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After being hired at Clean Slate two and a half years ago, it had taken Hugo a few days to realize Colt Woods was the older brother of his high school best friend, Remington “Rem” Woods. Colt had run away from home at eighteen, years before Rem and Hugo became friends, so Hugo hadn’t had any clear memories of him. And when Hugo realized he and Colt had grown up in neighboring towns, he’d kept it to himself, not wanting to trot down that particular stretch of memory lane.
He’d left Texas for a reason, damn it.
“Your family thinking of selling out?” Ernie asked, then shoveled a fork of steamed green beans into his mouth.
“I hope not but it’s a possibility,” Colt replied. “Our family has worked that land for generations, and I’d hate to see them sell. It’s why Brand is making some changes to their operations, hoping to hang on a while longer. Seems to be having good luck with the wind farm in the south pasture, but he’s banking on the organic beef.”
“It’s a big thing in the larger cities. Not that I can taste the difference. A steak is a steak to me.”
Several other guys at the table who were listening “hear, hear-ed” the comment. Hugo smiled and ate his food. This was very much a beef-consuming lot of horsemen, as were their weekly groups of guests. Every Sunday night, they held a welcome barbecue, and most dinners (for hands and guests) featured some sort of red meat.
As he ate, Hugo’s mind whirred with all kinds of thoughts about the small Texas county he’d abandoned years ago, heading out on his own to seek...something. A different path, something that excited him more than a part-time job at the local grocery store. And that took him away from the humiliation that had been his first attempted kiss with another boy.
Far, far away from the walking wet dream that had been Brand Woods.
Hugo wasn’t ashamed to admit—to himself but not out loud—that after realizing who Colt was, he’d done a social media search on Brand. Hugo had once fallen head over heels for Brand, a tall, well-built blond who was eight years older than him and about to leave for college the first time they’d met. The latest pictures of Brand showed him to be a near carbon copy of Colt, but while Hugo could admire Colt’s aesthetic, he didn’t excite Hugo the way Brand always had.
Only Brand had ever made Hugo want to roll over and beg. And only Brand had ever broken Hugo’s heart.
He finished his dinner in a slight daze, born of old memories and hurts, and he put his plate and glass in the bus bin by rote. Headed out into the dark, late winter night on a familiar trek back to his cabin. Most of the hands lived in small, two-man cabins behind the ranch’s main house, and a well-trodden path led him forward. Hugo’s roommate, Winston, wasn’t there, which was fine, because he wasn’t in a chatty mood for a change. His first roommate, Slater, had been quiet to the extreme, avoiding all of Hugo’s attempts at communication and friendship for months. But Slater had moved on from Clean Slate, and Winston had been his replacement, both as a horseman on the ranch and Hugo’s roomie.
Normally, he adored Winston’s ability to chat about anything. Tonight, he was grateful for the chance to sit on his bunk and think. Think about the people he missed and the potential next stop on his wanderlust journey to find what his heart truly desired. Because as much as he enjoyed his work here with the horses and guests, this wasn’t his final destination. It was a way station on the path to where he was meant to be.
What if I’m meant to be back home?
It wasn’t the first time in the last few years that he’d wondered such a thing. He loved discovering the States and learning new things, but so much of his heart was at home in Daisy, Texas, a one-stoplight town ten miles from Weston. He missed his mom and her comforting, if infrequent, hugs. Leaving her behind was one of his biggest regrets. They didn’t speak often, but when they did she sounded happy. Seemed happy that he was far, far away from what had happened with Buck.
But Buck was cooling his heels in state prison for felony assault charges. His temper had finally gotten the better of him and landed him in a locked cage where he belonged. Hugo had contemplated going home this past Christmas, because he knew he’d be safe, but in the end had remained here as part of the ranch’s skeleton crew.
He’d stayed away for years, and now he was actually contemplating going back to work and live there. He could catch up with Rem again. Hug his mother. Maybe give Woods Ranch the boost it sounded like it needed. Hugo knew ranching, and he was great on a horse. Maybe he could do something bigger than oversee camping trips and teaching city folk how to ride a horse.
Hugo had his phone out before he really thought about it, and he found the website for Woods Ranch. The background image was a picture of Brand, Rem and their father, all posing next to an impressively large steer. He studied Brand’s face, still able to feel the pressure of Brand’s lips on his the first and only time they’d kissed. Brand was still gorgeous after all these years—and according to Colt, single and seemingly uninterested in dating.
No, he couldn’t let himself think too hard about that. He found theJoin Our Familylink and uploaded his résumé before he could stop himself. Brand would probably see his name and delete it, but Hugo had done it. No going back now. And it wasn’t as if he had to accept the job on the off chance one was even offered.
Nah, he’d done it as a lark. He had friends here at Clean Slate—sort of, since the guys closest to his age all worked at the neighboring ghost town attraction—and a life he liked. Going back to Texas was idiotic.
Except the next day, Hugo checked his cell phone at lunchtime and found a message from Wayne Woods requesting a phone interview. Not from Brand but from his father. Hugo returned the man’s call. Wayne actually remembered him as one of Rem’s best friends in high school, and when Hugo talked about working with Colt and his own duties at the ranch, Wayne offered him a job on the spot. As soon as he could give notice and move back to Texas. Wayne even had a lead on a trailer Hugo could rent that neighbored the Woods property.
The entire thing happened so fast Hugo spent the rest of his lunch hour staring at the side of the guesthouse, unable to form a proper thought. His cheeks were half-frozen from the February chill but he didn’t care. Had he really just accepted a job back in his home state? Had he committed to leaving a job he enjoyed and coworkers he liked for grueling long days under the hot Texas sun?
Would he really be around Brand again?
He was still staring blankly at the guesthouse wall when Colt approached, his brow creased. “Hey, dude, uh, can I ask you something?”
Hugo saw it coming but still nodded. “Sure.”
“Were you ever gonna tell me you knew Rem? And me?”
Heat crept across Hugo’s neck and cheeks, and he turned to face the older, taller man. “I never really saw the point in mentioning the past. I mean, we didn’t really know each other at all. I did know Rem, though. And Brand and your sisters. But all that happened after you left.”
Colt frowned at him while his left thumb twirled the gold band on his wedding finger. He’d married the love of his life not quite two years ago, and the pair somehow managed to make a long-distance relationship work, with Colt living here and his husband living an hour away in San Francisco. “You still could have said something when you realized who I was. Can’t say as I remember a family named Turner from back then, though.”
“Turner is my mom’s maiden name. When my parents divorced, we both took it back, and even after she remarried, I kept it. Never did like my stepfather’s name. Plus, we lived in Daisy.”
“I vaguely recall my father buying cattle from a failing ranch in Daisy not long before I left. Was that you?”
“Yeah. Well, my parents. My mother inherited the ranch, but they went through a bad patch of hoof rot. Didn’t treat it right. Money went south and so did their relationship. Everything got divvied up in the divorce.”
