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job.
    When Melanie returned to his table to refill his coffee cup a third time, Luke shook his head and motioned for her to sit down. The restaurant was mostly empty except for a couple of old-timers who spent the better part of each morning near the stove playing checkers.
    “What is it, Luke?” Melanie asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Luke suddenly found it annoying instead of endearing. Had she always been so…flirtatious?
    “You know I’ve enjoyed our time together and had a lot of fun with you in the past,” Luke said, trying his best to soften the blow. Glancing at Melanie, Luke wasn’t surprised to find her sitting smugly with an expectant look on her face. Luke decided it was best to leave off the sugar-coating and come right to the point.
    “Melanie, I’m getting married,” he said, not quite looking her in the eye.
    “Lover, I know that. It’s about time you figured it out,” she said, leaning across the table and putting her hand on his. Not seeing the look of dismay on his face, Melanie gushed with plans.  “Let’s have a Christmas wedding. I can be ready by then. I’ll have Mrs. Dodd make my dress and Mama will want…”
    Luke removed his hand from beneath hers and placed it under the table. “I said I’m getting married. Not we. I’m sorry, Melanie, but I wanted to tell you myself. I didn’t want you to hear it around town.”
    Melanie’s mouth hung open like a fish waiting for bait. Her face flushed a shade of red similar to an overripe tomato before cold rage settled in her eyes and her entire countenance shouted with barely restrained hostility. At that moment, Luke had never seen a woman look less attractive. He thought she might stamp her foot or start screaming. When she finally snapped her mouth shut, Luke let out the breath he’d been holding.
    “Well, I’ve never,” she said, jumping up from the table and slapping him across the face. “Who is it? What kind of woman would steal someone else’s beau? You’re mine, Luke Granger. Mine! I’m not giving up this easily. What’s her name?”
    “You don’t need to know her name,” Luke said, feeling oddly protective of Philamena. Standing up, he decided if he was going to get slapped again, he’d make it a little harder for Melanie to reach his face, since she was barely five feet tall. “All you need to know is that I’m getting married. I apologize for any distress this has caused you.”
    “Distress? I’m not distressed. I’m mad, Luke. You tell me her name and the only wedding that will be taking place is the one between me and you!”
    “Melanie, I’m sorry, but you need to understand that regardless of  my relationship status, I wouldn’t be marrying you. Not now, not ever.”
    “Oh, you…” Since Melanie couldn’t reach his face for another slap, she instead kicked him in the shin. “Don’t plan on eating here again, Mr. Granger. You are no longer welcome.”
    Running into the kitchen, she set the swinging door between the dining room and kitchen flapping back and forth so rapidly Luke thought it might fly right off its hinges.
    Leaving money on the table to more than cover his breakfast, Luke put on his hat, nodded to the old gents at their checkerboard and left. Walking down the sidewalk to the bank, Luke felt bad for hurting Melanie’s feelings, but he hadn’t known what else to do.
    As much as he’d enjoyed courting and kissing Melanie, not once had thoughts of marriage entered his head when he was with her. Luke never intended to settle down and now that he was, it was more like a business arrangement than a real marriage. A bargain made to pay a debt. Nothing less, nothing more.
    Sucking in the cold air, Luke decided things didn’t go as badly as they possibly could have, but he somehow doubted this would be the end of his problems with Melanie. It appeared she wasn’t quite the sweet and demure female she wanted him to believe she could be. Instead, he envisioned her with long, lethal