“Don’t be surprised if the cops show up.”
“That’s great. I’ll take an escort. Be safer.”
“Well, I’d look for ’em, ’cause I’m sure they’re coming.”
“Got it.” He started walking back the length of the trailer to pick up his orange triangles. “Can you call the guys that are coming and tell them I’ll be at that exit?”
“Yeah. I’ll give them your number and tell them to give you a ring. There might be a truck stop or something there, and it’d be better for the girls to hang out there.”
“Perfect. Thanks.”
They hung up.
This wasn’t exactly the way he’d planned to spend the day.
He put the emergency triangles back in the dog box and grabbed his gloves, setting them on the floor beside his seat before he climbed in the cab.
Angela’s eyes were on him, her brows raised in question.
“We’re gonna take it to the next exit. We’ve got guys coming to change it, but they said four hours. Usually four means at least six.”
She huffed a little laugh like he’d hoped she would. It was true. Usually things took longer than what they said. No point in getting upset about it.
“So...” She drew the word out. “Can we drive with one flat tire?”
“We’re gonna take it slow.” He pressed the brake knob in and hooked into a low gear, letting the clutch out after checking his side mirror and making sure his hazard lights were on.
“Well, you’ve got, what? Seventeen other wheels?”
He grinned, loving the way she really didn’t have a clue but was trying to convince herself that it was okay. “Yeah. The problem really is that wheels are set up as duals. This set of duals lost its partner, so to speak. So, we just want to take it easy because the remaining tire is carrying the load that’s meant for two. Not a huge deal, since we’re not loaded, but just something to be careful about. If that second tire blows, we’re dead in the water.”
“That would be bad.”
“Yeah. Worse things have happened. I was trucking with a guy one time. He’d just gotten all brand-new rubber. But he didn’t tighten his bolts up good enough, and a whole set of duals worked their way off. He saw something going up the highway beside him, and it was his tires. He hadn’t even noticed they were coming off.”
“That seems kind of far-fetched.” Angela eyed him skeptically.
He shrugged. “True as I sit here. I was about a mile ahead of him, so I didn’t actually see the tires come off, but I went back and got them for him.” He caught another gear, staying off the highway and keeping an eye in his mirror for traffic that was oncoming. “That must have been one hen of a vibration, which is why I can’t believe he didn’t notice it. But some people drive because they don’t have a choice, and some do it because they love it. He’s a no-choice kind of guy.”
“The difference between loving your job and just doing your job to pay for your hobby?” Angela asked.
He supposed being a pastor’s daughter, she’d met all kinds.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“So are you a job lover, or do you have a hobby?”
“You know the trick is to figure out how to make money with your hobby.” It wasn’t really an answer.
“Not everyone can do that.”
“Sure. Take you. You love baking. You could open a bake shop. You could be happy in a little shop the rest of your life, or you could turn it into something big.”
She looked down at her lap, then stared out the windshield. Maybe he’d nudged a touchy subject.
He didn’t hear her sigh, but her chest moved in. “You never answered me. Are you a job lover or a hobby supporter?”
“I loved being on the harvest crew. You know I’ve been thinking of buying it. But I want to own my own spread someday, just don’t have the money for it yet. I guess that makes me a hobby supporter until I can be a job lover, although I love my job and I’m not really doing my hobby. Make sense?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“How soon are we gonna be there?” Holly asked from the bunk opening.
Angela met his eyes, and they shared a smile.
She turned around to face Holly. “How about I come back for a bit?”
He found that he didn’t want her to leave, had enjoyed having someone beside him. Not just someone, but Angela, her smile and laugh, her ability to just sit in silence that didn’t feel like it needed to be filled, and yet she’d chatter with him too. And he liked looking at her.
Still, it was going to be a long few hours, and he supposed it was better that she was willing to entertain the girls.
Chapter 17
It was after two a.m., and Angela could barely keep her eyes open when they finally pulled into the truck stop that was ten minutes from the John Deere dealer.
Unfortunately, Clay had told Mack that the guy who was going to meet them after hours to let them in the fenced yard was going out of town and wouldn’t be back until Monday morning. Which meant their overnight trip had turned into two nights. One of which was half over.
The girls had long since fallen asleep in the bunk, and Angela had barely been able to stay awake in the passenger seat. Mack seemed to be fine, but there was a tightness around his eyes that seemed to indicate he was as close to being exhausted as she.
He was backing into what seemed like the only available parking spot in the truck stop when he spoke. “There’s a hotel across the road over there. I’ll go over and get you and the girls a room. Then I’ll come back and carry them over.”
“Aren’t you getting a room, too?”
“I wasn’t going to, if you’ll let me use your shower. If not, I can shower at the truck stop. Either way, I’ll sleep in the bunk and come back over in the morning. It says the hotel has a pool, and the girls might enjoy a couple hours of swimming.”
“I don’t have suits for them.”
He slanted tired eyes at her. “We’ll figure something out. Tomorrow.”
She was too tired to argue.
“I’ll be back in a few.”
She nodded, and he left. They’d made it to the ramp with the blown tire just fine, and there’d been a small gas station. Not a truck stop, but big enough for Mack to pull around in. They’d eaten and fueled and allowed the girls to race around the back of the lot until the repair company had come.
So the girls had some time to run around and not be cooped up in the truck.
They’d stayed up later than they usually did, and Angela had held them both on her lap for a while as they’d driven into the night until they’d finally fallen asleep. Getting them back to the bunk had been an interesting chore.
Maybe she dozed off a little because the click and rattle of Mack’s door startled her. She’d not realized he’d walked across the lot and back to the truck.
His eyes crinkled. “Caught you sleeping?”
“It’s two a.m. Pretty sure that’s what normal people are doing this time of night.”
“If I were a trucker, this is when I’d be on the road. You own it at this hour.” His smile looked way too energetic for the way she felt.
“Can we have this discussion later?”
“You seem to say that a lot. I think you’re avoiding me.”
She snorted.
“Hand me a couple of bags and I’ll put them over my shoulders. Then, if you’ll hand me the girls, I’ll carry them over.”
She shuffled in the back, grabbing the bags she’d tidied up after she’d put the girls down and handing them out to Mack, before carefully lifting Holly and handing her out.
Holly groaned but didn’t cry, wrapping her arms around Mack’s neck.
Ashleigh was next. Angela made sure her hat was down, covering her ears. She didn’t want her to get chilled. She guessed it was slightly warmer here in Minnesota than it had been in North Dakota, and the wind wasn’t blowing, but Ashleigh had a tendency to sweat when she slept, and it wouldn’t take long fo
r her damp heat to chill.
“I’ll carry her when I get down.”
“It’s a long walk.”
Angela grabbed the last bags and climbed around the steering wheel. “Do you want it locked?”
“No. I’m coming right back out soon as I shower. Twenty minutes tops. There’s no key that works to open the door anyway.”
They walked across the snowy parking lot, the frigid air doing a lot to wake Angela up. Didn’t relieve her tiredness. But she kept telling herself she’d soon be warm and in bed.
They finally made it to the hotel, which was quiet and warm. Clean, but not fancy. They waited quietly for the elevator and shuffled on, punching the button for the fourth floor and waiting for the doors to close.
“You gonna make it?” Mack asked softly.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” she answered just as soft.
“Maybe you’re a little tougher than you look.”
“I don’t feel tough right now.”
“You make it tonight, and I’ll be over early in the morning and take care of the girls so you can sleep a bit more. I’m guessing they’ll be up a while before you want to be.” He was close enough that she could see the crinkles in the corners of his eyes and the stubble on his cheeks. It made her want to run her hands down over it. Except they were full of his niece.
“Probably,” she breathed.
“Angela, I—”
The elevator bell dinged, and the doors opened. He took another breath before he moved. She turned, too, and walked off, waiting for him to lead the way. She didn’t even know which room they were in. Honestly, she didn’t care. She was tired enough that the idea of resting in his arms, even for a little bit on the elevator, was a temptation almost too strong to ignore.
He was carrying most of the bags, and both of his hands were full. “The card’s in my back pocket. Would you get it?” he asked softly.
She shifted Ashleigh, freeing a hand and reaching up under his coat. In normal circumstances, it would have been really weird to be digging in Mack’s pocket. Okay, it was still really weird to be digging in Mack’s back pocket. It was way outside her realm of experience, and there was a surprising part of her that was tempted to linger.
She beat that part back. She wanted to have a good time with him, not seduce the poor man. Plus, he had to be as tired, or more, as she was.
Using one hand, she pulled the paper packet out of his pocket and flipped it open, sliding the cards out, separating one. It took a little fumbling, but she managed to get one on the sensor, turning the light green. The lock clicked.
Pushing the door open, she stepped through. Almost there.
“If you just lay her on the bed, I’ll take care of changing them while you shower.” They’d used the restroom around eight, so she figured they’d be good in that area, and she wasn’t going to bother with anything else like brushing teeth and washing faces that might wake them up.
“Okay. If you don’t mind, that will make it faster.” He set Holly down on the bed. She whimpered a bit and curled up in a ball.
“I don’t mind.”
Angela set Ashleigh down, while he dropped the bags on the floor.
She must have turned too fast, because she stumbled as she was reaching down for Holly’s bag.
His hands on her upper arms kept her from falling to the floor.
“Easy,” he said.
“Sorry,” she said at the same time.
It was quiet enough in the room that she could hear him swallow before his hands loosened but didn’t drop.
“I’m sorry it was such a messed-up day. That wasn’t my plan.”
Her head tilted. The urge to lean into him was almost more than she could fight. “I just enjoyed being with you.” It was the naked truth.
“I have to say I’ve never enjoyed driving as much as I did today. It was a real pleasure to look over and see you beside me.”
His hands moved down her arms and slid around her back.
She quit fighting and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest and putting her arms around him.
“I think I need to get in the shower pretty quick. I’m too tired to make any kind of good decision right now.” He spoke the words but made no move to back away.
Neither did she.
They stood there for a while, not moving, and she thought that she might want to stand there all night, because nothing had ever felt more right than staying in the circle of his arms.
He moved slightly, and she lifted her head. His eyes, dark and serious, stared into hers as his head lowered.
Her heart woke up, and her fingers tingled. She reached up, stretching...
“Mommy. Mommy,” Holly moaned, rolling restlessly. She started crying.
Angela still had her arms around Mack, and his chest expanded deeply under her before he blew a long breath out, then bent and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ve got this,” she said, backing out of his arms, feeling them slide away.
She didn’t watch him grab his bag and walk into the bathroom, but turned and put a hand on Holly, stroking and whispering until she quieted.
The girls were changed and tucked into one of the two beds when Mack stepped out of the bathroom.
Angela grabbed her bag, ready.
“I hate to see you go back outside,” she said, stopping well out of reach. They might not get interrupted next time.
“I don’t mind. I’ll sleep just as well out there as I would here, so might as well be out.” He grinned. “I’m gonna take a card with me, and I’ll be up around seven. Think the girls will be up before then?”
“I doubt it.”
“Great. I saw a superstore behind that other hotel. I might truck over there before turning in. They won’t have suits, but they might have something we can cut off and make work.”
It took her a minute to realize he was talking about the pool. “You want the girls to swim in cutoffs?”
“Sure. Why not?” He looked at her expectantly. Waiting.
She didn’t have words. There wasn’t anything wrong, exactly. It just wouldn’t look good. But what did it matter if it didn’t look good? Wasn’t that what she’d been brought up all her life to do? Look good? In the end, her parents had basically sold her.
That didn’t sound good. Maybe she was too tired to think logically.
Mack still waited.
“Whatever you get, we’ll make it work,” she finally said.
“Okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck for a second. “I really want you to set the lock behind me, but you’ll have to get out of bed and let me in in the morning.”
“I can do it.”
“Okay,” he said, his voice lowering. He paused just a second as though considering something more, but in the end, he turned and left.
She locked the door, wishing he’d stayed and knowing he really couldn’t.
IN THE MORNING, MACK was knocking on Angela’s door a few minutes before seven. It hadn’t been hard to get out of bed this morning. He’d been eager to see Angela. He couldn’t recall ever being this wrapped up in another person, where he wanted to be where she was and do what she was doing. Or have her with him.
All the time.
He was pretty sure he was falling for her, and he thought she felt the same. He also was fairly certain that she’d changed from the person she was this summer. She might have been after Clay’s money, but that was her parents talking. She’d been trying to help them out.
His buddies on the crew might have a hard time accepting her at first, but she’d win them over. Because he really didn’t think she could fake the look that was in her eyes last night.
It’d been all he could do to leave.
He was glad this morning he had, though. He wouldn’t have wanted to wake up with regrets, and he definitely didn’t want Angela to have regrets. She was the kind of woman who would.
Not to mention, technically, she was still married.
The thought mad
e him want to wrap his fingers around her jerk ex’s throat.
Rapping softly on the door, he planted his feet and waited.
Less than thirty seconds later, it opened.
“Good morning,” he said softly. The room was still dark and quiet, and he assumed the girls weren’t up.
“Morning, yourself,” she returned with a sweet smile.
She backed up and he walked in, closing the door behind him.
“I didn’t think you’d be up.”
“I didn’t want you standing out in the hall.”
She didn’t quite meet his eyes. Maybe she was looking forward to seeing him as much as he had been looking forward to seeing her.
He kind of wanted to ask her.
Why not?
“You wanted to see me.”
She stopped, her fingers trailing on the dresser. “Maybe.”
“That was better than ‘no.’”
“I wanted to see you. I didn’t need an alarm to wake up.” She turned.
He stepped forward. “You have no idea how hard it was to leave last night.”
“I didn’t want you to go.”
He shifted down, trying to get her to meet his eyes. “I think this morning, we’re both glad I did.”
She nodded. “That doesn’t stop the wanting.”
His mouth had gone dry, and his stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster, but he opened his mouth because this seemed like as good of a time as any. “I want us to be more.”
“More?” Her eyes widened. Maybe he was mistaken, but they almost looked panicked.
Was she worried about the divorce? Maybe she didn’t want a man who seemed to have inherited two little girls. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to back down now. “More. Like you and me...I wanna be with you. Together. Long term.”
There. He’d said it.
She hadn’t run. A good sign, he thought.
“For today. Yes. And tomorrow. Yes. Let’s think for a while on anything after that.” She spoke with her eyes glued to the second button on his shirt.
What an odd answer.
“Uncle Mack?” Holly’s voice sounded sleepy. “Where are we?”
Cowboys Don't Stand Under the Mistletoe (Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance Book 10) Page 14