Country Brides - Debbie Macomber [106]
“It certainly was quiet around school.”
Linda gave a soft snicker. “Listen, I didn’t come in here to learn what a peaceful day you had. The only reason I’m not home in bed curled up with aspirin and a hot-water bottle is so I can tell you I was at Garner Feed and Supply yesterday afternoon.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, and you aren’t going to like what happened. While I was there, Mr. Garner asked me if I wanted to place a wager on the Rivers-Logan wedding.”
Kate’s heart stopped cold. “He didn’t!”
“I’m afraid so.”
“But Luke told me he’d taken care of the problem. He said it was a dead issue and I shouldn’t worry about it anymore.” It wasn’t like Luke to make careless promises.
“I wish I didn’t have to tell you this,” Linda said, with a sympathetic sigh.
“But Luke told me he’d personally talked to Fred Garner.”
“He did. Mr. Garner made a point of telling me that, too,” Linda confirmed. “He claimed Luke was hotter than a Mexican chili pepper. Said Luke came into his place, ranted and raved and threatened him within an inch of his life. But, Kate, the whole time old Garner was talking to me, he wore a grin so wide I could’ve driven a Jeep through it.”
Kate sagged against the back of her chair.
“Then Garner told me that the harder a man fights marriage, the faster he falls. Apparently he’s taking bets from as far away as Riversdale and south.”
Kate pressed a hand over her eyes. “What am I going to do now?”
Linda shook her head. “I don’t know. At least Garner’s taken it off the blackboard, but when I said something about that, he told me he had to, since half the county wants in on the action. It seems the betting outgrew his blackboard space.”
“If nothing else, it proves how desperate this community is for entertainment,” Kate muttered. “If the good people of Nightingale have nothing better to do than waste their time and money on something as silly as this, then it’s a sad commentary on our lives here.”
Kate’s friend cleared her throat and looked suspiciously guilty.
Kate hesitated, studying Linda. No, she told herself. Not Linda. Her closest childhood friend wouldn’t place a wager. Her expression confirmed that she would.
“You chose a date yourself, didn’t you?” Kate demanded.
Linda’s gaze darted all over the room, avoiding Kate’s completely.
“You did, didn’t you?” Kate exclaimed.
Linda’s fingers were curling and uncurling in her lap. “You’re my oldest, dearest friend. How could I ever do anything like that?” she wailed.
“I don’t know, Linda. You tell me.”
“All right, all right,” Linda confessed. “I did put a wager on June. The first part of summer is such a lovely time of year for a wedding….”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Kate had the sinking suspicion that her father had probably gotten in on the action, too, before he left on his honeymoon.
“I had no intention of betting,” Linda hurried to explain. “In fact I never would have, but the odds were so good for June. For a five-dollar bet, I could collect as much as five hundred if you were to marry around the middle of the month—say the sixteenth. It’s a Saturday. Weekends are always best for weddings, don’t you think?”
Kate wasn’t about to answer that. “You know, I suspect this whole thing is illegal. Each and every one of you should thank your lucky stars I don’t call the sheriff.”
“He’s betting himself—on March. Said his own wedding anniversary is March tenth and he thinks Luke will be able to persuade you early in the spring. According to Fred, the sheriff figures that once Luke gets you to agree, he won’t wait around for a big wedding. He’ll want to marry you before you can change your mind.”
Kate sent her a furious look. “If you’re telling me this to amuse me, you’ve failed miserably.”
“I’m sorry, Kate, I really am. The only reason I went into the feed store was so I could assure you the whole betting thing was over, but I can’t and—”
“Instead you placed a bet of your own.”
“I feel guilty about that,” Linda admitted, her voice subdued.
“Why don’t we both forget it and