Long Haul Love (Trucker Love #1)

Chapter Six

“What do you mean a senator’s office called and wanted to know where I am? Which senator?”

Brogan’s conversation stopped Shepherd from cutting tags off his clothes and folding them to listen.

He’d already put on a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Though they were slightly scratchy from not being washed first, he felt better than he had wearing the button-down oxfords and dress slacks his father demanded he wear whenever he was in the public areas of the family home.

“No, I didn’t kidnap the man. I rescued him,”

Brogan said, as he turned to look out the front window. “I’ve spent most of the day with him, I think I’d know if he was crazy or not. No, don’t tell them anything. In fact, we never talked. I’ll take one more run and then come home. Yes, he’s coming with me and you can figure it out for yourself that he’s as sane as you or me. Okay, as sane as you are. Got anything here? Yeah, I can pick it up in about an hour and deliver to Destin in the morning. Destin to KC? Yeah, I’ll take that one, too. We can pick it up tomorrow right after we drop this one. We’ll overnight halfway between and get there first thing in the morning. See you in a couple days.”

Brogan hung up and slapped his phone into the cup holder it stayed in whenever he drove.

“I take it they’ve figured out who you are and want you to turn me over to them?”

Shepherd said with a sigh.

“The senator claims you’re crazy and the men who are after us were taking you to a private mental hospital when you escaped,”

Brogan said softly.

“Brogan, I’m not crazy. It’s just my father’s way of trying to get me back.”

Shepherd’s heart raced at the thought that Brogan might believe his father over him.

Tears filled his eyes when Brogan did not look at him, or say anything. Taking a deep breath, he wondered if he could get a bus to Canada before his father had the world looking for him. “I’d appreciate a ride to the bus station before you leave town,”

he said, turning back and starting to repack his belongings.

“Why? Don’t you want to come with me and meet my brothers?”

“But … I thought…”

He stopped talking when Brogan swung his seat around and looked at him.

“Hoss, I’ve spent enough time with you to know that you’re telling the truth. I also have a feeling that your father won’t give up on getting you back, so you need to put that creative brain of yours to work on a way to get him to leave you alone and let you live your life, without a one-way trip to South America.”

Shepherd’s heart slowed to a normal rhythm, and he found himself able to breathe again. “I can do that,”

he said. “So, we have to go to Destin now?”

“First, we have to pick up a trailer. We can pick it up, drive halfway, and then sleep at a truck stop I know about. Tomorrow, we’ll drop this load in Destin and pick up another that’s going to Kansas City. Once we deliver that one, Sam’s arranging for me to take a week off so we can deal with your father. And maybe work on being more.”

Brogan gave him a grin and a wink.

Shepherd knew he owed this man so much, but for the moment had no idea how to pay him back for not only giving him refuge, but also putting his own life, and possibly career, in jeopardy.

“Can you give me ten minutes to finish putting my clothes away? Then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Sure thing. I’ll go get us some water and snacks to get us through ‘til dinner, which we won’t have until we stop for the night, if that’s okay.”

Shepherd nodded. “Sounds good to me. Then you’ll have to share your workout routine, because I’m pretty sure I’ve already put on five pounds today.”

Brogan looked the man up and down before chuckling. “You’re perfect, and if you gained a hundred pounds, you’d still be perfect.”

“Aw, you’re such a sweet talker,”

Shepherd said before turning back to finish his task.

* * * *

While Brogan wished every drop would be as easy as their earlier one, he knew better. When they reached the depot across town where they were picking up their next load, there were four other trucks in front of them, some wanting to drop, others wanting to pick up.

“What do we do now?”

Shepherd asked, laying his sketchbook aside.

“We wait,”

Brogan said easily.

Though he wanted to see what Shepherd was working on, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to see. After all, the man may not be depicting him as a somewhat nice guy who hauls trailers around the country for a living. But it was a book for kids, so maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

“What do you normally do when you have to wait?”

Shepherd asked, sounding genuinely interested. But then he had seemed interested in everything Brogan did since climbing in the truck.

“I usually pull out my tablet and read, unless Sam has business I can take care of online.”

“What kind of books do you like to read?”

Brogan thought about his answer, wondering if he should answer truthfully or vaguely. If he wanted total honestly from Shepherd, he should offer the man the same, even though it might get him teased. After all, his brothers loved to rag on him about his reading preferences.

“I read a little of everything, but I really like erotic romances. Hot, steamy, sexy gay romances. They’ve given me all kinds of great ideas about love and romance and how to treat a partner.”

He watched as Shepherd swallowed hard and shifted in his seat as his cheeks pinked up. He looked so uncomfortable, but also so cute, that Brogan just wanted to pull him onto his lap and cuddle with him for a while. That gave him an idea about how to spend the next hour or so they would be waiting.

“What do you like to read, Hoss?”

Brogan asked when it looked like Shepherd was not going to comment on his choice of reading material.

The little man’s cheeks grew red as he studied his hands with an intensity that had Brogan suspecting his answer would be most interesting.

“I like to read gay romances, too,”

he admitted in a whisper.

“I wonder if we’ve read any of the same books,”

Brogan said, easing the truck forward when the one in front of him pulled ahead.

“I really like Stormy Glenn’s Blaecleah Brothers and Cade Creek series and Bellann Summer’s Rescue for Hire series. I wish they were still publishing,”

Shepherd said with a sad sigh.

“I think I’ve read those. They were good. Maybe we could do a reread … together, and act out some scenes,”

Brogan suggested with a wink and a grin.

Shepherd looked at him and his face grew even redder, if that was possible. “That … that … yes, please,”

he said, before licking his lips and looking as hungry as any man who’d missed more than a few meals could look.

The truck in front of them pulled ahead and Brogan had to move with it else the guy behind them would be pissed. Maybe now wasn’t the time to suggest some “getting to know you”

play in the back.

“Things are moving fast,”

Shepherd commented, even as he reached down and adjusted his long, thick cock in his jeans.

“Yeah. Must mean the drivers are old hands and not taking three tries to get into position.”

Brogan wasn’t sure what else to say, and apparently Shepherd didn’t either, since the sexually charged silence filled the cab. He took a long pull on the bottle of water in his cupholder, mentally wishing it was an ice-cold beer.

A few minutes later, he was waved forward and to the lane where the trailer was waiting. He backed into the space on the first try and hooked the trailer into position. He then did a walkaround inspection before climbing back into the cab once again.

“And away we go,”

he said, putting the truck into gear and easing forward toward the exit driveway.