by Gail Sattler
Ken stiffened his back and sucked in a deep breath. He wanted to make his separation from the head office of Quinlan Enterprises as quick and painless as possible.
He couldn’t believe how his world had come crashing down around his feet in such a short time.
Molly’s words echoed through his head.
“I wouldn’t be seeing you if I hadn’t broken your arm.”
He thought she loved him too, but obviously she didn’t. Even if she didn’t love him now, he’d thought she at least liked him, and that one day she possibly could love him the same way he loved her. He would have accepted her rejection of his marriage proposal if he could continue to try to establish a relationship. But he’d completely misread her. She’d only been seeing him out of guilt and pity. The knowledge stabbed him where he would never recover.
He couldn’t in good conscience terminate her employment because of his own poor judgment in overestimating their relationship. Nor could he handle being in her presence every day without the pain of defeat and loss of even her friendship. In order to do the admirable and right thing, he had no alternative but to return to his old position. Either he could continue on as production manager at the Winnipeg plant for the rest of his life, or he could seek a management position with another company. Neither choice was what he wanted, but he felt drawn to return to what was familiar, at least for now, until he could regain his bearings.
Of course his uncle had been disappointed at his decision, but he’d understood. Ken knew he was leaving with his uncle’s blessings, as well as wishes that time would heal things to the point where he could return. But Ken knew that could never happen. As long as Molly was in Vancouver, he couldn’t be.
The airline section of the phone book sat open in front of him. Ken had just begun to dial when the door burst open. He flinched when Molly slammed the door shut behind her with a bang.
Molly marched to the front of the desk and thumped the phone book shut. He started to open his mouth, but before he could protest, she grabbed the phone out of his hand and whacked the button down with her finger, knowing full well that due to his lack of mobility because of the cast, he couldn’t stop her.
She stood before him, breathing heavily, the phone in her hand.
“Can I help you with something, Molly?”
“I can’t allow you to do this. You can’t abandon your career.” She dropped the receiver into the phone cradle and crossed her arms. Her chest rose and fell quickly with her angered breathing. Her mane of unruly hair surrounded her face in a halo of color, the red a testimony to her rising temper.
“I’ve simply had a change of plans.”
He didn’t know what he expected Molly to do, but as usual, he wasn’t even close. Before he realized what she was doing, she stomped around the desk, stood beside his chair, and stared down at him, her clenched fists planted on her hips. She was vibrant and beautiful and he loved her from the depths of his soul.
“I can’t let you pack up and leave. Your family is counting on you. You’ve worked up to this your whole life. You can’t leave because of me.”
Ken opened his mouth to speak, but Molly raised one finger in the air, silencing him, which was fine. He was too afraid to hope for what he knew he couldn’t have.
“You know things have to be different before we could possibly have any kind of relationship, don’t you?”
Ken’s heart pounded. His mind reeled and his heart pounded in his chest with the hope she meant what he thought she meant. If she did mean it, he didn’t want to wait.
He turned his chair to face her, then stood, inwardly loathing the cast that held his left arm immobile. If there ever was a moment he needed to hold Molly properly, it was now. Since he couldn’t wrap his casted arm around her, he rested his fingers to the side of her waist and cupped her chin with his other hand. He swallowed hard, forcing the words out.
“Did I hear you say ‘relationship’? Does this mean you’ve changed your mind?”
Molly raised her hands, and Ken closed his eyes for a brief second at the gentle touch of her fingers on his cheeks. She raised herself on her toes and brought herself closer. His heart soared in the hope that she was going to kiss him. He knew a major portion of the office staff could see them through the office window, but he didn’t care. If Molly was touching him in plain view of anyone in the area, it could mean only one thing, that his prayers for the love of the perfect woman were coming true.
“I love you too, and I’m so sorry about the way I acted. I can’t live without you, and if you think we can make it work, despite everything, then I trust you.”
Ken’s heart pounded so hard he almost felt lightheaded. He remained with his feet firmly planted on the ground and cleared his throat. He stared into Molly’s beautiful green eyes, begging God with all his heart and soul that this time he would receive the answer he wanted. “Then will you marry me, Molly? Let me warn you, I don’t want a long engagement.”
She raised herself even closer. “Me neither,” she whispered against his lips.
Ken closed his eyes. If she meant what he thought she did, then she had just accepted his proposal. Soon Molly would be his wife, and they would be happy together for the rest of their lives.
He waited, wanting from the depths of his soul for Molly to kiss him, but she didn’t. “I guess you know what this means, then?” She spoke against his lips.
Ken couldn’t think. His brain refused to function. “What?” he barely managed to ask.
Her soft lips pressed against his, and just before she gave him the best kiss of his life, she mumbled, “It means I quit.”
On the
Road Again
Prologue
I hear you’re going to become an auntie.”
Gwen Lamont nodded. “Yes. When I teased Garrett and Robbie and said it would probably be twins, Robbie went all pale and I thought she was going to faint.”
Uncle Chad snickered and sipped his coffee.
The chair next to her scraped the floor and Garrett sat down beside her.
Gwen plunked her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palms. “Hey, Bro’. Is Robbie feeling better?”
“Yes, no thanks to you. She’s lying down.”
Gwen lost her smile. “I was just teasing, I didn’t mean to scare her.” When her brother just shrugged his shoulders, Gwen turned to her uncle. “So, Uncle Chad. What’s wrong? I can tell something’s bothering you.”
A loud sigh told her she was right. “Jeff has to take the summer off for a hernia operation, but I’m under contract to run doubles. I asked the boss, but he said the company can’t be without the team for that long. I’m going to have to find another partner, but good drivers are hard to find.”
“Oh, come on, Uncle Chad. I’m sure lots of people can drive a truck. How hard could it be?”
Garrett made a strange sound under his breath but didn’t comment.
Uncle Chad slammed his fist into the table. “It’s much harder to drive a truck than people think.”
“Oh, come on now. The hardest part would be having to sit next to you for days on end.”
“I didn’t think you, of all people, would be like this, Gwen.”
She couldn’t hold back her laugh. “Why? I speak the truth.”
She felt a poke in her arm. She turned to her brother. “What?”
“If it’s so easy, prove it. You have all summer off.”
“Pardon me?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “I dare ya.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Garrett jerked his head toward their uncle. “If you think driving a semi is so easy, you can be the temporary driver.”
“It’s called a tractor-trailer, not a semi,” Uncle Chad muttered under his breath. “Amateurs.”
Both men stared at her, and she glared back at Garrett.
Over the years they had constantly challenged each other, much to the dismay of all who knew them. Sel
dom did either of them back down, but this time Garrett had gone too far. While it was true that, as a teacher, Gwen had all summer off and didn’t have plans except for a few outings with her friends, the last thing she would ever have thought of doing would be spending all her time with Uncle Chad.
On the other hand, as a truck driver, her uncle Chad visited lots of interesting places all over North America, even though he seldom stayed long anywhere. Sometimes it was just a day before he picked up his next load and kept going. Often he and his driving partner had remarkable tales to tell of the fascinating places they visited. As a child, she had been amazed at the stories her uncle told. He was also part of a network of Christian drivers who traveled together when their paths crossed.
Garrett was right. Once her classes for the school year were over, she had no plans for the summer. Now that her two best friends were married, one of them to her brother, she was starting to feel left out.
They continued to stare at her, and Garrett raised one eyebrow. “Forget it, Uncle Chad. She knows she can’t do it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back. “I don’t imagine it’s much different than pulling the camper or boat, except it’s bigger and heavier, and it’s farther than the campsite.”
Uncle Chad grunted.
“Coward,” Garrett taunted.
Gwen glanced toward the calendar on the wall. She had two months and then school would be over, leaving her nothing to do but stare at her four walls.
Garrett turned to Uncle Chad. “It’s not a job for a woman, anyway.”
Gwen rose and stomped to the drawer and pulled out the phone book.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to register for classes and learn how to drive a truck. By the last day of school, I’ll have my Class-One license, and my name better be painted on the door of that rig.”
Garrett laughed.
Uncle Chad groaned.
Gwen dialed. She could hardly wait ‘til the first day of summer.
Chapter 1
The blast of the air horn sounded just as Gwen stuffed the last pair of socks into her duffel bag.
“I can’t believe you’re really doing this.”
Molly approached Gwen’s bedroom, one hand waving in the air as she walked. Molly’s husband, Ken, stood silently in the hall, keeping a respectable distance.
Gwen yanked the zipper shut. “I’ve got nothing better to do all summer, and Uncle Chad needs the help.”
Molly planted her fists on her hips. “But you just barely got home from school and you’re already leaving. We were planning a party to see you off. You’re going to be gone before everyone’s here.”
Gwen hitched the strap over her shoulder, then grabbed her camera. “Sorry. The load’s gotta go.”
Molly snorted. “You sound like a truck driver.”
“I am a truck driver. Starting right now.”
She walked past Molly, smiled a greeting at Ken, then walked through the living room. Garrett sat on the couch with their mother, eating the goodies that had been laid out for the party. He waved, then popped another meatball into his mouth, but she caught the wink and the approving gleam in his eye before she left the room.
A few of her friends and her aunt Chelsea surrounded the truck, which was parked in front of the house. Uncle Chad bowed from his position beside the passenger door and pointed to the scripted handwriting next to the door handle.
“You did it!” Gwen gasped. “That’s my name on your truck!”
Aunt Chelsea poked her husband in the ribs. “Don’t get too excited, Gwen, Dear. It’s not permanent. It will only last until the next rain, I’m afraid. So, enjoy it while you can.”
Uncle Chad cleared his throat and checked his watch. “Let’s get going, Gwen. We’ve got lots of miles to make by dawn Monday.”
Gwen looked up at the mountains to the north, and then to the flatness of the Fraser Valley to the south. High school was out, and the Vancouver summer had begun. All the spring flowers and fruit blossoms were gone, but her mother’s cherry tree was full of cherries, even though they were still green. All the other trees and bushes were lush with deep green foliage. Her mother’s rose bush with its fragrant blossoms was in full bloom, and the wisteria growing up the trellis was starting to open its lavender buds. The strawberries were ready to be picked and eaten, and her mother had given her a tub to snack on as they drove.
Gwen knew she would miss everyone, but she told herself she would only be gone a week. She’d be back for a few days and catch up on all she missed before the next load sent her away from home.
She opened the door and was in the process of hoisting herself up into the cab when Robbie’s voice sounded behind her. “I can’t believe you’re doing this, Gwen.”
Gwen laughed. “I think I’m hearing an echo. Molly just said the same thing.”
“Doesn’t that tell you something?”
She pushed her duffel bag and camera behind her into the bunk, closed the door, fastened her seatbelt, and leaned her head out the open window. “Yes. It tells me I’ve been too predictable all my life. See you in a week.”
With another blast of the air horn, they were on their way to the terminal to pick up their first load.
Lionel Bradshaw waited for the dispatcher’s signal to begin fueling, glad to be outside. All the other drivers were hanging around in the dispatch office instead of the lunchroom, and the place was getting crowded. Word had it that Chad was due into the yard shortly with his temporary driver—his niece who had the summer off from school. They all could hardly wait to see the kid and have a good laugh. Frankly, Lionel pitied the poor girl, who probably had no idea what was being said about her. He couldn’t help but be annoyed at Chad. He should have seen this coming and found someone else.
Sometimes drivers brought along wives or girlfriends who had their Class-One, claiming they actually drove when their own allotment of driving time was up. But those women didn’t really drive. They were a ruse so the driver could make more miles without getting caught on an infraction. Everyone knew what was really going on. Short of someone falling asleep at the wheel, there was no way to catch them. Lionel praised the Lord that such an accident hadn’t happened to anyone there yet, but everyone knew, one day it would.
He could understand if, in desperation, Chad had asked a nephew to help drive, regardless of a young age, but a girl …
Of course she had to be old enough to drive to get her Class-One license. Still, Lionel thought Chad had more sense. Most of all, he had always looked up to Chad, as a Christian brother, to do the right and honest thing.
He’d just finished checking the oil when Chad’s unit pulled up behind him at the pump. First Chad hopped out of the driver’s side. Then the passenger door opened.
It wasn’t a girl who hopped out at all, but a gorgeous, dark-haired woman about ten years older than the student he’d been expecting—a woman who would rival many men for height. Even though she wore sneakers, she walked smoothly and evenly, with the grace of a model.
“Lionel, this is my niece, Gwen. She’s going to drive with me for the summer until Jeff comes back.”
She stood in front of him and extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Lionel.”
Despite her height, she had delicate hands. Woman’s hands. Lionel quickly checked his palm for grease, then wiped it on his jeans, just in case. “Yeah,” he muttered as he returned her handshake. “Same.”
She stood almost eye-to-eye with him, not more than an inch shorter than he was, not breaking eye contact. Her boldness was one thing in her favor, but he knew she couldn’t possibly be prepared for what awaited her inside the dispatch office. Even Lionel couldn’t stand the off-color remarks and had left.
Lionel finished fueling and pulled his truck forward to allow Chad to drive up to the pump. Rather than going back to the dispatch office, he remained outside to check her out without everyone else watching.
“Uncle Chad? The man in
the window waved so you can get your gas now.”
“It’s not ‘gas,’ it’s diesel. And we call it fuel.”
“Oops.”
Lionel frowned. She would never survive.
While Chad filled his tank, Lionel and Chad talked about the upcoming routine maintenance on their units. He couldn’t help but notice Gwen soaking in every word, even though she added nothing to the conversation.
When they were done, they walked into the dispatch office together to get their running orders. The room fell into silence, and Burt, the dispatcher, raised his eyes from the calculator. “Lionel, your load’ll be ready soon. You’ve got a set of dry joints for Casper.” He turned to Chad. “So this is your new driver. I’m Burt. You have a high cube van for Bismarck. The rear’s dragging and the yard shunt is hooking the switch, so you’ve gotta slide the bogeys.” He stared straight at Gwen, waiting for a response.
Her face went blank and, without moving her head, she quickly glanced at Chad, who nodded ever so slightly.
She smiled at Burt. “No problem,” she said.
A number of muffled snickers echoed in the room. Lionel didn’t laugh. In a way, he felt sorry for her. Burt had deliberately tried to intimidate her. When he’d first started driving, it had taken him awhile to understand the lingo. As a new driver he had been allowed a lot of leeway, but he could see they wouldn’t cut any slack for Chad’s niece. Simply because she was a woman, she would face a certain amount of ridicule with their own company drivers, but he wondered if she had any idea what she was in for once she got out on the road, where it was survival of the fittest.
Now that the show was over, rather than file into the lunchroom with everyone else, he joined Chad and Gwen as they went outside and prepared to leave.
Gwen glanced back and forth between the two men. “I have no idea what he just said. They didn’t talk like that in driving school.”
“Burt’s just trying to confuse you with the lingo. Don’t worry about it.”
