what? He could have reacted that
     way to any woman in her nightgown; it didn’t mean his reaction had been for her. This
     morning when she saw him on the castle grounds, he’d been his stoic self.
    She eased on her brakes as the green light turned to yellow. The car on the other
     side of her went through the light. She heard the screeching of brakes and glanced
     into her rearview mirror. That’s all she needed. Rio would have a fit if the BMW was
     in an