That was too much of a fucking hassle for me ever to want to deal with another time, and why I didn’t mind Denton not being able to purchase stock anymore.
"You about ready?" I asked the small, young woman next to me.
Even though I didn't turn to face her or cast a glance in her direction further than the one I made when I first saw her, I felt it when her eyes turned to me immediately.
Perhaps she assumed that in this male-dominated place, no one would take her seriously. However, until I got the chance to know her, it could only be an assumption—and that was something that I learned a long time ago could be much more dangerous than knowing the truth.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied in a nervous tone.
I smirked.
It was now becoming obvious that she was in a place she did not belong. That her façade on the outside was nothing more than just that.
She’ll be perfect.
"What are you looking for?" I inquired, as I finally glanced down at her. I figured the only way to put her at ease was to act like I gave a shit.
"Something strong. A quick learner that won't give me a headache and knows their place," she replied, glancing up at me.
I did everything I could not to roll my eyes.
She sounded like she had memorized some non-existent handbook. Either that or she was just spewing whatever she thought we wanted to hear.
A blush crept across her peach-colored skin when our eyes met. She faltered in the face of evil and hadn't even realized it.
"Troy Cahill," I introduced myself. I gave her a nod and tipped the brim of my cap as I tended to do whenever I made the acquaintance of someone new.
"Daisy Rowe," she stated with a nervous smile.
Daisy. She’s even named for a flower.
I tore my eyes away from hers, quickly taking the rest of her body in before I cleared my throat and turned my attention toward Denton.
Seemed he was close to losing his shit while he waited impatiently for everyone to quiet down.
I decided to give her a bit of advice as the rest of the bidders in the crowd continued their conversations.
It was something that I learned a long time ago when I attended my first corral.
"You've got to be fast when you see what you want, or else you'll be shit out of luck. And don’t be surprised if these fuckers try to outbid you just for the sport of it," I warned her as I nodded at the old fuck in the center of the ring.
"I'll do my best," she answered timidly as she pulled herself up on the bottom ring, then rested her body against the ring.
Strong—the very thing she wants.
"Can you all shut the fuck up so we can get going?" Denton finally boomed over the still murmuring crowd.
Daisy chuckled next to me, and I clenched my jaw. A quick learner—one of the things she values and can't seem to comprehend herself.
When she cleared her throat and pulled herself up to sit on the corral instead of just leaning on it, I stole a glance at her.
Perhaps she wanted a quick learner because she wasn’t one herself, but at least even she knew when it was time to finally shut her trap.
It took everyone else a few more moments to finally settle down, and when they did, they gathered around the corral as best as they could, being careful not to stand on top of each other. I’d seen more than enough fights over someone unintentionally bumping the other, and that was something that would end the bid wards before they even had a chance to start.
All of the men that gathered on these nights were bastards full of ill intent—and I was the best of them. Or the worst, depending on the point of view of whoever happened to be looking at the situation.
Definitely something only one of my flowers would have been able to answer, but one was gone. Running on the acreage I called home and the others were withered after having fully bloomed.
"Let the first one go," I informed Daisy wisely as I straightened up and waited for the livestock parade to begin. "The first one always goes for the highest price because these fucking idiots think they won't have a second chance."
"Even if it's what I want?" she inquired curiously.
"Especially if it's what you want. You can always trade for it later," I confirmed, glancing at her with a smile on my face. She studied my eyes for a brief moment before she began to chew her lower lip and let her eyes go back toward the center of the ring.
"Dang. I guess I've got a lot to learn," she admitted sheepishly.
The smile on my face slipped into something a little more sinister, and I had to turn my attention back toward Denton as well and do my best to focus the ever elusive first lot so that she wouldn't be able to see it.
"I can teach you if you're willing to learn," I offered, after some thought.
"That would be great!" she replied enthusiastically, garnering a dirty look from Denton.
One for her and one for me.
He always did like to stick his pudgy little nose up in the air whenever he saw me. Thought being the auctioneer made him some kind of hot shot.
One day, I’d teach him otherwise, but for now, it was best to let him believe it.
I nodded as he went to retrieve the first lot and narrowed my eyes.
The livestock was too thin, too afraid of what was happening around it, and I knew that even if I was enamored by the way it looked, I would have to pass.
Besides, it would have been breaking my own rule of bidding on the first lot and spending more than I wanted to, to begin with.
"Let's get out of here, Daisy Rowe," I proposed when the livestock started weeping at the multitude of numbers being called out. "Tonight isn't a good night for this shit, and I can start showing you how these get-togethers work back at my place."
I looked down at her and held a hand out. She hesitated for only a moment before she shrugged and took it, allowing me to help her off the corral gate.
"Thanks," she said softly as I led her away from the shouting of numbers, the weeping of the soon to be slaughtered, and the overall feeling of malice that was beginning to hang low over the crowd. "I think it's nice to have someone willing to help me."
I held the door open to my truck when we got there. After she climbed in, I closed it firmly behind her and walked around to the driver's side with a quick glance up at the starry sky.
It really is.
“No problem at all,” I replied as I put the keys in the ignition and brought the engine to live. Home would be the one place she’d learn to love—and the best part was that I wouldn’t have to break her down and start all over again.
Chapter Three
The drive back to my farm was a long one, but I had always been fond of the countryside. The sharp chirping of the crickets, the glow of the fireflies, the clearer the skies looked at night in the great wide-open always made me smile.
The only downfall had been when my fucking flowers needed to be disciplined or when I had to plant a new one to watch it flourish. Of course, that was what the barn was for, and while I always enjoyed my work, I never did give two fucks for the talkback or crying.
That wasn’t their place or position and I like to think that I had always been kind enough to earn the respect I felt I deserved. I bathed them regularly, fed them, gave them shelter—but they never could really understand what I really needed.