All I See Is You

42. Finally Stop Dreaming

Chapter forty-two

Finally Stop Dreaming

Quinn

E verything was going well. Thank God. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and people were excited about the auction coming up. My nerves were still a bit strung tight, though. I didn’t typically host the events I planned. Honestly, I hadn’t done that since Mom’s memorial. And Mom’s hadn’t been anywhere near as big as this.

There had to be, like, two hundred guests here—more than I’d thought would come. All wondering about my relationship with Hux, or what exactly this event was about. There were. So. Many. Questions.

I was so tired and my feet hurt. The boots Walker helped me pick out at Boot Barn were adorable, but it probably wasn’t my smartest move to wear them without breaking them in first. After excusing myself from the latest round of questions, I angled my way toward the bar, where Ollie worked.

Whit appeared next to me, as if sensing my need for a moment, like the perfect best friend she was. “I saw Ollie making this yummy looking drink,” she said. “Something sweet. It looked right up your alley.”

I smiled, my lips forming a wry grin. She knew me too well.

Whit snaked her arm around my elbow. “I think Ollie was a good choice. She seems to be doing well.”

“Yeah, I like her.” My gaze settled on her once more, noticing Cash saunter his way on up to the bar. The way he looked at Ollie…and the way she looked at him. Holy God . I was too far away to hear what he said to her, but I saw her offer him a feral smile that I think would send most men running.

It wasn’t surprising that Cash didn’t balk or cower, but instead leaned further across the bar. He seemed the type to see a girl like Ollie as a challenge.

“Looks like Cash might have met his match,” I mused, watching the two of them interact.

“Isn’t his girlfriend here?” Whit asked.

I thought of the pretty strawberry blonde he’d arrived with on his arm this evening. She was perky and sweet…too sweet for Cash. I’d only met him a couple times now, but he didn’t seem to be the settling down type. At least not with this girl.

“Yeah, she is,” I replied, spotting her talking to the two women who’d come with Cash’s friends, Ryder and Maverick—a gorgeous redhead and beautiful blonde. Cash’s girlfriend kept glancing at the bar, apparently aware that he was there, but when she saw Ollie and him talking, there wasn’t any anger or shock written on her lovely face. I wasn’t sure what the emotion was.

“This might sound mean of me, but I just don’t really see him and her together,” Whit said.

I glanced at Whit, offering her a guilty nod. “I know. Same here. She seems really sweet.”

“I think that’s the problem. Cash doesn’t strike me as a sweets guy.”

I glanced back at the bar to where him and Ollie still spoke. “You think he wants someone a bit more like Ollie?”

“I don’t think Cash knows or cares to know, for that matter, what he wants.”

“True.”

Cash and Ollie were still talking at the bar when we came up and interrupted them.

“Ladies,” Cash said, tipping his hat while offering us one of those million-dollar smiles of his. I wondered how many girls fell victim to it? Probably too many. “Y’all are lookin’ particularly pretty tonight.”

“Well, thank you. You’re looking particularly—“ I took in his pink and white paisley colored suit jacket, his white washed denim Wranglers, and expensive boots. He had such a vibrant, flamboyant style, but if anyone could get away with it, it would be him.

His grin pulled wider. “Handsome? Debonair?”

“Spell debonair,” Ollie snorted from behind the bar.

Cash chuckled. “Now that’s a bit too big of a word for a humble cowboy like me.”

“Humble?” Whit burst into a fit of laughter. “So that’s what you’re calling yourself nowadays?”

He scoffed, mimicking offense, but there was no hiding the playful glint in his hazel eyes. “Miss Quinn, tell them they’re wrong.”

I grinned and gently patted his arm. “I wish I could.”

He scoffed, more of that mock disbelief escaping him. “Y’all are mean.”

We all laughed as another newcomer approached the bar. “Hey ya, Cash.”

“What can I get you, sugar?” Ollie asked.

“Coors, please.” He glanced at us only a moment before setting his gaze straight ahead, like he was nervous or something. He even fidgeted with something in his pocket.

He was older—like, as old as, if not older than my dad—but that didn’t do anything to diminish how attractive he was. Short, wheat blond hair mostly hidden beneath a white straw cowboy hat. A fit build, and an impeccable sense of fashion. Even amidst this sea of money at this event, everything about him screamed wealth—from his fitted navy sports coat, his pale pink button up peeking out from beneath it, to his heavily starched jeans, and a pair of cowboy boots that were probably made out of some exotic animal. Maybe snakeskin or crocodile.

“Who is that?” Whit breathed, quiet enough that the man hadn’t heard her.

My gaze whipped to my best friend then back at the cowboy. There was a youthfulness to him, making him seem younger than his years. All around he was incredibly attractive, but he was easily a good twenty-five years older than Whit, and that was being generous.

Ollie handed him a cold beer with a wink, before aiming her attention back our way.

Cash’s gaze turned quizzical as he glanced between Whit and the newcomer. “That’s my Uncle Goodie. Why?”

Whit smoothed out her black, body-hugging gown and stood a bit taller, her gaze flicking to the older cowboy once more. He noticed her stare and fumbled with his beer, on accident knocking it over on the bar top.

“Oh, shit!” he exclaimed, trying to mop up the mess with napkins. His gaze flicked back up to Whit and the look of surprise, then downright bafflement that crossed his face was the most wholesome thing I’d ever seen in my life.

I swear I heard her murmur under her breath, “He’s so cute.”

Okay, was I, like, in the Twilight Zone, or something?

Without another word to any of us, Whit moved toward the man. “Hi there, I’m Whit. Wanna buy me a drink?”

The man opened and closed his mouth once, twice, glancing between Cash and Whit, almost like he couldn’t believe what was happening. “I um… I…”

Cash flashed his uncle a sly grin and nudged him with an elbow. “Well, order the girl a drink, Goodie. Damn.” He glanced at Ollie and tipped his hat to her, something flickering in his light gaze. “Have a nice night, Miss. Lovely party, Quinnie girl.”

“It’s Ollie, not miss,” she clarified as he walked away.

He turned back to wink at her. “See you around, Miss Ollie.”

And then he left. Past Ryder and Maverick and the rest of their party. Past his girlfriend. He kept walking, disappearing into the mass of people. I glanced at Ollie, noting the intrigue in her mismatched eyes.

“Well, that was interesting,” I said, blowing out a breath.

Ollie pegged me with her intense gaze and I shivered under the weight of it. She could be terrifying sometimes. This…this was one of those times. “What are you talking about?”

“I think he likes you.”

She huffed. “That’s not hard. He likes anything with a pretty face and a pussy.”

Thank God I didn’t have a drink or it might have come out of my nose or something. “Ollie!”

“What?” She shrugged, brushing her midnight waves back over her shoulder. “It’s true. I am fully aware of his kind. Always on the hunt for his newest catch.” Even as she spoke, she watched the place where he’d disappeared.

“But…do you want to be caught?” I asked hesitantly.

She laughed, flashing another feral grin. “No, Quinn. I’m a hunter as well.”

It all made sense now. I think Cash really had met his match.

By the time I made it back to Hux’s side, I realized I’d forgotten to get myself a drink. I’d been too caught up in everything.

“Where’ve you been?” he asked, pulling me against him.

“Watching the weirdest things unfold,” I admitted, before launching into what all had happened. The connection I swore I could feel between Ollie and Cash. The strange encounter between Whit and Cash’s Uncle Goodie. “She’s still over there talking to him, by the way,” I went on, my gaze flicking to them for, like, the dozenth time. And what was even more unexpected was how happy and at ease she looked. He still came across as nervous and fidgety, but there was intrigue and a bashful smile on his face, so I think it was going well.

“Maybe she’s into older guys,” Hux offered.

“Yeah, maybe.” Except I’d never known. She was my best friend. Shouldn’t I, like, know or something? It wasn’t like I was weirded out or anything like that. Though, the thought that she might be into someone as old as my dad was a bit surprising. But hey, whatever floated her boat.

Shaking my head to clear it of my thoughts, I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You ready for the auction?”

He blew out a breath, and I felt him tremble beneath me a bit. “Is it weird I’m nervous? It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been up in front of people. But…I don’t know. This feels bigger. More important.”

I reached up on tiptoe and brushed my lips against his. It amazed me how quickly the tension in his muscles and limbs melted. As if my touch held that much power over him. I know he held that much power over me.

“It’s gonna be amazing,” I whispered against his lips. “And I’ll be right by your side.”

He cupped my face in his hands, scraping his thumbs along the curve of my jaw. Butterflies danced in my chest. “Love you, darlin’.”

I hummed in approval and kissed him once more. Slow and deep, like we were the only two souls on the planet. “Love you too.”

“Wait, who the hell is gonna auction things for us?” he asked as we made our way toward the DJ’s table to grab the mic.

“I already got it covered. Cash said he’d do it.”

“Oh shit,” Hux cursed.

Trepidation welled in my stomach. “Is that a bad thing?”

He’d seemed like the perfect candidate. He was witty, charming, and a bit aggressive, which I figured were all attributes that someone trying to sell things would possess.

Hux blew out a breath and laughed. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we, darlin’?”

N ot much later, Hux and I made our way to the center of the dance floor. He gripped my hand like his life depended on it. I didn’t mind, I probably held on just as tight, especially with all the eyes on us.

Hux rolled some of the tension out of his shoulders and held the mic up to his lips. “Thank y’all for comin’ out tonight. I hope y’all‘ve been havin’ a good time.”

A chorus of claps and an all too familiar crow of excitement erupted from the crowd—Cash. I bit back a grin as I found him close to the front with their group. Mr. Mooney met my gaze and offered a reassuring wink. I smiled and nodded. I liked him.

“I know that I’ve already talked to quite a few of y’all here about the uh…the significance of tonight, and what we’re plannin’ to do with this place,” Hux said, pulling my attention to him once more.

“The first night I met Quinn, she told me she got into event planning because she wanted to breathe life into things. Well—“ Hux cleared his throat, his gaze dipping toward me. It was moments like this when it was easy to think he was actually seeing me. Maybe he could, in a way. “Not only has she breathed life into this event, but she managed to breathe life into me as well.”

He kissed my forehead and I melted, tears stinging in my eyes. “I love you,” I whispered, quiet enough for only him to hear.

He peppered another soft kiss to my forehead before continuing on. “Quinn and I want to create a place for people to come and heal. To have the life breathed back into them. The Broken Creek Ranch Equine Therapy Center will allow patients to recover and heal here through the power of horsemanship and other forms of therapy. And as you can imagine…that’s gonna cost a pretty penny to get started. So, all proceeds from tonight’s auction will be goin’ towards that.”

A wave of approving murmurs traversed through the crowd.

“Now, before we begin,” Hux went on, “I know that an awful lot of you wanna know if I’m comin’ out of retirement. And I am…on one condition.”

I swear, the roar of cheers and excitement was so loud it was deafening. It went on so long Hux had to shush everyone.

With a chuckle, he said, “If we can raise enough money tonight…if we can reach our goal, I’m gonna ride one more time. So, how about we get this auction started? Cash Mooney, you wanna come on up?”

After another long bout of cheering, Cash Mooney sauntered from the crowd, grabbing thanks mic from Hux.

“Thanks, bud,” he said with a grin and a clap to Hux’s back. “I’ll take things from here.”

Hux and I moved off to the side where Walker and Dotty prepared whatever was necessary to present each of the items as Cash took a deep breath and readied himself to take on the task of being the auctioneer. Apparently, he’d done a few auctions himself and was really good—according to him.

Except he wasn’t. Oh my god, he so wasn’t. Not that I knew much about what all went into it, but the unintelligible jargon falling from his lips was evidence enough that I’d royally fucked up.

“What the hell is he doing?” I hissed. “He said he knew how to do this.”

Hux shook his head, a disbelieving chuckle falling from his lips. “You actually believed him?”

“Oh my God, we have to stop him. No one knows what the hell he’s saying.”

“Well, I can’t do it. I wouldn’t even know what the hell I was auctioning off.”

Neither would I, but not because of my lack of vision, just my complete and utter lack of horse knowledge. Most of the things we were auctioning off were trainings, stud fees, things I knew nothing about.

A warm hand on my shoulder startled me. I turned, glancing up into the face of the older cowboy who’d caught Whit’s eye. “Miss. I apologize about my nephew. I can, um… well, if you need someone to do this for you, I can do it.”

“Are you sure?”

I was not ready for someone else to say they could do it and screw everything up.

He tipped his hat to me and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

I sighed and glanced in Cash’s direction. “Thank you. That would be helpful.”

Turns out Cash might not know a thing about auctioneering, but his uncle sure did. The fidgety, nervous looking man who’d spilled a drink at the bar earlier had vanished entirely, a cool, confident, fast-as-hell talking cowboy replacing him. I didn’t miss Whit’s approving smirk on her lips as she watched him. Wow, she really was into him, wasn’t she?

My nerves and excitement mingled and danced in my chest as each item was auctioned off. With each “sold” that fell from the cowboy’s lips, we ventured closer and closer to our goal. One hundred fifty thousand dollars might have been a bit lofty, but in the end, we’d take whatever we could to make this dream become a reality.

When the final item—a stud service from one of Mr. Lane’s famous roping horses—finally sold, we were still five thousand dollars short. My heart sank as I glanced at Hux, noting the lines of disappointment etched into his face. I knew he’d ride regardless, but this meant so much to him. He was so determined to make this goal.

“Well, damn,” Hux huffed, hanging his head low. “Guess that’s that.”

“Actually…” I said, “There’s one final item.”

I’d known there was a chance that we might be just shy of the goal, so I’d planned to have one final item. Just in case.

Hux frowned. “What is it?”