Page 16 of The Bull Rider & the Wedding Planner

Cassie’s spine stiffened. She wanted to cuss the woman. Her angelic Presley was notbaggage. Ooh, she despised that woman.

“Trudy.” Easton’s voice was low, dangerous, and a warning.

The woman stiffened and looked away.

Trying to take the higher road since they were in church, Cassie said evenly, “Presley, we need to go.”

“No go, Mama. Me love my Easton.”

Cassie gritted her teeth as Easton grinned and his feminineadmirers cooed and giggled. She didn’t want to go for stern demands at the moment. Bribery it was. “I’m making pancakes with butter syrup for brunch, but only if we leave right now.”

Presley thankfully leaped into her arms. “I love me butter syrup and my mama,” she exclaimed, hugging Cassie around the neck.

“Bribery,” Easton complained. “You’re low-key snatching my Presley.”

Cassie gave him a sassy look that she hadn’t used on anyone since him. “Don’t mess with the mama.”

He chuckled low and deep. “Oh, I plan on ‘messing with the Mama’.”

Cassie sucked in a breath, as did most of his flock of girls. What did he mean by that? He planned on giving her a hard time, breaking her heart, singing to her, or following through with his enticing words of ‘hold that thought’ when he’d almost kissed her that first night?

“Easton Coleville.” Pastor Heath placed a hand on Easton’s shoulder. “Do you have a moment?”

“Of course, Pastor Heath. Anything for my favorite almost-exalted brother.” Easton gave Pastor Heath his winning smile and his admirers sighed.

Easton turned with the pastor but gave Cassie a look over his shoulder. “Don’t leave without me, beautiful.”

“Watch me.”

He smirked at her, winked, and strutted away with the pastor.

She watched him go. Along with all his groupies.

The women all turned to her as a group.

Cassie managed a smile, not looking at Trudy. “Excuse us.”

“You keep your paws off of Easton,” Trudyflung at her. The rest of the girls, besides Trudy’s friend Sally, all edged away from her, looking embarrassed.

“You don’t have to worry about me going after Easton, Trudy Everett. He and I are past history. Maybe youshouldworry about the fact that you’ve been pining over him since we were teenagers and he’s never looked twice at you.”

“Oh, he’s looked twice at me. We get a weekly make out session in.” Trudy looked smug.

Cassie wanted to hurl. She was sixty percent certain the woman was lying, but the forty percent worried her.

“You’re gross,” Presley said to Trudy. “You stay away from my Easton.”

Trudy blinked at her daughter, clearly not sure if she dared fling insults at a four-year-old.

Cassie took that as an opportunity to go. She spun and hurried down the aisle. The faster she got out of here, the better. Trudy Everett made her blood boil. Would Easton really make out with such a catty brat? Most likely. He probably kissed every woman who looked his direction. Ugh.

Thank heavens for the pastor’s interruption. She hoped he gave Easton the what-for. Maybe he’d overheard Easton’s last line and thought it was too suggestive. Maybe he was going to assign Easton to deep-clean the church’s restrooms and humble the handsome charmer a bit. Sadly for her, she was drawn to his cocky confidence, just like every other woman in the world.

Cassie walked into the frigid December late morning. She greeted some old friends and introduced Presley, anxious to get her daughter in the car and get out of here before Easton could emerge from his meeting. Why was he so intent on bothering her when he had a gaggle of interested females just waiting for him?

Finally, Presley had reminded her of the butter syrup enough times that she could make their excuses and head for Lily’s cabin. They’d have it to themselves. She could make pancakes and syrup. They could eat, read stories, and maybe take a Sunday nap. It would be blissful to relax with her daughter, and not think about Easton for one blasted moment.

She buckled Presley into her car seat, straightened out of the car, and ran into the chest of one Easton Coleville.

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