The Road to Glory (16 page)

"I don’t care about that." Leigh took a hesitant step closer. "Wasn’t such a great idea to buckle up, huh?" The question was obviously rhetorical, but the empathy in her voice was unmistakable. Her father had been a Vietnam vet and she remembered vividly the nightmares he had when she was a child that broke her heart.

RJ shook her head and eyed the truck. "Probably not but I didn’t want you to get into trouble with the law." She cleared her throat and spit hard into the weeds. "If you’ll just give me a minute, we can get going again." She took a deep breath and wiped tears from her eyes. "I really am sorry. I feel very silly."

"It’s okay." Leigh took the final step to RJ and put her hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Just ‘cause we’ve had a bumpy start doesn’t mean things are ruined. Heck, my whole life has been a bumpy start." She shrugged self-deprecatingly. "But things still seem to work out in the end, somehow." Leigh’s hand drifted to RJ’s hair, and she gently combed her fingers through it. "Don’t feel bad, okay?"

She smiled at her friend, finding the feeling of her fingers in her hair extremely comforting. "Is that an order, Leigh Matthews?"

"If I say yes, will you obey it?"

"For you, lass?" RJ gave the back of Leigh’s hand a gentle kiss. "I’ll most certainly obey it."

Leigh looked at her hand and fought the urge to wipe it on her jeans. The gesture was romantic as hell. But the fact that RJ had just finished puking did manage to keep her from swooning. "I’ve got a bottle of water in the truck. Why don’t you lie down? We’re only about thirty minutes outside of Jackson."

"Are you sure? I don’t know why I’m so tired."
I know perfectly well why I’m so tired. Being alive takes a HUGE amount of energy
. "But I don’t want to leave you all alone."

"I won’t be alone," Leigh said easily. She smiled and offered RJ a hand up. "You’ll be right behind me and I’ll wake you up when I find us a motel."

"You know, I really like smart, sexy women who baby me like this. You keep this up, and I’ll just follow you around forever," RJ teased as she pulled herself into the cab.

"Watch out, RJ," Leigh warned in a semi-serious voice as she climbed back into her seat. "I had a cute puppy once who followed me around." She turned the key. "He got hit by a bus."

*  *  *

The male squirrel sighed dejectedly. The female humans were gone. "Who will we spy on now? Our entire recreation schedule revolves around watching humans and making snarky comments about their pathetic lives."

His mate could only nod. Purgatory was really starting to suck. "We could wreak havoc on that diner. It’s full of unsuspecting humans. And it really wouldn’t take too much to knock over those flimsy garbage cans out back."

"Or," the male’s face brightened, "we could get in touch with ourselves, embrace our inner spiritual squirrel children, and make the world a better place through our own journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and love!"

His mate glared at him. "You’ve been peeping in on Oprah again, haven’t you?"

The male looked ashamed.

"I miss her old shows about shopoholic, hypochondriac, spouse-cheating, kinky-sex-addicted, cross-dressing, born-again, nipple-pierced, infertile, crack-using suburban housewives."

"That guy was great!" A nostalgic look flickering across his fuzzy face. "Those were the days." Why couldn’t people leave well enough alone? But damn if they didn’t know how to produce a theme song! ‘I’m ev-errrry squirr-ellll,’ he mentally sang.

The female shivered as she saw a black, vicious figure slink into the shadows created by the garage. It was a cat. The one the humans called ‘Flea.’ The one who had nearly murdered her beloved squirrel soulmate. There was something she didn’t like about that particular feline. Sure, the fact that she would tear off her head and gorge herself on her mangled flesh if she could didn’t help. But there was something else. Something she couldn’t quit put her finger on …

The male snuggled up to the female for his nap. She was soft and warm and he fell asleep immediately as his mate watched Flea with narrowed, wary eyes.

*  *  *

It was 9:30 p.m. when Leigh pulled around the back of the Sleepy Night Inn, located just on the outskirts of Jackson, Wyoming. The building looked like a small ski chalet, and she’d stayed there many times on her route when she couldn’t stand to be cooped up in her truck for another second. She smiled inwardly. The rooms of this particular motel were beautiful, each holding one or two king-sized beds, a hot tub, and a private balcony that allowed you to gaze out at the stars and enjoy the peace of your surroundings.

Yawning, Leigh unbuckled her seat belt and pulled the curtain open to the sleeping area of the cab. RJ was curled up on the bed, sound asleep. She wore only a soft, pale yellow t-shirt and white cotton underpants. The rest of her clothes, ruined by mud, grease and ketchup, lay pooled on the floor.

The trucker grinned and perched on the small bed next to RJ. She ran her fingers gently through the reddish-brown locks, now in total disarray.
I didn’t know she snored.
But the sound was light and rhythmic and, at least for the moment, Leigh found it more endearing than annoying.

"RJ," she said softly, very aware of how RJ had woken up in a sheer panic earlier that day. She was bound and determined to have things go a little more smoothly this time. "Time to wake up."

RJ stirred but didn’t wake.

"We’re here," Leigh coaxed, giving RJ’s shoulder a gentle rub. Then, purely on impulse she bent down and softly kissed her slightly parted lips. It only took a second for RJ to respond by kissing Leigh back and wrapping her arm around the shorter woman’s waist to hold her in place. The kisses were more tender and friendly than sexual, and Leigh hummed with pleasure at feeling something she had rarely known — contentment.

RJ pulled back slightly, her emerald eyes picking up the reflection of the streetlights outside the truck. "Hi," she said softly.

Leigh swallowed, feeling the intensity of the moment and RJ’s gaze washing over her like a warm bath. She licked her suddenly dry lips. "Hi."

They froze, not even breathing for long seconds, hearing only the pounding of their hearts.

"We’re at the hotel?" RJ finally asked, her voice still a little hoarse from sleep and the unexpected intimacy of Leigh’s stare.

The blonde woman sucked in a breath. "We sure are." She stood up, suddenly feeling very awkward as she broke off eye contact and glanced down at RJ’s clothes. "I … I hope those aren’t all you brought."

RJ’s brows furrowed at Leigh’s hasty escape from the bed. "I’ll be fine. Got another pair of trousers and several more shirts in my duffel."

Leigh nodded, backing up a step. "I’ll wait outside while you get dressed."

"You don’t –"

But before she could finish her sentence Leigh was out the door, slamming it firmly behind her.

RJ’s mouth dropped open. "What in the hell was that?" She quickly slipped into a pair of loose-fitting cargo pants. "Leigh," she called as she scrambled over the seat and opened the door. "Leigh."

No answer.

It was dark, except for the twinkling lights from the motel and the muted glow of a few street lamps and stars. "Leigh!" RJ spun in a circle. She winced and pulled her feet up a bit as the small rocks from the parking lot dug into her bare feet as she walked around, looking for her companion. "Leigh!"

Still no answer.

She began to curse under her breath, then out loud. "Bloody hell! Leigh!"

A truck to the side of RJ pulled away, bringing Leigh into view. "Over here," came Leigh’s somewhat sheepish reply.

RJ let out a deep breath as she stalked over to Leigh, who was standing with her hands shoved deeply into her pockets, leaning against a light post. Its yellow light cast her in a soft, golden aura.

A small, slightly embarrassed smile curled Leigh’s lips. "You sure got dressed fast. But you could have finished." She stared pointedly at RJ’s feet. "It wasn’t like I was going to leave my," she grinned unrepentantly, "truck."

RJ arched a slender eyebrow. "Very funny. I’m not used to women running away from me as though I was a leper."

"That’s not –"

"That’s exactly what you did, Leigh Matthews." Inexplicably, RJ’s temper flared. Why had Leigh jumped out of the cab that way? And more annoying still, why hadn’t she answered her? "So don’t bother denying it!"

Pale eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don’t yell at me, RJ."

"I’m not yelling!"

"Oh, yes you are!" Leigh shouted back, marching up to RJ and standing toe to toe with her.

RJ bristled at the challenge in Leigh’s voice and at the top of her lungs cried out, "
This is yelling
!"

Several women who were walking out to their cars turned to stare at RJ and Leigh. The oldest in the group put her hands on her hips and pointed directly at RJ while she spoke to Leigh. "You don’t have to take that crap. You’re not going to let her bellow at you like that, are you?"

Leigh glared back and wrapped her arm around RJ’s waist. "Yes! And mind your own damn business!"

RJ lowered her voice and smiled, bending her head until her lips brushed Leigh’s ear. "You are?"

"Hell no!" Leigh ground out quietly. She turned smacked RJ’s arm hard, causing the taller woman to slap her hand over her stinging skin and scowl.

The group of woman launched into a round of applause and began moving away once again.

"Be nice." Leigh’s voice was reprimanding but considering she was now gently rubbing the spot on RJ’s arm where she just had smacked her, RJ wasn’t inclined to complain.

"I am nice!" RJ insisted, all the while shooting the group of women an evil look as they disappeared into their cars.

Leigh bit her lip. She didn’t want to smile, but it was nearly impossible not to. "I really shouldn’t find someone who loses their temper and yells at me for no reason whatsoever so utterly attractive."

"Only a brat hides when someone is looking for them," RJ informed her blithely.

"I wasn’t hiding. You just hadn’t seen me yet."

RJ rolled her eyes. This conversation wasn’t getting them anywhere. Something had spooked Leigh. But whatever it was, it was obvious that she wouldn’t find out more about it until later. "Can we go inside at least? I’m dead on my feet."

Leigh jumped back a step when, for some unknown reason, RJ burst out laughing so hard her entire body was shaking. "What?" She looked down at her friend, whose arms were wrapped around her stomach as she howled. "What?"

"Inside …" RJ snorted loudly. "Inside joke."

Leigh regarded RJ carefully. Was the woman insane as Rooster had hinted? She thought for a moment. If she was, did it really matter now?

"Well, lass, are we going in or not?" RJ stepped forward, a large but tired smile spread across her face, and drew her fingertips down Leigh’s bare arms. "Please?"

Leigh nodded, any lingering doubts about RJ vanishing in the wake of the tiny tingles rushing down her arms at the taller woman’s tender touch.
Being such a ho is going to be the death of me yet.
"C’mon." She reached for RJ’s hand, deciding to go back to the truck for her overnight bag later. "Let’s see if I can make you scream for a completely different reason."

"I don’t scream," RJ complained, giving Leigh a mock aggrieved look. "Yelling and screaming are two very different things."

The trucker laughed, recognizing the gauntlet when it was tossed at her feet. "We’ll see, Irish. We’ll see."

*  *  *

RJ slowly rolled over from her back to her right side. She inhaled deeply and smiled. Eyes closed, her other senses heightened and took over. She heard the water dripping in the bathroom, felt the slightly rough sheets against her skin. Her nostrils flared in delight. Leigh had used a lilac-scented shampoo recently and maybe just a drop of perfume.
So sweet,
she mentally purred. The fragrance was light and citrusy and you had to be very close to notice it at all.

It wouldn’t do for ‘Tom Cat’ Matthews to be smelling nice in front of the boys, now would it?
RJ snuggled closer to her companion. But as much as her arms ached to reach out and draw Leigh close, she didn’t make any attempt to touch Leigh in a restrictive way. A British nurse in ’43 had taught her the hard way that some women don’t like waking up that way. It took RJ a week to convince her commander that two broken fingers shouldn’t keep her from flying. And the truth was they didn’t. RJ sniggered privately. It had kept her from doing a lot of other things she loved, but flying wasn’t one of them.

But just because she didn’t feel quite comfortable in wrapping Leigh up in a bear hug didn’t mean she wasn’t going to stop just short of that. Despite the early hour she felt alert and focused. Unlike the night before.

Much to both women’s chagrin, the motel had been booked solid. With a quick glance at the clock, the clerk told them that a room reservation had been made without a credit card, and if the guest didn’t show up within the next hour, he’d cancel the reservation and give them the room. Leigh had been ready to simply drive into Jackson and find another motel, but RJ convinced her that an hour wasn’t too long to wait. They made their way to a smoke-filled bar and enjoyed several drinks before the hotel clerk kindly sought them out and told them they could have the room.

RJ had quickly jumped to her feet, only to have the world begin to spin. Leigh had laughed and made a comment about how such a tall girl really should be able to hold her liquor better. It wasn’t the liquor, the pilot had groused to herself. It was this being alive crap. The liquid sat warm in her belly, making her feel sluggish and even more tired. By the time they got to their room, she was so tired that she lay face down on the bed and instantly fell asleep. She didn’t even remember undressing or getting under the covers.

RJ made a face. Leigh had mostly undressed her and she had missed it all.

But now … now she wasn’t missing a thing. She’d wanted this woman in a nice soft bed for weeks. She snuggled close to Leigh, her body barely touching the smaller woman’s, as she drew a deep satisfied breath, the smell of Leigh’s shampoo and perfume now mixing with the scent of the trucker’s skin.
How wonderful is this? My God, if I were a man, you’d be awake by now. Good thing for us both I have such fantastic self-control and restraint.
She clamped her hand over her mouth to smother a snort.Yeah, right. Who in the hell am I trying to kid?