If the Stick Turns Pink...
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Carla Cassidy
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11
Chapter One
Melanie Watters would never have thought about it had she not seen him naked. “Him” was Bailey Jenkins, her very best friend and confidant.
Every day for the past few weeks she and Bailey had met at his pond after work for a late-afternoon swim. Today she was earlier than usual. There had been no school that day. Instead, the day had been scheduled for parent-teacher appointments. By two o’ clock Melanie had met with all her little students’ parents, and her work was finished until later in the evening.
She’d changed into her bathing suit in the school rest room, then had driven directly to Bailey’s.
His familiar maroon pickup truck was parked in front of his attractive white ranch house, but instead of going to the house, she headed for his office in the barn.
As the only veterinarian in the small town of Foxrun, Bailey could usually be found in the barn either sitting at his computer doing paperwork or caring for an animal who’d been brought in to him.
He wasn’t there, nor was he in the house, so she headed down the lane toward the pasture and the pond that had for the past several weeks provided cool relief against the unusual heat of early summer.
As she drew closer to the pond, she heard the sound of splashing, but the thick blackberry bushes directly in front of her obscured her view of the water.
She worked her way around the blackberry bushes and froze as Bailey came into view. He stood on the end of a small, wooden pier. His back was to her and it was obvious he’d been skinny-dipping.
The late-afternoon sun played on his broad, tanned shoulders and slim waist and emphasized the musculature of his buttocks and legs. Melanie gasped and ducked back behind the bushes, her heart pounding a strange rhythm in her chest.
She’d always known, someplace in the back of her mind, that Bailey had a decent physique, but she’d never realized quite how utterly fine it was.
“Stop it,” she commanded herself. This was Bailey…Bailey, the best friend who had held her head while she’d thrown up when she was sixteen and learned about sloe gin fizzes the hard way.
This was Bailey, the confidant who had heard all her fears when her mother had been diagnosed with cancer a year ago, a cancer that thankfully was now in remission.
Okay, she had just gotten a startling reminder that Bailey was not only her best friend but pure male, as well. She drew several deep breaths to steady her suddenly racing pulse, then cried out, “Hey, Bailey, are you out here?”
“Mellie…hang on a minute, I’m not decent,” Bailey’s deep voice returned.
“You’re never decent,” she replied, striving for the teasing tone that had always marked their relationship, trying desperately to forget what she had just seen.
“Okay,” he replied a second later. “Come on around.”
She rounded the blackberry bushes to see him standing on the pier, this time clad in a pair of cutoff jeans shorts.
“You’re early,” he observed as he sat on the edge of the dock with his feet dangling in the water.
She moved onto the dock and sat down next to him. “We had parent-teacher appointments all day and I finished up early. I’ve got to go back later this evening for several appointments with parents who work during the day.”
Had his chest always been so broad with just the right amount of dark springy hair sprinkled in the center? Why had she never noticed before?
“So, did you get a chance to speak with Johnny Anderson’s parents about his behavior problems?”
Melanie scowled. “According to his mother he has no behavior problems. He’s just spunky and full of life.”
Bailey laughed, his dark-blue eyes crinkling pleasantly at the corners. “Did you tell Mrs. Anderson that little Johnny has all the makings of a first-rate criminal?”
Melanie pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, carefully keeping her gaze schooled away from Bailey. “He’s only seven, there’s time to save him. I’ve just decided to commit myself to spending extra time and effort on him even if he won’t be in my class next year.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Bailey shake his head ruefully. “You have a lot more patience than I do, Mellie. Someday you’ll make a terrific mother.”
His words sent a swift shaft of pain through her. When? she wanted to shout. When will I ever get a chance to be a mother? She was twenty-nine years old and wasn’t even dating anyone.
“Come on.” Bailey rose gracefully to his feet and held out his hand to her. “Let’s swim off the frustrations of the day.”
She allowed him to pull her up from her sitting position, then took off her oversize T-shirt, and together they dove into the cool pond.
For the next hour they raced around the pond and took turns dunking each other. Where always before Melanie found the afternoon swim relaxing, today was different.
Everything was different because she’d seen Bailey naked. For the first time she noticed how the overhead sun pulled red glints from his dark-brown hair, how his smile caused a dimple to dance by the corner of his sensual lips.
They had been best friends since the second grade, and other than for a few weeks in high school she’d never thought of Bailey as a male…he’d simply been Bailey. But now she was faced with the startling realization that Bailey was not only male, but a hunky, highly attractive male at that. And that knowledge was making strange thoughts sweep through her mind.
“That felt great,” Bailey said as he flopped down on his back on the dock.
“It did feel good,” Melanie agreed as she pulled her T-shirt back on. “So, how was your day?”
“Horrible,” he said without hesitation. “My life has become a nightmare ever since they announced at the town meeting two nights ago that I’m the judge for the Miss Dairy Cow Contest.”
The Miss Dairy Cow Contest was a yearly beauty pageant held on the Fourth of July during a huge town celebration. “A nightmare how?”
He rolled over on his side and propped an elbow beneath him. “Do you have any idea how many tiara-crazed young women and mothers there are in this town? I already have a fridge full of questionable casseroles that have been delivered since the meeting.”
Melanie laughed. “That’s not all bad. I’d rather eat a questionable casserole any day than anything you’ve attempted to cook.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” he replied dryly, and sat up. “But, I’m serious, I think this situation is going to get way out of control. Cindy Canfield brought in her cat this afternoon, said she thought little Buffy was depressed, then she spent the next thirty minutes telling me all the reasons why she should be Miss Dairy Cow. Blanche Withers actually did a dramatic reading for me in the middle of the grocery store last night.”
Melanie giggled. “The pageant is a big deal, not only because of the pretty tiara and all the public appearances throughout the year, but doesn’t the winner also get a car?”
“Yeah, a pink convertible, and there’s a thousand-dollar cash prize, too. High stakes, and already the eligible women in this town are starting to show signs of Miss Dairy Cow madness.”
“I guess it doesn’t help that last year’s winner went Hollywood.” A friend of a friend had sent a picture of Rachel Warner, last year’s Miss Dairy Cow, to a modeling agency in California. The pretty young woman had recently been spotted in several national ads on television.
“That’s definitely added to the fever pitch this year,” he replied.
“And just think, there’s still more than a month left before the pageant.”
Bailey groaned. “Don’t remind me. For all I know at this very moment there’s an eager contestant in my bed willing to use her feminine wiles to gain the crown. Drat Tanner Rothman’s hide,” he exclaimed.
Melanie knew Tanner Rothman had initially been chosen to be the judge of the pageant this year. Tanner, a handsome rancher who lived on the spread next to Bailey’s, had dropped out when he’d gotten married two weeks before.
“I met his new wife the other day,” Melanie said. “Colette. She’s really nice. She’s opening a baby shop in the old feed store over on Main.”
“I still can’t believe Tanner gave up the brotherhood of bachelorhood,” Bailey said. He shook his head, then continued. “Next year I intend to suggest to the pageant committee that they choose a married man to be the judge.”
The idea that had been germinating from the moment she’d spied Bailey naked began to blossom in Melanie’s head. “Too bad you aren’t married now. You’re not only one of the most eligible bachelors in town, but now you’re an eligible bachelor with power. A heady combination.”
“You’re telling me,” he exclaimed. He picked up the wristwatch that was lying on the dock and eyed it. “I’ve got to get back. I’ve got a couple of animals who need to be checked on.”
She nodded and together they got up and began the long walk down the lane toward the house in the distance. Thoughts flew through Melanie’s head…crazy thoughts.
She tried desperately to concentrate on the scent of grass and sun-baked pasture mingling with early summer wildflowers that filled the air. She tried unsuccessfully to focus on anything but where her thoughts were taking her.
“I know how to solve the problem of the single women of Foxrun throwing themselves at you,” she finally said, not giving herself a chance to change her mind about what she was about to suggest.
“And what’s that?”
“Marry me.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right. Ruin my life because of one stinkin’ beauty pageant.”
“Thanks a lot,” Melanie said, unable to help the small stab of pain that shot through her at his words.
He must have heard the hurt in her voice and he stopped walking and grabbed her hands in his. Despite the fact that he had held her hands a thousand times before, this time Melanie’s heart fluttered at his touch.
“Mellie, you know I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he protested, his eyes as blue as the cloudless sky overhead. “And you know how I feel about marriage. Never again.” He dropped her hands and continued walking.
Melanie hurried to catch up with him. “But this would be different,” she exclaimed. “For one thing, it wouldn’t be forever.”
Bailey stopped walking once again and faced her, his features radiating confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“A temporary marriage for mutual benefit.” She wondered if he had any idea how attractive he looked with his dark hair wet and slicked back to expose his firmly chiseled features.
However, he stared at her as if she’d completely and irrevocably lost her mind. “Not that I’m even considering such insanity, but remind me again, what kind of mutual benefit this marriage would give us?”
“For you, it would relieve some of the onslaught by overeager contestants. No woman is going to show up in your bed if you’re a married man.”
“And what do you get out of this arrangement?”
She hesitated a moment. “We’d stay married until after the Miss Dairy Cow pageant and…until you give me a baby.”
“Good grief, have you lost your mind?” He turned and stalked off, and once again Melanie hurried to catch up to him.
“It would only be a temporary marriage,” she continued. “We’d marry as friends and divorce as friends. You get a reprieve from the tiara-hungry single women in town, and I get pregnant.”
“I don’t want to talk about this. The whole idea is insane.” They had reached her car, parked in front of the barn, and he leaned against the front fender. “Mellie, I’m not the man for the job you have in mind.”
“Bailey, you’re the only man in my life,” she protested.
He gazed at her with a touch of sympathy. “Honey, eventually you’ll find the perfect man for you and get married and have a houseful of babies. Just give it time.”
“I’m running out of time,” she exclaimed. “And you know my track record when it comes to finding Mr. Right. It stinks.”
“That’s because your standards are too high.”
“Bailey, just think about it.” To Melanie the whole idea seemed perfect. “I want my mom to know my child before it’s too late.”
He looked at her in alarm. “Is her cancer back?”
“No, but there’s no guarantee it won’t come back. You know how much I’ve wanted a baby, Bailey. Please think about this. You’re my very best friend in the whole wide world. Can’t you do this one thing for me?”
Bailey was in shock. He studied the freckled face of the woman who had been his best friend for as long as he could remember, and he felt as if he were looking at a stranger.
“Mellie, you know after the mess with Stephanie I vowed I would never marry again,” he said.
She waved her hands dismissively. “Stephanie was a bubble-headed social climber who wasn’t half good enough for you.”
He grinned. “That’s one thing we agree on.” His smile faded as Melanie didn’t return it.
“It would only be a temporary marriage,” she repeated. “And I would never ask anything of you after that. Just give me a baby and I’ll go away happy.”
He reached out and placed a hand on the side of her face. “Mellie, you know I would do anything for you. When we were in fifth grade I beat up Harley Raymond because he called you a bad name.”
A ghost of a smile curved her lips. “The way I recall it, Harley Raymond made mincemeat out of you.”
He laughed. “Okay, maybe you’re right, but I took the beating for your honor. In high school I tolerated you dressing me up in a monkey suit to take you to the prom. I would do anything in the world for you…except this.” He dropped his hand.
She shrugged and offered him the slightly crooked grin that was as familiar to Bailey as his own heartbeat. “It was just a thought,” she said.
Bailey relaxed, feeling for the first time in several minutes as if they were back on familiar footing. “What are your plans for the evening?”
She made a face. “I’ve got appointments until about eight, then I have to come up with final grades before the end of this week when school lets out for the summer. I’ll probably get started on them tonight. What about you?”
“I’ll probably eat a little of one of those questionable casseroles, then call it a night early. I’ve got a neutering surgery scheduled for seven in the morning.”
“How about a movie tomorrow night,” she suggested. Most Friday nights they spent together, either eating dinner out or going to the old theater in town.
“Why don’t we rent one and I’ll pop popcorn and we’ll watch it here.”
She nodded and moved to the door of her car. “Sounds good. About seven?”
“Perfect,” he agreed, and watched as she got into her car, the late-afternoon sunshine glinting off her long, curly red hair.
He waved and smiled as she pulled out of the drive, then shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned thoughtfully as her car disappeared from sight.
What on earth had possessed her to come up with such a crazy idea, he wondered as he headed into the barn to do a checkup of the animals in his care.
He and Mellie were not winners when it came to the romances in their lives, but they were absolute champions when it came to their friendship with each other. Bailey would never do anything to risk that friendship. And nothing could ruin things like a marriage.
Twenty minutes ago he would have told anyone that Melanie Watters was the most grounded woman he’d ever known. She was bright, logical and had both feet firmly planted on the ground. But that had been before she’d voiced her crazy idea about marriage and pregnancy.
Maybe the approach of her thirtieth birthday at the end of the year had picked her feet up off the ground and put craziness in her head, he thought as he left the barn.
He entered the house by the back door and walked into the large, airy kitchen he rarely used. As a confirmed bachelor, most of Bailey’s meals were either zapped in the microwave or eaten at the local diner.
The only really good home-cooked meals he ever got were when either his mother or Melanie took pity on him and cooked for him.
At the moment the last thing he wanted was dinner. All he wanted was a nice warm shower and to kick back with a cold beer.
He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Melanie it had been a miserable day. Not only had he been confronted by several well-meaning mothers of potential contestants, he’d had to put down a beloved old dog who’d belonged to friends of his.
He walked into his bedroom and kicked off his shoes, then walked into the bathroom and stripped off his still-damp jean shorts. He tossed them in the direction of the hamper, pulled a towel from the linen closet, then yanked open the shower door and yelped in surprise.
The dark-haired, naked woman standing in his shower smiled. “Hey, Bailey, I thought maybe you’d like me to scrub your back.”
“Jeez, SueEllen, what the heck are you doing?” Bailey wasn’t sure whether to cover himself with the towel in his hand or cover her. He finally managed to sling the towel around his hips and grab another from the closet and throw it to SueEllen Trexlor.
SueEllen took the towel, but instead of wrapping it around herself, held it out from her. “I just thought I’d show you some of the talent I can’t show you during the pageant,” she said.
Bailey groaned and quickly turned his back on her. “Would you get out of my shower and get dressed. What on earth would your mama say?”
“My mama wants me to be Miss Dairy Cow.”
Bailey groaned again and left the bathroom. He grabbed a pair of jeans from a drawer and went into the living room, where he quickly pulled them on.
A moment later SueEllen appeared in the bedroom doorway. To his relief she had pulled on the sundress she’d apparently arrived in, although the top several buttons were undone to expose her ample chest.
“I’ve always had a thing for you, Bailey,” she said, her voice a seductive purr as she advanced toward him.
Had every woman in Foxrun gone stark, raving mad? Bailey wondered if there was something alien in the air, a weird position of the moon, as he backed away from her.
“I’m flattered, SueEllen, but you need to get on home now,” he said. “This isn’t right.”
“And what’s wrong with it? I’m an adult and you’re an adult. We’re both free and single.”
“But I’m not,” Bailey protested.
SueEllen stopped in her tracks. “You aren’t what?”
The conversation with Mellie was still ringing in his ears, and he grasped at it desperately. “I’m not single…I mean, I just got engaged to Melanie Watters.”
SueEllen frowned in obvious dismay and reached for the buttons of her dress. “Why didn’t you say something sooner, Bailey? You know I would never steal somebody else’s fiancé. I do have my standards.”
She tossed her head and flounced toward the front door. She pulled on the door, then turned back to face him with a sly smile. “I hope you won’t hold this against me in the pageant. I meant it when I said I’ve always found you attractive, Bailey.” Her smile widened. “And now I know for sure just how attractive you are.”
Bailey felt the heat of a blush sweep over his features. Thankfully she apparently didn’t expect a reply, with a waggle of her fingers, she disappeared out the door.
Instantly Bailey dropped to the sofa and waited for his heart to stop pounding so frantically. He’d been joking with Melanie when he told her he was afraid some contestant would be in his bed. It hadn’t crossed his mind that the oversexed, attractive SueEllen might be waiting for him naked in his shower.
Thinking of showers…he pulled himself up off the sofa, carefully locked both the front and back doors, then headed for the shower once again.
It wasn’t until he was standing beneath the hot spray of water that he realized what he had just done. SueEllen and her mother were two of the biggest gossips in the town of Foxrun, and he’d just told SueEllen that he was engaged to Mellie.
He quickly shut off the faucets and, still dripping water, grabbed jeans and a shirt. He had to get hold of Mellie. He had to tell her what had happened before she heard it through Foxrun’s prolific grapevine.
