Colton groaned as he heard Vinia call to him. Tyson grinned from the cab of the dually truck. "You were so close, man. We almost got out of here before she needed you."
Their trip to Wyoming was just getting ready to kick off, and they were packed and loaded. If Colton had been three seconds sooner, they would have been halfway down the long drive when their mother came out looking for them.
"Do you think if I ignore her, she'll think I didn't hear her?"
Logan snorted from the backseat. "She'd be at the gate at the end of the drive before you ever got there."
Colton sighed. "The danger of your mother being a dragon." He straightened and called over the bed of the truck. "Yes, mother dear?"
She stomped over to him. "Don't give me that attitude. We have a last minute request for a check-in."
He raised his brows. "Okay? What do you need me for?"
"Well, to be blunt, she needs a babysitter."
"Yeah, no. I'm not into babysitting."
"I'm afraid this one isn't up for debate."
He scoffed. "Well, since I'm leaving, I think you and Sarah can handle one guest just fine."
Vinia folded her arms and didn't say anything.
"Ma, really?" Colton threw up his hands. "One guest isn't going to make or break us in the first place, and it certainly isn't worth me missing this trip."
"Ordinarily I would agree with you," Vinia responded. "And I know how much this trip means to you boys. Especially with your sister being off the deep end. But this guest is different."
"How different?"
"She's a celebrity. And one good word from her could make all the difference in the world."
He sighed. He could see his trip going straight down the drain. "And a celebrity needs a babysitter." He shook his head. "And why is she coming here instead of going to the resort? That seems more the speed of these Hollywood types."
"I don't know, and I'm not asking." Vinia put her hands on the truck bed. "Come on, Cole. I need you. Here. You know I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was really important."
Drake hollered from inside the cab to hurry up. Colton closed his eyes. "Why does this shit always happen to me?" He exhaled loudly. "Jesus Christ. Fine, I'll stay." He knew she was right. He didn't want to admit it, and he was going to be pissy about it, but he knew she was right.
Vinia spun on her heel and headed back inside without another word. She knew that when she won the argument that walking away was a better action than gloating.
Tyson got out of the passenger seat and closed the door. "You're staying here, aren't you?"
Colton tossed him the keys. "Yep. Some bigwig made a last minute reservation and Ma seems to think that it can make or break us."
"She may not be wrong."
"No shit, Sherlock," Colton answered with a sarcastic tone. "Why do you think I'm staying? I could just have one of you do it."
Tyson climbed into the driver's seat while Logan climbed up into the front passenger side. "Five horses, right?"
Colton grabbed his suitcase from the back. "Five. No more than that, but if you can't find five high quality, fewer is fine, too."
Drake rolled down the back window. "I can't believe you're staying. We always go together."
"You want to go tell Mama that I'm coming with you?"
Drake pulled back. "Hell, no. None of us will be going."
"Exactly, so get on out of here." Colton slapped his hand against the bed of the truck. "Go on. Get out of here before I decide we're all staying."
