His Until Midnight. Reese Ryan

on a bachelor.” She sank another ball, then paced around the table and shrugged. “That’s kind of the point of the entire evening.”

      “Doesn’t mean you have to. After all, not every woman attending will be bidding on a bachelor,” Ryan reminded her.

      “They will be if they aren’t married or engaged,” Gail said resolutely, folding her arms and cocking an eyebrow his way. “Why, Ryan Bateman, sounds to me like you’re jealous.”

      “Don’t be ridiculous.” His cheeks heated as he returned his gaze to the table. “I’m just looking out for my best friend. She shouldn’t be pressured to participate in something that makes her feel uncomfortable.”

      Tessa was sweet, smart, funny, and a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with. But she wasn’t the kind of woman he envisioned with a paddle in her hand, bidding on men as if she were purchasing steers at auction.

      “Doesn’t sound like Tess, to me. That’s all I’m saying.” He realized he sounded defensive.

      “Good. It’s about time I do something unexpected. I’m too predictable...too boring.” Tessa cursed under her breath when she missed her shot.

      “Also known as consistent and reliable,” Ryan interjected.

      Things were good the way they were. He liked that Tessa followed a routine he could count on. His best friend’s need for order balanced out his spontaneity.

      “I know, but lately I’ve been feeling... I don’t know...stifled. Like I need to take some risks in my personal life. Stop playing it so safe all the time.” She sighed in response to his wide-eyed, slack-jawed stare. “Relax, Rye. It’s not like I’m paying for a male escort.”

      “I believe they prefer the term gigolo,” Gail, always helpful, interjected, then took another sip of her drink.

      Ryan narrowed his gaze at Gail, which only made the woman laugh hysterically. He shifted his attention back to Tessa, who’d just missed her shot.

      “Who will you be bidding on?”

      Tessa shrugged. “I don’t know. No one in particular in mind, just yet. The programs go out in a few days. Maybe I’ll decide then. Or... I don’t know...maybe I’ll wait and see who tickles my fancy when I get there.”

      “Who tickles your fancy?” Ryan repeated the words incredulously. His grip on the pool cue tightened.

      He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

       Two

      Tessa followed the sound of moaning down the hall and around the corner to her brother’s room.

      “Tripp? Are you all right?” She tapped lightly on his partially opened bedroom door.

      “No!” The word was punctuated by another moan, followed by, “I feel like I’m dying.”

      Tessa hurried inside his room, her senses quickly assailed by a pungent scent which she followed to his bathroom. He was hugging the porcelain throne and looking a little green.

      “Did you go out drinking last night?”

      “No. I think it’s the tuna sandwich I got from the gas station late last night on my way back in from Dallas.”

      “How many times have I told you? Gas station food after midnight? No bueno.” She stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at her brother who looked like he might erupt again at any minute.

      Austin Charles Noble III loved food almost as much as he loved his family. And usually he had a stomach like a tank. Impervious to just about anything. So whatever he’d eaten had to have been pretty bad.

      “I’m taking you to Urgent Care.”

      “No, I just want to go to bed. If I can sleep it off for a few hours, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He forced a smile, then immediately clutched his belly and cringed. “I’ll be good as new for the bachelor auction.”

      “Shit. The bachelor auction.” Tess repeated the words. It was the next night. And as green at the gills as Tripp looked, there was little chance he’d be ready to be paraded on stage in front of a crowd of eager women by then. The way he looked now, he probably wouldn’t fetch more than five dollars and a bottle of ipecac at auction.

      “Here, let me help you back to bed.” She leaned down, allowing her brother to drape his arm around her and get enough leverage to climb to his feet on unsteady legs. Once he was safely in bed again, she gathered the remains of the tainted tuna sandwich, an empty bottle of beer, and a few other items.

      She set an empty garbage can with a squirt of soap and about an inch of water beside his bed.

      “Use this, if you need to.” She indicated the garbage can. “I’m going to get you some ginger ale and some Gatorade. But if you get worse, I’m taking you to the doctor. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be too happy with me if I let their baby boy die of food poisoning while they were away on vacation.”

      “Well, I am Mom’s favorite, so...” He offered a weak smile as he invoked the argument they often teased each other about. “And don’t worry about the auction, I’ll be fine. I’m a warrior, sis. Nothing is going to come between me and—” Suddenly he bolted out of bed, ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

      Tessa shook her head. “You’re staying right here in bed today and tomorrow, ‘warrior.’ I’ll get Roy and the guys to take care of the projects that were on your list today. And I’ll find a replacement for you in the auction. Alexis will understand.”

      Tripp mumbled his thanks through the bathroom door, and she set off to take care of everything she had promised him.

      Tessa had been nursing her brother back to health and handling her duties at the ranch, as well as some of his. And she’d been trying all day to get in touch with Ryan.

      Despite his reluctance to get involved in the auction, he was the most logical choice as Tripp’s replacement. She was sure she could convince him it was a worthy cause. Maybe stroke his ego and tell him there would be a feeding frenzy for a hot stud like him.

      A statement she planned to make in jest, but that she feared also had a bit of truth to it. Tessa gritted her teeth imagining Lana, and a whole host of other women in town who often flirted with Ryan, bidding on him like he was a prize steer.

      Maybe getting Ryan to step in as Tripp’s replacement in the auction wasn’t such a good idea after all. She paced the floor, scrolling through a list of names of other possible options in her head.

      Most of the eligible men that came to mind were already participating, or they’d already turned Alexis and Rachel down, from what Tessa had heard.

      She stopped abruptly mid-stride, an idea brewing in her head that made her both excited and feel like she was going to toss her lunch at the same time.

      “Do something that scares you every single day.” She repeated the words under her breath that she’d recently posted on the wall of her office. It was a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. Advice she’d promised herself that she would take to heart from here on out.

      Tessa glanced at herself in the mirror. Her thick hair was divided into two plaits, and a Stetson was pushed down on her head, her eyes barely visible. She was the textbook definition of Plain Jane. Not because she wasn’t attractive, but because she put zero effort into looking like a desirable woman rather than one of the ranch hands.

      She sighed, her fingers trembling slightly. There was a good chance that Alexis and Rachel would veto her idea for Tripp’s replacement. But at least she would ask.

      Tessa pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and scrolled through her contacts for Alexis Slade’s number. Her palms were damp as she initiated the call. Pressing the phone to her ear, she counted the rings, a small