Wishing in Wisconsin (At the Altar Book 3) (2 page)

"She knows."  Lachele jotted down some notes.  "I believe that people who have passed on know everything about their loved ones on earth."

Cissie came out of the kitchen then with drinks for both women. Water for Lachele until she found out what she'd prefer, and root beer for Cindy.  "What would you like, Lachele?"  She put a basket of fried cheese curds on the table in front of them. 

Lachele glanced up at Cissie.  "Would you get me a Coke with extra ice, a chocolate shake, a cheeseburger with no pickles, mustard and extra onions, and a big order of fries?"

Cissie nodded.  "Got it."  She looked at Cindy.  "Usual?"

Cindy nodded.  She'd been eating in the bowling alley with Cissie since they had both learned to bowl with the bumpers covering the gutters between kindergarten and first grade. 

Lachele jumped up and hugged Cissie.  "You're not going back to the kitchen until I've bumped boobies with you, girl!"

Cissie looked at Cindy over Lachele's shoulder with a "help me" look on her face, and Cindy covered her mouth to avoid giggling hysterically.  It was so like Lachele to say something like that!

After Cissie was safely back in the kitchen getting their orders put in, Lachele resumed her questioning.  Cindy was surprised at how thorough the other woman was.  She asked about everything from religion to politics to education.  "Do you have a preference about a man's appearance?"

"I like 'em scruffy!" Cindy announced quickly.  "I don't know what it is, but an unshaven man really gets me in the gut."

Lachele grinned as she made a note of that fact.  "Do you have any other absolutes that you need?"

Cindy thought over the question for a moment.  "I want him to be debt free if at all possible.  I don't want to spend the rest of my life paying off his student loans, his car payment, or his excessive credit card bills.  I'm debt free, and I want us to come together on even ground."

"Perfectly reasonable."  Lachele made that note, and looked up as Cissie slid her burger in front of her.  "You joining us?"

Cissie nodded.  "I just need to get my food, and I'm yours for the rest of the night!  We're going to paint the town red!  Of course, it's a small town, and I'm not sure what we'll do when we're done...will probably only take about an hour..."  She wandered off before anyone could respond.

Cindy grinned at Lachele.  "We've been complaining about this town since we were tiny.  But we both came back after school."

"Why?   Why would you come back if you hated it so much?"

Cindy shrugged.  "I came back because my grandfather died and my grandmother didn't deserve to be alone.  Cissie came back because her father was ready to retire, and he gave her the choice of selling the bowling alley or taking it over.  She'd never wanted to run it, but she couldn't imagine life without it, so she took it over."

Lachele smiled, making a note.  "So you're both more concerned with family than your own wants and needs."  She picked up her burger, flipped up the bun to make sure there were no pickles, and took a huge bite.

Cindy nodded, popping another piece of fried curd into her mouth.  She knew she shouldn't eat so much fried stuff, but it was Wisconsin.  She would be untrue to her state if she didn't eat fried cheese curds. "Yeah.  So here we are.  And here we'll both stay."  She took a sip of her root beer, looking at Lachele.  "I won't relocate.  I promised my grandmother I'd make a go of the B&B, and that's what I'm going to do."

Lachele made another note.  "I'll make sure he can move here."  She looked down at her burger.  "These are fabulous.  Are they stuffed with bacon and cheese?"

Cindy nodded, taking a bite of her own burger and chewing it slowly.  "Yeah, and then they melt more cheese on top.  So good."

"I'm going to interview Cissie while I'm here then.  It will not be good for me to have to come back to Wisconsin to interview her.  I can feel my butt growing with each bite!"

Cissie came back and slid into the booth beside Cindy.  "Hey, scoot over.  You're hogging the whole seat!"  She bumped Cindy with her shoulder to get her to move.

Cindy rolled her eyes and slid in further.  "Why do I put up with you?"

Cissie shrugged.  "Because I'm lovable, and I grow on people."

"Like a fungus!"  Cindy took a bite of her own burger.  "You do make good burgers, though."

"See?  I'm good for something." 

Lachele smiled at the two of them.  "Anyone listening to you two would think you couldn't stand each other.  Watching you is different, though.  I know you love each other.  Cissie?  Do you want to stay in Wisconsin as well?"

Cissie nodded.  "Yeah.  I need to run this place.  Besides, I couldn't leave Cindy.  She'd die of loneliness without me!"

Cindy just grunted as she applied herself to her fries.  Lachele peppered them both with questions as they ate.  "What did your grandfather do for a living, Cindy?"

Cindy swallowed a big bite of burger.  "He was a preacher and a farmer.  I miss him," she said simply. 

By the time the meal was over, Lachele had a good idea of whom she was working with.  It helped that she had known both women at least a bit before she flew out to interview them.  "My plan is to spend tomorrow following Cindy around at the B&B, asking questions and getting a better idea of what she's looking for in a husband.  Then I'm going to spend Sunday with Cissie, doing the same thing."

Cissie shook her head.  "I'm not ready.  You said you'd give me six months."

"And I will, but do you really think your basic personality will change in the next six months?" Lachele asked.

"Well, no."

"Why do you want to wait six months anyway?" Lachele took a sip of her chocolate shake as she asked the question. 

Cindy glared at Cissie.  "She's trying to find a man before you send her one.  She's too scared to really go through with it, but she promised me, so she's putting it off as long as she can."

Lachele laughed.  "Maybe I should match her up first!"

Cindy grinned at the idea, before slowly shaking her head.  "No, we made a deal.  I'll go first."

"That works for me!"

As they walked back to the B&B that evening, Cindy felt relaxed and oddly at peace with her decision to go forward with Lachele's matchmaking.  "I need someone who likes to take long walks under the stars at night."

Lachele smiled, linking her arm through Cindy's.  "It's so peaceful here.  I miss living in Montana so much sometimes."

"Why haven't you moved back?"

Lachele shrugged.  "Sam's work is in Manhattan, and my practice is there.  Maybe when we decide to retire, but for now, I'll just enjoy visiting you."

"I'm glad you were willing to come see me.  My main worry was how I'd find the time to go to New York to interview with you.  I don't want to have to shut down to do that."

"Well, I really don't have a problem following you around tomorrow while you work.  I'll even help you make breakfast!  Of course, if you try to hand me a toilet brush, I'm going to have to make a very quick exit."  Lachele shuddered delicately.  "I don't even clean my own toilets anymore."

Cindy laughed.  "I won't ask you to clean any toilets!  I promise."

When they got to the B&B it was late, so Cindy set up two crock pots and filled one with a slow cooking oatmeal and the other with a breakfast casserole.  She'd get up early enough to fix a few dozen muffins and call it breakfast.  No one would mind. 

As she drifted off to sleep that night, she thought of what it would be like to live in her quiet little house as a married woman.  Would her future husband mind that she couldn't close down for a honeymoon?  She certainly hoped not.  There wasn't much chance she could do that anytime soon.  The business was too new.

*****

Trey drove through the beautiful countryside in Central Wisconsin, looking around curiously. He was surprised at how hilly the region was.  It was very similar to the Ozarks in his opinion, but people called those mountains while these were merely hills. It was odd to him that he'd be marrying there instead of Manhattan, as Dr. Lachele had told him most of the marriages ended up at her small church in New York.  He knew there had to be a reason for it, though. 

He carried everything he owned in the bed of his ancient pick-up truck.  It was the same truck he'd been driving since he had graduated from high school.  He'd bought it for $500 in cash, and had worked hard to learn how to fix it up.  It purred like a kitten, and he'd painted it a forest green.  He was proud that he'd been able to do it himself, and he loved how it looked.  He only hoped his future wife saw the value in paying for everything outright instead of carrying debt.

When he turned off the highway into the small town of Blevins, Wisconsin, just like he'd been instructed, he was surprised at how idyllic it seemed.  It was like something straight out of the 1950s.  He was drawn to it immediately.

Trey had been raised in Arlington, Texas, even going to college there.  He'd graduated from UTA with a degree in computer science and had started his own business immediately.  He liked to be able to work from anywhere.  It had taken a while before he was able to quit his day job, and only work his own business, but now that he was free from corporate America, he felt like a new man.

He followed the directions he'd been given to a small church.  He swallowed hard, surprised at how nervous he was.  He'd agreed to marry because he wanted to, but now that the time was near, he was ready to run.  Leaving everything he knew and coming to a state he'd never been in to marry a stranger?  What was he even thinking?

He rested his forehead on his steering wheel for a moment, taking gulping breaths of air.  He could do it, right?

He said a quick prayer that he would make it through the next few hours without passing out.  He'd never been exactly comfortable around women.  He was a nerd, and he knew it.  It was more his style to spend his time working on his truck or building a new computer than taking a girl out.  What if she took one look at him and refused to marry him?

Finally, he reached over into the side seat and snagged his tux, which was still in the black garment bag.  He was going to do this, and nothing was going to stop him.  Not even his own overwhelming nervousness at the idea of marrying a woman the instant he set eyes on her.

Chapter Two

Trey sat at the back of the church, looking toward the bride's room.  He wanted to at least get a peek at the woman he'd marry before she walked down the aisle toward him.  Was that so wrong?

He got up and went to the door of the room where he knew his future wife was waiting for him.  Just as he raised his hand to knock on the door, he heard a familiar voice behind him.  "You don't really think you're going to get away with that, do you?"

He turned, his face a bright red.  "Dr. Lachele.  It's good to see you.  I thought maybe you were in there."

Lachele crossed her arms over her ample breasts and tapped her foot.  "Really?  You thought I was in there?"

Trey nodded, not meeting her gaze.  "Yeah, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Well, I'm here. What did you want to ask me?"

He stared at her for a moment, wracking his brain for a question he could ask.  Any question.  "I just wondered if this is where I'll be moving with my bride," he finally said, realizing how lame it sounded even as he asked.

Lachele sighed.  "You couldn't come up with something better than that?"  She linked her arm through his, pulling him away from the bride's room.  "Yes, you'll be living here in Wisconsin.  Your bride was born and raised in this little town."

He swallowed hard, the Adam's apple jumping in his throat.  "Well, thanks for letting me know."

Lachele kept his arm firmly in her grip, leading him into the sanctuary and sitting down beside him.  "Did I misjudge you?  Are you so worried about what your bride will look like that you were going to peek at her before you married her?"

He shook his head.  "Honestly, I don't care if she's pretty or not.  I just...I just want to know!  I wouldn't have canceled.  I would still go through with it, no matter what she looks like.  It just feels so odd to know that I'm about to marry a woman, and I don't know if she's purple, green, or turquoise!"

"Does it really matter to you?  Because you said it didn't."

"It doesn't matter, but I want to know!"  How could he explain logically that the suspense was turning him into a lunatic?

She shrugged.  "You will in about thirty minutes.  You can wait that long!"  She caught sight of someone over his shoulder.  "Sam, come here!"

Trey looked over his shoulder to see a man who looked to be in his forties wandering toward them.

"Sam, I need you to keep an eye on Stephen here.  He's trying to take a peek at his bride."

Trey winced at her use of Stephen.  "I prefer to be called Trey."

Sam's eyes twinkled as he looked at Trey.  "You don't want to make Lachele mad, boy.  She tends to start throwing stuff like a crazy woman!"

Trey looked at the sweet-looking woman in front of him.  She didn't look like she could hurt a fly.  "I'll be good," he finally said. 

"Yes, you will, because Sam is going to make sure of it!" 

Trey sighed.  "Yes, ma'am."

Lachele patted his hand.  "You did a good job on my website.  Thank you for that!"

"I'm glad you were pleased."  Trey waited for her to say something else, but she didn't.  Instead she jumped up and left the room, disappearing behind the very door he'd just been caught trying to open.  He looked at Sam.  "You must be Mr. Simpson."

Sam nodded.  "Yip.  You should be very thankful she was in a good mood today.  I'm surprised she didn't beat you over the head with her purse."

"She wouldn't!"

"Oh, she would.  There's no doubt.  Be careful, and do what you're told, boy."

*****

Cindy looked up when the door opened.  Cissie had just finished fixing her hair for her.  "Lachele.  Did he show?"  Cindy had been having nightmares for over a week that her groom just wouldn't show up, and she'd walk down the aisle to no one.

Lachele smiled.  "Of course, he did!  He's very nervous!"

Cindy let out a quick sigh of relief.  "Me too!"  She put her hand over her stomach, taking quick breaths.  How she was going to make it down the aisle, she didn't know.

Lachele sat down and took Cindy's hand in hers.  "Do you have someone to give you away?  Sam will do it if you don't."

Cindy nodded.  "Cissie's dad is going to do it.  He's been like a father to me since I was a little girl, so he seemed like the obvious choice."  She'd met Sam in New York, and she'd have happily let him do it if other arrangements hadn't been made.

"That sounds great."  Lachele looked at Cissie.  "Ready to fulfill your maid of honor duties?"

Cissie shrugged.  "Oh, sure.  As long as I'm not expected to do anything graceful, we're good."

Lachele laughed.  "You do need to walk down the aisle, you know."

"Oh, I can probably do that," Cissie responded quickly.  "I've walked once or twice."

Cindy rolled her eyes at the two of them, studying herself carefully in the mirror.  It felt strange knowing in a few minutes she'd be walking down the aisle toward a stranger.  Would he kiss her?  Or would he wait to do that after they were alone?

"People are just now starting to arrive," Lachele told them.  "Wedding starts in less than thirty minutes.  Are you ready?"  She eyed Cindy who was sitting in a chair in her robe.  "That's a really nice white robe, but I think people are expecting something more along the lines of a white dress."

Cindy looked down at her robe.  "Yeah, probably.  Actually putting on the dress seems so final, though.  Like I can't possibly not go through with it."

Lachele laughed.  "No one will hold a gun to your head, even if you are wearing the dress.  I promise!"

Cindy looked at Cissie, wishing her friend could give her the courage she needed.  "Is everything set for the reception?"

"Yup!  I've had the staff working on it all morning!"

Lachele looked back and forth between the friends.  "You're not having the reception in the bowling alley, are you?"

Cindy shrugged.  "Seemed logical.  It's a big space, I could get it for free, and it has special meaning for me."

Lachele grinned.  "I forget how easy small town people are about things like that.  Yes, it's probably the perfect location!"

"I thought so.  I have the space in the barn I rent out for receptions, but I'd rather be married in a place that means more to me than my family's barn."  Cindy stood up and dropped her robe, standing in just her slip.  She wasn't normally so bold, but she knew her friends wouldn't judge her for her imperfections. 

Cissie picked up Cindy's gown and dropped it over her friend's head, while Lachele moved behind her to zip it up.  Cindy held her hair out of the way.  When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was surprised at how different she looked.

Normally she wore her long blond hair up to keep it out of any food she may be cooking and to keep it from getting in the way as she cleaned.  Today, she'd chosen to wear it down around her shoulders.  It curled in waves giving her a soft look.  She wore a coronet of flowers atop her head. 

Her dress was simple but elegant.  The long sleeves were low and left her shoulders completely bare.  She'd never worn anything quite like it, and she kept feeling like she should pull it up higher, but she knew she was wearing the dress as it was meant to be worn.  The bodice came up high enough that there was no cleavage revealed, leaving her modestly covered.  She only hoped her future husband, whoever he was, would like the look.

She'd outlined her blue eyes with a black pencil and used the palest of pink lipstick.  She looked like a woman who didn't work for a living, who didn't toil her days away.  She'd even had a manicure that morning, which she was certain would be destroyed within a couple of days with the kind of cleaning she had to do.

"Do I look okay?" she asked softly, looking back at Lachele and Cissie. 

"You're beautiful!" Cissie told her, coming forward to hug her.  Normally Cissie would have said something sarcastic like, "Small children won't run away screaming."  It showed how well her friend knew her that she chose that moment to compliment her.

Lachele smiled, wiping a tear from her eye.  "Put your arms around each other.  I need to get a picture," she said, digging out her phone. 

There was a knock on the door, and Lachele frowned.  "That better not be Stephen again.  That boy is making me crazy," she mumbled under her breath as she went to the door.

A moment later the door was opened wide and Cissie's parents came in.  Mr. Rivers walked over to Cindy and put his hands on her shoulders.  "Looks like one of my little girls is all grown up.  I'm not sure how I feel about this."

Cindy laughed, a tear escaping her eye, as she rushed into his arms.  "I'm glad you could come back for the wedding."  The older couple was spending summers in Canada, complaining that Wisconsin summers were just too hot.

Mrs. Rivers pushed her husband out of the way to hug Cindy as well.  "We wouldn't have missed this for the world.  Are you sure this man is safe?  I don't know how I feel about you marrying a stranger."

Cindy glared at Cissie over Mrs. Rivers's shoulder.  Her friend should have known better than telling her worrywart mother.  When it was Cissie's turn to walk down the aisle, she knew she'd be making a phone call.  "I'll be fine. Lachele checked him out for me!"

Mrs. Rivers turned to Lachele.  "Are you Lachele then?  What are you thinking by encouraging this?  There are scary men in this world!"

Lachele smiled, offering her hand.  "I'm Dr. Lachele Simpson.  I'm a relational psychologist.  I assure you, I've investigated the groom thoroughly, and he's safe." 

Mrs. Rivers wrinkled her nose.  "Maybe he's just hiding things from you."

Lachele sighed, shaking her head.  "I really don't think so.  I'm a very good judge of character, and I spent twelve hours interviewing him."

Mr. Rivers walked over, putting his hands on his wife's shoulders.  "Even so, we'll be staying around town for at least a couple of weeks to make certain she's all right."

"I think that's wonderful.  Everyone needs to have someone to look out for them."

There was another knock on the door then, and Lachele groaned.  She opened it just a bit.  "Sam!  You're supposed to be keeping an eye on you know who!"

"It's time for the wedding to start, you crazy woman!  Past time!  So stop your lollygagging, and let's get this show on the road."

Lachele glared up at her husband.  "I'm not crazy!  I prefer the word eccentric!"  She smiled at Cindy, hurrying over to hug her close.  "You ready?"

Cindy nodded.  "I think so."  She put her hand over her chest as if to try to slow down her rapid heartbeat. 

Cissie left before Cindy, who stayed in the bride's room with Mr. Rivers. Once they were the only ones left in the room, Cindy smiled at the man.  "Thank you for agreeing to give me away.  With my grandfather gone, you're the only man who I would have wanted beside me."

He took her hand and placed it on his arm, patting it gently.  "I wouldn't have let anyone else do it.  You're as much our child as Cissie is."

Cindy smiled, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.  "Thank you for always treating me like a daughter."

Lachele came back to the room, sticking her head in.  "It's time.  Stop being all sentimental and get out here."

Cindy laughed.  "We're coming!"

Lachele's hair looked more purple than usual that day, and Cindy wondered absently if she'd just dyed it again as she followed the older woman to the back of the church.  She loved Lachele's hair, wishing she had the guts to do strange color with hers, but she knew she never would.

She looked around the church almost as if she was seeing it for the first time.  Cindy knew her grandparents, and her parents had been married in the same church before her, and she was thankful her future husband had agreed to a wedding there.

They stopped in front of the closed doors at the back of the sanctuary, and Cindy took deep breaths.  She hoped she'd find him attractive!

The doors opened and her eyes moved to the man waiting at the front of the church for her.  He had dark hair and a short beard.  Yes, he was just scraggly enough to make her happy.  Hopefully he would be as kind as he looked.  She raised her chin, her eyes meeting his, and she walked confidently to the front of the church.

Trey stood watching his bride walk toward him.  He started to look behind him to see if there was another man she could be smiling at so sweetly.  Didn't she realize she was walking to him?  He was the nerd, the guy girls always avoided.  So why was this beautiful woman walking toward him with a smile on her face?

When she reached the front of the church, her father placed her hand into Trey's, kissing her cheek.  Her father moved to the front pew to sit beside the woman who must be her mother. 

He looked down at her delicate hand in his, her nails painted a pale pink, and he squeezed her hand tightly.  Together they turned to face the minister, but he wanted to simply stare at her.  She was beautiful.  She couldn't really be marrying him, could she?

The wedding flew by.  He didn't recall being asked to take her as his bride, but he must have.  What he remembered best was the preacher saying, "You may kiss the bride."  He turned to her, and saw her looking up at him, a sweet smile on her face.