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

to. “Was the shock more, less, or equal to when I kissed you?”
    He thought he heard a little sigh from her end, and that made him stupidly happy. Shit. He really hated when his brother was right.
    “I don’t know. Probably about equal. With you it was show , with Mom it was tell .”
    “Getting away won’t be a bad thing, I guess.”
    “No. And then I’m going home, so…”
    Right. Seattle was home. That was a huge difference between them. No matter where he was, Marietta was always home. That wasn’t Ally’s reality. “I’ll see you in a few days. Let me know when you arrive at the ranch Thursday, okay?”
    “Oh, yeah. Okay,” she replied.
    “Good.” He was at a loss for what to say. His male brain failing him. “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?” Damn. Why did he ask that?
    “Nothing much. I was going to make some phone calls, hang out with my four-legged friends. Pack.”
    “I’m working, but not until ten at night. You want to drive up and meet some new four-legged friends?”
    “Um. What do you have in mind?” She wasn’t going to say yes. The drive was long, and she was going to see him in a couple of days, but he was in it now, so he had to explain.
    “I have a friend from college who lives out here. He’s a large animal vet. He has a stable full of horses and I go out to his place once a week or so and ride the trails.”
    “Oh, well—”
    “I know it’s a long drive, but I thought it could be a good distraction. Something to do. We can get our story straight.”
    She was quiet for a minute, and Gavin wondered what the hell he’d just stepped in.
    “That sounds like fun,” she said. “What time should I be there?”
    “Um, is the morning okay? I’ll take you for lunch after, and then I can get some sleep before heading to work.”
    “Text me the address and I’ll plan to be there by ten?” She actually sounded like she was looking forward to it.
    “Sounds good.” He had a lot of planning to do. “I’ll see you then.”
    “Good night, Gavin.”
    “Night, Ally.”
    The call ended and Gavin had to face one truth. Seeing her again had changed him. He’d been content being on his own, but now, she was in his head all the damn time. Thoughts of her consumed him. His brother was right about one thing; he was fucking scared of everything Ally represented.
    Maybe it was time for him to get over it.
    *
    Thankfully, the ranch Gavin told her about wasn’t hard to find. Ally didn’t travel to Bozeman too often, generally making trips with her parents if they had business in the city. When she pulled in the parking area after traveling down a long, dirt driveway, Gavin was already waiting for her.
    She knew he had a medical degree. But leaning hip shot into his truck, he was all cowboy. From his scuffed up boots, to his Wrangler jeans, to the well-worn hat on his head, this was a country boy through and through.
    Ally had really missed country boys.
    As her truck pulled in next to his, he was right there to open the door—and, surprisingly, pull her into his arms.
    “Hey there, beautiful.” He kissed her gently on the cheek. “How was your ride?”
    “Fine, no traffic, the weather’s great. I couldn’t have asked for an easier trip.” Ally grabbed a pair of boots from the backseat. “Tell me about the horses.”
    Gavin smiled. Why-oh-why did he have to do that? Then he took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, he made her blush, made her ache. What was the man up to? This weekend could go in so many directions. All Ally hoped was that they would have a good time together. That they could leave the baggage behind, and even if they couldn’t be lovers, maybe, just maybe, they could be friends again.
    But what if there was more? What if they slept together? What if they found a way to be together? What would she do then? There were so many questions running through Ally’s head, she often found herself going around in circles. She’d talked to Lisa about it, and her