Touch by Touch (Riggins Brothers #4) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,6

she can figure it out.”

“Conrad Riggins.” My name rolls off her tongue in her “mom” voice, and I know I’m going to be leaving for the mountains tomorrow.

“I guess I need to get off here and start packing.”

“Thank you, son.” The relief in her voice is palpable, which tells me she really was worried about Aspen staying at the cabin all alone. To be honest, her staying there alone is probably not the best idea, and spending time with the youngest Steele sister won’t be the worst thing. She’s sexy as hell, and she’s fun to be around.

“Both of those girls are family,” Mom adds.

“Is there anything specific that I need to do while I’m there?” I ask as I stand to toss my empty beer bottle in the trash and swap out the laundry.

“No. Just be there to help her. She’s coordinating the schedule of the decorators and caterers, and while I don’t think there will be much to do, I’d feel better knowing she’s not staying in that big old cabin by herself all week.”

“Sure, thing. I’ll call Royce and let him know.”

“Thank you, Conrad. Stop by the house, and I’ll pack you up some snacks for the road. In fact, just come here for breakfast. I’m sure you’ll want to get an early start.”

“So no Sunday dinner?” I sound like a whiney child, even to my own ears. I love Sunday dinners with the family and getting time with my nephew, Carter. I also enjoy getting my brothers riled up with pretending to hit on their wives. Good times I tell you.

“I’ll be sure to make it worth your while,” she assures me.

“All right, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Love you, Con.”

“Love you too, Mom.” I end the call and call my brother back. “Royce,” I say when he answers.

“What did she rope you into?”

“Well, she wants me to leave for the cabin early. She’s worried about Aspen being up there all alone.”

“Hmm, not a bad plan, really. I’m sure that will make Aurora feel better to know you’re going to be there too.”

“She wants me to leave tomorrow since that’s when Aspen is leaving.”

“Anything I need to handle for you this week at the office?”

“Nah, I had an easy week. I’ll take my laptop and can work remotely if needed. I’ll be able to keep up on emails and anything else that arises from the cabin.” Now that I think about it, this is going to be nice. A few days away from the office sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

“All right, brother. I guess I’ll see you later this week.”

“See you then.” I end the call, and even though I want another beer, I pass instead and detour to my bedroom to start packing.

“I’ll be sure to bring your suit,” Mom tells me. “Oh, and here.” She hands me a cooler.

“What’s this?”

“Snacks for the trip as promised. There’s another one in the back seat. I had Dad load it when you got here.”

“How did I miss that?” I ask with a shake of my head. This woman never ceases to amaze me.

“I have my ways. If there is anything you forgot, just call me, and I’ll make sure to bring it with us on Wednesday.”

“I think I’m good but will let you know.” I pull her into a hug and kiss her cheek. “See you in a few days.” With a handshake for Dad and another hug from Mom, I’m pulling out of their driveway for my impromptu road trip.

The sky is gray, and from the looks of it, it could bring a winter storm. I’m kicking myself in the ass for not driving my truck. The weather wasn’t even a factor, and it should have been.

“Perfect. Here comes the snow,” I murmur to myself a little more than three hours into the trip. Huge flakes are falling from the sky, and from the temperatures and the size, I know it’s going to stick. I just hope I can make it to the cabin before the roads are too treacherous to drive on.

“Damn.” In a matter of minutes, I’ve driven into an all-out snowstorm. Both hands grip the wheel so tightly my knuckles are white. Reaching over, I turn down the radio and can’t help but laugh. My mom used to do the same thing when I was a kid like it was going to make her a better driver or something. We would always give her a hard time, and here I am