Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  She stretched and looked out the window. Not seeing anything that identified their location, she asked, “Where are we?”

  “We’re still on Route 50 somewhere between the park we left and Fallon, Nevada. It claims to be one of the loneliest interstates in all of the United States and it lives up to its name. I haven’t seen another car in hours.”

  As she stared at her traveling companion she let her mind wander to the scene that had played out in her mind as she slept. She now understood the behavior of newlyweds. Being intimate with someone you care deeply for is an addiction that’s very difficult to control, especially for her since it was all new.

  When an idea hit her, she whispered, “Jax, can you pull over?”

  Jax glanced over at her and asked, “Is something wrong?”

  Penny shook her head and said, “I just had the most wonderful dream and I want to give it a whirl.” When she leaned toward him and rubbed his inner thigh he knew exactly what she wanted.

  Seeing where they were, he asked, “You want me to pull over right here? Didn’t you get enough last night?”

  As she started to undress she asked, “Does anyone ever get enough? I want to live for the moment.” While looking at their cramped quarters, she added, “I think I want to play a math researcher like Bobby and experiment with the geometry of small spaces.”

  With Penny already half naked, Jax wasn’t going to argue. After he stopped along the side of the road, he joined her in stripping. Although awkward for him because of his size, with Penny’s assistance, they were both soon naked.

  Looking around the vehicle he asked, “Any thoughts on how you want to do this? The backseat is full of our luggage, camping gear, and presents.”

  “Hmmm. In my mind, the space worked like the magic in Harry Potter and magically grew as needed. I guess that we’ll have to make do with what we’ve got. It might be a little tight.” Ignoring the groans and yelps of pain, Penny crawled onto Jax’s lap. Seeing there was no stopping her, Jax slid his seat back as far as it would go to give them a few extra inches to work with.

  Penny struggled to force herself between him and the steering wheel. Although he tried to help he chuckled and said, “Your determination is impressive, but I’m not sure this is going to work.”

  Penny took a moment to study the situation and announced, “A good researcher never gives up. It will work. Trust me.” Then, with pure resolve, she wriggled and squirmed until she slid into place. When Jax gasped with the feel of their bodies becoming intimately connected, Penny said with a look of satisfaction, “I told you it would work.”

  “But I’m not sure there’s enough room for us to move.”

  “Watch me.” To motivate her test subject, she wiggled into him and, when she heard his low growl of approval, she whispered in his ear, “Casper, come out and play.” She bit him on the neck. To her absolute delight, she instantly felt the tingle of Casper’s touch.

  Working together and with a whole lot of laughter, Jax used his stealth abilities to hide them as they made creative use of the driver’s seat. She really wanted to ask if parts of Ice could join them as well, but she also was very aware that what they were doing would come to a screeching halt if her partner’s body grew even a little in size. She was enjoying herself too much so she gratefully accepted what Casper had to offer.

  After they cried out their passions, Jax held Penny against him. When she shivered, he said apologetically, “I’m sorry about that.”

  While kissing and nibbling on Jax’s neck contentedly, she replied, “Sorry about what?”

  While motioning Penny to look down, he said, “Freezing you.”

  While wiggling into their connection, she said, “I’m not.” She flashed her ring at him and said, “We’re soon to be newlyweds, remember? You could give me frost bite every hour of every day and it wouldn’t be enough for me.” While kissing along the line of his chin she added, “Right now my lips could use some cooling off.”

  Before he could reply, she pressed her lips on his and gave him a passionate kiss. After embracing long enough that Jax’s lips were numb, he said, “Although I truly appreciate your dedication to a task, my lips are worn out. I had no idea that anyone could kiss as long as you do.” He stretched out his jaw trying to get feeling back.

  With a pout of disappointment, Penny replied, “But I really like kissing you, and I’m not ready to give your lips back yet.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. It’s getting close to lunch time, so let’s continue on. Whenever we find civilization again and we find a place to stop where we have more space, my lips will be all yours for as long as you want them.”

  Penny considered his offer for a moment. When she heard her stomach growl for food, she nodded and said, “I’m going to hold you to your promise. Those lips are mine.”

  She gave him one last kiss before attempting to crawl back to her side of the car.

  After several failed attempts, she announced, “My dramatic exit has been foiled. You won’t believe this, but I think I’m stuck.”

  Thinking she was making an excuse to delay their departure, he swatted her backside playfully and said, “Time to go.”

  “I’m not kidding. I’m stuck.” While trying to move her leg she explained, “It’s my foot. Somehow its pinned between the seat and the door and I can’t pull it back out. I think I got it tangled in the seat belt.”

  “You were rather insistent in wiggling in despite our space constraints.”

  “You didn’t seem to mind.”

  “I’ve added it to the top of my favorite first’s list, but we need to get you unstuck before we add anything else.”

  They worked together for quite a while, trying to untangle Penny from the car. Their efforts made both of them laugh at the unique situation they now faced.

  When she took a break and settled back onto his lap, Jax said, “Well, as I see it, we can stay in this position and I could drive to some place where we can get help. If you don’t want to be seen straddling me, I can continue to be Casper. Although that might draw attention to the Rover since it would appear to be moving without a driver.” To add more humor to the situation, he pressed her body down on his and added, “Although in this position, I could find a bumpy country road to drive down. That could make this much more entertaining.”

  Penny swatted him and said, “Very funny. I’m not going to have a fireman use the jaws of life to get us separated from each other and this car. Do you have any real suggestions?”

  Examining their location more closely he said, “Well, if I open the door, you might be able to wriggle out that way.”

  “But a car could drive by and the moment we separate I’ll be visible again with my naked butt flashing anyone within eye shot.”

  “There’s no one within a hundred miles, and it’s all I’ve got. I’m open to other ideas.”

  Seeing no other options, she nodded and Jax opened the door. With the extra room to maneuver, they untangled her leg and she fell out of the car. Although thrilled to be free, her celebration was short lived when a green Jeep passed by. Their honks and whistles brought her back to the moment and she raced around the car, jumping into the passenger side.

  With her cheeks flaming red, she announced, “No one in a hundred miles, huh? I guess you’re no longer the only man that has seen me naked. God, I hope they didn’t have cell phone cameras ready.”

  Jax’s snickers stopped abruptly and he tossed her his shirt to cover her before anyone else saw his self-claimed territory.

  Shortly after they were back on the road, Penny spotted an unusual tree not far off the pavement. She asked, “Can you pull over?”

  “Lord, not again!” he exclaimed.

  “Not for sex. I want to take a closer look at that tree. Something is hanging all over it.”

  Jax did as asked and, once they were off the road, Penny grabbed the camera and hopped out of the Rover.

  She stood in front of the tree and said, “I’ll be damne
d.” They were the only words that could make their way out of her mouth.

  Jax joined her and asked, “Why in the world is this tree covered in shoes?”

  Penny dug out Jax’s phone and did a search online. “I’ll be damned,” she said again when she announced that she found it. “It says that the story behind the tree is that a young couple camped here on their wedding night. They got into a fight and she threatened to walk off. Her husband threw her shoes in the tree so that she would have to walk away barefoot. He drove away and left her there. It says he went to a bar nearby and, after having a few drinks, was talked into going back to get her. A year later they returned to the tree as a couple with their child in their arms. They tossed the child’s shoes into the branches to join theirs which were still hanging from a branch. People have been adding their shoes ever since.” She looked at Jax and said excitedly, “Wait here.”

  Penny ran back to the Rover and returned moments later carrying two sets of old shoes. They each tossed the items and hooked a couple of branches toward the top.

  With a satisfied expression, Penny said, “That was fun. We need to come back here in a year and see if they’re still here.” She added teasingly, “We can leave our kid at home with the babysitter.” After taking many pictures, she grabbed Jax’s hand and said, “Let’s go see if we can find the bar.”

  To Jax’s shock, after a short drive they pulled into the Middlegate Station Bar and found two vehicles in the lot. One was a very old, dusty pickup truck that Jax wasn’t sure would even run. The other vehicle, to Penny’s dismay, was the green Jeep that had passed her on the road. When she groaned, Jax asked, “Do you want to go on?”

  Penny scanned their surroundings and laughed. “Remember, we’re on the loneliest highway in the US. There’s nothing else here. Let’s go in. I want to see the bar from the internet story and maybe the Jeep owners won’t recognize me with my clothes on.”

  When they stepped into the bar, Jax quickly assessed the situation. He saw a group of three young men huddled around a table in the corner. He assumed they were the owners of the Jeep. At the bar, he saw an older man serving drinks to several others and, given their matched, overly worn attire, Jax assumed they were locals. When the old man looked up at the new arrivals, he scrunched up his face in a grimace, obviously not pleased by what he was seeing.

  Jax leaned toward Penny and whispered, “They look like prospectors from an old west movie, and I feel like we need to get a pick ax to blend in.”

  Penny grunted in response. She hadn’t heard a word he said, because she was completely captivated by the thousands of dollar bills tacked to the walls and ceiling. Jax was going to suggest they order something to go but, before he could say anything, Penny grabbed his hand and dragged him to a table located in the middle of the room.

  As they were sitting down, the old man called, “What do you two want?”

  Penny was lost on her visual journey so Jax replied, “A couple cheeseburgers and beers. And we’ll need to fill up with gas before we leave, so I’ll need you to turn on the pump for us.”

  The old man grunted and began to cook on the grill behind the bar.

  After staring around the room for several minutes, Penny said, “I have to know what this is all about.” She jumped to her feet and walked to the men at the bar. Although Jax had received glares from the locals, they were all smiles for Penny. After talking to them for several minutes, she returned to the table carrying a hammer, a handful of tacks, and a felt tipped pen. While putting the tools on the table, she said, “Tacking up money is an old prospector tradition. When they make some money, they tack a dollar or two up on the wall so, when they’re broke again, they’ll always have a few bucks waiting for them to buy a drink.”

  While staring at all of the names written on the bills, Penny’s eyes lit up and she announced, “I have an idea.” She grabbed her purse and, after digging through her wallet, she looked to Jax and asked, “Do you have any one dollar bills?”

  Seeing her excitement, he pulled out his wallet and tossed it to her. After finding what she wanted, she handed it back and set a small stack of bills in front of her.

  When she picked up the first one and started to fold it, Jax asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Wait just a minute and you’ll see.” Moments later, she proudly held out what she had made. She had folded the dollar into the shape of a bird. After retrieving the pen, she wrote her mom’s name and her birth date on the bird’s belly. She then repeated the same routine for her father and her brothers. Once they were all ready, she looked to Jax and asked, “Will you tack these up for me?” Jax nodded and, after finding a spot Penny approved of, he stood on top of a nearby chair and Penny handed him the birds and the tools.

  When they returned to their table, their food was waiting for them. Penny found a note and three extra beers next to her plate. She picked up the note and read it to herself. It was short and to the point. “Best mountain view we’ve seen in a hundred miles.” She quickly scanned the room and spotted the table in the back corner where three young men held up their drinks with big grins on their faces. At first she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but then she stood tall, raised her glass, and called, “Thanks.” She joined them in a toast.

  Jax turned to see who Penny was talking to. His protective scowl made the men quickly return their attention to their meals.

  As Penny sat down, she said, “Leave them be. Even I have to admit that it was really funny.”

  While they ate, she and Jax reflected on the day’s events. Penny laughed so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks and the sound made the room light up. After wiping away the wetness, Penny leaned over and pulled Jax toward her. She gave him a firm kiss and said, “I expected that this trip would constantly rip open the wound in my heart, but you’ve made our time together something I’ll cherish for as long as I live.” She chuckled and said, “And after the situation in the Rover, I know that my brothers are watching from above and are laughing hysterically.”

  “I know that they’re both thrilled to see you embracing life again and so am I.”

  Once they were done eating and Jax watched Penny finish the last of her gifted beers, he asked her if she was ready to go. Penny looked down at the last dollar and said, “I have one more bird to make.” After she quickly folded the money, she showed it Jax with a huge grin. He smiled when he saw that she had created a bird and had written ‘PB&J’ and the date on it. She crawled on the table. Since she was giggling, Jax feared she was going to start to sing and dance. Instead, she asked sweetly, “Can you hand me the hammer and a tack?” Jax did as requested and, while holding onto her legs to keep her steady, she tacked their bird directly above where they had eaten. Once it was in place, she nodded approvingly and announced to her traveling companion, “Now this is officially our table. When we come back in a year, I want to sit here.”

  Instead of letting Jax help her off the table she jumped into his arms and gave him a kiss that made the table in the corner whistle. Once she released him, she said with a twinkle in her eyes, “Let’s go try to get stuck in the Rover again.” Just before she opened the door, she turned and said seductively, “Don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting.” The room watched her leave with envy.

  Jax walked over to the table in the corner. Although they cowered and prepared to beg for his forgiveness for the whistling, Jax tossed them some money and said, “Lunch is on me. By the way, when you drive down the road and see my Rover parked, just drive on by.” He gave them an expression that made them all nod in pure admiration.

  As he walked toward the bar, he heard one of the men behind him say, “Lucky bastard. Next time we bring women on our trip.”

  Jax snickered and, as he placed a stack of bills on the bar, he said, “Here’s for the food and gas. You can keep the change.”

  Seeing that he would be leaving an extremely large tip, the old man gave Jax an approving nod, pocketed the money, and turned on the gas pump.<
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  True to her word, after driving down the road a short way, Jax swerved off the pavement when a naked Penny attacked him. They were completely lost in their embrace when a Jeep honked as they passed them on the road.

  Chapter 43 - Imposter

  As they approached Reno Nevada, Jax said, “I know that we agreed we would avoid any large city, but you’ve never been to Reno. Would you like me to drive down the strip so that you can at least see the sights? You could snap a few casino pictures for your photo journal.”

  Penny nodded and said, “I would like that.” While pulling out the digital camera, she added, “If you happen to see any show girls standing around, would you pull over so I can jump out and snap a picture for Tadd and Taylor?”

  Jax chuckled and said, “I’ll keep my eyes open.”

  While they drove past all of the lights and blinking signs, Penny snapped many pictures and said nonchalantly, “You know, there’s quite a variety of people walking the strip.” She pointed and said, “I think I just saw Elvis.” After giggling, she added, “Your tattoos and scars would blend right in.”

  Before she could finish her thought, Jax cursed and pulled over sharply along the side of the road. Several cars honked behind him, shaken by his unexpected movements.

  Once the Rover stopped, Penny said, “If this is about my comment, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  She expected Jax to yell at her but, instead, he said, “Stay here. I need to take care of a thorn in my side.”

  After Jax grabbed a thin blanket and started to get out of the car, Penny asked, “Can I come?”

  Seeing the pleading in her eyes, Jax decided to show a side of his life that she hadn’t seen while on the trip. He replied, “If you promise to keep out of the way and watch from a distance no matter what you see, you can come along.”