Page 6 of Trucker Daddy

It is the right thing to say. She takes a deep breath, her fingers tightening around her cup. “I was supposed to marry this man named Charles Westfield. I’m from…we’ll just say a wealthy family in New Orleans, and Charles is worth twice what we are. But I didn’t want anything to do with him. I wanted to travel, especially to France, to see the Louvre because I love painting,but…” Her voice cracks just a little, and she looks down, like the words hurt to say. “Everyone expected me to marry Charles and be a good wife, give him some heirs. I blanked when he proposed a few weeks ago, nodded, and then before I knew it, I was at my own engagement party tonight.”

It all pisses me off more than it should, almost as much as thinking about the woman I’ve already decided is mine being engaged to someone else. Her ridiculously gaudy engagement ring winks in the diner light, probably worth enough to buy the entire diner. Sienna and I are from different worlds, there’s no doubt about that.

I keep my eyes on her, trying to read between the lines. “Sounds like that was all laid out for you, huh?”

She nods, her fingers playing with the handle of her coffee cup. “It’s what they do. It was all just business to them.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I can tell it cuts deeper than she lets on.

There’s that knot in my stomach again, and this time, I can’t hide it. “And you just ran away? With nothing?”

She’s hesitant, like she’s afraid I will scold her. “Yeah. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t marry someone I didn’t even know. I…” Her voice catches, and I notice her hand shaking just a little as she sets her cup down. “I was afraid.”

To hell with anyone that has ever made Sienna afraid. If I have my way, she’ll never feel like that again.

“I want something real.”

It’s all I can do not to reach across the table, grab her shaking hands, and tell her how fucked up it is. It doesn’t sit right with me. This whole damn situation. But she already knows it’s wrong. It’s why she was brave enough to flee.

“You made the right choice, Sienna.”

She looks up at me then, searching for the approval she desperately needs. Sienna made an impossible choice all alone with no one on her side. Until now.

And hell, maybe she needs more than just words. Maybe she needs someone to show her that what she’s doing—what she’s running toward—is worth it.

But for now, all I can give her is the truth. “You did.”

Sienna presses her fingers to her temple, rubbing small circles like she’s thinking hard, trying to figure out the next step, but the plan isn’t coming together in her head. I can see it, though. She’s got that look, the one that says she’s trying to piece together a thousand different scenarios, and none of them are adding up.

“Where do I even go?” she says. “I don’t even know where to start.”

I don’t even hesitate. Without thinking about the consequences, I look her dead in the eyes. “You’re coming with me.”

Her head jerks back, like I slapped her. I can’t blame her for that, but I’m not backing down. I’m not gonna let her get caught up in this mess alone. She might not see it yet, but she’s with me now, and I’m not letting go.

“What? You don’t even know me.”

“You don’t have to know someone to help them. And right now, you need help.”

Sienna stares at me for a long second, her mouth opening, then closing like she wants to argue but doesn’t have the words for it.

“I’ve got a rig—big, upgraded, the works. It’s a Kenworth T680, fully decked out with a sleeper cabin that’s got more than enough space for you to stretch out.”

I see her blink, like she’s still processing what I said. Maybe it’s because she’s picturing it, or maybe she’s trying to wrap herhead around why a guy like me is offering help like this. I’m not sure.

But I’m serious. She doesn’t belong in that situation, trapped in her family’s world. And I’ll be damned if I let them get their claws into her again.

“I’m headed to Roswell, New Mexico, for a drop-off and back to my place in Flagstaff after that. You can stay with me the entire way.”

She blinks at me owlishly, her enormous green eyes telegraphing all the rapid-fire thoughts going through her head. A woman like Sienna…her family won’t let her go easily. Not for a second. And then add in the fact that I’m asking her to spend the next week in the back of my semi truck when she’s used to enormous mansions and the most expensive hotels is so out there it’s almost laughable. But I don’t see humor in her eyes or even denial. Sienna is thoughtful. She’s considering it.

“Listen. I want to give you all the time in the world to make this decision, darlin’, I really do, but if your parents are as well off as you’re claiming, then the clock is ticking. They’re going to try to find you. They’ve probably got a tracking chip in your car, maybe even your phone.”

Sienna freezes. Her expression goes pale, and her hand tightens around her coffee cup. I watch as the realization rolls over her, and then, just like that, the panic sets in.

“Oh my God. My phone. I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that. They can track my phone.”

I’m already on it. “Put it on airplane mode. Now.”

Her hands are unsteady as she pulls the phone from her purse, staring at it like she’s not sure how to even begin. “I’ve been so stupid,” she whispers to herself, her face crumpling.

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