“She’s also a candidate for Miss Dairy Cow,” Melanie replied, then grinned. “She would probably think it was udderly wonderful to work for the judge.”
Bailey groaned. “That was really bad,” he exclaimed.
She laughed. “It was, wasn’t it,” she agreed.
The sound of a truck rumbled in the air, and above the engine noise rose the yipping and crying of dogs. “It would seem that our guests have arrived,” Bailey said, rising to his feet.
He held out a hand to help her up off the floor. The minute his hand touched hers, she felt a sparkle of electricity travel through her fingertips into the center of her stomach. The sensation caught her by surprise, but thankfully he didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
As they walked out of the barn and into the warm sunshine, there was little time to think about what might have caused the unusual reaction to Bailey’s casual touch.
Outside of the barn, chaos reigned. Not only was there a large cattle truck parked in front of the barn, but also the sheriff’s car and several fire department volunteers.
“Bailey…Melanie,” Sheriff Bodock greeted them with a tired smile. “I hear congratulations are in order.” He looked at Melanie. “It’s about time you make an honest man of him.”
“I can make him a married man, but I’m not sure I can make him an honest man,” she replied and earned a teasing nudge in the ribs from Bailey.
“Let’s get these puppies unloaded,” Sheriff Bodock said. “I brought some volunteers to help make this go as smoothly and quickly as possible. George Clairborn needs his cattle truck back in an hour.”
“We’ll unload them into a pen in the back of the barn for now,” Bailey said.
For the next hour they all worked together to get the puppies and their mothers out of the truck and into the pen Bailey had prepared earlier. The sheriff explained to them that they hadn’t been able to find the male dogs and he suspected the owner of the place had kept them at another location.
As the volunteers walked to their cars, Melanie and Bailey walked with them. Just before the driver of the cattle truck got into the driver’s seat, Melanie thought she heard a faint whimper come from the back of the truck.
“Wait a minute,” she said to the driver, then crawled up in the straw-strewn back and listened carefully.
“What’s wrong?” Bailey peered in after her.
“I think we missed one.” As the tiny sound came again, Melanie followed it to the farthest corner, where a little jet-black schnauzer was curled up, chocolate-brown eyes weeping tears.
“Hey squirt,” she said and picked the little guy up in her arms. He curled against her, as if seeking not only the warmth of her chest, but also the reassuring beat of her heart, and in that instant Melanie lost her heart.
Bailey helped her down from the back end of the truck and grinned. “I know that look. Puppies always make women get that silly, dopey look in their eyes.”
“You’re just jealous because nobody looks at you with that silly, dopey look,” she exclaimed, and hugged the little body closer against her.
He rolled his eyes, then waved to the sheriff and the volunteers as they pulled away from the barn. “My work is just beginning,” he said. “These dogs need exams, medication and food and water immediately.”
“Then we’d better get started,” she said.
He looked at her in surprise. “You sticking around to help?”
“Sure. As your intended wife isn’t my place to help my intended husband?” Funny…she said the words lightly, but they caused a fluttering heat to course through her.
“That’s right. As my intended wife you’re supposed to support me in my work, cook my meals and pick up my dirty socks.”
She laughed, relieved that he had taken her words as lightly as she’d meant them. “I thought I told you, picking up dirty socks is out of the question,” she exclaimed as they went back into the barn.
For the next three hours they bathed dirty, frightened dogs. While Bailey did the exams on each one, Melanie fed information about their physical description and condition into the computer. She also named each puppy and put each one into a cage labeled with his or her new name.
She couldn’t help but admire Bailey’s gentleness as he handled each one. His deep voice was soft, soothing as he ran his hands across their little bodies and looked into mouths and ears.
She wondered if he’d use that same soft, deep voice to whisper in her ear during foreplay. The thought caused a shiver to work up her spine. Then she wondered if they would even indulge in foreplay. After all, foreplay wasn’t necessary to make a baby.
Finally they were working on the last dog, the little black schnauzer she’d found hidden in the back of the truck. “He’s the only black one in the bunch,” Bailey observed as he examined the pooch. “And none of the adult females wanted anything to do with him.”
“Poor little thing,” Melanie murmured, and stroked the fur that since his bath was smooth and silky. “I’ll be his mommy.” She looked at Bailey curiously. “How come you don’t have a dog of your own? As much as you love them, I’d think you would have half a dozen.”
He shrugged and finished the exam on the puppy, then handed him to her. “I had a dog once…remember Champ?”
“Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten. But that was years ago.” Champ had been a golden retriever his parents had owned for years. The dog had been hit by a car when Bailey was twelve.
Melanie remembered that day very well. Bailey had come to her house and told her Champ was dead. They had sat side by side on Melanie’s parents’ front porch for about an hour. Bailey hadn’t cried, nor had he spoken of the deep pain that had filled his eyes.
Through the years of their friendship, Melanie had learned that Bailey shared his laughter with anyone near, shared his dreams with her, but he shared his grief with nobody.
It was dusk when they finally left the barn and headed for the house. They were both filthy and starving. But Bailey had promised her a shower and a hot meal before she left for the night.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” she began.
“Wow, raise the flag, shoot some fireworks, it’s a moment of celebration,” he teased, then laughed as she swatted him in the arm.
“I’m serious. I’ve been thinking about you hiring some help.” They stopped at her car, where she popped open the trunk to reveal several boxes of clothing and other items.
“And what thoughts have you had on the subject?” He grabbed one of the larger boxes as she picked up another smaller one.
“I just have this week left of school, then I’ll be here full-time. For this week I could come over for an hour or so each morning, then come back right after school to help. There’s really no point in you hiring anyone as long as you can get through this week.”
“I think that will work,” he agreed as he nudged open the front door with his elbow. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing that?”
“I’ve got to take care of my baby,” she said. She dropped her box to the floor in the sparsely decorated living room.
“Thanks, I like to be taken care of.” He set his box down and grinned at her, that slightly lopsided grin that flashed his single dimple.
“I wasn’t talking about you,” she scoffed teasingly. “I was talking about little Squirt.”
He sighed. “I suppose it won’t be long and you’ll want that little mutt in the house.”
She danced over to where he stood. “Really, Bailey? You wouldn’t mind?”
“The sheriff told me to go ahead and try to find them all good homes, and I know you’ve always wanted a dog.”
“I have…I do, and I think he already loves me just a little bit.” With exuberant excitement, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
His hand automatically went to the small of her back, the casual touch shooting a fluttering heat through her. She quickly stepped away from him, disconcerted by the unexpected physical reaction to him.
“I get first dibs on the shower,” she said, quickly opening the smaller of the boxes and grabbing a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
“While you’re doing that, I’ll take care of dinner,” he said as she headed down the hallway toward the bathroom.
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 e
ntire town.
Chapter Five
“Colette, 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.
If the Stick Turns Pink... Page 5