Page 29 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
“Just what Elmer said. I wasn’t paying attention, like a dumbass, and I went off the road. Hit the shoulder hard and rolled a few times. I’m damn lucky I didn’t get tangled up in the scooter and break my leg or something.”
“Yeah, damn lucky. You see a doctor?”
Hugo looked like he was barely resisting rolling his eyes, but Brand had to ask these questions. Hugo wasn’t just an employee, he was also a friend. “Yes, a guy who saw me go off took me to a doctor in Daisy. She patched up my hands, shined a light in my eyes, and ordered me not to sleep for a few hours just in case. I called Elmer, and he came and got me. And the scooter.” His expressive eyes flashed with fear. “I hope Rem’s not too mad about the scooter. I’ll pay for the repairs.”
“I think Rem will be glad you’re okay. Scooters are a lot easier to fix than people.”
“Don’t I fucking know it. So where do you want me today, boss?”
Brand took the hint that he was done talking about it. “Well, I don’t think you should be up on a horse one day after banging your head off the road, so how about you stick to barn chores today? Me and Jackson can tend to the herds and check the fence lines.”
“Fine.”
“There should be a few new pairs of work gloves in the tack room cabinet. Mom can rewrap your hands after lunch.”
“Yes, sir.” Hugo headed out, still stiff, shoulders a bit hunched. Something about the way he walked and held himself hinted that more was bothering him than the pain and embarrassment of an accident. Maybe the visit with his folks hadn’t gone well. Brand couldn’t imagine being so estranged from his parents that he didn’t see them for nine years, but Hugo obviously had his reasons. Reasons he didn’t seem intent on sharing with Brand anytime soon.
Just as well. Brand had a ranch to run, and he couldn’t go getting attached to one of his employees. That was why he’d broken things off with Jackson, to keep up that barrier between employer and employee. Right?
He quietly observed Hugo for a few moments while he gathered gloves and a feed bucket, before tacking up No Name. Jackson and Dog came in, and Brand instructed Jackson to saddle up so they could ride the fence lines. Sometimes a steer could wander off from the main herd during the night, so they always checked for stragglers. Especially after Brutus was attacked. The last thing they needed to do was lose a head to a wild dog or rabid coyote.
If Jackson noticed anything different about Hugo that morning, he didn’t say a word. At lunch, though, Hugo couldn’t hide his hands. Brand usually ate at the house with his parents, but today he brought his food out to the break room in time to hear Jackson question Hugo about the bandages. Hugo explained the accident in a frosty, clipped tone that baffled Jackson and Brand both. The younger man was always polite, if not downright cheerful at work.
This slightly pale, slow-moving man was not that guy today.
“How’s your head feel?” Brand asked. “I can get some ibuprofen from the house if you’ve got a headache.”
Hugo hesitated. “I’ll get some later, if Rose is still okay to change my bandages.” Despite wearing heavy-duty gloves, the white was now gray and even pinkish-red in a few spots where he’d probably rubbed his scabs off. Brand wanted to just send him home for the day, but instinct said Hugo would just double down and work harder if Brand tried to baby him.
Stubborn brat.
“I asked her when I got my lunch,” Brand said. “Go up to the house whenever you’re ready. She’ll take care of it.”
Hugo offered him a wan, not-quite-real smile, then ate a potato chip. He was the first to finish and leave the break room. Once he was gone, Jackson said, “He’s not himself today.”
“He face-planted on the pavement twenty-four hours ago,” Brand replied.
“Nah, it’s something else. Hugo strikes me as the guy who gets up whenever life smacks him down. Maybe he’s sore, sure, but there’s something else bothering him.”
Jackson didn’t seem aware Hugo had seen his family yesterday, so Brand didn’t bring it up. Wasn’t his business to spread around. “His personal life is his to share or not. As long as he shows up and does his job, it’s not on me to pry.” Even though Brand wanted to pry right into Hugo’s head and figure out what was bothering him. Maybe Brand couldn’t fix it, but he could be there for his friend.
“Fair enough.” Jackson gave the crust of his sandwich to Dog. “He and Rem seem to be pretty good friends again. Maybe Hugo will talk to him about whatever’s bothering him.”
“Hope so. See you out there, okay?”
“Sure.” He cleaned up, then headed back out.
Brand finished his own pot roast sandwich and coleslaw—a lunch staple in the Woods household—then headed up to the house to deliver his plate and iced tea cup. Dad was still finishing up his food, but Mom was gone, her half-finished plate still on the kitchen table. She’d probably taken one look at Hugo’s hands and gone into mother-hen mode. Brand lingered for a few minutes, idly chatting with Dad about which steer to show at the upcoming county fair.
Two sets of footsteps descended the old, creaky staircase, which made sense. The farmhouse only had one full bathroom upstairs, which was where Mom kept most of their first aid stuff. The downstairs half-bath had given them more toilets growing up, but sometimes one tub for seven people had been a pain in the ass. Now that it was just the three of them, shower times were much easier to manage.
Mom entered the kitchen first, followed by Hugo, who narrowed his eyes at Brand a split second before his face went neutral. His hands were neatly re-bandaged, though, and he seemed a little perkier. “You be gentle with Hugo this afternoon, Brand,” Mom said. “Those hands are a mess and then some.”
“If Hugo needs to take the afternoon off, I can drive him home,” Brand replied, perfectly willing to do exactly that.
“I’m fine to keep working, ma’am,” Hugo said to Mom. “Keeps my mind off things.”
Mom huffed. “Yes, well, you just had an accident, so don’t overdo yourself to try and prove anything. Don’t want you to hurt yourself worse, hear me?”
