Trish loved the feel of riding horses. She had started riding when she had
started living with the McMahons. It had been nearly seven years.
When she had first come to live with the McMahons, she had been a skinny girl with big blue eyes and a homely face. Her sister had never allowed her to be truly happy up to that point. Every time Trish would be on the verge of complete happiness, Stacy would come along and bring her crashing back to earth.
But with the McMahons, everything had been different. Stephanie and Trish had instantly become the closest of friends. And Shane made sure Stacy didn't mistreat either girl.
Trish frowned as she thought about Shane. He was twenty-three and he had just finished college. Stacy had gone to the same college for the past two years and when they had come home for the summer they seemed close.
But Stacy was so wrapped up in impressing Shane that she didn't have any time to secretly torment Trish. It would be fine, if Trish didn't see the wanting for Stacy in Shane's eyes. In her heart she knew Shane could never be happy with someone as manipulating as Stacy.
She sighed as she continued to ride her mare, Restless Waltz. Vince had given Trish a new horse every other year. All three horses had waltz in their name, because that was the dance Trish had learned with Shane when she was just eleven. Of course, everyone thought she just liked the word.
"Okay girl," Trish said, slowing Restless Waltz to a stop. "I'm sorry for riding you so hard."
Everyone had gone down to North Carolina for the summer, like they did every year. They stayed at the racing farm Vince's family had owned for generations. Trish was in the process of trying to talk Vince and Linda into letting her come and work on the farm instead of going to college. So far they had been reluctant. Stephanie assured her that they would eventually give in.
Trish walked Restless Waltz over to the pond. She let the horse drink from the pond as she sat underneath a tree and rested.
"Trish!" a voice heavy with a Southern accent called. Trish opened her eyes to see her friends Matt and Jeff Hardy walking their own horses to the water. Their land bordered the McMahon farm. The families had long ago decided to share the property.
"Hey you guys," Trish said. Matt and Jeff came and sat next to her.
"Where's Steph?" Matt asked. "You guys always ride together."
"Stephanie is still up in Connecticut," Trish said. "Good to see you too Matt. She's coming tomorrow."
Matt smiled with sheepish embarrassment. "Sorry. It's good to see you again. Are you going to be here for the whole summer?"
"Yeah," Trish said happily. "No Europe this year thankfully."
"Aw, you don't want to become a woman of the world?" Jeff asked.
"This is all the world I need," Trish said.
"I like it myself," Jeff said, looking over at Trish with his beautiful green eyes.
Trish looked away. She had always thought of Jeff as a close friend, but he had been looking at her with rather open admiration. He was the same age as her and Stephanie. He was cute, but he had always been a little bit odd.
"Have you decided where you want to go to college?" Matt asked, picking at blades of grass around his feet.
"I don't want to go to college," Trish said. "I want to come work here."
"You want to become a horse trainer?" Matt asked skeptically.
"Yeah," Trish said. "If you can do it, I can too."
"It's a lot of work," Matt said.
"She can do it," Jeff said quietly. "I'd love to have you here all the time."
"Thanks," Trish said shyly.
"Is Stephanie going to move down here too?" Matt asked. Matt and Stephanie had dated for the past two summers. They would pick up their innocence romance every summer and then drop it as if it was nothing.
"Probably not," Trish said. "She wants to go to Boston University, like Shane."
"Oh," Matt said, trying not to be disappointed.
Matt was a sweet boy, only two years older than Trish and Stephanie. But if he knew Stephanie away from North Carolina it would probably break his heart. Stephanie genuinely cared for Matt, but in Connecticut she was a popular girl. Her current boyfriend was having a graduation party later that night, which was why Stephanie was flying down after everyone else.
"She will still come visit in the summers," Trish assured him.
"Look who we have here," Stacy said sweetly. Trish tried not to cringe at the sound of her sister's voice.
"Hey Jeff and Matt," Shane said, dismounting his own horse. He plopped on the ground and sat next to Trish. "Hey Trish."
"Hi," Trish said, smiling adoringly at the man she had had a crush on for seven years. Stacy and Jeff each made faces that no one else noticed.
"How are you guys doing?" Shane asked his neighbors.
"Pretty good," Matt said. "Just talking to Trish about her plans to become a horse trainer."
"So she won't have to show her face in public," Stacy scoffed. She immediately blushed when Shane looked at her with a reprimanding look.
Trish looked down at her baggy jeans and flannel shirt. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She had never bothered much with make-up, because she always ended up looking like a mess.
"I have to get going," Trish said, standing up quickly and walking toward her horse.
"I'll ride back with you," Shane said, seeing the pained look in Trish's eyes before she had looked down to her lap.
"Shane!" Stacy exclaimed. "We were going to go swimming."
"You go," Shane said, grinning at Stacy. "I haven't seen Trish in months really. It will be nice to have a chance to talk to her."
"Whatever," Stacy shrugged. "I'll talk Matt and Jeff into going for a swim."
Shane leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "Just behave. I'll see you tonight."
"You can stay and swim," Trish said, mounting her horse.
"I really do want to talk to you," Shane said.
"Okay," Trish said, keeping her eyes forward as they pointed their horses toward the stables at a sauntering pace.
"You're looking too skinny again," Shane said.
"It was just swim season," Trish said. "I always slim way down during the season."
"But you're practically skin and bones," Shane said. "Not that anyone could really tell below all of those baggy clothes you wear."
"I'm fine Shane," Trish assured him.
"If you say so," Shane shrugged. "I have some news too."
"Okay," Trish said.
"I'm going to take over the stables," Shane said. "Just the business side of it of course. I wouldn't be much of a trainer. But I'm moving down here and I'm going to take over. Dad's going to run the WWE."
"That's great Shane," Trish said. "So do I come to you for a job as trainer?"
"That's right," Shane said.
"You won't make me go to college first, will you?" Trish asked.
"I haven't decided yet," Shane said. "I have more news too."
"What?" Trish asked.
"Stacy and I are engaged," Shane said. "We're getting married in August."
"Oh," Trish said, looking forward again. "That's great Shane."
"I think so," Shane said. "I know you don't really like your sister too much, but she's not the witch she seems to be. She's really very nice."
"It doesn't matter what I think about her Shane," Trish said. "I hope you two are happy."
Trish was glad that they were at the stables. "I have to muck out Restless Waltz's stall."
"You want some help?" Shane asked.
"Nah," Trish said. "I like to have work to do."
"Okay," Shane said.
"Congratulations Shane," Trish said. "I hope you and Stacy are happy together."
When she had first come to live with the McMahons, she had been a skinny girl with big blue eyes and a homely face. Her sister had never allowed her to be truly happy up to that point. Every time Trish would be on the verge of complete happiness, Stacy would come along and bring her crashing back to earth.
But with the McMahons, everything had been different. Stephanie and Trish had instantly become the closest of friends. And Shane made sure Stacy didn't mistreat either girl.
Trish frowned as she thought about Shane. He was twenty-three and he had just finished college. Stacy had gone to the same college for the past two years and when they had come home for the summer they seemed close.
But Stacy was so wrapped up in impressing Shane that she didn't have any time to secretly torment Trish. It would be fine, if Trish didn't see the wanting for Stacy in Shane's eyes. In her heart she knew Shane could never be happy with someone as manipulating as Stacy.
She sighed as she continued to ride her mare, Restless Waltz. Vince had given Trish a new horse every other year. All three horses had waltz in their name, because that was the dance Trish had learned with Shane when she was just eleven. Of course, everyone thought she just liked the word.
"Okay girl," Trish said, slowing Restless Waltz to a stop. "I'm sorry for riding you so hard."
Everyone had gone down to North Carolina for the summer, like they did every year. They stayed at the racing farm Vince's family had owned for generations. Trish was in the process of trying to talk Vince and Linda into letting her come and work on the farm instead of going to college. So far they had been reluctant. Stephanie assured her that they would eventually give in.
Trish walked Restless Waltz over to the pond. She let the horse drink from the pond as she sat underneath a tree and rested.
"Trish!" a voice heavy with a Southern accent called. Trish opened her eyes to see her friends Matt and Jeff Hardy walking their own horses to the water. Their land bordered the McMahon farm. The families had long ago decided to share the property.
"Hey you guys," Trish said. Matt and Jeff came and sat next to her.
"Where's Steph?" Matt asked. "You guys always ride together."
"Stephanie is still up in Connecticut," Trish said. "Good to see you too Matt. She's coming tomorrow."
Matt smiled with sheepish embarrassment. "Sorry. It's good to see you again. Are you going to be here for the whole summer?"
"Yeah," Trish said happily. "No Europe this year thankfully."
"Aw, you don't want to become a woman of the world?" Jeff asked.
"This is all the world I need," Trish said.
"I like it myself," Jeff said, looking over at Trish with his beautiful green eyes.
Trish looked away. She had always thought of Jeff as a close friend, but he had been looking at her with rather open admiration. He was the same age as her and Stephanie. He was cute, but he had always been a little bit odd.
"Have you decided where you want to go to college?" Matt asked, picking at blades of grass around his feet.
"I don't want to go to college," Trish said. "I want to come work here."
"You want to become a horse trainer?" Matt asked skeptically.
"Yeah," Trish said. "If you can do it, I can too."
"It's a lot of work," Matt said.
"She can do it," Jeff said quietly. "I'd love to have you here all the time."
"Thanks," Trish said shyly.
"Is Stephanie going to move down here too?" Matt asked. Matt and Stephanie had dated for the past two summers. They would pick up their innocence romance every summer and then drop it as if it was nothing.
"Probably not," Trish said. "She wants to go to Boston University, like Shane."
"Oh," Matt said, trying not to be disappointed.
Matt was a sweet boy, only two years older than Trish and Stephanie. But if he knew Stephanie away from North Carolina it would probably break his heart. Stephanie genuinely cared for Matt, but in Connecticut she was a popular girl. Her current boyfriend was having a graduation party later that night, which was why Stephanie was flying down after everyone else.
"She will still come visit in the summers," Trish assured him.
"Look who we have here," Stacy said sweetly. Trish tried not to cringe at the sound of her sister's voice.
"Hey Jeff and Matt," Shane said, dismounting his own horse. He plopped on the ground and sat next to Trish. "Hey Trish."
"Hi," Trish said, smiling adoringly at the man she had had a crush on for seven years. Stacy and Jeff each made faces that no one else noticed.
"How are you guys doing?" Shane asked his neighbors.
"Pretty good," Matt said. "Just talking to Trish about her plans to become a horse trainer."
"So she won't have to show her face in public," Stacy scoffed. She immediately blushed when Shane looked at her with a reprimanding look.
Trish looked down at her baggy jeans and flannel shirt. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She had never bothered much with make-up, because she always ended up looking like a mess.
"I have to get going," Trish said, standing up quickly and walking toward her horse.
"I'll ride back with you," Shane said, seeing the pained look in Trish's eyes before she had looked down to her lap.
"Shane!" Stacy exclaimed. "We were going to go swimming."
"You go," Shane said, grinning at Stacy. "I haven't seen Trish in months really. It will be nice to have a chance to talk to her."
"Whatever," Stacy shrugged. "I'll talk Matt and Jeff into going for a swim."
Shane leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "Just behave. I'll see you tonight."
"You can stay and swim," Trish said, mounting her horse.
"I really do want to talk to you," Shane said.
"Okay," Trish said, keeping her eyes forward as they pointed their horses toward the stables at a sauntering pace.
"You're looking too skinny again," Shane said.
"It was just swim season," Trish said. "I always slim way down during the season."
"But you're practically skin and bones," Shane said. "Not that anyone could really tell below all of those baggy clothes you wear."
"I'm fine Shane," Trish assured him.
"If you say so," Shane shrugged. "I have some news too."
"Okay," Trish said.
"I'm going to take over the stables," Shane said. "Just the business side of it of course. I wouldn't be much of a trainer. But I'm moving down here and I'm going to take over. Dad's going to run the WWE."
"That's great Shane," Trish said. "So do I come to you for a job as trainer?"
"That's right," Shane said.
"You won't make me go to college first, will you?" Trish asked.
"I haven't decided yet," Shane said. "I have more news too."
"What?" Trish asked.
"Stacy and I are engaged," Shane said. "We're getting married in August."
"Oh," Trish said, looking forward again. "That's great Shane."
"I think so," Shane said. "I know you don't really like your sister too much, but she's not the witch she seems to be. She's really very nice."
"It doesn't matter what I think about her Shane," Trish said. "I hope you two are happy."
Trish was glad that they were at the stables. "I have to muck out Restless Waltz's stall."
"You want some help?" Shane asked.
"Nah," Trish said. "I like to have work to do."
"Okay," Shane said.
"Congratulations Shane," Trish said. "I hope you and Stacy are happy together."