Page 35 of Smokin’ Situation (Masked Men of Sage Springs #3)

Annie

And now maybe assholes with fireworks would respect red flag warnings and burn bans now that they’d seen the aftermath of their stupid decisions.

“Do you want to check in with Reese?” Tripp asked, his thumb tracing distracting patterns on the inside of my knee. His hands seemed to gravitate toward me whenever he was near. And I craved the overt affection after years of being involved but not in an actual relationship.

“She’s usually on shift by now, and I know she volunteered to work the holiday tomorrow, so I’ll check in with her after. I’m sure she’s got her hands full with Baker.”

He stopped at a light, squeezing my knee and flashing me with a grin. “Or she’s got her hands full of Baker.”

“Or maybe both, he’s at the hospital a lot since he works the rig with Rhodes. Technically, Elias is an EMT, right?”

“Yeah, he’s wildly overqualified. I think he was a trauma doc at a hospital before he moved back here with Emi, but he needed something he could have predictable hours with.

The hospital didn’t have any openings, so he got some additional certifications and took over the vacant EMT position at the station. ”

Nodding, I realized it seemed to be a theme with the fire department. “Seems like he might not be the only one overqualified for his job.”

Tripp nodded, squeezing the hand on the steering wheel before he spoke again. “The Chief offered me a field training officer position.”

While I’d only seen him in action briefly, I could see that being a good fit for him. “So, does that mean you’re going to be leaving the ranch?”

Managing a ranch may not have been what he’d been doing with his career before he moved back to Sage Springs, but it suited him. He seemed at ease working with Marty.

“The Chief said it can be a permanent part-time position that could transition into a full-time assignment when there are new officers to train. He’s fine if I need to drop back to volunteer status, too.

I still need to talk to Marty, but I think it might be a good fit.

I’d get to train new officers, which I enjoyed doing while I was stationed at the national park but not have to be on full-time duty. ”

“Sounds like the best of both worlds.” The selfish part of me felt a little relieved knowing that he wouldn’t be going back to the fire department full time.

I knew he loved his job, and it’d been his life for a really long time, but knowing he’d be in a position that didn’t put him in danger quite as often was a relief.

“And now that I’ve settled in, I don’t want to leave the ranch. I still have a lot to learn to take over for Marty when he wants to retire, and I’m ready for the responsibility. I’ve been in crisis mode for so long that a change of pace sounds nice.”

He’d worked hard for a long time and deserved to choose his own path from now on. I just hoped I could walk by his side on that path.

“What about you?” he asked, glancing over at me. “Is the bar your long-term goal? ”

It was hard to answer that question, helping Hudson find his footing at the bar had been all I knew for the last seven years.

We both had a background in restaurant management, but I’d gravitated toward bar service where Hudson had taken over all the administrative duties.

He still occasionally worked the bar, but he’d settled into the background, relying on me to pick up the slack.

“I think I need to sit down and talk to Hudson about my role once I go back. I’ll admit I’ve been a bit of a workaholic since my responsibilities outside the bar didn’t take up much of my time.

” Reese was really the only person I prioritized until now, and her hours were crazier than mine.

“My sister isn’t much better, and since she’s the only family I have left, I threw myself into my job. ”

“Would you want to stay there full time?” My mind briefly flitted to Jayden’s offer to help him design the drink menu for the restaurant, but even I knew that’d never happen now, even if I had been interested.

If Charley thought jealousy was going to be an issue once I told him our situationship was done, then I doubted he’d want me involved in the expansion of his business.

“Yeah, I think there’s a possibility of bringing on some new bartenders and teaching them what I know. Maybe scale my late-night hours into a more reasonable schedule now that I may actually have a social life outside of that place.”

He chuckled, smiling at me while he shifted the truck into park outside the general store downtown. I couldn’t keep surviving on borrowed clothes, and the dress he’d bought me to go dancing was now in a heap in the bottom of his trash can, so I needed to find something to wear.

“Speaking of social life,” he murmured, turning to face me and pulling my hand across the center console. “Would you go somewhere with me tomorrow?”

“Why do you sound so nervous?” I asked, squeezing his fingers until he made eye contact with me. “We’ve spent the last several days together. Afraid I’m gonna get sick of you? ”

“You don’t have to spend all your time with me if you don’t want to.” He suddenly looked nervous, and I wasn’t sure where else he thought I’d go.

“I never said that. And where else am I going to go? Homeless, remember?” I teased trying to lighten the mood, but his jaw still looked tense.

“I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to go hang out with your friends. I’ve kind of been monopolizing your time. And I’ve been pushy about asking you to stay with me.”

“And I have enjoyed every fucking minute of it, Tripp. While I could move into the apartment above the bar like Hudson offered, I kinda like staying with you on the ranch. It’s quiet.

And I feel like I’m on vacation sharing that big king sized bed with you instead of freaking out that everything I own, including my truck, is gone. ”

A hint of a smile replaced his serious demeanor, and I was glad we could talk like this. We could both let our insecurities show and not be judged by the other for them.

“Your insurance will—”

“My insurance will take care of it,” I interrupted, unbothered by the logistics at this point.

“And I know you’ll hold my hand when I have to go see what happened to my home.

I may literally only own the clothes on my back right now, but I’m not going anywhere if I have a say in it.

I’m happy to stay right where I am—with you. ”

“Technically, you’re not wearing your own clothes right now,” he teased, tugging at the wrist on the shirt I’d stolen from his closet this morning.

“Okay, Mr. Literal. You know what I mean.”

“So, is that a yes?” he asked, circling back to where this conversation started.

Arching an eyebrow, I tilted my head to make eye contact. “You haven’t told me what we’re doing.”

He took a deep breath, and I held mine, wondering why he was getting so weird about asking me to go somewhere with him.

“My aunt and uncle are having a get together for the fourth. Their place isn’t too far from the ranch, so we could even ride over if the weather holds out.

Marty is bringing some horses back over this afternoon. ”

I paused, smiling at him. Silly man, who was clearly overthinking things right now. “You want me to meet your family?”

“I guess, yeah. Now that I’m closer geographically, my parents have been putting more pressure on me to come to things like this. But I also don’t like the idea of leaving you at the ranch alone.”

I thought back to Hudson’s offer for me to pick up a shift at the bar tomorrow night. It would be the easier, emotionally safer option. Before meeting Tripp I wouldn’t have hesitated saying yes to an extra shift, but now…

“Are you sure that wouldn’t be weird to show up with a random person?”

“My brothers and cousins always bring friends. There’s usually a ton of people there,” he explained, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand while he stared down at our interlocked fingers.

“And that’s what I am to you? A friend?” I asked quietly.

While I knew we were a little past the just friends stage, I wanted to make sure I knew exactly who he wanted me to be tomorrow.

I knew things between us had been moving fast, but it’d be a disappointment if we weren’t on the same page if I was asked tomorrow.

“Putting me on the spot, huh?” he chuckled, letting go of my hand to use a finger to tilt my chin up. His eyes bore into mine and I tried not to flinch, letting him see I was genuinely asking what I was to him.

“You’re the one who brought this up. ”

“And if I wanted you to be more than a friend?”

My smile was involuntary, and thankfully he returned it. Butterflies danced in my stomach when I thought about the last few days and how natural everything felt with him. “Are we defining this now?”

“This situation hasn’t exactly been conventional, but I want to continue seeing you. See where this goes. I enjoy spending time with you. And I think we seem to have a good time together.”

Nodding, I tried to maintain my composure. The last thing he needed to see was me crying in relief that he reciprocated the feelings that scared me. “We have more than a good time together.”

“Good enough that you’d come with me to this thing as my date?”

“Hmm,” I mused, deciding to tease him a little. “I might need some convincing. You’ve made a pretty good case, but I might need a bit more lip service.”

“Happy to put my lips to work. Just tell me where you’d like them,” he murmured, leaning in and sinking his fingers into my loose hair. “Might put in some tongue service, too.”

“You seem to have a good handle on how to argue your case,” I whispered back, leaning in until our lips touched. “I might be almost convinced.”

The tip of his nose brushed against mine, his thumb smoothing back the hair on my temple while I fisted the front of his shirt. Our breath mingled in the space between us, the tension building before he pressed his lips fully to mine.

The butterflies I’d felt in his presence since our first stilted conversation took flight, and my body came alive as he kissed me thoroughly, his tongue pushing forward to mingle with mine until we were both pulling away with our chests heaving.

He rested his forehead against mine when he pulled away, fingers gently combing through my hair. “Now let’s go find you something to wear. I’ll try not to rip it off this time.”

“I won’t argue if you can’t help yourself. Just maybe save it for when you get me home. Don’t want your family to think I corrupted you.”

“Then we’ve got a deal,” he agreed, tilting his head and pushing forward to capture my lips again.