Page 4 of Home on the Road (Trucker Love #2)

Instead of sitting in the cab waiting while Harry did all the work to disconnect the truck from the trailer, Ziggy climbed out of the cab and helped. He needed to prove he could handle the job that Harry had already hired him for, even if it was only to himself.

It had been six months since the last time he had been on a big rig and he wanted to make sure he had not forgotten anything.

Harry watched and nodded his approval as Ziggy unhooked the hydraulic break lines. Once they had the trailer unhooked, Harry moved the truck forward, parking it across the big lot. Ziggy then followed Harry into the office and watched as he dealt with the paperwork. Harry also introduced him to the staff as his new road partner.

When they returned to the yard, Harry pulled out the keyring and held it out. Ziggy looked from his hand up to his face.

“You drive. I’ll give you directions on how to get home,” Harry said with a grin and a wink.

Ziggy swallowed hard. “Are you sure? I haven’t been behind the wheel in six months.”

Harry nodded. “That’s why I thought this would be a good test run. It’s only about an hour home. You can remind yourself how to drive while getting a taste for driving my rig.”

Ziggy took a deep breath and nodded, amazed that Harry would have such confidence in him already. He climbed up into the driver’s seat while Harry climbed into the passenger seat. It took a few minutes to adjust the seat and mirrors to his shorter height. The last thing he wanted was to drive blind. Once he was confident that he could see as much as possible with the mirrors, he took a moment to familiarize himself with the dashboard and all the other buttons and levers necessary to make the big truck go.

Finally, he slid the key into place and started the engine up. He glanced over at his passenger, just to make sure that Harry was still all right with him driving.

“Get us out of here before they try to hook another load to the back,” Harry said with a grin.

Ziggy nodded with a grin before turning his attention to backing the truck up and heading out of the fenced-in lot. Putting the truck in first gear, he touched the gas and spent the short drive to the highway testing the truck’s responsiveness. By the time they roared onto the highway leading southwest to Paola, Ziggy was able to slowly relax as everything about driving a big rig came back to him.

Harry did not speak, which was probably a good thing. Ziggy needed to concentrate on the road ahead of them and not work to carry on a conversation.

By the time he pulled off a side road onto the gravel driveway Harry pointed out, Ziggy felt comfortable with the truck. He would admit that it would take another hour or two behind the wheel before he was able to completely relax.

“Back it in and park it next to the garage,” Harry said, pointing to a space that was more than big enough for the truck.

Ziggy nodded. He took a deep breath and tried to remember how to back into parking spaces. He took his time and was shocked to maneuver the big vehicle into place on the first try, without hitting the garage or the pickup truck on the other side of the wide space.

“Perfect,” Harry praised as he shut the engine down and handed the keys over.

“What now?” Ziggy asked, suddenly nervous.

After all, he had left home, and was now fully dependent on Harry and his brothers for a job. Only problem now was he had nowhere to stay while Harry was off the road for a week.

“Now we go inside and get settled. I’ll introduce you to Sam after lunch and you and he can deal with paperwork while I unload the truck. Tomorrow we’ll order you some company shirts, and go into town to get you some more clothes and whatever else you’ll need.”

“Okay,” Ziggy said, still confused about what was going on. He shifted his seat around so he could grab his duffel bag and box.

How pitiful was it that he had been alive for twenty-five years, and this was everything he owned? Pretty damn pathetic, he thought as he opened his door and tried to climb out.

Harry was already out and around to his side of the truck. “Give me the box,” the big man ordered.

Without an argument, Ziggy handed the man his box. With that out of his hands, he adjusted the duffel bag on his shoulder then swung out and climbed down the side of the truck. Once on the ground, he held his hands out for the box.

“I’ve got it,” Harry said as he started walking toward the big white farmhouse across the way.

Ziggy shrugged and followed a yard behind, still not sure where he was going to sleep that night, or what would be happening in the days that followed. He did have a little money, though it was not enough to rent an apartment, even if there was one close enough to rent.

****

Harry could feel Ziggy’s anxiety, but was not sure what to say to assure the man that everything would be all right. There were still a lot of questions he did not have the answers to.

Yet.

Harry had questions of his own, but they would also have to wait until later. Until they could have a frank and possibly embarrassing conversation about their relationship up until now, and where they each wanted it to go from here. Yes, he wanted Ziggy to be a driver for Three Myles To Go Trucking Company, but he also wanted the man snuggled up beside him every night, whether they were on the road in the truck or here at home.

First, though, he would have a discussion with Sam about keeping his hands off his man. Ziggy was his and he did not share, even with his brother.

Climbing the steps to the back porch, Harry pulled out his keys. Slipping the correct one into the lock, he tried to twist it. He frowned when it did not move. Pulling the key out, he confirmed it was the correct one for the back door.

It was.

“What the fuck?” he muttered as he returned the keyring to his pocket and knocked on the door.

When Sam did not immediately appear to let them in, he pulled out his phone and texted the man.

“Is something wrong?” Ziggy asked softly.

“I’m not sure. Sam has apparently changed the locks, but didn’t tell me.”

Ziggy did not voice any of the dozens of questions that were racing through Harry’s mind, for which he was grateful.

It took a few minutes before Harry heard several locks click and the door opened only a few inches. Sam peeked around the panel and stared at him for a long moment before pulling the door open fully.

“Oh, thank God, it’s you,” his brother said, stepping back to allow them inside.

Harry frowned. Sam looked like he had not slept in a week, which was not like his brother who still slept nine hours every night like he did as a teenager. He also looked like he had slept in his clothes, for at least the past couple of nights.

When Sam crowded him, Harry set the box in his arms on the kitchen table and allowed his brother to step in and hug him tight.

“Sam? What the fuck is going on?”

Harry returned the hug, stunned to feel his brother trembling in his embrace. He did not let go until Sam eased his hold and pulled back.

“I changed the locks,” Sam stated the obvious, sounding like he was confused.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked as he took his brother’s arm and led him to the kitchen table. Pulling out a chair, he pushed Sam into it. “What happened?”

“Someone broke in the other day,” he answered, still not sounding like himself. “Well, they sorta broke in. They had a key, so they didn’t break in, but they made a mess of things in the office. Well, in the office, and upstairs, but as far as I can tell they didn’t take anything, just messed things up.”

Sam’s rambling worried Harry more than the news he was sharing. Sam wasn’t one to get rattled, none of them were. He wondered if he should call Brogan home, or if his being home for the next week would be enough to help settle the man down.

That’s when Sam saw Ziggy standing beside the closed back door, looking nervous.

“Who are you?” his brother asked, sounding fearful and accusatory rather than welcoming to Harry’s new partner.