Page 46 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
“I’m glad, son. Gonna go let poor Brutus out. Probably doesn’t understand why he was punished for protecting his family.” With a tip of his hat, Wayne went into the barn.
“Do you need a break?” Jackson asked softly.
“No,” Hugo replied, turning to face the older man, whose face was as serious as he’d ever seen. “I’m actually okay this time. Before, it had been years since I’d last seen him. I wasn’t scared this time. Mostly pissed. And now grateful to work for such great people. People who believe me and who have my back.”
“You didn’t have that at your other jobs?”
“Some of them. Definitely at Clean Slate. I was the newbie, but no one ever treated me like a dumb kid. I never really told anyone about Buck, though.” And he kind of regretted it now. For all the nights he’d spent with Shawn, learning how to play chess, they’d never really opened up about their pasts. They each seemed to silently know the other had ghosts they didn’t like to talk about. “Some people change, but I don’t think Buck has. At all. If our last encounter says anything, then he just got meaner.”
“We’ve got your back, Hugo, I promise.” Something fierce hitched in Jackson’s voice. “He comes after you, he’s got me to deal with.”
“Thanks.” Brutus loped out of the barn and ran right up to Hugo. Nudged at his hand with his tawny head. Hugo scratched behind his ear. “Good boy. You knew.”
Brutus woofed. Dogs always knew.
Hugo did go into the break room for some water, less upset about Buck infringing upon his safe space than he’d expected. But this time he hadn’t been alone with a taller, bigger, older guy basically threatening him. Wayne had listened and believed him. Jackson totally had his back. Alan...well, Hugo didn’t know him well but he seemed like a good guy.
Maybe things hadn’t worked out with his mother or with Brand, but Hugo did have a safe place here. And that was everything.
Brand parked his pickup near the barn, its bed laden with sacks of feed for the horses. He’d decided to do the run himself today, just so he had the free time to think about his Hugo problem. Ever since his chat with Ramie, Brand was determined to make sure he and Hugo could have an in-depth, private conversation, but he hadn’t figured out how yet. Hugo avoided him in any sort of social situation, and Hugo also refused to talk about personal stuff while they were both working.
Brand needed some sort of plan.
The main yard was surprisingly quiet for it being nearly quitting time. He whistled once, curious where Brutus was, but the dog must’ve been out in the pastures, because he didn’t come. Huh. Brand lowered the tailgate and reached for the first sack of feed, prepared to haul them to the feed room by himself.
Dad came out of the barn and waved a hand so Brand let the sack rest on the back of the truck. “You get the whole order?” Dad asked.
“Yep, they had it all in stock. Always do when we order ahead.” The odd question told Brand that Dad had something on his mind. “What’s up?”
“Had an incident today that I wanted to let you know about in case it gets bigger than it already is.”
Brand tensed. “Okay.”
“Had someone show up today to interview in-person to work for us. No experience but he seemed eager to learn a new trade. Needed a second chance.”
Dad was one of those folks who liked giving people a second chance so nothing about that was weird. “Okay....”
“The man admitted during the interview he’d been incarcerated and needed a job to fulfill his parole, and I was gonna have some sympathy for him, maybe give him a trial period, but I hadn’t made up my mind when I walked him out.”
Alarms began ringing in Brand’s head like a tornado warning siren. “Was it Buck Archer?”
“Ayup. Didn’t connect the name to Hugo’s family until Hugo saw the man drive off. He flat-out said that he wouldn’t trust Buck around the horses or cattle, and he admitted that his relationship with Buck was...traumatic.”
“I know it was.”
Dad tilted his head to the side. “You do?”
“Yeah.” Brand debated what all to say to his father against keeping Hugo’s confidence. “When Hugo found out Buck was out of prison a few weeks ago, he was pretty upset. We talked for a while, and he didn’t tell me anything specific that happened, only that he felt safe here when he was a teenager. And that his folks were both firmly on Buck’s side.”
“I understand supporting your kids.” Dad grunted. “But sometimes you gotta take a stand against their actions or they’ll never grow up. Never take responsibility for themselves and the things they’ve done to others. I hope I taught you kids to take responsibility.”
“You did, Dad.” His parents had only ever loved and nurtured their kids. And while Wayne Woods wasn’t the father who comforted someone over a skinned knee, or sat by them with a cool washcloth while a fever broke, he showed his love in other ways. By always providing for the family, celebrating special occasions, and bringing home special treats after a trip into Amarillo.
“So I assume you aren’t hiring Buck,” Brand said, making it less of a question than a statement, because no way in hell would Brand agree to that even if he thought Dad was dumb enough to try.
“Of course not. Hugo’s a good kid and practically family, so I’ll take his word on this. I also don’t want to see that man on this property again. Should’ve known something was off when Brutus barked and snarled at him.”
Brand smiled, loving how protective his dog was when he sensed a bad person around. “I told Hugo the same thing, that this is private property, so if he comes around to call the sheriff and report a trespasser.”
