The Marriage Charm (Bliss County 2) by Linda Lael Miller Page A

started to tweak her new design, an inevitable part of the process. There were still decisions to make, like where to put the freshwater pearls, fire opals, turquoise and amethysts her client had bought on her travels. Engrossed, she didn’t look up for hours, not until she had to flip through her drawing pad to go back to some of her original ideas and found the picture she’d drawn of Spence.
    Even at home she was running into him, she thought darkly, staring at his image.
    Perhaps she should take a well-earned break. This shindig that Hadleigh and Tripp were throwing was supposedly casual, but she knew her friend, and Hadleigh was going to do it up right. So Melody wanted a new outfit for the occasion. Working from home, she tended to put on her “uniform,” as she called it, and wear the same thing every day with just a slight variation on that theme. All her jeans were faded, and some of her Tshirts were collecting stains and starting to look a little disreputable. New shoes, too—cute comfortable flats; heels were out of the question—might not be a bad idea.
    A shopping trip might be in order. Maybe Bex was free.
    She was, as it turned out, at least for a long lunch. “My eyes are crossing since I’m buying new equipment for the clubs and doing research. The best elliptical machine? Talk about a million choices. Yeah, I could use a break.”
    Mustang Creek didn’t have a mall, but there were a few designer shops and the usual retail stores, so they could wing it, and she’d be in better shape than she was now.
    They went to O’Henry’s on Main first. The restaurant was nestled between two buildings with wooden fronts and had a big glass window; the owner was also the chef and a native Wyoming son who’d gone off to New York. Then he’d felt the pull back to a simpler lifestyle and come home. His food was exceptional, so good it made you want to lick your plate. Since the inside room was packed, they chose a table on the patio, one with a brightly striped umbrella, and decided to split a decadent sandwich that included brie, ham and apples. They ordered sparkling water to accompany it.
    “I hope the weather’s like this for the party,” Bex said, gazing upward. “Not a cloud in the sky.”
    “Me, too.” As casually as possible, Melody brought up her current unshakable problem. “I ran into Spence yesterday. He was helping make some of the arrangements—the liquid kind. Sounds like it’s going to be quite the event.”
    Bex smiled mischievously. “I volunteered us both to help, too.”
    Melody had to laugh. “So did I. With the decorating.” She and Hadleigh had quickly discussed it at one of their prewedding get-togethers. “I’m doing the lanterns. Remember the night I drove her home because you had to leave early? That’s when she told me she wants paper lanterns. You’re far more organized at supervising staff than either of us. You’ve been nominated as the official kitchen queen.”
    “I can do that.”
    Bex nodded. “So...Spence asked you out to dinner, huh.”
    The arrival of the waiter precluded the need to answer immediately. The sandwich looked fabulous in all its gooey glory and she was hungry, but she didn’t pick up her half right away. Instead, she stared at her friend. “How do you know that?”
    “He told Tripp.”
    “Who blabbed it to Hadleigh, who then shared it with you.” Melody took a sip of her water and sighed in resignation. “Are there no secrets in this town?”
    “You know the answer to that already, Mel.” Bex managed to take a fairly ladylike bite, with only a small dribble landing on her plate. She rolled her eyes in enjoyment. “I could eat this every day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, by the way, is the point in our conversation when I say I told you so.”
    Melody opted for the knife and fork method to tackle her lunch. From experience she knew she couldn’t pull off the other option with any dignity left. “I said I was busy that