While I was stalling, Mother Nature decided to be a big old bitch and make up my mind for me. A sloppy drop of rain smacked me right in the forehead, and I looked up at the sky just in time for two more to follow.
For fuck’s sake.
I hustled toward the truck. At this point I didn’t even care if they were axe murderers. “You sure you don’t mind giving me a lift?” I asked, purely a formality.
“We’ve got plenty of room,” Derek said, pushing the backseat door open and sliding over to give me room. “This is one of the ranch trucks. It’s pretty freaking huge.”
As I hesitated for one final moment, as if I had any other options, the sky opened up. I pulled my jeans jacket tight around my neck and dove into the truck, wet hair sticking to my face just before thunder rumbled above us.
“Damn. Guess we happened by just in time,” Derek said, as the rain started to pelt the truck windows so hard it was impossible to see out of them.
“Oh my god,” I said. “What timing.”
Was my luck taking a turn for the better?
“What are you going to do now? Since it’s raining,” I asked.
With the windshield wipers going full blast, Shawn pulled out onto the highway. “It won’t rain for long. See that blue sky over there?”
I watched the rain blur the outside world, not even caring if there was blue sky in the distance. The inside of the truck was deliciously dry and cool, and after spending hours in the hot sun sweating my ass off, I wished for a moment I could stay in the cocoon of the truck forever, and if not forever, then at least for a long time.
I leaned my head onto the backseat, shifted the muddied hem of my wedding dress for a bit of space, and kicked off my shoes. Not that I cared any longer about either of them.
Even though I’d paid for the goddamn ensemble myself, unlike that back-stabbing Rhonda who’d conned myfiancéinto buying hers.
How fucked was that?
“You tell us what you want to do, Leesa. You hungry? You want a ride home?” Derek asked. He turned in his seat to look at me, and I felt good under his gaze. His eyes were so kind, belying his semi-tough guy look. Daniel had certainly never looked at me that way. It was if I were the center of the world for a moment, and if I’d told Derek that I wanted to jump on a rocket ship to Venus, he’d be looking up directions to NASA or something.
But at that moment my needs were much, much simpler. “Do you guys mind if we just drive for a bit? I’ve had a kind of rough day.”
“Yeah,” Shawn said. “But are you sure you don’t have anyone worrying about you? Who do you need to get in touch with?”
I sighed and leaned back. “Probably. But I’m not ready to deal with that. Maybe things will get clear in a few miles.”
* * *