We drove in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the high-revving engine because Beau refused to shift into third. The tension from the bar—the Tyler situation—was still hanging in the air, heavy and unresolved.
"I'm sorry," he said finally, his eyes glued to the road like he was landing a fighter jet. "About the Tyler thing. That was... stupid."
"Yeah, it was." I stared out the window at the dark fields rolling by. "You don't need to go all alpha male on me. Tyler's harmless."
"It's just... you looked really good tonight. And every guy in that bar noticed. Including him." He risked a glance at the gear shift, debating third gear, then decided against it. "And I didn't like the way he was looking at you."
"How was he looking at me?" I asked, more curious than annoyed now.
"Like he missed his chance." He shrugged, which caused the truck to swerve slightly. He corrected immediately. "Or something. Like he knew he messed up."
I snorted. "Tyler's a flirt with everyone. It's his default setting. Doesn't mean anything."
"Still didn't like it."
"Well, tough. I'm not your concern."
The words came out sharper than I meant, but I didn't take them back. Four days. That's all it had been. He was still the scrawny kid who'd trailed after me like a lost puppy twelve years ago. Sure, he'd filled out, and yeah, watching him struggle with a gear shift was weirdly charming, but that didn't change facts. He was temporary. A summer project.
His daddy wanted us to shape him, take some of the city off him, and that was all I was going to do.
He was quiet for a beat, focusing on a gentle curve in the road. "Fair enough. Message received."
"Good."
When we pulled up to the ranch, the house was dark except for the porch light Pops always left on.
"Okay," Beau said, exhaling a breath as the ranch gate came into view. "Stopping. Stopping is just the reverse of starting, right?"
"Clutch in, brake," I instructed. "Don't stall it now, we're ten feet from the finish line."
He managed to bring us to a halt that was only mildly jarring. He turned the key, killing the engine, and slumped back in the seat. "I need a drink. A strong one. I have aged ten years in twenty minutes."
I laughed. "You did okay. For a city boy."
"I’m never driving this deathtrap again. I’ll walk to town."
We got out, the night air cool against my skin. Beau looked a little unsteady—probably the adrenaline crash combined with the whiskey.
"Want to walk?" I asked, surprising myself. The alcohol was making me chatty, and I wasn't quite ready to go inside yet. "Just for a bit. Clear the head before bed."
"As long as walking doesn't involve a clutch pedal, I’m in."
We headed toward the barn, our boots crunching on the gravel path. Above us, the sky opened up like it always did out here—no city lights to drown it out. Stars everywhere, thick and bright, like someone had spilled diamonds across black velvet.
"Holy shit," Beau breathed, stopping to tilt his head back. "I forgot how many stars there are out here."
"City life makes you forget a lot of things," I said, glancing up too. "Too much glow from all those skyscrapers and billboards. You can't see the big picture when you're surrounded by neon."
"Yeah. It does." He sounded almost wistful. He looked at me then, the moonlight catching the sharp angle of his jaw. "Tonight was fun. The trivia part. Not the near-death driving experience."
"You realize you were just at a dive bar yelling about tomatoes, right?" I teased, bumping his shoulder lightly with mine. "Not exactly the velvet ropes and bottle service you're used to in Dallas."
"Exactly." He stopped by the fence near the pasture, leaning against it. "That's why it was good. No posing for cameras, no networking bullshit. Just... people being real. Laughing because something's actually funny. Trivia turning into a full-on war with those Henderson brothers? That was gold."
I laughed, the sound echoing a little in the quiet night. "They're assholes, but yeah. Beating them felt good. Don't get too cocky, though—they'll come for revenge next week."
"Wouldn't miss it." He grinned at me, that easy smile that was starting to feel less like the kid from my memories and more like... well, just Beau.
