If the Stick Turns Pink... (5 page)

Moments later, standing beneath a hot spray of water, she tried to dismiss her sudden sensitivity to Bailey. She supposed it was only natural that she was seeing him in a different light, given that in seven days they would be married.

It was only natural that she'd notice things about him she hadn't noticed before…like the fact that his hands were nicely shaped with long, strong fingers, like the fact that his cheek had been warm and slightly rough with faint whiskers when she'd kissed him moments before.

She finished her shower and dried and dressed quickly, then returned to the living room where Bailey was seated on the sofa sipping on a cold beer.

“I thought you were taking care of supper.”

“I did. I ordered pizza, and for dessert we have Mrs. Caldwell's famous cherry pie.”

“Why did she make you a pie?”

Bailey held out his beer to her. She took two sips, then returned it to him. She never drank a full beer, so long ago they'd gotten into the habit of her sipping from his.

“I'd like to think she baked me a pie just because I'm a nice guy, but when she dropped it off, she mentioned that her granddaughter, Katy Lynn, is a contestant.” He stood and finished the last of his beer. “Pizza money is on the table in case it comes while I'm in the shower.”

She watched as he walked away from her, her gaze taking in the width of his back, the leanness of his waist and hips. Again a swirl of heat swept through her, and she quickly averted her eyes from him and went into the kitchen to set the table for their meal.

While she loved Bailey's house on the outside, it was a typical bachelor pad on the inside. Although
bright-yellow curtains hung at the kitchen window, there were no place mats or tablecloth, no canisters or centerpiece to add any additional color. The white countertop boasted only a black microwave and a can of coffee he'd forgotten to put away that morning.

When she'd packed some of her things earlier in the day, she'd been aware of a lack of warmth in Bailey's house and had added some of her own items to spiff up his place.

If she was going to live here for a month or two, she intended to make it comfortable and homey for herself. She decided not to pull out the place mats she'd packed in the bottom of one of her boxes. Once the wedding was over, she could unload her items and introduce them into the sterility of Bailey's decor.

As she set the table, she tried to dismiss the unusual feelings Bailey had evoked in her since he'd agreed to marry her. She supposed it was only natural that she'd be eyeing him as a man, rather than as her best friend. But, it was making her darned uncomfortable.

Once they made love, all this awkwardness and overawareness of him that she suddenly felt would be gone, she assured herself.

It wasn't Bailey that was making her so tense. Nor was it the thought of making love to him. It was the thought of making love with anyone that had her nervous and uptight.

In all the years Bailey had been her friend, she'd only withheld one little secret from him…the fact that she was still a virgin.

She knew that he believed she'd made love to a guy she'd dated in college, and while she'd never outright lied to Bailey, she had done nothing to make him believe anything different.

It somehow seemed right that she was giving up her virginity to the one man she trusted above all others in the world.

The doorbell rang, pulling her from her thoughts. She grabbed the money off the table and hurried to the door, where a young kid gave her the pizza Bailey had ordered.

She'd just set the pizza on the table when Bailey reappeared, clad in a clean pair of worn jeans and a white T-shirt. “Perfect timing,” she exclaimed.

“Good. I'm starving.” He sat across from her at the table, and they each grabbed a piece of the hot, spicy pie.

They each ate two pieces in no time flat, without conversation to interfere with the basic task of quieting hunger pangs. As Bailey reached for a third piece, Melanie shoved her plate away and leaned back in her chair.

“I guess I'd better warn you, when I left the house this morning my mother was on the phone with your mother and I don't think they were exchanging favorite recipes.”

Bailey grimaced slightly. “Yeah, Mom called me practically before dawn to see if I knew what kind of flowers you'd want for the wedding ceremony.”

“What did you tell her?”

“First I reminded her that we didn't want a big deal of a wedding, then I told her daisies.” He flashed her a grin. “Did you think I didn't know what your favorite flower is?”

She returned his smile, once again feeling the ease of their knowledge of each other, the warm familiar camaraderie that had existed between them since the second grade. “I wasn't sure if you remembered or not.”

She leaned forward and plucked a slice of pepperoni off a piece of the pie. “I know I have an irritating tendency to ramble sometimes, and I never know if you tune me out or not.”

“I'm sorry, what were you saying?” He laughed as she threatened to throw the pepperoni at him. “At least we have an excuse for why we aren't going on a traditional honeymoon,” he said.

“The puppies.”

He nodded. “Are you sure you don't mind working with me to care for them?”

“Not at all. You finished or are you going to make a total pig of yourself?”

He waved a hand to dismiss the last of the pizza. “I'm done.”

She got up and carried the leftover to the countertop where she covered it with plastic wrap, then stuck it into the refrigerator. When she turned to face him once again, his expression was somber…thoughtful. “What?” she asked, knowing he had something on his mind.

“She didn't like animals,” he said.

“Who? Stephanie?” Melanie returned to the chair opposite him, surprised that he'd brought her up. He almost never talked about her.

He nodded. “She thought dogs were dirty and cats were hairy and forget about anything remotely resembling a rodent.”

“Why would a woman who hates animals marry a vet?” Melanie asked.

Bailey leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His intense blue eyes were inscrutable. “She thought she could talk me into becoming a people doctor and that we'd move to the city and live a life of wealthy prominence.”

“Didn't she realize you live a life of wealthy prominence right here in Foxrun? I mean, not only are you well respected, but you even have your very own swimming hole down in the pasture.”

Bailey laughed and reached across the table to grasp her hand. “Sometimes I wonder what on earth I'd do without you in my life, Mellie.”

For just a moment his words created a dizzying emotion inside her. “You're the best buddy a guy could ever want,” he added, effectively dispelling whatever emotion it had been that had tried to take possession of her.

She squeezed his hand, then released it and stood. “Well, of course I am,” she said briskly. “And now this buddy is calling it a night and heading home.”

He got up from the table and walked her to the
door. “I'll be here early in the morning. I'll bring a few more boxes and help you with the dogs.”

“I'll have the coffee on.” He leaned forward and gave her a perfunctory kiss on the forehead. “'Night Mellie.”

“Good night, Bailey.”

Moments later as she drove home, Melanie thought about what Bailey had said just before she'd left. He'd wondered what on earth he'd do without her in his life. For just a moment she'd wished he'd been talking about her as a woman, not as a friend.

She shook her head ruefully, wondering if somehow she'd been bitten by the Miss Dairy Cow crazies that seemed to have gripped the entire town.

“C
olette, that was absolutely wonderful,” Bailey exclaimed as he shoved his empty dinner plate aside. He grinned at Tanner Rothman who sat opposite him at the table. “Tanner, you lucky old coot. Not only is she pretty, but she can cook, too.”

“And in the next couple of weeks, she will once again be a successful business woman,” Tanner replied, his gaze lingering on his pretty blond bride of three weeks.

“That's right.” Bailey looked back at Colette. “When is your store set to open?”

“A week from tomorrow,” she replied. “I'm just waiting on delivery of a bit more inventory before officially opening the doors.”

“Wow, that was fast,” Bailey exclaimed.

“The old feed store was in excellent shape when
we took it over and I hired a crew to work pretty much around the clock. It didn't take long to transform it into Colette's shop,” Tanner explained.

“It's a baby shop, right?” Bailey asked.

Colette nodded. “I carry everything a baby needs for the first four years of life.”

“Is Melanie…” Tanner paused delicately.

“No, no,” Bailey hurriedly replied. “She isn't pregnant right now, although she wants a baby as soon as possible.”

“Then I hope you two will be a couple of my best customers,” Colette replied.

“Is Gina still managing your store in Kansas City?” Gina was Tanner's younger sister.

“Yes, and doing a wonderful job despite the worries of her big brother.” Colette reached over and lightly touched the back of Tanner's hand in a loving gesture, then stood. “And now I'll leave you two alone to man talk.” With a lingering smile of love for her husband, she left the dining room and disappeared into the kitchen.

“So, tomorrow is the big day,” Tanner said.

“Yeah.” Bailey wrapped his hands around his coffee mug.

“If you'd given everyone a little more notice, I'd have arranged a bachelor party.”

“I didn't want one,” Bailey replied. It was bad enough that Mellie's friends and family had thrown her a shower this evening. He took a sip of his coffee, fighting the urge to come clean to Tanner, to tell him
that their marriage wouldn't be a real one, that it was only temporary.

“Mellie and I wanted just a simply ceremony without any fuss or bother. Unfortunately, our families had other ideas,” he continued. The wedding was now to take place at the Baptist Church, with a huge reception to follow at the community center.

“I'll tell you one thing, Bailey. There's nothing quite like marriage, nothing like exploring the secrets of the woman you love.”

“Mellie doesn't have any secrets from me. Sometimes I think I know her better than I know myself,” Bailey replied.

Tanner laughed as if enjoying his own private joke. “You're in for a rude awakening, Bailey. Women have more secrets than old barn cats have fleas, and discovering them only intensifies the intimacy of the marriage.”

Tanner laughed once again and reared back in his chair. “Listen to me, I sound like some sort of advertisement for the sensitive male of the century.” He leaned forward. “But honestly, Bailey, I've never been as happy as I am with Colette.”

Bailey saw the happiness on Tanner's face. It curved his friend's mouth, shone from his eyes and for just a moment a shaft of envy swept through Bailey.

He shoved the uncomfortable feeling away as he stood. “I hate to eat and run, but I do have a big day tomorrow.” The big slice of pot roast he'd just eaten
sat heavily in his stomach as he thought of the wedding the next day.

Tanner rose as well. “I'll walk you out.”

“Tell Colette thanks for the wonderful meal,” Bailey said as the two men stepped outside onto Tanner's porch.

“No problem,” Tanner replied. “I hear the town council appointed you as the judge for the Miss Dairy Cow Contest.”

“Yeah. Why did you back out?”

Tanner shrugged his broad shoulders. “The main reason was because I'd promised Colette the minute she moved here from Kansas City, we'd get her shop up and running. I wasn't sure how much time that was going to require. So, have you seen SueEllen Trexlor naked yet?”

Bailey shot a startled look at Tanner, who laughed. “How did you know?”

“Right before I withdrew my name as judge SueEllen showed up here one night wearing a raincoat and nothing else.”

“She was in my shower the other day, waiting to help scrub my back,” Bailey explained.

“Poor SueEllen.” Tanner shook his head ruefully. “She wants that crown badly and doesn't realize displaying herself won't get it for her.” Tanner grinned. “But she does have a nice figure, doesn't she?”

Bailey returned the grin. “I didn't notice.”

“Yeah, right,” Tanner replied dryly as Bailey got
into his truck. “We'll see you tomorrow evening at the reception.”

Tomorrow evening at the reception. Tanner's words echoed inside Bailey's head as he drove home. More than once that day he'd had to fight the desire to phone Mellie and call the whole thing off.

He'd definitely overreacted to the whole Miss Dairy Cow thing, had been vulnerable because of SueEllen's naked appearance and had fallen prey to Mellie's crazy scheme for a baby.

Still, even though he'd wanted to call her and back out, he hadn't. It was no longer a matter of just letting Mellie down.

Things had spiraled way out of control. In the past week his mother and Mellie's mother had been like twin tornadoes, blowing away any obstacles that stood in the way of a day to remember.

Flowers had been ordered, a caterer found, the community center had been reserved and a band had been hired. He'd been fitted for a black tux with yellow cummerbund and tie, and wedding gifts had been arriving at the house for the past three days.

He had a feeling nothing short of his death could force an end to the events he and Mellie had set into motion.

One thing easy to dismiss was Tanner's assertion that part of a marriage was discovering each other's secrets. Mellie with her bright-green eyes and freckled face was like an open book to him.

He knew what she liked to eat and how her nose
turned bright red when she cried. He knew her politics tended to lean to the right, that her left-front tooth was a crown and that her nickname when growing up had been “skinny, minny Melanie.”

He certainly had no secrets from Mellie and he hadn't been lying when he'd told Tanner that he knew her better than he knew himself.

No, there would be no surprises, no wondrous awakenings to deepen any marital intimacy between Mellie and him. Hopefully he could succeed in getting her pregnant right away, then they could have a quiet separation and an uncomplicated divorce.

But what about the baby? A little voice whispered in his head. For the first time he considered the outcome of this deal with Mellie. The outcome would be a tiny human being…Bailey's baby.

Bailey had never thought much about having children. Stephanie had made it clear when they'd married that she wasn't particularly interested in having a family. Bailey had suspected she felt the same way about children that she did about animals…they were messy and dirty and required too much attention.

He parked his car in front of his house, then walked to the barn to check on the pups. No wonder he loved dogs. They were so remarkably uncomplicated. Feed them, water them and scratch them behind the ears, and they offered back unconditional love.

He only hoped this brief marriage to Mellie remained as uncomplicated as it had sounded when they'd first agreed to it.

 

Melanie stood before the mirror in the church's ladies' room, staring at the reflection of the bride in the glass. She'd told her mother all week she didn't want a wedding dress, that her beige suit would work just fine, but Marybeth Watters was not about to allow her daughter to be married in an old suit.

The dress they'd finally agreed upon was a simple, but traditional white gown. A slick silk with tiny seed buttons down the front, it clung to Melanie like a second skin, delicately displaying the thrust of her breasts and the slenderness of her waist.

Her hair had been braided and coiled around her head, the bright copper color broken up by baby's breath and daisies tucked into the coils.

“You look beautiful,” her mother said, and turned her around to face her.

Melanie wrinkled up her nose with a rueful grin. “I look as beautiful as a freckle-faced, redheaded woman can look.”

“Nonsense,” Marybeth said. “You look absolutely beautiful.” With tears sparkling in her eyes, she hugged Melanie. “I'm so happy for you, dear. I just know you and Bailey are going to be so happy together. The whole town has known for years that the two of you were meant for each other. We've just been waiting for the two of you to realize it.”

Guilt swept through Melanie as she returned her mother's hug. She swore that once this particular lie was finished and over, she'd never do anything like
this again. In the end her mother would forgive her the broken marriage if Melanie presented her with a new grandbaby.

“I'm going to check to see that everything is ready. I'll be right back, dear.” As her mother left the small room, Melanie turned back to face the mirror.

There was nothing Marybeth Watters loved more dearly than her grandchildren. Her bout with cancer a year before had made Melanie realize how short life could be and had driven into a frenzy Melanie's desire to have a child.

And now it was finally going to happen. Her cheeks pinkened as she thought of the night to come. She moved away from the mirror and to the window, where dusk was cascading with purple hues to claim the last of the day's light.

In just a few minutes she and Bailey would be married, and tonight, after the reception, they would go to his house and she would crawl into his bed. They would have sex and hopefully make a baby.

Before the shiver that had started at the base of her spine worked its way fully to her shoulders, her mother opened the door. Eyes shining with the tears Melanie knew she would shed during the brief ceremony, she simply said, “It's time.”

Melanie picked up her bouquet from the counter and drew a deep, steadying breath. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so nervous.

It was Bailey, for crying out loud. Bailey, who had reluctantly dressed up like a sheep to play opposite
her Bo Peep one Halloween, Bailey, who had taken her on her first roller coaster ride. He was her very best friend. As quickly as the nerves had stretched taut inside her, they relaxed. It was just good old Bailey, and everything was going to be fine.

As Melanie stepped out of the rest room and into the hallway, she heard the swell of the organ music playing the bridal march.

The group inside the sanctuary would be small. Both Melanie and Bailey had insisted that only immediate family members be allowed into the church. However, Melanie suspected most of the entire town would turn out for the reception following the ceremony.

Her father awaited her, and with a gentle smile he took her arm in his. “You look gorgeous, pumpkin,” he said softly.

“Thanks, Dad.” She squeezed his arm tightly and then the two of them began the slow walk up the center aisle of the church.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and nervous tension made her feel a slightly suffocating sensation. Then she saw Bailey. He stood next to the preacher, tall and handsome in the black tux. His yellow bow tie was slightly crooked, and he had a look of sheer panic on his face as his gaze darted around the room as though seeking a quick exit.

Then he saw her and his eyes widened slightly as if in surprise. Melanie fought against an impulse to giggle. She couldn't believe they were actually doing
this and knew he was feeling the same sort of surreal disbelief that she was.

As her father gave her hand to Bailey, she winked at him. One corner of his lips curved up in a half smile and he winked back. Within five minutes they were officially man and wife.

The kiss that sealed their union was the kind Melanie was accustomed to receiving from Bailey, a light sweet peck on the lips.

“I can't believe we did this,” he said a few minutes later when they were in his truck and headed toward the community center. He pulled at his tie, as if it was in the process of slowly strangulating him. “By the way, you don't look bad in a wedding dress.”

“Thanks, and you aren't totally ugly in a tux,” she replied, returning his backhanded compliment.

He flashed her a quick grin as he pulled into the already crowded parking area of the community center. He found a parking place, pulled in, then cut the engine and turned to her. “Well, we did it.”

“We did half of it,” she replied and to her surprise felt the warmth of a blush stealing over her cheeks. “I have now officially saved you from the claws of the crown-crazed single women of Foxrun. Now all you have to do is fulfill your end of our bargain.”

“You want me to do that right here? Right now? I'll try, but I have a feeling the stick shift might get in the way.”

Although he was teasing her, she saw an edge of
tension in his eyes, felt it radiating from him. Or was she feeling her own edge of tension about the night to come?

“I think before we do anything rash, we should probably go inside and enjoy the reception your mother and mine spent hours pulling together.”

“You're right.” He pocketed his keys and opened his door. “Time to go in and pretend to be the happily-in-love-forever couple.”

It was all a game of pretend, Melanie reminded herself as she and Bailey walked toward the community center. He held her hand, his fingers strong and warm wrapped around hers.

There was a crowd of well-wishers standing just outside the door, and Melanie and Bailey's appearance was greeted with cheers as bird seed rained down on their heads.

Laughing, they raced toward the door and entered the community center, which had been transformed by their mothers into a ribbon-and-crepe-paper wonderland.