Page 22 of Josephine and Clay

Still, I pause at the door, catch my breath, then step out into the hall.

The kitchen’s already alive.

Mom’s at the stove again as if she never left it, Boone’s leaning against the counter with a coffee, Faith’s got Brooklyn on her hip, and Rose is wrangling Wyatt away from something he definitely shouldn’t be touching.

“Morning,” I say.

Mom turns first, her eyes flicking over me, noting everything without saying it out loud. “You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Boone glances at the bag slung over my shoulder. “Heading out?”

I nod once. “Yeah. Time to get back to it, you know?”

Dallas exhales through his nose. “Figured.”

Mom doesn’t say anything right away. Just turns back to the stove, flipping food in the pan to distract her.

“Eat first,” she says finally.

“Alright.”

I drop my bag by the door and grab a seat at the table.

I don’t miss the way Rose’s expression softens. Or how Faith shifts just enough to make space for me as if it’s automatic.

That’s the thing about this place: there’s always space, even if you’re desperate to run in the other direction, to seek out adventure anywhere other than Buckhorn.

A plate lands in front of me a second later.

“Eat,” Mom repeats. “You can’t leave here hungry.”

I huff a quiet laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”

I eat because it’s easier than talking.

Because if I start talking, someone’s going to ask me to stay a little longer, or at least make it an option. And I don’t do well with options. Never have. I either go, or I don’t. There’s no in between that doesn’t end with me crawling out of my own skin.

“So,” Faith says lightly, bouncing Brooklyn a little when he starts fussing. “Where to this time?”

“Montana first,” I say around a bite. “Then wherever the circuit takes me.”

Wyatt pops up beside me. “Are you riding bulls again?”

I glance down at him. “That’s the plan.”

He nods, serious as anything. “You’re gonna win.”

A smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he agrees eagerly.

“Alright then,” I murmur. “Guess I better not let you down.”

Across the table, Boone watches me. “You got everything you need?”

“Yes, Big Brother,” I tease.