And he was surprised she hadn’t come forward to bless him out over taking the wheel. “Nev, love,” he called back, “would you be a dear and make me a sandwich when you get a chance?”
He didn’t hear any response.
Blast, they must have the TV turned up too loudly to hear me.
He yelled louder. “Nevvie, may I have lunch?”
Still no response. Well, never mind, I can wait a little.
He turned up the radio and drove with a smile on his face.
* * * *
Nevvie stood on the sidewalk, sure she probably looked like a moron from the stunned expression on her face.
“What the hell?” She reached for her pocket, just to remember…
“Crap.” She closed her eyes and groaned.
“What?” Andrew asked.
“I left my cell phone in the RV.”
Andrew shook his head. “Mine’s in there, too.”
Nevvie remembered Tyler’s insistence that he would drive today. “Tyler was in the bathroom. He must not have realized we left.” She looked around and spotted a pay phone a block away. She stalked over to it. “I’m gonna kill him,” she grumbled.
Andrew followed her. “I wouldn’t blame you, dear.”
The pay phone worked, but when she sent a collect call to Tyler’s phone, his voice mail picked up. She tried Tom’s and received the same response.
She slammed the receiver back onto the hook. “Crap!” She took a deep breath to try to calm her anger. “Any suggestions?”
“I suppose we need to contact the authorities.”
“Terrific. I wonder how long this will take to make it to the Internet tabloids.”
They returned to the store. After the clerk stopped laughing, she called the local police. The dispatcher, apparently laughing also, told the clerk they’d send an officer as soon as possible.
Andrew placed a hand on Nevvie’s shoulder. “Steady, love. Don’t be cross with them.”
“I’m not. I’m pissed off at Tyler.”
They went outside to wait in the shade of the store’s front porch, where they sat on a bench. Nevvie stared at the street.
“How could he have not realized we weren’t there?” Andrew pondered.
“Well, Adam did turn the DVD player on. He probably thought we were in back with Tommy and the kids.”
They sat and people watched for a few minutes when Andrew broke the easy silence. “Nev, may I confide in you?”
This sounded big. “Sure you can.”
His face turned a little pink. “Do you think Peggy would be offended if I asked her out to dinner when we stop by on our way home?”
A broad smile creased Nevvie’s face. “No, I don’t think she’d be offended in the least. In fact, I think she would love for you to ask her out.”
Andrew’s gaze dropped to the ground. “It’s been a long while since I’ve met someone I really wanted to get to know better like her.” He gasped, then looked at her again. “Do you think it would upset Tom? I don’t want to do anything to hurt his feelings.”
Nevvie couldn’t hold back the laughter. “No, Dad, I’m sure Tommy would be fine with it.” She hugged him. “We’d all be fine with it.”
* * * *
Tyler lost track of time as he drove. The nice thing about being a writer was he could work while he drove, using the time to plot out his next book in his head. Which was a lot more work than he’d done in reality.
The idea he’d gotten in Kansas City hadn’t solved all his problems with the plot. Now if he could just work out the rest of the kinks, maybe he could get the book turned in on time.
When he glanced at the clock on the dash, he realized it’d been thirty minutes since they’d hit the interstate and he had yet to see Nevvie. Usually, she would wait until the kids were engrossed in a movie and then join Tom up front while he drove.
He fought the urge to pout over that. She must be tired. Perhaps she’s napping. She did mention she wanted one. He turned down the radio. “Nevvie,” he called out, “I really am feeling a bit peckish. Could I trouble you for a sandwich and a bottle of water?”
He felt his irritation grow when he called for her again, and then a third time and still no response. He was about to really raise the roof when he heard the door to the bedroom open. Thomas stumbled out, holding on to the galley counter as he made his way up front where he finally dropped into the passenger seat. He looked like he’d just woke up. His hair was disheveled.
“Ty, what in hell are you hollering about out here?”
“Well, I’ve called out for Nevvie to see if I could get a sandwich and she’s ignoring me. Is she really that cross over me driving?” Tyler glanced at Thomas and didn’t understand the odd look on his face. “Thomas, what’s wrong?”
He did look a bit more awake now. “Ty, I’m gonna ask you what might seem to be a really stupid question, but I want an answer anyway, okay?”
“Of course, love. What is it?”
Thomas arched an eyebrow. “Where the hell are Nevvie and Dad?”
* * * *
Nevvie gave the police officer credit. He tried not to laugh. The South Dakota trooper who he called in, however, made no such attempt.
When Captain Delaney finished laughing, he placed a call on the radio to bolo the RV. Then, with a smile, he opened the back door of his cruiser. “Sorry I have to put you back there, folks, but they probably didn’t get too far ahead of us. Watch your head, ma’am.”
“I’m gonna kill Tyler,” Nevvie muttered again as she climbed in.
Andrew joined her in the back on the uncomfortable hard plastic seat meant for suspects. Captain Delaney got behind the wheel and glanced in his rearview mirror. “I’m sorry I laughed, but believe me, you’re not the first person left behind by someone on accident. Although I will admit I’ve never seen two people left behind before.”
“I guarantee you, officer, it’ll be the last time he leaves us behind,” Nevvie assured him.
The trooper laughed as he started the cruiser. “I’m sure it will be. Frankly, I don’t envy him.”
* * * *
Shock engulfed Tyler’s face. “What are you talking about?”
Tom forced himself to maintain a calm tone. “Eyes on the road. Your dad and Nevvie. Please tell me you know something I don’t know.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! They’re in back with you.” Now Tyler looked unsure. “Aren’t they?”
Tom shook his head. “I said eyes on the damn road, Ty. Nevvie and Dad were going to go get a couple of things from the store across the street in Mitchell. I went back to sleep.”
“What? But her purse and cell phone are on the counter.”
Tom got up and made his way back to where her purse and cell phone sat on the galley counter. “Her wallet is gone.” He checked Tyler’s phone. “Fantastic. Missed calls.” He played the voice mail and there was no mistaking the anger in Nevvie’s voice. He tried calling the number on the caller ID, but didn’t get an answer.
He returned to the passenger seat. “Okay, the next exit you see, pull over. We have to go back.”
“The next one’s not for at least another ten miles!” Tom heard the panic starting to creep into Tyler’s voice. “I should try to find a turn-through—”
“Don’t you dare,” Tom ordered. “This thing can’t go off-roading. Especially with the toad. You’ll flip it or get us stuck.” He looked at the shoulder. “There’s not enough room to pull over so I can off-load the car, either. Barely enough room for an emergency stop. Next place you see where you can pull off—safely—do it. I’ll take the car and go back.” He got up. “The boys are asleep. I’ll get my wallet and shoes.”
He found his phone, where he’d had it on silent in back. Sure enough, a missed call and a new voice mail.
She’s going to kill Tyler. He scrubbed his face with his hand. I just hope she doesn’t kill me, too.
* * * *
“So where y’all from again?” the trooper
asked.
“Florida,” Nevvie said. “Well, Dad here is from London, but he’s over here and on vacation with us.”
“Family vacation, huh?”
“Yes,” Nevvie said. “Working vacation. We’re on our way to Seattle after we hit Yellowstone. My husband is an author. He’s appearing at a book fair there. He’s their keynote speaker.”
“Ah. Wait, you mean Tyler Paulson the author?”
Nevvie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them to answer again. Law enforcement still made her a little nervous because of her past history. She also wasn’t sure how much this guy knew about their personal lives. It was no secret to the public that Tyler had a husband and a wife, but it wasn’t something they went around rubbing in people’s faces, either.
“Yes, that’s him.”
Captain Delaney’s gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. “That’s neat. My husband and wife got me reading his stuff. They both love him and insisted I read his books. Maybe if you have time on your way back, you can stop by Mitchell again. They’d love to meet him. You all can have dinner with us, park your rig in our yard for a night or two if you want to rest up. I mean that as a serious offer, too.”
Nevvie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry with relief. “I’m sure we can arrange that, officer. That would be very nice.”
The man smiled. “Just call me Del.”
* * * *
Tom watched Tyler anxiously crane his neck as he looked for a suitable place to pull over. “Tyler, forget it,” he told him. “I don’t want you risking our safety over this. Just wait.”
“I can’t believe I left them behind. She’s going to bloody kill me!”
“Probably. Do you blame her?” Of all the harebrained things for Tyler to do, this had to top the list.
“I just wanted to take some of the stress off her. Do some of the driving for her. This isn’t what I planned.”
“Yeah, so how’s that working for you?” He did feel bad for Tyler. It was obvious from the look on his face that he felt horrible. Hopefully he could talk Nevvie out of whatever rage this would set her off on. Not that he’d blame her, because had Tyler left him behind, he’d feel pretty pissed off, too.
“This was supposed to be our dream vacation,” Tyler said. “I can’t believe I did this.”
“You need to lighten up, Ty. We don’t need you driving. Nev and I can handle it just fine. Seriously. You are supposed to be working anyway.”
“I doubt she’ll let me anywhere near the steering wheel once we get her back.”
“I think you’re right about that.”
They drove on in silence for a few minutes when Tyler swore.
“What?” Tom asked.
“I’m being pulled over. There’s a trooper behind us with his lights on.”
Tom wanted to swear, too. “Were you speeding?”
“Not really. Maybe a couple of miles over the limit. I was trying to hurry.”
“Only you could get pulled over for speeding in the middle of freaking nowhere in an RV, Ty.”
There was still barely enough shoulder for Tyler to safely pull off on. A regular car, sure, even a semitruck with an experienced driver behind the wheel. But not this top-heavy land yacht, with the toad, and a frantic Tyler driving.
“Slow down and put your emergency blinkers on so he knows you see him back there,” Tom said. He spotted an overpass about a mile ahead of them. Usually they had more room along the shoulder. “Pull over at that overpass.”
* * * *
Del’s radio went off, paging him. He responded. A fellow trooper reported, “Del, I think I just saw your BOLO going westbound. I’m in the middle of a traffic stop. Do you want me to pursue?”
“No, I’ll get them. It’s not an emergency. Where are you?”
“Just west of White Lake. Eastbound lane.”
“Roger. Unit Eighteen out.” He hung up the mic and flipped on his lights and siren as he sped up. “He’s only about five minutes ahead of us,” he told Nevvie and Andrew.
“Thank god,” Nevvie said.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for them to catch up. “Why isn’t he pulling over?” Andrew wondered aloud.
“He’s probably scared to,” Nevvie said. “Afraid I’ll kill him. Which I will.”
Del laughed. “No, more like he can’t.” He pointed at the shoulder. “He probably thinks he doesn’t have enough shoulder here to safely pull over. They’re widening I-90 and improving things, but they haven’t made it this far, yet.” He pointed at an overpass ahead of them. “He’ll probably pull over there.”
“Can I claim justifiable homicide?” Nevvie snarked.
Del laughed. “I would.”
* * * *
Tom breathed a sigh of relief when they slowed as they neared the overpass. Sure enough, there was a slightly wider shoulder there, so Tyler could pull over. Tyler put the RV in park and headed for the door.
Tom reached out a hand. “You sure you want to go out there?”
“What?”
“Dude, that’s probably Nevvie and Dad getting out of the backseat. Lucky for you, she’s not armed.”
Tom opened the door as the trooper stepped up to it. “Are you Mr. Paulson?” he asked.
Tom laughed. “No, thank god.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “He’s in there. How pissed off is she?”
Nevvie stormed up, followed by Andrew, who carried the shopping bags. “I left pissed off about twenty minutes ago,” she said. “The only reason I’m not homicidal is because I have a law enforcement officer as a witness. Tyler! Get your ass out here!”
Tyler nervously stuck his head out of the door. “Love, I’m so—”
“Don’t you ‘love’ me, you son of a bitch! What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“I’m sorry, Nevvie. Truly I am!”
The trooper looked amused. “I’m guessing no real murder is going to occur?”
“No,” Nevvie said. “I won’t kill him. But he’s gonna wish I had by the time I get done with him.”
Tom tried not to laugh, knowing it would only piss her off more. Boy, wet-cat-mad didn’t even come close to describing her mood. Poor Tyler would be lucky if she let him near her for a week or more. “Baby girl, he feels really bad about it.”
“He’ll feel worse before I’m done with him!”
The trooper laughed as he scribbled a phone number on a business card and handed it to Nevvie. “Seriously, if you make it back our way, the offer for dinner is good. We have enough room you can park in our yard for a couple of days and hook up to electric, grab showers, whatever.”
Nevvie took the business card. Her expression softened. “Thank you, Del. We really appreciate it. It’ll be a couple of weeks though. We’re going to tour Yellowstone before we head to Seattle for the book fair and then come back.”
“No problem. Looking forward to it.” He tipped his hat to the men and Nevvie. “Have a safe trip, folks.”
Nevvie shoved her way past Tyler and stormed into the RV. Andrew followed, a barely contained smile on his face. He went straight to the fridge to put the groceries away. Tyler followed Nevvie as she headed for the back to check on the boys, profusely apologizing to her the whole time.
“Nevvie, darling, I’m sor—”
She held up a hand, cutting him off. “Stop. Right now. Do not speak to me when I’m in this mood.”
Tom closed the side door and headed for the driver’s seat. “Ty, seriously? I would leave her alone and let her cool off. He looked at Andrew. “How mad is she, Dad?”
Andrew smiled and glanced back to where Nevvie had disappeared into the bedroom. “I dare say she will take a few stripes out of Tyler’s flesh, perhaps more than just metaphorically, before her ire has run its course.”
“How long do you think that will take?” Tyler asked him.
Andrew snorted. “Maybe by the next ice age, son. If you’re lucky.”
Chapter Seven
Nevvie w
as relieved to find both boys sound asleep in bed and the movie still running. She collapsed next to them and took a deep breath.
No, Tyler hadn’t meant to take off without them. She knew that. But the fact that he had still infuriated her beyond reason. He was so eager to do things that he didn’t always stop to think about the full repercussions.
Thank god it hadn’t taken long to catch up.
She felt the RV being shifted into gear and start moving again. Before she could get up, she heard a light tap at the door.
“Come in.” She’d have to have it out with Tyler sooner or later.
With more than a little relief she saw it was Andrew. He stepped in and closed the door behind him before sitting down on the bunk, the kids between them.
“Are you all right?”
“I’ll live.” She thought about it for a moment. “And so will Tyler.” She sighed. “I promise I won’t kill him. Much. He’s not driving, is he? Please, tell me he’s not driving.”
“No, Tom’s behind the wheel. Tyler does feel horrible about what happened.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes again. “I think maybe I’m going to cancel the stop in Sheridan to see Mary.”
“May I ask why?”
She shrugged without opening her eyes. “We’ve already had enough stress. I damn well don’t need any more.”
When he didn’t speak, she finally looked at him. “Please, Dad. Just say whatever’s on your mind.”
“Well, I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life.”
“Just give me your opinion. It’s all right. I’m asking for it.”
“I think it’s something that’s been bothering you for quite a few years. Perhaps finally having the closure would be a good thing for you. Painful, possibly. Maybe even very likely. But it would finally allow you to work through it once and for all and move on.”
“You’re spooky, Dad.” She reached across the sleeping boys and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “And I think maybe you’re right.” She had a thought. “Would you go with me?”
Love Slave for Two Collection [Box Set 7] (Love Slave for Two .5-4) Page 98