Page 40 of Hope's Highest Bidders

He shakes his head. “I didn’t say that.” He kisses my forehead. “I did this all wrong. I fucked it up.”

His words have me freezing up in his lap, and I try to pull away, but his arms tighten around me. “Hear me out. I should have claimed you the day you turned eighteen. All this time I toldmyself that you deserved more than me and I stayed away. Then this stupid auction happened. I took complete advantage of you and pretty much forced you into marriage. Hell, I would have given you the money – I wanted to – but when I found out about the auction, I thought I could finally have everything I want.”

I almost can’t believe what he’s saying. He leans his face against mine and whispers into my ear, “You, Sassy. You’re what I want.”

I gasp and repeat his words to me. “You want me?”

He grunts. “Fuck, more than anything. Why do you think I married you? But here’s the deal. Once you’re mine, I’m not giving you up. I want a real marriage with you, and there’s no turning back because I know I’ll never be able to give you up.”

He leans in and presses his lips to mine. I still can’t believe what he’s saying. Cole Rogers wants me. His kiss leaves me breathless, and when he pulls away, he brings us both to our feet. He kisses me again and then lets go of me, moving across the porch. I stare after him with my mouth hanging open. Is he leaving?

He turns and smiles at me. For the first time ever, Cole looks unsure about something. “I need you to be sure, Sass. I need you to choose me because you want to be with me. Not because you feel like you owe me anything. You know where to find me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

It takes everything I have not to jump off this porch and follow him.

15

COLE

Two days I’ve waited and not a word from Sassy. I’m pretty sure my crew is about to quit and find somewhere else to work. Either that or kill me off in my sleep. I’ve been an ass even more than normal, and I know I’m taking it out on my men.

Fuck! Today I rode out on the ranch to mend some fences. I needed something to keep me busy, and fixing fence line on a thousand acre ranch will do just that.

By midday, I’m covered in sweat, every muscle in my body hurts, I’m hungry, and I’m still thinking about Sassy.

By the time I start riding home, it’s already getting dark. I’m walking Zeus to the barn when Jake comes out. He looks me up and down with a huge smile on his face, and it pisses me off even more. I still haven’t quite gotten over him hitting on Sassy. “What?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Did you roll in the mud while you were out there?”

“Har, har. I worked. Maybe you should try it some time.”

He doesn’t take any offense to what I said. He just laughs some more. “Well, I thought once you came back, you would have worked out some of your aggression. I guess not.”

“Fuck you,” I answer and go to walk past him.

He’s smirking at me and holds his hand out to take the reins from me. “Here, I’ll take care of Zeus.”

I don’t release my hold on him. “I got him.”

Jake crosses his arms over his chest. “I just thought since your wife was up at the house, you’d want to go see her, but okay.”

I give him the look that tells him he better not be fucking with me. “Sassy’s here?”

He nods. “Yep, showed up earlier. I let her in. You really should give your wife a key-“

I cut him off and throw the reins at him. “Thanks for taking care of Zeus. Rub him down; he worked hard today.”

I’m sprinting through the barn as I tell him what to do. I come out the other side that has a view of the house, and sure enough, Sassy’s truck is sitting in the driveway. I run up to the house and stop on the porch to catch my breath. Smoothing my hands down my chest, I look down at myself covered in dirt, mud, and sweat. Fuck, this is not what I had planned.

I open the front door and hold my breath as I walk through the house. Finally, I find her in the kitchen, washing dishes. I could stand here all night and watch her, but when she turns off the water, I say her name.

She jerks, surprised to see me standing here. “Cole.”

I take a step forward. “Hey, Sass.” For the first time ever, she’s wearing a dress, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her legs. “You look beautiful.”

She smiles, and the way she fidgets, I can tell she’s nervous. “Thank you. Tina went into town to see her sister. I told her I’dmake you dinner, but I’ll warn you now, I’m not much of a cook. I made some chili.”

I’m watching her intently. I have a thousand questions I want to ask, but I don’t want to bombard her. “I’m not picky. I’m sure it’s good. Do I have time to shower real quick?”

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