All of Me by Leeanna Morgan (popular e readers txt) 📖

with Tess following closely behind.

“Do you always have that effect on women?”

Logan stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “What do you mean?”

He looked genuinely puzzled and Tess couldn’t hold back a smile. “You don’t know do you?”

Logan frowned. “’I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, but we need to get to the Paper Palace before they close. Do you want to come with me? My truck’s parked across the street.”

Tess watched him pull his keys out of his pocket. He looked distracted, as though his mind was already working through another set of problems. “We could call the store to see if Connie’s there.”

“Why would you do that?”

“You’ve got something on your mind.” Tess wondered if it had anything to do with why he’d come to Bozeman in the first place.

“It’s an occupational hazard.” He held Tess’ arm as they crossed the street. “If Connie isn’t working today, do you want to give her manager your home number or mine? She can call one of us to find out about the dresses.”

Tess put on her seatbelt. “She already knows you, so maybe your number would be better.”

Logan pulled out of his parking space and drove along Main Street. They stopped at the traffic lights outside the Bozeman Hotel and turned right. With its red brick exterior and arched windows, the hotel was one of the oldest buildings in Bozeman. Tess’ grandparents had taken her there most Sunday nights for their special family dinner. She’d loved being in the building, especially when her grandpa had taken her across to look at the old framed photos on the walls.

Logan didn’t say anything as they drove toward the Paper Palace. Tess had so many happy memories of Bozeman, that she wondered what Logan thought of their small town. His life here had to be the complete opposite of what he’d been used to.

If he was thinking about Afghanistan, she couldn’t blame him for being distracted. “How long did you work in Afghanistan for?”

Logan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “About eleven months.”

Tess thought about the impact of working in a war-torn country and what that could do to a person. There was a whole lot more to him than she realized. “Why did you go to Afghanistan? I mean, you could have gone anywhere, but you chose to report on a war.”

“It was one of the most important stories in the world. I wanted to see for myself what was going on. I wanted everyone to know the truth about what was happening.” He glanced across the cab at her. “I was lucky. I could leave whenever I wanted to but, for the most part, the civilians were poor and had to stay.”

“Will you go back again?”

Logan shook his head. “No. I did what I needed to do and it was time to move on.” He took a deep breath and turned right. “We’re nearly there.” He pulled into a parking space and took his seatbelt off.

“After writing about Afghanistan, aren’t you bored with the stories you work on in Bozeman?”

“It took me a while to adjust, but I wouldn’t say what I write about is boring. If my editor and readers thought that, I wouldn’t have a job. And speaking about stories, I think it’s about time we found a happy ending for yours.” He opened his door and got out of the truck.

Tess followed him into the stationery store. She was still thinking about Afghanistan and what Logan must have seen when he disappeared down an aisle.

“Connie?”

A woman with brown hair stopped restocking the shelves. “Logan? What are you doing here?”

“If I told you I needed some pens and paper would you believe me?”

Connie smiled. “You’ve definitely come to the right store. Is this pure coincidence or did you come to see me?”

“We came to see you and buy stationery.” Logan turned toward Tess. “Connie, this is a friend of mine, Tess Williams.”

Tess shook Connie’s hand. “I’m sorry someone stole everything from your home.”

“So am I.” Connie put the last six folders she was holding on the shelf. “The only good thing was that we weren’t in the house when they broke in.”

Tess glanced at Logan. “I read the article Logan wrote and it said you’re getting married soon.”

“It’s less than two weeks away. I’m worried something else will happen.”

The bell on the front counter rang and Connie smiled at them. “I need to go and help serve. It was nice seeing you.”

Connie walked quickly along the aisle. She’d make a pretty bride, Tess thought as she watched her. She was younger than Tess, probably only twenty-two or twenty-three. She had a beautiful smile and the darkest blue eyes Tess had ever seen.

Logan picked up a box of colored pencils and a large sketch pad. “Do you need anything while we’re here?”

“You actually need stationery?”

“I want to restock my cupboards for when my niece comes to stay again. She loves drawing and cleans me out of supplies each time she visits.”

Connie finished serving one customer and another took their place. “I wonder how busy it gets in here.”

“Not as busy as your café.”

Tess took a closer look at the store. Everything was well stocked. The floors were clean and colorful posters hung on every available wall. The owners took pride in their business and it showed. “Online purchasing is killing stores like this one. People don’t want to come into town to buy an eraser or a pencil sharpener. They can go on the Internet and have it delivered the next day. It would be like someone opening an online café in town.”

“Your food is too good to be replaced by a web-based business. I’d drive twice the distance to sit in your café and smell your home baking.”

Tess felt a blush streak across her cheeks. “You’re biased because I taught you how to make pancakes.”

“And I’m coming back to give you a hand when the Groovy Grans are next in town.” Logan looked at the sales counter. “Looks as though Connie’s available now.”

Tess walked toward Connie. “Cross your fingers that she wants to consider taking the dresses.”

Tess looked around her. No one was waiting to be served so she had a few minutes to ask Connie about the bridesmaids’ dresses. She took Logan’s stationery out of his hands and left it on the counter.

“I’ll take these, please,” Tess said.

“I’m paying for them,” Logan said.

“No, you’re not. Put your wallet away and don’t argue.” Connie smiled at them both, then took the money Tess held out.

“Do you still need four bridesmaids’ dresses for your wedding?” Tess asked.

Connie sighed. “We do. My sister spent most of the day looking at hire dresses in Great Falls. There are some nice ones in their catalog, but most of them are already booked for the weekend we’re getting married. I’m beginning to think we’re not going to find anything.”

“I might have a solution for you.”

Connie raised her eyebrows.

“My friends and I have got a lot of bridesmaids’ dresses between us. None of them have been worn more than once and they’re all less than five years old. We’d be happy to let you have a look at them and take the ones you like the most.”

Connie’s face turned red. “That’s really nice of you, but Dave and I don’t have a lot of money. We weren’t insured and I can’t afford to buy them from you.”

“We don’t want anything for them,” Tess said. “They’d be yours to keep. For free.”

“You’re joking?”

“I couldn’t be more serious if I tried. Everyone is bringing their dresses to my apartment tonight. You could come and have a look tomorrow.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Connie bit her bottom lip. “Would it be okay if I brought one of my sisters with me? She knows what size dresses we need.”

“Sure. If any of them look as though they’d fit, you could take them home for your bridesmaids to try on.” Tess pulled a business card out of her wallet. “This is my phone number. I’ll be home after four o’clock.”

Connie looked down at the card. “I finish work at four o’clock, too. Could I see you soon after that?”

Tess smiled at the excitement on the bride-to-be’s face. “Sounds great.” She picked up the bag that held Logan’s pencils and paper. “It was nice meeting you, Connie.”

“It was nice meeting you, too. Thank you so much. I’m going to call my sister. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Logan smiled as Connie rushed across the store. “You’ve made someone happy.”

“I just hope she likes the dresses.” Tess opened the front door and took one last look around the store. “She seems like a nice person. They’re lucky to have her working here.”

Logan unlocked his truck and opened Tess’ door. “Are you ready to go home?”

“You bet,” Tess said with a smile. “I’ve got some texts to send. Molly, Sally, and Annie are going to be excited when I tell them we’ve found Connie.”

“I assume there’s going to be a celebration tonight.”

“You’d be assuming right. I might even make a chocolate cake to celebrate.” Tess knew the recipe for her favorite chocolate cake by heart. She’d made the recipe so many times that it almost felt as though it made itself.

“Did