Broken Justice (Justice Brothers) by Suzanne Halliday

looking bobble-headed dog perched on the dashboard. While the cab of the truck was big, he was bigger, and no amount of extra space was going to keep Lacey from being deliciously aware of how he smelled after his shower or how strong and capable his hands looked where the gripped the steering wheel.
    She’d retreated into silence as the afternoon and early evening ticked by, feeling slightly lost and uncertain about what to do next. He wasn’t exactly being a chatty Cathy either seeming to prefer his own thoughts to actual conversation. When he suggested they leave the motel to grab some dinner she let him sweep her along with the least amount of discussion possible. She had questions, a million of them, but long held habits kept her from asking too much. For now she would see where this unexpected change of events would take her, and him.
    The gourmet burger restaurant was packed with a line out the door when they arrived, forcing the two unlikely companions to place a take-out order rather than wait an eternity to be seated. Lacey was silently relieved because noticing how most of the women were dressed made her acutely self-conscious about her ratty appearance. Still dressed in Cameron’s extra-large sweatshirt, she was sporting worn jeans that were at least a size too large for her and a pair of sneakers that had seen better days. He was the sort of man who would be the center of every female’s attention in whatever space he occupied and the last thing she needed was for the bitchy negativity she’d be subjected to by being at his side. Once again she thought of the supermodels he probably dated and the sophisticated, modern women he was most likely acquainted with. Suddenly, she felt like the cleaning lady.
    Cam wasn’t surprised by her silence. He could hear her thoughts in her body language. She was clearly insecure about how she looked. He marveled at how women’s minds worked and spent several long minutes pensively considering the obvious fact that she didn’t recognize her own beauty. He, of course, was looking beyond the thrift store clothes and focusing only on the fresh-faced attributes that made her so appealing and unusual. Wondering at the sort of transformation she might go through when her existence became less and less fraught with anxiety, Cam hoped she wouldn’t lose any of that all-American, girl-next-door quality she radiated in spades.
    When their meal was ready it took but a few short minutes to pay the bill and get back on the road. With the music from a station playing eighties rock in the background, they drove along without talking until Cam suddenly blurted out what was on his mind.
    “We’ll spend the night at the motel and then head out mid-morning. Is that okay with you, Lacey? Will you need to stop anywhere before we leave or are you ready to get going?” he asked without taking his attention off the road.
    She didn’t answer right away so he kept talking over the silence. “It will take about a week, maybe less, to get to Arizona. With so many miles to cover I don’t drive till I drop each day. I aim for a couple of hours each morning with a break for lunch and some physical activity and then drive for a few more hours before stopping for the night. That way I’m not totally ragged out by the time the trip is over. Sound okay to you?”
    “I haven’t said I’d go with you Cameron,” she reminded him softly.
    Not normally used to justifying anything to anybody much less this slip of a girl barely out of her teens, Cam spoke his mind in no uncertain terms. “Well Ponytail, I’m not taking no for an answer. I get that you’re being cautious but if you really think about it, you’ll see that I’m offering everything you’ve ever wished for. A chance for a fresh start, a job, and a life that has a future.”
    It got quiet again after that and stayed that way all through their shared meal back at the motor lodge. After checking up on her injured arm and finding it