Page 41 of Georgia-Blue & Hudson

She waves me off. “They’re treating me just fine, of course.”

My hand moves to my hip as I zone in on my sweet little cousin. She really is such a darling and does so much over at Horse Shoe Ranch. It’s good to see her out and about as she doesn’t get out much.

Her eyes momentarily divert across the bar and then flick down as a flush crosses her cheeks. She’s enjoying something, and it certainly isn’t me.

I follow her gaze and a second later, I’m surprisingly met with the all too knowing grin of Easton, smiling on over at her with his blonde shaggy hair in his eyes. He salutes me with his beer when he sees me look over there too.

Do not tell me…

Looking away, I tug Trudy’s elbow as she presses her lips together and looks down at the bar.

“Trudes, don’t even say it?—”

“What?” I can’t tell if her azure eyes are feigning innocence or not. It’s hard to tell because she is actually pretty innocent when it comes to guys. I narrow mine and hone in again. She was definitely smiling over at Easton… and as her employer, he should not be looking at her like that. I may have been out of the game a while, but when a guy is making eyes at your friend, or in this case, your innocent little cousin, you know it.

“Don’t give me that. Are you and Easton—?” I raise my eyebrows suggestively.

“What?” she cries, her hands flying up to her face. Her voice sounds like she has no idea what I’m suggesting but her body language is telling me otherwise.

I look back at Easton but he’s turned around and talking to Beau and Callan who have now joined him. I noticed his friend, Takoda, is nowhere in sight. Maybe he went back to Montana.

“You can feign innocence all you want, missy, but you and Easton looked like you were having a moment.”

“No way. It’s not like that, but he’s nice.”

I place my hand on her shoulder and give it a squeeze, then I give her a little shake.

“Don’t even go there. Easton is great and all, I mean, he’s Cece’s brother and he’s very cute, but he’s a wild card, little cuz.Seriously.” I know the guy has had more women than I’ve had hot dinners. Seeing Trudy being led up the garden path isn’t exactly something any of us want to see. I don’t think Easton is anywhere near being past sowing his wild oats. He got snapped up by one of Dolly Simpson’s posse at the charity auction last year but I’m not sure what happened after that. That’s when Eden kicked things off by winning her husband back, then Autumn bid on Beau to help him out from being lynched, this was all before they got hitched.

“I’m not, I wouldn’t!”

“You wouldn’t what?” says a voice behind us just as our drinks are being delivered.

We both whirl around to see Easton now standing right in front of us. Damn, that guy moves fast.

“Oh, hey, East.” Trudy smiles up at his large frame.

Yep, Trudy definitely has a thing for him. Even in the dim-lit light of the bar, I can see her blushing, and he makes a royal show of lapping it up and slinging an arm around her shoulder casually. “Hey, Trudes. What are you girls up to over here with so many drinks?”

The bartender has set all the glasses on a tray so I can carefully carry them over to the awaiting table where my girls are waiting.

“They aren’t all for us,” Trudy giggles.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I try to tug her away and back to the safely awaiting table, but she’s having none of it.

“Dance floor has just opened,” he says, giving her a waggle of his eyebrows. He’s too cool for school, no doubt about it. And I could see how Trudy could get a little caught up in the wild side of Easton. I’m about to step in when Celeste comes up behind us.

“Need a hand?” she asks.

“Sure, but I was telling Trudy here?—”

In two seconds flat, he’s grabbed her wrist and is coaxing her out to the dance floor over by the famous moose that’s about to be fired up. She’s laughing her head off and not one bit concerned about any of the warnings I just gave her.

I frown at Celeste. “I think your brother is getting fresh with Trudes.”

Cece follows my gaze to their retreating backs toward the dance floor. “What? No way.”

“Yes way. She couldn’t stop blushing and I’m fairly sure he was just making eyes at her across the bar.”

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