Page 4 of A Home for His Omega

“Seriously,” Teague agreed. “Living in a work zone can be a pain. Here, you have a room of your own. Well, you and a few dogs and a cat have a room together.”

Henry smiled shyly, warmth filling him. When his alpha dad had married Teague’s dad, Timothy, Henry had been furious, certain that Timothy was only in it for the Powell wealth. Soon after the wedding, when his dad had changed his will to include Teague, Henry had shown up on Teague’s doorstep, angry and upset, certain Teague and Timothy were both gold diggers.

He knew better now, and while he wished he had come to Hobson Hills for a better reason to begin with, he was glad he was there now.

“In any case,” Teague added, “I’ll be home in time to do the evening feeding, so take all the time you need.”

“Good, because I’m not going near the emu.” Henry snuck Journey a small bite of bread. “I only admire those assholes from a distance.”

Tomás

Tomás Wilson ate the last of his sandwich and struggled to ignore the sight of his friend, Juan, stuffing a whole donut in his mouth. That really couldn’t be healthy, and Tomás wasn’t sure he remembered how to do the Heimlich.

“Make sure to get a key from Henry when you go by the farmhouse,” Carter reminded Tomás, grabbing the check from the table. “Then, meet me at the Tolliver house. I’ll need your help putting in their new bathtub.”

“Mmhhgh neggmhgh hepthhgh,” Juan said, mouth full.

“He says he needs my help framing the bedroom addition on Peach street,” Tomás translated.

Carter made a face. “Nope. I need you more. Plumbing is harder than carpentry. Juan will have to deal.”

Juan swallowed his food. “Well, I am pretty amazing, so I guess I’ll be alright.”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Just finish the job by next week. The farmhouse is going to need all our attention, even your pitiful carpentry skills.”

Juan leaned back with a grin. “No need to be jealous, man. You’re good at all kinds of things, like plunging toilets and tightening faucets.”

Tomás snorted a laugh. Juan and Carter constantly teased one another about the quality of their work. In the jobs they took, Carter usually handled the plumbing, Tomás the electrical work, and Juan the building. How it had become a competition, Tomás would never know. They all pitched in when needed, so it made zero sense to him.

“Ain’t no one smarter than a carpenter,” Juan sang. “Ain’t nothing dumber than a plumber. Everyone bitchin’ about the electrician.” He paused his song. “I can keep going if you want.”

“Why are we friends again?” Carter asked, sighing.

“Hey there, Carter,” Ted Langley sat in the booth beside them with his wife. “Heard you had a big job coming up. Who’s the new client?”

Carter smiled at the older man. “Henry Powell. He bought the old Victorian farmhouse next door to the animal sanctuary.”

Ted winced. “The rich fella? I already feel bad for you. Bet he’ll complain about everything.”

“He’s a snot for sure,” Elsie, Ted’s wife, said, leaning over the short wall separating their booths. “Any time I see him in town, he’s rushing off in his fancy car, never stopping to chat or lend a hand like others do.”

“Maybe he was in a hurry,” Juan said, shrugging.

Elsie snorted. “No way. I hear he’s a laze-about that lives off his daddy’s money. With all that wealth, you’d think he’d make time for us little folks, but no. Lynn down at the salon said he refused to let her cut that fancy hair of his. He doesn’t do any shopping in town either. Thinks he’s gracing Hobson Hills with his high and mighty presence.”

Tomás arched a brow. He wouldn’t let Lynn cut his hair either. She usually only did perms for the elderly ladies of town.

“Henry seems like a nice guy,” Carter said, smiling cooly. “Gramps really likes him too. I think we should all just get to know him.”

“Agreed,” Juan said, face unusually stern. “Making assumptions about a person usually just makes life more complicated for everyone.”

Elsie sniffed, looking insulted. “Well, you boys are the ones that have to work for him. Good luck.”

Tomás silently followed them from The Cozy Kitchen. Henry Powell, he thought to himself. He’d seen him from a distance a few times, but they’d never managed to meet. The omega rarely came to town and never spoke to any of the townspeople who visited the animal sanctuary.

Rumors like Elsie’s swirled in town, claiming he was rich and stuck up, thought he was too good for the small town of Hobson Hills, etc. They even worried he’d cause problems for Sam and his aunt, Mia. How, Tomás didn’t know, but the gossipmongers were sure he was no good.

Tomás tended to ignore the gossip. He had learned a long time ago that appearances were deceptive. He never formed opinions on a person without getting to know them first. Plus, as Carter had pointed out, Henry had made one friend in Hobson Hills – Gramps Wilson. That told Tomás the omega couldn’t be that bad.

---