Free Trouble With a Cowboy by Sandy Sullivan

boss."
    She
captured her bottom lip between her teeth. Never in her life had a male simply
trusted her to make the decisions. There had always been the strong-handed type
that wanted to tell her what to do all the time. Tucker's personality intrigued
her. She’d always thought it took a really confident man to not feel threatened
by a woman. The problem was, she’d yet to meet one—until now.
    The
rumble of the engine lulled her into a peaceful state of mind. This was the
part of her job she loved. The endless miles from one side of the country to
the other, seeing different landscapes every day, meeting new people, but still
having the quiet time to think, dream, and plan her future.
    Her
CB crackled as a deep voice said, "Hey, baby girl. What's shakin’? Haven't
seen you in awhile. Come back."
    She
chuckled and grabbed the microphone. "Hey, big daddy. Not much on this
end. Some trouble in Littleton, but on the road now."
    "You
come into some money lately, baby. You got one hell of a trailer behind your
rig."
    "Not
me, sugar. It's cargo."
    "Must
be some pricey freight."
    "You
could say so, yeah. PBR bull ridin' there."
    "Bull?"
    "Big
old white thang." One look at Tucker and she almost burst out laughing. A
small wrinkle creased the skin between his eyebrows as his eyes narrowed into
irritated slits. What the hell is he
getting so irritated about? I'm only kidding.
    "He's
a papered American Bucking Bull," Tucker added to the conversation.
    "Somebody
ridin' shotgun, babe?"
    "Yeah.
Big boy's owner."
    "You
let some dude in your cab?"
    "No
choice."
    "Dayum!
I never thought I'd see the day, Jacie Hawkins, when you would allow some man in your cab. I'll have to shake his
hand."
    "Stuff
it, big daddy."
    A
roar of laughter echoed over the airwaves and she smiled.
    "Back
off the hammer, honey. You in a hurry?"
    "Yeah.
Gotta make Sin City in three days."
    "Bear
trap twenty miles ahead of you."
    "Thanks."
    "See
ya on the flip."
    "Ten-four."
    "What
the hell was that all about?" Tucker asked as she replaced the microphone
on the metal clip.
    "Nothin'
why?"
    "Were
you even speaking English, because I don't think I understood a word of the
whole conversation."
    "Trucker
talk," she replied with a shrug.
    "I
guess so."
    "I'm
sure you'll pick up on some of the slang since you'll be sitting up here with
me for three days."
    "Do
I want to?"
    "You
might. Conversations go on all the time. We pass on information to each other."
A quick check of her mirrors revealed only empty road behind her. "You
heard him mention back off the hammer?"
    "Yes."
    "He
meant slow down. There's a cop approximately twenty miles ahead."
    Tucker
shook his head and smiled. "You amaze me."
    "Why?"
    "All
of this," he replied with a wave of his hand. "You take to it like a
fish to water. A job some men wouldn't do and here you are, a very beautiful
woman taking on something so opposite of who you are inside."
    Anger
made heat flush up her neck. She fastened her gaze on Tucker. "Don't think
because we are traveling together that you suddenly know me inside out. You
don't know me at all."

 
 
 
 
    Chapter Four

 
 
    "Easy,
Jacie. It wasn't an insult. I'm fascinated," he replied, turning sideways
in his seat. "Let me tell you what I think."
    "Great,"
she snapped, returning her gaze to the windshield.
    "I
think you're hidin' behind this persona. You keep your hair up in a dirty ball
cap. You wear big shirts to hide your curves. You talk the talk and walk the
walk, but honey, you are all woman under there. You still like your perfume,
thong underwear, and pink bras. What would your trucker buddies say if they
knew?"
    "Forget
it, Tucker. This is the real me. I'm stubborn, independent, loud-mouthed when I
get drunk and I wish I could pee standing up."
    A
roar of laughter bounced off the walls of her truck. The irritation racing
through her, increased.
    The
laughter went on for a moment, but she really couldn't find the humor in the
situation.
    "Do
you know what