If I Only Had A...Husband (The Bridal Circle #1) Read online

  “I’ll have a crew over tomorrow to take care of this,” Penny said and tucked her pen under the clip on the clipboard. “I know it’s a mess but we’ve got more critical sites to take care of first.”

  “Sure. Whenever you get to it is fine with me.” Heather walked out toward Penny’s truck with her. “You know, speakng of cats, I’ve got the prettiest brown tabby that needs a home. She’s kind of wild, but would make a great barn cat for you.”

  Penny knew better than to argue. “Sure, need me to pay for her spay?”

  “No, Sarah’s going to cover it...” Heather stopped to stare down the street. “Boy, for a minute there I thought that was Aunty Em’s Jeep down the block. But she’s not driving yet, is she?”

  Penny glanced to where Heather was looking, a reflex action more than anything. “Nope. She’s got another month before the doctor’s going to let her.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked again, closer this time. “It does look like her Jeep,” she said slowly, then frowned. “It’s Brad Corrigan.”

  “Brad Corrigan?” Heather repeated, confused. “He’s back?”

  “He’s back and I would guess Aunty Em loaned him her car.” Penny tossed her clipboard onto the front seat of her truck, then marched over to where the Jeep was parked.

  Brad must have seen her coming because he smiled at her as she approached. It did nothing to ease her suspicions.

  “Hi, there.” His smile was as wide as Indiana was long. Damn. Eighteen years and all it did was make him handsomer.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Came to take you to lunch,” he said.

  “Lunch? I don’t have time for lunch,” she snapped. “I’ve still got a dozen calls to make.”

  Brad just shook his head. “Even poets have to eat. How about if we go to a drive-through, then I’ll take you to your next stop while you eat?”

  The idea of taking such a break was tempting—and for that very reason she wouldn’t. She had a weakness where Brad Corrigan was concerned and she needed to stay away from him. “That’s crazy. I’ve got my calls laid out in order. It would take too much time to drive back here for my truck.”

  “So, I’ll drive you all afternoon.” He looked past her suddenly. “Hey, is that Alex? I didn’t know he lived around here.”

  Penny turned. Sure enough, Alex’s car was backing out of the drive. She waved when he looked her way and she hurried over when he stopped. Hopefully, Brad would take the hint and leave.

  “We still on for tonight?” she asked Alex.

  “But of course. Unless you need to reschedule.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve got an Oz festival meeting tomorrow night, so it’s got to be tonight. You said I need to have my paper ready if the seminar committee should ask to see it.”

  “They won’t before the end of the month and that’s a couple of weeks away. We needn’t rush if you’re too busy.”

  “This is important.”

  “Then tonight it is. Sevenish?”

  “How about eightish?”

  He nodded and then drove on.

  Penny turned. Brad was still there, leaning up against the driver’s side of the truck. Down the block, the Jeep stood with its hood open.

  “The engine died,” he said. “I guess I’m going to have to bum a ride off of you anyway.”

  She wasn’t surprised. Somehow as soon as she’d seen him down the street, she’d known she wasn’t going to be able to avoid him. She climbed into the passenger side of the truck and grabbed up her cellular phone.

  “I assume it needs to be towed.”

  He just shrugged and got into the driver’s seat. “Why don’t I come back and take a look at it later? Is Bill’s Barbeque still around?”

  “Yeah.”

  She put down the phone as he pulled away from the curb and took out her list of calls. She didn’t intend to phone anyone at the moment, but it was better than staring at Brad. Her eyes forgot her resolve and her gaze wandered to him anyway.

  He’d been the cutest guy in high school when he’d left and had only gotten better. He looked toughened by life, but it was a good toughening. He looked strong, both inside and out, and dependable. Someone you could climb a mountain with.

  She looked away and stared at the passing houses. Not that she needed that kind of help. There weren’t any mountains in this part of Indiana. There weren’t any mountains anywhere in Indiana.

  “So, why did you come back?” she asked suddenly.

  “To clear up my uncle’s probate.”

  That sounded simple, but Brad had always been able to make the most complex things sound simple. And she couldn’t forget his arm around Dorothy last night.

  “Do you have to handle that kind of stuff in person?” she asked. “I would’ve thought you could do it by mail.”

  “I could have,” he admitted as he pulled into Bill’s drive-through.

  The words killed Penny’s appetite. He was here for Dorothy. She’d known it. A sick feeling took up residence in the pit of her stomach. Well, she was just going to have to stop him, that was all. Dorothy belonged with Toto, whether she knew it or not.

  He got their order of barbequed chicken sandwiches and soda, then pulled back onto the highway. “So, where’s our first stop?”

  His voice did funny things to her heart. It was deep and rough, yet somehow like velvet. She could imagine it whispering words of endearment to a lover. She could hear him—

  Lordy, but she needed to get hold of herself. “Look, you don’t need to do this,” she said. She had to think of a plan, but obviously that wasn’t possible with him around. “Why don’t you take me back to the Jeep? Maybe I can get it started. You must have probate stuff to take care of.”

  “Not really. Matt Harris was my uncle’s lawyer.”

  “And he’s up at his cabin in Michigan,” she said, her hopes crashing.

  Brad grinned at her. “So, I have nothing to do until Monday.”

  Nothing to do but go after Dorothy—who shared office space with Matt. “You need to get your car taken care of.”

  “I did.”

  “And get your personal stuff from Toto.”

  “That’s all set up.”

  She was feeling panicky for no reason. He was only talking about three days. What could happen in seventy-two hours? She could protect Dorothy for that long. Dorothy was her friend. She’d protect her forever.

  He glanced at her list, reading it in a split second. “First stop is the Rogers’ farm on Country Road 112.” Brad was intent on the road and his sandwich, but managed to look over at Penny. “How about dinner tonight?”

  “What?” That was dumb. Made it sound like she’d never been asked out to dinner. “I mean, no thank you. I have a previous engagement.”

  “You have a date?” he asked.

  “That’s none of your business,” she said and unwrapped her sandwich. She might not have much of an appetite, but at least she wouldn’t have to talk if she was eating.

  “With Alex?”

  “You don’t listen very well,” she snapped. “What did I just tell you?”

  He turned onto a county road and headed east. “He’s not right for you.”

  Who did Brad think he was? She took a couple of bites, hoping he’d change the subject if she refused to answer.

  “You need somebody with a little backbone. Alex used to have some but it looks like he lost it.”

  She took another bite and chewed it determinedly.

  “Poetry is fine, but there’s more to life than a rhyme scheme.”

  He would get the idea. He wasn’t dense. She took another bite and stared out the window as she ate it.

  “Just because he’s got a couple of degrees, it doesn’t mean he’s a great catch.”

  The sandwich was gone. She had no choice but to talk. “You may not have noticed, but in the eighteen years you’ve been gone, I grew up. I’m now a mature, adult woman. Fully capable of running my own life and making my own d
ecisions.”

  “Where are you guys going?” he asked. “Does he take you to nice places?”

  “Which part of ‘mind your own business’ don’t you understand?”

  “I just want to make sure you’re happy.”

  If that didn’t take the cake! Those eighteen years might never have happened. He was still secretly in love with Dorothy and still into bossing Penny around. Nothing had changed with the man.

  “You’re not my father or big brother,” she said.

  “I’m not applying for either job.”

  He sounded annoyed with her, just as he had as her tutor. As if he were irritated with everything she did. As if she were the biggest bother in the whole world.

  “We’ve all done quite well without your help,” she said sharply. “I’m doing just great in all my courses—with me doing my own homework.” Well, she was completing her own assignments, and she wasn’t failing anything—so that was doing great, for her. “And the business is so successful, I’m thinking of buying the MacKenzies’ land to our north and expanding the nursery:”

  “That’s great.”

  “And Dorothy and Toto are really in love,” she added quickly. “I’ve never seen a couple so in love. I expect they’re going to get engaged on her birthday next month.”

  “That’s swell.”

  He turned into the Rogers’ yard as he said it, his voice even and relaxed now.

  Damn. She’d screwed up. She should have thought this through. Now he knew that there was nothing official between Dorothy and Toto. He probably thought that made her fair game.

  Damn. Damn. Damn. Maybe she was as dumb as everybody used to say she was.

  Toto opened the door to the Yellow Brick Road Bar and Grill and he and Junior stepped into the bar’s cool, dark interior. The dining room was nearly full, but there were a lot of open seats at the bar. While Junior headed straight toward an empty stool, Toto followed more slowly, greeting friends, letting his eyes get used to the dim lighting, and letting the heavy burden of circumstance weigh on him.

  What was Brad Corrigan doing back in town?

  “The usual?” the bartender asked as Toto seated himself.

  Toto nodded and within moments, a tall glass of Mountain Dew was before Toto and a bowl of near beer was in front of Junior. Then the bartender walked away, letting them be. Leaving Toto to stare at his image in the mirror as he sipped his drink and listened to Junior eagerly lapping his nonalcoholic beer.

  All the clothes in Brad’s suitcase had been casual ordinary-looking stuff, until Toto’d looked closer. Labels he’d never seen in the stores in Chesterton or Michigan City but that reeked of wealth. And then there was that expensive, fully equipped microcomputer that had been in Brad’s trunk.

  But if Brad could afford that kind of equipment and those kinds of clothes, why was he renting his car from a cheapo outfit like Rented Dented?

  It all came back to the first question. What was Brad Corrigan doing back here anyway? Staying over to Penny’s house and leaving Dorothy all dreamy like some junior high girl.

  Toto didn’t think he liked it. He knew he hadn’t liked that look in Dorothy’s eyes last night. She hadn’t spoken French for ages now and he thought she’d gotten over that. He thought she was happy with life here and their friendship. And that maybe they could start moving into something else. But now he wasn’t sure and that worried him.

  Maybe he’d gone a little overboard, but Toto had done a little checking. Brad had a driver’s license from California. No record of moving violations. A credit check showed he had no financial problems. Actually he didn’t owe anybody money, although he did have an American Express card with no limit.

  So, what was he doing here? And how could Toto make sure it didn’t involve Dorothy?

  Brad had expected the Yellow Brick Road Bar and Grill to be filled with a comfortable blend of scents from beer to fried food. What he hadn’t expected was to see a big German shepherd sitting at the bar with a police officer. A familiar-looking German shepherd.

  “Junior?” Brad said.

  But it was the police officer who turned around. “Brad?”

  It was Toto. His face was round like it had been eighteen years ago, but the body had firmed up. The blond hair was in a short military cut now. He got to his feet, hand outstretched. “Hey, long time.”

  Brad shook his hand. “Real long.” Junior continued slurping something from a bowl in front of him. “Junior with you?”

  Toto looked at the dog, then at Brad. “You know him? After being in town less than twenty-four hours? Damn, that dog has more of a social life than I do.”

  “I gave him a ride from the tollbooth yesterday,” Brad said.

  “That was you? Mom said she asked somebody to bring him in.”

  “That was your mom? I didn’t recognize her.” Brad was embarrassed. He’d always liked Toto’s mom. Had so much time passed, had he changed so much that he didn’t remember old friends?

  “Guess she didn’t recognize you, either.” Toto motioned to an empty table, apparently unconcerned about the lack of recognition. “Hey, let’s sit down. Have something to eat.”

  “Sure.”

  Toto picked up his glass and Junior’s bowl and moved them to an empty table as Brad waved the bartender over for a beer. Brad and Toto had been good friends when they were kids. He’d always been able to trust Toto’s read of things. Surely that would still be true today. He’d ask him a few questions, get some reassurance about Penny and Alex and then hit the road. He could always mail those probate papers. Brad took his beer and met Toto and Junior at their table.

  “So, Junior’s your dog?” he said.

  Toto nodded. “Actually, he’s a retired police dog. Took a bullet in his back leg about a year ago so he lives with me now.” He patted the dog, who was scrupulously cleaning out his bowl. “We used to be partners. The precinct got him from an outfit in North Carolina and they’d found out about Chesterton and The Wizard of Oz festival so they named him Toto. But when he got here, the sheriff said it would be too confusing to have two officers named Toto. I had seniority so we all called him Junior.”

  “Lucky he agreed.”

  “True.” Toto took a long drink of his soda. “What brings you back to town?”

  “Just handling my uncle’s probate.”

  “Ah.” Toto nodded slowly. “Heard you saw Dorothy last night.”

  “At the poetry reading. It was great to see her again. She’s just as nice as ever. But I couldn’t believe how different Alex is now. And that he was there with Penny.”

  “Yeah, they’ve been dating for a couple of months now. He seems like a nice enough guy.”

  Brad frowned. He seems? Didn’t Toto know? After all, they did live in the same town. “I never liked him. Thought he was a show-off.

  Toto just laughed. “We were all kind of nerdy back then, weren’t we?”

  “Dorothy wasn’t.” And neither was Penny. “How does he treat her?”

  It seemed to take Toto a moment to get back on track. “Oh, you mean Alex and Penny? All right, I guess. I never paid much attention.”

  Brad felt his annoyance growing. What kind of a cop was Toto if he didn’t notice the little things around him? “I just thought someone as beautiful as Penny deserved better.”

  “She is gorgeous, isn’t she You know she was a model in New York for a few years?’

  “Really?” Was that it? Did Alex consider her some kind of trophy girlfriend”

  “Yeah.” Toto nodded. “She entered some contest in Chicago and got offered a contract by some big New York nrm She did real well. Made the Sports illustrated swimsuit issue one year.”

  “Why’d she come back here?”

  “Her dad died and Aunty Em was alone.” Toto shrugged. “And I guess she was tired of life in the fast track.”

  Up at 5:00 a.m. to clean up storm damage wasn’t exactly living in the slow lane. “She seems to be doing well,” Brad said.

 
“She’s really turned that business around. Went from one crew to three. Making money hand over fist.”

  Maybe that was it. Maybe Alex was after her money. Or the land the farm was on. This close to Lake Michigan, that property would be worth a pretty piece. Brad bet the bum had an armload of debts and was going to try to con his way into her bank account.

  And they had a date tonight. He wondered how far along Alex was in his campaign to weasel money out of Penny.

  It was just as well that Matt Harris wouldn’t be back until Monday. That would give Brad more than enough time to take care of a schnook like Alex. He’d sent him packing once and he could do it again.

  “I just thought of something,” Brad said as he got to his feet. “I can’t stay for dinner, after all. Can I get my stuff from you?”

  “Yeah. Sure. It’s out in the car.”

  Toto got to his feet, called Junior to follow, and led Brad out to the parking lot. The early evening air still held the muggy warmth of the day and Brad felt a closeness, a tension. As if the air were scarce and he had to fight for every breath.

  “I’m parked over there,” Toto said.

  Brad followed, frowning at the cars crowded into the lot and then at the darkening sky. How was he ever going to find her? Chesterton was a small town, but not so small that he could cover all the restaurants and bars before it got dark.

  “You don’t happen to know where Penny and Alex would have gone tonight, do you?” Brad asked.

  Toto was unlocking his car trunk, but stopped. “Tonight? Probably at the Pizza Prince. I think they go there on Thursdays a lot.”

  The Pizza Prince every Thursday? What kind of a date was that? It was bad enough that Alex was a schnook. But a cheap schnook on top of that?

  Penny made a face as she looked over Alex’s notes. “So, you’re saying the paper stinks, basically?”

  Their pizza lay off to one side, practically untouched. But then, they didn’t come to the Pizza Prince for the great pizza but because it was always deserted on Thursday evenings and they wouldn’t be overheard.