This is the 2nd edition of Brittany Buckles. It's approx
six thousand words longer than the original.
Enjoy it for what it is, a romantic fiction.
Chapter 1
Jack
"Come on Betsy, you can do it."
Betsy was fighting a slow agonizing death, but I had faith she could still get me home. Once I make it back, I will have to make a tough decision. She wasn't going to get any better, so I really didn't have much of a choice.
I hit the steering wheel in frustration, but it only hurt my hand instead of making me feel better. What should have been a three hour trip had taken me over five hours. She just couldn't maintain any type of speed going up and down the hills.
I made it home early in the afternoon and backed the trailer up to the shop. Once I had it unloaded and unhooked, I made the tough decision. I patted her hood and said softly, "Sorry girl, it's time."
I really shouldn't be surprised, Betsy had almost three hundred thousand miles on the odometer. She had been trusty, hauling me all over the country for several years now. Today though, in the hot July heat the engine was running hot and the transmission was slipping.
I drove the fifteen minutes back into town and pulled into Buckles Ford. I needed a new truck with enough power to easily pull my trailer. Buckles had a beautiful F250 Limited I had been eyeing for awhile now. I knew Betsy wouldn't be alive forever and I looked at what they had on the lot every time I drove by.
I pulled up to the front of the dealership and started checking out the F250 that had caught my eye from the road. It was big, beautiful, and the prettiest color of blue you have ever seen.
She was also fully loaded with every bell and whistle you could imagine. It even had heated seats with a massage function I knew would come in handy on those long cold winter road trips.
When I bought something, I bought it to last, not just trade again in a year or two. This truck would have to hold up for years to come, so I wanted something dependable.
I rolled my eyes when a good ole boy salesman came strutting up to me. I am sure he thought he was wasting his time on a twenty something kid with long hair wearing an old Brooks n Dunn t-shirt.
I was used to it though, I had been judged by my looks my entire life. I had never been part of the in-crowd. I didn't fit in with the jocks, the nerds, or anyone else for that matter.
"Whatcha looking for today?"
"I need a new truck with plenty of towing capacity."
"How much do you think you can afford?"
"Enough, can you tell me what size engine this one has?"
"Not sure, but it's a big one."
"I see. What's the towing capacity?"
"At least ten thousand pounds I think."
I immediately had the impression the salesman didn't take me seriously. After vaguely answering several more of my questions about the truck I was interested in, I started getting pissed.
He pushed me over the edge when he made his final insult.
"Why don't we walk over to the used row and look at something more in your price range."
I was done with this old judgmental douche bag.
I put my hand in his face and gave him the middle finger. "Fuck You!" I yelled at him.
I already had enough truck shopping for the day. I stormed back to Betsy just wanting to get out of there. Some well dressed young trophy wife stepped forward and tried to stop me.
"Sir, is everything ok, can I help you?"
I was pissed and just wanted to get out of there.
"Nope, the Buckles family thinks my money isn't good enough for them so they can all fuck off."
Before she had a chance to respond, I slammed Betsy's door closed and tore out of the lot heading towards home.
It had been a really long shitty day. I was hot, hungry and exhausted. All I wanted was a long hot shower and a good dinner. When I got home, I jumped into the shower and relaxed as the water cascaded over my head. I heard the driveway alarm go off, but ignored it since I knew it was the time of day the UPS man usually showed up.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang. I assumed it must have been a substitute driver as all the regulars knew to leave deliveries inside the front door of the shop. Hell, there was even a sign on my front door to serve as a reminder. I ignored the chime and tried to let my stress wash down the drain.
A few moments later the doorbell sounded a couple more times. Jesus Fucking Christ, could this day get any worse?
I turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist and stormed to the front door, swearing all the way. Yanking it open none too gently, I just glared at my intruder.
"What?"
Before me stood the trophy wife from the dealership. She stuck her hand out to me.
"Mr. Costello, I'm Brittany Buckles. I came to show you the truck you're interested in and apologize for the way you were treated today."
I was totally caught off guard and forgot I was pissed at the intrusion. I switched the grip on my towel to my left hand, then reached out and shook her hand.
"Hello, I don't remember giving anyone my name or address, how did you find me?"
"If I am honest with you, will you at least give me a chance?"
"I'm pretty big on honesty, so yeah I will."
"I took down your license plate number as you were leaving and called in a favor to a friend who works at the DOT."
"That's slightly illegal, isn't it?"
"Yes it is, and I hope you can forgive me, but I couldn't let you have a bad impression of Buckles because of one rude salesman."
"Well, come in and make yourself at home while I go get dressed."
I showed her to the living room and went to dry off and get dressed in my bedroom. I couldn't help but be impressed. Not only did she find out who I was and track me down, but she also brought the truck I was interested in and apologized.
When I pressed her on how she found me, she told me the truth when she could have told me a plausible lie. I'm sure there was someone working there who recognized me, but she put herself out there and admitted to breaking the law.
Dressed and feeling much better, I found my guest sitting in the living room where I had left her. She looked kind of nervous, but I wrote it off as a beautiful young woman sitting in a stranger's home.
"Shall we go give it a spin?"
The truck was everything I wanted and more, but I wasn't going to let her off easy. I knew what I was willing to pay, and after the way I had been treated, I wasn't going to be an easy sale.
"It's a nice truck. I already have financing arranged through my bank if we can come to an agreement. What's the bottom line after trading in my old one?"
"I'm not going to feed you a line of bull and beat around the bush. The absolute best I can do is seventy five thousand, on the road after all incentives, tax, title, and license fees.
I tried not to let my shock and enthusiasm show. The Limited had a window sticker of almost ninety thousand, so she was indeed cutting out all the bullshit.
