Free Three Brides, No Groom by Debbie Macomber Page A

touch the woman he loves and hasn’t seen in far too long. He
stowed her purse for her, then eased himself onto the seat, inserted the key
into the ignition and gave it a twist.
    Nothing. Not even a cough.
    He glared at Gretchen. “What on earth did you do?”

Chapter 5
    J osh was furious. He seemed to be accusing
her of some unspeakable crime against his beloved Harley. “This is a delicate
machine.”
    “What did I do?” she repeated with dead calm. “Let me see,” she
said, playing dumb and striking a thoughtful pose. She tapped her index finger
against her cheek as she mulled over what terrible abuse she might have
inadvertently heaped on his most cherished possession.
    “You must have done something!”
    That did it. Her temper had never been explosive, but she’d had
it. His accusation detonated her anger to such a degree that she could feel her
pulse pound in her temples like a hammer against an anvil. Her hands knotted
into tight balls at her sides.
    “Sure I did!” she shouted. “First of all I saved your precious
Harley from being impounded. Then I made a raging idiot of myself in the
courthouse, demanding to see a judge who’s spent the past fifty years pushing up
marigolds.” She pointed at the building, in case he didn’t appreciate her
sacrifice, which clearly he didn’t. “Then I found you the best attorney in three
counties to get your sorry butt out of jail. And that’s just for starters.”
    He tried to speak, but she wouldn’t let him.
    “Tell me, Josh, what have I gotten in exchange?”
    “You shouldn’t have done it.”
    “What? Ride your precious bike?”
    “No, gotten involved.”
    “You honestly think I should have left you there?” He was being
ridiculous.
    He didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, that’s what I think. I told you
before, and I meant it.”
    “I heard you the first time—I’m not your type.” He was
purposely picking a fight with her, and she couldn’t understand it. Minutes
earlier they’d been joking and having fun. He’d hugged her as if she held the
key to his sanity.
    “The last thing I need is some society girl fawning all over
me,” he grumbled.
    His words stung. “OK,” she said. “If that’s the way you feel,
then I think it would be best if we each went our separate ways. I’ll find my
own way home from here.” She whirled around and started walking.
    She was half a block away when he called after her, “I promised
I’d get you to San Francisco, and I don’t make promises lightly.”
    Nonchalantly turning around, she waved an imaginary magic wand.
“I hereby absolve you of your promise. You’re free to go.”
    “I won’t chase after you, Gretchen.” His eyes were hard, his
jaw tight and stubborn, and she couldn’t doubt he meant what he said.
    “I wouldn’t want you to.” With her back to him once again, she
continued walking as if she were strolling through a meadow filled with
wildflowers and hadn’t a care in the world. Her pride got her as far as the city
park, all of five blocks from the courthouse. By that time the sick feeling in
the pit of her stomach had overtaken her. The knot in her throat had grown so
tight it was all she could do to keep from weeping.
    She found a picnic table and sat on the top with her feet
resting on the bench. She reviewed her options. Normally, in volatile situations
she was the one with a cool head. Her ability to remain calm in difficult
situations had been one of her strengths as student-body president. This simply
wasn’t like her.
    She drew in a ragged breath and attempted to clear her mind.
With her cell in her purse back on the Harley, a pay phone near the refreshment
stand in the center of the park appeared to be her only option. Her parents were
due back in San Francisco that day, though she didn’t know what time their
flight arrived. If she called them collect, they could wire her the funds to see
her home. But worrying them was the last thing she wanted to do. The minute they
learned