Dodge the Bullet by Christy Hayes Page B

a car to drive to Denver?”
    “Why would I rent car when I have a
perfectly good truck?”
    She was damned attached to that old clunker.
“How do you expect to fit four people and their luggage in that
thing?”
    “I admit it’ll be tight, but we’re all
related and the luggage can go in the back.”
    “Sarah, I was almost six feet tall when I
was your son’s age. And I can’t see your truck making it on an
eight hour round trip drive.”
    “I’m getting pretty tired of defending my
truck. Trust me, we’ll be fine.”
    Dodge sighed. Damn woman was stubborn to the
core. “Listen, I have an idea. Why don’t you borrow my truck to get
them from the airport? I’ve got a king cab in the back and room
enough for the luggage.” When he heard her about to object, he
added, “I’m afraid I won’t take no for an answer.”
    “My truck can make the trip, but if you’re
going to get your hackles up, I suppose we would be more
comfortable in your truck.”
    “Good. Tell me when you plan to leave and
I’ll make sure it’s there. You’ll just have to put up with the
smell,” he said, just to get her goat. Irritating her was turning
out to be the most fun he’d had in a long time.
    ###
    When Sarah saw Jenny, Kevin and Lyle come
down the escalator toward baggage claim she felt a lump form in her
throat. She’d been anxious for them to arrive. Seeing them here, in
Colorado, walking toward her felt like starting act one, scene one
of the play she’d written, the play she’d cast with her family as
reluctant stars. Kevin had a scowl on his face, as usual. Lyle’s
smile lit up when he saw her. Jenny stumbled behind them, weighted
down by the items she imagined the boys insisted they needed on the
plane and then refused to carry. For such a tough woman, Jenny
could be a real sissy with her kids.
    “Mom!” Lyle shouted as he made his way
through the crowd to greet her with a hug that almost knocked her
over.
    Sarah held him at arms length. “Let me look
at you. I feel like it’s been a year since I’ve seen your handsome
face.” Lyle had Todd’s thick dark hair and warm brown eyes. He kept
it close cut like his dad. When he smiled, dimples appeared that
were destined to make the ladies swoon as soon as he set his mind
to catching their attention.
    Kevin ambled over and raised his brows in
greeting. He didn’t even take the earphones out of his ears. Sarah
moved to hug him awkwardly and he tried his best to move away,
embarrassed by the attention. Sarah’s eyes moved to Jenny, who’d
witnessed their attempted embrace. Jenny shrugged.
    Kevin seemed taller, a fact she would have
pointed out to him if he’d taken the damn earphones out, and his
light brown hair was shaggier than usual. Longer hair on boys had
been around awhile, but Kevin had mostly ignored the trend, until
now apparently. Maybe the girlfriend liked it longer. While Kevin
had Sarah’s lighter hair and green eyes, he was the spitting image
of his father with his broad shoulders, straight, almost
aristocratic nose and fair skin.
    Jenny dropped the carry on luggage at
Sarah’s feet. “Hope you’ve got room for the luggage.” She gave her
sister a firm hug and a glad-to-see-you smile.
    “You look like you’re ready to get back on
the plane for the return ride.”
    “I’m not, but I’m ready to be just an aunt
again. This mothering stuff is not for wimps.” She rubbed her
aching shoulder. “Or those with bad backs.”
    “Put those things in here.” Sarah pulled the
luggage cart forward. “We may need another cart, but we can load
this one up first.”
    With two luggage carts filled to
overflowing, they padded through the parking lot. Sarah tried not
to let the weight of the cart drag her into one of the hundreds of
cars squeezed into impossibly tight parking spaces. She’d had a
hard time finding a spot for Dodge’s large truck that would allow
her to open the side door more than just a crack.
    As they walked, Lyle happily relayed