“In your truck.” Emily laughed at the frown on Alex’s face. “I guess that means you’ll have to drop them off this afternoon. You won’t want to arrive at your Mad Mile Race with a backseat full of silk and satin.”
Alex looked at Jacob. “You feel like a ride into town? We could stop by Angel Wings Café on the way home.”
Jacob was still thinking about Molly going back to Los Angeles. “Sure.”
“Great,” Alex said. “Get your coat because we’ve got some fencing to do before we head out. You can borrow my gloves.”
Jacob shook his head. “Wait a minute. You didn’t say anything about fencing.”
“It’s all in the timing,” Alex said softly as he leaned into Cooper’s crib and kissed the top of his son’s head. “Some of us have got it, and others need to learn how to use it. Especially where Irish photographers are concerned.”
His brother didn’t need to be told he was right. He already knew he was. Jacob might have made a fortune from anticipating changes in the property market and picking the right buildings to develop, but he was hopeless where Molly was concerned.
At least if he was helping Alex, he wouldn’t have time to think about what an idiot he was. And he’d have time to find out what was happening tomorrow.
Time-trials for the Mad Mile charity race started at nine o’clock. Alex’s helmet and racing gear had arrived last week. The Mustang was sitting in his garage, ready to go.
One way or another, tomorrow would be a day to remember.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Molly smiled at the two women having their hair styled in The Beauty Box. It was Marsha’s wedding day, and Molly was having a fine time photographing Marsha and her sister, Angela.
Molly moved to the other side of the room. With the light from the window on her back, she was able to focus her camera on the scene in front of her.
She took a photograph of Marsha sitting in one of the chairs. Kate was behind her, curling her hair into pretty ringlets. Angela was in another chair, reading a magazine. Loretta was busy mixing hair dye and smiling at their little flower girl as she bounced past them.
The door beside Molly opened and a sharp breeze cut through the warm interior of the salon. “Is anyone looking for a bridesmaid’s dress?”
Steve, one of the groomsmen for Marsha’s wedding, strode into the room.
A collective gasp raced around the room.
“Steven Freeman,” Marsha hissed. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride before her wedding.”
“That’s only for the groom,” Steve said with a smile. “It’s probably more bad luck if the bridesmaid hasn’t got her dress.”
The foils in Angela’s hair rattled as she turned toward Steve. “What are you talking about? Dad was going to pick my dress up after lunch.”
Steve winced when he saw Angela. “Are you going for an alien invasion from Mars look?”
Angela’s cheeks turned bright red. “If you hadn’t come in here, you wouldn’t have seen me. These are foils. I’m getting blonde highlights put in my hair.”
Steve frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with your hair. What do you want highlights for?”
Marsha sighed. “Would you two stop bickering? I thought you were taking Doug for a game of golf?”
“We were, until the dressmaker called Doug. She had to leave work early and couldn’t get hold of you or your dad. So here I am. I figured seeing me was better than walking down the aisle naked.”
Angela glared at him.
Steve waved the plastic wrapped dress in the air. “So you don’t want your dress?”
Molly stepped forward and took the dress out of his hands. “Thank you. Angela will be grateful to you once her foils are removed.”
The frown on Angela’s face disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. “Thank you, Steve. You’re such a kind, sweet, thoughtful, type of person. It’s a wonder you’re still single.”
Molly watched Steve’s face. Angela had said something that didn’t impress her knight in shining armor.
He wandered over to her chair and whispered something in her ear. Angela tried to swat him with her hands, but they got caught up in her cape. Before she managed to say another word, Steve was at the front door of The Beauty Box.
“I’ll see everyone at the wedding.” He looked at Angela. “Don’t forget to take your foils out. You might be mistaken for a lightning rod and get stuck on the top of a building.”
Angela tilted her nose in the air and watched Steve leave. As soon as the door closed, she slumped in her seat. “Why does he annoy me so much?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s cute,” Kate said as she wound another roller in Marsha’s hair. “I married the cutest guy around, so I’m a bit of an expert.”
Molly smiled. “It would be a rare thing if a man such as Steve didn’t turn a woman’s head.”
Angela sat a little straighter in her chair. “He might be cute, but he’s also annoying. I think it must be a genetic flaw.”
“Doug’s not annoying,” Marsha said.
“Precisely,” Angela said. “Doug is amazing. So is Mike and their parents. He’s the oddball in a family of nice people.”
Loretta dabbed another sweep of color on Angela’s hair. “Sometimes oddballs have hidden depths. I saw the blush on your cheeks when that cutie-pie whispered in your ear.”
Angela sighed. “He has a warped sense of humor.”
Loretta nodded. Molly guessed that she’d seen more than her share of confused women. Owning a beauty salon gave you insider knowledge to the workings of the human heart.
Molly looked around the salon. “Where should I hang Angela’s dress, Loretta?”
Loretta pointed to a room at the back of the salon. “There’s a closet in the staff area. Hang it in there.” She put the dye brush in a bowl and checked Angela’s foils. “Just don’t forget to take it with you. You’re my last customers of the day.”
Molly hung the dress in the closet and walked back into the salon. By the time she got back, Angela was reading her magazine again and Marsha was checking her cell phone.
Marsha glanced at Molly. “No one could get hold of me because I’d turned my phone off.”
“Check to see how dad is,” Angela said from her chair. “It’s not like him to be away from his phone.”
Marsha made a phone call. “His phone’s off, too. I’ll text mom.” Within seconds she had a reply. “Steve’s not the only person with a genetic flaw. Dad left his cell phone turned off, too.” She looked over at her sister. “Are you sure you haven’t been blessed with the same deficient genes?”
Angela opened her bag and checked her phone. “It’s on vibrate.” She tapped in her security code, then stared at the screen. After a few more taps, she glanced at Marsha. “There’s been an accident at the Mad Mile Race. Someone’s seriously hurt.”
Molly put her camera down. Emily had been talking about Alex’s race all week. She thought he was crazy racing his Mustang down an open stretch of road, even if it was for the Gallatin County Search and Rescue Team. “What’s happened?”
Marsha scrolled through whatever news feed she was reading. “A Mustang’s flipped. They’re not releasing the driver’s name until the family has been informed.”
Molly was at the door before she knew that her feet had moved. “I’ll see you at your wedding, Marsha. I’ve got to go.”
Loretta looked up from the front counter. “What’s wrong?”
“Alex drives a Mustang.”
Loretta’s face turned pale beneath her makeup. “Do you want me to take you to the race?”
Molly picked up her jacket and wrapped her scarf around her neck. “I’m okay. I’ll let you know if it’s Alex.”
She left the salon and ran toward her car. As soon as she was in the driver’s seat she tried calling Jacob. He wasn’t answering his cell phone. She tried one more number. Rachel was going to the race with Emily.
Rachel didn’t answer her phone either, s
o Molly left a message and headed out of town. Either there was an epidemic of people turning their cell phones off, or something had happened to Alex.
***
Molly parked her car in a field that was a long way from the race. There were people and vehicles everywhere. She left her camera in her trunk and ran along the side of the road, following the direction most people were walking in.
A red and white helicopter flew low overhead, heading toward town. Molly shielded her eyes, trying to see if it belonged to the Search and Rescue team. It did. Her heart pounded in her chest and she moved faster through the crowd of people.
She pushed past a family eating hot dogs and ran through the front gates.
“Hey, Miss. There’s a five dollar donation to get in.”
Molly stopped and stared at the teenager.
“You can’t go in without paying the donation.”
She searched her pockets and tried to find some money. “Do you know anything about a car accident?”
The teenage boy took her money and nodded. “Someone flipped their car about half an hour ago. They’re still cleaning up the mess.”
“Do you know which car was involved?”
“A Mustang. Do you want a program to go with your entrance ticket? It’s only two bucks extra?”
Molly shook her head. “I don’t have another two dollars on me. All I need to know is how many drivers have Mustangs. Can I look in the program and give it back to you when I’ve finished?”
The teenage boy looked worried. “I’m not supposed to give anyone a copy without them paying for it.”
Molly sighed. “Please. I know someone who’s driving a Mustang. I want to know if he was the only person or if there are other Mustang’s racing.”
The teenager looked at the people around them and quickly handed her a program. “Don’t tell anyone I let you have a look.”
Molly flicked through the pages. There were forty cars competing, and three were Mustangs. She calculated the odds of the driver being Alex, then felt bad. It didn’t matter who was involved in the accident. Someone was hurt and three families would be going through exactly what she was. “Can you show me where the cars and drivers are?”
The boy pointed across the field. “You see that orange tent over there? They’re just behind that. The race marshals have been checking the cars before they’re allowed on the road. When you get closer, you’ll see them straight away.”
Molly handed him back the program. “Thank you.”
The boy blushed. “I hope your friend is okay.”
“So do I.” Molly ran across the field toward the tent. If she couldn’t find Alex, she’d look for Emily, Rachel, or Jacob. If that didn’t work, she’d try Rachel’s cell phone again and then Jacob’s.
Someone had to know what was going on.
***
Molly thought that once she was through the gates, it would have been easy to find Alex. But the field surrounding the orange tent was full of carnival rides, food tents, and families all enjoying a day out.
A little boy ran in front of her. She stumbled, nearly tripping over his feet as she tried to miss colliding with him. The little boy didn’t look as though he’d noticed anything, so she kept going, picking up her pace when she’d passed the worst of the crowd.
She scanned the people making their way across the field. She saw a few people she knew, but most were strangers. And then she saw two people walking quickly toward her. It was Emily and Rachel.
Rachel had her arm wrapped around Emily’s waist. The closer they got, the more upset Emily seemed. Molly’s heart sank. She ran toward them, worried about Alex. “How bad is it?”
Emily reached out and wrapped Molly in a hug. “They’ve flown him to the hospital. I don’t know how bad his injuries are.”
Rachel put her hand on Molly’s arm. “It will be okay. Two of the hospital’s trauma specialists were here with the Search and Rescue team. They were at the scene of the accident really fast.”
Emily stepped back and blew her nose. “I’m sorry, Molly. I tried to talk him out of going in the race, but he wouldn’t listen. They needed another driver, and Alex was joking with Jacob that he could beat him. I don’t know what went wrong…” She started crying and Rachel put her arm around Emily’s shoulders.
Molly looked at her two friends. “What do you mean?”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open. “You don’t know?”
Molly felt tears rush to her eyes. “Was Jacob driving Alex’s car?”
Emily shook her head. “He was driving someone else’s. He had all of the right safety gear on and the car…”
Molly felt the world tilt to the side. She heard Emily say something about a driver getting sick, but whatever else she said was lost in the fog clouding her brain.
Rachel grabbed hold of her arm and sat her on the grass. She heard her telling her to take a deep breath. She tried to focus, concentrate on standing up so that she could get to the hospital. But all she could think about was Jacob.
She leaned forward and closed her eyes. She had to pull herself together and see how he was.
Emily rubbed her back. “Are you all right, Molly?”
She nodded and took a deep breath. “I need to go to the hospital. Where’s Alex?”
“He went with Jacob in the helicopter,” Emily said. “Leave your car here. Rachel will drive us into town.”
Molly stood up. Her legs felt shaky, but she was determined to get to Jacob as quickly as she could. “Where are you parked?”
“We arrived early. My car isn’t far from here.” Rachel grabbed hold of her hand and started walking toward the entrance gates.
The teenage boy looked at Molly as they wove through the crush of people. “Was it him?”
Molly shook her head. “It wasn’t who I thought it was. It was his brother.”
“I’m sorry.”
Rachel found a gap in the crowd. “This way.” She pointed toward the first row of vehicles. “I’m parked over there.”
Molly walked beside her, focusing on Rachel’s car and nothing else. She needed to be positive, not imagine the worst that could have happened. Jacob was being looked after by doctors who knew what they were doing. He was in a helicopter. When he arrived at the hospital, another team of doctors would be waiting for him. He was going to be okay.
Rachel unlocked her car. Molly and Emily quickly got in, put their seat belts on, and were ready to leave as soon as Rachel started the engine. “My brother had a car accident a couple of years ago. Bozeman Deaconess is a level two trauma center. If Jacob needs more specialist care, they’ll stabilize him and fly him to another hospital.”
Molly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Did they say how serious his injuries are?”
Rachel carefully drove through the parked vehicles, winding her way slowly toward the road. “I don’t know. Did Alex say anything to you, Emily?” She looked in her rear vision mirror.
“I didn’t see Alex after the accident. A marshal took him out to where Jacob was. He called me a few minutes before they left to say that he’d see me at the hospital.”
One of the parking wardens waved his arms in the air, trying to get their attention. Rachel stopped her car and rolled the window down.
The man pointed toward a blocked off exit. “Ricky called me. He said you’re heading to the hospital. I’ll move the fencing so that you can have a clear run out of here.” The walkie-talkie clipped to his belt squawked. The man spoke into his microphone as he ran toward the orange barricade. He moved two sections of fencing and waved them through.
Rachel leaned out of her window as she passed the warden. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I hope your friend is okay.”
Rachel closed her window and sighed. “This isn’t the day we thought it would be.”
Molly couldn’t have spoken if she’d wanted to. If anything happened to Jacob, she didn’t know what she would do. Emily’s cell phone rang and everyone jumped.
Molly looked over her shoulder at Emily, hoping it was news about Jacob.
“Bring him to the hospital, Kristina. His baby bag has enough things in it. I’ll go home with Cooper once we know how Jacob is.”
Molly turned to the front of Rachel’s car.
“Try not to worry,” Rachel said quietly while Emily was talking to Mrs. Green. “Jacob is a strong man. He’s fit and healthy. He’s going to be okay.”
“I hope you’re right,” Molly said.
“So do I.” Rachel focused on the road. Once they were on the highway, she increased her speed. “It won’t take long now.”
They drove in silence, getting closer and closer to the hospital. When Molly saw the big, brick building in the distance, she breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re nearly there.”
“I’ll stop in the short-term parking at the front of the hospital,” Rachel said. “Find Jacob and Alex. I’ll park my car and meet you inside.”
Molly gasped. “I forgot about Marsha’s wedding. I’m supposed to be taking the photographs. I need to call her…” She hunted through her pockets, trying to find her cell phone.
“Don’t worry about Marsha,” Rachel said. “I’ll call her soon. Her cousin was happy to take the photos when they were planning their wedding, so they’ll have to ask him.”
Molly hated letting Marsha down, but she couldn’t leave the hospital until she knew Jacob was okay. “Tell her I’m sorry.”
“She’ll understand.” Rachel stopped her car outside the main entrance and looked at the glass wall beside them. “I don’t know where they would have taken Jacob.”
Emily opened her door. “We’ll ask a nurse for directions. There can’t be too many places they take people who arrive by helicopter. If Jacob is in surgery or having tests, we’ll be with Alex and his mom and dad.”
Rachel nodded. “I’ll find you.”
Molly got out of the car. Somewhere, deep inside the hospital, Jacob was receiving the care he needed. And somewhere else, Alex and his mom and dad would be worrying themselves silly.
Emily held her hand as they walked quickly through the wide glass entrance doors. Molly remembered coming here with Jacob, looking for Emily after she’d been rushed to the hospital. It had only been a few weeks ago, but so much had happened since then.
Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) Page 19
