Page 32 of The Bull Rider & the Wedding Planner

An armful of snow fell on their heads.

“I got you, I got you,” Presley crowed.

Easton and Cassie both sputtered and laughed. He grabbed Presley and yanked her down into the snow, singing Logan Mize’s song, “You can’t get away from a good time”. The three of them rolled around and laughed and played until they were soaked even through their snow clothes.

They went in to get dry and have hot cocoa and roast beef sandwiches for lunch. Easton stared at Cassie over the top of his hot cocoa cup. This was not his normal day, far from it, and he loved every moment. Nobody else would believe that the confirmed playboy was hanging up his spurs, but he was dedicated to Cassie heart and soul. He always had been. Now to talk through the past six years of being apart.

After lunch, Presley needed to go down for a nap. Even though she protested loudly, she was tired and rubbing at her eyes.

“How about if I sing you songs?” Easton offered.

Cassie threw him a grateful look. He would sing for hours to get her to look at him like that. What had she gone through being a single mom? It sounded like her husband had been a nightmare the entire time. The opposite of a supporting and loving husband and father like Easton had grown up with.

Cassie had not grown up with a supportive and loving father, yet she was a devoted and loving mom and had succeeded at her career. She was impressive. He wanted to ease her load, and he wanted to make her his. The song from Parmalee played through his head: “Take my hand and make me yours”. He wished he could sing it to Cassie. Would she agree? It was fifty-fifty at this point. He needed to hold that song for the perfectmoment with her.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Presley cheered, clapping her dimpled hands together. “But my legs are p’sghetti and so I can’t walk up the stairs.” She ran to him, and he gathered her in his arms. They giggled together as he carried her up the stairs.

Cassie didn’t follow them. Did that mean she trusted him to get her daughter to sleep by himself? Of course she could trust him with her daughter.

He settled Presley into the bed, then sat on the edge and sang her song after song. He was a new man with Cassie and Presley, in the best possible way. Finally, her eyes drifted closed.

Creeping out of the room, he strode down the stairs. Cassie was at the table on her laptop. She looked up at him. “Thank you. You’re amazing with her.”

“She’s easy to be amazing with.” He settled down in the seat next to her. “Is there anything I can do to help with the weddings?”

“No.” She shook her head and focused on her laptop. “Honestly, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do for the weddings. I think it’s all ready to go.”

“I’m sure it’ll be incredible.” He held her gaze, then slowly pushed the laptop closed. “If there’s nothing you need to do right now, can we talk?” His voice pitched up with nerves. They had a lot of garbage between them to talk about. Sunday night, she’d thrust him away again. Her mom being killed and her needing him had softened her to being around him, but he wondered what would set her off. How could he show his devotion to her, no matter what they had to work through?

She twisted her hands together. “I don’t know, Easton. It’s … a lot.”

“I don’t want to push you when you’re upset about your mom.” He tried to be magnanimous when inside he was dyingfor answers. What had happened to make her cheat on him and push him away in the first place? What had happened in all those years they’d been apart? Was she still his sweet but sassy Cass? He prayed that she’d let down her guard. His entire future hinged on her letting him into her heart again.

“I’m not upset about my mom,” she admitted quietly, then drew in a breath. “Is that awful? I feel bad she’s dead and it makes me sick that she had a horrible death, thanks to my awful ex, but I’m more upset about Baxter coming here and somehow knowing I’m here. I can’t let him hurt Presley.”

He covered her hand with his. “He won’t get near Presley, and he won’t hurt you again.” He swallowed and then asked, “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“My marriage?”

He nodded. If he could get her talking, maybe he could get her to talk through everything he’d missed and everything that had pulled her away from him. If he didn’t know, how could he fix it?

She sprang to her feet and paced into the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet and getting ice and water from the fridge. He stood, watching and wondering if she would avoid him once again.

She drank some water, then paced around the kitchen. Finally she stopped, set the glass on the counter, and asked, “What do you want to know, Easton? That I made the biggest mistake of my life trusting Baxter? That he manipulated me and snow-jobbed me? That he comforted me after I lost you and I had nobody else? I was alone in a big city. I couldn’t come home. It was so lonely.” Her voice caught, and she fell silent.

Easton slowly approached her. He didn’t know what she needed, but he wanted to be here for her. Opening his arms, he simply waited.

She gave a little cry and slammed into him. He wrapped her up tight and held her close. He still didn’t understand why she couldn’t come back to Coleville when she was all alone or why she thought she had ‘lost’ him when she was the one who’d thrust him away. But at least he could comfort and hold her for this moment.

Cassie clung to Easton. He soaked in the beauty of holding her and being here for her.

Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her face and smiling at him. “Sorry. I should’ve never dated or married Baxter. I suppose it’s no excuse, but at the time, he was there for me. He seemed genuine and in love with me, and truly he was all I had.”

“I’m sorry you felt like that, Cass.” He chose his words carefully and realized a song might help. “‘I know that you have built up these walls surrounding your love,’” he sang Ryan Clark’s song slow and soft, studying her. “‘Let me help you tear them down, I'm here to stay around.’”

She looked like she was teetering, maybe ready to fall.

“You can turn to me, Cass. I’ll always be here for you.”

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