He’d known the truck had a cooling problem, but all he could do was watch the temp, keep a store of water on hand, and refill the radiator whenever necessary. It made travel tedious but kept him on the road.
After filling the gas tank that morning, he’d scarcely had enough cash to refill his thermos at the coffee shop in town. If he’d had the money for the parts and the tools to repair this issue, he could’ve done it himself right there on the side of the road—though the county probably wouldn’t have liked that. But thanks to circumstances beyond his control, he had no way to fix it, and in its current state, no way to move the truck, either. He didn’t have much of anything—no house, no garage, and few friends. Fewer still, if he counted those he could actually trust and rely on. And no family. Not anymore.
A pang of regret struck him, the weight in his chest tugging him further into misery, but then a wave of anger replaced it. No, no family. His mom had died when he was in college, and his father a few years ago. His brother… Well, his brother may as well be dead for all Cade cared. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
Cade pushed those thoughts to the darkest part of his mind before they could drag him any lower, and then went to the front of the truck. Dropping to his knees, he crawled under the big four-wheel-drive to assess the damage.
Not only had one of the radiator hoses he’d already patched with duct tape sprung another leak, but the water pump had blown for good, too. Hot water gurgled out of the seams to enlarge the puddle already muddying the ground below.
“Damn,” he muttered, rolling out from under the truck and getting to his feet. Wiping the sweat from his brow and dusting himself off, he glanced up and down the road. No cars in sight and no houses nearby. If he still had phone service, maybe he could call someone, but he’d had it turned off months ago. And you’ve got no money. Let’s not forget that. Besides, who would I call?
His chin dropped to his chest and he sighed. “When am I going to catch a break?”
You could call home… Go home again, a soft voice muttered inside his head. No, that he would not do, not ever again.
Shaking his head, he started walking back to town. He had an idea where to find the auto parts store and knew he had a long walk to get there. What else was he going to do? He had no funds, not even a credit card, and, aside from some of the cowboys at the fairgrounds, he didn’t know anyone in this smallish college town. All he had was himself.
Maybe he could convince someone at the auto store or a mechanic’s shop to let him work off the cost of the parts and beg for the use of their tools.
“Or maybe one of the ranches around here could use an experienced cow hand?” He chuckled to himself. Not too likely from what he’d seen. Those few men who appeared to be available also seemed to be less than desirable. Probably unreliable as hell, too. Not that many places looked in need of extra help right now. He’d be lucky to find a dishwashing or serving job at a restaurant or bar in town. It was a college town after all, and the bars—even in late August—were busy.
Maybe some hot college girl will drive by and give me a ride. He chuckled to himself. Maybe she’ll have a rich daddy and fall in love with me, too, he thought with a smile, but then it slipped away. Sure. Stop dreaming, boy. When have you ever been that lucky? Besides, what girl would be interested in a rundown loser like me?
Shaking his head yet again, he quickened his pace. He was better off without that little fantasy coming true anyway. He didn’t want to get involved. One wild night and a goodbye kiss before breakfast, that he could do. But getting to know her? Exchanging numbers? No way. He’d had enough of women. The last one had ripped his heart out, stomped all over it, and tore his world apart. He wasn’t in any hurry to risk that again.
The burn on his hand throbbed. Stopping to yank off his gloves, he tucked them into his back pocket—wishing he’d thought to leave them in the truck—and examined his wound. Luckily, the burn didn’t appear to be blistering, but he could use some more cold water. Yet another thing he’d forgotten.
He glanced behind him and was surprised at how far he’d come. His truck was a tiny dot in the distance, but he still had a long way to go.
He started walking again.
A few cars had passed him already, but no one stopped. Most of them looked like families on their way back over the mountains to Seattle after enjoying the rodeo and fair, or maybe on their way in. As shabby as he looked, he would’ve been surprised if any of them had stopped.
Aside from those who worked in town, the locals appeared to have made themselves scarce once the rodeo started. That he understood. A bunch of strangers invading their little town during the four days of the rodeo, mucking up traffic, doing who knows what, getting into trouble and fights. He didn’t blame the locals for staying home. It just would be nice to get a break for once.
Another truck rolled by, but Cade didn’t lift his thumb or bother to look up. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway.
A moment later, he heard the engine almost stall and he paused to glance up. The driver must have jammed the pedals down, because the truck began idling normally again. Strangely, it had stopped in the middle of the road. Hope lit inside him, but he snuffed
