So, the trucker’s name was Drew, and he was headed to some place in California to drop off this load. Crossing the border into California sounded good to her, so she would simply make herself at home. There was no way he would know she was back here. Luckily, she had a granola bar to eat if she got hungry and a bottle of water if she got thirsty. Ida had warned her about gaining weight over the holidays. Photographers wanted models who were both thin and photogenic. Somehow, she didn’t think it would be a problem.
Grabbing the blanket, she spread it on the floor as the truck began moving. She figured she might as well get some rest.
**
Andrew Darryl Steele, known as Drew by family and friends, was settled comfortably in his rig while making the stretch toward I-10, heading to Escondido, California. He figured his ETA would be around two as long as there were no problems on the roadway.
His attention went on alert when a voice came across the CB radio. “Breaker 1-9. This is Road Dog. Beware traveling I-10 West near Exit 29. Smokey Bears are out in full force.”
Drew figured the state troopers would be. After all, they were days before Christmas, and they needed to reach their quota before the end of the month. He hadn’t gotten a ticket at all this year and didn’t plan to end the year with one. Reaching for his microphone, he chimed in with the other truckers, “10-4, Road Dog.”
Because he still held the microphone in his hand, he decided to check in on his cousin, whose route should put him in the area. “Breaker 1-9. This is Casanova. Cigarette, you got your ears on?”
After hearing a little static on the line, Drew was able to pick up a response. “This is Cigarette. Come back, Casanova. Hook up with me on the PC.”
Drew smiled. “10-4, Cigarette.”
He then switched to the private channel to prevent other truckers from listening in on their conversations. Harold Jeremiah Steele, whose trucker handle wasCigarette, was the cousin who got him into the trucking business over twelve years ago.
The Steele family originated in Arizona. Drew, Harold, and Harold’s brother, Lester Marcus Steele, were cousins. After Lester finished college, he moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Charlotte, North Carolina, to accept a management position at a production company. Within six months, Harold joined Lester in Charlotte and had been hired to drive rigs for that samecompany. After finishing high school, Drew joined his cousins in North Carolina and became a truck driver for that company as well.
Lester’s dream had been to one day own the company he worked for, and that dream had become a reality when he’d had the opportunity to buy it after the owner retired. The name of the business had been changed to the Steele Corporation, and Lester and Harold became partners in the business. Lester was CEO, and Harold was in charge of the trucking fleet, ensuring products were transported to customers in a timely manner. It wasn’t long before Harold decided he preferred driving the rigs rather than being stuck behind a desk.
Everything had been working well until Drew had been run out of Charlotte for messing with too many women. There had been threats against his life, and on more than one occasion, his house had been shot up by an angry woman, her father, and her brothers. That was when the North Carolina Steeles had decided it wasn’t safe for Drew to remain in Charlotte any longer, and he returned to Arizona.
Harold and Lester had loaned him enough money to buy a rig and start his own trucking company in Phoenix. Now, four years later, he owned ten rigs, and he would forever appreciate his cousins. With their support, he had become a self-made millionaire.
“Breaker 3-4. You read me, Casanova?”
“10-4, I read you, Cigarette.”
Now that they had connected to the personal channel, they could put the CB talk on hold for a spell. “Where are you headed?” Drew asked.
“I just left LA and am headed back home to North Carolina. I’ve been away for almost two weeks and can’t wait to see my woman. I miss her.”
That woman was Harold’s wife, Claire. “When you see Claire, give her a kiss for me.”
“Trust me, I will. Where are you headed, Drew?”
“Escondido to make a delivery, then reload to head east to Dollywood to deliver building supplies.”
“I hate that you won’t be able to join the family in Charlotte for the holidays again this year. I ran into Greta Robinson at the grocery store last week. She is still out for blood. She told me to tell you she’s waiting for you to return to Charlotte so she can take another shot at you. Said she doesn’t give a damn about any restraining order.”
“I believe her. Greta, her father, and her brothers are crazy,” Drew said, sniffing the air. Was he imagining things, or was he inhaling the scent of a woman?
“Heck, man, I tried to warn you that hell knows no fury like a woman scorned,” Harold said. “And Greta isn’t the only one. You have five women here in Charlotte who have threatened to put bullets in your hide. What possessed you to mess around with that many women at one time?”
Drew chuckled. “I keep telling you and Lester that I was born with incredibly high testosterone levels. They make it hard for me to resist women.”
“If that’s true, then you are the only Steele I know who was born with them, thank goodness. Since you can’t come to North Carolina, what are your plans for the holidays?”
“Once I drop off the delivery at Dollywood, I’m leaving my rig at Sal’s Truck Stop, then renting a car and driving up the Smoky Mountains to the Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge. I’ll be there through New Year’s.”
“Alone?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I find that hard to believe, Drew.”
