Page 8 of Georgia-Blue & Hudson

Dad wanted me on the farm and we butted heads. We didn’t get along. Then everything changed.

I do my best to push it aside as I scoop up Moses, my gray Ragdoll, and give him a scratch under his chin as I walk down the hallway to the front door. Moses is a pretty cool cat and likes to just flop around wherever the desire takes him.

“Daddy’s gotta head out,” I tell him. He spares me an unenthusiastic, withering glance. He loves me, really. I mean, he wouldn’t bunch up near my head when I sleep if he didn’t, or rub against my leg to show his affection. He’s seen me through some rough times in my life and given me comfort that no human has been able to. That’s partly my fault because I don’t let people in very often. Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my ripe old age of thirty-eight.

It’s possible.

I place him back down on the wood floor where he flops over in the small ray of sunlight coming through the side window, stretching his long legs out for good measure.

Hard life.

I fix my cowboy hat on my head, and with a deep sigh, I step out onto the porch.

With GB, you just never know what to expect. I mean, she’s consistent with being a pain in my ass one hundred percent of the time whenever we see one another, and we’re good at bickering. With us, I think it’s that little sister, brother’s best friend thing. I’ve known her since she was born.

One of her favorite things to do is poke the bear. Especially when it comes to my infamous winning streak down at Moose’s bar; I proudly own the title, and the town record, for riding The Raging Moose. She’s always threatening to rival me; she thinks she can stay on The Raging Moose long enough to knock me off my perch, but it’s yet to happen. She’s all hot air, and we both know it.

Since I used to be a bull rider, I know how to hang on.

“Ladies.” I step out and tip my hat just as my dad leads them up to the porch. I take a glance at the women before me. Autumn is a sweetheart in her own right; long-legged with an olive complexion and a bright smile. Whereas Georgia is small — tiny compared to me — with hair as dark as the inked sky Stoney Creek offers up right on twilight. Her eyes are as blue as the cornflowers that grow rampant on our property in the summer months, though I try not to notice that. Her lengthy, dark lashes frame those eyes perfectly.

“Hey, Hudson.” Autumn greets me, stepping in for a quick hug.

“Married life suits you, sweetheart,” I laugh, glancing down at her. “How was Mexico?”

“Perfect,” she gushes. “I highly recommend a vacation.”

“She sounds just like Beau.” Georgia gives me a playful wink.

I give her a chin lift. “Don’t I get a friendly hug?” I tilt my head, teasing her. I think the last time I hugged Georgia-Blue was at her graduation, and that was years ago.

She purses her lips and rolls her eyes toward my dad who’s chuckling behind her.

“It would be kind of awkward now that you’ve said it,” she says.

“A high five then?”

She pretends to punch me in the guts instead and I grab her hand, pulling her toward my chest where I wrap one arm around her in an awkward pound hug. “See, wasn’t that hard.” Knowing she hates it only makes me laugh harder.

She glances up at me with a curious blink for half a second, her cheeks slightly flushed, and that only amuses me more.

“Why don’t you girls come in and grab some sweet tea or a coffee before you get to it?” Dad says. “It’s not often we get such pretty women around here.”

Way to go, Dad.I quirk my brow at him.Just awesome.I know I’ve had a bit of a dry spell lately, but we don’t have to sky write it.

Georgia gives Dad a little nudge in the ribs as he opens the porch door and gestures for the girls to come inside. So much for a quick hello and getting back out to work. We’ve been harvesting since summer started and we’re not even halfway through the season, it will continue right through into fall. Our massive green harvester sitting out in the field waits for no one, not even Precious Princesses.

“Now, that’s a sweet compliment if I ever heard one,” I hear Georgia say as I follow behind them back into the house. “You should try it sometime, Huds.”

And she’s off and racing just like that.

I shake my head. “I gave you a well-rounded compliment just this morning, if you care to scroll back on our texts.”

“Well rounded?” Georgia raises her eyebrows at me from the floor where she’s giving Moses a good old belly scratch.

Autumn laughs under her breath as I close the porch door.

“What would you like to drink?” Dad asks, ignoring me as Georgia continues to pet Moses. He loves female attention and GB is no exception. In fact, I’d go as far to say he favors her. “We have everything from homemade lemonade, sweet tea to freshly roasted coffee.”

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