Page 68 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
Rose had a pan of fresh cinnamon rolls plus a fruit salad on the table by the time Brand joined them. “Morning, Mom,” he said as he poured himself coffee. “Where’s Dad?”
“Went down to the barn early,” she replied, “but he should be up soon. He knows when breakfast is.”
Hugo’s skin prickled with unease. Wayne had been out and about early this morning. But Wayne had never struck him as the prying sort, so the man had no reason to peek into one of the bunkhouse windows. Right?
They ate in near silence. The cinnamon rolls were heaven, the fruit nice and sweet. Hugo ate his fill and insisted on helping Rose fill the dishwasher. Wayne didn’t come inside until Hugo and Brand were heading out to start their day, and he gave them both cursory nods. Hugo met Brand’s gaze, and Brand simply shrugged. Hoping he was just being paranoid, Hugo headed out to the barn with Brand and they got to work.
Two mornings later, Brand was out checking the organic herd for slaughterhouse readiness—the steer needed the right amount of fat on the brisket and the tail rolls—when Rem found him. He and Jackson had brought the herd back last night, and Brand hadn’t expected to see him today.
Rem rode up on Juno and pulled to a stop nearby. “I guess I don’t have to ask if the rumors are true,” Rem said, “judging by your busted face.”
“Depends on the rumor.” Brand ran his hand down one steer’s flank. A good number he’d checked so far seemed ready, and he hoped they got a Prime rating for the meat at slaughter.
“The rumor that you and Hugo got into two fights at the Roost a few nights ago and you kicked ass both times.”
“Those are very true.” He looked up but the sun was right behind Rem, so he had to squint. “Wasn’t about to let a couple of assholes give Hugo shit about something he didn’t do. They didn’t like getting their asses beat once, so they came at us for a second round.”
“Man, I wish I’d been there to see it. Can’t rightly picture Hugo in a bar brawl.”
“He held his own. As long as the right rumors spread, I don’t think he’ll have much grief going forward over the burglary arrest.” In some ways, that had been the entire point of last night’s outing. While Brand hadn’t intended for them to do battle, he couldn’t argue with the results. Hugo was no one’s fool, and Brand wouldn’t allow others to insult or mistreat him.
“I doubt it, too. And putting him in the bunkhouse was a smart idea. He can stop wearing the life out of my scooter every day.”
Brand snorted. “Like you ever drive that thing anywhere. It’s a dust collector, just like everything sitting around the other bunkhouse bedroom. And the attic. And that spare stall in the barn. We could easily downsize and invest that money back into the ranch.”
“Good luck with that one, bro. Dad’s parents lived through the Great Depression and the dirty thirties. All that dust and devastation. He learned how to save everything in case he needed it again one day.”
“Yeah, but old glass canning jars with no lids that fit? And it’s not like Mom cans all that much anymore, especially since she stopped gardening. I get his experiences, but sometimes you gotta let shit go.”
“Hey, I agree with you. Maybe the next time Colt’s out to visit, the three of us can gang up on him? It’s worth a shot.”
“True.” After losing him for sixteen years, Dad now had a soft spot for Colt, and if anyone could convince the man to let go of some stuff, it was likely their older brother. “Anyway, we’ve got some head ready for slaughter, I think. I’ll call up to the slaughterhouse later and see when they can get us in.”
“Great. Should see a tidy profit from that.”
“Hope so. As long as the demand for organic, grass-fed beef stays high, we should do well over the next year or so. Plus, the regular herd is about ready to send, too, I think. Right age, right fat consistency. I just really wanna test out the organic market first.”
“I get it. If that’s the future of Woods Ranch, we need to see what’s what. I trust you, brother. We all do.”
“Thanks.” Brand didn’t hear those words often from his little brother and they meant the world to him. They rarely talked about anything serious, period, sticking to surface things and goofing around, and Brand took this opportunity to pick his brother’s brain. “You ever think you might want a bigger part in the business than just as a rustler?”
Rem blinked down at him. “Like what? Your accountant? This is my job and my role in the family. Even before Colt left and you got the foreman job, I knew my place. Why? You thinking of leaving?”
“No, not really. I guess some nights I’ve been sitting up wondering what my life could have been if Colt stayed. Or if you were older than me and had my job, so I could’ve done something else. Not that I want a different life, I just...can’t help wondering.”
“Makes sense. I mean, I do sometimes wonder how different my life might have been if Shelby hadn’t gotten pregnant when she did. If we’d waited longer to get married.” His pensive expression brightened. “But I love Susie to bits and wouldn’t give her up for the world. These are our lives, bro. All we can do is live them.”
“Yeah.” Brand didn’t completely agree that all they could do was live them. They all had choices, forks in the road, roads less traveled they could attempt to take. Pick the metaphor. All they had to do was be brave enough to say,“I want something else.”
Brand wanted something else, and he wanted it with Hugo. But he didn’t know if he was brave enough to reach for it, much less fight for it.
Let me be brave enough when the time comes. I don’t want to lose him.
By the end of June, Hugo’s life had settled into something quite boring, and he loved it. He’d fixed up the bunkhouse with a microwave and two-burner hot plate, added curtains to the bedroom and some furniture in the living area he’d gotten from social media swap sites. The space had become his in its own way, and it was the first time he’d had his own living space in ages. Sure, the trailer at Elmer’s had been private, but despite its proximity to the Woods house, Hugo felt at peace here.
He missed Elmer and their evenings spent together. Sheriff McBride had no new suspects in the burglary of Elmer’s house, but he also had no more proof Hugo had done anything wrong, so Hugo tried to let the whole thing go. He focused on his job and on Brand. He focused on Brand as often as possible.
Their conflicting schedules didn’t allow a lot of time for sex, but they worked in encounters whenever possible, usually in the bunkhouse. Every time Hugo welcomed Brand into his body, he felt a deepening connection between them. Every time Brand kissed him hard and needy during sex, Hugo adored the man even more. They moved together, sometimes without words, and each encounter was more amazing than the last.
