All of Me (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1)

by Leeanna Morgan

  Molly chewed her noodles and focused on her laptop. “At the very least I want to speak with her editor. What she did was illegal.” She glanced across at Tess. “Don’t worry about her. She was the one who did wrong.”

  “It’s not Jilly I’m worried about. I didn’t treat Logan very well. I thought he’d lied to me about taking the photos.” Tess’ phone rang and she let her answering machine take the call.

  “The phone’s rung at least a dozen times while I’ve been here. Are you ignoring someone?”

  Tess sighed. “It’s not Logan, if that’s what you mean. Every reporter who saw my interview with Mitch Maderson is trying to get hold of me. Then there are the weirdos who want to marry me. I even had a message from someone who wanted me to star in a movie, and it wasn’t a Disney film. That guy freaked me out big time.”

  “You shouldn’t be here alone. What if someone tries to break in?”

  “I’ll be okay. I’ll keep my cell phone beside my bed.”

  “It’s not safe,” Molly insisted. “You can come back to my apartment. Becky won’t mind.”

  “I can’t stay with you. You don’t have any spare room.”

  “You can have my bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  Tess picked up her bowl of takeout and frowned. “I’ll be fine. Now tell me how the catalog of bridesmaids’ dresses is looking.”

  “I’ve nearly finished. I just have to drop the last image in and then we’re done. Sally came around today and modeled the dresses we got the other day.” She looked up when someone knocked on the back door. “Were you expecting anyone?”

  Tess walked across to the door. “Not tonight, unless one of the men who wanted to marry me won’t take no for an answer.”

  “That’s not funny,” Molly growled. “You have to be careful.”

  The person on the other side of her door knocked again. “Tess? It’s Logan. Open the door.”

  She flicked the lock and pulled the door open. “You don’t have to be so impatient. We heard you the first time.”

  Logan raised his eyebrows. “We?”

  “Molly and I. We’re having dinner.”

  “Oh.” He looked happy about something. “Mind if I join you?”

  He didn’t wait to be invited in. Within minutes, he was standing behind the kitchen counter with an empty bowl in his hands.

  Tess decided she’d been grumpy enough for one day. Besides, she owed him an apology. A big apology. “We’re already onto our second bowl of Chinese takeout. Help yourself.”

  The phone rang and Tess ignored it.

  Logan glanced at her as he slid green pepper beef into his bowl. “You want to tell me why you’re ignoring your phone? I tried calling at least four times tonight.”

  “She’s getting propositioned by freaks,” Molly said. “I want her to come home with me, but she won’t budge.”

  Tess turned to Molly. “Your apartment is cute, but small. It’s barely big enough for you and your sister. I won’t sleep in your bed and your sofa is a two-seater.”

  “It might be small, but it’s comfortable.”

  Tess pointed to her knees. “Most of my legs would dangle over the edge of the sofa.”

  Logan’s eyes traveled down the length of the legs in question. A prickly white hot heat shot along Tess’ nerve endings. It left her feeling super aware of the way his cotton shirt hugged his chest, the way he froze as her eyes traveled over what she could see of his body.

  “You can stay with me.”

  Tess blinked. She must have imagined what he’d said. He couldn’t have asked her to stay, not when her body was imagining what she could do with more white hot heat.

  Logan reached for a fork and started eating.

  His eyes never left Tess’ face. She didn’t know where to look, what to do with the surge of adrenaline screaming through her body.

  “That’s a fine idea.” Molly finished her takeout and put her laptop away. “I’ll help you pack a bag, Tess.”

  The phone rang again and Tess groaned when Molly and Logan looked at her. “I’m okay. No one’s going to do anything strange.”

  “You’re right, because they’re not going to get the chance. You either pack a bag with Molly or I take you back to my home without one. My pajamas should fit you.”

  Tess felt mildly insulted that he thought his pajamas would fit her petite six-foot frame. “You’re enormous. I’d swim in your PJs.”

  Logan smiled. “All the more reason for you to pack your own bag. Just imagine how embarrassed you’d feel if I proved you wrong.”

  Tess glanced at Molly. She was busy tidying up their dinner dishes. At least Logan’s mom was still in Bozeman. She hadn’t seen Kathy since their visit to Yellowstone. She could ask her about Logan when he was growing up. Her stories would keep Logan away from their conversation and away from her.

  “Okay. I’ll go with you. But I’m taking my own car. I need to be back at the café by five thirty tomorrow morning.”

  Logan shook his head. “There’s still at least six reporters sitting outside. You’re coming in my truck in case we need to play cat and mouse to get them off our tail.”

  Tess dimmed the lights and flicked one of the curtains aside that overlooked Main Street.

  Logan stood beside her. “There’s a black SUV about twenty feet north of your café on the opposite side of the street. A red Ford is parked behind it, and a white SUV is parked outside Emily’s boutique.”

  Tess saw two of the vehicles, but the third was hidden by the front porch. “If I go with you, can you drop me back here in the morning?”

  Logan nodded. “I’ll even cook French toast for breakfast.”

  Tess pulled a face. “You don’t have to do that. I’m having trouble getting into my jeans now. French toast would kill me.”

  “You look good to me.”

  Tess felt a blush work its way across her face.

  Molly picked up her laptop. “That was easier than I thought it would be. You must have the luck of the Irish, Logan.”

  “There was nothing lucky about it,” Tess said as she headed toward her bedroom. “By tomorrow morning, he’ll be regretting his offer.”

  “Don’t tell me you sleepwalk? Do I need to hide all of the kitchen knives?”

  Tess looked over her shoulder and grinned. “I don’t sleepwalk, I sleep-talk. All of the time. Why do you think I’m still single?”

  “Because you have a thing against men who are shorter than you?”

  Tess sent him a withering glare.

  Logan started eating his leftover dinner. “As long as you don’t scream in your sleep we’ll get along fine.”

  Tess smiled at her unsuspecting roommate. He didn’t know what he’d let himself in for.

  ***

  It hadn’t taken much for Logan to get Tess away unseen from her apartment. When he’d arrived, he’d parked his truck on the next street over. Tess hadn’t been too thrilled about climbing a fence to get to his truck, but she’d done it anyway.

  On the way home, she’d insisted they take a detour to a drugstore. Anyone looking at her wouldn’t have thought she was being hunted by the local media. With her blonde hair bunched under a baseball cap and baggy jeans and a sweater on, she looked like any other late night shopper cruising the drugstore aisles.

  He didn’t have the heart to tell her that wearing baggy clothes and no makeup wouldn’t make people notice her less. It was near on impossible to fade into the background when you were six-foot tall. Add in a personality that sparkled even in suburban Bozeman, and you had a sure-fire way to get noticed.

  As they pulled into his garage, she leaned back in her seat and smiled. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  “Were you expecting lights and sirens with a car chase or two?”

  Tess opened her door and lifted her suitcase off the back seat. “I thought one of the reporters might have wondered where we’d gone.”

  “I’m sure they did.”

  Tess looked at him suspic
iously. “What did you do?”

  “Molly might have used some pillows and cushions in her car to make it look as though someone was sitting beside her.”

  “She did?” Instead of being concerned, Tess seemed grateful. “I’ll give her a call when we get inside to make sure she got home safely.”

  Logan took Tess’ case out of her hand and carried it inside. “You can sleep upstairs in the main bedroom. It’s got its own ensuite and walk-in closet.”

  “Where will you sleep?”

  Logan nodded to a corridor beside the main staircase. “When I bought the house there was a big guest suite downstairs. I sleep in there.”

  Tess followed him upstairs. He stopped beside each room, giving her a guided tour. “One day I’ll repaint the rooms, but for now they’re okay.”

  “I like the rooms. They’re not overdone with chintz and satin.”

  Logan smiled. “I take it you’ve lived with chintz and satin and didn’t like it?”

  “You could say that.”

  He stepped inside the last bedroom. “This is the main bedroom. It’s got a great view of the mountains and gets all of the morning sun.” He left Tess’ case on the bed and looked around the room. “There’s a walk-in closet behind that door, and in here…” He opened another door. “Is the ensuite. I’ll get you some towels.”

  When he got back to the room, Tess was pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

  “I’ll call Molly and let her know we’re okay.”

  He hung the towels up and left an extra one on the end of Tess’ bed. By the time he’d grabbed an extra blanket out of the hall closet, Tess was off the phone. “Did Molly get home safely?”

  Tess snapped her phone shut and smiled. “The black SUV followed her so she drove to the police department. The reporters won’t be bothering her again.”

  “I should have called Dylan.”

  “Molly’s okay. Her sister was home when she got there. She promised to call the police if anything strange happens.”

  Logan ran his hands through his hair. “I shouldn’t have written the follow-up story about Connie’s wedding. If Jilly hadn’t read about The Bridesmaids Club, none of this would have happened. Connie and Dave…”

  “Wouldn’t have had a beautiful wedding. Do you know how much Mrs. Thompson enjoyed seeing her daughter get married? You made Connie’s wedding day special because you were willing to help us. You helped create memories Mrs. Thompson’s family will never forget. What came next wasn’t your fault.” Tess looked at her suitcase and frowned. “I’ve got an apology to make. I’m sorry for thinking you gave Jilly the photos she printed in the paper. I should have trusted you more.”

  Logan stared at the uncertainty on Tess’ face. They’d both been testing the limits of whatever was happening between them. He didn’t know what it meant or where they were heading, but coffee sounded like a good place to start. “Apology accepted. I could do with a cup of coffee about now. Do you want to join me?”

  Tess smiled and a jolt of longing shot through him. He wanted her to know, beyond any doubt, that he wasn’t the bad guy she thought he was. He cared about what happened to people and he cared about her.

  Tess linked her arm through his. “Coffee sounds great. We’d better get out of here before your mom wonders where we are. I might tarnish your reputation.”

  The grin on Tess’ face almost distracted him from what she’d said. “Mom?”

  Tess walked with him toward the stairs. “Yeah, you know? The woman who gave birth to you and made sure you knew how to tie your shoelaces?”

  Logan still didn’t understand what his mom had to do with Tess staying in his home. “Mom isn’t here.”

  Tess froze on the stairs. “But she’s staying with you. We went to Yellowstone National Park together. She came to Bozeman for a vacation.”

  “Mom’s spending a couple of days in Great Falls. A friend of hers moved there last Spring. She left this morning.”

  “So it’s just us?”

  “Is that a problem?” From the look on Tess’ face, it was a big problem he hadn’t thought about. “As long as you promise not to make any moves on me, I’ll still respect you in the morning.”

  Tess looked down at their interlinked arms and frowned. “I won’t make any moves on you.” She let go of his arm and started walking down the stairs.

  “There’s nothing to worry about then?”

  Tess didn’t look back.

  He followed her down the stairs. “It’s a big house. If I start snoring, you won’t hear me.” She must have remembered where his kitchen was from her last visit. She turned right at the bottom of the stairs and waited for him in the living room.

  He looked at the pictures his niece had tacked to the walls so he wouldn’t forget her, then at Tess. She still looked worried about something. “Forget what I said back at your apartment. I can’t make you stay, but I’d like you to. I need to know you’re safe and not being harassed by unwanted phone calls and determined reporters.”

  He saw the laughter in her eyes before he saw her smile. “Determined reporters like you?”

  “Maybe not quite as determined as I am. What do you say?”

  Tess pulled a small paper bag out of her pocket. It was the bag the sales assistant had given her in the drugstore. “Before I tell you my answer, there’s something I need to give you. Happy birthday.”

  “It’s not my birthday for another six months.”

  “You’ll appreciate my forward thinking when you can’t hear me talking in my sleep.”

  He opened the bag and saw four different sized sets of earplugs staring back at him. “Does this mean you’re staying?”

  Tess nodded. “But only for tonight. By tomorrow morning, no one will care about an ex-model running a café in downtown Bozeman.” She linked her hand back through his arm. “You can make me a cup of coffee and tell me why I’m wrong.”

  Logan smiled. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”

  “Is it working?”

  “I’m smiling, so I suppose it is.”

  Tess laughed. “Mission accomplished, then.”

  Logan hoped so. He walked into the kitchen and took two mugs out of the pantry. “Cream and one sugar?”

  “Cream, but no sugar.”

  “You thinking about your jeans again?”

  Tess sat on a kitchen stool. “I’m thinking about sleep. Caffeine and sugar will keep me awake half the night. If I don’t get a good night’s sleep, I end up giving people weird combinations in their sandwiches.”

  He made two cups of coffee and passed Tess hers. “Come into the living room. It’s more comfortable than the kitchen.” Logan sat on a sofa opposite Tess, just in case she thought he was about to test her ‘no moves’ promise. “Have The Bridesmaids Club found another bride yet?”

  “We’re meeting in two days’ time. Annie’s putting all of the letters in a box for us to go through.”

  “How many letters do you have?”

  “Too many. At least they’re easier to store than the dresses. At last count, there were seventeen letters and fifty-two dresses, and that’s after Connie took her four.”

  Logan sipped his coffee. “Sounds like you’ve created a monster.”

  Tess laughed. “Covered in satin, silk, and tulle. We might have to ask you to write another story asking people not to send us more dresses.”

  Logan shook his head. “No way. I’m staying away from any story to do with The Bridesmaids Club.”

  “Probably a wise move.” Tess leaned forward and picked up an envelope sitting on the coffee table. “You haven’t opened your letter yet.

  Logan frowned. “It’s nothing important. How did Annie’s bowling competition go?”

  Tess looked at the letter, then at him. “The competition went well, but Carl didn’t last the distance. Their bowling partnership broke up almost before it started. Why don’t you want to open the letter?”

  “It’s not the right time.”

&n
bsp; “The postmark’s dated two months ago. That’s a lot of wrong times.”

  Sweat trickled down Logan’s spine.

  “It’s from Afghanistan.”

  He looked quickly at Tess. “You should have been a reporter.”

  She didn’t look impressed. “Forget I mentioned anything.” She put the letter back on the table and picked up her coffee mug. “Did I tell you the Hospital is planning a fundraiser for their transplant center? Stan Lewis wants to know if Annie and I would provide the food.”

  Logan pulled his attention away from the letter. “Big job.”

  “It is, but I’ve got an idea. Pastor Steven has started a return to work program for the adults that go to the Lighthouse Café. One of the challenges is not having enough work opportunities for the people doing the course. Annie and I thought we could employ his students to waitress at the fundraiser. And if some of the students are good cooks, they could help in the kitchen. What do you think?”

  He stared at the envelope.

  “Logan?”

  “Hmm?”

  Tess frowned. “What do you think about the fundraiser?”

  “The students will be lucky to work with you.” Logan could feel Tess’ gaze on his face. He wiped his hands down his jeans and picked up the envelope. “Pastor Steven knows someone who works in Afghanistan not far from where I was based. He asked them to find any information they could about families who may have stayed in the orphanage after the Taliban attack. He gave me the letter a few weeks ago.”

  “And you haven’t opened it?”

  “No.” But every time he walked past the envelope it sat like a noose around his neck.

  “Why don’t you want to open it?”

  Tess’ voice drifted across the open space between them and settled on his shoulders. The weight of her words dug into a part of him he wanted to forget. He picked up the envelope with shaky hands and gave it to her. “Would you read it to me?”

  Her eyes widened. “Me?”

  Logan nodded. “When I came back from Afghanistan I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Not being able to sleep is my main problem. I can’t sleep because I’m having a hard time working through what happened.”