The Bride, The Trucker And The Great Escape. Suzanne McMinn
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couldn’t believe she had the gall to be difficult when he was right in the middle of rescuing her. She was still smoothing her dress, and he saw that her hands trembled.
Was she scared of him? The thought bothered him.
He wasn’t going to harm her. He just wanted to get her out of his truck.
He decided not to waste time quibbling. “Troy Armstrong.” He stopped the truck at a red light. “And yours?” he asked again, impatient.
Andie chewed her lip, waffling over whether or not it was safe to share even as little as her name with the man beside her. She worked not to flinch under his stare.
She noticed the green-brown of his eyes, eyes that were hard—yet not cruel. He was a total stranger, but she sensed somehow that she had nothing to fear. Not physically, at least.
He sparked alarm on a different level, in a place more visceral, mysterious, hidden. A place Andie didn’t altogether understand, and didn’t want to go.
She was tired of being hurt. She was tired of nobody ever loving her for her. From now on, she was keeping her distance. If she didn’t expect love, or ask for love, she wouldn’t be disappointed when she didn’t get it.
But there was something she was asking for right now—a ride. And all he was asking for in return, so far, was her name. She could give him that.
“Andie. My name is Andie.”
He kept right on staring at her, relentless.
“For Andrea,” she elaborated.
Troy wondered if his roomy truck cab had shrunk while he’d been out of it. Andie’s big, frightened eyes seemed to fill it up.
He really had to get hold of himself. He was going to take her wherever she wanted to go, and that would be it. Had to be it. It didn’t make a lick of sense, but there was a part of him that was attracted to this rebellious bride, and nothing good could come of that.
Whatever her troubles were, he wasn’t going to get involved.
He had a business to run, a load to haul.
“Andie what?” he asked.
Andie wrapped her arms over her chest.
“Just Andie.”
She was tired of watching people get impressed when they found out who her father was.
The light turned green, and Troy flicked his attention back to the road.
“Well, Just Andie,” he said, manuevering through traffic, “where am I taking you?”
Andie considered her options. Where could she go that her family wouldn’t swoop down to pressure and reproach her within hours?
She didn’t want to see them. Or Phillip. Or anybody. She needed to think, away from all of them.
She needed time to gather her courage. Time to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.
She looked at Troy, an idea bursting onto her consciousness, taking shape, growing. It was crazy. Completely crazy. She didn’t need to spend any more time with Troy Armstrong—and she was almost positive he didn’t want to spend any more time with her.
But still, in spite of that, she knew one place no one would find her...
“Where are you headed?” she asked him.
“California.”
Taking a leap from the frying pan to the fire, Andie said, “I want to go with you.”
Chapter Two
Troy did a double take at the woman sitting next to him as they approached another red light. “What?” He ground the big rig to a stop, then returned his shocked attention to Andie. “What did you say?”
“I want to go with you,” Andie repeated, feeling timid now. Troy didn’t exactly look excited about her idea. She was probably crazy, hitching a ride out of town with a stranger—
Then she thought about marrying Phillip, and decided that was even crazier. And if her family got hold of her, she was afraid she might do just that, for no other reason than that they wanted her to.
She needed this time away from them. And Troy Armstrong could give it to her.
And he wasn’t just any stranger, she consoled herself. He’d saved her life, hadn’t he?
“I won’t get in the way,” she said. He was still looking at her as if she’d just beamed down from Mars.
“Of course you’ll get in the way,” Troy contradicted. “You’re already in the way.” He practically had an accident every time he glanced at her. She was definitely in the way! She was sexy as all get out, packing who knew what sort of trouble. “You can’t go with me,” he insisted.
“Why not?” She turned those huge soulful eyes on him, and he felt a part of him melting again.
“Because I’m working.” Troy soldiered on determinedly. He had to stay focused. He couldn’t let some gorgeous woman pop out of the blue and throw his whole life off track. “This is business.”
His personal life had been less than enjoyable the last time Troy had paid any attention to it, and with his brother concentrating on his growing family, it seemed a good idea for Troy to put business first for a while.
“I don’t have time for passengers,” he went on.
“I won’t be any trouble. I’ll, uh, I’ll keep you company.” Andie smiled encouragingly.
“I don’t need company.”
“It must be lonely out on the road all those days by yourself,” she went on, undeterred. “The light is green, by the way.”
Troy hit the accelerator. The truck groaned and hummed as it pulled through its gears. “I have company already,” he said, jerking his head at his canine companion. “I have Dog.”
Dog woofed in response to his name.
“A dog?”
“That’s right. I don’t need anyone else.” At least Troy always knew where he stood with Dog. Dog was faithful and loyal. Unlike some women. “Now tell me where I can drop you off,” he went on firmly. “I need to get on the road. I’ve got a schedule.”
With that last light, they had left the congestion of the city and were nearing the cutoff to the highway. Something had to be settled. Soon.
Andie worried her bottom lip. What now? The man was practically ready to shove her out.
Where would she go? What would she do?
Her mind on her problem, she reached out one hand casually to pat the dog’s head and yanked it back when the animal reared around as if he might bite her. Her whole body trembled. All she needed was to top off her day by getting chewed up by a dog.
“Dog!” Troy thundered. The animal settled back, growling low in his throat. Troy looked at Andie and said flatly, “He doesn’t like women.”
And neither did he. Particularly not the jilting kind. He’d had plenty of experience with that sort of woman already. He didn’t need any more.
He kept thinking about Andie’s fiancé back at that church with a broken heart. Troy knew how that felt.
“Thanks for filling me in after he almost bit my head off,” Andie was grumbling from her now-huddled position in the corner of the truck cab.
Troy glanced sharply at her, then jerked the truck over toward the side of the road. He brought the huge vehicle to a stop on the shoulder and turned his full attention to his unwanted guest. He wasn’t about to be apologetic about anything.
“Look, you’re the one who left some