No doubt there would be a long-distance charge if she could figure out someone to call. Smiling, she accepted it, folded it carefully and stuck it into her pocket.
Beck Brewster gave a big yawn as he leaned back in the seat and stretched first one long arm, then the other. He’d been on the road for nearly seven hours now and his back was beginning to feel it. He set the brake on his eighteen-wheeler, grabbed his coffee mug and climbed down from the cab.
Another eighteen-wheeler, much like his, pulled into the Colorado rest-stop parking lot and swung into the stall beside Beck’s. The driver gave him a wave, then shoved open his door and dropped down to the pavement. “Hiya, Brewster. Didn’t expect to run into you today. How goes it?”
“Hey, yourself, Matt. Where ya headed?”
The man shielded his eyes from the brilliant afternoon sun with one hand. “Littleton. Where you headed?”
Beck pulled a pack of gum from his pocket, took out a stick, and offered the pack to the man. “Headed back to Denver. Hope to drop my load and be in my own bed by ten o’clock tonight. Boy, I hate sleeping in motels. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Of course, sleeping in the cab is even worse.”
“I’m having a bit of trouble with my windshield wipers.” Matt shook his head with a laugh as he gestured upward. “But from the looks of that cloudless sky, I don’t think it’ll be a problem to make it on into Littleton without them.”
Beck nodded and glanced skyward. “You’re probably right. Sure hope I make it okay.”
“Oh? Why?”
Beck placed his mug on the step and began examining the brake lines. “Nothing, I hope. I just have this strange feeling. I hate going through these mountains with a full load. I always worry about the brakes holding. And the noise those Jake brakes make gives me the willies. Guess I’m a natural worrier.”
“Bet you carry a rabbit’s foot, too.”
Beck shook his head. “I didn’t say I was superstitious, just a worrier. There’s a big difference.”
“Well, unfortunately, we have to depend on the guys who do the maintenance on these babies, but they seem to know their job. I sure wouldn’t be much help to them. I barely know a flywheel from a crankshaft,” Matt said. “I need to hit the walking trail and stretch my legs a bit before I leave. The old bones ain’t what they used to be, and I wanna rinse out my mug and get some pop from the pop machine.”
Beck gave the man a mock salute. “Then I’ll see you around. I’d wait until you’re ready to go and follow you on down but I wanna keep on schedule. Drive safe.”
“You, too. I’ll probably see you next week.”
“Yep. Catch you later.”
The two men shook hands, then Beck headed off.
“Boy, I hate driving through these mountains.”
Jewel smiled at Adam. “I’d offer to drive, but I know he wouldn’t let me.”
“Hey, even though I’ve driven this road all my life, I still worry about it.”
Jewel poked Adam’s ribs playfully. “I don’t know why. You’re a great driver.”
Adam gave her a boyish smile. “Keep that flattery coming!”
“Your ring is beautiful,” Tavia told Jewel as the woman relaxed her hand across the seat back. She’d never seen such a beautiful ring, or such large stones.
Jewel’s face beamed with pride. “It was Adam’s mother’s engagement ring. His dad bought her a new set for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. So when they learned we were engaged, they wanted me to have her engagement ring.”
“We’d planned to come home this past Christmas, but the day we were to leave Jewel came down with the flu and I had to come on and leave her behind. I knew it would kill my folks if I didn’t spend Christmas with them. I brought Mom’s ring back with me and gave it to her.”
“You’re so lucky to have found each other,” Tavia said sincerely as she looked from one to the other. They were a handsome couple, and it was obvious they adored one another. She’d never had anyone look at her the way Adam looked at Jewel. And she probably never would. The kind of guys she met were definitely not the romantic type. How had she ever let that creep talk her into going for a drive up in the mountains with him? She should’ve known he’d put the make on her. The crumb-bum. Well, she’d learned her lesson. Next time, she’d be more careful.
Jewel slipped the ring off her finger. “Wanna try it on?”
Tavia stared at her in amazement. “Me? Try on your ring? Goodness, no!”
“Oh, come on. It’ll make your hand look really pretty.”
Tavia backed away and folded her arms over her chest. “I couldn’t. With my luck, I might lose it or something.”
“In the car?” Jewel let out a chuckle. “Even if you dropped it, I’m sure we could find it! Here, try it on. I promise it’ll make you feel like a queen.”
“I—I don’t know—”
“Ah, go on,” Adam cajoled. “That stubborn woman of mine won’t give you a minute’s peace if you don’t try it on. She even had the maid who cleaned our rooms try that ring on.”
“Well—if you’re sure—” Tavia reached out, took the sparkling ring from Jewel’s hand and slipped it onto her finger, sure this was the closest she’d ever come to wearing such a beautiful and expensive ring.
Jewel gave her a big smile. “See? Didn’t I tell you?”
Tavia held out her hand, gazing at the huge stones. “Your engagement ring is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. You’re right! It does make you feel like a queen.”
“You should have seen Adam propose.” Jewel jabbed at her fiancé’s shoulder. “He was so cute. He—”
“Hang on!” Adam’s face suddenly grew serious. “There’s a big eighteen-wheeler coming up fast behind us. I hope the guy’s smart enough not to try to pass us on this curve.”
Chapter Two
Beck hated this stretch of road. The grade at this point through the Rockies was exceptionally steep. He glanced at his watch. No trouble, he’d make his deadline in plenty of time.
Noticing an SUV in front of him, the fancy top-of-the-line kind with leather seats, big tires and a little pickup bed in the back, he smiled. Instead of numbers, the license tag read Adams-Toy. Pretty expensive toy, I’d say! He eased down on the brake.
But nothing happened.
What’s wrong, Baby? The dependable truck he’d been driving for the past three years didn’t respond. A feeling of panic crept through him and he hit the brakes again. Not too hard. From his years of experience, he knew if he pressed them too suddenly they might lock and that could spell disaster. Ignoring his efforts, the truck continued to move forward
