Falling For The Rancher. Roxanne Rustand
will you make that call?â Beth fixed Darcy with an expectant look. âPlease? We could bend the rules so he wouldnât even need to appear onstage.â
Darcy laughed, remembering Loganâs narrow-eyed glower when theyâd first run into each other at the clinic. âThat actually might be for the best no matter when he shows up back in town.â
âJust be sure to let my assistant know as soon as you have an answer, because Janet will be printing the final version of the program at six thirty, and the auction starts at eight.â
There were reasons Beth had made such a success of her bookstore, and sheer determination topped the list. Darcy sighed heavily as she glanced at the clock on the wall. âIâll send him a text. I need to take Emma to her dental appointment at four, and Iâll be busy with clients all afternoon. If he doesnât respond by then, Kaycee can ask him when he stops in.â
Beth beamed. âPerfect.â
âWell, hang on to that thought, but I doubt heâll agree. Anyway, I suspect most bidders have already set their sights on the handyman they prefer, so Logan might not generate much for the fundraiser.â
âAre you still planning to bid on Edgar Larson?â
âAbsolutely.â Darcy fervently clapped a hand against her upper chest. âHe is the man of my dreams.â
Beth laughed. âBut just a bit old for you, sweetieâby forty years at least. And donât forget about Agnes.â
âAll the better. I understand Ed is the best craftsman in the bunch, and my late auntâs cottage is in serious need of repairs. And I hear his wife sends along her incredible caramel rolls whenever he starts a new job.â
âSo Iâve heard. Those rolls alone should double his worth during the bidding.â
âI sure hope not. But I suspect every single, divorced or widowed woman in town wants to win him as much as I do.â
âAs do all of the women whose husbands can barely change a lightbulb. Edgar is our biggest draw every year, bless his heart. Last year he was first on the program, and a third of the audience left as soon as his work was auctioned. This year, weâve got him last.â
âIâll sure be hoping. Last month I did a lot of calling around, trying to find someone to start doing repairs and updating. The reputable firms are booked at least six months out, and I may no longer have that kind of time to wait.â
Beth rested a comforting hand over Darcyâs. âOur whole book club is praying youâll be able to stay in town one way or another, believe me.â
âIâm praying, too. But I still need to be prepared.â Darcy tapped a brief text to Logan and held up her phone for Beth to see, then hit Send. âThere, itâs done.â
âThanks a million.â Beth leaned in for a quick hug. âNow weâre all set.â
Probably not, Darcy thought as she headed into an exam room, where a cocker spaniel was awaiting a health exam and vaccinations. Would Logan even consider the request?
There was no answer to her text by the time sheâd finished with the spaniel.
Nothing by the time she finished with her other appointments and gathered her purse and car keys to go pick up Emma. Of course not. She hadnât expected him to agree, but at least he couldâve been thoughtful enough to respond.
She stopped in the kennel room, where Kaycee was checking on the IV running for a beagle recovering from surgery. âI still havenât heard back from Dr. Maxwell. Can you keep trying to reach him? Or tell him about the auction if he stops by the clinic?â
âNo problem.â
âOh, and let Janet or Beth know about his answer, in case they need to add his name to the program.â
âWill do.â Kaycee shut the cage door, turned around and grinned. âDid I hear you say that youâre pinning your hopes on Edgar? Heâs my uncle, you know. Crotchety as can be.â
âSo I hear, but Iâm praying heâll agree to continue working for me after the twenty hours are up.â
âBest wishes on the bidding, âcause itâs probably your only chance of getting him to do any work for you. Outside of the annual youth group auction, heâs superfussy about who he works for. Says heâs semiretired.â
âSo...if I donât have the winning bid, you could put in a good word for me later on?â Darcy said. âPlease?â
âIâll ask, but it probably wonât make any difference. His own niece tried to hire him for a project last winter and he flat-out said no. Then again, the whole family knows sheâs high-maintenance, and he probably didnât want the bother.â
âI promise you that Iâm not,â Darcy said with a smile as she headed for the door. âIâm desperate, not difficult.â
As she drove to the babysitterâs home to pick up Emma, the truth of her own words weighed heavily on her heart.
The cottage needed a lot of work, as dear old Aunt Tina hadnât been able to keep up with repairs and updates during her final years. But now there was a ticking clock to consider.
If Logan Maxwell did let her go at the end of two months, her options would be to establish a new practice hereâa financial impossibility right nowâor to find a practice elsewhere, looking for an associate. But how would the cottage ever pass the mortgage home inspection for a buyer if she suddenly had to sell it and move on?
As she waited at the only stoplight on Main Street, she looked heavenward and briefly closed her eyes. Please Lord, help me win the bidding for Edgarâand give me more time to work things out.
* * *
A large crowd had already gathered in the church reception hall when Darcy arrived with Emma in tow just minutes before Pastor Mark began his opening remarks at a podium.
Two long bake sale tables displayed delectable treats, while several other tables offered arts and crafts items. At the far end of the room, two women were offering hot chocolate and coffee from the kitchen serving window.
âI know you just had supper at home, but would you like some hot chocolate or a treat?â Darcy asked. âI see some pretty frosted cookies on that table.â
Emma nodded somberly. âA cookie. Can we go home?â
âUm...I need to stay, sweetie.â The daytime babysitter who took care of Emma after morning preschool every day was rarely available for evenings, and Darcy hadnât been able to find anyone else.
She settled Emma on a chair with her cookie and took the chair next to her. âOne of the nursery ladies and some teenagers from the youth group are watching kids in the nursery. Would you like to go play with them?â
âI wanna go home.â
Emmaâs mood didnât bode well for the evening, but Darcy could hardly blame her. It had already been a long day for her, and this was now Emmaâs usual bath time, to be followed by a bedtime snack and a stack of books to read. In the hope that Edgar had been moved to an earlier time slot, Darcy opened her program and looked down the list.
It was up to fifteen names now, each followed by a brief description of the types of handyman jobs they preferred. Some were members of the church with other careers but willing to mow, rake or help paint. A few offered to help with household repairs or a specific auto maintenance task rather than the twenty hours. A couple said ânegotiable.â
Edgar