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  He’d pat her on the head, tell her she’d done her best and that was all he’d ever asked. But her whole family would all be thinking, flighty Maddie. Her good intentions gone bad, just like so many times before.

  She turned to her sister. “Catherine, lend me some money.”

  “No way.” Her sister’s normally levelheaded tone of voice held a healthy portion of panic.

  “He’s too popular. It’s the only way.”

  Catherine lowered her voice and gripped Maddie’s arm. “Even if you win, it won’t make a difference. Bringing him home is like begging. It’s time to let it go.”

  “Please, Catherine. $5,000. I’ll pay you back, I swear.”

  Even as she said the amount, Maddie winced. Her sister was getting married in a year, and she and her insurance actuary fiancé Robert were paying for their own wedding. Putting her in this position was selfish, but right now desperation won over selflessness. “Please.”

  Precious seconds passed. Practical, sensible Cat scanned Maddie’s face, probably seeing a million reasons to run for the hills.

  “Ten thousand dollars,” the auctioneer announced. The crowd tittered with excitement. Maddie clutched her sister by the shoulders. “Remember John Mayer.”

  “No. Not that.” Cat squeezed her eyes shut, no doubt recalling the time in high school when Maddie had cleaned out her bank account and foregone a new prom dress for ridiculously expensive concert tickets so Cat could take her major crush, who had ultimately stood her up.

  “It’s not the same.” She drilled her gaze at Maddie, who drilled right back, channeling sister-bond memories of a lifetime.

  “For Dad. I have no choice, Cat.”

  At last Cat released her hand. “Oh, all right. Fine.”

  Maddie pulled out her chair from the table and hiked up her skirt and her courage. She climbed up, shooting her hand far into the air. Murmurs rose from the people at her table, and she felt the judging stabs of their stares. Who could blame them, since a crazy woman was creating a spectacle in front of a crowd of two hundred? “I pledge $15,000. Plus I’ll double that bid with matching corporate funds.”

  The crowd went silent, corked like an empty champagne bottle.

  Maddie’s heart slammed into her chest. She barely heard their soft collective gasps. A hot white spotlight showcased her, in the ruby-colored sparkly dress she’d found cheap at a consignment shop, her faux diamond dangling earrings, and the simple shoulder-length hairstyle she’d done herself. Camera bulbs flashed. The voltage of a roomful of nervous energy skyrocketed.

  “That’s a highly unusual bid, young lady,” the emcee finally said. “Frank?” The emcee looked at the auctioneer, who shrugged and for once had nothing to say.

  For the first time, Maddie caught Nick’s eye, saw the exact moment his body stiffened, his impeccable posture steeling itself even more ramrod straight. His thick brows raised, eyes widening in shock and horror.

  “Maddie,” he whispered in disbelief. She heard him. His mic had picked it up.

  The emcee walked over to Nick. “You know this woman?” he asked.

  “We’re…old friends.” He regained his composure in the space of a heartbeat. Lucky him.

  She darted her eyes left and right, searching for potential routes of escape. But panic curled icy tentacles around her common sense, paralyzing the urge to flee. The auctioneer whispered something in the emcee’s ears. Then the head of the hospital joined the huddle too. Her bid was probably against the rules because it wasn’t all in cash. She was so lightheaded, if someone else had bid, she wouldn’t have even known.

  The auctioneer took the mic from the emcee. “We have a bid of $15,000 cash plus a promise to match it.”

  Silence.

  Please God, Maddie prayed. I promise I’ll visit Great Aunt Ruby as soon as I get into town. I’ll double my hours at the food bank. I won’t eat chocolate for a year.

  On second thought, at least not chocolate milk.

  At last, the auctioneer lowered his arm like a gavel. “Sold! To the young lady in the sparkly dress. Congratulations. You just won yourself a whole weekend with this handsome young fella.”

  Hands helped her down and music began to play as if she were on some cheesy televised awards show. Cat’s expression reflected the horror that must have been evident in her own eyes. “I hope to hell you know what you’re doing,” she whispered. “Especially since my honeymoon destination just changed from Hawaii to Six Flags.”

  Maddie walked to the stage to claim her prize, her legs feeling as heavy and clunky as solid lead. Her life savings were drained. Worse, she was in debt. And she’d have to spend the next month on the phone soliciting donations from every business colleague she knew. She’d gambled it all on the thin hope that she could convince an unreformed scoundrel not to follow through with the devil’s deal.

  She wasn’t naïve enough to believe she still had the power to influence Nick. But the folks in their town who had worked for their company for years—Nick knew them all too. Surely he wouldn’t be unaffected by their plight.

  A picture flooded her mind from their one night together. His lithe body stretched out beside her, his head propped casually upon an elbow as his deep chestnut gaze wandered lazily over her body. She’d been spellbound, certain something truly special had been forged between them. But she’d been wrong.

  She realized in a weird way she’d just made a wager for Nick Holter’s humanity. She’d bet everything on it, even when she already knew he’d bartered it away long ago.

  Chapter Two

  Nick Holter shaded his eyes from the bright spotlights as he watched a familiar figure part the crowd. A combination of anticipation and dread filled him. Madison Kingston. The woman from his past who just wouldn’t disappear, out of his mind or out of his life. The very last woman he’d ever expected to bid for him at a charity auction.

  An inaudible curse escaped his lips. He hated that his heart stuttered wildly as she approached. Even worse, his first rampant thought had been that she’d come here for him, found a way for them to be together.

  No way. She had to be angry. He hadn’t returned her calls. And he couldn’t help her, no matter how much a very large part of him was tempted to. It was better to stay away.

  So much for that plan.

  Because here she was, wearing a fire-hydrant-red dress that clung to every curve, her hips sashaying gently as she worked her way to the stage. Wavy hair the color of rich bold coffee grazed her shoulders—much longer than when he’d seen her last. Her devil-may-care smile caressed the crowd, like she kept a secret they wished they’d be privy to, and she nodded and laughed as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Beautiful. Sleek. Professional. Not the uncoordinated eight-year-old who constantly scraped her knobby knees falling off her sparkly purple Huffy bike with the red, white, and blue streamers.

  He sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn’t hallucinated.

  Madison locked gazes with him, and his stomach plummeted, a knotted ball of dread. It was her, all right, the hometown girl he’d left behind, disguised as a siren with glossy red lips that matched her sexy, clingy dress. She was even more beautiful than in his fantasies. He still dreamed of those curves under him and over him, those sweet soft lips caressing him everywhere, murmuring bedroom phrases or just releasing little gasps of pleasure as he—

  No. They’d gone there once and it was a big mistake. The worst.

  They’d never had a chance, not after all the bad blood that still flowed between Kingstons and Holters, creating a river of bitterness that swept away all the good their families had once forged together.

  He’d chosen loyalty to his grandfather who had raised him. He’d had no choice.

  Besides, a woman like Maddie expected things he couldn’t give. Things he didn’t know how to give. He’d once lost everything in the flash of a second—his parents, his baby sister—and a wound like that stayed with a man. And yet something niggled in the back of Nick’
s brain: his conscience. He was an expert in keeping business and emotion separate, compartmentalized. But right now the boxes were threatening to burst open and mix it all up.

  Madison hitched up her sparkly dress a little so she could climb the stairs to the stage. Long, slender legs in red sky-high heels peeked out. A security guard moved to help her up, but Nick interceded and held out his own hand. Hers was warm and soft and small, easily engulfed by his large one. The simple act of touching her made his pulse gallop. Startled sapphire eyes leapt up at him as if it disarmed her too. Seeing her up close—the rich jewel tones of her eyes, those full, kissable lips, and the smooth swells of her breasts under her form-fitting gown—made him ache to touch more intimate parts of her as he had so thoroughly a year ago.

  The crowd whooped and hollered around them, but he barely noticed. “Hello, Madison.” He tried to make his voice sound calm and unaffected, but even to him it sounded tinged with nerves.

  She nodded. “Nick.” Her gaze met his, now cool and precise as a knife’s edge. But as he escorted her to the stage, her arm under his hand was trembling. Had he imagined that quick flash in her aqua blue eyes of expectation, pleasure, maybe even hope?

  It caught him off guard, but he didn’t flounder. He could handle this in front of the crowd. He was an expert at people pleasing. The king of masks. She would never see his vulnerabilities. He flashed her his most winning smile.

  “Congratulations. You’ve got me for an entire weekend.”

  “A long weekend, I hope.” A trace of a smile turned up the corner of her full, lush mouth.

  She was up to something, he was certain. But he wanted to disarm her. So he slid his hand up her bare back as they walked together toward the emcee. “The longer the better,” he said.

  His plan backfired. Her skin was soft as a down feather, and she smelled heavenly—some scent that was spicy and floral but not cloying. Fresh and simple and far removed from his world full of empty lavishness. Just like her.

  It took him back immediately to that night a year ago. They’d had dinner, drinks. Then gone back to his place, a penthouse apartment where he often stayed when business took him to Atlanta. French doors opened to a balcony surrounded by the velvet night. Thousands of lights twinkled beyond the manicured bougainvillea, the city showing off its best just for them.

  The expansive ballroom suddenly felt hot and stuffy. Nick thrust a finger under his collar and craned his neck to loosen it. He had to get a grip. It was only sex. It was unlike him to invest so much time reliving a memory, a dream that could never be.

  The emcee tilted his microphone toward Maddie. “How do you feel, Ms. Kingston, about winning your bachelor?”

  Madison smiled brightly, the picture of poise and grace. “I’m thrilled to contribute to such a great cause. Children’s Hospital will always be near and dear to my heart.” She clutched her chest, a gesture of sincerity he knew was real. Her twin nephews had been born prematurely in Philly and had spent two long months there.

  “But tell us why you’re so eager to win Mr. Holter?”

  She tossed a wide smile in Nick’s direction. “Who wouldn’t be eager for such a handsome hunk?”

  She’s playing you, Nick. Be careful. His mind understood, but his body was nothing but a traitor.

  “My plan is to take Nicky back to our hometown in North Carolina for a big family weekend. And I actually have a proposition for him.” She turned from the microphone, looked directly at him.

  A provocative ooooh shot up from the crowd. They were loving every minute. He shot her a cautionary glare, but she paid no heed.

  The emcee interjected. “Wait a minute. You two grew up together?”

  “We did. And it’s been far too long since he’s been back.” She orchestrated a suggestive wink that indicated all the rehearsing she’d done senior year to play the part of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire had really paid off. “I hope this isn’t too much to ask, but since I did offer to match my donation with corporate funds, I was wondering if I can get Nick to agree to just two more days—the long Fourth of July weekend.”

  No way. It was hard to smile through such a rigidly clenched jaw, but somehow Nick struggled through it.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “You’re a busy guy and don’t take much time off. But I can guarantee that everyone in Buckleberry Bend wants to see how their hometown son made good. And you can’t miss the Berry Festival.”

  He nearly rolled his eyes. A measly extra fifteen grand that would take her months to raise was not worth an extra two days of his time in Podunkville.

  The emcee reiterated the deal. “Another fifteen thousand dollars in matching funds if Nick makes it a long weekend to reconnect in his hometown—and do it with this beautiful woman? What do you say, Nick?”

  The crowd cheered. They clearly liked her. He had to be careful.

  “I want to thank Ms. Kingston for her generous gift to the hospital. I must say I’m flattered. And pleased to make the trip back home. But I’d like to insist on matching Ms. Kingston’s donation myself.”

  And skip the extra two days. Maybe he could pay her off and skip the whole thing entirely.

  “That’s very generous of you, Nick,” the emcee said. “But I have to ask, where the heck is Buckleberry Bend, anyway?”

  Madison explained the nestled-in-the-foothills location as Nick tried not to wince.

  The emcee nudged them together so their shoulders touched. “Before we close our event for the evening, how about a kiss to cap off the night?”

  “Gladly.” Nick hammed for the crowd, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Up close, he could see the cold, sharp intelligence in her eyes. But as he inched closer, something else appeared—a rare softening. Maybe a flicker of hurt. It lasted only an instant before he grasped her shoulders and pulled her close to plant a decadent, full-mouthed kiss on those rosy, glistening lips.

  It started out as a kiss of control, of power, but damn if she didn’t get to him. She wrapped her slender hand around his neck and pressed herself to him, pushing her tongue inside his mouth. The heat of her sweet body nearly melted him. Their tongues jousted for dominance, a sensuous battle of wills that left him out of breath and wanting.

  Then suddenly she broke away.

  “What are you up to, Madison?” he whispered into her ear.

  Her only response was a cat-got-your-tongue smile.

  They held hands for the crowd, waved, and made their exit off the curtained stage.

  He trailed after her, following the glint of her dress into the backstage shadows, but the director of the auction, Grace McLaughlin, waylaid him with a big hug.

  “Nick, we can’t thank you enough for participating. Thirty thousand dollars for the hospital is nothing to sneeze at. And she’s adorable. You’re going to the after party, aren’t you?”

  “Grace, glad to do what I can.” He didn’t want to attend the after party, but he was obligated. There would be interviews and photo ops, all of it excellent publicity for the auction and the hospital.

  He left Grace’s side and walked through the backstage area, looking everywhere for Madison. He had a million questions and needed to get to the bottom of this.

  But she was gone.

  Chapter Three

  On Monday morning, Maddie was on the phone in her office when Nick leaned his large-shouldered frame across her desk, carefully moving her stiletto shoe stapler out of the way. Her sketchbook filled with shoe designs lay millimeters from his hand. As she instinctively buried it under a stack of papers, their fingers brushed, sending an unwanted frisson of energy zipping up her arm.

  She stiffened, all her defenses snapping into place. Just because he strode in looking more mouthwatering than her mother’s famous peach pie, his graphic tie and dress shirt straining against taut, hard muscles and smelling like Italian cologne, did not mean she was intimidated.

  Melting inside and short of breath, definitely, but intimidated, no.
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br />   She rolled her eyes to show she wasn’t, moved her stapler out of his reach, and continued her business call.

  He waited about a second after she hung up before he spoke. “Why wouldn’t you meet me in my room to talk after the party? Didn’t you get my note?” His tone bespoke a man unused to being stood up.

  “I never engage the enemy on his own turf. Besides, the last time I met you in your room, our ‘talk’ didn’t go so well.”

  He snorted. Their “talk” last year had lasted all of sixty seconds before their clothes were off, and they were engaging in very un-businesslike forms of communication. She still remembered how, in the dark bedroom, the outside lights had played across the strong, stubborn planes of Nick’s face, the sculpted hills and hollows of his perfectly formed chest. He’d looked at her tenderly, lifted a lock of her hair, and flashed the sweetest smile. As if their lovemaking had allowed him, for an all-too-brief flash of time, to drop that heavily guarded wall he kept shuttered fast around him.

  Remorse pricked her. She’d allowed herself to dream big after that night, and it still really hurt. She didn’t want him to think the auction had anything whatsoever to do with them. Too bad he was Enemy Number One, no matter how tempting the package. And she couldn’t ever forget it.

  Nick slowly lowered his tall frame into one of the leather chairs across from her desk and stretched out his long legs, muscles molding against form-fitting, freshly creased pants that probably cost more than her monthly rent.

  She resisted the urge to fan herself. Did she say tempting package? That would be correct. She glanced at her phone to fight the distraction. “Don’t get too comfortable. I have an appointment in ten minutes.”

  “That should be more than enough time to sort this through. I want the truth, Madison. All of it.”

  She swiveled around in her chair. “I want you to come home and see my family. And our town. That’s the whole truth.”

  And then I want you to realize this whole scheme is wrong, dump your shares, and let me take over as CEO. Easy peasy.