Page 62 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
“I didn’t just mean for this place, Brand. I mean for everything. For last night and all the days before that. For defending me to your parents and everyone else. Since coming home, I’ve been disappointed a lot, over and over, but not this time. You were really here for me, and I appreciate that more than I can say.”
“Then you’re very welcome.” Brand’s gaze flickered down briefly, right to Hugo’s mouth. “I’m selfishly glad you’ll be nearby now.”
“Me, too. Plus, I know I’ve said it before but I do feel safe here. I don’t think I’d have been able to stay at Elmer’s even if he hadn’t kicked me out. Not after what happened. Even if it wasn’t Buck, someone invaded my privacy and my home. So I’m crazy grateful to be here.”
“Well, if Buck tries to get anywhere near you while you’re on this property, we will make it very clear he is not welcome. I’ll keep you safe, Hugo. Promise.”
That beautiful promise melted Hugo’s insides to goo, and all he wanted to do was drag Brand into the bedroom and relive some of his fondest memories from their camping trip. Somehow he refrained from letting his baser instincts win. Instead, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Brand’s lips, happy when Brand relaxed and returned the kiss. His hands rested on Hugo’s hips, and Hugo grabbed the front of Brand’s shirt. The kiss didn’t go any deeper, only went on and on until Hugo was drunk with it.
Drunk and delirious and so happy he wanted to burst.
An odd creak nearby made him jump backward, but he and Brand were still alone in the bunkhouse’s living area, less than a foot from the bedroom door. The very tempting bedroom door, but no, they were both still on the clock. It was too damned risky in broad daylight until Brand came to a decision about what to tell his father.
“I should stop distracting you,” Brand said. “Plus, I’ve got my own chores to do. Mom will give you clean sheets for the bunk. They’re all stored in the attic, I think.”
“Attic sheets. That sounds super fresh.”
Brand swiped at his head. “I’m sure she’s already got a load of laundry going for you. Just clean this place up. Who knows? Maybe we’ll have a booming slaughter of the organic beef and be able to hire you some roommates.”
“Are you trying to persuade me or dissuade me? Because I just got used to the idea of us having some privacy in proximity to a real-ish bed, and now you’re trying to give me roommates?”
“Just thinking ahead. Gotta stay positive about the future.” A bit of apprehension flickered in Brand’s eyes. “You never know what might happen.”
Hugo squeezed Brand’s wrist. “Too true. Now get out of here and stop bothering me, boss, I’ve got work to do.”
“Have fun.”
As much as Hugo would have loved for Brand to stick around and help him clean, Hugo actually enjoyed the task. After throwing open every window he could reach—the second bedroom was packed too full to get to those—Hugo collected a bucket of cleaning supplies and a bunch of rags Rose had ripped out of old shirts no one wore anymore. He dumped all six mattresses from his new room onto the porch so he could dust and sweep both the bedroom and the main room.
When nature called, he found the exterior water main and turned on the water so he could flush and wash his hands. It ran brown for a little while, until the stream went clear. The place didn’t have air-conditioning, just the air moving through the windows, so he’d worked up a good sweat by the time the interior was clean and shiny. So he went outside, got an ax handle from the toolshed, and set to work beating the dust out of the mattresses. He obviously would only need one but no sense in letting the others sit around dirty.
He had no idea what time it was when he declared himself finished and went out to the break room to get something to drink. Kind of wanted to grab the garden hose and drench his head with it to cool off but he settled on rubbing the icy water bottle against the back of his neck. He stood in the mouth of the barn, enjoying the shade and proud of what he’d accomplished today. Even though he had no idea how to cook on a woodstove—start and keep a fire going, yes, but not cook—he had a nice little home of his own on a safe piece of land.
Despite last night’s setback, Hugo was finally starting to believe that coming home had been the right call after all.
Brand’s truck passed and headed straight for the bunkhouse. Curious, Hugo wandered over. Brand opened the tailgate to reveal a boxy white thing that took Hugo a moment to recognize. A mini-refrigerator. “Hey, where’d that come from?” Hugo asked as he approached.
Brand grinned over his shoulder. “I got it from Rem’s house. I took it with me to college, and then so did Rem, so it ended up sitting in his basement. I figured he didn’t need it anymore so I kidnapped it.”
“Thanks, that’s super helpful. I won’t have to keep all my food in the break room.”
“Figured as much. I’ll also head out to the supercenter tomorrow and pick up a microwave. Maybe even a small window a/c unit for the bedroom.”
“I can buy that.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I can write it off as a business expense.”
Hugo chuckled. “Naturally. Want some help?”
“Definitely. I kinda strained my back a little hauling that sucker up the basement steps.”
Together, they wrangled the fridge into the bunkhouse and picked a spot near an outlet. It hummed to life; Hugo set the temperature so the interior chilled quickly.
“Looks real good in here,” Brand said. “You ever hire out your cleaning services, let me know.”
“I charge fifty bucks an hour.”
He let out a low whistle. “Damn, I think I’ll dust my own office. Although...” Brand wiggled his eyebrows. “I might be persuaded to pay that much if you clean in just a maid’s apron and nothing else.”
