Authors: Tymber Dalton
Tags: #Romance
“No, I’ll get them. It’s not an emergency. Where are you?”
“Just west of White Lake. Eastbound lane.”
“Roger. Unit Eighteen out.” He hung up the mic and flipped on his lights and siren as he sped up. “He’s only about five minutes ahead of us,” he told Nevvie and Andrew.
“Thank god,” Nevvie said.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for them to catch up. “Why isn’t he pulling over?” Andrew wondered aloud.
“He’s probably scared to,” Nevvie said. “Afraid I’ll kill him. Which I will.”
Del laughed. “No, more like he can’t.” He pointed at the shoulder. “He probably thinks he doesn’t have enough shoulder here to safely pull over. They’re widening I-90 and improving things, but they haven’t made it this far, yet.” He pointed at an overpass ahead of them. “He’ll probably pull over there.”
“Can I claim justifiable homicide?” Nevvie snarked.
Del laughed. “I would.”
* * * *
Tom breathed a sigh of relief when they slowed as they neared the overpass. Sure enough, there was a slightly wider shoulder there, so Tyler could pull over. Tyler put the RV in park and headed for the door.
Tom reached out a hand. “You sure you want to go out there?”
“What?”
“Dude, that’s probably Nevvie and Dad getting out of the backseat. Lucky for you, she’s not armed.”
Tom opened the door as the trooper stepped up to it. “Are you Mr. Paulson?” he asked.
Tom laughed. “No, thank god.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “He’s in there. How pissed off is she?”
Nevvie stormed up, followed by Andrew, who carried the shopping bags. “I left pissed off about twenty minutes ago,” she said. “The only reason I’m not homicidal is because I have a law enforcement officer as a witness. Tyler! Get your ass out here!”
Tyler nervously stuck his head out of the door. “Love, I’m so—”
“Don’t you ‘love’ me, you son of a bitch! What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“I’m sorry, Nevvie. Truly I am!”
The trooper looked amused. “I’m guessing no real murder is going to occur?”
“No,” Nevvie said. “I won’t kill him. But he’s gonna wish I had by the time I get done with him.”
Tom tried not to laugh, knowing it would only piss her off more. Boy, wet-cat-mad didn’t even come close to describing her mood. Poor Tyler would be lucky if she let him near her for a week or more. “Baby girl, he feels really bad about it.”
“He’ll feel worse before I’m done with him!”
The trooper laughed as he scribbled a phone number on a business card and handed it to Nevvie. “Seriously, if you make it back our way, the offer for dinner is good. We have enough room you can park in our yard for a couple of days and hook up to electric, grab showers, whatever.”
Nevvie took the business card. Her expression softened. “Thank you, Del. We really appreciate it. It’ll be a couple of weeks though. We’re going to tour Yellowstone before we head to Seattle for the book fair and then come back.”
“No problem. Looking forward to it.” He tipped his hat to the men and Nevvie. “Have a safe trip, folks.”
Nevvie shoved her way past Tyler and stormed into the RV. Andrew followed, a barely contained smile on his face. He went straight to the fridge to put the groceries away. Tyler followed Nevvie as she headed for the back to check on the boys, profusely apologizing to her the whole time.
“Nevvie, darling, I’m sor—”
She held up a hand, cutting him off. “Stop. Right now. Do not speak to me when I’m in this mood.”
Tom closed the side door and headed for the driver’s seat. “Ty, seriously? I would leave her alone and let her cool off. He looked at Andrew. “How mad is she, Dad?”
Andrew smiled and glanced back to where Nevvie had disappeared into the bedroom. “I dare say she will take a few stripes out of Tyler’s flesh, perhaps more than just metaphorically, before her ire has run its course.”
“How long do you think that will take?” Tyler asked him.
Andrew snorted. “Maybe by the next ice age, son. If you’re lucky.”
Nevvie was relieved to find both boys sound asleep in bed and the movie still running. She collapsed next to them and took a deep breath.
No, Tyler hadn’t meant to take off without them. She knew that. But the fact that he had still infuriated her beyond reason. He was so eager to do things that he didn’t always stop to think about the full repercussions.
Thank god it hadn’t taken long to catch up.
She felt the RV being shifted into gear and start moving again. Before she could get up, she heard a light tap at the door.
“Come in.” She’d have to have it out with Tyler sooner or later.
With more than a little relief she saw it was Andrew. He stepped in and closed the door behind him before sitting down on the bunk, the kids between them.
“Are you all right?”
“I’ll live.” She thought about it for a moment. “And so will Tyler.” She sighed. “I promise I won’t kill him. Much. He’s not driving, is he? Please, tell me he’s not driving.”
“No, Tom’s behind the wheel. Tyler does feel horrible about what happened.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes again. “I think maybe I’m going to cancel the stop in Sheridan to see Mary.”
“May I ask why?”
She shrugged without opening her eyes. “We’ve already had enough stress. I damn well don’t need any more.”
When he didn’t speak, she finally looked at him. “Please, Dad. Just say whatever’s on your mind.”
“Well, I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life.”
“Just give me your opinion. It’s all right. I’m asking for it.”
“I think it’s something that’s been bothering you for quite a few years. Perhaps finally having the closure would be a good thing for you. Painful, possibly. Maybe even very likely. But it would finally allow you to work through it once and for all and move on.”
“You’re spooky, Dad.” She reached across the sleeping boys and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “And I think maybe you’re right.” She had a thought. “Would you go with me?”
“You don’t want Tyler and Tom to go?”
“It’s not that I don’t want them to go, but I think I’d rather have you go with me.”
“Of course, love. I’d be happy to go with you. May I ask why?”
She tried to gather her thoughts before she spoke. “They’re protective. Not that you aren’t, but I’m going to be nervous enough as it is. I don’t need their righteous indignation on my behalf tossed into the mix. Does that make sense?”
He nodded. “That makes perfect sense.”
Nevvie fought the urge to drift off to sleep despite her previous desire for a nap. The comforting sway of the RV trundling down I-90 relaxed her after the morning’s excitement. Then Andrew spoke again.
“I’m truly honored that you trust me enough to go with you.”
She squeezed his hand again. “You’re my dad. Why wouldn’t I trust you?” She scowled. “Unlike what Mary did to me. You do remind me some of my dad. I miss him so much.”
“I’m flattered. I think of you as a daughter.”
They lay there watching the movie for a little while longer when Andrew spoke. “How long until you start speaking to Tyler again?”
She snorted. “A while. At least until dinner.”
“Understood.”
* * * *
They made it to Wall, South Dakota, without further incident. Tom found them a place to park. Nevvie was happy that Tyler volunteered to take the kids through the Wall Drug compound into the center courtyard where the fountain and other child distractions were located. It allowed her some peaceful time with Tom and Andrew. They would all meet up in an hour to eat, so Nevvie could enjoy child-free browsing time as the three of them wandered the various sections of the large establishment.
Andrew leaned in close to Nevvie. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Sure, shoot.”
He nodded toward a large group of men and women in motorcycle gear. “I’ve noticed a rather large number of motorcycle riders around. Are we sure this is a safe place to be?”
Nevvie hadn’t noticed, but now that Andrew had brought it to her attention, she looked around. She wasn’t concerned, although she could understand why Andrew might feel nervous since he had little experience around bikers. Most of the bikers were her age or older, not exactly criminal elements.
“Sturgis,” Tom said with a smile.
“It’s too early for Sturgis,” Nevvie countered.
He shrugged. “Probably another bike meet. Maybe a rally or something.”
“Oh,” Nevvie said. “Ooh! We’ll drive right by there, won’t we? I wish we had the bike. Can we stop in Sturgis and sightsee?” Then she smiled at the confusion on Andrew’s face. “Sturgis is like Mecca for bikers. There’s even a huge bike festival held out here every year. Don’t worry, Dad. Most of the people you see are like Tommy and me. Nothing to be scared of.”
“Unless they ride a bike like Tyler does,” Tom snarked.
Nevvie laughed and gently swatted him. “Be nice. Hey, give him credit for trying and getting his license.”
“Oh, I give him credit for not killing himself or you in the process, baby girl. Believe me.”
Nevvie picked up several books on the Badlands, Black Hills, and surrounding area. Tyler’s plans included spending several days in a Rapid City RV park, and using the Pilot to explore before they continued on to Yellowstone. Tom made several trips to the RV and back to ferry her purchases.
Adam came running up while she was perusing a jewelry display. “Mommy! Look what Daddy got me!”
He held up a mounted jackalope head. Tyler walked up to her, looking sheepish, with Mikey in his arms. “He fell in love with it, darling. I couldn’t resist.”
The fake animal, a legendary cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope, creeped her out. She didn’t mind the stuffed animal versions, but this one, apparently created from either a real or realistic-looking rabbit’s head and deer antlers, unsettled her.
“Um, okay.”
Tom had just returned from another trip to the RV. “I just—holy crud, what the heck is that?”
“Look, Tommy,” Nevvie said, struggling to keep her voice steady. “Tyler bought Adam a jackalope head.”
“Do you like it, Poppa?” Adam asked.
Tom tried, and failed, to contain his laughter. “Let’s go take it to the RV, sport.” He reached for another bag Tyler carried. “Boy,” he said low enough Adam couldn’t hear him, but Nevvie did. “You just don’t know how to stay out of the doghouse, do you?”
Nevvie rolled her eyes. “No, he doesn’t.” She reached for Mikey, then immediately passed him over to Tom while making a face. “Oh, wow. Please change him while you’re at it.”
“That’s where we were headed,” Tyler explained.
Tom grinned. “I’ll do it, Ty. You stay here and suck up to her.”
“I’ll go with you and help,” Andrew volunteered, taking the shopping bag from Tom.
“Let’s meet in the dining room in fifteen minutes,” Nevvie said.
The men took off with the kids. Tyler pulled her to him and hugged her. “Forgive me yet, love?”
“Not yet,” she grumbled. “I’m still pretty ticked off at you. And a taxidermied jackalope head? Really?
Really
, Tyler?”
“I understand. I really am sorry.”
She let out a sigh. “I know you are.” She poked him in the side. “No more driving for you. Understand?”
“Not even the car?”
She thought about it. “Maybe. As long as you don’t drive us off a cliff or something.”
* * * *
They arrived in Rapid City late in the day and found the campground where Tyler had made their reservations. Once they were parked and settled, with the RV hooked up and the SUV and trailer unloaded, they all went out to eat. As they sat around and talked during dessert, Adam climbed into Tyler’s lap with one of their travel guides and started reading it out loud to Mikey, who sat in a high chair between Tyler and Tom. Nevvie smiled as she watched Mikey’s wide-eyed wonderment over his older brother’s attention. It wouldn’t be long before Mikey was trying to keep up with Adam.
Not long before both her babies would be in school.
She fought back against the tears wanting to start. That happened a lot lately, she noticed. As her confrontation with Mary drew nearer, Nevvie couldn’t help the what-if thoughts that charged through her mind.
Kyle and Jacob, the two little half brothers she didn’t know, but who had followed her around in an adoring way that even at her age she had thought was cute.
The little brothers she’d loved despite who their father was.
“Is that okay with you, Mommy?” Adam asked.
“Hmm? Sorry, what, baby?”
The little boy grinned. “Mount Rushmore tomorrow?”
He was so precocious it was sometimes scary. “Sure, baby. That’s fine.”
He let out a yawn, mirrored by baby Mikey.
“Time for bed,” she announced. They paid their bill and made their way back to the RV. Tom and Tyler took over getting the kids ready for bed while Nevvie collapsed in the rear bunk. She was already dozing when Tom walked in, closing the door behind him.