Texas Hustle Read Online Free Page B

Texas Hustle
Book: Texas Hustle Read Online Free
Author: Cynthia D’Alba
Tags: Romance, Western, Texas, stalker, older heroine, younger hero, D’Alba
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you’re off the hook. I’ll pay the bid. You don’t have to go away with me.”
    Two thoughts occurred almost simultaneously.
    First, hadn’t she just told herself that she needed to get away? That she needed some time to think? Camping trips didn’t require a lot of brain power. Eat, sleep and fish or whatever. A few days away could be just what she needed. Besides, she could always take her car and leave whenever she wanted.
    Second, and this one really scared her, she wanted to spend ten days with Darren. She enjoyed his company. Relaxed and quick to laugh, he was easy to be with. She could just be herself. He accepted her no matter how she was dressed or what mood she was in.
    Sure they flirted…a lot. But the flirty comments had been received with a laugh and then forgotten. That was the kind of friendship they had. So this was simply a friend helping a friend, no romantic entanglement.
    She supposed camping could be fun, if dirt, bugs and sweat were on her list of fun things. They weren’t, but she did owe him for stepping in with Slade this morning.
    “Nope,” she said and handed the card to the cashier. “I bought you, so you’ll just have to put up with me.”
    His lips moved slowly up into a smile. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem at all. How about—”
    Before he could finish, a loud roar went up from the ballroom where the auction was taking place.
    “What was that?” Porchia asked.
    Darren snorted. “I’m pretty sure the emcee just announced the surprise bachelor for this evening.”
    “Oh?” Porchia’s eyebrows arched. “Anyone I know?”
    “My cousin, Jason.”
    “Jason Montgomery? But aren’t he and Dr. Henson engaged?”
    “Not anymore. They had some big tussle last week. I have no idea over what, so don’t ask. And at the last minute, he volunteered for the auction.”
    “Hmm, maybe I should have saved my money.” She winked at him.
    “Ha. Come on. Let’s go see who’s bidding on him.”
    The better question would have been who wasn’t bidding on him. At least twenty women held bidding paddles high in the air. Porchia grabbed Darren’s hand and dragged him back to her table. Chad had joined Tina, sitting in Delene’s seat.
    “Where’s Delene?” Porchia asked. She retook her seat. Darren pulled over a chair and sat down.
    “Paying.”
    “Really?” Porchia grinned. “Who did she buy?”
    “Zack Marshall.”
    This time Darren’s eyebrows rose. “For real? Good for her. Zack’s a great guy.”
    “This is crazy,” Tina said, gesturing toward the bidding women.
    “Yeah,” Chad said. “I’m kind of hurt it wasn’t a madhouse for me and I flexed my muscles and everything.”
    Tina patted his thigh. “Their loss. My gain.”
    The emcee tapped on the microphone. “Ladies,” she shouted. “Ladies. Quiet down a little so I can hear. The last bid I heard was three thousand five hundred. Is there another bid?”
    “Five thousand,” came the reply.
    “Who’s that?” Darren asked.
    Tina and Porchia twisted around to see the bidder.
    “Well, isn’t that interesting,” Delene said as she and Zack joined the table.
    Zack and Darren greeted each other warmly with back slaps and then Darren introduced him to Chad.
    The women ignored the male bonding. “What’s interesting?” Porchia asked.
    “The bidder.”
    “Who is she?” Tina asked.
    “Her name is Katrina Murphy. She’s the new hospital administrator. Rumor has it she’s been dating Marc Singer. So maybe this is tit-for-tat? You buy my boyfriend and I buy yours?”
    “Maybe. Who knows?”
    “It’s going to make our camping trip quite interesting,” Darren said to Porchia.
    “How so?”
    “Jason had planned on bringing Lydia. Since they broke up, he was going by himself. But when he heard that my auction date was the family camping trip, he stole the idea. And Singer had planned to come for the first weekend. He and Cash were going to do some fishing while we were there.”
    “Wait,”

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