Wedding Belles Read Online Free Page A

right.” He resumed dealing, but his thoughts were now elsewhere. “I’ll figure out a way to get her to play along. Pay her a little extra attention.”
    “Well, shore,” Jeb said, giving Gilbert a slap on the back, nearly sending the cards flying. “This’ll be easy fer you, Gilbert. Like lickin’ butter off a knife.”
    “Maybe. Maybe not.” He paused to think it through as the men settled down at the table to begin their game once again. Honestly, he’d rather lick butter off the sharpest knife in town than cross Lottie Sanders. He’d seen her riled up on more than one occasion, and it wasn’t pretty.
    Then again, she was pretty, overalls or not. Curly bobbed hair or not. And the fellas were right—those green eyes were something to behold, especially once they got to blazin’.
    Maybe he could convince her to become a lady, one worthy of a part in their theatrical. Yes, with a little persuasive talk, she might just fit the bill. In the meantime, he had a lot of work to do.

THREE
    F IASCO AT F ALL R IVER
    Friends, where do mystery, mayhem, and comedy converge? At beautiful Parker Lodge, located off Fall River at the entrance to the majestic Rockies. Even now drama abounds, and not just the sort folks pay to see. But what will come of it? Will Sadie Word go along with the twisted scheme Barry D. Hatchett has cooked up? Will she turn a blind eye to his financial woes or, like the heroines of yesteryear, rush in to save the day? Will she resort to using her feminine wiles to win the handsome hero, or will her boyish ways forever separate her from the man she secretly loves? To learn the answers to these and other intriguing questions, stay tuned for more information. —Your friends at Parker Lodge
    T HE MORNING AFTER STORMING OUT on the men, Lottie found herself more discombobulated than ever. How dare Phineas and the others poke fun at her appearance after all she’d done for them? And what was wrong with them, anyway? Did they think for one minute that she would actually go along with their crazy scheme to write and direct a stage play?
    On the other hand, how could she not, with so many—Gil, in particular—counting on her?
    With her thoughts in a whirlwind, she decided to take a break from her morning chores to head out to her favorite spot—the narrow inlet of Fall River on the south end of the lodge’s property. There, she could pray. And think. Looked like she had a lot to think about.
    Unfortunately, Gil followed on her heels. Ordinarily he would’ve been the perfect companion, but today she needed time to come up with a plan of action, something that made more sense than putting on a theatrical. He followed her to the water’s edge, talking all the way. She found herself more unnerved than ever.
    “Lottie.” He paused, but she refused to look his way. “Lottie, can’t we please talk about this? I hate it that you’re not speaking to me.”
    She felt a lump grow in her throat but finally managed to speak above it. “Gil, you know I would do just about anything to help you. But there’s got to be some other way. I can’t abide the idea of putting on a play. I’m sorry, but I can’t. The whole idea just seems so…overwhelming. We’re talking about costumes and sets and ticket sales. I don’t think you realize how much this would require of all of us. And who knows if we could pull it off or if people would come and see the show, even if we do somehow manage to accomplish it. You know?”
    “I know there are probably a thousand things we could try, but I still say this will be the best idea yet.”
    Lottie pulled off her boots and socks and stretched her feet. “Even if I liked the idea—and I don’t—I still don’t see why you would choose me to direct. Whatever makes you think I can do this?” She folded up the bottoms of her overalls and waded out into the shallowest spot in the river. With the water rushing around her feet, she could think more clearly.
    “You can do