Chapter
One
Morning came before Tricia Young was rested enough to face another day. Sleep didn’t come until the wee hours of the morning due to the sweltering, hot summer heat. It was easier to rest when it cooled down a bit. The weatherman had said a storm would be moving through the area tonight but it would only bring temporary relief. Tomorrow the heat would return.
Trish rolled over to hit the snooze on her radio alarm clock. She made sure it was set before she went to sleep. If she didn’t, she would be late. The smell of coffee brewing from the kitchen helped her to drag herself out of bed. She stumbled down the hallway to pour some. Instead of putting sugar in it, she grabbed the salt by mistake. This was not going to be a good day. Gagging on it, she dumped it down the drain and rinsed it out before pouring a second mug. Tricia set it on the side of the bathroom sink to cool while she washed her face and put on her makeup. She stared at her hair in the mirror and decided it needed a different style. Maybe that would put a little zip into her life. A long, curly perm might help but being the middle of summer made her think twice about it. For now she would brush it and put it up in a bun. She finished her coffee and set the cup in the kitchen before getting dressed. Her favorite sun suit was bright yellow with matching sandals. If it was going to be another scorcher, she might as well be cool. A quick glance into the mirror and off to the store she went.
The day went smoothly. Central air kept her business comfortable for the customers as well as the employees. Doing her errands was the worst part of the day. Outside it seemed like the midday sun made the sidewalk hot enough to sizzle food.
Young’s Bridal was a dream come true. Ever since her senior year in High School, she had been interested in owning her own boutique. The first two days of the week were slow so it was closed. It was open longer on Fridays and Saturdays, the busiest days of the week. Her main office was located in her hometown of Tuscola, a growing city in east central Illinois. She had opened two other shops within the past few years throughout the state. Others were being planned. All afternoon she hovered over a map, checking out details such as the city population and if any other shops like hers existed in those towns. The last thing she needed was competition from the start. Her idea was to locate them in cities along the interstates to attract the curious travelers as well as prospective brides. She glanced down at her watch and decided she worry more about it over the weekend. Everyone had been sent home an hour early. It had been an unusually long day.
The crimson, evening sun was starting to disappear behind the dark clouds approaching in the distance when Tricia locked up shop for the night. It was too hot to fix dinner, so she decided to drive through the nearest fast food restaurant to order a grilled chicken salad. On the way into the park, she noticed it buzzing with activity then stopped near the tennis courts to watch people play while she ate. Tennis was her favorite past time. Occasionally she would play the game for fun or watch it on television.
The car was too cramped so she got out and sat on a bench. There were two men that caught her eye while they played an intense game. They appeared to be in their early thirties. One of them was a few pounds overweight and sun burnt, but the other one turned out to be very attractive. He was about six feet three inches tall, sun bleached hair, a golden tan and rippled abs. Tricia was so involved with his good looks that she jumped when the ball hit the fence in front of her. She watched as he approached to retrieve it. He felt her gaze on him and looked up. His piercing blue eyes and sexy smile caught her by surprise.
Darkness started to take over the evening as the court lights lit up. Trish swallowed her last bite of dinner and threw her trash away. On the ride home, all she could think about was the guy at the park. A train on the track that she had to stop for, hypnotized her as her breathing sped up and her pulse raced the more she thought about him. He was attractive but why was he affecting her like this? Cars started blaring their horns to wake her out of her trance and get the flow of traffic moving again after the railroad arm lifted. Trish shook it off as she put the car into gear and drove the rest of the way home. Tomorrow was going to be just another day. She couldn’t wait to jump into the shower to cool off when she got there. It was going to be an early night. Hopefully the fan would keep her cool enough so she could get some sleep. As she parked the car in the driveway, she made a silent vow to get central air installed at home as soon as possible.
She stuck the key in the door the same time her phone started ringing. The door flew open when she raced to answer it.
“Hello”?
“What took you so long? You sound like you’re out of breath”! It was her older brother Phil. He used to own a mustang that he raced at the drag strip. After a bad accident left him with a slight limp, he never raced again but he still enjoyed watching others.
“I just got home. Wazzup?”
“How would you like for me to treat my little sister to a day at the track for her birthday”?
“I can’t. I’m expecting a large shipment and maybe drop into my other shops. That’ll take most of the day!” Phil started yelling in the phone.
“Damn it Trish! You work too much. Start delegating once in a while. Your assistant can handle it. Check up on the others Tuesday, if it makes you feel better, call’em during lunch!” He was frustrated at her. She didn’t want him to know that she was afraid of seeing someone else get hurt. The last time she was there, she could only watch in horror as her brother wrecked his car. Being hesitant, she accepted the invitation.
She was probably being silly about the whole thing. He was right in a way. She’d take that day off. After they hung up, she called her assistant and reminded her what to do. Tricia had trained her how to handle it just in case something like that did happen. She mentally put off the shop visits till later. With that complete, she took a long, cool shower and went to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
At the same time that a loud crack of lightning struck somewhere nearby, Tricia sat straight up in bed by the same nightmare that frequently occurred. Her brother’s Mustang lined up next to a red nova on the starting line. The Christmas tree flashed down and Phil was in the lead. Excitement turned to terror when his tire blew and his car veered to one side, hitting the guard rail and flipping several times, landing on its hood. That’s usually when Trish wakes up screaming. She got out of bed to get a cup of hot chocolate and to shake off the bad dream.
Rain splashed in the puddles below as she watched from the bow window. This was her favorite spot in the whole house. Lots of soul searching took place here, especially during her teen years. There would be plenty more times to come. She grew up in this house and would probably raise a family here. When she was small, she would always dress up in a little brides dress and veil that her mother had made for Halloween. Her parents gave her the house before they moved to Garrett last year. Phil already had a family and living in their own home by then.
Tricia wondered if the next day was such a good idea. It didn’t help matters much that it was going to be her twenty seventh birthday either. She started thinking about the guy at the tennis courts and the feelings that aroused in her. The one thing that she was definite about was finding someone to settle down with and have a family before her biological time clock expired. Lots of good looking guys run around at the track with their shirts off. That would be as good a time as any to start looking. It wasn’t long before drowsiness started taking over and she slipped back into bed.
The next morning she was wakened when her cat Sammy crawled up beside her and started purring in her ear. It was nine in the morning and he wanted his breakfast. A pets lovin’ was the only kind of attention she was getting these days. She was going to change that, but first she would have to feed the cat.
Phil liked to get to the tracks before noon so he could hang out with his friends that he gotten to know while he was still racing. He could always be found turning a ratchet or two. The strip would shut down for an hour at lunch time and competition for money and trophies would begin at one o’ clock.
Trish pulled out an orange tee shirt and jean shorts from her dresser. On the back of the shirt were the words “Young’s Bridal”, “Tuscola, Illinois “and the phone number. Bright colors attracted the eye to the advertisement of her shop. On the front was a drawing of a bride looking at her reflection in a long mirror. Her sandals could wait until after breakfast. Usually she didn’t eat until lunch, but today’s heat would cause a splitting headache and she didn’t want it to get worse. While she was thinking of it, she threw her sunglasses and tanning lotion into her purse. She didn’t dare forget them or else she would have to buy them along the way. It was necessary because she was so fair skinned that it didn’t take long for her to burn. Last summer taught her a lesson.
She was laying out in her backyard on a hot afternoon. Her dad had built a six foot fence around the property a few years before. So one weekend she decided to get a tan only the sun lulled her to sleep. The neighbor’s dog started raising a commotion and woke her up. She drug herself inside to take a shower. Her plans were to go shopping with her mom, but when the water started hitting her back, she teared up in pain. Tricia turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. There was a knock on the front door. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her very carefully so she could answer it. Her mom instantly knew what was wrong. Instead of shopping, she grabbed control of the situation and took her to the doctor. They hit up the pharmacy for the necessary supplies on the way home.
Before Phil could pick her up, she grabbed a couple pieces of toast with apple butter on it made by the local Amish and a cup of ice coffee. The loud rumble of her brother’s truck approached in the distance. He had spent the whole day yesterday switching out his exhaust for chrome smoke stacks. Thank goodness for large shade trees, but it was all worth it because now his old, Ford pickup was starting to look sharp with all the improvements he’d been making to it. Tricia slipped on her sandals, slung her purse over her shoulder and ran out the door.
They got to Assumption about eleven and drove straight back to the pits. Phil’s favorite parking spot was near the finish line and backed up to the fence. He opened up his lawn chairs in the newly lined bed and pushed the cooler up between them. Tricia kept by his side as they made the rounds before settling in for the race. They walked from car to car, looking at the motors and talking with the drivers. Once in a while they would stop momentarily so Phil could lend a friend a helping hand. Trish was doing her own looking around. She spotted lots of beer bellies but she was really attracted to the tall, dark and handsome guys. Large muscles didn’t hurt either. There were some fellas that were vertically challenged and a few that were very tall. She giggled to herself as she thought how difficult it would be to kiss someone that size goodnight. Phil glanced over at her and knew what she was thinking.
“If you’ll allow me, I think I have the perfect solution for you.” He said. Tricia realized he was talking to her and nodded in agreement as her face turned beet red. How embarrassing! He must think she’s desperate. Well, wasn’t she? He wasn’t always wrong. Thirty was closing in quickly. Phil always did seem to have a sixth sense when it came to his sister. They were very close as they were growing up and probably always would be.
“What’d you have in mind Phil?” Asked Trish. They had one more car to look at before they could go back to the truck to eat the delicious looking picnic that Phil’s wife to so much time to prepare. She didn’t come with them because she wanted the siblings to have a special day without any other distractions. They both loved fried chicken, especially at an event like this. All Trish could think about was her rumbling stomach when they walked over to the last car. It was a modified nineteen sixty seven blue Chevelle with the name My True Blue on the doors. Phil started knocking on the hood of the car.
“Anyone home?” A voice replied back.
“Yeah, be right there! Who is it?” Tricia tried to get her mind off her stomach and on the matter at hand. The voice sounded familiar, but from where?
“It’s me, Phil. Come on up here buddy. I have someone for you to meet!”
“Give me a minute”. While Trish was trying to imagine where she had heard that voice before, the man stood up from being underneath his car. They stared at each other as he wiped the grease off his hands. Her heart was beating wildly as she tried to calm herself down. It was him. The hunk she watched playing tennis the night before.
Morning came before Tricia Young was rested enough to face another day. Sleep didn’t come until the wee hours of the morning due to the sweltering, hot summer heat. It was easier to rest when it cooled down a bit. The weatherman had said a storm would be moving through the area tonight but it would only bring temporary relief. Tomorrow the heat would return.
Trish rolled over to hit the snooze on her radio alarm clock. She made sure it was set before she went to sleep. If she didn’t, she would be late. The smell of coffee brewing from the kitchen helped her to drag herself out of bed. She stumbled down the hallway to pour some. Instead of putting sugar in it, she grabbed the salt by mistake. This was not going to be a good day. Gagging on it, she dumped it down the drain and rinsed it out before pouring a second mug. Tricia set it on the side of the bathroom sink to cool while she washed her face and put on her makeup. She stared at her hair in the mirror and decided it needed a different style. Maybe that would put a little zip into her life. A long, curly perm might help but being the middle of summer made her think twice about it. For now she would brush it and put it up in a bun. She finished her coffee and set the cup in the kitchen before getting dressed. Her favorite sun suit was bright yellow with matching sandals. If it was going to be another scorcher, she might as well be cool. A quick glance into the mirror and off to the store she went.
The day went smoothly. Central air kept her business comfortable for the customers as well as the employees. Doing her errands was the worst part of the day. Outside it seemed like the midday sun made the sidewalk hot enough to sizzle food.
Young’s Bridal was a dream come true. Ever since her senior year in High School, she had been interested in owning her own boutique. The first two days of the week were slow so it was closed. It was open longer on Fridays and Saturdays, the busiest days of the week. Her main office was located in her hometown of Tuscola, a growing city in east central Illinois. She had opened two other shops within the past few years throughout the state. Others were being planned. All afternoon she hovered over a map, checking out details such as the city population and if any other shops like hers existed in those towns. The last thing she needed was competition from the start. Her idea was to locate them in cities along the interstates to attract the curious travelers as well as prospective brides. She glanced down at her watch and decided she worry more about it over the weekend. Everyone had been sent home an hour early. It had been an unusually long day.
The crimson, evening sun was starting to disappear behind the dark clouds approaching in the distance when Tricia locked up shop for the night. It was too hot to fix dinner, so she decided to drive through the nearest fast food restaurant to order a grilled chicken salad. On the way into the park, she noticed it buzzing with activity then stopped near the tennis courts to watch people play while she ate. Tennis was her favorite past time. Occasionally she would play the game for fun or watch it on television.
The car was too cramped so she got out and sat on a bench. There were two men that caught her eye while they played an intense game. They appeared to be in their early thirties. One of them was a few pounds overweight and sun burnt, but the other one turned out to be very attractive. He was about six feet three inches tall, sun bleached hair, a golden tan and rippled abs. Tricia was so involved with his good looks that she jumped when the ball hit the fence in front of her. She watched as he approached to retrieve it. He felt her gaze on him and looked up. His piercing blue eyes and sexy smile caught her by surprise.
Darkness started to take over the evening as the court lights lit up. Trish swallowed her last bite of dinner and threw her trash away. On the ride home, all she could think about was the guy at the park. A train on the track that she had to stop for, hypnotized her as her breathing sped up and her pulse raced the more she thought about him. He was attractive but why was he affecting her like this? Cars started blaring their horns to wake her out of her trance and get the flow of traffic moving again after the railroad arm lifted. Trish shook it off as she put the car into gear and drove the rest of the way home. Tomorrow was going to be just another day. She couldn’t wait to jump into the shower to cool off when she got there. It was going to be an early night. Hopefully the fan would keep her cool enough so she could get some sleep. As she parked the car in the driveway, she made a silent vow to get central air installed at home as soon as possible.
She stuck the key in the door the same time her phone started ringing. The door flew open when she raced to answer it.
“Hello”?
“What took you so long? You sound like you’re out of breath”! It was her older brother Phil. He used to own a mustang that he raced at the drag strip. After a bad accident left him with a slight limp, he never raced again but he still enjoyed watching others.
“I just got home. Wazzup?”
“How would you like for me to treat my little sister to a day at the track for her birthday”?
“I can’t. I’m expecting a large shipment and maybe drop into my other shops. That’ll take most of the day!” Phil started yelling in the phone.
“Damn it Trish! You work too much. Start delegating once in a while. Your assistant can handle it. Check up on the others Tuesday, if it makes you feel better, call’em during lunch!” He was frustrated at her. She didn’t want him to know that she was afraid of seeing someone else get hurt. The last time she was there, she could only watch in horror as her brother wrecked his car. Being hesitant, she accepted the invitation.
She was probably being silly about the whole thing. He was right in a way. She’d take that day off. After they hung up, she called her assistant and reminded her what to do. Tricia had trained her how to handle it just in case something like that did happen. She mentally put off the shop visits till later. With that complete, she took a long, cool shower and went to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
At the same time that a loud crack of lightning struck somewhere nearby, Tricia sat straight up in bed by the same nightmare that frequently occurred. Her brother’s Mustang lined up next to a red nova on the starting line. The Christmas tree flashed down and Phil was in the lead. Excitement turned to terror when his tire blew and his car veered to one side, hitting the guard rail and flipping several times, landing on its hood. That’s usually when Trish wakes up screaming. She got out of bed to get a cup of hot chocolate and to shake off the bad dream.
Rain splashed in the puddles below as she watched from the bow window. This was her favorite spot in the whole house. Lots of soul searching took place here, especially during her teen years. There would be plenty more times to come. She grew up in this house and would probably raise a family here. When she was small, she would always dress up in a little brides dress and veil that her mother had made for Halloween. Her parents gave her the house before they moved to Garrett last year. Phil already had a family and living in their own home by then.
Tricia wondered if the next day was such a good idea. It didn’t help matters much that it was going to be her twenty seventh birthday either. She started thinking about the guy at the tennis courts and the feelings that aroused in her. The one thing that she was definite about was finding someone to settle down with and have a family before her biological time clock expired. Lots of good looking guys run around at the track with their shirts off. That would be as good a time as any to start looking. It wasn’t long before drowsiness started taking over and she slipped back into bed.
The next morning she was wakened when her cat Sammy crawled up beside her and started purring in her ear. It was nine in the morning and he wanted his breakfast. A pets lovin’ was the only kind of attention she was getting these days. She was going to change that, but first she would have to feed the cat.
Phil liked to get to the tracks before noon so he could hang out with his friends that he gotten to know while he was still racing. He could always be found turning a ratchet or two. The strip would shut down for an hour at lunch time and competition for money and trophies would begin at one o’ clock.
Trish pulled out an orange tee shirt and jean shorts from her dresser. On the back of the shirt were the words “Young’s Bridal”, “Tuscola, Illinois “and the phone number. Bright colors attracted the eye to the advertisement of her shop. On the front was a drawing of a bride looking at her reflection in a long mirror. Her sandals could wait until after breakfast. Usually she didn’t eat until lunch, but today’s heat would cause a splitting headache and she didn’t want it to get worse. While she was thinking of it, she threw her sunglasses and tanning lotion into her purse. She didn’t dare forget them or else she would have to buy them along the way. It was necessary because she was so fair skinned that it didn’t take long for her to burn. Last summer taught her a lesson.
She was laying out in her backyard on a hot afternoon. Her dad had built a six foot fence around the property a few years before. So one weekend she decided to get a tan only the sun lulled her to sleep. The neighbor’s dog started raising a commotion and woke her up. She drug herself inside to take a shower. Her plans were to go shopping with her mom, but when the water started hitting her back, she teared up in pain. Tricia turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. There was a knock on the front door. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her very carefully so she could answer it. Her mom instantly knew what was wrong. Instead of shopping, she grabbed control of the situation and took her to the doctor. They hit up the pharmacy for the necessary supplies on the way home.
Before Phil could pick her up, she grabbed a couple pieces of toast with apple butter on it made by the local Amish and a cup of ice coffee. The loud rumble of her brother’s truck approached in the distance. He had spent the whole day yesterday switching out his exhaust for chrome smoke stacks. Thank goodness for large shade trees, but it was all worth it because now his old, Ford pickup was starting to look sharp with all the improvements he’d been making to it. Tricia slipped on her sandals, slung her purse over her shoulder and ran out the door.
They got to Assumption about eleven and drove straight back to the pits. Phil’s favorite parking spot was near the finish line and backed up to the fence. He opened up his lawn chairs in the newly lined bed and pushed the cooler up between them. Tricia kept by his side as they made the rounds before settling in for the race. They walked from car to car, looking at the motors and talking with the drivers. Once in a while they would stop momentarily so Phil could lend a friend a helping hand. Trish was doing her own looking around. She spotted lots of beer bellies but she was really attracted to the tall, dark and handsome guys. Large muscles didn’t hurt either. There were some fellas that were vertically challenged and a few that were very tall. She giggled to herself as she thought how difficult it would be to kiss someone that size goodnight. Phil glanced over at her and knew what she was thinking.
“If you’ll allow me, I think I have the perfect solution for you.” He said. Tricia realized he was talking to her and nodded in agreement as her face turned beet red. How embarrassing! He must think she’s desperate. Well, wasn’t she? He wasn’t always wrong. Thirty was closing in quickly. Phil always did seem to have a sixth sense when it came to his sister. They were very close as they were growing up and probably always would be.
“What’d you have in mind Phil?” Asked Trish. They had one more car to look at before they could go back to the truck to eat the delicious looking picnic that Phil’s wife to so much time to prepare. She didn’t come with them because she wanted the siblings to have a special day without any other distractions. They both loved fried chicken, especially at an event like this. All Trish could think about was her rumbling stomach when they walked over to the last car. It was a modified nineteen sixty seven blue Chevelle with the name My True Blue on the doors. Phil started knocking on the hood of the car.
“Anyone home?” A voice replied back.
“Yeah, be right there! Who is it?” Tricia tried to get her mind off her stomach and on the matter at hand. The voice sounded familiar, but from where?
“It’s me, Phil. Come on up here buddy. I have someone for you to meet!”
“Give me a minute”. While Trish was trying to imagine where she had heard that voice before, the man stood up from being underneath his car. They stared at each other as he wiped the grease off his hands. Her heart was beating wildly as she tried to calm herself down. It was him. The hunk she watched playing tennis the night before.