Be Mine (18 page)

The blond persisted, commenting to her friends, “I’m going to spend everything I’ve saved if I have to.”

Sabina wondered if her own savings would be enough.

* * * *

Chad’s nerves tightened. Sabina was here, wasn’t she? Erica had assured him there was no way she could resist. But what did an eighteen-year-old girl know? If she was out there, why wasn’t she bidding? Dear heaven. This looked like the beginning of a disaster. If that woman bought him, he wasn’t sure he would survive the weekend. Only will power kept him from fleeing the room. Where was Sabina?

* * * *

Sabina was enjoying the growing fear on the face of the helpless auction prize on the stage. His male pride deserved just a tad more battering.

Suddenly she realized the bidding was had slowed. She’d been so immersed in her plans for revenge that she hadn’t been paying attention.

The blond shouted, “$2,350. And worth every penny.” Everyone else had dropped out.

Projecting her voice, Sabina called, “$2,999.99.”

At the sound of her voice, Sabina watched Chad pushed the hard hat up from his eyebrows and attempt a casual survey of the room. The areas around the edge were in shadow, while a haze floated in the harsh light illuminating the small stage. She wondered whether he was kicking himself for being roped into this thing, and how long it would take him to spit out an apology.

“Any more bids, ladies? Don’t let that last jump hold you back.” The perspiring auctioneer did his best, but Sabina’s bid had quieted the crowd. “Going once. Going twice. Gone! Will the lady in the back of the room come forward and claim her purchase?”

Sabina took her time. She drained her glass of seltzer water, freshened her lipstick, and made her leisurely way between the tables. Schooling her expression carefully, she looked up to make sure Chad was watching. Satisfied by his intent stare, she moved as if she had all day.

The odd bid had triggered an excited buzz of speculation. The crowd applauded as Sabina climbed the carpeted treads to the stage. The tiny frown etching Chad’s forehead pleased her.

The frown deepened, then faded. She was sure he realized he would have to grovel.
Back to square one, big goy
. Nerves made her throat tight, but she refused to back down. She hadn’t slept or eaten properly for three weeks.

As if sensing undercurrents, the auctioneer made quick work of asking Sabina her name and bundling them off to the cashier to transact the real purpose of the evening — payment. Sabina held Chad’s arm with an impersonal touch, even though she wanted to clutch him tightly.

She signed the check with a flourish, dropping the pale blue slip of paper in front of the fashionably gowned cashier as if it were nothing, when in fact that morning she’d emptied her savings account, transferring $3,000 to checking. In response to the woman’s effusive thanks, she said airily, “This is
such
a good cause.”

Her insides quivered from two emotions: sheer excitement at his nearness, and fear she would cave in before she heard an apology. She couldn’t think of a thing to say as they walked down the hall.

 At the elevator, Chad leaned close to murmur in her ear, “Ninety-nine cents! This isn’t a discount store, Sabina.”

His teasing revived her spirit. “Really? I thought it was a beef market. Steak is always priced at a cent below the dollar to make the buyer think he’s getting a bargain.” The hall was deserted; as the elevator light glowed red she stepped back and looked him over. “You’re prime stuff. That big blond was itching to get her hands on you. I heard her say so.”

The silence during their descent was deafening.

After the revolving door coughed them onto the street Sabina said coolly, “I drove. If you want to meet me at my place, we can make our arrangements.”

* * * *

Nodding acquiescence, Chad set out in the opposite direction, ignoring the curious glances his attire drew from passersby. Walking rapidly with his shoulders hunched, hands in pockets, his thoughts were humbling company. When Sabina had finally called the winning bid, he had nearly fainted with relief. The last three weeks had been a nightmare.

Chad wasn’t accustomed to being wrong, and even less accustomed to admitting it. Erica’s suggestion of offering Sabina’s dream weekend as bait had seemed like a good idea at the time, but things seemed to have gone awry. Erica was convinced Sabina would look on the invitation as a sign he wanted to apologize. From what he’d seen of her actions since the auction, he wasn’t so sure. At the very least, she meant to make him eat crow.

Locating his car, Chad climbed in and twisted his key in the ignition, then sat listening to the banked power of the engine. If she wanted to see him to swallow his pride, he would do it. He refused to think defeat.

* * * *

By the time Chad arrived, Sabina had kicked off her shoes and started a pot of coffee. Strong coffee. She took several deep breaths before she answered the door. At the sight of him framed in her doorway she felt her heart beat in her throat.

 “I nearly sent out a search party to locate my investment,” she said, determined to be difficult. He’d removed the hard hat, and his hair curled damply over his forehead. Sabina had never seen anything so appealing in her life.

He responded softly, “Don’t push, Sabina. This is hard enough as it is.”

Leaving him to close the door, Sabina crossed the room to distance herself. She couldn’t weaken, no matter how much she wanted to. “It shouldn’t be that difficult.”

 “If Erica hadn’t sent me a ticket, I wouldn’t have known you were on the block.” She played with the silk flowers in a crystal vase. “If someone had topped my bid, I would have had to drop out.”

“You can always borrow from your friendly banker.”

The flowers slipped from her fingers. Chad picked up the scattered blossoms before she could reach them, and stood before her, running the stems through his fingers. She snatched them from him and turned her back while she stuffed them haphazardly into the vase. Things weren’t going as she’d anticipated. “No, I couldn’t. That was my weekend you offered to anyone with the money to buy it.”

Turning back, she said angrily, “You almost squandered
my
dream.”

“Sabina, I’m sorry . . .”

She drew a deep breath and looked up at him, her hands on her hips. This was the confrontation she sought. “Why did you have to go to such lengths to see me?”

Suddenly, groveling wasn’t out of the question. Chad would do anything to remove the hurt in her eyes. “Because I was wrong . . . I didn’t trust you. Because I have some ingrained notions that get me into trouble now and then.” For the first time in his life, his voice cracked with the sincerity of a desperate man. “Because I love you.”

For some reason, his declaration seemed to confuse her. “So you put me through this . . . this travesty?”

“All right. I was a jerk, and I had a whole truckload of false pride that wouldn’t allow me to simply come and beg.” His voice faltered. “I couldn’t imagine admitting there were any lapses in my judgment, or that I’d jumped to the conclusion that you only pretended my arguments had convinced you to take a broader view. That you’d shut down McDonald out of spite.”

He edged closer. “Nevada, I’m willing to spend the rest of my life apologizing for that if you’ll let me. I want you. I’m not sure I can live without you.”

Sabina turned to fuss with the flowers again, but not before he saw the relief in her eyes.

“I love you, Sabina. And I think you love me, or we wouldn’t be here.”

Sabina turned to face him. “You manipulated me. Now that I have you I’m not sure why I should want you.”

 “When I left this afternoon, Aunt Clara told me to use the sense God gave a goose, whatever that means. She and the twins think you’ll protect me from that pack of women I’m supposed to have at my heels twenty-four hours a day.”

The older woman’s dry, no-nonsense way of speaking played back through Sabina’s mind, bringing tears of laughter to her eyes, and breaking her composure. Shoulders shaking, she lowered her eyes. “You’d still be a chauvinist.”

“I’m doing my best to reform. What else can I do to make you say yes?”

Humility was the last thing she’d ever expected to hear in his voice. She couldn’t resist one last caveat. “You’ll have to give up encouraging all those women.”

“That should be easy. They only exist in the imaginations of people with nothing else to talk about.”

“Your reputation has to be built on something,” Sabina teased. She knew how much it had cost him to apologize. He wasn’t accustomed to being wrong; he was clearly uncomfortable with the state.

A fine line of perspiration had broken out on his upper lip. “I don’t know what else I can do. I love you, Sabina.”

If she didn’t touch him soon she would expire from need. Smiling, Sabina laid her arms around his neck. “Kiss me. Kiss me very hard. After about fifty years you might convince me.”

* * * *

Chad’s nearly shouted with relief. Instead, he folded her against him as if afraid she would break. When he finally kissed her, it was a kiss of commitment, rather than passion. Chad realized he had never before kissed a woman with so much emotion.

Moments later, Sabina drew back. The love in her eyes making them glow like large sapphires. “I love you, Chad. Even though you said I was wrong about McDonald, I knew you wouldn’t approve of what he’d done. I could only hope you’d be as fair as I believed you to be, that you’d find out for yourself.”

Clutching her as if he were afraid she’d be snatched away, Chad admitted, “I was an idiot to suspect you’d punish one person to get even with the whole industry.” He pulled her closer. “You’ve been exposed to my temper and now to my distrust. Will you believe me when I promise I’ve learned my lesson?”

She snuggled against him, and rubbed her nose lightly against the pristine linen of his shirt. “You need more practice. With the right teacher, you could learn a lot about equality.”

“Are you volunteering for the job?”

Tugging him backward toward the bed, Sabina teased, “Is this an interview or a proposal?”

“Both. Besides, you have to marry me. I’ve already bought your wedding gift.”

Shaken by the sudden intensity of his expression, Sabina could manage only a faint echo. “Wedding gift?”

“I’m sure Erica told you we weren’t selling Calico. She left out something. I bought McDonald’s mess. I want those abandoned sites reclaimed, and I thought you’d enjoy doing the job.” Smiling, he continued, “But you can’t unless you’re my wife. Call it more of a bribe than a gift.”

Sabina’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Don’t you know this state employee doesn’t accept bribes?”

“You could quit your job. Then we wouldn’t be on opposite sides of the fence,” he cajoled.

The thought of working to salvage the abandoned sites excited Sabina. Restoring those eroded scars would be a privilege. No other gift could have demonstrated his love and understanding more. “I don’t need a bribe to marry you, Chad.” She didn’t care if he heard the tears in her voice. They were tears of joy. She wondered if his happiness was singing in his veins as it was in hers.

“There’s a catch. You’ll have to manage both mining companies . . . at least till Erica’s ready to take over Calico.”

Sabina grinned, then leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. “Fair enough.” She sealed her promise with a kiss.

Sighing as if the weight of eternity had just been lifted from his shoulders, Chad savored her closeness while the reality of the future sank in. “We made it, Sabina. In spite of everything, we made it.”

Sabina smiled shakily. “I’m not sure I know how to return love, Chad. No one ever taught me how. Please don’t let me fail you. I promise to do my best to make you happy. Forever.”

“That’s supposed to be
my
line. If we both do our best, we can’t lose.”

“What are the odds at the mine?” she teased.

He returned her grin, then drew her close. “Jonas said all the bets were on you.”

“I’m really going to enjoy working with that crew.” Sabina announced into the pristine tucks of his shirt.

Copyright © by Justine Wittich

Originally published by Thomas Bouregy and Co. (0803492634)

Electronically published in 2009 by Belgrave House

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.