“He’s worried. You need to reassure him that he’ll have help when he gets here. Got it?”
Billy smiled. “Got it.”
“Don’t you worry, Lyric,” Jace added. “Bullet is one of us. He’s part of the family, just like you are. We’ll help him the same way we’d help one another.”
“What’s goin’ on in here?” asked Ben Rice as he walked in the front door followed by two other men Tristan didn’t recognize.
“Come here and give me a kiss,” he said to Liv, and then looked over at Tristan. “Don’t we have a meeting?”
When Liv tugged on his sleeve and pointed to Lyric, Ben did the same thing Billy and Jace had done; he went straight to Lyric to offer his condolences.
Tristan wished her dad was here with her. She’d already convinced him that partnering with Flying R was the right thing to do, but if he had any doubts about the kind of men they’d have as partners, this would’ve eliminated them.
In less than two hours, they’d be in Crested Butte, and instead of three days, it had taken them four. He had to hand it to Grey, though, he was hanging in pretty good. Bullet made sure to stop at the first sign he was getting antsy and to give him time to run around and play.
Every hundred miles or so, he’d stop at a store and let Grey pick out a new toy. Other times he’d try to find a park where he could play. It wasn’t as easy once they got to Colorado, where snow covered most of the playgrounds. Grey loved it though. He didn’t need a slide or a swing; he loved rolling around in the fluffy, white powder. That was another thing he had to get on one of his stops, snow clothes. The boy didn’t have any to speak of. He hadn’t needed any in Oklahoma.
He didn’t miss the girls checking him out when they stopped at a store, or to get something to eat. He figured having Grey with him would cramp his style, not that he was looking for any company right now. Instead, Grey seemed to attract more attention.
Women would sit right down at the table, without being invited, and ask about his baby. When they asked where his baby’s mama was, Bullet answered simply, “She ain’t in the picture anymore.”
They’d express disappointment when they heard he was just passing through. One or two offered to let him and Grey stay the night. Bullet declined though. It didn’t feel right, so soon after Callie’s passing. Plus, he needed to stay focused and get them to Colorado.
“Almost there, baby boy,” he said to Grey, who was just about to doze off. If Bullet was lucky, Grey would sleep the rest of the way.
“Our new life is about to begin.” Bullet hoped he was doing the right thing, not just for himself, but for Grey too.
There were still a few things to nail down, but for all intents and purposes, the partnership between Lost Cowboy and Flying R Rough Stock was a go.
Liv helped Tristan get settled in a guest room on the lowest level of the three-story ranch house.
“There’s a hot tub off this room that you’re welcome to use.” Liv pointed to the door off the family room. “You’ll have complete privacy. There’s one on every level,” Liv giggled. “Ben really likes hot tubs.”
Staying here was better than any hotel she’d ever stayed in. In addition to the hot tubs, there was a sauna too. And dinner, tonight, had been fabulous. Ben had grilled steaks, just like her father did. It made her miss her daddy even more, and that much happier when she saw his name pop up on the screen when her phone rang.
“How’s my baby girl?”
“I’m good, Daddy. I miss you.”
“You do?” The surprise she heard in his voice made her feel terrible.
“How’s Gramps?”
“He’s sittin’ right here. You wanna talk to him before we hang up?”
“I’d like that.”
She went over the questions the Flying R team had asked during the meeting. Her father was as anxious to finalize this deal as she was, and said he’d get back to her with the answers the next morning.
Tristan didn’t feel sleepy when she hung up after talking to her grandfather. The hot tub sounded like a nice way to relax and wind down, and since Liv said she’d have privacy, she decided to go in, even though she hadn’t brought a bathing suit with her.
Bullet had arrived less than an hour ago and Grey was already asleep in the crib that was still set up in Caden’s room. Liv assured him that her little girl could sleep through a train wreck, and even if Grey woke in the middle of the night, he wouldn’t bother her. She handed him the extra baby monitor and told him he could sleep downstairs in one of Ben’s son’s rooms. The boys were at their mother’s house this week.
“Oh, and Tristan McCullough, from Lost Cowboy, is staying in the guest room down the hall.”
The name sounded familiar. Was she the same woman from Lost Cowboy he’d met in Las Vegas? He sure wouldn’t mind running into her in the hallway in the middle of the night.
He took a shower, and then remembered there was a hot tub on the patio.