Wiley's mouth hung open. He gently cleared his throat and attempted a smile. "I'd like to reiterate that the bachelor auction in no way promotes prost.i.tution," he announced and received several knowing chuckles.

Diesel approached Casey and the others by the tree. All four stared at him with shocked looks.

"What the h.e.l.l was that?" Ruger suddenly demanded.

Diesel took his food from Ruger and gave him an irritated look. "What? She got her money's worth."

"You weren't supposed to service the winner," Ruger lashed out. "It's not that kind of transaction."

"Oh? No one told me that," Diesel remarked casually. "Well, she was happy with the transaction."

All four rolled their eyes and groaned. Sometimes Diesel was unbelievable. That it didn't bother him was the most disturbing part. The bachelor auction continued. After Mitch.e.l.l went for the standard couple hundred, Tucker was finally up for bid. The bidding started at the usual one hundred dollars and rapidly escalated. Young women bid on him with fury. His popularity hadn't waned any in the last two years. Melanie was unusually silent. It was obvious that ship had sailed a long time ago.

"We have five hundred forty--sold for five hundred and forty to Mrs. Ridgeway," Wiley announced.

The mayor laughed and patted his wife's leg. She seemed proud of her purchase. Tucker waved to the crowd and headed for the payment table to meet Abby. Wiley consulted his sheet and grinned with pleasure.

"And last up is our fine sheriff," Wiley announced cheerfully. "Let's hear it for Sheriff Vaughn Holt."

The crowd cheered for him. Vaughn reluctantly walked onto stage and stood tough. His discomfort was obvious but unfounded. Who wouldn't bid on the sheriff?

"For those of you who are unfamiliar with our sheriff's early years as a deputy; he was the only deputy to successfully get Mrs. Wilson's cat out of the tree," Wiley informed them. "He was also the first deputy to fire his weapon while responding to a call." Wiley grinned. "Unfortunately for Mrs. Wilson's cat, they were both on the same call."

The crowd laughed along with Wiley. Vaughn groaned, lowered his head, and covered his eyes.

"The cat was fine," Wiley a.s.sured them. "Although his tail was a bit shorter."

Vaughn was severely embarra.s.sed and attempted to leave stage. Tucker and Mitch.e.l.l grinned as each grabbed an arm and escorted him back onto the stage. The crowd laughed and applauded.

"Our sheriff is just a bit bashful, ladies," Wiley informed them. "So let's make him feel better and start the bidding at two hundred dollars. Two hundred for the most important position in town, if I may say so."

Melanie grinned slyly and bid on Vaughn. Vaughn immediately frowned. Abby playfully bid against Melanie, allowing the price to escalate for their amus.e.m.e.nt. The two women smirked and played along for a few minutes.

"We have three hundred. Do I hear three twenty for our sheriff, who can shoot the tail off a cat at fifty yards?" Wiley announced.

Abby finally stopped bidding, allowing Melanie to claim victory.

"Three twenty?" Wiley again announced.

There was silence from the crowd.

Casey casually raised her number. "Four hundred."

All eyes suddenly shifted to Casey, who didn't react. Vaughn stared at her with some surprise.

Melanie appeared fl.u.s.tered and immediately held up her number. "Four fifty."

"Five hundred," Casey said without hesitation.

Melanie fidgeted and appeared to consider her response. "Six hundred," she finally called out.

There was silence again. Several stares were now on Casey, who still showed no emotion while casually leaning against her tree.

"Do I hear--" Wiley began.

"One thousand," Casey interrupted without batting a lash.

The crowd suddenly gasped. Wiley was equally surprised, although no one was as stunned as Vaughn was. Melanie was momentarily paralyzed by the large amount. She looked desperate.

"Any more bids?"

"Fifteen hundred," Abby announced, breaking the silence and invoking loud murmurs.

Melanie appeared relieved and smiled gratefully at her mother.

Casey casually folded her arms across her chest while leaning against the tree. She showed no reaction then responded, "Two thousand."

The crowd continued to gasp and looked back at Abby, who appeared tense. Diesel, Grey, and Ruger casually ate popcorn and appeared disinterested.

"Twenty-five hundred," Abby finally called out, her voice crackling.

Melanie excitedly clung to her mother's arm. The mayor just stared at his wife with a stunned look. All eyes were again on Casey, including Wiley. Casey casually held up her hand showing five fingers.

Wiley appeared shocked. "Five thousand?"

Casey gave him a thumbs up along with a tiny grin. The crowd gasped and looked at Abby. The mayor suddenly jumped on his wife and held her down.

"Five thousand going once, twice, sold to our town darling, Casey," Wiley announced cheerfully while laughing.

Vaughn appeared stunned and stared at Casey with his hand propped on his gun belt. The crowd clapped and cheered. Casey stole some popcorn from Diesel, flashed a smile, and headed to the payment table near the stage. Vaughn crossed the stage, hurried down the steps, and met her by the table.

"What the h.e.l.l was that?" Vaughn demanded.

She didn't bother looking at him, but she knew his look was priceless. "Payback for all the c.r.a.p you've put me through," Casey teased while smirking.

"You do realize you're buying a worker not the law," he informed her firmly.

"I have a college degree," she said matter-of-fact. "I think I know how these things work." Casey wrote out a check and glanced at him. "You know, I just saved you from a fate worse than Melanie--her cougar mother. Try kissing my a.s.s a little."

Casey paid the elderly woman, June, at the table and turned to Vaughn with a smile. "By the terms of the auction, you're mine from seven to three tomorrow," she said with a look of humor on her face. "Be at my house dressed to work. It's going to be a very long day. Like 'boot camp' long."

She flashed a smile, cheerfully patted him on the chest, and walked away.

Vaughn shook his head and watched her leave. "How can something so small make my life so miserable?"

"Nothing a good, st.u.r.dy romp won't cure," June informed him from where she sat behind the payment table.

Vaughn slowly turned his head and looked at June behind the table. She smiled and seductively waved the check.

"And for five thousand dollars, you should be flattered," the elderly woman continued. "Why I remember giving b.l.o.w.j.o.bs to boys behind the stage for cotton candy."

Vaughn stared at June with surprise, shook his head, and walked away.

June called after him, "I still like cotton candy, Sheriff!"

Chapter Twenty-six.

The crowd had returned to the stage area for the evening talent show. They were packed into the bleachers and sat on lawn chairs and blankets on the gra.s.s in an endless sea of spectators. The talent show was a huge draw for locals and visitors alike. Men and women from neighboring towns also partic.i.p.ated in the show. It was open to anyone. Vaughn patrolled the area with some of the hired security. With that many people, things could get out of hand quickly, and it was their job to keep everyone safe throughout the show. Contestants showed off their singing talents, dancing skills, and various other talents. A comedian performed and had the crowd laughing so hard some were in tears. A magician attempted to pull off some amazing magic acts but failed miserably. His jovial commentary entertained the crowd, and no one knew it wasn't part of the act. There were several singing acts that drew applause from the crowd. One women's slinky attire may have had something to do with the tremendous applause she received.

Dina was up next with her singing and dancing routine. She wore a top hat, tuxedo style jacket with a white, low-cut top, and a short, black skirt while tap dancing and singing to "Putting on the Ritz". The crowd applauded for her. Most would believe she had taken years of tap dance lessons, but she was actually self-taught. As Dina exited from behind stage, Sheriff Holt approached her. She eyed him and grinned.

"No autographs, please," she teased.

"I caught your performance. You were great, Dina," he replied but obviously had another motive for stopping her short of the locker rooms. "Have you seen Ruger or Diesel?"

"They're with Casey," Dina casually informed him. "I guess she's having last minute performance jitters. I have to change before Casey's performance. Why don't you find a good spot and enjoy the show?"

"Yeah, I think I'll patrol, if it's all the same to you."

"Have it your way," Dina announced then muttered. "You usually do."

Dina hurried toward the women's locker room. Melanie was up next and performed her tap-dance routine in an extremely short dress and low-cut top. She looked fantastic on stage and her routine was flawless with amazing dance moves that would put even the professionals to shame. The crowd went wild over her amazing routine. She appeared pleased with herself and the wild applause she received. Another woman performed a gymnastic routine for the crowd. Her routine was then followed by another magic act that was better than the first. There were more singers who performed. Most did well, although one was cringe worthy. Wiley appeared on stage after the last act left and applauded the young woman.

"Wasn't she terrific?" he announced. The crowd applauded mechanically, but it was obvious her performance wasn't very good. "Now, for our last performance of the evening, we have a last minute addition," Wiley announced cheerfully and looked at his cue card. "We have 'Casey and Company' in a non-specified dance routine. Let's hear it for 'Casey and Company'."

The audience applauded along with Wiley, who hurried offstage. Melanie, still dressed from her performance, slipped into a seat alongside her mother and father and maintained a devious grin. Dina rushed back to the stage area and squeezed in where she could. Vaughn paused alongside one of the nearby trees, casually leaned against it, and watched the stage. He failed at looking casually disinterested. The stage curtains opened to reveal Casey in a low-cut, sequin dress with ta.s.sels just covering her thighs and sequin heels. The scar on her left thigh was clearly visible even through her stockings. She stood facing Ruger, who wore dress pants and a flashy vest. Diesel casually leaned against the stage in what appeared to be an old-fashioned gangster's zoot suit complete with hat and shoes. "Land of 1000 Dancers" began to play. Ruger and Casey started dancing Latin Jive to the music without missing a beat. They were amazing! Ruger spun Casey around in his arms as she danced wildly and seductively around him. They continued with an amazingly ch.o.r.eographed routine in a fast tempo. Casey flipped backwards over Ruger's arm several times, and he spun her around his body with speed and grace. The audience appeared stunned. Melanie stared at their flawless dance routine with her mouth hanging open. Abby shared the same look of horror and clung to Melanie's hand. Vaughn also watched with surprise and uncertainly straightened.

The dance continued with high impact moves and flips that stunned the audience. Two minutes into the routine, the song "Beat It" grew louder as their song faded. Diesel walked across the stage as Casey spun. She turned into him and immediately stopped. Diesel began dancing slow and seductive with Casey. Casey pulled away as part of the dance routine. Ruger slid over in a dance move and attempted to rescue Casey. Casey was slung to the side as Diesel and Ruger danced a fight sequence, which ended with Diesel grabbing Ruger by his arms. Ruger jumped onto Diesel's bent leg and made it appear as if Diesel had pulled him up. Ruger back flipped away from Diesel, landed on his feet, and immediately threw himself into a roll across stage where he lie motionless. Diesel again danced sultry with Casey, who attempted to reach Ruger and get away from Diesel. Not even two minutes into the song, he slung Casey around him and gracefully onto her hip across the floor without releasing her hand. She avoided looking at him. "I Need a Hero" began drowning out "Beat It". Everyone looked around. Grey ran through the audience and leapt onto stage wearing a vintage black suit and hat with black and white saddle shoes. He ran up to Casey on the stage floor, took her arm, and spun her around him and gracefully to her feet. Diesel and Grey started a fighting dance sequence with kicks, punches, and flips that stunned the crowd. Casey slid to Ruger's side and pretended to revive him.

In an amazing dance sequence, Grey flipped Diesel over his hip then pretended to kick him. Diesel threw himself onto his back, rolled, and then scrambled to his feet and took off backstage. Grey danced over to Casey and helped Ruger to his feet. The three of them finished out the song with an amazing dance sequence that excited the crowd. As the song ended abruptly on the lyric, "I Need a Hero", Ruger dipped Casey back with her leg high on his side, and Grey spun and landed on one knee with his hat in his hand. A ma.s.sive confetti tube erupted, shooting confetti across the stage, and a banner dropped behind them that read, "Grey for Mayor". The audience jumped to their feet while wildly applauding and cheering. Everyone applauded except Melanie, who appeared somewhere between stunned and disgusted. The mayor sneered and clapped his hands together with disgust in a failed attempt not to seem bitter. Vaughn laughed, shook his head, and clapped as well.

Wiley hurried from the judge's table and onto the stage. He yelled excitedly above the crowd. "It's unanimous! Casey and Company are the winners of this year's talent show!"

The crowd continued to applaud. The mayor slipped away through the crowd. Diesel joined them on stage to take a bow. Casey jumped into Ruger's arms and hugged him. Dina joined Grey on stage and gave him a kiss of congratulations. People swarmed the stage, shook Grey's hand, and expressed their support for him for mayor. Diesel grabbed Casey, pulled her up and into his arms, and playfully kissed her. He then tossed her back into Ruger's awaiting arms. She kissed Ruger on the lips. He held her against him and smiled with embarra.s.sment. People continued to congratulate them on their performance and the mayor run. Grey clung to Dina as they made their way offstage and through the excited crowd. Melanie remained in her seat with her arms folded across her chest and a look of annoyance on her face.

Casey nudged Grey as the crowd continued to swarm him. "I'm going to change, get Storm, and head home."

"You want us to come along?" Grey asked between greeting people and shaking hands.

"No, this is your moment," she announced with a proud smile. "You enjoy it."

Casey headed for the changing rooms at the nearby pavilion. Ruger watched her walk away then became surrounded by several women praising his performance. Some were a little overly enthusiastic to meet him, which startled him. Just beyond the crowd toward the back of the stage, the mayor was seen arguing with Ernest, who threw his hands in the air then pointed a warning finger at him. Sheriff Holt stared across the crowd and watched the exchange between the two men. He appeared curious and slowly made his way through the crowd to get closer.

"I guess you're happy," Abby was heard from behind him.

Vaughn turned and looked at Abby. Her expression was that of rage and possible embarra.s.sment.

"What do you mean?" Vaughn asked with a puzzled look while tilting his head.

"Grey running for mayor," she retorted. "He's going to give Lance a good run, I'm sure, and I don't doubt you couldn't be happier."

"I won't argue that," Vaughn replied matter-of-fact while placing his thumbs down the front of his gun holster.

Abby sneered at his candid response. "You're just going to toss Melanie over for our darling, little Casey, aren't you? You really don't care how much you hurt Melanie. She's the one who really loves you."

"We're not having this conversation," Vaughn boldly informed her while shaking his head. "Whatever my intentions regarding Casey don't concern you or your daughter."

Abby stared at him a moment, considered something, and then suddenly grinned. "Can it be?" She laughed softly in her throat. "Nothing happened between you and Casey the other night. Melanie was worked up over nothing! Casey Remington still hasn't forgiven you!" Abby shook her head and maintained her superior att.i.tude. "Poor, poor Vaughn. That little, teenage crush Casey had on you is just a faded memory. She'll never be yours."

Vaughn maintained a look of limited emotion, but his thumbs tensed beneath his holster in response. "More importantly," he announced, "I'll never be with Melanie." He removed his thumbs from his holster. "If you'll excuse me--"

He proudly walked past her. She glanced after him while attempting to look disinterested, but she was obviously bothered by his statement.

Casey stood before an open locker within the women's changing room. She was once again wearing her jeans and the tank top she had worn at the kissing booth. She carelessly stuffed her sequin dress and shoes into the locker before her. She honestly didn't care if she ever wore it again, and she hoped to G.o.d that she never saw those shoes again. Tossing them in the garbage crossed her mind only once, but she knew Grey would have something to say about it. It had been a long day, and, despite the positive outcome, she was glad it was over. A hot bath was what she wanted most, even if that meant using the whirlpool tub in her parents' bedroom. She turned and nearly collided with Melanie, who had almost silently appeared behind her. Casey was startled to see her then relaxed. She was actually the last person Casey was expecting to see tonight. She thought she'd be off somewhere pouting or licking her wounds. Melanie's look conveyed hostility and possible embarra.s.sment. Whatever Melanie's reason for confronting her, it undoubtedly wasn't going to end well for her. Casey wasn't in the mood, and there was the very real possibility that she was going to vent some of her hostility on Melanie if she provoked her.

"You humiliated me in front of everyone!" Melanie suddenly exclaimed while nearly down to tears.

Casey was surprised by her emotional state. She was expecting a different kind of argument, one where she would finally get to hit the little b.i.t.c.h. She was almost uncertain how to respond.

"Don't be ridiculous, you performed wonderfully," she replied, no longer feeling the need to get into an altercation. It was clear Melanie was fighting an emotional battle deep inside her. "Just because you didn't get first place--"

"I hate you! I've always hated you!" Melanie lashed out as she became wildly animated. It was the first time she'd ever come out and said it. "Everyone loves Casey Remington, the little town darling!" Her tone was sarcastic and mocking. "I was always second best!"

Casey stared at her with an astonished look. She couldn't believe Melanie resented her because she was jealous! It didn't even seem possible. She suddenly felt as if she entered some bizarre world where nothing made sense.

"You were dating Tucker, the most popular guy in town," Casey informed her. "You won the talent show five years in a row."

"Four," Melanie scoffed while folding her arms across her chest and appeared to pout.

Casey shook her head with disbelief. She couldn't believe she was actually coddling the spoiled, little girl who always tried to find new ways to insult and humiliate her.

"How does that make you second best?"

Melanie remained disgusted but appeared less hostile while frowning. "Tucker used me to get in good with my father," she retorted with some embarra.s.sment. "I really only wanted Vaughn, but he never wanted to be with me. He always wanted you; even when he thought I was carrying his baby."

Casey was surprised by the comment. He had said some things that night while drunk in her kitchen, but she didn't realize how deep it went. She now lost all enthusiasm to fight with Melanie and took a different approach.

"Resenting me isn't going to solve anything," Casey gently informed her.