Page 56 of Longest Ride

“Used to,” mumbled Virge. “She’s not listening to nobody anymore. She’s off the trolley track.”

“Yep. Every day she digs the hole deeper, Virge. Now she shot a cop and she’s a wanted felon. No way we can fix that.”

We did the horses first, then ran to the house, ran upstairs, and packed enough clean clothes for a week.

Out of breath, we tossed our bags in the back of the Jeep and headed south.

“Did Dad text about the flight yet?” I asked Virgie. Dad mostly talked to Virge. They were like…tight.

“Yep, here it is. Our flight is at two o’clock.”

“What time is it now?” I asked. I could’ve glanced at the clock on the dash but was too worked up to think of it.

“Almost eleven.”

“Okay, eleven.”

“Stand on it, Harlan.”

“Right.”

Great Falls Airport. Montana.

Me and Virge never flew anywhere before and not by ourselves. We checked in at the counter and the lady told us where to go to find our gate and all of that airport shit.

We were both kind of stressed by the time we sat down with a bunch of other people waiting in the right spot, so we didn’t miss our fuckin plane.

My phone signaled a text, and it was Mom talking to me.

“You won’t get here until about seven-thirty. I’ll be waiting for you and take you for dinner on the way to the ranch.”

“Thanks, Mom. Me and Virge are kind of nervous about this.”

“I told Travis not to send you, but he’s not listening right now. I’m happy you’re coming. Love you both. Try to sleep on the plane.”

“Love you, Mom.”

I let Virge read the text and he nodded his head. “I want to have some fun in Texas. Wonder if there are any rodeos going on.”

“Jackson will know. He’s a rodeo guy and he’s our brother.”

Austin-Bergstrom Airport. Texas.

I got our bags down from the overhead bins when we landed and handed Virge his. He slept most of the way from Montana, and I wasn’t that fuckin lucky. I thought we’d never get to fuckin Texas.

“Come on, bro. Let’s go find our mother.”

Virge smiled. “Won’t be hard to spot her. Nobody has a mother who looks like ours.”

“Damn right they don’t.”

We followed the other passengers through the doors, and I saw Lucy waving to me. All the kids were there with Annie, and right then I figured we’d have us a good time.

Hugs all around and we ran out to the parking lot and piled into the blue Gladiator. Annie drove with Lucy in the front. Virge and me in the back with Davey and Jackson.

“Everybody wanted to come for yourWelcome to Texasdinner, boys,” said Annie. “The kids want to take you to their favorite barbeque place.”

“Wow,” said Virge. “I’m so hungry right now, I could eat a whole one of those cows with the long horns.”

---