Free The Bull Rider Wears Pink by Jeanine McAdam

woman catch the nerdy pastor's eye but he's enthralled with my
little sister.” Logan held the bread stick
like a cigar in the corner of his mouth. “Honestly, I thought the guy had gotten
himself castrated when he took his vows.”
    “Logan,
please tone it down?” Rachel suggested as she shifted the baby in her lap.
    Rachel was right. Cassidy shook her
head at her brother while pointing at Kevin. But Logan
wasn't done with John as he watched the man follow the hostess to his table.
John was still looking at Cassidy, even turning his head while he walked across
the green, leaf carpet.
    Logan laughed after John sat down. “I don't know what the good pastor is thinking
looking at you like that,” Logan told Cassidy. “You
two are mismatched—it's the lion and the lamb, the gladiator and the water boy,
the badass and the dork.”
    Badass, Cassidy sort of liked that
one, but she wasn't going to compliment her brother’s clever analogy. It would
only encourage him. Instead, she continued to hide behind Kevin's computer
screen. Her son figured out what she was doing. “Mom,” he moaned. He slammed it
shut. “This isn't your business.”
    “I didn't read any—” Cassidy
started.
    “Woo-wee, it's getting hot in here,”
Logan
interrupted while pulling on the front of his shirt. “The preacher man is
moving his seat so he can get a better look at my sister.” They all watched
John grip the arms of his chair and hobble it to the left. When he was done, he
returned his attention to Cassidy.
    If Logan
knew John and Cassidy’s history both personally and professionally he'd be
doing a lot more than tugging on his shirt, he'd probably be calling John out
and challenging the man to a duel. But Cassidy didn't say anything, instead she
commented, “Do you think he's a real preacher or just one of those online
certified phonies?” Maybe if she put doubt in the minds of the cowboys about
John's credentials he'd pack up his bags and go.
    “As far as I know,” her brother
replied.
    “Maybe John is—” Cassidy started.
She wasn't going to blow John's cover but it'd probably be better for her if he
wasn't around. No more skipping heart when he walked by or sweaty palms when he
talked to her. Yes, she was trying to get rid of him at the same time she was
thinking passionate thoughts about him. Ugh!
    “John,” Logan shouted.
“You're on a first name basis with that Bible thumper.” Logan
shook his head. “Everyone calls him Pastor John or no balls,” he added under
his breath. Then he chuckled as he glanced at Rachel.
    “No balls,” Kevin said. He opened
his computer. “I've got to write that down.”
    Before Cassidy had a chance to tell
him his uncle was being crude again, John appeared at their table. He held a
stack of fliers. Kevin lifted his head out of his computer. “Hey, Pastor John,”
he said with a giggle while Rachel eyed John suspiciously.
    “We're having a prayer meeting
tomorrow morning,” John told them in a voice that was a little too loud and a
little too high. Plus he wouldn't look at Rachel. With hands scarred by road
burn and a knife fight, he placed the flier on the table.
    It was printed on blue paper with
white clouds at the top. Nicer than the one he'd done back in Tulsa.
Cassidy wondered if John had gone to a print shop that morning and picked out
the paper himself. Even the font was cursive. The title said, “Redemption.” In
smaller print was information about the place and time of the service.
    “Re-redemption,” Cassidy sputtered.
“Who's redemption?” So okay. Maybe she was a little
protective of the word. But right now it was hers. She was in the middle of her
own eight second redemption. John could have salvation or deliverance. Yes,
those words appeared on the bottom of the flier along with information about
donuts and coffee being served.
    “Anyone's redemption,” John
replied. “It's personal,” he explained with a quick nod of his head. He still
wouldn't look at