Wild Mustang Man by Carol Grace

hear what they thought. After she put her clothes in the washing machine she sat down to watch the people walk down Main Street. So that’s what it was like to live in Harmony, Nevada, she thought Yesterday she thought it was colorful and picturesque. Today it was tedious and boring. Could it have anything to do with Josh Gentry? Yesterday she’d been with him, today she was alone.
    She’d better get used to being alone, because he didn’t want her hanging around every day, and she didn’t know anyone else in town. She watched enviously as two women about her age passed the Laundromat window, laughing and talking. One was tall, very pretty with long, dark hair. The other was a cute little blond, the kind who was probably a cheerleader in high school. They glanced in at Bridget as they passed, and she smiled wistfully, wishing she knew someone to talk to, to share gossip, to confide in. She desperately needed a friend. Someone to tell her she wasn’t crazy to have a crush on a man she scarcely knew.
    In a minute the two women came back by the window, stopped for a moment, then entered.
    “Excuse me,” the little blond said, “are you...you’re not the woman from the ad agency who’s going to turn Josh Gentry into a sex symbol, are you?”
    “I am from an ad agency, but I don’t know about turning him into a...a...” What was wrong with her, why couldn’t she say the word?
    “Don’t listen to her,” the tall, pretty woman said. “The word is he’s going to be the star of a commercial you’re making.”
    “That’s true. At least that’s the plan.” Bridget was so desperate for some companionship, she stuck out her hand and introduced herself, something she never would have done with strangers in a Laundromat in San Francisco. She learned the tall woman was Tally and her friend was Suzy.
    “Why don’t we go somewhere and talk?” Suzy said. “How about coffee at the diner?”
    Bridget threw her clothes into a dryer and joined the other women for a short walk down Main Street.
    “So tell us all about life in San Francisco,” Suzy said.
    “How did you know... ?”
    “Word travels fast in a small town. My mother saw Josh’s mother at church, and that’s how I heard.”
    “I see. Well, it’s not very different from life here,” Bridget said. “I go to work. I go to the Laundromat. Have coffee with friends.” Tally held the door open for her and the three of them took a booth in the corner.
    “I’ll bet you don’t live in a rented room on Main Street. I’ll bet you have one of those old Victorians, what do they call them, painted ladies?” Tally said.
    “I wish I did. I live in an ordinary apartment. It does have a nice view of the bridge and the bay, but other than that it’s nothing special. Tell me about yourselves. Are you natives?” Bridget asked.
    “Harmony born and bred, both of us,” Tally said. “Lived here all our lives. Graduated from Harmony High School with Josh.”
    “And Molly,” Suzy added.
    “What was she like?” Bridget asked quickly before she lost her nerve. It was none of her business, but she’d been curious about Josh’s wife since she saw her picture on the mantel in the living room of the ranch house. This might be her only chance to find out about her. She certainly couldn’t ask Josh. “Were you good friends?”
    “We were friends,” Tally said. “But not good friends. Molly didn’t have any close girlfriends. She didn’t need any. She had Josh. And she was...how shall I say this—”
    “She was perfect,” Suzy said. “She sewed all her own clothes, Max’s too, knit sweaters for Josh, grew all their vegetables and put up enough for winter. Whenever there was an emergency, she was there. You could count on her to help deliver a baby or a calf. That’s the kind of person she was. Wasn’t she, Tally?”
    “Too good to be true,” Tally murmured. “I must admit I was jealous of her sometimes. Especially that night after the senior prom when