Hell on Wheels: A Loveswept Classic Romance Read Online Free Page B

doubt it. He wasn’t a small man, and there wasn’t an ounce of fat evident on his body. All that muscle probably did burn up a lot of calories. That was another reason to dislike him. He could eat all he wanted and never get fat. Not that she had much of a problem in that area, but only because she worked hardat maintaining a healthful diet and getting plenty of exercise.
    He extended one of the sandwiches in her direction. “You can have one if you want.”
    “No, thanks,” she said with a delicate shudder. She appreciated his generosity, but from the looks of them, those sausages would supply a body with a year’s worth of grease. She put the van into gear. “Fasten your seat belt, please.”
    For a moment she thought he was going to argue with her, but then he relented and slid the harness over his shoulder, fastening it with a resounding click. He looked about as comfortable as a lion wearing a leash.
    “You don’t like seat belts?” she asked, amazed that anyone in this day and age would object to wearing one.
    “I don’t like restraints. I’m sort of claustrophobic. Besides, I figure, when my number’s up, it’s up.”
    “That’s one way to look at it,” she agreed. “I’m not so worried about dying though. It’s the living that scares me—sustaining a serious head injury and then living. In a nursing home.”
    “I’m wearing the seat belt, okay?” he said a trifle impatiently.
    She actually managed to smile at him. “Sorry. I tend to get a little preachy sometimes. One of my most annoying habits. I’ll try to control myself—oh, please don’t spill any crumbs! The professor is very particular about his van.”
    Roan caught a crumb on the end of his finger before it could hit the upholstery. “I guess that means smoking is out of the question.”
    She bit her tongue to keep from gasping. “You smoke?”
    “Sometimes. I’ll keep it to a minimum if it annoys you.”
    “It annoys me only because I hate to see anyone—” she cut herself off midlecture. Roan Cullen was no child. Unless he lived under a rock, which apparently he didn’t, he knew the dangers of smoking. “Just not in the van, please. Elsewhere you can do as you like.”
    He nodded. “No problem. And your control is admirable. I can tell you’re dying to lecture.”
    “I’m sure you’ve heard it all. There’s no need for me to repeat it.” She forced herself to sound serene.
    The first five minutes in the van with Roan were the most difficult. Driving the unfamiliar vehicle hadn’t seemed such a chore until she had to do it with him watching every move she made. Even when his attention was focused innocently out the window, she was uncomfortably aware of his presence, his heat, the smell of shampoo from his still-damp hair. She hopped over a curb as she made too sharp a turn, then almost ran a red light. She wondered if she was even less qualified than Roan to drive Amos’s precious van.
    They had left the city behind them by the time Roan had finished his brunch. “So, where are we heading?” he asked.
    She handed him a much-abused road atlas. “For now, our target is Odessa, maybe Monahans. We’ll stop after noon and get some updated data, see if things are going as Amos predicted. But don’t get your hopes up. Idon’t expect any decent storms until Monday or Tuesday.”
    “That’s two or three days from now. What do we do in the meantime?”
    That mischievous gleam in his eye made her nervous. Well, two could play at this game. Did he think she was such a prude, she could do nothing but stammer and blush at his little innuendos? “We drive and hope we get lucky.”
    He didn’t seem to notice her choice of words. “I’m all for that,” he said. Then he nodded toward the row of tuners mounted between the bucket seats. “Why don’t you tell me what all this hardware does? That’s clever, installing a video camera on the dash so you can tape and drive at the same time. But what about all this other