Weekend With Her Bachelor (Bachelor Auction Returns Book 4) (6 page)

Ally hadn’t been on a horse since the last time she was home, over six months ago. She’d missed that, too. The time she spent grooming and riding were a natural mood elevator. Just being around the farm helped settled her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why she’d gone to live in a large city.

“Is he really that different?” Mom had joined her on the porch, taking up the position beside her.

Ally smiled. Her mother, who was a petite brunette, always called her taller daughter a Celtic warrior. The problem was Ally never felt like a warrior. Nah. She was much more wimp than warrior. Gavin made her even more unsure of herself. “He is different, something has affected him, changed him. But I still can see his compassion. He cares about people, you know? The way he hugged Mrs. D, and Coach. He really cares.”

Her mother hesitated, then sat in one of the wicker chairs they kept on the porch. “Did you know Gavin was the attending physician in the Emergency Room when Troy was brought in?”

“What? No. I didn’t.” Ally couldn’t imagine what Gavin had gone through. All the guys on the team loved that kid. Troy was like a little brother.

“He met the LifeFlight. Was there with Troy’s mother when the boy was declared dead. Gavin did everything he could. The whole trauma team did. But it wasn’t enough.”

Ally’s heart was breaking for Gavin. Knowing the kind of person he was, she could only imagine what he was going through. “My God. What a nightmare.”

“I just thought a little perspective would help you.”

Maybe not help, but she understood better, and that was a plus. It was possible that the wedding, and the time away, would be good for him. Ally considered that Gavin might need a little push, and she had every intention of giving it to him.

*

Gavin arrived at
the diner right around noon, and as soon as he walked in the door and the different food aromas hit him, he realized how much he was craving a burger with crispy fries. Scanning the room, he saw the back of Ally’s curly red head in a booth at the far side of the restaurant.

He waved to Paige Joffe, the owner of the diner, and made his way to where Ally was sitting. She’d been on his mind since last night, including a dream that had them in a bed, hot, sweaty, and very naked. It was so real he could still feel her.

Not a great thing to have on his mind when he had to have lunch with the woman. If he was honest with himself, dread aside, he’d been looking forward to it. He was curious about the destination wedding she was planning, and put simply, he liked having her around again.

They’d had minimal contact after the auction, just a conversation, but for the first time in over a year, he felt a spark. Something snapped inside of him, and he thought about going on that date rather than holing up in his office with journals and medical texts on traumatic brain injuries.

As he got closer, he heard her voice; she was on the phone with someone, and there were binders and planners open all over the table. It looked like controlled chaos. Lapsing in and out of French, Ally was muttering something about the menu under her breath and he figured she was planning a wedding in France. Master of the obvious.

When she slammed the flat of her hand on the table and startled everyone in the place, Gavin realized this was crisis management, not chaos. “Gustav!” she shouted. “Écoute-moi! J’ai besoin de savoir si la pâtisserie peut faire un gâteau sans gluten.” She breathed out. “
Non, non
. Of course I’m not joking. I know a gluten-free cake from a famous French bakery is somewhat
unusual.
” She paused, and Gavin could hear Gustav yelling at her. He couldn’t discern the language, but it wasn’t pleasant. “No?… The answer is no… Okay. Okay, fine…
Oui
. I’ve got it. No.”

She pressed the screen on her phone, disconnecting her call, and tossed it on the table. “Dammit. I wish I knew how to say asshole in French.”

She was muttering to herself, and Gavin found her really appealing at that moment. Angry and exasperated, she was ridiculously attractive. He slid into the bench facing her and smiled.

“That sounded intense.”

“Hi. Yeah, it was. I’m so pissed—at the vendor
and
at the dopey bride and groom. You want to have an artisanal, organic, gluten-free, dairy-sensitive, fat-free, farm-raised pescatarian reception? Don’t pick the food capital of the world as your location, and then insist on
one
particular bakery, run by an elderly French couple who think flour and butter rule the world, to make your wedding cake.”

“I guess that wouldn’t be the best idea. Where were you going to have your wedding?”

The question obviously shocked her, but he had to know the answer if they were going to fool her friends at the wedding in two weeks. If he was going in as her boyfriend, he had to know everything about her. Even about her breakup.

“Oh, uh… that was out of the blue.”

Obviously painful, he found he wanted to punch the idiot who hurt her. Yeah, just like old times. “Yep. Give it up.”

She let out a long breath. “We’d planned a beautiful reception on Orcas Island, in the northwest corner of Washington. The location is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen.”

“And he just decided he didn’t want to be married?”

“I don’t know about that. He decided he didn’t want to marry me.”

Ouch.

“He’d been cheating on me. I told you that.”

“He’s an idiot, then?”

Taking a sip of her coffee, she grinned. “I think I used more colorful language than that.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Let me clean up this mess. I didn’t expect to get stuck on a call.” She started closing books and stuffing papers back into her briefcase. Based on what he saw, her business was complicated.

“Is it just you, or do you have employees?”

“I have two other event planners. One handles weddings and the other does different kinds of events, corporate gatherings, smaller intimate parties. I also have three administrative assistants and a lot of people who work on contract, so managing all that can get a little crazy.”

“And you still plan weddings?”

“The bigger or more expensive ones, yes. Which is why I end up with these ridiculous requests.”

“It’s impressive. Do you like your work?”

“I do.” She nodded, and he could see in her eyes she meant it. “It was hard after my own wedding was cancelled. It made a little sidebar in one of the newspapers since Lars is a very big deal on the social circuit.”

“What does he do?”

“Hedge fund manager. He makes the rich tech guys in Seattle even richer. The only reason he agreed to the smaller venue on Orcas was because it looked more exclusive. Otherwise the guest list would have topped three hundred.”

That did not sound like her kind of guy. Ally was all about feelings and sentimentality. This guy sounded like a pretentious ass. “How did he end up with Yoga Girl?”

“He’s gotten into the whole inner peace thing. I mean, I like to relax as much as anyone, but he said I threw off his aura or something. I’m too intense. I don’t know. Apparently Jasmina centers him.”

“Centers him?” The guy sounded like a complete nutcase. “Does he really practice the lifestyle or is this all for show?”

“What do you think?” she asked. Picking up a pen, she started flipping it between her fingers. “I deal with so much on my own. I’m not incompetent or helpless. I run a business that does very well, I bought my own place. I have investments. I have friends. But I don’t want to face this by myself.” She looked away, thinking, before looking him straight in the eyes. “I bid on you because I know you.”

“I’m not the teenager you blew off, Ally.”

“I know. But you’re a good guy, Gavin.” She shifted in her seat. “Lars always dumped on my small town upbringing. He said he didn’t know how I came out of Marietta with a shred of sophistication. I guess I thought someone from home, like you, could show him he’s wrong.”

In a strange way, he was flattered. On the other hand, she was looking for someone who fit the profile. “If I said I didn’t want to go, you wouldn’t push it?”

More than likely, he was going to go with her. But he wanted to see how she’d react to a possible no. That would tell him if they could make this work.

“Hmm. I was thinking about that, and I’ve decided I’m going to hold you to your agreement for a date.”

He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. This was a complete turn around from last night, and he was more than a little pissed off. “Are you serious?”

“Completely.
Your wish is my command…
” Ally folded her hands neatly in front of her after quoting what he ‘offered’ in the auction program. “Well, my wish is for you to accompany me to the wedding. It will be fun.”

“For Christ’s sake! I didn’t write that, Rowan did. Take her to the wedding!” His voice boomed across the diner, causing heads to turn. Even Flo, the cook, poked her head out of the kitchen.

How had this happened? He’d have been better off making a big fat donation to the hospital fund rather than subject himself to this insanity. Between the four of them, he and his friends could have come up with the fifty thousand and none of them would have been going on these stupid dates.

“Are you done pouting, Gavin? Because I’d like to order lunch.”

Ally opened her menu and leveled her gaze at him. He was so pissed off, but all he could see was her gorgeous face—her creamy skin, lush mouth and large round eyes which were surrounded by feathery dark lashes, clouded his brain.

But damn if she didn’t push every fucking button. He was probably going to go with her, but he didn’t like that she was forcing the issue. He was owed a piece of the decision making process considering their history.

Rising and sliding into her side of the booth, Gavin crowded her into the corner. She was no longer the heavier version of herself, but Ally possessed real-woman curves. Curves he’d dreamed about pressing into a mattress, and touching until she screamed his name.

“If you’re going to push this, Ally, I want you to think about what it could mean.”

“What are you doing?”

“Letting you know what you’re up against.” Running his fingers into the soft, spicy waves of her hair, Gavin cradled her head and kissed her.

Knowing the kiss was almost as big a mistake as the trip, Gavin wanted Ally to feel what they were up against. Five days alone at a romantic mountain ranch meant trouble. And neither of them could afford the trouble it would bring. He lived in Montana, she lived in Seattle. They were oil and water, and their history made them prime candidates for an emotional train wreck. The more he touched her, felt her, caught her scent, the more Gavin knew being alone with her was a bad, bad idea.

He had to show her because she didn’t understand. Moving his mouth over her lips, creating the slightest bit of friction, Gavin sipped and teased until the first little sigh escaped on Ally’s breath. Once her eyes drifted shut, she was all in.

That’s when he knew they were both in trouble, because stopping didn’t even occur to him. He continued to press his mouth to hers, pushing for more, and her response was to open her lips slightly until the tip of her tongue touched his.
Jesus.
Heat shot through him, making him hard immediately. Wanting her so much he hurt from it, Gavin pulled back.

A
lly’s eyes fluttered
open and it took her a second to regain her senses. Gavin just stared into her perfect face. God, she was pretty. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were puffy, swollen, from the kiss. Sucking in a sharp breath, he saw her lip start to tremble.

For a second he thought she was going to cry, and he was ready to apologize, but then from deep in her throat she hissed.

“Let me out of this booth.”

“What?”

She shoved him. Hard. “MOVE. Let me out!”

“Ally, now do you understand? You and me together? I thought we could handle it, but we can’t.” He rose from the seat as she frantically gathered her things.

“Are you kidding me, Gavin?” She stood and when he reached out, she slapped his hand away. “Are you saying you kissed me to prove a point?”

“You’re making a scene,” he said firmly.

The flush started in her neck and rose through her face. Her eyes were blazing. Damn, she was furious. “I’m making a scene? I don’t even know how to respond to such stupidity. YOU made the scene. You.”

She turned and marched toward the door, her hair flying, and her steps long and fierce. Every person in the place was dead silent, shifting their gaze from her to him and then back. He’d never been so uncomfortable. This story was going to be told in town for years.

“Ally,” he called out, pointing his finger at her for emphasis. “I’m right, and you know it.”

He was so out of his league with her it wasn’t even funny, but here he was, still trying to be
the guy
. To be right no matter what.

Asshole.

She spun towards him, and for a second he really thought she was going to let an f-bomb or two fly. But she maintained her composure, at least somewhat, and kept her response PG. “Go to hell, Gavin.”