Page 70 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
Brand stared at his lap, allowing his hands to shake now that the confession was out there. He couldn’t take it back, couldn’t amend the statement. He’d said it. All he could do now was accept his words and deal with the consequences.
Chapter Twenty-One
After riding the fence line all afternoon looking for stragglers, Hugo’s ass needed a break from the saddle, and he was glad when he and Alan returned to the barn. After untacking and settling their horses, he grabbed a bottle of water from the break room and wandered a bit, hoping to spot Brand. No dice.
Hugo hadn’t been invited to the house for supper, so once it was quitting time, he headed for the bunkhouse. Tossed a frozen dinner into the microwave and ate it by himself at the small dinette set he’d purchased and set near one of the windows facing the main house. Warm air trickled in through the screenless window, and he never caught a glimpse of his target. He shot Brand a quick text, asking if he’d had a good afternoon. Short and simple.
When twenty minutes passed with no response, Hugo didn’t let himself worry. He cleaned up and settled on the faded green couch he’d found via a “Free” ad online to play a game on his phone. At one point he dozed off, only to wake from the beep of his text notification.
Brand:Afternoon was fine. Can’t talk tonight. Sorry.
A little odd but not concerning. Maybe they had some sort of private family thing going on tonight—which would make sense if Rem or their sisters had come over, but there weren’t any extra cars by the house. Whatever. Hugo had had a great day, so after a quick shower he slid into bed. The twin bunk felt almost too big without Brand in it, crushing him to the mattress with his broader body.
He woke on July 3 with a weird pit in his stomach that a breakfast of microwaved oatmeal and coffee didn’t fix. Today was a busy day for the family as they prepared for tomorrow’s July Fourth celebration in town. Besides the town-wide barbecue, there’d be a local country band playing, plus folks setting up tables to sell locally made goods and food. Booths from local businesses, churches, and other organizations handing out free swag like paper fans on Popsicle sticks and pens. As a kid, Hugo used to love walking those tables and collecting as much stuff as he could, just so he could admire it all later when he got home.
Just like at the fair back in May, Woods Ranch would have a booth to hand out literature on their beef, and Wayne was going to barbecue up all cuts of meat for folks to sample. Plus, he’d donated a bunch of ribs to the Baptist church organizing the main portion of the barbecue. Hugo wasn’t part of any of that, though, so he stuck to his regular duties, annoyed and unsettled at not seeing Brand almost all day.
Not until about three in the afternoon. Hugo had finished mucking the last horse stall, and he caught a glimpse of Brand walking past the barn’s main entrance. He leaned his shovel against the nearest stall door and bolted. Brand was reaching for the door handle of his pickup when Hugo overtook him. “Dude, are you okay?” Hugo asked.
Brand looked at him with a spooked expression that made Hugo’s insides sour. “Been busy. Lotta work to do before tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you do, but...did I do something yesterday to piss you off? I feel like you’re avoiding me.”
“You didn’t do anything. I did.”
“What did you do?”
“I got involved with an employee, and it’s hugely inappropriate. I am your boss and supervisor, and I never should have put you in that position.”
Hugo stared at Brand, uncertain whom he was actually looking at. Brand was nothing like the confident man who’d left his bed twenty-four hours ago. Instead, he was pale and pinched, and Hugo didn’t buy this whole “inappropriate” act for a second. “I put myself in that position, willingly and plenty of times. You didn’t take advantage of me, Brand, not once. And I know you’re not the type of guy to fire me if I broke things off. Not that I want to, because I really, really like what we have.”
I’m falling in love with you, you jackass, so what is this?
Hugo couldn’t bring himself to voice those thoughts, though.
“He knows, Hugo,” Brand said in a soft, hesitant tone he’d never heard before.
“Who knows what?”
“Dad. He saw us in bed together. More than once.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, and when he met Hugo’s eyes again, Brand’s were too shiny. “He confronted me yesterday afternoon. I couldn’t lie to his face, so I came out as bi. Dad hasn’t said a word to me since.”
The bottom seemed to drop out from beneath Hugo’s feet, even while he silently cheered for Brand finally coming out to his dad. For owning up to that truth, instead of explaining away seeing Hugo and Brand in bed together. No wonder Brand and Wayne had both been scarce these last twenty-four-odd hours. The elder Woods had to come to terms with a huge revelation, while the younger had to—he hoped—embrace who he was, fully and finally.
“So it’s out there,” Hugo said. “We don’t have to hide.”
Brand squinted. “Did you hear me? My dad won’t talk to me. He won’t even look at me.”
“He came around with Colt being gay. He’ll come around with this. You just gotta have faith in that, Brand.”
“It was different with Colt.”
“How? Your dad couldn’t accept Colt was gay and he drove Colt away for years. Your dad regretted it, and he was thrilled when Colt came back into your lives. You really think he’s gonna drive you off because you’re bi and with a guy? That he’ll risk losing another of his sons for God knows how long?”
“I don’t know.” Brand slammed his open palm against the side of his truck. “I just don’t know. He’s never acted like this with me before, and it terrifies me, okay? I just...need some space. Please.”
“Space from me?” When Brand nodded, Hugo’s heart shriveled a little bit. “So what I think and feel doesn’t matter? Doesn’t matter that I’m falling in love with you?” Brand flinched, and that made Hugo take a step backward, putting suffocating space between them. “You know, when I was accused of stealing from Elmer and you stood by me, I thought it meant you always would. Now I see I was wrong.”
“Hugo, I’m sorry.”
