Paradise Park

by Carolina Mac

“Let’s have a beer cowboy.” She grabbed a couple from the fridge and Lonnie took the caps off. “What time do you have to leave in the morning?”

  “Five,” he said as he poured Grace’s beer into a glass.

  “Where are you headed this time?”

  “Two-day run to Chicago. Can’t leave you here alone.”

  Grace frowned. “Yes, you can. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not doing it.”

  “What are you saying?” Grace took a sip of her beer and set the glass on the table.

  “Ted thought you should come with us.”

  “In the truck?”

  Lonnie chuckled and nodded. “Yep, in the truck. Get your stuff ready. We’re pulling out at five.”

  “Holy hell, cowboy, you got me with that one. I wasn’t expecting a road trip.”

  “Set your alarm for four-thirty and wake me up. I have to get some sleep if I’m going to drive all day tomorrow.” Lonnie chugged the rest of his beer.

  “Right. Can I have a good night kiss?”

  “Uh huh.” Lonnie kissed her good night and counted this day as one of his best ever.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LONNIE GRUMBLED WHEN Grace touched his arm. “Is it morning already? I think I woke up dead.” He righted himself and sat on the sofa with his head in his hands. He peered up at her through glazed eyes, half awake and saw the mug in her hand. “Damn, girl, you’re already dressed, with coffee made.” He tossed the blanket aside, dragged himself off the sofa and headed for the bathroom.

  Grace smiled as he cursed and struggled to get himself together. His thick mop of chocolate hair hung tangled in front of his tanned unshaven face. He was a hunk.

  Lonnie downed a quick coffee when he emerged from the bathroom. “All set?” he asked, his voice raspy from too many smokes. He pulled the truck keys out of his jeans and opened the door.

  The park was pitch dark and silent at five a.m. Dark and dank. A heavy coating of dew covered every surface. Grace squealed as a startled raccoon ran across the lawn five feet in front of her. Lonnie grabbed Ted’s collar to divert his attention from the chase and pointed him towards the truck. With Ted—a seasoned trucker—tucked back in the sleeper, the two of them settled into the cab. The huge Peterbilt engine turned over with a deafening rumble, idling with throbbing power under the hood. Lonnie found first gear and eased down Hickory Lane towards the park gate. As he headed south down the deserted highway Grace hummed ‘On the road Again’ and Lonnie chuckled.

  “Never had any company in my truck before.”

  Grace turned her head to watch him drive. “You look like such a stud wheeling this big rig. Makes me…you know.”

  “Not sure I do know.” Lonnie looked puzzled.

  “Makes me crazy for you.” Grace leaned over and ran her hand down his arm.

  Lonnie was hard just hearing her say the words and his heart pounded. He was glad he’d changed the sheets in the sleeper, although Ted was stretched out back there, at the moment, and his paws might be none too clean. Lonnie’s chest tightened and so did his jeans. Fuck, he was a mess. He never knew being in love was so stressful.

  “You can sleep for a while if you want to.” He turned towards Grace in the dark cab.

  “I don’t want to miss anything. I might take notes. Landmarks, scenery, things I can use later.”

  “You brought your laptop?”

  “I brought it in case I had spare time. Wish I could take a turn and help you drive.”

  “Sometimes I get so tired I have to stop, but I don’t take drugs. Saw enough guys going that route to convince me it wasn’t the answer.”

  At the border crossing in Sarnia, Lonnie wheeled into the truck lane and waited his turn in a long line. The truck weight was checked. He presented the manifest and was asked to pull over to the side.

  “What’s up?” asked Grace.

  “Weight’s okay. Something the assholes don’t like on the manifest. I have to see a broker. Won’t be too long.”

  When Lonnie cleared customs, and returned to the truck, Grace was dozing with her sunglasses on. The sun glared mercilessly through the windshield and had made her sleepy. Once Lonnie picked up I-94 for Chicago and covered a few miles he pulled into a truck stop for gas. “Want some breakfast?”

  “Sure, I’m getting hungry.”

  “Ted needs a break before we go inside.” Lonnie whistled and Ted poked his head out of the sleeper. “Come on, you lazy hound. You can’t sleep all day.”

  With Ted back in his bunk, they went inside the restaurant and Lonnie pointed at an empty table. The place was packed with truckers and the air hung heavy with the smell of bacon grease, stale tobacco and testosterone. Grace picked up a huge plastic menu and looked at the selections. Most of the offerings came with gross amounts of food. “What are you ordering?”

  “Usually get the trucker’s breakfast. Has everything.”

  Grace read over all that was included and frowned. “That’s more than I would eat in a day.”

  Lonnie grinned. “You’re a trucker now. You have to eat more food.”

  The waitress came around, filled the coffee cups and took the order. No waiting. Time was money to these guys. A trucker recognized Lonnie and ambled over to their table. He was a big guy, six foot-two or three with long hair and a beard. He drove a flatbed and usually hauled lumber down from B.C. “Hey Lon, what do we have here?”

  “This is Gracie, Phil. She’s my new partner.”

  “Fuck, man, nobody’s got a partner looks like that.” He punched Lonnie in the shoulder and chuckled. “Where you headed?”

  “Chicago.”

  “Uh huh. Some construction on the interstate, but don’t slow you down much.” He shuffled back to his own table.

  “You see a lot of the same guys at these stops. They like to razz each other,” Lonnie said by way of apology.

  “That’s okay. Usually I’m forced to fend off guys alone. I’m happy to be your partner.”

  Lonnie beamed. The waitress brought the mountain of food, plopped down the caddie filled with jam alongside the bill and they ate.

  Lonnie’s black and purple rig rolled on across Michigan with Willie Nelson blaring from the CD player. They arrived at the depot in a suburb of Chicago just before closing time. Grace had dozed off a few times during the afternoon, but remained alert enough to make notes about the towns they passed through, different historic building descriptions and things she deemed noteworthy.

  Lonnie came back from the dock and sat in the cab feeling stressed. “I know you’re tired, but if I wait an hour I can pick up a load for Hamilton and drop it tomorrow on the way back home.”

  “Do it. Pretend I’m not here. This is your livelihood, Lon. We’ll definitely wait.”

  “Why don’t you rest in the back until I’m loaded? Then we’ll park at the truck stop on the interstate and have dinner.”

  “Are we sleeping there too?”

  “Uh huh.”

  Gracie smiled. “I want to sleep in the back with you. I’ve been thinking about it all day.” She ran her hand down Lon’s arm and he shivered.

  “I wasn’t sure about…stuff,” he whispered.

  “I’m sure. Surer than I’ve ever been.”

  Lonnie grinned and went to see about the load.

  After another enormous meal at another crowded, noisy truck stop, Lonnie and Gracie sat at one of the picnic tables outside the restaurant. Ted needed a run before bed and Lonnie needed a smoke.

  “I’m glad I came with you, sugar pop. Let’s me see how tough the job is from your point of view. I can’t get to know you the way I want to unless I see what’s inside your head.”

  “Uh huh.” Lonnie paused for a moment. “How in hell will I ever find out what’s inside your head, Gracie? What do smart, beautiful girls think about? I’ll never know the answer to that, will I?”

  “You will if you pay attention. From what I’ve seen, most guys come home from work, eat dinner, make love to their wife, drink
beer and watch sports on TV. They don’t give a rat’s ass how hard their wife worked all day at her job, or how tired she was when she made dinner, or how she wished he’d had a shower before they had sex or anything like that. Stuff like that pisses me off.”

  Lonnie inhaled, feeling Grace’s stress. “I can see that. I’ll pay attention, I swear it.”

  Grace giggled and took his hand. “I was ranting, cowboy. Let’s check out the sleeper.”

  Once they were high up in the cab of the truck Lonnie waved to a couple of his friends. A lot of the guys knew him and they hollered back and forth for a bit.

  “The guys park in nice neat rows,” she said, “Feels like a community. Makes you feel safe.”

  Lonnie kicked off his boots before he climbed into the back and Grace followed his example. He held out his hand and she climbed into the bed.

  “This is fun,” she said, “must be like camping. I’ve never done that either.”

  “Me neither.” Lon screwed up his face. “Don’t like being cold and wet.”

  “Do you get cold and wet camping?” Grace cuddled closer to Lonnie.

  “Think so,” he said.

  “I don’t want to do it then. I want to be warm and dry in here next to my man.”

  Lonnie shoved Ted to the bottom of the bed and tried to make more room. He closed the curtain separating the sleeper from the cab and pulled Grace close to him. “I’m nervous about this,” he whispered. “Made myself crazy thinking about it all day.”

  “Let’s see how it goes. You’ve got the kissing down.”

  Lonnie chuckled. “Guess so.”

  Gracie turned on her side to face him and mussed up his hair. She did that a lot and he liked it. She kissed his face, his neck and then she put her open mouth over his and pressed her body tight up against him. Her hand slid under his shirt and rubbed his back and he never wanted it to stop. He moaned and reached for the bottom of her shirt. He slid his right hand underneath and caressed her silky-smooth skin. She was so soft and smelled so good he felt dizzy and uncoordinated. Grace wasted no time whipping her shirt over her head. The shift in movement pushed her crotch into his erection and she gave out a low growl he never heard come out of a girl before.

  Lonnie thought he would have a stroke before he figured out what she wanted him to do next, but she pioneered by pulling his t-shirt over his head, undoing her bra and burning her gorgeous chest into his skin. He groaned when the heat of her body melted into him. These were sensations he’d never experienced before and he couldn’t think clearly with the little shockwaves running through him.

  She was on top of him now, pressing her body down and licking his neck. Fuck, he loved that licking. Her knee rested between his legs and she rubbed against him. He was so hard he could feel his jeans strangling him. He shoved his hands down the back of her pants and pulled her amazing ass closer. She straddled his wood and pressed down hard with her crotch. He held his breath until he couldn’t any longer.

  He was on his back gasping for air and she was on the move—kissing him now, gently working her way down his chest, over his abs and going lower. He panted. How hot was it in the sleeper? He had never been hot in here before. Jesus Christ, she was licking his belly with her hand between his legs. He was going to come before he even got undressed.

  Lonnie rolled Grace onto her back, undid her zipper and slid her jeans down her smooth slim legs while he tried to recover his breathing. He pulled her tiny lace undies off and discarded the rest of his clothes with lightning speed. He threw them who-knows-where but thought they must have landed on Ted because he grunted.

  He tried to focus but things had stampeded way out of his control. Once he was naked, Gracie took his erection in hand with a firm grasp and she stroked him slowly. She had a velvet touch that made him insane with wanting her. He didn’t have much time left. Did she realize it? Lonnie let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

  Yes, she knew how far gone he was. She pulled him over on top of her and shoved the bulk of him inside her. He thought he’d go ballistic when he felt how hot and wet she was. A long low groan escaped his lips and Gracie turned it on. She gave him a lot of action from the bottom—action that he sure as hell didn’t need. She was crazy wild underneath him with both her hands on his ass and her legs wrapped around his hips. He couldn’t keep it together. He thrust down on her and a growl escaped from her throat. Long and low like a she-wolf. She arched her body into him and he lost his mind.

  “Give it to me, sugar. Put the hammer down,” she whispered to him.

  Lonnie was only good for three more hard thrusts. With each one, he penetrated deeper and deeper inside Gracie’s hot honey place. He was toast. He came with a roar and she pulled his ass as tight to her as she could get it. There was nothing better than this. There couldn’t be.

  All his energy spent, Lonnie lay still on top of her as she rubbed his back and kissed his neck.

  “I love you, cowboy,” she whispered.

  “I love you, Gracie.”

  I WOKE AND sneaked a peek at the time on my phone while Lonnie slept soundly beside me. Five thirty. Lonnie wanted to be on the road by six. We already had the load and were part way home. Ted stretched across the bottom of the bed breathing loudly and I smiled thinking about the night in the sleeper. Lonnie needed to be well rested to drive all the way back to Toronto and I tried not to move knowing I would disturb him.

  He rolled over and opened his big brown eyes. “Hey,” he said with a half-smile, his morning voice rough and raspy.

  “You’re so cute when you’re sleeping.” I rolled close to him, pulled my knee up between his legs and flopped my breasts onto his chest.

  “I like waking up like this,” he said, “I could do it every day.” He stroked my hair. “I love your hair when it’s all messy.”

  I pushed the sheet off and kissed Lonnie’s belly while he relaxed, still half asleep. My hair trailed down his abs, tickling him. He sucked in a huge breath when I took his erection in my mouth and revved him up. Lonnie moaned as I mounted him and rode him until I was spent. “No mercy,” I said at the end and Lonnie gave it up with a groan. He laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.

  All the activity in the sleeper woke Ted and he whined to get out of the truck. I groped around for my clothes, dressed with some difficulty on the bed, and then took Ted for a walk. I relaxed at one of the picnic tables with Ted beside me and waited for Lonnie to make his appearance.

  He sat down beside me on the bench and lit up his first smoke of the day.

  “You look tired. I should have let you get more sleep.”

  “I can sleep tonight when we get home,” he said and then his mouth twisted into a smile, “or maybe I can’t.” He chuckled.

  “I can be merciful.”

  “Or not.” Lonnie leaned over, pushed back my long hair and kissed my neck. “Let’s get coffee and an egg sandwich to go and get a few hundred miles behind us before we stop again.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “As if.” He chuckled as he took Ted back to the truck. Ted jumped in the passenger door as Lonnie said, “That was the best night of my life, Ted and you were my witness.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  HAROLD’S DAY BEGAN at nine a.m. when the police arrived on his doorstep and asked him to accompany them to every trailer in the park. Now that an official report had been filed, each and every resident had to be questioned about the disappearance of Mabel Plimpton. Officer Hodges had brought a partner to help with the door to door questioning and speed things up. Hodges introduced Smithson—a tall, lanky fair-haired cop with blue eyes and a pale complexion. He gave the impression that he might be a rookie, but Harold shook his hand and didn’t bother to ask.

  This door to door questioning is going to freak the residents out of their shorts.

  “Can I ask what Edgar told you about Mabel’s whereabouts?” asked Harold.

  “Same story he told you. She’s visiting out west. We checked an
d she’s not there. Looks like we caught him in a lie and he had to change his story. Then he said that’s what his wife told him. If she didn’t go to Alberta then he had no clue where she went. We have no evidence and nothing to go on.”

  “Where the hell could she go with five dogs?” asked Harold.

  “I don’t know, sir. Maybe we’ll get more information today. I realize this door to door campaign is an inconvenience for you, Mr. Deegan.”

  “Doesn’t matter about me, inconvenience or not. She’s a missing resident and has to be found.”

  “That’s right,” said Smithson, “the woman is officially missing.”

  “I presume you’ve already questioned the family,” said Harold. “I phoned their oldest daughter, Susan, the other day and Edgar had told her the same story about the trip out west.”

  “Yes, sir. We’re pursuing every avenue to locate her.”

  They started at the back gate of the park with Smithson taking the trailers on the north side of the narrow gravel road and Hodges taking the south side. They knocked on Gary’s door and he answered it none too quickly. When he finally opened up, he looked bleary-eyed and hung over. His salt and pepper hair drooped in his eyes and he was shirtless.

  “More cops.” Gary shook his head. “Rob ain’t here.”

  “This isn’t about your brother,” said Hodges. “Mrs. Plimpton hasn’t been seen in a couple of weeks and I wondered if you had seen her. Any bit of information would help.”

  “She the one with the little shit dogs?” Gary trudged out onto the deck with his pants at half-mast. He lit up a smoke and leaned on the railing. “Never seen her since the first meeting I went to. Not once. Not the little yappers either.”

  Hodges offered his card. “If you think of anything, give me a call.”

  “For sure,” said Gary with a big grin, “always my pleasure to help the law.”

  Hodges raised his eyebrows, but Harold figured cops were used to hearing lots of whoppers. Officer Smithson caught up as they worked their way down the row of trailers.

  “Anything?” Hodges asked his partner.

  “Nothing so far.”