He met her gaze for a quick moment. “Thank you.”
When she got quiet and began looking out the window at the scenery they passed, he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Something was happening here that he didn’t understand or like. He struggled with attachments and tended to avoid them. Even close friendships had never been his thing. His cousins, Harold and Lester, although older, had always been there for him. So had his father, until the day he died of a broken heart, barely six months after his wife.
Drew would never understand his parents’ relationship. His mother would deliberately give his father a hard time, but he had loved her anyway. When she had been dying of a chronic kidney disease, Galen Steele had lovingly taken care of his wife until the day she took her last breath. Drew swore he never wanted to love someone to the point that she and she alone was your whole life. And he honestly couldn’t see loving anyone that much. However, he could desire women and not love them. He had never met one who attracted him with anything other than lust. He believed he was capable of loving someone; after all, he was Galen Steele’s son. However, he felt that he was just too far gone.
Then why, for just a second, less than a minute, had he felt something strange, something warm with Eden? Maybe it was due to her uniqueness and her beauty. And more than anything, her determination to live the life she wanted and not let anyone dictate what that life would be. She had spunk, that was for sure. More than that, she had fortitude, and he couldn’t help but admire her for it.
And there was the problem. He didn’t want to feel any way toward her. That was why he needed to put distance between them. And as far as he was concerned, he couldn’t get to Memphis, Tennessee, quick enough.
CHAPTER 8
“We should arrive in Memphis in a couple of hours.”
Eden looked over at Drew and plastered a smile on her lips. “Super.” She then glanced back out the truck’s side window to ignore him like he’d been doing to her. Granted, he had never been a talkative person, but she could tell when she was deliberately being disregarded.
The last time they seemed to be on a friendly basis was that morning after the first night spent at the hotel in Flagstaff. Since then, he had gone quiet, only answering questions when asked and not engaging in any conversation. She knew he had to keep his concentration on the road and probably wasn’t used to having a passenger in his rig. But still, she would think he could be a little more congenial.
They had checked into a hotel in Arkansas last night, and stayed in Oklahoma the night before that. Both hotels were similar to the one in Flagstaff–breezeway style with a connecting door. While on the road, they had made stops whenever they needed bathroom breaks. Even when they grabbed lunch and dinner and ate in secluded areas of truck stops or rest areas, they’d done so in silence.
So, what was wrong with him? Why was he acting moody? Had she done something to tick him off, or was her very presence annoying him? She’d heard of cabin fever, and it could be he wasn’t used to sharing his space with anyone. Whatever the reason, he had a not-so-nice attitude. And why had he bothered to tell her when they would be getting to Memphis?Obviously, he was more than ready to get rid of her.
Eden probably should have told him that when she had gone to the ladies’ room at one of the rest stops, a woman had looked at her as if she’d recognized her. She honestly didn’t think that was possible since she’d been wearing her knitted cap and no makeup. Regardless, she would have mentioned it anyway…but given his less-than-desirable mood, she hadn’t bothered.
Nor had she mentioned that the last time she’d spoken to Sophie, when they’d stopped at that same rest stop, and she had fished out enough coins from her backpack to make the call, that Sophie told her that Elijah Tyson had men in the area of every major interstate, as well as major cities surrounding those interstates. Sophie had also mentioned that her father had hired couples posing as husband and wife, as well. That didn’t sit too well with her. Eden guessed he was thinking that she might seek help from a couple who looked trustworthy.
Still, since she and Drew would be going their separate ways when they reached Memphis, there was no need to apprise him of anything. She would have to fend for herself somehow.
“When we get to Memphis, I will make sure you have everything you need, Eden.”
She turned to look at him and wished she hadn’t. She had always been taken in by the beautiful depths of his brown eyes, as well as the shape of his lips. To be honest, everything about Drew was easy on the eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. I will prepay your hotel reservation and make sure you have enough cash to tide you over until you leave for Paris.”
“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” She turned back to peer out the window.
“What? I thought you said that you don’t have any money.”
She turned back to him. “I don’t. I called Sophie this morning from the rest stop. She and Mark are wiring me the funds I need.In fact, the first place I plan to go when I arrive in Memphis is the Western Union office.”
He didn’t say anything, but from the tightening of his jaw, she could tell he hadn’t liked what she had told him. That pushed her to say, “I don’t know what your problem is, Drew. You have made it pretty darn clear the past couple of days that you are ready to be done with me.”
He snapped his head around. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your attitude since we left Flagstaff. You’ve been acting moody ever since.”
“I am not moody.”
“Yes, you are.”
He didn’t say anything for a while and then asked, “And how are you supposed to get to Western Union? It’s probably located near town, and tractor-trailers are restricted from traveling on some streets.”
Eden hadn’t thought of that. “Just get me close enough, and I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“And what if you’re seen?”
