Wyatt
There was an excited buzz in the room as we all waited for the auction to officially start. I stood there with the papers in my hand, my fingers gripping the pen. I could see Sadie standing there, watching me, smiling at me. And it made me feel happy and proud that she was here with me. I was also grateful that we’d gotten to the auction this morning. When I’d woken up, all I’d wanted to do was pull her into my arms and make love to her, but I knew it was still too soon. She was open and willing, but I wanted to make sure that everything we did was on her terms. I wanted to make sure that the timing was right, and I wanted to make sure that, emotionally, she was ready for whatever came next.
Sadie had infiltrated my bloodstream like nothing I’d ever felt before. I’d never expected to feel this way about anything or anyone, and I was just glad that I was able to focus on the horses as much as I was able to focus on her.
“So you know which ones you’re going for?” she whispered in my ear.
I handed her the paper with the horses that I’d circled, paying careful attention to ensure that no one around us could see. I didn’t want anyone going for the same horses as me, though I was pretty sure I would have competition in the bids.
“Don’t let anyone see,” I said softly. And she grinned as she held them up to her face.
“Don’t worry, Batman, I got you,” she laughed. She nodded as she looked at the horses I’d circled. “I like them, too,” she grinned. “In fact, King Dasani is my favorite.”
“Shh!” I laughed at the made-up name.
“I know, that’s not the real name,” she giggled.
King Dasani was her nickname for Prince Waterman. I guess because Dasani was a type of water, she figured that Prince Waterman was a good nickname. I didn’t want to tell her that anyone with half a brain would be able to figure out that King Dasani was actually Prince Waterman, seeing as Dasani was one of the most popular bottled waters in the country. But Prince Waterman was my number one pick. I had high hopes that I would be able to get him. I’d had a good feeling when I had touched him and made eye contact with him and taken him out into the corral that this was a horse I could work with. This was a champion in the making. I only hoped that I would win the auction.
I was quickly realizing that a hundred and fifty grand was nothing to this crowd. There were big-time trainers here from England and Scotland and Canada and even Dubai. A lot of people were here, and they were willing to bid a lot of money.
I chewed on my lower lip. I was starting to feel nervous. Sadie reached over and squeezed my hand, “It’s okay, Wyatt. You’ll get the horses you want.”
“I hope so,” I said. “A hundred and fifty grand isn’t really a lot of money.”
“If push comes to shove, I’ll sponsor one of the horses.”
“What do you mean you’ll sponsor one of the horses?”
“I will give you the money for the rest of the bid. For Prince Waterman. If you don’t have enough by the time the auction comes, I will make up the difference. I’ll be an official sponsor. And when he enters races and he wins, you can pay me back out of that.”
“I don’t know about that, Sadie. I don’t want to use your—”
“Sh. I’m a businesswoman too, you know. And you’re not the only one with an inheritance.”
“Yeah, I mean, I can invest my own money—”
“No,” she said. “You don’t have access to it yet. I know the terms of your trust. But I have access to my money. And I can afford to put in any amount that you might need. And we’ll sign a contract and it will be a business deal if you don’t feel comfortable just taking it from me. I believe in you, Wyatt. I believe in your vision and I think you’ll make an awesome damn trainer. And if you’re not doing a good job, I’ll come over and train the horses, too. So with two awesome trainers, well hey, how can we lose?”
“Are you serious, Sadie?”
She looked me straight in the eyes. “Dead serious.”
“And this isn’t about last night or the kiss or—”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what last night was, and I don’t know where we’re going or what you think or feel for me. And that is a conversation we’ll have another time. But,” she stared at me with love and pride in her eyes. “This is about business, and this is about my faith in you. I’ve got you, okay?”
“Thank you, Sadie. You’re the best best friend a guy could have.”
“I know,” she said with a grin.
I realized then just how much I loved her. She was the sort of woman that a man should have by his side for a lifetime. She was the sort of woman that a man would die for. I would die for her. And I would do anything to be with her. I didn’t want Sadie just as my best friend. I wanted her as my lover, I wanted her as my life partner. I finally understood what Beau and Austin felt for Olivia and Lucy. I finally understood what my mom and dad felt for each other. I finally understood how all-consuming love was. And it scared me.
But it didn’t scare me so much that it made me want to run. It scared me so much because I was scared that I would lose her. I was scared that some other guy would come along and snatch her away from me. And I realized that that had been my fear all along. I’d been jealous. I’d been jealous of the men she was meeting in Idaho. I’d been jealous when Shane Wakefield showed interest in her, and I’d been jealous when I’d seen her with the Olivio brothers, scared that they would sweep her off her feet and whisper sweet nothings into her ear because I didn’t want her to be with anyone else.
And I realized that my family had known that all along. All along, the whispers and the murmurs had been true. I was in love with Sadie Johnson and I wanted her more than words could say and as soon as the auction was over I was going to tell her.
“Are you sure about this, Sadie?” I said as I raised my paddle. The bid was now at two hundred thousand. I hadn’t bid on any of the other horses yet.
“I’m sure,” she nodded quickly.
Two hundred thousand to number 0148,” the auctioneer said. I watched as my competitor put up his paddle. “And what do we have here? Two-twenty-fice to number 01132.” I looked back at Sadie.
“Go up,” she said. “Go to $250,000.”
“That’s a lot of money, Sadie. That would be $100,000 you’re putting in.”
“I’ve got it,” she said, “I’ll put it in.”
I lifted up my paddle again. “$250,000,” I said. The auctioneer looked at me and then looked around the room and everything seemed to go in slow motion as he raised his gavel and slammed it back down again.
“Sold!” He pointed to me and a man rushed up to me to grab my information.
“I just bought a horse.” I stared at Sadie in shock. “I just bought a horse. Prince Waterman is mine!” I shouted. Sadie reached and grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. We were jumping up and down with happiness and I couldn’t believe it. “Oh my God, Sadie, what did I just do? I just bought a horse but I only bought one horse. What am I going to tell everyone?”
“All you need is one,” she said softly. “All you need is one winner.”
“Yeah, but I wanted more than one just in—”
“Don’t doubt yourself. You knew as soon as you saw him that he was the one for you, right?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“So then he’s the one. I have faith. This is your winner.”
“Thank you, Sadie. Thank you.”