Read Online Wilder Boys by Brandon Wallace - Free Book Online Page B

silent for a few seconds, but then turned her blue eyes back toward the boys.
    â€œWell,” she said. “You’re in luck. I’m headin’ to Reno, Nevada, and I’ll be driving across southern Wyoming.”
    â€œThat’s great!” Taylor burst out.
    â€œYeah, but if my boss finds out I’m givin’ rides to runaways, I’m up a creek without a paddle.”
    â€œWe won’t tell anyone—honest!” Taylor said.
    Sharon studied them. “No, I don’t suppose you will. But understand, I’m only doing this so some creep won’t pick you up. Grab your stuff, and let’s hit it.”
    Cody in tow, they walked across the sea of asphalt until they came to a large eighteen-wheeler.
    â€œThis is yours ?” Taylor asked, awestruck.
    â€œYep. She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”
    Jake was equally impressed. The sheet-metal trailer was nothing special, but the Peterbilt truck cab gleamed turquoise blue with giant chrome exhaust pipes reaching for the sky.
    â€œCan you sleep in there?” Jake asked.
    â€œYou bet. Climb in. I’ll give you a quick tour.”
    Taylor lifted Cody into the cab and they climbed up after him. Sharon showed them the cab’s bells and whistles, from a spacious bed to a mini-refrigerator, desk, and TV screen.
    â€œWow! A person could live in here,” Taylor said.
    Sharon laughed. “Believe me, most times I do. Took me three years to save up for her, but now that she’s all bought and paid for, I can start saving for my next project.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Jake asked.
    â€œAw, tell you later. Time to hit the road. Who wants to ride shotgun?”
    â€œMe!” Taylor shouted, hopping into the front passenger seat. Sharon lowered a little bench seat for Cody to sit on, while Jake sat perched on the bed, which was up a couple of steps from the main cab. From there, he could look out the front, but also out his own side window.
    Sharon started up the truck, and Taylor and Jake both watched in amazement as she began shifting through the gears.
    â€œHow many gears are there?” Jake asked Sharon as she swung onto Interstate 88 West.
    â€œYou can buy ’em with different numbers, but I got a fifteen-speed transmission.”
    â€œFifteen gears!” Taylor exclaimed.
    â€œThat’s right, and I use every one of ’em. Now shush up for a spell while I make my way out of this traffic.”
    From the truck stop, Sharon drove west on the interstate, and at first, Chicago never seemed to end. For more than an hour, they passed one shopping center after another. Finally the giant buildings began giving way to farmland, and for the first time in days—maybeweeks—Jake breathed a sigh of relief. Pittsburgh and Bull felt far behind him, and he was driving into the kind of country he’d only read about in books.
    Sharon had turned on a country music station on the radio, and she and Taylor carried on an easy conversation in front. Jake let his brother do most of the talking, while he sat, riveted, by the ever-changing landscape.
    After another hour Sharon shouted, “Mississippi River coming up!”
    â€œWhat?” Jake exclaimed, leaning forward.
    â€œYou never seen it before?” Sharon called back.
    â€œNot even close,” Taylor answered for both of them.
    â€œWell, then, this calls for a celebration!” Sharon reached up and pulled a thin chain hanging from the roof of the cab. The truck’s horn blared a series of deep loud blasts.
    The boys laughed out loud, but as they rolled onto the wide bridge that separated Illinois from Iowa, they gasped.
    â€œThe Mississippi’s even bigger than the Ohio River back home!” Taylor exclaimed.
    â€œLook!” Jake pointed. “Is that what I think it is?”
    â€œYou betcha!” Sharon answered. “A bald eagle!”
    The eagle flew right over the bridge in front of their truck and