How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock Read Free Book Online Page B

this marriage they’d jumped into so fast. Which is why he needed to leave now before she caused him any more damage.
    But what about her pain? This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Weddings were happy occasions. And she had made such a grand mess out of it all.
    Another sob caused her to shudder. Polly whimpered, then licked Melanie’s arm. Through her blurry vision, she could make out the puppy’s sympathetic eyes. The tears eased, the puppy’s comfort bolstering her enough to regain some control.
    “What am I doing, Polly?” As if in response, the puppy cocked her head, trying to make sense of her question. She let out a small bark before curling up in a tight ball on the bed, tail wagging now that Melanie had stopped crying.
    “If only it were that simple, little one,” Melanie breathed, lying next to the dog.
    Part of her wanted Grady. His kiss. His heat. There was an undeniable chemistry between them. There had been since the moment they met. But that kind of chemistry didn’t mean that they could build a life together.
    It wasn’t fair to either of them. She had to leave, had to show this too-good-for-her man that they were on two completely different—and incompatible—paths. But how was she supposed to get that point across to him so he wouldn’t keep following her? She scratched Polly’s head, searching for more of that calm and peace to sort through her thoughts.
    The pup had fallen asleep curled against Melanie, her little chest rhythmically rising and falling. Polly needed a real collar, one that suited her. Melanie envisioned something cute, fun, something that fit a helluva lot better than her wedding dress had. Maybe she would go tomorrow morning to look for a collar and leash before Grady woke up since the last thing he would want to do on his honeymoon would be shop for doggy paraphernalia. The extra time alone could give her time to think. Time to figure out how to show Grady why their marriage was a mistake. But as she glanced at the sleeping puppy, the perfect plan began to take shape in her mind, thanks to Polly and that missing collar. She kissed the puppy between her ears. Polly stretched her paws out, still half asleep.
    The best way to show him that their marriage would never work? Paint the domestic scene. His life as a rising baseball star wasn’t a good fit for her ideas on the future. She wanted to plant roots somewhere, wanted kids, and a house that needed weekend projects. That vision would send him away. It would help him move on.
    So she would preview that life. Tomorrow at the pet store.

Chapter Five
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    “W ell, this is just adorable,” Melanie breathed in the center of the pet store. She held up a pink leopard print leash. Her lips pursed as she scrutinized the details along the length.
    As Melanie inspected yet another leash, Grady glanced around the store, his foot twitching from boredom. How long did it take to choose a leash and collar, for Pete’s sake? And how much stuff did one puppy need?
    He studied the other shoppers to gauge. A family with a harnessed husky mix stood at the opposite end of the aisle. A little boy, four at most, gave the husky a giant hug while the parents picked up a few toys, balls, bones, and tossed them in the cart. There was a look exchanged between the couple, one that broadcasted their love, their commitment to being on the same team. It was that look he was after with Melanie.
    One that seemed impossible to obtain as the day wore on and she vetoed his choices while she held up each option against the pup’s fur to look for the perfect match.
    “But this one doesn’t say ‘Polly’ either, does it?” she sighed setting the leash back down on the rack. He turned away from the family to study her.
    This was the seventh leash Melanie had ogled. And the seventh one she had rejected. Grady took a steadying breath, doing his best to keep his frustration in check.
    They had already been in the pet store for an hour. And the only