Chapter Three
L ainey sat at the small dining table in her van with her laptop open in front of her.
Earlier that afternoon, she’d sent the photos and interviews to her editor from her California appointments.
She’d been able to wrap up a week sooner than she’d anticipated, and the final interview for her Pillars of the West book was scheduled in a week and a half, leaving her with unexpected free time.
She would have contacted the couple she was going to meet in Tillamook, Oregon, to see if she could visit them sooner, but she already knew from when she’d made the appointment that they were going to be out of town all next week.
Lainey could drive south and hit some sunny California beaches. However, she was currently in the northern part of the state, and the thought of backtracking didn’t appeal to her.
Or, she could drive thirty minutes northeast and spend the weekend at a rodeo that was on her route to Oregon.
She couldn’t explain why, but she hadn’t been able to get Jason Price out of her thoughts since she’d met him three weeks ago.
Lainey liked to think it was more than his handsome face and charm that had lingered in her thoughts.
He’d been interesting to talk to, and he hadn’t pressed her with questions about things she didn’t really want to talk about.
He seemed quite devoted to his son, and when he spoke about his family, his whole face lit up. She wished she could have captured his expression, but knew he wouldn’t have appreciated the gesture.
Jason had invited her to call him, but she hadn’t. He’d also invited her to visit his ranch, which she likely wouldn’t do. But she felt grateful for the invitations all the same.
Last weekend, intrigued by the thought of watching a rodeo from start to finish, Lainey had attended one with the family she was interviewing.
It had only taken her a few moments to begin comparing it to the one in Arizona, which had been much larger.
She noticed the differences in everything from the quality of the athletes to the variances in the skills of the pickup men and bullfighters.
Even the clothes they wore were different.
The Rockin’ K crew all had matching attire, making them easy to identify.
The woman Lainey had been in town to photograph had told her the rodeo was a local event not sanctioned by the professional rodeo cowboys’ official association.
Quite incorrectly, Lainey had assumed all rodeos were created equal, but she’d learned they were as different as watching a group of high school students put on a play compared to a Broadway performance.
It was clear she needed to learn more about the world of rodeo before she committed to doing a Faces book based on the sport, let alone pitched the idea to her publisher.
Which was why she was scrolling through the rodeo schedule on the professional rodeo association’s website and had zeroed in on the one that was close to her and not at all out of her way.
She could attend the rodeo tomorrow, head for Oregon the next day, and spend a week enjoying a trip up the Oregon coast. She might even stop to visit Crater Lake, since it was a place on her bucket list that she hadn’t yet experienced.
Quickly warming to that idea, she purchased a ticket online for the rodeo, then closed her laptop and put it away.
Lainey pulled out the mattress that folded into the sofa during the day, straightened the sheets, spread out a blanket, and tossed on her pillows.
When she finished setting up her bed, she grabbed a tote bag and headed into the truck stop where she’d parked for the night.
She planned to eat dinner in the restaurant, then take a shower before heading back to her van.
After ordering a chicken spinach salad, she sipped a glass of water while reading a biography about a popular singer. By the time she finished her meal, her number had been called for the shower.
The truck stop offered clean, private bathrooms with a toilet, sink, mirror, and full shower, along with a stack of fresh towels, wrapped bars of soap, and little bottles of shampoo and conditioner for ten bucks.
Lainey set her tote on the long counter, turned to shut the door, and looked into the face of a man who had to be twenty years younger than she was, standing outside the door, leering at her.
She’d traveled around enough blocks to know he was going to be trouble, so she quickly shut the door and locked it before he could get inside.
A fist pounded once on the door, startling but not surprising her.
She needed to be careful going back to her van.
A few times, men had followed her and tried to break in.
Once, she had pepper-sprayed a guy when he’d broken a window and stuck his head inside.
The police had hauled him off, but it had left her wary and cautious.
Lainey took her time with her shower, brushing her teeth, and braiding her still-damp hair.
Since she couldn’t put off leaving the locked room forever, she slowly opened the door and peeked out.
The man who’d pounded on the door was nowhere in sight, so she made a dash for the nearest exit.
Before she reached it, the guy appeared at the door, like he had been waiting for her.
Quickly turning on her heel, she hastened into the convenience store area of the truck stop and looked around.
A big, burly trucker talking on the phone nodded politely to her as she stepped past him to get a bottle of water from a cooler set into the wall.
From the conversation she could overhear, the trucker spoke to a youngster, likely a grandchild.
“Be good for your mama, and give your grammy a big hug and kiss from me.” He paused, then grinned.
“I love you, too, Mia. Night, sweetheart.”
Lainey glanced over and saw the guy who was intent on ruining her night standing in the doorway of the convenience store that led to the rest of the truck stop.
She took a step closer to the trucker, hoping he was a family man and not a serial killer searching for his next victim.
“Sir, I apologize for interrupting your evening, but there is a guy over there who has left me a little hesitant to walk across the parking lot alone. Would you mind if I walked with you when you leave?”
The trucker looked from her to the man loitering in the doorway. “That dude?” he asked, jutting his chin toward the man.
“Yes. He tried to push his way into my shower, then when I tried to leave, he was waiting at the exit door.”
The trucker scowled and muttered something Lainey couldn’t hear. “Do you need to call the police?”
“I would if he’d actually done something more than try to intimidate me,” Lainey said, knowing the police wouldn’t be able to do much, and by the time they arrived, the guy would likely be long gone.
“I wouldn’t have bothered you, but I’d feel better if I didn’t have to try to make a dash across the parking lot in my slippers. ”
The trucker glanced down at the plush white bunny slippers she wore and grinned. “You’ll have to tell me where you got those. My daughter loves bunnies, so does my grandbaby.”
“I’ll happily give you that information. You can order them online.”
“Great. Before I escort you outside, let’s report this jerk to the manager on duty.” The trucker took a photo of the guy and headed to the counter.
Lainey should have thought to do that herself, but the creep had unsettled her so much that she felt like her thoughts had scattered in a dozen directions.
After she quietly spoke to the manager on duty and pointed out the man who was now standing in the middle of the convenience store doorway, the young manager thanked her for the information, but didn’t look like he intended to do anything about it.
The trucker cupped Lainey’s elbow, acted like he hadn’t seen the guy blocking the doorway, and headed toward the exit from the convenience store that came out by the gas pumps. “Where are you parked?”
“Under the light in the parking area on the far end of the gas pumps by the exit sign,” Lainey said, motioning to a small SUV parked on the opposite side of the parking lot near the entrance sign.
She’d seen two college-age boys get out of it earlier.
They both looked big enough to take on the creepy guy if he bothered them.
“Got it,” the trucker said, looking down at Lainey. “Mind taking a little walk?”
“Lead the way,” Lainey said, covertly glancing behind her. The guy who’d unsettled her stood half a dozen yards away, looking at the SUV that belonged to the college boys.
The trucker led her around the side of the building and over to where several trucks were parked for the night. He guided her past the first four trucks and stepped between the fifth and the sixth, where they couldn’t be seen by anyone watching from the truck stop.
Praying she hadn’t made a mistake in placing her trust in this stranger, she walked between the two trucks and read the name on the door of the truck behind him. “Are you Reuben?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yep. Bought my own truck about twenty years ago. I hate being gone from my wife and family, but it’s a good way to make an honest living.”
“It is,” Lainey agreed, then held her hand out to him. “I’m Lainey, by the way.”
“Good to meet you, Lainey.” He shook her hand, then took his phone from his pocket and leaned against the side of the truck. “How about you show me those slippers?”
Lainey helped him find them at an online store, then watched as he ordered three pairs so his wife, daughter, and granddaughter would have matching bunnies.
“Where are you from, Lainey?” he asked, crossing his arms over his ample chest after he’d tucked his phone back into his pocket.