Page 27 of River Ride

Tammy hopped in, used her key to start the engine and drove off.

Chapter Six

Friday, July 5th.

Border Crossing. Montana/Alberta Line.

4:00 a.m.

Tammy left the ranch hoping she’d never see it again. She turned right on the county road and followed it out to the highway.

When she reached the intersection for the interstate, she took the I-15 northbound and drove just a little over the speed limit through the night.

The sun wouldn’t be up for at least another hour and a half, and she’d have a good head start on Travis or anybody he sent looking for her.

Didn’t matter if they caught up or not. She wasn’t going back to Montana. Tammy had already made up her mind when she left the hospital in Texas. Her plan was in place, and she wouldn’t deviate from the plan. Not even if she got killed in the process.

Eldon Fontana was her destiny. There was nothing she could do to change her destiny. She had to be with Eldon and that’s what she intended to make happen.

Traffic was light. She passed one or two pickups coming towards her in the southbound lane, but that was all. No accidents. The way was clear through Oilmont and all the way up to the town of Sweetgrass. She grew up here, just south of the Canadian border and she knew every inch of it.

Tammy slowed down when she saw the signs for the border crossing up ahead. Everything she needed was in a neat pile on the passenger seat beside her.

No one ahead of her in line at that time of the morning. She pulled up to the booth and handed her creds to the customs officer on duty.

He glanced at her, noticed her uniform and the smile she was giving him and handed back her ID.

“You’re clear to go, Deputy Bristol. You have a good one.”

“You too, Officer.”

Tammy smiled as she stepped on the gas and drove the sheriff’s Bronco into Alberta, Canada.

5:00 a.m.

At five a.m. Bobby Prescott a.k.a. Fletcher Bowden, and his friend Ray, stopped at the same customs station Tammy had stopped at an hour before.

While Ray held his breath and nervously fidgeted with his hands in his lap, Bobby laughed and chatted to the officer in the booth.

Their IDs were scanned and approved and handed back in short order and that widened the smile on Bobby Prescott’s face.

“Thanks so much, Officer. You have a great day.”

Bobby drove away from the border area and crossed into Alberta. “There. All good. Nothing to worry about, Ray. I told you we were going to pass with flying colors.”

“All the same, I was a little tense.”

“Tense? I could hear your heart beating on my side of the fuckin truck. We’re in Canada now and you can ease the fuck up. Nobody is looking for us up here.”

“Hope you’re right, Bobby.”

McDonald’s. Lethbridge. Alberta.

6:00 a.m.

Tammy turned her blinker on and pulled into the drive-thru line at McDonald’s. When it was her turn at the window, she ordered an egg McMuffin, hash browns and a coffee.

At the second window, she paid for her order with money out of Lucy’s wallet. The girl handed her the bag and her coffee, and she drove through to the parking lot, found a spot and ate her breakfast.

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