Rescuing Harmony Ranch by Jennie Marts

Author:Jennie Marts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Published: 2020-11-24T18:38:51+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Jocelyn read the name next to the exorbitant bid again. Clyde Barrow.

The name had a familiar ring to it, but she couldn’t place it. He must have been a local, or maybe a friend of her grandma’s.

The sign-up was across from the general store, and she nonchalantly wandered over and climbed the steps of the store’s porch while still keeping an eye on the board. There were only a few minutes left before the auction closed, so if Mack was going to outbid this Clyde person, he’d have to hurry.

The minutes ticked by and a few bidders raced to the board to get in a last-minute bid, but Mack was nowhere to be seen as a volunteer walked up and tacked an “Auction Closed” sign at the top of the board.

Jocelyn tried to conceal her disappointment as she made her way to her picnic site. Although really, Clyde was the one who was about to be disappointed. He’d shelled out fifty dollars for a simple lunch of sandwiches and the pleasure of her mediocre company.

She’d been sure Mack would get her clues.

At least I won’t be eating alone, she thought, as she approached her picnic blanket. And whoever this Clyde guy was, he’d made a good donation to help the festival and her grandmother. Maybe he was a friend of Gram’s and had just put his name and his money on the only page that didn’t have any bids. That would make sense.

Due to the heat, the participants had been given the option to pack their lunches in coolers and store them in a small covered area next to the Boxed Social grid. Jocelyn pasted on a smile and waded into the frenzy of excited picnic creators who were laughing and chatting happily about all the bids their sites had received. She grabbed her cooler and made her escape as quickly as she could.

Her mystery donor must still be paying for the lunch, because her site was empty. Or so she’d thought. When she sat down, she found a thin white box, tied with a pink ribbon, tucked in between the jar of lilacs and the pail.

As she lifted the box into her lap, she peered around her. Who had left it?

She opened the lid—and let out a gasp. Then she smiled, admiring the gorgeous iron-forged long-stemmed rose inside. Taped to the stem was a note that read, “For Bonnie, my favorite partner in crime.”

Clyde Barrow. The name came back to her now. Her grandfather had always teased her and Mack when they were younger, calling them Bonnie and Clyde when they got caught after causing trouble or cooking up some crazy new scheme.

A shadow fell across the blanket. She beamed up at the talented blacksmith who’d crafted her this beautiful rose. He dropped onto the blanket next to her, and she playfully swatted his leg. “Very clever. You really had me going.”

“What? I thought you’d figure it out easy.”

She shook her head. “I totally should have. My brain must be on overdrive.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.