Free Kiss and Make Up (Bachelors of Buttermilk #3) by Robyn Neeley Page B

a minute. Then we’ll head to the inn, I promise.”
    “Okay.” She let him help her out of the car and then stared straight ahead, giving the briefest of smiles as they headed toward the entrance.
    Josh opened the glass door. Once the female patrons got sight of him, a large cheer erupted followed by the women chanting his name.
    “Good evening, ladies.”
    Abby ran up and grabbed Josh by the arm. “Kitchen now.” She turned to Caitlin, handing her a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing. “Here, have this.” She waved her hand over it. “Emma and I just need to borrow him for a minute.”
    Caitlin glanced around, looking as uncomfortable as he was sure she felt. She peeled the cupcake wrapper. “And here I thought, Abby, that I wouldn’t have a cupcake today.” She turned to Josh. “Your sister has been feeding me cupcakes all summer.”
    “You’re welcome,” Abby said and grabbed Josh’s arm. “Kitchen. Now!”
    “Hold on.” Josh pulled free, turning to Caitlin. “It will only be a second.”
    “One.”
    “Okay, one hundred and thirty seconds.”
    “Fine.” She took a seat at an empty booth, placing her cupcake in front of her. “I’ll be right here.”
    Abby ushered him into the kitchen where Emma was pouring ingredients into a blue mixing bowl.
    “What the hell took you so long?” Abby gave him a shove full of her annoyance.
    “We were putting the kids down. Why are all these ladies in your bakery?”
    Abby shook her head. “You mean why are all these single ladies here?”
    “They’re all single?” That was strange.
    “Yes, I told you that on the phone. They’re here because Rachel blabbed to the whole town that we had a blue mixing spoon that could reveal to all of them who their soul mates are.”
    Josh furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would she do that?”
    “Oh, I don’t know.” Abby threw up her hands. “Maybe because you suggested it!”
    Josh thought back to their conversation earlier and Rachel’s quick departure. “Oh, God. That’s why she took off in a hurry this morning. She set off a gossip chain.”
    “You think?” Abby peeked her head outside the swinging doors.
    Josh glanced over at his cousin. “I’m so sorry, Emma.”
    Emma continued to pour ingredients into the bowl, her head shaking fast and furious. “Josh, this is bad. Very bad. When they all learn we can’t do it, they’ll be heartbroken and pissed off. These women have waited years for an opportunity like this. It won’t be good for business.”
    “This is fixable. I’ll tell them it was a misunderstanding.” He came up next to Abby to see what was going on out there. Caitlin was a few feet away looking like a rejected black sheep. While all the other woman were carrying on and having a great time, no one had approached her. She sat alone, spooning white frosting off her chocolate cupcake with her finger. “They really don’t like Caitlin, do they?”
    Abby shrugged and stood over by Emma. “You know how women are.”
    “Yeah.” He sure did, but one in particular was trying her hardest and didn’t deserve to be publically shunned. He moved from the door. “Where’s the blue spoon?”
    “Why?” Emma asked, eyelids narrowing.
    “We’re going to give these ladies what they want.”
    “You can’t be serious. You’re going to try to cast the spell?” Emma measured some vanilla extract and poured it into her bowl.
    “I doubt I can.” He touched Emma’s shoulder and squeezed. “No, my dear magical cousin, you are.”
    Emma shook her head. “But we told you. I couldn’t do it with the blue spoon.”
    “You said it spells out my name.”
    “Yeah.”
    Abby shifted on her heels. “Josh, what are you getting at?”
    “There’s a bachelorette out there that needs a little lift.” He grinned. “Perform it on Caitlin.”
    Emma grabbed a towel from the counter and wiped her hands. “You want your name to show up in Caitlin’s batter?”
    “Yes.”
    Abby clapped her hands. “That’s