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

friend was of the opinion that Ally was thinking too much, and that she should just see what happened.
    The problem was Ally was a planner. That was the reason she got into the business she did. She liked planning. She liked knowing how things were going to go. She liked order over chaos.
    But no matter how hard she tried, it seemed whenever her heart got involved, chaos took over.
    “This here is Pete.” Gavin stroked the nose of a good size bay horse. A rich brown with a black mane and tail, he had kind eyes, and what looked to be a good sturdy back. He was already tacked up, and waiting for her.
    Patting the horse’s neck, Ally could feel the animal’s gentleness. He was a good boy. “Hey, Pete. You ready to take a ride?”
    Offering his hands, Gavin gave Ally a leg up into the saddle. Once she’d settled herself, and adjusted her stirrups and reins, she leaned over and gave Pete, who hadn’t moved an inch, a pat and a hug.
    Gavin trotted up beside her on a large, liver-colored chestnut, who answered to the name of Rio. “So, you want to give these two boys a workout?”
    Ally wanted to give Gavin a workout. No doubt about that. Placing her straw Stetson square on her head, Ally grinned. “This is your neighborhood, show me around, Doc.”
    “All right then. Let’s get on with this.”
    *
    Gavin had forgotten how deft Ally was on the back of a horse. For all the times she claimed she wasn’t athletic, he would then see her climb on the back of a difficult mount and proceed to race barrels or jump fences. It didn’t matter what it was; if Ally had a horse underneath her, she could do it all. Today was no different. They’d gone into the foothills of the mountains, with rocky trails and endless turns, and enjoyed watching her have such a good time. He was glad he’d asked her to come up.
    They came to a clearing, a true grassy meadow with wild flowers blooming, and dismounted. He watched Ally stand completely still and look out at the acres and acres in front of her. She took a deep breath, like she was trying to remember, absorbing all the feelings that she only got when she was home. Gavin still had a hard time seeing Ally in the city. He had a hard time seeing her with a guy like Lars. He had a hard time thinking about her anywhere but here. With him.
    Each of them held the horses’ reins and their free hands reached for each other.
    He was unbelievably screwed, unless he could find a way to make her want to stay.
    Fortunately, Gavin had thought ahead enough that he brought a blanket to spread out on the grass. Once he did, Ally twisted herself down into a sitting position and then lay back, gazing at the ever-changing sky. “Do you ever look up? I mean, look at all the formations. There are so many things we don’t know about yet. In some ways, the clouds we see are mysteries.”
    “You think way too much this early in the morning.” But he looked up too. “I’m still on my first cup of coffee.”
    “Seriously?” she asked. “How can you be in such a high-stress, sleep-deprived, profession and not be mainlining caffeine?”
    “I dunno. Maybe I don’t want to die of a heart attack.”
    “Pssht. Details, details.”
    Leaning back, and propping himself up on his elbows, he took her all in. He wondered if she would bolt if he kissed her, if she knew how much he wanted to make love to her. “Any last-minute details to tell me about the wedding?”
    “No, I don’t think so. The team at the resort has been great; they keep me posted with everything they’re doing. I almost feel redundant.”
    “Don’t let your client hear that.”
    Turning on her side and facing him, Ally reached out and stroked a lock of hair from his face. Gavin wondered what was going through her mind. Was it just an absent gesture, something friendly, or something more intimate? He couldn’t tell.
    “Have you recovered from yesterday?”
    Seeing how she cringed, almost gritting her teeth, Gavin hated that Ally was still