Weekend With Her Bachelor (Bachelor Auction Returns Book 4) by Jeannie Moon

that to the crazed patient I wrestled to the floor this morning.”
    “Stubborn stallion kicked and tried to bite me today.”
    “Yeah, me too.” Gavin stood and grabbed a book he’d been reading.
    “What? Are you shittin’ me?”
    “Nope. Wouldn’t think of it.” He looked back at his brother, who’d flipped on ESPN. “Are we done with the pissing contest?”
    Nodding, his brother asked another question. “Where are you going with Ally? Some ranch resort or whatever the hell it is.”
    Gavin sat on the arm of the sofa. “It’s called Whispering River Ranch. Hundreds of acres. It looks nice.”
    His brother took out his phone, and after a little searching came up with the destination. “Damn, this place is more than nice. Even the tents have big bathrooms.”
    “Yeah. I think we’re staying in one of those big tents. She said they have sofa beds so we won’t have to… ah… share.”
    “Well that’s a damn shame.”
    “What are you driving at, Danny? I’m too fucking tired to play your mind games.”
    “Look…” Dan stood, walking to the window at the front of the apartment. He looked out, all while exacting a posture only a real cowboy could pull off. “You and Ally have been headed down this road for a long time. The two of you should be together. Why you’re fighting it, I don’t know, but the woman is smart, funny, and gorgeous. What’s going on?”
    “I don’t know.” Gavin ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I don’t want to mess up a good thing.” That was a lie. What they had going on wasn’t good. It was torture.
    “Right. You’re scared.”
    “Scared? No.”
    “Sure you are, and you should be.”
    “Really. And you have all this relationship experience? I don’t think you’ve had a steady girlfriend since you were in seventh grade.”
    Dan leaned back with a shit-eatin’ grin on his face. “Yeah. Pam Belton. She let me kiss her after the Valentine’s Dance. Told me I got lucky.”
    “I guess when you’re twelve…” Gavin chuckled, wishing things were that simple. Silence settled between them, awkward and telling. “Women.”
    “She’s got you hogtied already, doesn’t she?”
    “You have no idea. I don’t get affected like this. Not since I was in my teens.”
    “You mean since the last time Ally was around?”
    Yeah, that’s exactly what he meant, but he wasn’t going into it any further. “Help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen. I’ll see you before you leave.”
    *
    Later, stretched out on his bed, Gavin picked up his phone and sent a text to Ally.
    See you in a couple of days.
    The response was almost instant. Looking forward to it. Let me know when you’re on your way.
    How are you holding up after today? His thumb hovered over the screen. He really hesitated before finally pressing send.
    Not so instant this time. He waited. And waited. When she didn’t answer, he figured he’d pissed her off, or embarrassed her. Or both.
    Then his phone buzzed in his hand.
    Ally. She was calling.
    “Hey.”
    “Hi,” she said, her voice barely there. “It’s not too late, is it?”
    “No. Are you alright?”
    “How did you hear? I mean, I figured you would, but…”
    In his mind, Gavin tried to picture what happened in the diner. Unfortunately, he kept seeing Ally’s blissful expression after their kiss the week before. “My brother is here. He filled me in.”
    “Great.”
    “Don’t let it get to you. There’ll be something new for everyone to latch onto in a couple of days.” It was true, but Gavin knew no one would ever forget it. The story would be around for ages.
    “It was humiliating. It was bad enough it was so public, but that my mother thinks that I’m, I don’t know, hard up, is the worst.”
    “I’m sure she doesn’t think that.”
    “Yeah, she does. I know her heart is in the right place, but oh, my God. The place went into shock when she said ‘ you need sex .’”
    He laughed, even though he was trying hard not