All of Me: A Small Town Romance (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1)

Chapter 3

Logan choked back a laugh.

Tess glared at him.

"I can't believe Logan left it until now to introduce us," Jacqui said. "Mom will be disappointed she didn't come to Bozeman."

Tess sensed a chink in the white knight's armor. At least she hoped he was a white knight. After his lip-smacking deception, he'd better be something useful.

She'd come here to find out where the mystery bride lived, not kiss Logan. But if she said the right thing, he might feel as though he had to help her.

Dredging up everything she'd learned from her years on the catwalk, Tess smiled at Jacqui. "Your brother is such a sweet guy."

Jacqui glowed with happiness. "We think so, too." She glanced at her watch. "We have ten minutes before we need to leave. Come into the living room."

A look of panic crossed Logan's face. He must have sensed he was on the losing end of a bad joke. "Tess just stopped by to say hello."

Tess smiled sweetly. Stepping forward, she ran her finger along the side of his jaw. "It's okay. I can stay for a few minutes." Call her perverse, but she got such a kick out of seeing a blush creep along his cheeks that she leaned in even closer. "I'd like to get to know Jacqui. You've said such lovely things about her and Stacey."

"I'll get the lemonade," Stacey shouted as she ran down the hallway.

"We don't have time to drink anything," Logan shouted back, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "Ignore my brother. He's so secretive about his life that it's a wonder he told us he was moving to Montana. Do you live in Bozeman, Tess?"

"I moved here a few years ago. I own a café in town." After they were seated, Tess made sure she sat thigh to thigh with Logan.

He smiled as he put his arm around her shoulders. He didn't look embarrassed now. He looked as though he was settling in for a cozy chat beside the woman of his dreams.

Except Tess didn't want to be his dream girl. All she wanted was the name and address of the bride who'd been burgled.

Stacey proudly carried two tall glasses of lemonade into the room.

Jacqui took them out of her daughter's hands before they sloshed over the floor. "It's just as well you enjoy cooking, Tess. Logan is such a dweeb when it comes to food. If the barbecue hadn't been invented, he'd starve."

"Tess taught me how to cook blueberry pancakes," Logan said with pride. "She's great with her hands."

Tess nudged him in the ribs. Hard.

Logan coughed and pulled her toward him. He seemed to be getting into the boyfriend groove really fast. She didn't know what had happened to the threat of his mom's interest in his life, but it was taking second place to getting close to her.

If Jacqui noticed Tess' attempt to break one or two of his ribs, she didn't say a word. But she did give her brother another confused stare. "How long have you been dating each other?"

Tess wasn't going anywhere near that question. It could lead to disaster, high expectations, and a Mom who might have wedding bells on her mind.

"I met Tess when I first moved here. The dating thing is recent."

Tess smiled. If Logan could read her mind, he'd move his arm about now.

"I'm just happy he's found someone special. After what happened in Afghanistan, I never thought he'd be happy again."