A Bid for Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

blond one. He admired you, I could tell. He seems like a nice guy.”
    Cassi look at her friend incredulously. “You mean the arrogant pig? You have got to be kidding. With Léon for a friend, he’s probably a jerk. I don’t care how good-looking you think he is, I don’t like him. I certainly am not going to ask him out.”
    Renae held up her hands. “Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion.”
    “When I finally do get married, it has to be forever. I’m not waiting this long to settle for second-best.”
    Renae heaved her way out of the bed, stomach first, and turned in the direction of the bathroom. She was already doing her customary dance to alleviate the pressure on her bladder. “But just because that Landine guy knows Léon doesn’t mean he’s a jerk. I mean, you know Léon, and I don’t consider you a jerk.” Before Cassi could retort, Renae danced into the bathroom and shut the door.
    While Renae bathed, Cassi called the nearest church to find out the meeting times. It didn’t start until ten o’clock, leaving plenty of time for Renae to get ready and for them to have breakfast before leaving the hotel. Cassi went to the small refrigerator in the corner of the room next to the sink to retrieve some of the groceries they had bought after the auction display on Saturday. She set out yogurt and fruit juice, and retrieved the package of croissants from the cupboard above the tiny sink.
    “It’s not very far. Do you feel like walking?” she asked as Renae joined her at the table.
    “Sounds great. I feel rested. And you don’t know how wonderful it will be to walk without having to carry Sandy.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    At fifteen to ten, Cassi and Renae arrived at the small chapel. They were greeted eagerly by the members, who only showed a slight disappointment when they learned the women were temporary visitors instead of new move-ins. The building was well-kept and had a welcoming, familiar feeling, the couch-filled foyer leading to a large chapel where meetings were held. A long hallway off the foyer had doors that opened onto smaller rooms for Sunday School and children’s meetings.
    Cassi and Renae were talking to a man named Larry Smithy, when the man Léon had introduced them to the day before approached the building. Cassi could see the arrogant pig’s handsome features clearly as he sauntered through the front glass doors of the church.
    “Him!” Cassi blurted out before she could stop herself.
    Larry Smithy turned in the newcomer’s direction. “That’s Jared Landine.”
    “You know him?” Cassi had been ready to accuse Jared of following her.
    “Yeah. He used to live around here. He called Friday to tell me he was going to be here this weekend. He comes three or four times a year, and we keep up in between. If you’ll excuse me for a moment . . .” Smithy darted off in Jared’s direction while Cassi simply stared. The men met halfway across the foyer in a friendly hug.
    “It’s so great to see you again.” Smithy said, loud enough for Cassi and Renae to hear. “How’s work?”
    “Going well,” Jared replied. “How are the kids? Is April here today?”
    Cassi’s eyes were still fixed on him. He looked much as he had the day before, except that he was wearing a different suit. He was undeniably handsome. She clenched her jaw. For no reason she could pinpoint, her heart was racing. She wasn’t sure she appreciated the feeling.
    She glanced at Renae, who watched her closely with an amused glint in her eyes, and then back at Jared. This time he met her stare with those piercing eyes. Cassi gulped. The arrogant pig at church? All her preconceived notions about the man exploded into a burst of nothingness, leaving her feeling strangely vulnerable.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    The air was crisp and clean, not yet smothered by the heat that would come later in the day. Jared enjoyed his walk to the church near the hotel. He knew these streets well because of his