Page 40 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
“Okay, boss. I’ll keep an eye on him until you get here.”
“Thank you, Jackson, I mean it.”
“Not a problem. Hugo’s a good kid. See you in a bit.”
“Yeah.”
They all had keys to the various ranch pickups, and it took Brand a few minutes to find the one his parents had driven up in that morning. He shot Dad a text that he needed to take the truck, and if Brand wasn’t back at six, to ask Colt for a ride home. Dad didn’t question him; he sent back a thumbs-up emoji. Once the ranch had gotten good Wi-Fi, Dad’s texting game had improved tremendously.
Brand tried not to speed too much, because the county sheriff’s deputies liked to watch certain roads, and one was the stretch of highway between Daisy and Weston, especially on weekends. He also didn’t let his mind spin out too hard on what had happened between Hugo and maybe-Buck this afternoon. He’d find out, well, maybe not soon enough because Brand wanted to know right the hell now, but soon.
He finally turned onto the gravel road leading to the ranch, and he sped up as fast as he dared. As soon as he parked, Jackson came out of the barn, wiping his hands on a rag. “He’s still in the loft,” Jackson said. “He’s been quiet, but he definitely doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“I know you will.” Jackson smiled. “He’s lucky to have you.”
Brand didn’t know how to respond to that, so he went into the barn and climbed the vertical wood ladder to the hayloft. Hugo sat near the big open doors, knees drawn up to his chest, leaning against a bale of hay. He seemed to be staring outside, but his expression was so vacant Brand couldn’t be sure if he saw anything beyond what was haunting him inside his own mind.
“Hugo?” He eased onto the rough wood floor, taking care to move slowly and butt-scoot his way closer, instead of standing up. The last thing he wanted to do was scare or intimidate Hugo. “Hey, pal, you’ve been up here a while.”
Hugo looked his way but didn’t seem to see Brand for a long time. He blinked slowly, twice, and then his eyes popped wide. “Shit, what are you doing here? You should be at the fair.”
“Jackson called me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve been sitting up here for almost two hours, and he’s worried about you. So am I. The guy on the motorcycle...was it Buck?”
Hugo immediately reverted to that nervous teenager Brand had known once upon a time. So different from the strong man who’d walked back onto the ranch in February. Brand scooted a few feet closer, grateful when Hugo simply watched him and didn’t try to escape. “What did Buck do?” Brand asked, an odd fire in his voice he didn’t recognize.
“He showed up.” Hugo’s eyes glistened, and if he started to cry Brand was going to lose his cool completely. “He walked into my job like he owned the place, acted like I’d somehow done something wrong to him, and tried to justify everything he’s done. From beating me up to beating his ex-girlfriend. He’s a bastard.”
“From beating me up.”
Brand kind of wanted to hunt down this Buck character and show how it felt for one grown adult to get a proper beating from another, but Brand wasn’t a violent person. And as much as he’d like to exact a bit of revenge on Hugo’s behalf, comforting Hugo was more important right now. “If he comes near you again I’ll have him arrested.”
“You can’t do that. He hasn’t threatened me.”
“This is private property, so if I see his ass around here, I’ll call in a trespasser.”
“Don’t worry. Physically, I can take care of myself now. One of my friends from Clean Slate taught me some good self-defense moves. It’s just the mental and emotional stuff I still haven’t gotten a handle on. That’s why I freaked out so bad seeing Buck again.”
“I get it.” Brand did understand on an intellectual level, but he had no personal experience with that sort of physical trauma. Sure, he’d been spanked a handful of times as a kid, but his parents had never been physical or verbally violent beyond that. He and his siblings—while they occasionally fought, as most siblings did—hadn’t tormented each other like Buck had tormented Hugo. “You don’t deserve this kind of grief.”
Some of Hugo’s fear downshifted into anger. “What do you care about my personal problems? I’m just an employee. You’ve made that very clear.”
“I care. God help me, but I do care. I’ve cared for a long fucking time.” He’d cared ever since their first time in this hayloft, but he’d been too scared of so many things, including both Hugo’s age and Brand’s own sexuality. Scared of acknowledging that Brand was attracted to men as strongly as he was to women, and their forbidden kiss had only cemented that fact for Brand. “You’re important to me, Hugo, and not just because you were Rem’s best friend once.”
“Then why?”
The stark challenge in both Hugo’s voice and stare dug under Brand’s skin, and all he could do was react. He rose and knee-walked the final few feet between himself and Hugo, hauled Hugo up into his arms, and kissed him. Different from their first kiss, which had been all about attraction and their libidos, this kiss was about comfort. These weren’t surface emotions anymore. Brand wanted the man in his arms, and he tried to put all of that into this long, sensual kiss.
Hugo didn’t react at first, allowing Brand to do all the work. Then his arms snaked around Brand’s waist and held him closer, fingers splayed on Brand’s back. He opened for Brand, and Brand allowed himself to be sucked inside. To rub his tongue against Hugo’s, getting the sharp taste of the younger man. Exploring and teasing while his dick thickened. Hugo’s own erection pressed into Brand’s hip. Brand shifted position just enough so their groins pressed together.
The breathy moan Hugo released sent excited shivers up and down Brand’s spine. God, he did want the man, but Hugo had been upset, and what if this wasn’t what Hugo really wanted or needed. Brand pulled back, his own breaths unsteady, and stared into Hugo’s wide, simmering eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Brand asked.
“Fuck, yes.” No hesitation. Only two softly growled words. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Brand. Even though I was just a kid to you, you made me feel safe when you were around.”
