Page 52 of Eight Second Hearts

I still haven’t gotten an email saying I’m fired. I’m starting to think Kim either hadn’t told him or he’d dismissed her claim in the hopes that I’ll get the story of a lifetime.

There’d been no discussion about riding with The Crimson Three to the next city. I didn’t have to ask. They’d just grabbed my bag and thrown it in the truck the next morning, assuming I’d be going with them.

Apparently, we’ve all grown used to each other’s presence.

I’d offered to pay for gas again despite my better judgement, but Tripp had refused with no explanation. They all happily let me work in the back seat, whoever’s driving each time doing soas smoothly as possible so I don’t get car sick from staring at a computer screen that shakes.

That’s how the first couple of hours of our trip goes. It’ll take a full day of driving to make it to Nebraska, but we’re not in any hurry. The next rodeo doesn’t start for a week so there’s no rush like there was between the last two rodeos.

When I finally close my laptop, I’m met with Ram’s bright eyes in the rearview mirror where he now drives. “All finished?” he asks.

I nod. “Yep. Three short articles and a long one about Jensen Blair sent to my boss. We’ll see if he finally comes back to fire me or if he accepts them.”

“He still hasn’t reached out?” Tripp asks from the backseat. Bilbo sits in between us now, his large head settling on my lap when I tuck my laptop away.

“Nope. I’m not sure if he’s going to or not.”

“You think Kim didn’t call him?” Beau asks. “Maybe she decided not to?”

“Are we talking about the same Kim?” I laugh. “She definitely did. She’s hated me since I started working with Saddle & Spur.”

“Well, maybe your boss just doesn’t agree with her?” Ram says with a shrug. “You’re clearly an asset.”

I smile at his words. We still haven’t talked about my past, the three of them realizing it’s a sore subject, but I know for a fact they’d all been working their way through any articles they find online that I’d written. I’d caught Beau reading through one of the ones about my dad’s court case earlier, but he hadn’t asked me any questions and I chose to avoid questions by not making a big deal about it.

“Do you think, at some point, you three’d ever consider actually doing the interview with me?” I hazard. I haven’t asked in a while, and honestly, the dynamic has shifted drastically since the last time I did. While it won’t hurt my feelings if theysay no at this point, maybe they wouldn’t mind anymore. I’m still a journalist after all. At this point, I’m curious myself to know what about the past that made them.

Tripp’s eyes meet mine after Ram glances at him in the mirror, clearly leaving the decision up to him. Which means that Tripp’s history is the one they’re all protecting. I’ve suspected as much, but that look only confirms it.

For long seconds, Tripp doesn’t say anything. A muscle twitches in his cheek. “Maybe we’ll think about it,” he finally says.

I smile at him. “I’ll take that answer.”

We decide to stop in Colorado for the night instead of driving straight through. We end up stopping at a little bed and breakfast with their vacancy sign lit up off the main road. It’s a cute little set of cabins nestled within the trees at the base of the mountains. It’s a cute place. The men won’t even hear it when I try to offer a little bit of money toward the stay, insisting I keep my money.

Despite the chill in the winter air, some wildflowers bloom around the cabin, as if it’s been warm just long enough for them to bloom. Another frost will likely wipe them out soon, but for now, they make for a picturesque scene.

When we finally escape the confines of the truck and I stand out there to stretch my aches and pains out, I watch as Beau skips over to the wildflowers. He stoops and starts to pick them, one at a time, until he has a handful of little orange and yellow flowers gathered. He skips back over to me where I hold my bear under my arm and hands them to me.

“Here, I picked you some flowers,” he says sweetly. “They need sunshine, so naturally, I’m giving them to you.”

I blink, and then absolutely melt at his words. “That is the sweetest shit I’ve ever heard,” I say, taking the bunch of flowers from him. “Thank you.”

“You hear that, assholes,” Beau tells Ram and Tripp with a grin. “I’m the sweetest.”

Ram shakes his head with a laugh and unlocks the cabin before he takes the bags inside. Bilbo bounds around the area, barking happily, and somehow, it feels. . . homey.

It’s been so long since I’ve felt the feeling that it nearly knocks me off my feet. I stand there, staring at them all, the feeling washing over me, the bear under my arm and the flowers in my hand. At some point, Ram pokes his head back out and smiles at me.

“You comin’,periodista?” he asks.

I smile gently at him. “Yeah,” I answer. “I’m coming.”

And then I join them inside.

Chapter 31

Indie

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