Truck Stop
Allie McCormack
Publication date: December 11th 2018 (audio)
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Teri Campbell is on the run, on a bus ride to nowhere. An unscheduled stop on the wind-blown plains of Wyoming leaves her at M&J’s Truck Stop… and in the arms of Mike Gallagher, the young trucker who appoints himself her protector, who understands her as no one else could. But will her new life and her new-found love be enough when events take an unexpected turn? …and can even Mike keep her safe from the past that threatens to reclaim her?
Excerpt
EXCERPT #1 from Chapter 2
“Betty, great, you’ve been showing Teri around. Here, hon, let me....” and Marsha swiftly dropped the apron over Teri’s head and spun her around, her hands working quickly to tie the strings. “I cannot believe we are so busy! Betty told you about the Triple R?”
Teri nodded, and Marsha straightened with a sigh as another truck pulled into the driveway and disappeared around the side of the building.
“I know it’s great for business, but it’s going to be another rough evening. Oh well, at least Charlie made it in this time. Joe does hate cooking. Betty,” Marsha flashed a harassed glance at the clock on the wall above the register. “I hate to ask, can you run into town and get a few things for me? I’ll give you a check to take...”
Another glance at the clock, and she turned her warm smile on Teri.
“It’ll be okay, you and I can handle it for awhile. At least with Charlie here, I won’t have so much to do in the kitchen. You did just great yesterday, and today we’ll split the work the same way. It won’t be as relaxed as I’d hoped for your first day, but it won’t be the disaster that last night was.”
That seemed to be taking an awful lot for granted, Teri thought with a muffled groan as she lowered herself onto a stool at the counter several hours later. In the early afternoon the wind had picked up again and a local Little League baseball game had been canceled, so they’d been inundated with a several carloads of budding Mickey Mantles, along with their doting parents and quarrelsome siblings.
She sighed, wrapping her hands around her cup of hot tea, hoping her fingers would warm up soon. She’d started to worry about losing them to frostbite after making a dozen milkshakes for the group of teens that had swarmed in shortly after the baseball players had left. But things had finally slowed down, and it was quiet except for the occasional burst of laughter from a group of truckers in a booth at the far end.
The back door of the restaurant, at the end of the truckers’ section, flew open, accompanied by a gust of wind, and several more men stomped in, shedding coats and hats. There was a bustling amongst the men already seated, and a ringing shout.
“Hey, MikeAngel!”
Teri looked around curiously, to see the young man from last night – the tall one with the broad shoulders, the shaggy golden hair and deep green eyes – raise a hand in greeting to his friends as he turned to shrug off his coat and hang it on the hooks by the door. Teri turned to Marsha, who was leaning against the counter nearby, sipping a glass of orange juice as she carefully wiggled her foot back and forth.... the one that had been stomped on by one of the little baseball darlings in his rush to be the first one to a booth.
“MikeAngel?” she asked.
Marsha looked up. “What? Oh! That’s a CB handle, hon. They have those radios in the trucks and talk back and forth while they’re on the road. “
She went back to contemplation of her injured foot, and Teri slid a glance sideways at Mike, who’d joined his friends in the booth. MikeAngel.... Michael.... the Archangel Michael. That was so appropriate, she thought, her gaze lingering on his strong, beautiful face. That’s what an archangel should look like, she thought... like Mike. MikeAngel.
He looked up just then, catching her gaze on him, and smiled, rising to his feet and walking down the aisle.
“Hey, kid, how’s it going?” He dropped onto the stool next to hers, his gaze approving as he took in the new clothes. He noted with satisfaction that the look of stress in the girl’s eyes, the bruised shadows he’d seen the night before, had faded. He tossed a quick grin at Marsha.
“Keeping her pretty busy already, huh?”
With a wink he got up again, reaching out one large hand to ruffle Teri’s hair. “You’re doing great kid, keep it up.”
As he headed back to his table, Teri heard a deep sigh to her right, and turned her head to see Betty gazing after Mike appreciatively.
“Isn’t he just soooooooooo gorgeous?”
Teri exchanged a grin with Marsha, and Betty pouted, catching the look.
“Well, he is!”
Marsha grabbed a towel from behind the counter and flicked it at her. “Betty, you think every male between seventeen and seventy is gorgeous!”
Skipping nimbly out of the way, Betty caught up the coffeepot and headed for the booths by the front window, laughing back at them over her shoulder. “Well, they are!”
Excerpt #2 from Chapter 2
Mike cast a glance at the slim figure of the girl beside him, noting the slight droop of her shoulders that indicated fatigue. He hesitated, choosing his words with care. He drew out a card from his jacket and held it out to her.
“I’ll be on my way in the morning, headed for Houston. This is my pager, and my broker's number. If anything comes up.... if you need a ride or you just need a friend.... you can call anytime.”
Even in the half light he could see the flush creeping up her cheeks, but she took the card. She stood abruptly, awkwardly, worrying it in her fingers.
“Thanks,” she stammered. “Good night.”
Mike watched her cross the parking lot. When she was halfway to the house he rose to his feet.
“Hey, kid?”
She halted, turning to face him. The moon shone full on her face, and he could see clearly the wariness in her big eyes, the soft vulnerability in the trembling of her lips. He took a pace forward, then stopped, knowing she needed the distance. The clear, quiet air carried his deep voice across the asphalt.
“It doesn’t always turn out bad.... being a runaway. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do, for survival. But it’s only a life sentence if you want it to be, if you can’t get beyond that.”
His eyes held hers, steady. “I was a runaway too. I was on the streets by the time I was eleven. While it may seem like the end of the world... it may be the start of a whole new one. So keep your chin up, kid.”
With a wink, showing a lightheartedness he didn’t feel, he turned from her, striding past the silent pumps to where his rig was parked. So much to say to her, so many things he could tell her. He had to bite the words back. She didn’t know him, didn’t trust him. Maybe it would be a long time before she trusted anyone at all. Sometimes less was more, he reminded himself. If only she could have faith in Marsha and Joe enough to let them be there for her. If only whomever she was running from didn’t track her down to this little corner of the country.
Teri stared at the tall, broad-shouldered figure as he walked away from her, crossing the tarmac to his truck. He seemed so sure, so confident. It was hard to envision him as a runaway; hard to think of those kinds of things having happened to Mike. It hurt, too, to think of it.
She turned towards the house, her steps lagging as his image floated before her, the beautiful, strong lines of his face, the thick shining gold of his hair, his green eyes smiling down at her as he had sat beside her at the counter. Her heart twisted in her chest, and an odd pain she had never experienced before shot through her. He had just been kind to her; probably he felt sorry for her. To him she was just a kid in trouble, and that’s all he saw her as. Well, she'd left trouble behind her. Maybe she was just a kid.... but she had grown up a long, long time ago.
She reached the front door of the house, and stepped across the threshold with a sigh. If only....
Excerpt from Chapter 12
“I'm with Teri on this,” Chuck told Mike between bits of what he declared to be the best pancakes this side of the Mississippi.
The rustic cafe outside of Flagstaff was half deserted on a weekday morning. A few local ranchers hunched over coffee at the bar, and Mike had unerringly chosen one of the booths near the back. The lone waitress had come to coo over Amanda, set up in her carrier on the table, but after bringing their breakfasts, the woman had gone back to her other duties and they were free to talk. Chuck pointed his fork at Mike.
“She shouldn't be back in Wyoming, at least not for now. You can't stay off work indefinitely, and she's going to need to be somewhere safe while you're on the road.”
“But she'd be safe with Marsha and Joe!” Mike protested.
“Probably. But she wouldn't feel safe, since she knows her pa will be able to find her there. You didn't see him, Mike. I did. I'm telling you, that is one ugly customer. There isn't much I'd put past him.”
Mike leaned forward, frowning. “I'm not doubting that at all. But I still think she and Amanda would be better off in Wyoming. I know I thought first to take her to the Parelli's, but there's all kinds of kids, always lots of activity and noise and bustle. She's just had surgery and she's barely begun to heal. It'd be quiet, more restful at Marsha's.”
Rocking the baby quietly, Teri leaned down to kiss Amanda's soft cheek. It wasn't a power trip, she thought to herself, hiding her smile. But after a whole lifetime of no one believing her, no one caring for her, she couldn't help but enjoy having two extremely large, very... well, very male men, argue over what was best for her. Enjoy? The fact was, she was getting a huge kick out of it. The testosterone flying around the room was almost palpable. She was having a hard time hiding her amusement, though. Especially when Chuck ordered her a large glass of ice-cold milk, and practically every time she turned around, either he or Mike attentively handed it to her, hovering, she thought, like a couple of hens with one chick. Her expression once more under control, she straightened, turning her attention once more to the conversation.
“Then think about this,” Chuck urged. “Both Marsha and Joe are in the truck stop working most of the day. Teri can't spend all her day with the baby in the restaurant. Most of the time she's going to be alone in that house. There are cars and people and trucks in and out of there all the time. Who'd notice if Sam slipped in there in the middle of dinner rush and spirited her away? Don't tell me neither of you would seriously worry about that, either, even if it never happened.”
He watched this sink in before continuing. “Up in Seattle, Joan stays home with the kids and would be there all the time. Shelly's baby is only a few months old, she and Teri'd have a blast exchanging baby stories. And if you don't think those kids at the Parelli's wouldn't be falling all over themselves to help with the new baby, you don't know kids as well as you think you do!”
Excerpt from Chapter 14
Since they arrived after the dinner hour on a week night, Mike hadn't expected to have any trouble getting quick service, but he wasn't quite prepared for their reception at the restaurant. They had scarcely walked through the front door when there was a exclamation from behind the counter.
“Ohmigosh, look at the brand-new baby!”
Suddenly they were descended on by what seemed like hordes but was in reality three or four waitresses.
“Oh, is it a girl?”
“Of course it's a girl, silly, just look at the cute bow!”
“Oh, I want her at my table.”
“No way, you've got your own at home. I get the baby.”
He loved the way Teri's eyes widened in astonishment as more women joined them, oohing and aahing. They wound up following a pretty young blonde waitress to a table while the argument continued to rage, now sotto voice, behind them. The bickering eased as they came to cluster around their table once he'd gotten Amanda set up in her carry seat.
“How old is she? Just a week?”
“She is just so precious!”
“And look at all that hair! Mine was bald as a billiard ball for six months.”
Mike sat back and watched in enjoyment as Teri responded, at first shyly but then with more confidence as the friendly interrogation continued. The baby's name was Amanda. She was five days old. Almost seven pounds. And yes, she was nursing. This brought a fresh flurry of comments.
“Good for you,” an older woman told her. “I raised five young'uns that way, each of 'em healthier than the next.”
“You're so lucky. I'd planned to nurse, but my baby was allergic, and had to be switched to soy,” said another with a moue of regret.
Mike felt Teri's hand creep into his and squeeze fiercely, and he was careful not to meet her eyes, for fear both of them would break into laughter. He could not believe that he was sitting here, in a public restaurant, of all places surrounded by women who were complete strangers, discussing breast feeding!
Turning aside to hide the smile that lurked, through the front window he caught sight of a green sedan, a two-door Ford, passing by, and all amusement fled. After a swift glance towards the street, he nudged closer to Teri.
“Listen, sweetheart, order me a steak, will you? I want to run over to the motel office and pick up a map for tomorrow.”
Excerpt from Chapter 15
Bone weary, Teri stared in trepidation at the house as Mike backed the car into a vacant spot along the curb. It had been four long, exhausting days. Even though they'd taken the trip in easy stages, only driving a few hundred miles a day, she felt strained and edgy. For five days she'd held onto the thought of arriving at the Parelli's with relief, never doubting her welcome, and now they were here at last, all she felt was a great wariness and apprehension.
“Teri.”
She looked around to see Mike watching her. He stroked her cheek with gentle fingers and she leaned into his touch, grateful for his strength that had brought them all this way.
“You're going to be just fine. They're going to love you, I promise.”
Giving her hand a quick squeeze, he released her and opened his door. At that moment the front door to the house burst open, and a young girl came flying across the lawn.
“Mike! Mike!”
She flung herself at him as he unfolded his length from the car, and he lifted her, laughing, off the ground.
“Hiya, punkin,” he returned her greeting. “How's school these days?”
“It's a drag. Joan says you have a baby! Can I see?”
Not appearing to do anything by half measures, she danced out of his grasp to press her nose against the rear door window. Big brown eyes widened as she saw Amanda, awake and kicking in her car seat.
“Oooooooooooh,” she breathed. “Oh, she's so little! Mike, can I hold her once we're inside?”
He pinned her with a look.
“Only if you're sitting down, and not bouncing like a basketball.” He added thoughtfully, covering all the bases, “and you've gotten permission from Teri or Joan.”
Teri stepped carefully from the car, and the girl beamed at her.
“Are you Mike's girlfriend?”
She darted forward, but Mike caught her as passed.
“Whoa!” he laughed. “Carefully now. Teri's had a C section and is still healing.”
He came around the car, his arm draped over the girl's shoulders.
“Teri, this bunch of energy here is Lydia. She's the oldest of the girls. At least... are you?” he broke off to ask the girl.
Lydia grinned at Teri, then up at Mike who towered above them both.
“Sure. We haven't had anybody new since you were here last.”
She reached out one hand to shake Teri's gingerly.... as if, Teri thought with amusement, she were going to break. She judged the girl to be about eleven or twelve, with long tawny hair slightly streaked from the sun, and almost as tall as Teri herself. The girl bounced out of Mike's embrace to jiggle on her toes by the car door.
“So are you all going to, like, bring the baby inside, or what?”
Teri moved to unbuckle Amanda from the car seat, and found herself moved aside. Mike lifted the baby out, giving her a stern look.
“You carry your purse and not one other thing,” he told her. “I'll mobilize the troops for the rest.”
Glancing at the house, she realized that they had an audience. Several children, ranging from a teenage boy to a toddler of no more than four, emerged from the house, followed by an older woman whom Teri had no difficulty in recognizing as Joan from Mike's description of her. She felt Mike's arm come around her. She leaned into him, grateful for his support.
“Teri! We're so glad you made it safely!”
Joan's smile was as wide as Texas and bright as the sun; no doubt of her welcome as she enfolded Teri into a warm embrace. Mike bent to kiss her cheek, and she turned to hug him as well, lifting Amanda from his arms.
“Here, you lot help Mike unload the car,” she directed as the children clustered around them, eyeing the tiny baby in respectful silence.
“The children have been so anxious, hoping you'd get here tonight,” she explained as she led Teri towards the house. “They've been on pins and needles since Mike called to say you were coming. I don't think there's a speck of carpet left by the front window, they've spent so much time running to look every time they heard a car for the past two days.”
Author Bio:A career medical transcriptionist, Allie McCormack is now writing from home full-time. Allie has traveled quite a bit and lived many places all over the U.S., and also a year in Cairo, Egypt as an exchange student, and a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under contract to a hospital there, plus a short stint with NATO while she was in the Army. As a single mom, she raised a wonderful daughter who's recently married and there are plans afoot for grandchildren. A disabled veteran, Allie now lives in the beautiful Sorona Desert in southern Arizona with her two rescue cats and writes full-time.Allie says: "A writer is who and what I am... a romance writer. I write what I know, and what I know is romance. Dozens of story lines and literally hundreds of characters live and breathe within the not-so-narrow confines of my imagination, and it is my joy and privilege to bring them to life, to share them with others by writing their stories."
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