Read 02_Groom of Her Own for Free Online Page B

weight’s never varied more than a few pounds in all these years.” Suddenly Sam frowned and looked down. “You know, I’ve never told that to anyone. Not even Laura,” she said slowly.
    “Why not?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just part of a different life, I guess. And even though I’m glad I lost all that weight, it’s sort of what led to my disastrous encounter with matrimony, so I don’t think about it very often.”
    “I did get the impression at the wedding that your experience with marriage wasn’t the best,” he admitted.
    Sam gave a mirthless laugh. “You could say that.”
    “Can I ask why, or would you rather not talk about it?”
    Sam looked down and creased her napkin. There was something about this man’s understanding manner that inspired confidences. Which probably came in handy in his job, she supposed. His job, she thought with a frown, the words echoing in her mind. Was this conversation part of his job? she wondered suddenly. Was his interest professional—as a minister lending a willing ear to someone who needed to talk—or personal? It shouldn’t matter, but for some reason it did. And she needed to know. “Do you have your collar on now, figuratively speaking?” she asked, striving for a light tone.
    Brad’s gaze was direct and warm. “No. I’m not being a minister right now. I’m just trying to be a friend.”
    Sam stared at him, and her heart felt lighter. It was also beating just a little too fast. “Why do you want to be my friend?” she asked, finding it surprisingly difficult to keep her voice steady.
    Because you seem to need one, he thought But his spoken words were different. “Why not? A person can never have too many friends.”
    Sam stared at him a moment longer, still a little taken aback by the suggestion. “I think ours would be an odd friendship, Brad,” she said slowly at last. “We’re…really different…in a lot of ways.”
    “So are you and Laura,” he pointed out. “And you two are the best of friends.”
    “Yeah, I know.” He had a point. And it might be nice to have a male friend. It would be a welcome change of pace from the guys she usually met, who were out for a good time—and whatever else she was willing to offer. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”
    “Good,” he said with a smile. “So do you want to tell me what happened with your marriage? Or am I being too nosy?”
    “No. But there really isn’t much to tell. Randy played bass guitar in a rock band that came to town the summer after I graduated. He noticed me, and not having a lot of dating experience, I was flattered by the attention. We ended up falling in love, and he asked me to marry him. My parents were very strict fundamentalist Christians, and they were appalled that I was even interested in someone in show business, let alone that I would consider marrying him. But we got married anyway, and that caused a rift with my parents that never really healed.”
    She paused and looked down at her plate, tracing the edge with a red-polished nail. “They’re both dead now,” she continued more softly. “I was a late-in-life only child, and I think they expected great things of me. The day Randy and I eloped and got married at the courthouse in a civil ceremony was sort of the last straw.” She took a deep breath and looked up at Brad. “To make a long story short, we were only married about five months when he just walked out one day, leaving me five hundred dollars and a note saying he wasn’t ready to settle down and that getting married had been a mistake. So I got on a bus and came to St. Louis, which I’d visited once and liked, and started over. Now you have my life story.”
    Brad looked at her silently for a moment She’d said the words matter-of-factly, but he knew there was a wealth of pain and disillusionment, as well as courage, behind them. “I’m sorry, Sam,” he said finally, and the compassion in his brown eyes made