Trouble With a Cowboy (9 page)

"Let's
get going, Jacie," Tucker added. "We need to get some food and get back
on the road if we're gonna make Amarillo tonight."

She
glanced one last time at Sam, unhooked the gas nozzle to replace it on the
pump. Tucker opened her door, holding it for her while she climbed up in the
cab. As the warmth of his hand skimmed over her ass, she almost planted her
boot in the middle of his chest and shoved. He'd get a piece of her mind once
he made it into the cab…if she didn't leave his butt right there in the middle
of the truck stop.

"Jackass,"
she grumbled.

"What
did you say?" Tucker asked, climbing inside the passenger side.

"I
called you a jackass. Next time we're around anyone I know, keep your damned
hands to yourself. I didn't give you permission to manhandle me."

"Whoa!
Wait a damned minute here. I did
not
manhandle you."

"Okay,
don't molest me in front of people I know. I'm not a slut or a tramp. I don't
go around sleeping with every Tom, Dick and Harry at every truck stop. Even if
I chose to have sex with you on this trip, I—" Two fingers pressed to her
lips to stop her words.

"If
we
choose to have sex on this trip,
it's between the two of us. Not anyone else. Casual sex works sometimes. I
don't think of you as a slut, tramp, whore or any other word you might want to
use. You are a very beautiful, sexy, irresistible woman. Yes, I want you, but there
is more to you than sex. You're interesting to talk to. You have strong
opinions on things and I love sparring words with you. Now, can we get moving?
I'd like to be set up and bedded down before midnight." He retreated to
his side, buckled his seatbelt and relaxed against the cool leather.

With
a turn of her wrist the ignition fired up on the truck as she grumbled under
her breath about opinionated, stubborn, bossy men. Gears groaned and the engine
growled as they pulled out around the other trucks.

Food
would be a requirement soon, especially when her stomach grumbled loud at the
lack of sustenance.

"Burgers?"
she asked, sliding glance at Tucker.

"Fine."

Great. Now he's in a pissy mood.
Nothin' worse than a man
PMSing
.

The
greasy burger joint not far from the truck stop served some of the best
hamburgers in the state. With her mood at the moment, medium rare meat and
fattening fries fit the bill. She pulled the truck next to a couple others
sitting in the parking lot.

"Don’t
you think you’re getting a little close to the other truck with my trailer?"

"No,"
she snapped.

"Well,
I do. Give it a little more room."

Her
teeth cut into her lip in an attempt to forestall the scathing remark she
wanted to throw at his head. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but
she refused to say them…yet.
I’ll tell
him exactly where to stick his opinion if he doesn’t keep it to himself. I will
not tolerate anyone telling me how to drive, especially a man.

She
gave him a sickly sweet smile, cut the engine of the truck and popped her door
open.

"Are
you sure it’s safe to eat here? This place looks like it might have roaches or
rats," he complained. She lost hold of her temper.

"Listen,
Tucker, I’ve eaten here tons of times. It’s very clean inside. The food is
fabulous and the people who own it are dolls. If you don’t want to eat here,
then so be it, but I am," she spat before she spun around and stomped
toward the door.

"Well
Jacie Hawkins. Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes. Where you been?" the
plumb, graying woman squealed from behind the counter.

"Hey,
Marion. How’s my favorite diner owner?" Jacie said when the woman wrapped
her arms around her shoulders and squeezed so tight she thought she heard her back
pop.

"Ah
hell, honey. The same as always. All work and no play makes this girl dull."
Marion released her and stepped to the side as her gaze fixed on Tucker over
Jacie’s shoulder. "Well, well, handsome. Who have we here?"

"Marion,
this is a friend of mine…sort of. Tucker Marshall."

"Tucker
Marshall out of Austin?"

"Yes,
ma’am."

"Come
on in and sit right down there. I’ll fix ya right up. How did you get hooked up
with my Jacie girl?"

"We
aren’t hooked up, Marion. I’ve got one of his bulls in the trailer behind my
rig. I’m hauling his ass to Sin City for the rodeo," she replied, giving
Tucker a small shake of her head, hoping he would understand her meaning and
not say anything.

"Uh-huh,"
Marion replied with a wink. Jacie knew she was screwed. Marion obviously had
seen right through her façade of disinterest in her traveling partner.

"Can
we get some coffee please?" Jacie asked, sliding into one of the booths
near the corner. The soft blue walls with white trim on the inside of the diner
gave it the feel of an old soda shop from the ‘50s. Booths hugged the outside
wall and a long, white counter graced the center near the kitchen. Metal stools
with red vinyl seats sat under the edge of the counter, just waiting for the
butt cheeks of some big, beefy trucker to park on it.

Two
cups of coffee appeared in front of them, but she kept her eyes on the menu.
Not that she didn’t already know it by heart, but she didn’t want to see Marion’s
knowing grin.

"You
ain’t foolin’ this old girl, Jacie Margaret. You know the menu better than I
do."

She
shrugged and returned the menu to its holder near the sugar container. "A
burger and fries. No onions. No tomatoes."

"And
for you, Mr. Marshall?"

"I’ll
have the same except bring on the tomatoes, just leave off the onions. And
Marion, please call me Tucker. Mr. Marshall makes me think of my father. It’s
not a real pleasant thought."

Mmm.
 
A piece of information I didn’t have. Sounds
like some bad blood there.

"No
problem, handsome. I’ll call you for dinner, I’ll call you for bed, but I won’t
call you anythin’ but Tucker unless you want me to," Marion recited with a
laugh as Tucker joined her.

Marion
walked away to place their order and Jacie glanced across the table to find
Tucker staring at her with an unfathomable look in his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothin’.
It’s one more piece of the puzzle."

"Puzzle?"

"The
one called Jacie Margaret Hawkins."

* * * *

An
hour later, the two of them waved goodbye to Marion and were on the road toward
Amarillo. The sun had set, bathing the inside of her rig in darkness, but it
didn’t stop the penetrating looks coming from Tucker. Anticipation rolled down
her back, settling low in her belly. What would happen when they reached Vegas,
she didn’t know and really didn’t want to think about right now.

Right
now, she struggled with the need to kill him.

"You’re
tailgating the other truck."

She
grit her teeth.

"Slow
down. You’re driving too fast."

She
bit her lip.

"It’s
snowing. Maybe we should put on the chains. You do have chains, right?"

Her
eyes narrowed and she cussed under her breath.

The
tires of the truck hit the rumble strip along the right side of the road.

"Stay
on the road, Jacie."

All right! That’s it!

The
next off ramp, she took it.

"What
are we pulling off for?"

She
didn’t answer. The shoulder of the road looked like a good spot to her. She
slowed the truck to a stop, set the emergency brake and cut the engine. Without
a word, she opened her door, climbed out and slammed it shut.

Don’t kill him. It’s fine. He’s has
no idea…

"What
the hell is your problem?" he snapped, stopping in front of her as she
paced back and forth in front of the truck.

Darkness
surrounded them except for one streetlight sitting several hundred feet down
the off ramp. Huge snowflakes fell in a curtain of white, blanketing the ground
and crunching under her feet.

"One,
two, three, four, five." She stopped and put her hands on her hips. "I
promised God not to hit you, but you are pushing your luck."

"I
don’t understand."

She
fished the keys to her truck out of her pocket, threw them at him and almost
laughed as they hit him square in the chest, then dropped onto the ground at
his feet.

"You
drive."

"I
can’t drive your truck."

"Well
you sure as hell think you can."

"What?"

"You’ve
done nothing but bitch about my driving since we left the diner. I’ve had it.
If you think you can do better, do it, buddy. I’m not driving another mile."

Snow
coated his hair and shoulders while they stood toe-to-toe, their warm breath
puffing out in a white cloud between them.

After
a couple of moments, she thought she heard a whispered apology, but she
couldn’t be sure. "Excuse me? Are you driving because we need to get
moving."

"I’m
sorry, darlin’," he said, closing the small distance between them.

His
hands cupped her face. The cold of his fingers felt frigid against her skin.
The freezing chill of his lips brushed hers. He lifted his head and stared into
her eyes.

"I’m
used to being in control. A woman having power over my destiny is a little hard
for me to swallow. Even a man in a position like that would drive me nuts, but
I’m willing to bow to your expertise with the truck drivin’ thing," he
said, dropping his hands.

"Do
you promise to shut up and let me do my job?"

"I’ll
work on it, but you have to promise me somethin’ too."

"What?"

"If
I’m making you mad, tell me. I don’t want to fight with you the whole trip."

Okay. This is a bit weird. Never
has a man wanted me to let him know if I’m pissed because something he’s done.
Compromise?

"I
trust you with my life and my prize possession," he murmured, then brushed
his lips against hers again. "Now. Can we get back in the truck? Otherwise
there won’t be anythin’ left to have sex with you because it’s all going to
fall off."

"We
aren't having sex, Tucker."

"A
man can hope, can't he?" he asked with his charm-your-panties-off smile.

"Wimp.
It’s not freezing out here."

"Easy
for you to say. You've got a heavy coat on."

"We
aren’t too far out of Amarillo. Maybe another hour."

"Thank
God! A warm bed would be really nice right about now."

"Easy
slugger." She scowled and cussed when she heard a loud bang come from the rear
of her rig.

Chapter Five

"What
the hell? If
your
damned bull is causing problems,
I’m going to have issues."

The
bang came again as they hurried to the back of the trailer to look inside. The
bull banged his horns against the side of the trailer and her mare whinnied.

"Easy,
girl," Jacie cooed, stroking the animal’s nose through the window in the
side. "He’s being a typical male, I would think. Getting shit all riled
up."

"He’ll
be fine until we reach Amarillo. You said you knew somewhere we could stop to
let them out?"

"Yeah.
Once we get on the road, I’ll call and warn Phillip we’re coming."

"Phillip?"
he asked and she raised an eyebrow at the catch in his voice. If she didn’t
know better, she could swear a little jealousy tinged the one word.

"He’s
an old friend."

"It’s
none of my business."

"No,
but I’m telling you anyway. I try to stop every time I come through here to see
him anyway," she told him as she climbed into the cab. "I’ve known
him since I started driving trucks. He used to drive this highway all the time
too, but he’s retired now."

She
picked up her cell to dial her friend’s number.

"Hey,
Jacie. Are you in town?"

"Not
yet, but soon. Mind if I drop in?"

"Of
course not. You don’t have to ask. Your room is ready as always. When you going
to be here?"

"An
hour to ninety minutes. Leave it to me to be traveling during the one snow
storm of the year in Amarillo."

His
warm laughter could be heard on the other end.

"I
have a couple of animals with me not including the one riding in the cab of my
truck. Do you have room in the barn for tonight?"

Tucker
gave her a warning glance.

"Of
course, honey. I’ll make sure Juan has two spots cleaned out. Will that do?"

"Perfect.
I’ll see you in a bit."

"Be
careful, sweetheart. The roads might be slick."

"Yes,
sir."

After
clicking the phone shut, she set it on the center console. She could feel the
looks and sly glances coming her way from Tucker's side of the truck. A sharp
intake of breath here or a clutch of his hand on the armrest on his seat, gave
away his uneasiness, but he didn't say a word. Silence enveloped them for the
rest of the ride into Amarillo. He seemed lost in thought or he didn’t want to
piss her off by saying anything about her driving.

The
snow fell in a blanket of white, covering both sides of the highway. Slushy
ruts gave her a path to follow while she kept her hands on the steering wheel and
an eye on the trailer.
I’m praying they
don’t close the highway.
It took a little more than an hour to get to
Phil’s place with the snow falling, but as they rolled through the gates of his
ranch, she knew she’d chosen wisely. Texas wasn’t known for snowfall, but it
happened sometimes and when it did, it usually shut things down.

A
single story white ranch house reflected the headlights of her truck as she
pulled into the yard. The huge red barn sitting off to the rear of the house
was her destination. The bull and her mare could romp and run in Phillip’s
arena for the night.

"This
place belongs to your friend?" Tucker asked, looking out the side window.

"Yep."

"Nice
set up."

Once
she parked the rig, they stepped out and walked to the back of the trailer.

"Hey,
chica. Phillip said you were coming in."

"Gosh,
it’s good to see you, Juan. How’s the family?" she asked, hugging the
burly Mexican who had been with Phil since his accident.

"Good.
Maria will be disappointed to have missed you. She is in Houston visiting her
mama."

"It’s
happens, I guess." With a tip of her head, she introduced Tucker. "Juan,
this is Tucker Marshall. The bull in the trailer is his. I’m running him to
Vegas."

The
two men shook hands as she turned at the sound of squeaking wheels. Phillip
rolled out from inside the barn with a huge smile of his face. Two years
before, Phillip jackknifed his big rig in an attempt to avoid hitting a school
bus full of kids. The driver of the bus had been drunk and went straight
through a stop sign. Eighteen-wheelers can’t stop on a dime. The only way to
keep from killing the kids on the bus was to crank the wheel hard. In the
process, a spinal cord injury sustained in the accident paralyzed him from the
waist down. He now only got around in a wheelchair.

"There’s
my girl!"

She
laughed and dropped into his lap. "You look great, Phil."

"Not
as good as you, baby. Where you been?"

"All
over hell and back. I got stuck in Oklahoma when I stopped for the night. Some asswipe
slashed my tires because I wouldn’t hook up with him." After a quick kiss
to Phillip’s cheek, she climbed to her feet and waved Tucker over. "Phillip
Cushing, this is Tucker Marshall. Tucker, this is Phillip."

Once
the two men shook hands, she could see the look in Tucker’s eyes that said he
didn’t like Phillip. She wondered if it was a male thing or if something else
might have caused the look.

"Tucker
Marshall, huh. South Austin?" Phillip asked, his gaze raking Tucker from
the top of his hat to the tips of his boots.

"Yeah.
Problem?"

"No.
I’ve heard of you. That’s all. Or should I say your reputation with bulls and
the ladies."

Ladies? What the hell?

"Tucker
helped me out in Oklahoma."

"Did
he? Interesting." Phillip cocked an eyebrow and looked at her like he
wanted to say something, but instead, he told her to situate the trailer up to
the barn doors and they could unload the animals.

"Have
you heard anything about the weather for tomorrow, Phillip?"

"The
snow should move on by then and you should have clear sailing on into Sin City."

"Wonderful
news. The quicker I get there, the better," she replied. "I’ll be back
in a minute. You guys play nice."

One
look over her shoulder told her the men would probably exchange words before
she returned.

Within
fifteen minutes, the animals were fed and bedded down for the night. The snow
continued to fall, but in small popcorn kernel size. She hoped the temperature
wouldn’t drop anymore. Driving on a sheet of ice sucked.

"I
changed the sheets on the bed and there are clean towels in the bathroom,"
Phillip said with a questioning look in her direction. "You are welcome to
the other spare room, Tucker."

She
glanced at Tucker as one eyebrow arched over his left eye. Her original plans
hadn’t included staying at Phillip’s, but keeping the animals locked up in the
trailer overnight wasn’t a good idea. The rest of the trip might be trying for
both animals, especially if they ran into bad weather.

"Thanks,
Phillip. I’m sure we’ll appreciate the soft bed. The motel I stayed at in
Oklahoma sucked. I don't know how good the bed in the trailer is."

"It's
passable," Tucker replied. "I've slept in better, but it'll do in a
pinch and it's queen-sized."

"Phillip
already said you could use the other spare room in the house if you don't want
to stay in the trailer tonight."

"I
would appreciate it. The trailer is okay, but my propane tank is probably
getting low. It's what heats the thing."

"It's
settled then. You can have your room, Jacie. Tucker can have the room at the
other end of the hall."

Way to be obvious. Apparently
Phillip thinks Tucker and I are sleeping together.

The
look he gave her told her he didn't approve of what he thought she was doing.

"Can
I talk to you a minute?" she asked Phillip as she walked far enough away,
she hoped Tucker wouldn't hear their conversation. "Is there a problem,
Phil, because if there is, we can go somewhere else."

"Why
do you ask? I'm not telling you who to be with."

"I'm
sorry." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, but I
get a distinctive chill between you and Tucker."

He
stared off into the distance. "I don't want to see you get hurt, Jacie. He
comes across as the type to love 'em and leave 'em."

"I
don't want any kind of relationship, Phillip. I like the way my life is going
right now."

"You
like not having a permanent home? A home to raise your children? A husband to
love you and take care of you?"

This conversation is getting a
little weird.
"I don't need a husband and I'm not
ready for kids." She narrowed her gaze on the man she'd called friend for
a number of years. "What's with this the permanency talk?"

Phillip
took her hand and kissed her fingers. "I care about you, Jacie. I always
have."

She
captured her bottom lip between her teeth as she pulled her hand from his
grasp. "Phillip. You are a great friend and I care about you too,
but—"

"But
you aren't in love with me," he interrupted with a scowl.

"I'm
sorry. No. When I do settle down it will be with the man who can take my breath
away by coming into the room or smiling at me." Tucker stood off in the
distance with his boot propped up on the trailer's rear fender. The heat in his
eyes went straight to her belly. "The kind of man who makes my stomach
quiver with desire so strong, I can't wait to get him alone. One who doesn't
care about who my parents are and how much money I have in the bank."

With
a tip of his head in Tucker's direction, Phillip asked, "Does he
know?"

"Know
what?"

"That
your family owns the biggest Tennessee Walking Horse ranch in the South and
you've got a multi-million dollar trust fund just waiting for you to settle
down?"

"No,
he doesn't and I'm not telling him. It doesn't matter anyway. Tucker and I are
only traveling partners for the trip, nothing more. He has his life in Austin.
I have mine on the road."

"If
you wanted nothing more than to get laid, I would have taken care of you."

"Look,
if this is going to get awkward, then we can move on. I don't want a physical
relationship with you. You are my friend, but if it's going to get messy
between us because I won't sleep with you, then we'll leave."

"It's
because I'm in this damned chair, isn't it! I can still perform like any other
man. It takes a little more imagination, but my dick still works."

"It
doesn't matter, Phil. Having sex with you isn't an option. You being in a
wheelchair has nothing to do with me wanting you."

"Is
there a problem, Jacie?" Tucker asked, taking her attention away from
Phillip.

"No.
I think it would be best if we slept in the trailer though. I don't want to put
Phil out having guests in the house."

Phillip
glowered for a moment. Seconds later, he spun the chair around to wheel himself
to the house. The slam of the front door left her feeling hollow inside.

"You
okay?" Tucker ran one hand down her arm in a soothing motion.

"Yeah.
I hate disagreeing with him."

"It
sounded like a pretty heated argument."

"I
guess." She took two steps and immediately regretted leaving his immediate
nearness. "I'm ready for bed. We can leave the trailer right where it is.
I hope you have enough propane in the tank to keep us warm. It's gonna get
pretty cold tonight." With a sweep of her hand, she said, "Shall we?
I hope you don't mind the cat being with us. She has her box and she'll be
fine."

Tucker
opened the trailer door to hold it for her. "No problem."

When
she entered, the warm hues of brown, black and gold drew her gaze and she
sighed. The warmer colors always were her favorites. She rubbed her arms to
calm the goose bumps of anticipation running crazily across her skin.

"The
bedroom is back there, but if you'd rather, I can make up the couch. It's
pretty comfortable too."

"Great.
I'm sure the couch will be fine," she replied, hoping he didn't hear the
nervous hitch in her voice.

"Let
me grab some blankets out of my closet. If you grab the cushions off there,
then I'll pull it out."

"All
right."

Tucker
disappeared through the bedroom doorway as she pulled the things off the couch
in order to make it into a bed. She could have slept in her truck, but she
would have had to run the engine all night to keep it warm. This worked out
better all the way around.
Except having
him sleeping in the next room wasn't going to be the easiest thing to handle.

"Here
we go," he said, returning from the bedroom. Within moments, he had the
couch pulled out and sheets on the bed. "I think you'll be cozy enough in
there unless you'd rather join me in my bed."