“My parents want me to be an engineer.”
“Yeah, I knew that. But you don’t want to be one.”
Shock had her jerking her head up. “How did you know that?”
Snorting out a laugh, he grabbed the rolling chair from his desk and sat facing her. “Because, Ky. You’re the most organized, responsible person I know. If you really wanted to be an engineer you wouldn’t be taking classes at Rawhide. You’d be at the best possible college, getting the best possible grades, so you could get into the best possible graduate program. But youarehere, which means that’s not what you really want.”
“Okay, it’s a little unnerving that you know me so well.”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “You’re my best friend. And one of the women I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Warmth spread through her chest. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Leaning over he took her hands in his and squeezed. “You know what you need?”
“Ice cream?”
“Well, duh. But… I think what you needmoreis to talk to Mommy.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. “I’d love that. But she’s busy.”
“So? We’ll go surprise her in Bozeman. By the time we get there, the play should just be letting out or pretty close to it and we can spend the night with her at the hotel.”
She really did want nothing more than for Mommy to hold her and tell her everything would be fine. “She told us not to leave the Ranch.”
“Yeah, but like the ice cream, I’m making an executive decision as your big brother. And it’s not like we’re going out partying or anything. We’re going to see her. There has to be a loophole for that. And if there’s not, I’ll take all the blame and the punishment.”
Excitement replaced worry and she bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Okay! Let’s go!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Danny
Kylie on a road trip might just have been the cutest fucking thing he’d ever seen. They’d stopped for gas just outside of Rawhide and he’d let Kylie buy about a hundred dollars’ worth of snacks even though they were only going to be on the road for a few hours. Anything to make his bestie smile again.
Which she certainly was, now. Grinning, to be more exact, as she belted out song after song at the top of her lungs and danced in her seat.
By the time they made it to Bozeman and found parking, Kylie was practically vibrating, though he wasn’t sure if it was nerves, excitement, or an abundance of sugar.
Probably all of the above.
He was feeling a bit nervous, himself. Despite what he’d told Kylie back at the Ranch, now that they were actuallyinthe city, he was second-guessing his plan. They probably should have just called Addison so Kylie could talk to her, but everything he knew about Kylie’s Little side told him she needed their Mommy. Not just her words or her voice, buther.
So yeah, he was probably going to be sitting gingerly the whole drive home, but it would be worth it if it helped Kylie feel better.
Unfortunately, their timing was a little off (not helped at all by the fact that he’d driven atinybit over the speed limit on the way to the city) and they realized as they stood outside the theater that the play wasn’t going to be over for another hour. The sun was long since asleep in the sky, which meant the temperature had plummeted and standing outside to wait for their Mommy would probably get them in even more trouble.
“C’mon, Ky. There’s a bar like half a block down from here. Why don’t we go have a drink and stay warm while we wait for Mommy.”
Uncertainty flashed over Kylie’s features. “I dunno, Danny. Mommy’s going to be mad enough without us drinking without permission.”
“We don’t actually have a rule about that.” An oversight, he was sure, and one their Mommy would be correcting the second they got back to the Ranch. But for the time being, he could use it in his favor.
As he’d hoped, Kylie immediately brightened. “That’s true! Okay, let’s go!”
Hand in hand, they hurried down to the brightly lit bar. It wasn’t a dive, which he figured would also work in his favor. Taking his “little sister” into a large city without Mommy’s permission was bad enough without taking her somewhere dangerous.
Sliding onto side-by-side stools at the bar, they scanned the menu. “Oooh, a Big Sky Lemonade! I love lemonade. Let’s get that!” Kylie said, wiggling in her seat in what he thought of as her happy food dance.
