Free Batter Up (Bachelors of Buttermilk Falls Book 1) by Robyn Neeley Page B

You know. Now that I’m your fling and all.”
    “About that.” Emma swung to face him. “We don’t have to actually go through with it.”
    He raised a playful eyebrow. “Why, Emma Stevens, are you dumping me already?”
    “No . . . I mean . . . it’s just that . . .”
    “You don’t trust me.”
    She bit her lip. “Well, now that you mention it. No. I don’t.”
    “I can assure you, my intentions are innocent.”
    “So, you innocently came into my bakery with no intentions of accusing me of witchcraft?”
    “That’s not what happened, but if that’s what you want to call it . . .”
    Her body tensed. Handsome or not, it was clear this reporter had a one-track mind: exposing her. She shook her head. Shame on her for falling for his “let’s have coffee and get to know each other” act. She stood. “I must go.”
    He reached up and touched her arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Let me explain.”
    She sat down and waited. Nothing was coming out of his mouth. “Well?”
    “Emma, let’s look at this from my perspective. I learn from your client, Tom, that the only reason he’s in Las Vegas and getting married is because you predicted it . . . with some magical food coloring. It’s pretty ridiculous.”
    She’d heard enough. No one called her ridiculous. No one. “First of all, for a reporter, you are lousy at confirming your facts. Second, he’s not my ‘client.’ He’s my dear friend who deserved to find the love of his life. Third, I had nothing to do with their decision to elope in Vegas and did not ‘predict’ it with food coloring.” It’s the batter, you idiot.
    “But you told him who would be his bride?”
    “So what if I gave him a little nudge in Bridget’s direction? How does that make me a sorceress?”
    Jason threw his head back and laughed. “Emma, you’ve got this entire town under your spell.”
    “Clearly not the entire town, or you’d go away,” she spat. Pushing off the swing, she stood with her back toward him, facing the water. This conversation was over. Her gaze jumped over the small waves, landing on a familiar object on the other side of the lake. “What the—”
    Jason jumped up and stood beside her. “What’s the matter?”
    “Nothing . . . I’ve got to go.” Suddenly, her anger for this man didn’t seem so important. “Thanks for the coffee.” She hurried down the dock.
    “Wait,” he called out. “Emma, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    She stopped and whipped around, taking quick strides to return to Jason. “There’s really no story here. We’re simple country folks who lead quiet, non-newsworthy lives. Do us all a favor and just go back to Miami.”
    She stormed back to her cottage and away from the breaking news that was currently taking place across the lake.

8
    E mma sifted flour , squeezing the lever with all she had. Her thoughts ricocheted off the mixing bowl as she dissected the events of last week.
    It had started with the disastrous evening at the Elks Lodge last Wednesday night that had left her five thousand dollars in the hole and stuck spending the summer with a man she couldn’t stand. She’d be dropping off the check later today to the animal shelter. Abby promised to go with her to hold her hand as she wrote the five and three zeros.
    Saturday morning’s impromptu coffee date had been a total disaster. After storming off the dock, she hibernated in her cottage for the rest of the weekend.
    Ultimately, it wasn’t her conversation with the nosy reporter that had set her off. True, she didn’t like being accused of being a fraud, but she could handle him.
    No, it was what she had discovered across the lake that set her in a tailspin. She’d recognize that black SUV anywhere. Michael was back.
    Just exactly why and for how long, she didn’t know. She’d hoped her mother could shed some light and had rushed into the house to call her, leaving Jason alone on the dock. Her mom generally knew all the town gossip way