Always in Albuquerque

  Always in Albuquerque

  At the Altar

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright © 2019 by Kirsten Osbourne

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

  Prologue

  Alexis pulled the car off the highway and onto the Navajo reservation that housed the Four Corners monument. She was with her roommate, Sydney, and their two suitemates, Joanna and Tess. The four of them had taken off immediately after graduation to scope out the area where Sydney was going to start working on June first. Sydney’s dream had always been to be a park ranger, and she was going to do just that for Arches National Park, just north of Moab, Utah.

  When they reached the monument, Tess jumped out of the car. “You guys play tourist. I have got to use the ladies’ room!” And she was out of sight.

  “The girl has a pea-sized bladder,” Joanna announced, voicing what they were all thinking. The four of them had shared a bathroom for their entire college careers. They were well aware of Tess’s bladder issues. There were times when she was pounding on the door needing to go immediately when someone else was in there. She was well known to the neighboring suites, because she’d beg to use their restrooms often.

  Alexis and Sydney walked together toward the monument with Joanna trailing slightly behind. “I hate that this is our last trip together,” Sydney said. They’d taken spring break trips together every year since they’d started college.

  Alexis rested her head on Sydney’s shoulder. Sydney was a good head taller than Alexis, having gone to college on a volleyball scholarship. She was as athletic as Alexis was soft. Alexis was a book nerd and always had been. She was heading to graduate school in Albuquerque starting in the fall, though she wished she could take more time off than that. “It’s hard to believe you’re going to be in Utah, and I’m going to be in New Mexico.”

  Joanna laughed from behind them. “Tess and I need to decide which one of us is moving to Arizona, and which will move to Colorado.”

  Sydney and Alexis gave Joanna blank stares. “What does that mean?” Sydney asked.

  “Well, you’re moving to two of the Four Corners states. Tess and I should move to the other two.” Joanna looked over at Tess who had just joined them. “I get Colorado!”

  Tess laughed. “Are you sticking me with Arizona? Land of heat and old people? What kind of friend are you?”

  Joanna grinned. “One who likes mountains and cold weather?”

  Tess wrinkled her nose. “I’ll consider it.”

  Alexis grinned at the others. The trip was meant to familiarize them all with the west. They’d gone to school in Binghamton, New York, and none of them had spent much if any time in the western half of the United States. “Maybe we’ll all fall in love with a different state from the Four Corners, and we can have lunch together every month, meeting in the middle. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

  One

  Four years later…

  Alexis looked around at her three closest friends during their monthly lunch near the Four Corners. “So I agreed to go out with this guy that I met at one of my counseling conferences. He’s a life coach in Albuquerque. Thirty. Single. Seemed like a nice guy.” She shook her head. “He tried to pressure me into bed on the first date. Seriously tried to follow me into my apartment after I told him no.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Joanna asked, obviously disgusted.

  Sydney frowned. “I can teach you some self-defense.”

  Joanna frowned at Alexis. “And this idiot is helping other people? Someone needs to throat-punch that jerk.”

  “I don’t want to learn self-defense.” Alexis sighed. “I want to meet a man worth meeting. I don’t even want to date. I want to skip over all that nonsense and just get married.” She was fed up with the way things went on dates anyway. Trying to find just the right man was tiresome and ridiculous.

  “It’s too bad that’s not possible. Wouldn’t it be cool to be a mail-order bride?” Sydney asked. “I’ve been obsessing with reading mail-order bride books lately. I’m not sure why.”

  “I don’t know about being a mail-order bride, but I think I’m going to contact my old boss, Dr. Lachele. You guys remember when you were laughing at me when I interned for a company called Matchrimony? Well, what Dr. Lachele does is match people at the altar. You have to go through a ton of in-depth questioning, but I think it’ll be worth it. I’m calling her Monday.” Alexis sat quietly waiting for the fallout from her friends. She knew they’d think she was off her rocker, but who needed a rocker?

  “So a modern-day mail-order bride situation with a little psychology to match you to the right guy thrown in?” Sydney asked. “I’m in. Tell her to plan to interview the two of us.”

  “I think you’ve both lost your minds,” Tess told them. “You can’t marry strangers just because you’re sick of the dating scene.”

  “Watch me,” Alexis said. “I’m not playing games anymore. I’m twenty-six years old, and I’m ready to move on with my life. No meeting men in bars. No dating losers. I’m going to let Dr. Lachele make all the decisions for me, and I’m going to be a very happily married woman.”

  Joanna just stared at her for a moment. “You really think that’s the answer?”

  “I don’t know that there is a good answer, but this is the route I’m taking, and no one is going to talk me out of it.”

  “You’ve lost your ever-loving mind,” Tess said, shaking her head. “But I’ll be happy to be a bridesmaid. Just tell me what to wear.”

  “Don’t think I won’t!” Alexis took a sip of her raspberry lemonade, letting the flavors roll over her tongue. “I’ll let her know we’re both interested, Syd. Anyone else?”

  Joanna and Tess exchanged a glance, but both shook their heads. “I’m not that desperate,” Tess told her. “I don’t think I could ever be that desperate.”

  “I don’t think I could do it,” Joanna said. “I’ll watch you two and see what happens.”

  Sydney raised her glass in a toast. “To Matchrimony and no more ridiculous dates with even more ridiculous men.”

  “To Matchrimony!” they all echoed.

  Sunday evening, right before Alexis went to bed, she got a call from Joanna. “I know I’m going to regret this, but I’m in. I haven’t been able to think about anything else since lunch yesterday. Tell Dr. Lachele there will be three of us.”

  “You got it!” Alexis couldn’t help but smile. She was glad her friend was taking the bull by the horns as well.

  “Actually, tell her four. Tess may not go through with it, but I think she’s going to regret it if she doesn’t.”

  Alexis frowned. “But I get to tell her that it was your idea that she is being included against her will, right?” She could just imagine how furious Tess would be about the whole thing, and she didn’t want to deal with the brunt of her anger.

  “Oh, absolutely. I’m not afraid of Tess.” Joanna sounded like she was disgusted at the very thought.

  “I’m not either. I know she could beat me up, but I’d just hold her off for the five minutes until she needed to run to the bathroom…�
�

  Joanna laughed. “Sounds good to me. Let me know when the interviews will be.”

  “I will. I know it all sounds crazy, but I really think we’re making the right choice. I saw Dr. Lachele match up a lot of happy couples during the summers I worked for her.” And she’d adored working for the crazy purple-haired woman.

  “I’ll let you know how I feel about it all after I’ve met my guy.”

  “Okay! I’ll let everyone know when she wants to interview.”

  “Thanks, Alexis.”

  After ending the call, Alexis changed into her pajamas and climbed between the sheets. If Dr. Lachele couldn’t find the man to make her happy, then he didn’t exist.

  Alexis called first thing the next morning. It was bright and early in Albuquerque, but with the two-hour time difference, she knew it would be fine. And she called Dr. Lachele’s private line, not the office. “Hello?”

  “Dr. Lachele. It’s Alexis Casey.”

  “Alexis! It’s so good to hear your voice. How’s New Mexico treating you?”

  “It’s great. I have my own practice now. I went the life coaching route instead of regular counseling. It seems to fit my abilities better.”

  “I can see that. So, what has you on my phone? You finally ready for me to find you a husband?” Dr. Lachele had hounded her for years to use her services.

  “Actually, yes! Me and three of my friends.”

  “Really? Four of you? When do you want me to interview? I’m booked this weekend.”

  Alexis frowned. “Can you do it the next weekend?” She knew if she waited too long she’d lose her nerve and not be able to go through with it.

  “I sure can. And I’m going to force you to look at baby pictures. Mercedes just gave birth to my first grandbaby. I don’t have to just rely on the munchkins for grandbabies anymore.”

  “I’m sure you still love your munchkins just as much though, don’t you?”

  Lachele laughed. “Well, of course. I still have those babies wallpapered all across one wall of my office.”

  “I figured as much.” Alexis smiled, glad she was going to get to see the crazy woman on the other end of the line soon. “You’ll want to fly into Albuquerque airport. Just let me know the time of the flight, and I’ll be there to get you. Then we’ll drive to meet the others.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.” Dr. Lachele paused for a moment. “I’ll email you my flight information. I’m so excited that I get to see you!”

  “I can’t wait!”

  After hanging up the phone, Alexis grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down for a moment. She needed to let the others know, but first she was going to bask in the happiness that came with knowing her search for a suitable man was almost over. She’d always thought that by the time she’d finished grad school, there would be a man in her life that she’d never forget. It just hadn’t worked out that way. Yet.

  On Friday of the following week, Alexis was at the Albuquerque airport waiting for Dr. Lachele. She stood in baggage claim, her eyes scanning the crowd for the purple hair that she knew was coming. When she spotted the older woman, she waved, and Dr. Lachele made a beeline for her, grabbing her in a bear hug. “Finally! I felt like I’d never see you again.” Alexis couldn’t believe her mentor was finally there.

  “Well, you can bet your sweet patootie I’m here and ready to get to work with you girls! I needed a patented Alexis boobie bump like I’ve never needed anything else.”

  “We have a long drive first. We all took four-day weekends so we could spend the entire weekend at Four Corners, and I got us a hotel there. We’ll be hanging out while you interview whomever.”

  “That sounds good. All four of you want to do this?” Dr. Lachele asked.

  “Well, three of us do, and we decided that the fourth should want to. She’s agreed to talk with you but under duress.”

  “You know I don’t work that way.”

  “I do.” Alexis shrugged. “Final decision is up to her this weekend. If she decides not to be interviewed, then we’ll have a whole day of playing.” She really thought Tess would change her mind, but if she didn’t, that was just fine. A day to just hang out with Dr. Lachele would be very welcome.

  “So where are we staying?” Dr. Lachele asked.

  “There’s a Marriott in Farmington, New Mexico. We’re all meeting up there.” The luggage from the flight had started coming around the turnstile. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of Dodge. It’s a four-hour drive, and I’m ready to be there.”

  They watched and got two huge bags off the conveyer belt. “Why so much for a weekend?”

  “I like to make sure I’m ready for any occasion.”

  Alexis laughed softly. With the amount of luggage she’d brought, she had to be ready for all four seasons. They dragged the suitcases out to the car, and hopped in. “Make sure to buckle up. The forecast is calling for snow.”

  “Why did I think of New Mexico as dry heat all year round?” Dr. Lachele asked.

  “No clue. We have snow in the winter. It is hot and dry in the summer, though.”

  “Well, I was right about your summers then.” Dr. Lachele climbed into the front seat of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. “You couldn’t get it in purple?” she asked, patting the dashboard.

  Alexis shook her head. “Nope. They had this really pretty turquoise, but the car I wanted didn’t come in the color. I was so disappointed. I went with this red, because it was the prettiest available in this model.”

  “I can understand that. The color of a car says so much about its owner.” Dr. Lachele was looking all around her. “The mountains are pretty.”

  “I think that’s what drew me to this area even more than a top-notch counseling program. I love the mountains so much.”

  As they drove, they caught up on the years they’d been apart. “So, tell me about your practice,” Dr. Lachele said. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

  Alexis shrugged, carefully navigating the busy roads of Albuquerque. “It’s good. I mean, I love what I do, but sometimes my clients are exhausting. Helping people try to navigate life isn’t exactly what I expected when I went into counseling.”

  “Oh, I understand that.” Dr. Lachele shook her head. “I was a counselor for a whole lot of years before I realized it wasn’t what I’d expected it to be.”

  “Yeah. I guess I pictured myself talking people through major crises and teaching them how to cope with big stuff. I have one client who is upset because her favorite brand of underwear isn’t made anymore, and she can’t find any she likes as much.”

  “Ahh. A fruit loop. I have lots of those. If you get tired of driving, pull over. You know how much I love to drive as long as it’s not in Manhattan traffic.”

  Alexis nodded. “I’ll probably pull over halfway there.” She vaguely remembered some horror stories about Dr. Lachele’s driving when she’d worked for the woman, but she was sure most had to be exaggerated. Who really backed into six mailboxes in one week? Was that even physically possible?

  “Oh, good. I’m looking forward to it!”

  At their halfway point, Alexis pulled over as promised and they switched spots in the vehicle. “Be careful,” she said as Dr. Lachele pulled out of the rest area and onto the highway.

  “I’m always careful,” Dr. Lachele said as she narrowly missed a semi. “Where did that truck come from?” She looked genuinely confused, and Alexis started praying.

  Alexis found that using her brake and the handle above her seat made the trip a bit more comfortable, but closing her eyes was truly the best solution. “I can’t wait for you to meet the girls. We’ve been friends since our freshman year in college, and each of us settled in a different Four Corners state. We still meet up at least once a month for lunch. Sometimes we’ll spend a whole weekend.”

  “It’s good to keep in touch with old friends that way. I think you see how much you grow through their eyes.”

  Alexis just nodded and h
eld on tightly. Prayers. It was going to take a lot of prayers to arrive in Farmington alive.

  Dirk Blanton sat at his computer, wishing life was different. He’d spent the last fifteen years working constantly to become a business professor. He’d somehow expected the perfect woman to fall into his lap right around the time he turned thirty, and then they would marry and have two point three children. Perfect children at that. How on earth had he turned thirty-two without said perfect woman falling into his life?

  A colleague had mentioned helping market for a woman who matched people at the altar, and he’d laughed at the concept. Well, he’d laughed at it three years ago. But now…now it sounded awfully appealing. There had to be a better way to meet women, but so far, he hadn’t figured it out. He wasn’t into the bar scene, and that’s where everyone else seemed to meet their potential spouses.

  A quick search found the name of the woman’s company. Matchrimony. He thought it was a clever name for what she was doing. Perhaps it was a good idea to give her a call. He’d need to find someone who could move to him, though. He couldn’t leave his business for anything. Besides, Albuquerque was home. He wasn’t about to relocate for a woman he’d never met.

  He picked up his phone and dialed the number on his computer screen. When there was no answer, he left a message stating his purpose clearly and succinctly. Hopefully she’d call him by Monday afternoon, and the ball would be rolling.

  After that unpleasant task had been taken care of, he went back to his research. What was there in life besides work and being ready to provide for a family? He wasn’t sure, but he was content with working for now. The family would come.