Lighter, somehow.
Still intense.
Still wound tight in that way that feels like he’s always one second away from snapping—but there’s something else there now.
Something settled.
Like he just put down a weight he didn’t even realize he was carrying.
My chest warms.
“You okay?” I ask softly.
He glances at me, then back at the road.
“Yeah,” he says after a beat. “Better than I’ve been in a while.”
I nod, turning back toward the window, watching the ranch disappear behind us.
“Good,” I murmur.
Because it is.
It’s really, really good.
Silence settles between us again—but it’s not awkward.
Not heavy.
Just easy.
Comfortable.
And that might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Because it makes it really easy to forget everything that came before.
Everything that still needs to be figured out.
Everything that could still go wrong.
“Where to next?” I ask, breaking the quiet before my thoughts spiral too far.
I smooth my lips together, more out of habit than anything, and glance at him again.
“The Big C,” he says. “Chase Baron’s ranch. We got a special delivery.”
I blink.
“The Big C?” I repeat, amused. “That sounds ominous or just conceited.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh.
“It’s not,” he says. “Just what everyone calls it. Big operation. Good stock. Pays on time.”
“Ah,” I nod sagely. “The important things.”
“Damn right.”
