A Reason to Love Read Online Free Page A

sudden outpouring of sympathy laced with a goodly amount of shock, the other wedding guests surrounded Nick and Callie. No one seemed to know what to do exactly, but finally the pastor took charge and started shepherding everyone toward their cars with instructions to head for the hall where the reception was to be held.
    He asked for everyone’s patience while the bridal couple took a few minutes to recover and regroup.
    Good. Maybe with his help, some of the evening’s celebration could be salvaged. For Callie’s sake, she hoped so, but they’d have to do it without her. Someone needed to keep an eye on Spence. She wasn’t sure why she felt such a powerful need to volunteer for the job, but it was obvious no one else was going after him.
    Melanie ran for her car. Spence had gotten enough of a head start that he was out of sight by the time she pulled out of the parking lot in hot pursuit. Where would he go? It was doubtful that he was headed for his family home if for no other reason than that it was in the opposite direction.
    No, Spence had looked more like a man in need of a stiff drink. She’d start by checking the closest bars in the area to see if she could spot his motorcycle in the parking lot. If that didn’t work, she’d go to plan B. She wasn’t sure what that would entail; all she knew for sure was that she wouldn’t rest easily until she made sure he was all right.
    Luck was with her. She’d almost given up when she remembered there was one more bar out past the city limits. Sure enough, there was a Harley that looked like Spence’s parked at the end of the graveled lot alongside five or six other motorcycles. She pulled up behind it to get a better look and decided it was his.
    Melanie left the engine running, contemplating her options while staring at the blinking neon sign in the window that simply said BEER . Dare she go in? She wasn’t in the habit of hanging out in any kind of bar, especially not on her own.
    As she tried to make up her mind how to proceed, a pickup truck pulled into the parking lot in a spray of gravel. Two guys got out and headed inside. They both wore jeans, heavy work boots, and hoodies. Okay, they didn’t look so tough. More like a couple of construction workers stopping for a cold beer on the way home from the job.
    “Come on, Melanie. Either get out of the car or go home. Dithering isn’t doing anyone any good.”
    Neither was talking to herself. After parking the car, she headed for the entrance to the bar. There was nothing saying she had to stay any longer than it took her to find Spence. Once she knew he was all right, she could march right back out of the bar and head home.
    “Right. So here goes.”
    She drew one last deep breath and opened the door. Once inside, she stayed within easy reach of the door and kept her back to the wall while she studied her surroundings. Where the heck was Spence? It was hard to see anything clearly in the dim interior of the bar. The few bright circles of light were centered over the line of pool tables. But unless one of the players was taking a shot, they all stood back in the shadows.
    A few people sat at the bar, but no one in a uniform. That left the row of booths across the back wall, but she couldn’t see those clearly from where she stood. Pushing off the wall, she took her first shaky step toward the other side of the room.
    The bartender came out of the back room carrying a case of beer. Thinking he might know something, she veered in his direction. “Can you help me? I’m looking for someone.”
    “Maybe.” He set the heavy box on the counter and gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Maybe not. Most people come in here wanting to be left alone.”
    Yeah, she believed that, but she had to try. “I think my friend Spence came in here. He’s in an army uniform.”
    When he didn’t immediately respond, she stepped closer to the bar and dropped her voice. “I’m worried about him. He just got back from being deployed