Page 62 of Fastlander Fealty

Hallie shrugged. “Really it’s a Fastlander discount.”

Silver tried to control her smile as she scoured the menu, trying to remember everything she’d fallen in love with eating the first day here. “Brisket baked potato, butter and cheese only, and jalapeño sausage links?”

“Yep,” Hallie said, typing her order into the kiosk. “You’re going to try the sweet tea today too. Trust me, you want to.”

“I’m in. Hey, Owen asked me to go to the last night of the rodeo tonight.”

“Hell yeah, you’ll have so much fun,” Hallie told her.

“Well, if you guys want to go…I know you lost out on your tickets last night. I’ll spring for some nosebleed seats if the Crew wants to go.”

“Seriously?” Hallie asked.

“It’s the least I can do. I already checked online and they still have some in our section available.”

“Corey!” She called, and Silver looked over her shoulder to find Corey coming in the front door. “Rodeo tonight? Silver’s paying for tickets.”

Corey grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Me and Ace are in!”

“I’m in too,” Captain said from where he was pulling what looked like foil wrapped briskets from a smoker behind Hallie. “It counts as a date if you’re buying tickets.”

Silver rolled her eyes heavenward. “Owen bought my tickets. Already got a date.”

“Shit,” Captain muttered, but Silver didn’t miss the smile in his voice. He just liked to mess with her.

“I’ll get you a ticket, wear your shortest cut-off shorts and boots,” Silver teased.

“Don’t joke, he will show up in that outfit. One hundred percent,” Corey said, grabbing the handle of the enormous bag of food Hallie had set aside for Gunner and Owen’s lunch.

“I’ll have your food ready in a minute,” Hallie told her as she paid the discounted price. “I’ll meet you guys at the car.”

Silver loved this. She loved that she was on her phone, tracking down tickets to the rodeo that were near each other for the Crew. She loved that she knew people in this bustling, happening restaurant. She loved that she had an ease with conversation with Hallie and Corey now that she hadn’t been able to pin down with the lionesses of her Pride.

She loved the excited feeling that filled her at the thought of seeing Owen so soon.

She wasn’t shunned here.

The rodeo tickets were purchased by the time Hallie met them back at the car. They were cheap right now because it was last-minute seats up at the top rows. It was okay if they weren’t the best seats in the house. She had a feeling they would still have fun.

She liked that she could contribute to an adventure night, that would, God-willing, end up much better than the river-float-day.

She didn’t know what she’d expected when Owen had told her he was a logger, or what to imagine about his jobsite, but as Corey drove her and Hallie up the rough, winding road that led up the mountain to the slope Owen and Gunner worked on, she grew quiet and observant. It was muddy from the rain, and the clouds above them were dark and churning, but there was a break in the rain, and it was perfect timing. The hum of big equipment engines grew louder and louder the higher up the mountain they drove.

Corey parked beside Gunner’s truck, nestled right against the side of a steep hill, and she followed the girls toward a huge machine that was dragging logs by threes up the slope. It looked chaotic and dangerous, and she imagined if one of those cables snapped on a log, it could seriously injure someone, or worse.

Gunner was manning the huge machine, and there was a human loading logs onto a semi-truck with another massive piece of machinery.

She didn’t see Owen anywhere, but Hallie pointed down the steep slope. “Owen’s hooking up the logs!” she yelled over the noise of Gunner’s machine.

The ledge was a steep drop-off, and down the mountainside, Owen and three other men were working to attach thick metal cables to felled tree trunks.

He was yelling at the guys, pointing, and they were running around the logs like sure-footed Billy goats.

Silver squatted down, and watched them in awe. Owen was running across huge uneven logs and dipping down beside them, pulling thick metal cords around the middles like they weighed nothing, and Gunner was pulling them up when he needed to.

Something touched her hand, and she startled, until she realized Corey was handing her a hard hat.

She pulled it low over her eyes and yelled, “Thank you,” over the noise of the machinery.

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