Read Online The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page A

have one drawn up within a week.”
    “Good.” Rich took Jamie’s hand. They both stood, and she tucked the long strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Then we’ll go off to the courthouse now and apply for the wedding license.”
    “Might I offer you two a bit of advice?” James asked, standing himself. He rubbed the side of his jaw as if he hadn’t decided exactly what he wanted to say.
    “Please.” Jamie’s tone suggested that she hoped someone would talk her out of this scheme. If that was the case, Rich would be the first to remind her that she was the one who’d started the whole thing.
    “I’ll write up whatever you want me to,” James said thoughtfully, “but I don’t believe there’s any reason to rush into anything. You’ve both waited this long to have a family—a few more months isn’t going to make any difference.”
    Rich looked to Jamie for confirmation, but he couldn’t read her thoughts. “We’ll talk about it,” he promised.
    James nodded. “I’ll give you a call later in the week and you can stop by and read over the agreement.”
    “Great.” Rich steered Jamie toward the door, although she didn’t need any encouragement. She seemed downright eager to escape. “I’ll be talking to you soon then,” Rich said over his shoulder.
    “Soon,” James promised.
    Jamie was quiet on the way to the parking lot. For that matter, so was he. Although James Wilkens hadn’t explicitly stated his misgivings, they were all too apparent—from the questions he’d asked and the hesitation Rich had heard in his voice.
    Rich unlocked the passenger door and held it open for Jamie. He waited until she was inside, his hand on the frame. “Do you want to take some time to think this over?”
    “No,” she said instantly. “Do you?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    Their eyes met and held until they were both smiling broadly.

    Rich woke early Tuesday morning, before the alarm went off. He turned on the shower and stepped under the plummeting spray, enjoying the feel of it against his skin. He was whistling cheerfully when the tune slowly faded, one note at a time.
    He quickly finished showering, reached for a towel and headed directly from the bathroom to the phone at his bedside. He punched out the number from memory and waited impatiently for Jamie to answer.
    “Good morning,” he said enthusiastically.
    “Good morning,” came her groggy reply.
    “You know what today is, don’t you?”
    “Of course I do. It isn’t every day a woman gets married.”
    “Second thoughts?”
    “Third and fourth if you want the truth, but now that I’ve had a chance to think it over, I’m more certain than ever.”
    “Good.” He’d grown anxious in the shower, convinced Jamie would change her mind at the last minute. He had to be assured one final time, although they’d talked of little else in the past week.
    James had contacted him Friday afternoon, and Rich had stopped at the attorney’s office on his way home from work. The agreement was several pages long, but when he asked for the bill, James had insisted it was a wedding present. The gesture took Rich by surprise. James was the only person who knew what they intended, and he was acting as though this was a conventional marriage. Of all people, James was well aware exactly how unconventional it was going to be.
    “You think we’re nuts, don’t you?”
    “No,” James had responded with a wry grin. “I think you’re both in love and just don’t know it yet.”
    James’s comment had caught Rich off guard. He would never have taken the attorney for a romantic.
    I think you’re both in love and just don’t know it yet. On this, the morning of his wedding, Rich tested James Wilken’s theory once again. Sure, he loved Jamie, but not in the sense James implied. They were friends. Pals. Not lovers. Not soulmates. Just friends.
    “Have you arranged for a witness?” Jamie asked, pulling Rich out of his reverie.
    “A