Page 11 of Longest Ride

“This is service,” said Virge. “We don’t have to wait no longer.”

“Wonder how long that accident has been waiting on us to get there?”

North of Sweetgrass. Montana.

Travis parked as close as he could get to the vehicles blocking the Interstate. Before getting out of his truck, he called Billy. “Hey, partner, I’ve got the accident north of Sweetgrass. On my way to help you after I’m done here.”

“Great,” said Billy. “When you finish, call Molly, and take the next one on the list. She’s got them in order. Some of them have been waiting for hours. Me and Ted have the one between Ethridge turn-off and Cut Bank. It’s a fatality and it’s taking a bit of time to clear it.”

“Copy that.”

Travis hopped out of the truck and was grateful for Harlan and his experience. The boys were putting out pylons and trying to clear a narrow path to get vehicles past the bodies lying on the highway.

“I’m happy as hell I’ve got this fuckin parka on, Harlan. I’m warm but the fuckin wind is biting into my face with those fuckin little ice pellets.”

“You need one of those ski masks, bro. Make you look like a bank robber.”

Virge laughed.

Fontana Residence. Sicamous. British Columbia.

“I don’t care how much you cry, Tammy,” said Annie. “We can’t go to the hospital to visit Eldon. The road is closed to traffic and won’t be plowed until tomorrow.”

“I have to go and see him, Mama. He’ll think I don’t love him anymore.”

“He can think whatever he wants, Tammy. We are not going out and getting stuck on a mountain road in the dark. Go to bed and stop crying. I’m sick of you acting like this.”

Tammy stomped off to her room and Annie took a couple of beers out of the fridge for her and Lucy.

“Why’s Tammy being such a baby, Mommy? We’re staying here in the middle of a mountain trying to help her and all she does is cry and act contrary.”

“She needs to grow up, Lucy. She’s talking about getting married and she’s not mature enough to handle a commitment like that.”

Chapter Four

Sunday, September 22nd.

Fontana Residence. Sicamous. British Columbia.

Annie didn’t sleep well in a strange bed and the situation she found herself in wasn’t one of relaxation. Tammy’s whining and crying made her tense.

After being kidnapped and raped, Tammy had made some terrible decisions. Understandable that she wasn’t thinking straight, but she had gotten herself into a predicament that would be hard to get her out of.

Eldon Fontana, a.k.a. Bobby Prescott, the Interstate Rage Killer, had only shown one side of himself to Tammy—that was obvious—or she wouldn’t believe she was in love with him and want to marry him.

Better if Travis never knew any of this. It would push him over the edge.

The house wasn’t particularly warm this morning and Annie hoped they hadn’t run out of oil or whatever fuel was heating the cabin.

The floors were icy cold when she bare-footed it to the kitchen to start the coffee. One glance out the living room window at the huge drifts blocking the driveway convinced her they were snowed in. Something that never happened in Texas.

When the coffee was ready and the girls were still sleeping, Annie sat down at the kitchen table with a mug of caffeine and tried to figure out what she should do next. What she wanted to do, was take Lucy and run back home to Texas, but she’d promised Travis to work it out with Tammy and the truck driver.

Annie never went back on her word.

Lucy walked into the kitchen, saw only Annie, and asked, “Where’s Tammy?”

“Isn’t she in your room?”

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