Christmas Knight

by Kimberly Llewellyn

  * * *

  Zach sat and waited for their order. He also waited for Tori's return. He looked over his shoulder in hopes to catch sight of her coming back, but she was probably primping in front of the ladies' room mirror. He sighed. They had a deal and were supposed to keep to that deal. No primping.

  While waiting, Zach decided to follow Tori's example. When he approached the men's room door, he saw Tori by the phones, her back to him. He slowed his stride enough to catch phrases of her conversation.

  "Hi, honey. I miss you so much. A present? You didn't have to do that. I love you, too. And I can't wait to be there with you. Yes, I'll be there soon, Stephen."

  Stephen?

  Her voice came across as very sweet and very much in love. Zach didn't want to hear any more, and he certainly didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. Quickly, he headed back to the counter to pick up his order. Soon, Tori appeared by his side.

  "There you are." He looked down at her, as if waiting for some kind of explanation for her lengthy absence.

  "I had to call home and let them know the situation. I also had to answer a million questions about you." She answered him rather casually, giving nothing away about Stephen.

  "Did you talk to anyone special?"

  "Very special," Tori answered.

  Zach tried to ignore her too-brief answer and reached for the wallet in his back pocket. Nothing. He felt his other back pocket. He pulled out only a single spare key to the rig. He looked down at the floor and by the front door.

  "What's wrong?" Tori asked, looking as well. "What are we looking for?"

  "My wallet." Zach checked the area near the pay phone and the floor by the entrance. "Have you seen it?"

  Tori shook her head. "Did you have it on you?"

  "It's always in my back pocket, but I don't have it now."

  "I don't recall seeing any wallet in your back pocket," Tori said and immediately blushed. She prayed he wouldn't make a remark about her gawking at the backside of his tight blue jeans. Of course, she looked. What woman wouldn't? But she didn't have to practically come out and admit it.

  She waited for a remark, but he stayed focused on locating his lost wallet. She let out a small, relieved sigh at not being taken to task and helped him in his search.

  "I'll be right back." Zach bounded out the diner door. He returned a few minutes later. "This has never happened before. I've never lost my wallet. It's not in the truck. It must have slipped out of my jeans."

  "Are you kidding? Out of those jeans? That's impossible," Tori blurted while she continued to search.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  This time, Zach didn't overlook her comment. He waited for her to explain herself.

  "They're not exactly loose on you. Nothing could slip out of those pockets. Like you said, you never lost your wallet before." There, she told him. He wanted to know, so she complied.

  "Then how do you think it disappeared?"

  "I don't know. Think back. Do you remember the last time you had it?"

  "I had it when I left the rig to go check out your car. And up until …" he paused.

  "Up until when?"

  "Up until someone threatened me with a can of hair spray and I landed on the ground in the snow. I don't remember having it after that. It's probably back out there on the highway somewhere." Zach glared at Tori. "You know, I had my CDL in there. Without it, I'm not supposed to drive the truck. It's illegal."

  "Are you sure that's where it is? You couldn't feel your wallet missing all this time?"

  "I never felt the wallet in my pocket since then. I didn't carry too much inside it. I don't have credit cards—for personal reasons. But it did have all my money." He shot a look of frustration at Tori. "Why am I explaining all this? I should be looking for it, just in case. I'm going to check outside again." Zach headed toward the door, mumbling, "I had that old thing so broken-in and worn, it fit me like a glove."

  That's not the only thing that fits you like a glove, Tori thought.

  She noticed the waitress standing behind the counter, checking out Zach's backside as he exited. She then turned toward Tori, waiting to be paid before handing over the takeout bags. Tori rummaged through her purse for a few stray bills and coins. Leaving just enough money, she grabbed the food and joined Zach outside.

  "Any luck?" she asked.

  Zach shook his head. "I know it's long gone by now. There's nothing we can do. C'mon. I'll take care of the dog and then we'll get out of here." He mumbled a few choice words on his way back to the rig.

  Tori followed after him. "If you did lose it when you helped me with my Ford, then I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

  "There's nothing to be sorry about. You had to protect yourself. Losing my wallet just complicates things, that's all. We'll get through this."

  After helping Zach feed Spike, Tori followed along as Zach walked the dog. Tori had expected them to walk in silence, but instead, Zach opened up and talked about the life of a trucker. She was glad—anything to take his mind off his lost wallet. She took in every word as he explained how he spent his days traveling through Canada and the United States. And how his industry served as a backbone to the economy today.

  "It's a conventional sleeper truck. A Peterbilt." He proudly looked over at his truck. "You could fit a couple of football players in back if you wanted. It saves a ton on motel room costs. Plus you can pull over any time you need to sleep."

  Tori inspected the large vehicle more closely as she came to her passenger side door. "Like a motel on wheels, huh?"

  "Sure. Some fancier bunkers even come equipped with their own sink and showers. The works. But this beat-up old gal suits me just fine." He opened the door and helped up Tori. "At least now I know why you don't mind being picked up. I wondered why you never squealed. You must be used to being tossed into the air as a ballerina. Or does it mean you trust me after all?"

  "Both," she answered.

  Zach and Spike hopped into their side and Zach pulled the rig onto the highway. Tori looked back and watched the diner disappear into the distance. Then she eagerly pulled out their long-awaited breakfast. She handed Zach his meal.

  "What are you going to do without your wallet?" she asked.

  "We'll get by. But it's the CDL I'm worried about I've never had a problem before with the authorities, but I'll have to be extra careful now that I'm driving illegally. I still have that cooler in the bunker. It has a little bit of food for later if we get really hungry. And there's always dog food, if we face starving to death with no cash." He winked at Tori who bit hungrily into her cheeseburger. "Looks like you'd be willing to eat anything for breakfast."

  Tori smiled and nodded. Her cheery expression softened. "I really am sorry about your wallet. Can you call someone at your work and have them wire you money?"

  "No. That's the last thing I could do. No one can know about this. About any of this."

  Tori wanted to ask why all the secrecy, but when he offered nothing more, she knew he obviously didn't want to talk about it. She kept her questions to the subject at hand. "So can you really get by with no funds?"

  "I have a little money stashed in the bunker for emergencies. And I'll pay you back for breakfast."

  "Consider it a token repayment for the ride."

  After several moments of quiet, Zach cleared his throat "I have to admit I'm kind of curious about one thing."

  "What's that?"

  "Why didn't Stephen offer to come and get you? If you two love each other so much, he should have come for you. If I had a girl like you, I certainly wouldn't want her riding around with some truck driver."

  Tori choked on her burger. Surprised, she didn't know what to make of his remark. Nor did she know how to interpret the iciness in his voice. "How do you know about Stephen?"

  Zach drove in silence for a beat before answering. "I was on my way to the men's room while you were on the phone. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You weren't exactly
whispering, you know."

  She felt a mix of emotions: anger at his listening in and feeling flattered that he cared. She thought she may have even detected a bit of jealousy in his voice.

  "So? How come he didn't come and get you?"

  "Because he doesn't have his driver's license yet."

  "Isn't that a little young? I mean, I am open-minded, but not that open-minded."

  Tori decided to break her original vow about keeping her business to herself. If anything, she owed Zach some sort of explanation. "Stephen's my son. He's only four."

  "Your son?" Zach asked, clearly surprised.

  "Maybe if you eavesdropped a little harder you would have known that."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to happen."

  Tori accepted his apology. In a quick, deliberately vague explanation, she told him about her first love, about Stephen, and her first love's decision to move to Europe without her.

  "And your family didn't fight to make him support the baby?"

  "For them, he couldn't have moved far enough away from me. We were barely out of high school. My parents were more than happy to help me with Stephen."

  "Did you consider any other alternative?"

  "Never. I wouldn't have given up life with Stephen for anything in the world. That's why it's been sort of tough these past few months. I left him with my parents while I study in the Berkshires. Tori shifted in her seat to try and get comfortable. She wanted to be careful how much she revealed to this man. "That's why I have to get home as early as possible. I promised him I wouldn't miss this holiday."

  "This college-swapping thing sure does sound important if you decided to leave him for two semesters."

  "It is important. The dance schools in the Berkshires are world renowned. I need credentials, the kind I can't find in Missouri. Another great place would have been New York but I would have felt too overwhelmed in such a big city."

  "So, you'll go back to live near your family after all this?" Zach asked.

  "No. I've decided to settle in the greater Boston area as soon as I graduate this coming spring. I just love it there. I have to go where the work is. And Stephen will be with me. After this is all over, I never plan to leave him again." Tori decided to stop discussing every aspect of her life. She had revealed enough about herself, although she could boast about Stephen for hours. Maybe Zach would want a turn to talk. "Don't you have family you want to see for Christmas? I hope you won't have to work through the holiday—"

  "No, I have no one I want to see, and yes, I do have to work. But it's my choice." Zach offered no more information. And by the chilly tone in his voice, he didn't intend to offer any more information.

  But Tori, not ready to give up on their discussion, asked, "You mean, there's no family at all that you want to see during the holidays? Not even a girlfriend?"

  "Hell, no," Zach answered too vehemently. "I don't need the pretentious dinner, all the gift swapping, and dozens of brats running around the house."

  Zach decided not to mention his parents' deaths. He didn't need a pity party right now. He turned to Tori. "It's just not for me. I like the solitude of the road. I like everything about working during the holidays, except for the traffic."

  Zach didn't say another word. He had too much to worry about, like a missing wallet and CDL. Yet, Tori's questions haunted him. He fulfilled his quest to live life the way he wanted and it simply didn't include family.

  Nor did he need a wife and children and interfering in-laws to make life miserable for him. He came and went as he pleased; no one to come home to every night, telling him what to do, and no one to share a bed with and hog all the covers. He especially didn't need having that special woman by his side during a large Christmas dinner with relatives surrounding him. Who would want any of those things?

  Although Tori would have to allow Zach his own opinions about brats and in-laws, he could tell it bothered her. He waited for the next barrage of questions.

  "So what are you hauling in the back of your truck anyway?" she asked.

  "Nothing you have to be concerned about."

  "I'm not concerned really, just nosy. So tell me."

  "I can't. I'm not allowed."

  "You mean it's a secret? You mean, like for the government? Why would the government hire a trucker at Christmastime? Were you hired as a cover? Tell me."

  "Boy, do you have an imagination. It's nothing."

  "Whatever you say." Tori wanted to push the issue, but felt herself grow too sleepy to continue. Her previous four-hour snooze proved to be not quite enough time for rest. In the relative quiet of the truck's cab, her eyelids grew heavy as she stared out the window at the scenery that whisked by. The temptation of sleep finally claimed her. She started to slump with her head leaned against the door, until Zach startled her.

  "Whoa, not against that. You made me nervous last time when you fell asleep too close to that door. You never know if that thing will fly open. It's an old rig. Lie down here." He patted the seat toward the middle of the cab, by his side.

  Too tired to argue that she'd be fine right where she was, her droopy body swayed toward him and she lay where he suggested. Spike stared at her a moment before he, too, finally nestled down beside her.

  As Zach stole a glance at Tori, a few locks of her long, deep auburn hair cascaded onto his thigh. He tried to ignore it at first and keep his attention on the road. But there were only a few cars on the highway that particular time of day, and the winter landscape was uninteresting compared to the peaceful scene at his side.

  He reached one hand down to pet Spike, something he hadn't been able to do lately since Tori had hogged all the dog's affection. But when his hand came down, he found himself stroking Tori's hair instead.

  She moved slightly, not in opposition to his touch, but to get closer to his warmth. She then lay still, very still, as if to welcome his tender strokes. Her hair certainly felt different from any he had felt before. So soft, so thick, so natural.

  As the sun flashed into the cab, it cast a sheen on her tresses. It reminded him of when he'd travel across the country and witness a sea of wheat under a reddening sunset sky. Passing those fields, he'd always wanted to run through them, but never so much as he had wanted to run his fingers through this beautiful woman's hair.

  She lay so still, breathing so lightly. He wondered if she were truly asleep or if she merely lay there, silently welcoming his touch. Could she have fallen asleep that fast?

  He brought his hand from her hair for fear of waking and alarming her. After all, if she really were asleep and unknowingly allowed him to do this, wouldn't she fear what else he may have gotten away with while traveling? As he brought his hand back to the steering wheel, he heard a small sweet sigh escape her. It was then he feared she welcomed his touch as much as he would have welcomed hers.

  * * *

  "So, where to now? You said we had one stop." Tori's faculties functioned more keenly after the quick nap.

  "There's an abandoned factory up ahead. I have to pick up a delivery."

  Zach guided the truck off the highway by way of an almost hidden exit. After a stretch of deserted road, he entered with caution through a rundown gate entrance.

  The truck soon approached a large old, crumbling brick building. By its neglected look and the two idle, blackened smokestacks that pierced the sky, the building appeared to have been out of commission for decades.

  Zach maneuvered his truck and backed into the single loading dock on the side of the building. Tori watched the building to get some glimpse of activity inside, but she couldn't even see an entrance, let alone a person to come out to greet them.

  "You might want to stretch your legs. Spike, too. It's all fenced in and Spike knows to stay close, but I'd feel better if you kept an eye on him."

  Tori nodded and started to open her door until Zach tossed over her jacket. Without recourse, Tori threw it on and they hopped out of their respective sides. Tori followed Spike as he sauntered down a
nd snooped along the building. She stretched her leg muscles, giving them the wake-up call they needed.

  As she regarded the old structure, activity near the truck caught her attention. From her vantage point, she watched Zach shake hands with another man who appeared from nowhere.

  The man hiked up to the building's loading dock and opened its large shipping door. Together, the two men loaded giant cartons into the rig. Occasionally, the stranger looked over his shoulder as if to make sure no one was watching.

  Curiosity got the best of her. Quietly, Tori ventured closer. She edged her way along a row of bushes and tried to read the labels on each box. The closer she got, the clearer the writing became. She made out each word on every carton that the men tossed into the rig. Tori gasped as it became all too clear.

  Chapter 4

  Tori squinted her eyes to more clearly read the labels handwritten in marker on the boxes. She wanted to be sure. Boys, Girls, Bikes, Dolls, and Trucks. Several cartons read, Christmas Toys-General.

  She watched Zach and the strange man as they heaved the last of the boxes into the truck. The strange man then vanished into the darkness of the building. Tori finally comprehended Zach's mission. Mr. Tough Guy was delivering toys. Why couldn't he have told her that?

  She watched Zach hike to the front of the truck. He whistled for Spike and searched the grounds expectantly. Tori approached with the little dog beside her. She hid her smile now that she knew his deep, dark secret. They climbed into the cab, and before Zach could close his door, the stranger reappeared.

  "I gotta admit," the man began, "I was getting nervous that maybe you wouldn't show this year."

  "I got a late start and we hit a lot of detours and traffic with it being so close to Christmas. But we made it."

  "You're a man of your word."

  Zach shook the man's hand. "Looks like a huge crop this year. Thanks again."

  The man smiled, "It's all thanks to you. Without you, this wouldn't be possible. Same time next year?"

  Nodding, Zach forced half a smile and threw the rig in gear. All the while, he felt Tori's big inquisitive eyes on him. He knew the third-degree was coming.