be a shock for you,” he said.
“I guess.” She hesitated. “I don’t know, Mr. Devlin—”
“Buck,” he interrupted.
“Buck,” she repeated obediently. “Honestly, I haven’t seen Ray in six years. It was a surprise to see him again tonight. I thought he’d left for good. So, yes, it was a bit of a shock, but not a huge one. If you know what I mean.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Something about his face suggested he did.
“Maybe he fell asleep at the wheel,” she said when he remained quiet. “Not that he seemed sleepy or anything when he stopped in for coffee. But I guess it’s possible.”
“Could be. Some drivers push it too hard and too long.”
“I thought there were regulations about that.”
“There are. And for every regulation there’s a way around it. So…you said you saw him doing something before he came in here.”
She turned her coffee cup in her hands, looking down. Something about the intensity of his gaze made her a little self-conscious, like she should be patting her hair to make sure it hadn’t fallen from the bun she wore to work. “I’m not sure what I saw.” She nodded toward the window. “You can see how hard it is to see the lot from inside here. The odd thing was the way the two trucks were parked. Back-to-back. That’s something I haven’t seen before.”
“Anything else?”
She wondered why he was so curious about it when the cops seemed to think it irrelevant, but then figured there was no harm in telling him. He worked for the same company, after all. Maybe he figured the company would have some questions for him.
“Well, I was sitting at one of the tables studying when I heard a clanging. I glanced out and thought it looked like they were moving some crates around, like there was a ramp between the trucks. But honestly, Buck, I’m not sure. I wasn’t paying close attention and I couldn’t see clearly. I don’t see what that has to do with his accident, anyway.”
“Maybe nothing,” Buck said, returning to his meal. “How’s the pie?”
“I recommend the cherry cobbler tonight. Hasty makes the best in the world.”
His face suddenly blossomed into a smile, and the expression took her breath away. My God, he was gorgeous.
“Then I’ll break tradition and have some cobbler a little later. Tell me about yourself, Haley Martin.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m curious.”
Being the object of Buck Devlin’s curiosity made her heart skip a little. Why in the world would he be interested in her? But when she considered the story she had to tell, she figured the interest wouldn’t last. Not that it mattered, she told herself.
“Not much to tell,” she tried to say lightly. “I grew up here, I’ve never been farther from home than Laramie. My mother got cancer when I was a senior in high school, so I took care of her until she died last year. Now I’m going to the community college. A very boring little life. What about you?”
“Well, it hasn’t been boring,” he said, pushing his empty plate to one side. “Sometimes I think I’d like boring. Maybe that’s why I like driving so much. It’s peaceful.”
“Have you always been a driver?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Army. I traveled all over the world, but take it from me, it wasn’t the stuff you’d put on a postcard.”
“I suppose a lot of it wasn’t,” she said carefully, wondering if this man was troubled by nightmares. The notion gave her an unexpected pang.
She rose and went to get him a generous serving of the cobbler. She thought he was done talking with her, but instead he motioned her to join him again, his brow arched questioningly.
So she slid into the chair, refreshed her cup and waited to see what was going on. She didn’t think he was interested in her, particularly, but this was so out of character compared to the quiet way he usually came and went that her curiosity began to stir. Not to mention her hormones. She couldn’t evade her attraction to him, but it wouldn’t do her any good. It might cause her more problems.
“I’m going to Denver tonight,” he said. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“What exactly do you do?”
“I carry shipments from Seattle to Denver. Usually there’s a load leaving Denver for Seattle. Tacoma’s a decent-sized port and a lot of stuff leaves there for Japan and other points east, and we get stuff from there in and out of our terminal.”
“What exactly do you carry?”
He smiled faintly. “A little of this and a little of that, honestly. Everything from bikes to camping gear to coffee. Coming back out of Denver it can be a mix, or it can be an entire container of something headed overseas. I’m not much interested in my loads. I just need to get them delivered in one piece.”
She nodded. “How is it coming over the mountains?”
“A thrill and a half when the load is heavy, that’s for sure.” He rose, pulling out his wallet and putting thirty dollars on the table. A huge tip for her.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days, Haley. Thanks for the company.”
She stood, too, ready to clear the table, sorry to see him go so quickly. But he never lingered. He had a schedule to keep. “Have a safe trip.”
“I intend to.”
Then he paused and said something that sent a chill to her very bones. He kept his voice low, so low she was sure Claire couldn’t hear from the other end of the restaurant. “Haley? Don’t mention what you saw in the lot tonight. Not to anyone. I’m going to check with my company, but…just don’t mention it to anyone.”
She stood frozen, wondering if that was a threat or a warning.
“Promise,” he said.
“I promise.”
He smiled again. “Good. I’ll talk to you when I get back. Stay safe.”
She watched him walk across the lot and climb into the cab of his rig. It was definitely a warning. But whatever for? The cops hadn’t even thought it important.
What in the world did he think might be going on?
Then she realized Claire had come to stand beside her. “Look out,” Claire said.
Haley tore her gaze from the truck that was now pulling out of the lot and looked at the other waitress. “What?”
“These guys are rolling stones, Haley, and we’re only a stop on a long road. Don’t waste any interest on them.”
She
