“I’m still recovering from last night!” Ed called out.
“Then good thing we’re just passing through today,” Tay said. “Those of you signed up for the Durango-Silverton Railroad tomorrow, you’ll get time to explore. For now, we’re pressing on—tour at Mesa Verde this afternoon.”
I sat back, watching Silverton slide past the window. A golden retriever trotted down the sidewalk. A handful of bikers thundered by in the other lane.
Tay kept up her narration: “We’ll have two nights in Durango. Great food, scenic walks, great shopping. Something for everyone.”
I barely heard her.
Noah hadn’t said anything since the bump in the road. But I could feel him. Every breath. Every shift.
The air still buzzed from what we’d said.
You must know you’re beautiful.
And then, without warning, the bus jolted again—hard.
GRINDING TO A HALT
“Did the bus just…hiccup?” I asked.
More jerking made me cringe.
“Sounded more like a burp. Or a fa?—”
“Don’t say it, Babs.” Mrs. Grady saved us all.
“That cannot be good,” Marla pointed out from her seat in front of us.
Up front, Joey was muttering something I couldn’t catch, and Tay was already leaning forward behind him, hovering over his shoulder.
Another jolt, followed by the unmistakable grinding of gears.
“You doing okay up there?” Babs called from across the aisle.
“Transmission’s running hot,” Joey sounded grim. “I need to pull over.”
Tay stood, steadying herself against one of the seats as the bus slowed. “Hang tight, folks.”
After a few seemingly endless minutes of catching and grinding, the bus gave one last shudder and coasted to a stop. The pullover wasn’t exactly a rest stop, just a gravel lot with a few warped picnic tables and a sun-bleached sign nearly swallowed by sagebrush.
Tall trees and steep drop-offs surrounded us.
Tay looked upward in a vaguely accusatory manner, like she thought the universe was testing her specifically. Gripping the seat back, she took a deep breath and then plastered on her customer service smile once again. “Okay,” she said between gritted teeth, “we’re just going to sit tight for a few minutes while Joey checks things out. Might be nothing.”
Her voice had the tone of someone who really hoped it was nothing but absolutely didn’t believe that for a second.
I leaned toward Noah, who was peering out the window. “How much do you know about engines?”
He gave me a sideways glance, lifting one brow. “You mean like...mechanical ones?”
“No, I meant like metaphorical engines,” I teased, deadpan.
“Not as much as Joe.” He shook his head. “I mean, I’ve always been more of a science geek.”
It was cute, seeing this hunky guy look a little embarrassed.
I nodded solemnly. “So you could keep someone alive on this bus, but you can’t keep the bus alive.”
