Witness On The Run. Susan Cliff
He flushed at her perusal. “I don’t work out to live longer.”
“No?”
“I sit in a truck all day. I’d get stir-crazy if I didn’t exercise.”
“It’s not natural to spend so much time inside a vehicle.”
Cam couldn’t argue there. The lack of activity didn’t bother some truckers. They each had their own vices. Chain-smoking and snacking were common ways to stay awake. The long hours of limited movement were difficult, but it was part of the job. He embraced the restrictions as much as the freedoms. He relished the danger and the solitude. He hadn’t become a trucker to take it easy. He’d done it to disconnect with the rest of the world, and from himself.
He also didn’t exercise just to combat inactivity. He did it to assuage his grief, to punish himself for living, and to sleep at night. The more grueling the workout, the better. He’d become obsessive. He’d made an effort to cut down last year, after pulling a muscle in his thigh. Overdoing it wasn’t healthy, either.
They were almost finished eating when a pair of uniformed officers walked in. Cam watched them dispassionately, reminded of his former self. Tala rose from the table after the officers paused at the front counter.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” she said.
Cam paid the check while she was gone. The waitress came and went. So did the police officers, who ordered their coffee to go. Cam drummed his fingertips against the table. It dawned on him that Tala had taken her parka with her, which was odd.
He wondered if she’d ditched him. It wouldn’t be a big shock. She’d wanted a ride to Fairbanks, and here they were.
Curious, he went looking for her. The women’s restroom was at the end of the hall. An emergency exit on the opposite side of the restaurant offered the only escape. He paused outside the door, listening for a moment. Then he pushed it open. There were two stalls and two sinks under a big mirror. “Tala?”
No answer. Just a sharp intake of breath.
He waited another beat. “The officers are gone, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’ll be right out.”
Frowning to himself, he shut the door. What had he gotten himself into? It was one thing to risk death on the ice roads, quite another to risk arrest by harboring a female fugitive.
She emerged from the bathroom a second later, feigning innocence. They walked into the night together and approached his rig. He glanced in her direction, noting she was tight-mouthed and ghost-pale. He didn’t ask her why she’d been hiding from the police. She probably wouldn’t tell him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He couldn’t afford to get wrapped up in whatever trouble she was in. He had to leave tomorrow.
She paused in the parking lot, her breaths visible in the frozen air. “Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve done a lot. I won’t forget it.”
He realized she was trying to say goodbye. He shook his head in protest. “Come with me. I know where we can stay for free.”
“Where?”
“Ann’s Cabins.”
“Why is it free?”
“I split wood for her every time I’m in Fairbanks. We trade services.”
She searched his face for hints of deception. He was stretching the truth a little. Ann gave him a discount, but he hardly ever stayed at the cabins. He split wood because he liked doing it, not because he cared about saving money.
“Are we trading services, too?” she asked.
He laughed, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Then he realized it was a serious question. She wanted to know what he expected of her, and she was smart to be cautious. Very few men would offer her a bed without intending to share it.
He held her gaze. “No. We’re not.”
She stared at him with undisguised curiosity. “Why are you helping me?”
An icy fist of grief squeezed around his heart. He couldn’t answer her question honestly. He couldn’t bear to talk about Jenny and his inability to save her. He opened his passenger door. “I didn’t bring you in from the cold just to let you freeze somewhere else.”
She didn’t appear satisfied with the response, but she climbed inside his truck. She must have trusted him more than another stranger. The next trucker she met might not be a gentleman. He might demand sexual favors in exchange for a ride. If she said no, he could leave her stranded on the side of the road. Or worse.
Cam got behind the wheel and started the engine. Ann’s was within walking distance of a major shopping center. Tala could rest tonight and look for work tomorrow.
The cabins were quaint and secluded. Romantic, even. Although it wasn’t a trucker hangout, it was known to truckers because the owner was a trucker’s widow. Her husband had died on the Dalton a few years ago, in an avalanche. Cam had heard chatter about it on the CB last winter. The truckers pitched in to help Ann with odd jobs. One of them said she needed someone to chop firewood for her. Cam had jumped at the task.
Turning off the main drag, he drove toward the cabins. He parked in the back of the lot and went inside the office while Tala waited in the truck.
The front desk was empty, so he rang the bell. Ann came out to greet him. She reminded him of Mrs. Claus, with her round-framed glasses and curly white hair. “If it isn’t my woodcutter,” she said with a smile. “How’s the season going?”
“It’s good. I’m keeping busy.”
“Have you been on the haul road?”
“I’m heading that way tomorrow.”
“You be careful out there.”
“I will.”
She toggled the mouse on her computer to check him in. “The only cabin left is a double. My singles are under remodel, so they’re all closed.”
He took out his wallet, considering. Would Tala stay with him in one room?
“I’ll give you a double for the single price, if it’s just you.”
His neck heated with embarrassment. “I have a guest, actually.”
Ann gave him his discount and handed him the key. If she was curious about his companion, she was discreet enough to pretend otherwise. “Ring me if you need anything,” she said, winking.
He left the office and approached cabin 4, which was at the end of the first row. He opened the door and turned on the lights. It was a cozy room with two beds, a fireplace and a bathroom. Tala got out of his truck and walked across the parking lot, her parka hood obscuring most of her face. She didn’t object to the sleeping arrangements. Maybe she hadn’t anticipated having her own space. He followed her inside, his heart racing.
She sat down on the far bed. She bounced on the mattress to test its firmness. “This is nice.”
Cam glanced around for something else to look at. His gaze settled on the fireplace. There was a bin full of logs he’d split. The evidence of his last good deed unsettled him. He crouched down to build a fire with shaking hands. He didn’t know what he was so nervous about. They were here to sleep, nothing more. He wasn’t going to touch her. Even if he was capable of a clumsy seduction attempt, which he doubted, he wouldn’t try anything. He might be numb and emotionless, but he wasn’t a liar. He’d given her his word.
She stood, shrugging out of her parka. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He watched her disappear into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her with a click. He turned his attention back to the fire. When he had it blazing, he got up and dusted