Five Golden Rings by Sophie Barnes

Author:Sophie Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

GINNY WAS IN a stunned stupor as the remaining items were auctioned off. Her plan had been simple enough, but at some point, something had gone horribly wrong. She still couldn’t believe it. Alfred had done his part, God bless him, and yet, Phin had stopped bidding so that someone else had gotten Millie’s wares. Ginny knew Millie enough to know that she’d be hearing about that for the next few weeks to come. Millie wanted a husband, but not someone like Steely Jack, who was always three sheets to the wind and was missing several teeth, besides the fact that he was in his late forties. And then, as if her failure were not enough to contend with, she’d been thrown for a loop when, suddenly she was being included in the auction. Without her knowledge, she was entered to provide three sessions to paint a free portrait. When it was being announced, she turned to her father. He beamed at her. Ginny had dabbled with sketches and occasionally paints when she could get her hands on them, but she was nowhere near being accomplished enough to take someone’s likeness and make it a portrait.

Her confusion became horror when none other than Phin Baldwin outbid everyone else for the sessions and portrait. The pastor brought the event to a close, giving her special thanks and a prayer for organizing the event. Then he gave people leave to go by the tables for refreshments before going home.

She swallowed audibly as she saw Phin walk toward her. She saw the devilish gleam in his eye and immediately knew that Alfred had sold her out. She couldn’t blame the boy; he was no match for this sandy-haired heathen.

“You and I need to talk.”

She looked to her father for help. The traitor only smiled and walked away to speak with acquaintances.

They both waited while a few citizens came over to praise Ginny for her involvement in the event and to gush about the prizes and who’d taken them home. When they were alone, Phin took her by the elbow and steered her to a secluded spot by the church’s back door, used by the pastor to enter from his garden in the back.

Phin would have taken Ginny somewhere where they could be completely alone if it were not improper to do so. He was upset and, quite frankly, confused by her, but he couldn’t do that to her, or to himself.

He expected her to be ashamed. Therefore, his confusion was compounded by surprise when she lashed out at him the moment they obtained a degree of privacy. She yanked her arm out of his grasp, and hissed, “What were you thinking, bidding for me?”

He stared at her for a good five seconds before he found his tongue. He had to play this just right, though, because when he was around her, he suddenly forgot his cool, not to mention his manners.

“Miss Overton, Ginny if I may?”

“You may not.”

“As I was saying, Ginny, first, I did not bid on you per se.

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