it out of here. But the time Melanie had been apart from Bailey had been the most miserable time in her life.
Still, she couldn’t seem to get her idea out of her head. Was it really so crazy? There wasn’t a man in Foxrun she was even vaguely romantically interested in, and she hadn’t been lying when she’d told Bailey that she wanted children while her mother was still around to share the joy.
The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was a perfect solution for both of them. She trusted Bailey more than she trusted anyone, and she was absolutely confident their friendship could withstand an unconventional marriage of convenience.
She smiled and shoved away thoughts of Bailey and babies as Max and Betty Altenburg walked into the classroom. The conference lasted only fifteen minutes, then the Altenburgs left, smiling proudly with Melanie’s words of praise for Becky ringing in their ears.
Looking at her watch once again, she realized she had about fifteen minutes before the next set of parents arrived. She got up from her desk and left the classroom, heading for the gymnasium where coffee, punch and cookies were supposed to be served.
About two dozen people milled around a gaily decorated long table in the small gym. The air was rife with the scent of fresh coffee and sugary baked goods. Melanie grabbed a cookie and a cup of coffee, then started back in the direction of her classroom.
She’d nearly made it out of the gym when her good friend and fellow teacher, Kathy Milsap approached her. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” she exclaimed as she grabbed Melanie’s arm and guided her away from the gym. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought I was one of your best friends.”
“You are, and what didn’t I tell you?” Melanie asked curiously, then bit into the soft gooey cookie.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you and Bailey are engaged to be married.”
Melanie choked and nearly spit the bite of cookie out of her mouth. She took a sip of her coffee and stared at Kathy in astonishment. “Where did you hear that?” she finally managed to gasp out.
“I heard it from Teri who heard it from Krista, who heard it from SueEllen at the beauty shop.” Kathy’s blue eyes sparkled merrily. “So, when is the big day? I insist that I throw you a big shower. Oh, it will be such fun! Your mom and dad must be absolutely thrilled.”
Melanie’s head spun dizzily and she held up a hand in an attempt to halt Kathy’s exuberant chattering. “I’ve got a meeting in two minutes,” she said. “We’ll talk later about all this.”
She escaped to her room, where she sank down behind her desk in bewilderment. Why on earth would SueEllen Trexlor be telling people that Melanie and Bailey were engaged? Surely SueEllen had simply made a mistake…heard a piece of gossip and mistakenly twisted it into an engagement.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a false rumor had whirled in the air in the tiny town of Foxrun. In truth, with only two television channels available for viewing without a satellite and only one local movie theater that played really old movies to provide entertainment, the good people of Foxrun thrived on gossip and innuendo.
She needed to talk to Bailey. What if he heard the rumor and assumed she’d been the one to start it because of the conversation they’d had that afternoon?
She would be mortified if he thought she’d tried to push his hand by starting such a rumor. Surely he knew her well enough to know that if she were going to try to convince him to agree with her plan, she wouldn’t be underhanded but would come to him face-to-face.
She’d always been one of those people who thought cell phones were silly indulgences, but now she desperately wished she had one.
Maybe she’d have time to sneak into the office and use the phone, she thought. But at that moment her next set of parents arrived.
It was eight-thirty by the time she finished with the last of her meetings. She left the building and hurried toward her car, eager to get to Bailey’s and tell him the latest rumor making the rounds.
She unlocked her car door, then squealed in surprise as a hand touched her on the back. She whirled around to see Bailey. “You nearly scared me to death,” she exclaimed. “I was just getting ready to go to your place.”
“We need to talk,” he said. “How about we take a walk over to Millie’s and get a cup of coffee.” Millie’s Family Restaurant was the most popular place in Foxrun.
Melanie nodded her assent, and together the two of them started walking toward the restaurant on Main Street. As usual, Melanie had to lengthen her strides to match his, and as usual, he was clad in tight, worn jeans and a T-shirt.
She couldn’t help but notice how the worn denim hugged the length of his long, muscular legs and emphasized his trim waist.
“Have you heard the newest rumor making its way around town?” she asked tentatively.
“If it’s the one I think it is, I’m afraid I’m the one who started it.”
“What?” She stopped in her tracks and stared at him.
“Come on, I’ll explain everything over a cup of coffee.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door of Millie’s.
A bell over the door tinkled as they entered into the warm, heavenly scented interior of the restaurant. It was late enough in the evening that there were few diners.
Bailey led her to the back booth, their regular spot for dining. Almost immediately Samantha, Foxrun’s sheriff’s teenage daughter, appeared to take their orders.
“Just coffee for me,” Bailey said.
“The same for me,” Melanie agreed. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked when Samantha had departed.
He leaned back against the red plastic booth and raked a hand through his hair in distraction. “Remember our conversation this afternoon when I told you I was half afraid some Miss Dairy Cow contestant would show up naked in my bed?”
Astonishment swept through her. “Don’t tell me…who?”
“SueEllen Trexlor, but she wasn’t in my bed, she was in my shower.”
“Naked?”
“As a jaybird.”
They both stopped talking as Samantha returned to the booth with two cups of steaming coffee. When she left them once again, Melanie stifled a grin with one of her hands. “Tell me all.”
“It isn’t funny,” Bailey exclaimed with a scowl. “It was downright embarrassing.”
She tried to keep the grin from her lips. “So, how did things go from a naked SueEllen in your shower to the rumor that we’re engaged?”
Bailey frowned and wrapped his hands around his mug. “I guess your crazy idea was still going around in my head when I opened my shower door and saw her there waiting for me. I panicked and told her I was an engaged man.” The blue of his T-shirt intensified the blue of his eyes as he held her gaze. “Who did you hear it from?”
“Kathy Milsap. According to her, SueEllen told
