“Well, that’s better than a glass of wine to help me sleep.”

* * *

STARTLED, HE LAUGHED and hugged her. “That’s me. My cock is better than wine any day.”

She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You should put that on the cover of your next album.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE NEXT MORNING, Vaughan got the call that the custom-built Harley Softail he’d been excitedly waiting on was finally done and ready to be his. The girls were in school and Kelly had headed out for Portland half an hour before so he had the time.

But he needed someone to go along with him to drive his car back. He dialed Ezra.

“Hey, stranger,” Ezra replied as he picked up.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to disappear.”

“Are you moving forward? Things are good with you and Kelly?” His brother didn’t bother to rise to the bait and let Vaughan head down some guilt trip. Which, Vaughan supposed, was why Ezra had been his best friend since Vaughan had been old enough to crawl and toddle around following him.

“I have so much to tell you. The girls know about me and their mom. I moved into her bedroom last night. It’s not totally fixed, not by any stretch. But it’s going in a good direction. I wanted to see if you’d be available to go pick my Harley up. It’s ready. On the way over you can fill me in on your love life.”

“I wish I could. I’m leaving for a few days in the mountains. I have too much to get in place today to be gone that long. I’m sorry. We’ll hang out when I get back.”

“Mountains?”

“It’s with Tuesday. For her birthday. Nat and Paddy are going, as well.”

First, a stab of jealousy because he missed being around his brothers all the time. And then the realization all sorts of things were happening with Ezra and he was missing it came.

But not in greater measure than his happiness over this growing something special with Tuesday. Ezra deserved to be loved by someone amazing. “Ah, cool. Well, have a good time. But if you’re so busy, I’ll be over there within the hour to help. The girls are at school and then Kelly can get them from the bus stop. There’s a carnival tonight but that’s not until seven.”

“Don’t even think about it. Go get your bike. It’s a sunny day. Have a nice ride, help with dinner and go to the carnival. I don’t need you here. I’m working with Fletch.” John Fletcher was the foreman of the ranch. Though Ezra ran things and their father was still active, as well, Fletch had been with Sweet Hollow Ranch since pretty much the beginning. He knew it as well as Ezra did.

“I won’t keep you much longer because I know you’re busy. Birthday trip to the mountains with another couple sounds like you and Tuesday are doing well.”

“Yeah.”

Vaughan heard the smile in his brother’s tone.

“I like her. Kelly likes her, too. She talks to your girlfriend regularly. I dig that.”

“I was thinking yesterday that Tuesday really likes Kelly and pretty much that’s all it takes for Natalie to like Kelly. Mom sees that.”

Vaughan ran a hand through his hair. He had to deal with his mother. It needed to be face-to-face and the past two times he’d been at the ranch he hadn’t been able to catch up with her.

Time to stop farting around and just call her and arrange to have lunch or something.

He groaned. “I hope so. Regardless, I’m not going to be coming back to the ranch full-time. Not for the foreseeable future. I want to talk to Mom and get that past stuff about Kelly squared away before I let anyone know. So keep that one to yourself.”

“You don’t even need to ask that, asshole.”

Vaughan snorted a laugh. “I didn’t think you were going to take out an ad in the paper or anything. But you have a girlfriend now and she’s friends with my...uh...with Kelly.”

“Yeah, yeah, cone of silence about all this stuff with Kelly and Tuesday. I’ll call you when I get back from this trip. All right?”

“Cool. Have a good time and stop worrying about the ranch while you’re gone.”

“So everyone keeps telling me. Talk to you later.”

A long ride sounded really good. A way to maybe get some of his thoughts in order. Now that the weather was improving, he’d have a new bike to ride when their group did weekend trips in the summer and fall. He and his brothers had taken a few the year before with Adrian Brown and his brother Brody.

Maybe he’d get Kelly a bike, too, and they could ride together, just the two of them.

He called the car service he used sometimes for appearances and within the hour he was pulling his new bike up out front of Chameleon, Kelly’s boutique.

Kelly had to laugh at the way everyone froze, wide-eyed at the sight of Vaughan Hurley coming into the store.

He had a helmet tucked under his arm and as he gave Kelly a smile that set everything south of her belly button to riot, he pulled off his sunglasses and stalked her way.

“We need to go camping,” he said and then he kissed her.

Luckily it wasn’t one of his long, sexy kisses, but even that brush of his mouth against hers had made her tingly.

“Right now?”

He smiled at her, tapping one of her earrings, setting it swinging. “This summer. You, me and the girls.”

“You came all the way over here on a motorcycle I’ve never seen to tell me that?”

“I knew you saw me pull up.”