All of Me (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1) Read online

The two-story home in front of her didn’t look like the sort of home you’d be away from for long. With its wide front porch, steep gabled roof and pretty garden, it looked like a home someone spent time in.

  She picked up the muffins and the newspaper article sitting on the passenger seat. If she’d been able to think of an alternative solution, she wouldn’t be here. But Logan was the only person who knew who the bride and groom were. The only person that could help them.

  She couldn’t let Sally, Molly, and Annie down. She couldn’t let the bride down.

  Her shoes clicked on the stone driveway as she walked toward Logan’s home. She recited the words she’d practiced in the car. The ones that would make him realize how important it was that they find the bride.

  She walked up the wooden steps, pushed the doorbell and waited.

  The door opened and Tess plastered a polite smile on her face. She frowned, looked down, and tried not to stare. A little girl with short red hair stared up at her.

  “You’re tall.”

  “Stacey, I don’t think…” Logan looked at her. “Tess? What are you doing here?”

  “I…” She couldn’t remember what she’d been going to say. She moved her hands and remembered the muffins. “These are for you. I’m sorry for intruding.” She turned to go.

  “You’re not intruding,” Logan said quickly. “My sister and niece have been staying with me for the last week. They’re about to head home.”

  “Uncle Logan helped mom pack the car,” Stacey said. “We’re going to the airport.”

  “Logan, have you seen my wallet?” A pretty young woman stood beside Logan. The family resemblance was so strong that Tess would have pegged them as brother and sister even if she didn’t know they were related.

  Logan nodded at Tess. “Jacqui, this is Tess. Tess, Jacqui.”

  Jacqui held her hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Tess bit her bottom lip and tried to think of a good way of getting out of Logan’s front door. “Have a safe flight home. I’ll come back another day.”

  Jacqui looked between her and Logan. “Don’t be silly.” She grabbed Tess’ arm and pulled her inside. “Logan never introduces us to any of his friends. I was beginning to think he didn’t have any.”

  “Oh, but I’m not…”

  “Our secret’s safe with Jacqui.” Logan put his arm around her waist and hauled her close.

  Tess tried to step away from him, but he was every bit as strong as he looked. “What do you think you’re…” His mouth landed on hers and she almost bit his lip. Until she remembered what she was here for, then she kept her teeth to herself. She turned her head sideways, ignored the zap of electricity that almost made her forget that she didn’t like him, and looked down into the eyes of his niece.

  “Uncle Logan kissed you.”

  The words were said with such awe that Tess wondered if she’d ever seen her uncle kiss anyone. Tess thought wiping her mouth with the back of her hand was a bit rude under the circumstances, so she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and pretended to blow her nose.

  Logan choked back a laugh.

  She glared at him.

  “I can’t believe Logan left it until now to introduce us.” Jacqui looked as though her brother had just announced Christmas was going to be postponed. “Mom will be disappointed she didn’t come to Bozeman.”

  Tess sensed a chink in the white knight’s armor. At least she hoped he was a white knight. After his lip smacking deception, he’d better be something useful. If she said the right thing, Logan might not have a choice but to help them. But she needed to be careful, sneaky. Just like the love-struck reporter staring at her like he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life.

  “Logan’s such a sweet guy,” Tess cooed. She dredged up everything she’d learned from her years on the catwalk and in front of a camera.

  Logan looked as though she’d just run him over with a bulldozer.

  Jacqui glowed with happiness. “We think so, too.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ve got ten minutes before we need to leave. Why don’t you come into the living room?”

  Logan must have sensed he was on the losing end of whatever joke he’d decided was worth playing. “Tess just stopped by to say hi, didn’t you?”

  Tess smiled sweetly at him. She stepped toward him and ran her finger along the side of his jaw. “It’s okay. I can stay for a few minutes.” Call her perverse, but she got such a kick out of seeing a blush creep along his cheeks that she leaned in even closer. “I’d like to get to know Jacqui better. You’ve said such lovely things about her and Stacey.”

  “I’ll get the lemonade,” Stacey shouted as she ran down the hallway.

  “We’re not going to have time,” Logan shouted back, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

  Jacqui rolled her eyes. “Ignore my brother. He’s so secretive about his life that it’s a wonder he told us he was moving to Montana. Do you live in Bozeman, Tess?”

  “I moved here a few years ago. I own a café in town.” Tess made sure she sat thigh to thigh with Logan. He smiled as he put his arm around her shoulders. He didn’t look embarrassed now. He looked as though he was settling in for a cozy night with the woman of his dreams.

  Except Tess didn’t want to be his dream girl. All she wanted was the name and address of the bride who’d been burgled.

  Stacey brought two tall glasses of lemonade into the room. Jacqui took them out of her daughter’s hands before they sloshed over the floor. “It’s just as well you enjoy cooking, Tess. Logan is such a dweeb when it comes to food. If the barbecue hadn’t been invented, he’d starve.”

  “Tess taught me how to cook blueberry pancakes,” Logan said with pride. “She’s great with her hands.”

  Tess nudged him in the ribs. Hard. Logan coughed and pulled her toward him. He seemed to be getting into the boyfriend groove really fast. She didn’t know what had happened to the threat of his mom’s interest in his life, but it was taking second place to getting close to her.

  If Jacqui noticed Tess’ attempt to break one or two of Logan’s ribs, she didn’t say a word. But she did give her brother another confused stare. “How long have you been dating each other?”

  Tess wasn’t going anywhere near that question. It could lead to disaster, high expectations and a mom who might have wedding bells on her mind.

  “I met Tess when I first moved here. The dating thing is recent.”

  Tess smiled. If the man could read her mind, he’d be moving his arm about now.

  “I’m just happy he’s found someone special. After what happened in Afghanistan, I never thought he’d be happy again.”

  Tess felt Logan retreat long before he moved his arm. Jacqui had touched on something important and her brother had gone into shutdown mode. She put her hand on Logan’s leg and smiled at Jacqui, hoping to take some of the sting out of his sister’s words. “Logan’s a great guy. Bozeman has been good for both of us.”

  “We need to leave for the airport,” Logan said. “Otherwise you’re not going to get home.”

  Jacqui stood up and held Tess’ hands. “I wish my brother had introduced us sooner. You’re exactly what he needs.”

  Tess knew she was the exact opposite of what he needed. But she returned Jacqui’s hug and even managed a smile. “It’s been nice meeting you.” She turned to Logan and touched his arm. “I’ll see myself out. Bye.”

  Before anyone said anything more, she left Logan’s home. After what had just happened she didn’t know how she was going to ask him about the newspaper article. Or how she’d be able to speak to him again.

  ***

  “How did it go with Logan?” Sally stood in Tess’ doorway with a dog bigger than most Shetland ponies standing beside her. “Sit, Max.”

  Max obediently sat beside Sally. His shaggy coat and big floppy ears were kind of cute if you didn’t stand too close to him. Max loved a cuddle, and he’d wiggle his way across to anyone who looked l
ike they might have a soft spot for a giant canine.

  “You can come inside.” Tess held the door wider so Sally and her walking buddy could get through.

  “I don’t know. Max can be a bit of a problem in close quarters.”

  “It’s okay,” Tess assured her. “I don’t have anything incredibly valuable. Why are you walking Max in town? I thought you exercised all of the shelter dogs at the shelter?”

  Sally looked down at Max. “I thought a little socializing might do him a favor. No one wants a big dog and he’s such a sweetie.”

  “You were hoping someone would see you walking him and want to take him home?”

  Sally smiled. “Everyone knows I’m on a crusade to re-home the shelter animals. I need to find a home for Max.”

  Sally didn’t need to say what would happen if Max didn’t find somewhere to live. Tess patted his head and looked into his big brown eyes. “I hope it works out.”

  “So do I.” Sally sighed. “Tell me about Logan. You didn’t send us a text.”

  Tess walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.

  Sally followed her, with Max at her heels. He collapsed on the wooden floor with a big doggy sigh.

  Even though she felt as though she’d let everyone down, Tess couldn’t help the smile that slipped across her face. “It sounds as though you’ve been walking Max for most of the day.”

  “He’s a big boy. It takes a lot of energy to move all of his weight around.” She scratched behind Max’s ears and earned herself a lick on her hand.

  “I didn’t ask him,” Tess said softly.

  Sally looked confused. “You didn’t ask Logan who the bride and groom were? Why? Wasn’t he home?”

  “I visited him after you left. He was home, but his sister and niece were with him.”

  “I don’t understand? Why wouldn’t he want to discuss the story in front of them?”

  Tess dropped her head onto her chest. “I didn’t ask him,” she muttered. “It got a bit strange. He kissed me.”

  Sally’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding? I didn’t think you knew him that well.”

  “I don’t. He was playing a joke on his sister, pretending he was my boyfriend.”

  “And you didn’t tell her the truth? That doesn’t sound like you.”

  Tess knew it wasn’t like her, which made it so much worse. “I thought if I played along with him, he’d owe me and have to tell me who the bride and groom are. But then Jacqui started talking about Afghanistan and it all got too complicated.”

  Max yawned and Sally patted his head. “I didn’t know Logan had been in Afghanistan. Was he in the Military or there as a reporter?”

  “I think he was there as a reporter. We didn’t talk about what happened. I left a few minutes later.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Sally sat back in her chair.

  “With an unknown couple who are getting married in two weeks’ time.”

  Sally stood up and walked to the kitchen. Max lifted his head off the floor and followed her with his eyes. “We need coffee and we need cake. Grab your notebook and we’ll see if we’ve missed any clues that could help us.”

  “Logan’s still our best bet.”

  “And you still might need to see him, but if you do, I’ll go with you. He can’t kiss my friend under duress and get away with it.”

  Tess found her notebook in the bottom of her bag. She opened it to the information she’d written down in the café. “I don’t think duress is the right word.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sally passed Tess a mug of coffee.

  “Logan didn’t kiss me under duress. I was just as bad as he was.”

  Sally put her hands on her hips. “Who kissed who first?”

  “Logan kissed me, but it was only one kiss. I didn’t kiss him back.”

  “Well, there you go,” Sally said. She looked as though all evidence pointed to a guilty verdict for Logan. “He kissed you first and, therefore, all blame can be directly laid at his feet.”

  Max looked up expectantly.

  Sally sighed. “Sorry, boy. I meant that figuratively, not literally. You’re not going near anyone’s feet except mine.”

  Max’s head dropped back to his paws.

  Sally patted his enormous shoulders. “If Logan can’t keep his lips to himself, then we need to send you in with a decoy. I quite like kissing tall, dark-haired men who look like they belong in a movie.”

  Tess threw a cushion at Sally. “You’re as bad as he is.”

  “I can be worse.” Sally grinned. “I can also teach you all I know. Growing up in a house full of brothers can do that to a girl.”

  “We’d be safer with my notebook.” Tess looked down at the list and tried to see something they’d missed. But each time she thought about the mystery bride-to-be, she thought about Logan.

  And that’s when Tess wondered if being an only child had stunted her emotional development. Especially when it came to dealing with stubborn, irritating men.

  ***

  Logan sat outside Tess’ café for over half an hour. He knew she lived in the apartment above her café. He’d overheard her telling one of her friends about the color she’d painted her living room. He also knew she liked hot chocolate, raspberry muffins and going to the movies. What she didn’t like were reporters. Or more specifically, reporters with runaway mouths and limited amounts of common sense.

  His sister and niece had gone back to Seattle. He felt like an idiot, making Tess out to be something she wasn’t. It had started out as fun, but soon fell into bad joke status.

  He should have known better.

  Sitting in his truck wasn’t going to change what he needed to do. It was getting late and he didn’t even know if she was home. He opened his door and walked across the sidewalk. He looked at the wall beside the front door and frowned. No bell.

  He went back to his truck and stepped onto the road, staring at the windows above the café. He might have to find a stone, throw it at one of the glass panes and hope like crazy he didn’t break it. But before he did that, he’d try to find another entrance.

  Angel Wings Café shared its Main Street location with a craft store, a florist, a bookstore and a women’s fashion boutique. Each of the buildings were old, maybe over a hundred years old. They were connected by a pale blue porch and matching hanging baskets full of flowers.

  He walked past the fashion boutique and turned right down a narrow driveway. He guessed the owners of the stores used the area behind their businesses for parking, but right now no one was coming and going. There was enough room for about ten vehicles, a delivery truck if they were lucky. But parking space wasn’t why he was here.

  Along the back wall of each building was a fire escape. Tess’ building had a permanent metal staircase going all the way from ground level to the second floor.

  He took a deep breath and headed up the stairs.

  Tess answered the door on his second knock. She had her cell phone against her ear, talking to someone on the phone. When she saw him, her cheeks turned red and she frowned.

  Yeah, he thought. She wanted him standing at her back door about as much as he wanted to be there.

  “I’ll call you back soon.” She disconnected the call and stared at him. “Logan?”

  “I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have given my sister the impression you were my girlfriend.”

  The frown on Tess’ face didn’t disappear and he couldn’t blame her. She probably had men dropping at her feet every day. At six-foot tall, she wasn’t the type of person you easily overlooked. And with a pretty face, shoulder length blonde hair and cornflower-blue eyes, she was a knockout.

  She started to say something, then thought better of it. “Apology accepted. I hope you told your sister the truth when you got to the airport?”

  “I told her we’re friends.”

  Tess’ frown deepened. “You know what she’s going to think, don’t you?”

  “That we’re f
riends?” he said hopefully.

  “Only if she doesn’t care one way or the other, and I didn’t get the feeling she was that type of person.”

  Tess didn’t know how right she was. Jacqui cared about everyone in their family. Deeply. Sometimes his sister and mom were the only two people who kept him sane.

  “If you get a call from your mom, I refuse to wear a tulle wedding dress. It makes my hips look as wide as a bus.”

  He looked down at Tess’ hips. He could imagine a lot of things her hips could look like, but a bus didn’t come close. Then his brain caught up with his hormones. “Wedding?”

  Tess crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-two.”

  “Have you had a serious girlfriend in the last three years?”

  He shook his head and tried to figure out where she was going. “I’ve been busy working. But if you think mom’s desperate for me to get married, you’re wrong.”

  “You could be right. But don’t be surprised if you get a call from her tonight.”

  His mom would call tonight, anyway. But she wouldn’t leap on what his sister might or might not say. He wasn’t ready to share his life with anyone and his mom knew that better than most.

  He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a newspaper clipping. “This was sitting with the muffins you dropped off. Has it got anything to do with why you came to see me?”

  Tess looked at the clipping and nodded. “I wanted to ask you some questions about the couple in the article. Do you want to come inside?”

  He followed Tess into her apartment. It was bigger than he’d imagined it would be. With a high ceiling and peach colored walls, it made the most of the natural light coming in the windows. He sat on a sofa and looked at the kitchen. It was a throwback to the nineteen fifties.

  If the red Formica counter and old-fashioned fridge didn’t make him think he’d stepped back in time, the posters would have done it. A framed collection of vintage ice cream posters hung on the wall behind the kitchen.

  Tess must have noticed his interest.

  “My grandparents owned this building. They had an ice cream parlor here for twenty years.” She sat down opposite him. “Do you want a drink? I could make you a cup of coffee?”