Queen of the Road

by Tricia Stringer

  ‘Hello handsome,’ she giggled. ‘Where did Jeremy find you?’

  Coop stretched his mouth up into a smile and quickly moved away. High-pitched laughter grated his ears, elbows and hands bumped him this way and that, and he somehow found himself by the glass door leading to the balcony. He grabbed the handle and lurched outside. The cold wind whipped the warmth from his body but he didn’t care. He moved to the rail. There was no light on and the glass dulled the noise from inside.

  Why had he come tonight? This wasn’t his scene. He’d had some crazy notion that he’d enjoy Angela’s company, that it might even be fun. But she’d disappeared – probably filling up on champagne and partying – and the other guests were getting on his nerves.

  Coop looked up at the sky. No clouds tonight and the moon was full. If he closed his eyes he could imagine he was back at home. He recalled the occasions he’d spent with Angela and Claudia in Munirilla. Coop’s world brightened when he was with them, yet they were still out of reach. He’d thought maybe he could live wherever they were, but tonight was a cruel reminder that he just wouldn’t survive in the city. It wasn’t simply the party or the people, but the traffic and the houses and everything; they all pressed in on him. He needed space.

  He cast his eyes across the twinkling lights sprawled as far as he could see, then looked up at the moon again.

  On their way to Adelaide, Angela had told him she was thinking seriously about staying on in Munirilla, at least while Claudia was still young. His hopes had risen at the prospect, but she wasn’t talking long term. Coop couldn’t expect her to swap city life for the country, especially if he wasn’t able to do the opposite.

  At least Alice was on the mend and would be home soon. He could see out this winter and then move on, perhaps before harvest, definitely before he trapped himself in a relationship doomed to failure.

  There was a tap on the glass behind him. He ignored it at first but it continued, forcing him to turn back. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see Angela beckoning him through the glass. His heart flipped. He could deny it as much as he liked, but he was already in love with her.

  ‘I couldn’t find you,’ she said once he was back inside. ‘What were you doing out there? It’s freezing.’ She grabbed his arms with her hands. ‘You’re like ice.’ She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

  ‘Just getting some fresh air,’ he mumbled into the top of her head.

  Before he could do anything more, she let him go. Her face was flushed.

  ‘I guess we’d better head off if we’re going to make it back by morning.’ She looked around. ‘Goodness knows where Jeremy is. We had to talk in his bedroom. It’s too loud in here to hear a thing.’

  Coop felt a surge of jealousy. He’d come to this party to spend time with Angela and she’d been with Jeremy in his bedroom.

  ‘There he is.’ She grabbed Coop’s hand and guided them expertly through the crowd. ‘I found him.’ Angela waved Coop’s hand in the air like a prize, then dropped it before kissing Jeremy on the cheek. ‘Thanks for inviting us and thanks for the … well, you know.’ She smiled sheepishly.

  ‘My pleasure, on all accounts,’ Jeremy said with a wink. He thrust his hand towards Coop. ‘Nice to see you on my patch for a change. We’ll have to do this again. Not sure when I’ll be back in Munirilla though. Nothing against you two, but not soon, I hope.’

  Angela grabbed Coop’s hand again and he let her lead him down the stairs. Anything to feel that soft warm hand in his, despite whatever was going on between her and Jeremy.

  Chapter 40

  Angela could hear herself babbling but she couldn’t quell her excitement. Spending time with Coop set all her senses racing, despite her efforts to suppress them. She knew he was only here to do her a favour and she’d decided not to let another man get under her guard – but Coop had, and he wasn’t even trying.

  Once they’d cleared the city she’d dozed a little, but now she was awake again, feeling as refreshed as if she’d slept for a hundred years. She couldn’t believe she’d kissed Coop at the party, if only playfully, and that she’d hugged him, even if just to warm him up. But despite this, and despite her current excitement, he hadn’t responded. She was sure, from the way he looked at her, that he was sending some vibe, but she must be on the wrong channel. Now he was silent as she raved on about Jeremy, Berls, Ken and the goings-on in Munirilla.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘I’ve hardly stopped since I woke up. But I think I’ve uncovered the reason for my freight problems: Berls are in trouble financially.’

  Coop was silent for a moment, then he glanced her way. ‘If Jeremy’s their accountant, isn’t there some kind of client confidentiality?’

  ‘Well, I did have to press him. We had to go into his bedroom …’ She trailed off as she realised just how that sounded. ‘To talk, I mean. I didn’t want to have to shout above the noise.’ She lapsed into silence, recalling her last encounter in a bedroom where nothing had happened. At least Coop didn’t know about that. And after her run-in at the pub with Clifford Junior, she’d decided to be more circumspect with her drinking. Tonight she’d only had two glasses, maybe three. Jeremy had kept topping her up, but she’d left the drink behind once they started talking.

  ‘The music was very loud,’ Coop said.

  Angela thought she detected some amusement in his voice, but she couldn’t see his face to be sure.

  ‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘Jeremy mentioned a few things about Berls, then I read between the lines a bit, and then he said if I told anyone he’d discussed Berls with me, he’d deny it.’

  ‘Jeremy may have been stringing you along, you did both have a few drinks.’

  ‘Actually, I don’t think he had much to drink at all. And I only had two.’ She frowned. Since when was it Coop’s business if she had one drink or seven? ‘But none of that matters,’ she said quickly. ‘The bottom line is, Berls have lost their contract to deliver to the mines, which gives them good reason to want the Munirilla run. They’ve got trucks and no work, so they’re looking for freight.’

  ‘But why undercut? As you say, they’d be losing money. Why not look for other jobs?’

  ‘They’ve already got a base in Munirilla with their stock business. It would make sense to consolidate.’

  ‘But not to undercut.’

  Angela looked across at his profile and pictured those gentle green eyes of his. He was such a kind person. He didn’t think the worst of anyone.

  ‘It would if they were trying to get rid of the opposition,’ she said. ‘Ranger Transport is new in town. The locals will stick with what they know, even more so if the price is right.’

  ‘But Ken said Berls were charging much more than the going rate.’

  ‘And I’ve no doubt they will again once they chase us out. Since I’ve been here, there’ve been too many mix-ups, too many changes and cancellations that haven’t made sense. I’m sure Cliff Senior dobbed me in to the police as well. I think they may have even tried to run me off the road.’

  Coop looked concerned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘My last trip back to Munirilla, some mad truckie tailgated me, then screamed past so fast I couldn’t get a clear look at his rig.’

  ‘But how would Berls know when and where to find you?’

  ‘It’d be easy enough to find out my schedule.’

  ‘But wasn’t that meant to be a day trip? You didn’t know you’d have the problem with the truck and get held up, so how could they?’

  Angela gasped. ‘Maybe …’

  ‘You’re not telling me they caused the fault?’ said Coop.

  ‘No,’ she said quickly, that was too paranoid even for her. ‘But it may have given them the opportunity.’

  They were both silent for a moment.

  ‘But that would mean they were prepared to harm you or even … You could have been killed if you’d been run off the road.’

  A chill went through Angela as she recalled
the truck zooming past so close it made her rig wobble in its wake.

  ‘Where was Claudia?’

  ‘Asleep in the bunk.’

  Angela stared ahead as Big Red thundered on into the night. She’d never given thought to the possibility of a crash, but there were accidents with trucks every day. Truck drivers always seemed to walk away with barely a scratch or they were killed – there weren’t many in betweens. She tried to imagine what would have happened if they’d gone off the road. She pictured that narrow stretch near Munirilla, hemmed in by trees. Big Red would have ploughed a path through them, but what if they’d tipped? Unrestrained in the bunk, Claudia would have been tossed around like a rag doll.

  Angela closed her eyes, trying to block out the thought. She opened them again as she felt Big Red slow. The road in front was clear. The only thing she could see was a parking bay ahead on the left. She looked across at Coop who was working down through the gears.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ she asked.

  He didn’t reply as he turned the rig into the parking bay, brought it to a halt and climbed out.

  ‘Coop,’ she called, leaning forward as he shut the door. She sat herself back in her seat.

  Coop strode around the front of the truck, his tall body lit up by the powerful headlights. Then Angela was hit by a blast of cold air as he opened her door and stepped up beside her.

  ‘Coop? What are you …?’ Her words were swallowed by his mouth covering hers, his arms gently wrapping around her. His weight pressed her back against the seat. The feel of his lips sent a tingle through her body and she responded in kind. She slid her fingers up through his hair, kissing him back, enjoying the soft warmth of his mouth.

  The sound of another motor vibrated over the top of Big Red’s idling engine. Coop pulled back as a set of lights flooded the parking bay beside them. They were no longer alone and before Angela could say anything, he jumped down and shut her door.

  She sat like a weak kitten and watched him pass back in front of the truck. So many times she’d imagined this moment, though not quite in this situation – buckled into the passenger seat in a parking bay in the middle of the night. But whatever had prompted Coop to kiss her, she’d take it.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat and set Big Red in motion as another truck eased up beside them. How were they going to get all the way back to Munirilla, each in their own seats, separated by this small, unbridgeable distance?

  She put her fingers to her lips, still tingling from his kiss, then stretched her arm across to run her fingers down his cheek and across his lips. He kissed them as they passed, reassuring her that she hadn’t imagined the whole thing.

  They were both silent as Big Red carried them forward into the night, like two mute dummies strapped into a rocket, hurtling into space. You can’t kiss someone like that then walk away, thought Angela. What might have happened if the other truck hadn’t come along? Her body was on fire. No one had her made her feel this way since … since Nigel.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ His voice startled her.

  ‘Why?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t usually kiss women out of the blue.’

  ‘Did it seem like I minded?’

  ‘Well, I didn’t really give you much choice.’

  She put a hand on his arm. ‘I wanted to kiss you weeks ago …

  The picnic at the rock …’

  ‘I felt that way too but … I’ve been trying not to get involved.’

  ‘So have I.’

  He kept his eyes on the road. Angela sat back and did the same.

  ‘Why–’ they both said at once, before their laughter filled the cab. Angela felt the tension ease from her body and she tried again.

  ‘I was going to say, why have you been trying not to get involved?’

  ‘So was I.’

  ‘You first,’ she insisted. ‘You already know so much about me, thanks to my little sidekick.’

  ‘I always feel the need to move on,’ he said.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t stay in one place for very long.’

  ‘Have you ever?’

  He didn’t reply straight away, and she tried to watch his face. It was hard to tell his expression in the darkness.

  ‘Once, a long time ago.’

  ‘What made you stay back then?’

  He was silent again and Angela waited. If there was to be anything between them, she wanted to know more about what made him tick.

  Finally he spoke, but his voice was low. ‘The feeling that I belonged … I had a home to go to at the end of the day and someone cared whether I lived or died.’

  Angela sat perfectly still. His words could have just as easily been about her. She had her dad looking out for her in his own way, and she had friends, but Kate was the only one who’d really stuck by her. Of course there was Claudia, but her life in Melbourne still lacked that sense of belonging. Things might have been different if her mother was still alive. Angela cast her mind back over the conversations she’d had with Coop. He’d never mentioned any family.

  ‘Did something happen to your parents?’

  He turned her way briefly and Angela could see the pain on his face. He took a while to answer.

  ‘I don’t know if my father is dead or alive. I was the result of a one-night stand. My mother lives in Queensland, and then there’s Jeff. My mother married him when I was twelve. It didn’t last, but Jeff’s been there for me on several occasions – like a dad would be, I guess.’

  His tone wasn’t one of self-pity, just matter-of-fact. Angela’s heart broke for him.

  ‘You don’t see your mother or Jeff?’

  ‘No.’ His response was quick. ‘I always let Jeff know where I am though. We keep in touch.’

  ‘Your mother must miss you.’ Angela tried to imagine no contact with her father. They spoke every few days.

  ‘Some things happened. It’s best I don’t make contact.’

  Once again there was silence. She tried to think of something to lighten the mood.

  ‘You’re not running from the law, are you?’

  He didn’t reply and Angela’s heart skipped a beat. Her flippant comment hung between them. Finally he answered.

  ‘No.’

  She reached a hand across to his cheek again, hoping to dispel the awkwardness. He was always clean shaven but tonight she could feel the roughness of new growth.

  ‘You’re distracting the driver,’ he said.

  ‘I want to know more about you.’

  ‘I could stop again.’

  It was a very tempting thought. Angela glanced at the thick trees lining the road. They were close to Munirilla now. It was around here that the truck had overtaken her the other night – there was little room to pull a big rig off the road.

  ‘I’ll wait till we’re home.’

  ‘That sounds like a promise.’

  She chuckled as warmth tingled through her. ‘It is.’

  ‘Okay, so now I need distracting till we get to town.’ The spark had returned to his voice. ‘Tell me about you. Why don’t you want to get involved?’

  ‘You already know most of it,’ said Angela.

  ‘You had a bad bust-up with Claudia’s father.’

  Angela thought about that for a moment. ‘It was a fizzer of a bust-up, really. Nigel just got up one morning and told me he was going overseas. We barely heard a word for seven months, then he came back and tried to pick up with Claudia as if he’d never left.’

  ‘But not with you?’

  ‘No, not with me. I’m a slow learner when it comes to men. I thought Nigel and I would be together forever. I believed it. A little part of me thought he might come back for me, but then when he did come back …’ She drew in a quick breath and clicked her tongue. ‘I’ve made some mistakes I’d rather not repeat.’

  The ‘Welcome to Munirilla’ sign appeared and Angela glanced at the clock on the dash.

  ‘We made good time.’

  Coop was silent wh
ile he navigated the truck off the main road and into the yard. He turned off the motor. For a moment there was no sound but the final ticks and clunks of the cooling engine. Finally, he undid his seatbelt. Angela smiled as he climbed across the space between them and wrapped her in his arms again.

  Chapter 41

  The first rays of the morning sun were glowing against the cloudy sky as Coop stopped the ute in the drive. He stepped out and sucked in a long, deep breath. Jilly bounded up to greet him. The house was a dark shadow against the lightening sky. Joan must have turned the back light off again. Coop squatted down and pulled Jilly under his arm for a hug.

  ‘How are you, girl? Been spoilt while I’ve been away?’

  He’d asked Joan to feed the dogs in his absence. He hadn’t spoken to Annabel since he discovered the missing sheep in her holding pen.

  The dog nudged her nose at his face. Coop rubbed her head and stood up. He stretched his arms above himself, then tugged his bag from the ute. He’d need a few hours rest before starting work, even if actual sleep eluded him. He could still taste Angela’s kiss and feel the heat of her body.

  Jilly dropped a stick at his feet. He stooped to throw it for her.

  He’d prefer to still be with Angela but they each had commitments to attend to. He needed to keep working on the feed paddocks and she had to collect Claudia as well as unload the truck. Once they’d arrived at the depot it had taken them a while to come up for air, but eventually reality had edged its way between them.

  Coop threw the stick for Jilly again and tried to push away the images of his last hour with Angela. They hadn’t made plans to see each other again, but now that he was alone, he wished they had. Maybe if he got enough seeding done he could see her tonight. The Camerons were well underway with the oats and as long as he got the feed paddocks sown, he’d be on track. He’d put in a solid session on the tractor, then head back into town.

  Coop felt as if his boots were on springs. He made his way to the verandah where Rusty was curled up by the back door. The old dog didn’t move until Coop was right beside him, when he lifted his head with a jerk and struggled to his feet.