Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) (30 page)

A white screen blocked his view of her model. It was probably one of their brides. Sally had told him that Molly often took photos of brides in their dresses months before their wedding. They’d show the florist for their bouquet, the wedding venue people for ideas about themes and colors. It all sounded way too much detail for him, but he supposed that was what weddings were all about.

Todd looked around for Sally. She must be in the changing room. Or she might have gone somewhere else for a few minutes.

The shutter clicked again. “Perfect. Now turn to the left. I’ll get Todd in this shot as well.”

Todd frowned. “I didn’t come here to be…”

Molly rolled the screen away and Sally stood in front of him. She was wearing a wedding dress. A frilly, sparkly, frothy design that he wouldn’t have looked twice at. Except Sally was wearing it. His heart rate doubled, his palms felt hot and sticky.

The smile on Sally’s face dropped. “Are you okay?”

He swallowed, tried desperately to sound as though he still had a brain between his ears. “I’m fine.”

Sally lifted the skirt of her dress and walked toward him. “You don’t look it.” She put her hand on his forehead and frowned. “You haven’t got a temperature. Did you get much sleep last night?”

Todd felt like an idiot. “Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

Sally looked down at her dress and smiled. “We do this with every dress. We tried putting them on mannequins, but the photo isn’t the same. Do you like it?” She swung in a circle, showing him a 360-degree reason why he should run away while he had the chance.

“It’s…it’s…”

Molly pushed him toward Sally. “Stand beside each other.”

He stumbled, almost tripping over his own feet. “But you don’t need me in the photo.”

“No, we don’t,” Molly murmured as she held a light meter in front of them. “But I’d like a photo of both of you.” She glanced at his face and frowned. “Wait here.”

Molly disappeared behind the screen. He glanced at Sally. She was staring back at him.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” she asked.

Todd remembered another wedding dress, another day when he couldn’t string more than two words together. A day that had changed the rest of his life.

Molly dropped a big black box on the table in front of them. “Now I know big strong men from Montana don’t wear makeup, but you’ve lived in New York.”

His eyes popped open. Molly had taken the top off a tube of foundation. She had a dab of the color on her finger. A finger that was heading toward his face.

“Uh…Molly…I’m not really all that happy about…”

“Nonsense.” Her soft Irish accent hid deaf ears and a heart of stone. “You need something to cover the rings under your eyes.” Her sharp gaze skimmed his face. “We could add some bronzer to your cheeks, maybe a quick brush of mascara to those lovely long lashes.”

He looked at Sally. She had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes that he didn’t trust. At least she wasn’t laughing out loud at the predicament he was in.

“No makeup, Molly.”

Her hand hovered in front of his jaw. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t take much to make you look pretty.”

That was enough to make him move. Except he moved toward Sally and her big puffy dress. A dress that had a long train. A train that was under his feet.

Sally stepped back. Whatever she was about to say was lost in the madness that erupted. She fell to the ground, landing with a thump against the hard wooden floor. Her skirt billowed around her, the hoop and petticoat under the skirt flicking upward, giving him a wonderful view of her sweatpants.

He looked again. Yep. Navy blue sweatpants.

Sally sat up, rubbing the back of her head. “Ouch.”

Todd kneeled down beside her. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

He pushed the skirt down, holding it against the floor with his knee. “Do all of your brides wear sweatpants under their dresses?”

Sally’s face softened and she smiled at him. “Only the ones that wear four dresses in an hour.”

He reached out and pushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes. “Can’t make up your mind?”

“Spoiled for choice,” she whispered.

Todd heard the click of a camera, but didn’t care. He was lost in Sally’s gaze, caught in the warmth and kindness of who she was. He leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back, and the weight of last night slipped from his shoulders.

“That’s grand,” Molly said. “But I don’t know if I can use it in our catalog.”

Sally rubbed the side of her nose against his. “Do you feel better now?”

Todd stared into her bright green eyes. ‘Better’ didn’t go anywhere near to describing how he felt.

Molly switched off her photographic lights. “I hate to interrupt a very nice kiss, but we’ve got six bridesmaids arriving in ten minutes.”

The smile on Sally’s face made him smile, too. He kissed her once more, then stood up and helped her to her feet.

Sally rubbed her bottom. “Next time I’m falling on top of you.”

“I need a cup of coffee,” Molly said. “I may be happily single, but there’s only so much sweet-talking I can handle.”

Todd wasn’t paying a lot of attention to Molly. He was still thinking about Sally sitting on top of him. And just when he was getting too comfortable with the thought, Sally moved away, walking toward the changing room.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said over her shoulder. “Don’t make coffee for me, Molly.”

And just like that, he was left standing in the middle of the room, trying to understand something he never thought he’d feel again.

He’d fallen in love, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

***

Sally closed the door to the changing room. She hung the wedding dress over the back of a chair and slipped her t-shirt over her head. She heard Tess come into the loft, the sound of Molly making another cup of coffee.

She’d been worried about Todd. He hadn’t sounded all that great when he’d called her, but he wouldn’t say what was wrong over the phone. When he said he wanted to see her, she’d called Tess, asked if she’d come in and help Molly with their afternoon appointment.

She picked up her sneakers and walked back into the living room. Todd stood up, waiting beside the sofa for her. She glanced at Molly’s makeup case. The lid was closed, so at least he didn’t have to worry about being pushed into a modeling career.

“Are you ready to go?” Todd asked.

Sally nodded. “I’ve just got to give Tess something.” She hunted inside her bag and found the piece of paper she’d been looking for. “It’s my chocolate cake recipe.”

A blush skimmed Todd’s cheeks, put color where the bronzer would have sat, and Sally smiled.

“I’m still waiting for my baking lesson,” Todd said softly.

Tess looked up from the kitchen counter. “Come to the café anytime, Todd. If I can teach Logan how to cook, I can teach anyone.”

The blush on Todd’s face got darker. “Thanks.”

Sally handed Tess the recipe and grabbed Todd’s arm. If they didn’t get out of the loft soon, he’d burn up with embarrassment and never want to see any of them again. “Give me a call if you need anything.”

Molly picked up one of the chocolate chip cookies Tess had brought with her. “We will. Are you sure you don’t want to stay? These cookies are delicious.”

Sally glanced at Todd. “Positive. See you later.”

It didn’t take any prodding to get Todd to move. He was holding the door open for her before she’d put her jacket on. She walked through the door frame and waited for him at the top of the stairs. “Are you okay?”

“Better than I was.”

Sally supposed that was something, but it depended on how he’d been feeling before he arrived. “Mom and dad are planning a big dinner tomorrow night. Do you want to come out to their ranch with me?”

“Do you think I’d be welcome?”

“If you’re worried about Matthew and Sean, you don’t need to be. They think you’re okay. They were being overprotective when Mitch was around. Now that he’s gone, they’re not nearly as bad as they were. Inviting Matthew to have pizza with us helped, too.”

“If it’s okay with your folks, then I’d like to come.” He looked along the street. “Didn’t you bring your truck?”

Sally shook her head. “I walked. I’m in countdown mode for Tess’ wedding. Ten days to the perfect body.” She thought Todd might have laughed or even smiled at her half-serious joke, but he didn’t.

“You don’t need to worry about losing weight. You’re already perfect.”

He said the words with such sincerity that all Sally could do was nod. It was kind of nice for someone to say she was perfect.

He pointed toward his truck. “I’m parked under the oak tree.”

They crossed the street. Todd unlocked her door and helped her inside. He was quiet. More quiet than usual. She waited until he was driving before asking him another question. “Where are we going?”

“Sorry. I forgot to ask if you want to go for a walk? Dylan told me about a track on the far side of Bozeman. It’s about a forty-minute round trip.”

“Okay.” Sally watched the passing scenery, waiting for Todd to say something about what was going on.

“I had a call from Detective Munroe yesterday.” He glanced across the cab. “He had some news about Emma and Josh’s murders.”

“Have they found more evidence against Mitch Zambezi?”

Todd shook his head. “He didn’t do it.”

“What?”

“He didn’t do it,” Todd repeated quietly. “It was a mistake.”

Sally tried to figure out what was a mistake. “Do you mean the police made a mistake when they arrested Mitch?”

Todd looked in the rearview mirror and pulled across to the curb. He turned off the ignition and stared down the street. “My wife and son shouldn’t have been killed. The men that did it made a mistake. They were supposed to be in someone else’s home that night.”

Sally’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?”

“Two of the men that were involved have been arrested.”

She wasn’t surprised that Todd hadn’t slept much last night. He must have been devastated by the news. “I’m sorry. How are you feeling?”

Todd took a deep breath. “Shocked. Sad.” He wiped his hands across his eyes. “The worst thing is that if it hadn’t been my family, someone else would have died.”

Sally took her seatbelt off and turned toward him. “At least the police can stop them hurting anyone else.” She opened her bag and pulled out a small packet of tissues. “Take these.”

Todd took the tissues and blew his nose. “Is there anything your bag doesn’t contain?”

“The kitchen sink?”

Todd’s mouth tilted up at the corners. “You must think I’m hopeless. It’s been more than four years since Emma and Josh died.”

Sally shrugged her shoulders. “You loved them. You don’t need to be embarrassed about showing that. But if Mitch wasn’t involved in the murder of your family, why did he come to Bozeman?”

“While I was in New York I found out that Mitch was running an illegal adoption agency. The couples who adopted the children thought his business was legitimate, but the babies were stolen from their families.”

“That’s horrible.”

“It is when there was no selection criteria for the families where the children went.”

Sally thought about the children and where they could have ended up. She felt sick just thinking about the sort of lives they could have been forced into. “Why would someone do that?”

“Money? Power? I don’t know. People like Mitch don’t think like most people.”

“What happens next?”

Todd picked up her hand and held on tight. “With Mitch?”

Sally shook her head. “No, with you. What are you going to do now that Mitch is in prison and the police have caught the men that killed your family?”

“I’m going to live my life.”

Sally squeezed his fingers. “That’s good.”

Todd looked at their hands and sighed. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if we hadn’t met.”

“A lot quieter,” Sally said with a laugh. “Are you ready to take me for that walk now?”

Todd kissed her knuckles and let go of her hand. “Your wish is my command. Except where more animals are concerned. I’ve got to draw the line somewhere.” He started the truck and moved back into the traffic.

“What about the litter of kittens you were going to look after?”

Todd glanced across the cab. His blue eyes shone with laughter and that made Sally happy, too.

“We agreed on two kittens,” he said gruffly. “But I’d be willing to go to three.”

Sally smiled. He was trying to sound firm, but failing miserably. “There are only four brothers and sisters in the litter. Why don’t you take them all? They could catch mice in your barns? They’d be great playmates for Max.”

“Are you sure the shelter doesn’t give you a commission on how many animals you adopt out?”

“It’s all for love.” Sally glanced at Todd, waiting for what he’d say next.