Page 36 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Liam didn’t waste any time tiptoeing around the question. He gestured vaguely at Hudson’s outfit. “What are you doing tonight? You’re not going to one of those fancy auctions, are you?”

Hudson shook his head as he moved past his brother to grab his sports coat. “No. I’m going out.”

“Going out where?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I’m sure I could find out,” Liam said. “Maybe Henry would know.” He turned to leave, but Hudson caught him by the collar and pulled him back a step.

“Why do you think that Henry would know?”

Liam shrugged. “Because he went over to Rachel’s place for dinner last night. I thought he went to see you.” Liam tore his shirt out of Hudson’s grasp and squinted at him. “You didn’t have to stretch out my shirt.”

“Sorry,” Hudson said. So, Henry hadn’t said anything—that is, if he actually knew something.

Liam rubbed the back of his neck, then dropped his hand with a frustrated sigh. “No one is going to believe you’re not up to something tonight. You might as well tell me.”

“Why? So you can go spreading gossip about me? No thanks,” he muttered.

“Maybe I could help. I’ll take them off the scent—you know, make them think you’re really off doing something else.”

Hudson crossed his arms. He cocked a brow as he studied his brother. “You don’t need the truth in order to do something like that for me. You could just tell everyone that I’m out on a date.”

Liam’s guffaw was a little overkill. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No one is going to believe that for a second. Come on, you can tell me. I won’t say anything.”

“What’s it to you?” Hudson reached for his hat, then hesitated. The restaurant they were going to probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he were to enter with his dusty Stetson. Oh well, they could just deal with it. He felt naked without it. He’d dressed up, hadn’t he? The people running the show could learn to appreciate that effort. Hudson grabbed it and placed it on his head.

“You look like you’re one of those bodyguards in the movies. Is Rachel going to be okay?”

Hudson shot a disinterested look toward his brother. He still wasn’t pleased that Wade had let Liam tag along. While he was on the younger side, he was still old enough to help out. Wade probably spilled every detail not only to Liam but to everyone else on what had happened after the break-in. “She’s going to be fine. We haven’t seen any activity from the hooligans who broke her window. I think I scared them off. But that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for them.” He gave Liam a pointed look. “If you’re helping out, I’d prefer that you get stationed at the house. I don’t need you getting taken by surprise in the dark out in the middle of nowhere.”

Liam nodded. “I can tell Wade. He said we’d start taking shifts tonight. We had a meeting about it yesterday after Henry came home.”

There was one thing Hudson did love about his family. They could be counted on to help when the time arose. Hudson shuffled past Liam but stopped when his brother spoke again.

“So, you’re not going to tell me where you’re going?”

A smile tugged at Hudson’s lips. “It doesn’t matter.”

“But you’re wearing Lucas’s stuff. What do I tell him?”

“He won’t even know it’s missing,” Hudson called back. “I found it in a box in the attic.” He headed out the front door, thankful that no one else stopped him to ask about his clothes or why he’d come home in the first place. Tonight was just for him.

Hudson stood outside Rachel’s home, unable to bring himself to knock on the door. How many times had he entered the premises without a second thought? Rachel was in there somewhere, getting ready or already waiting for their date. He could just go inside and tell her it was time to leave.

For some reason that felt wrong.

Wooden floorboards creaked beneath his boots as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He hadn’t exactly thought tonight through. The beginning and end of the date would see them both at the same location. Would it be awkward when he brought her home?

He tugged at the tie, but it wouldn’t budge. Why was he suddenly feeling so hot? He couldn’t breathe. What was wrong with him?

Nothing, he told himself. You’ve never been on a date that you actually cared about.

That was it.

Up until this moment in time, he hadn’t been on a date that mattered. The handful of outings he’d gone on were fine, but when they were over, he didn’t really care. It was like going to a fast-food restaurant. The experience is enjoyable but not something worth repeating over and over again every single night.

But Rachel was different.

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