Hugo Turner’s boots haven’t touched Texas soil in almost a decade, and he’s not sure they should now. Being in the state is complicated, but Hugo can’t resist going back for a job working with his teenage crush. His best friend’s hot older brother is now the ranch’s foreman, so he’ll be Hugo’s boss. Inappropriate? Probably. Will it stop Hugo? Probably not.
Keep reading for an excerpt from His Fresh Start Cowboy by A.M. Arthur.
“That really sucks, man, I’m sorry to hear that.”
Hugo Turner had just sat down at the long kitchen table with his dinner when that particular comment rose from the din of general conversation in the room. He’d chosen a spot in the middle so he could chat with his fellow Clean Slate Ranch horsemen, but now he looked up from his plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. The statement had come from Ernie and been said to Colt, both men older and more experienced than Hugo in, well, pretty much everything.
Except horses. Hugo had been around horses most of his life, and he loved working with them every day here at the ranch.
“What sucks?” Hugo asked, unable to help himself. He was the youngest horseman on the ranch, despite having just turned twenty-seven, and sometimes he struggled to really connect with his coworkers. Showing genuine interest in their lives was always a great in, right?
Colt sighed and poked at his own meat loaf. He was a handyman on the dude ranch/vacation spot, rather than a horseman. “Talked to my parents this afternoon. My father’s having trouble getting new hands, and Brand is worried that their shift to organic, grass-fed beef is going to fail because they don’t have enough people to run the operation.”
“Oh, wow, that sucks.” While Hugo had left the cattle ranching life a long time ago, he’d grown up on a ranch that failed when Hugo was ten. During his parents’ messy divorce, they’d sold the last of their herd and some equipment to Wayne Woods. Small-and medium-sized ranchers were suffering all over the country because of corporate operations, and he was honestly impressed Woods Cattle Ranch was still in business. Especially with the neighboring towns of Weston and Daisy offering few prospects for new families moving to the area.
Families like the one Hugo hadn’t gone home to see in years; friends he hadn’t seen in years; teenage crushes he hadn’t seen in years, except from a careful distance. When the entire Woods family came up to the ranch for Colt’s wedding two years ago, avoiding them had turned into an art form for Hugo, helped along by his cowboy hat and allowing a bit of a beard to grow out. A beard he’d shaved off the day they left. He simply hadn’t wanted to mix his new life up with his past in Texas. A past Colt didn’t know about yet.
“Yeah,” Colt said. “Dad and Brand are putting their heads together, but it’s not an easy lifestyle, especially if you aren’t born into it.”
“I know.” Off Colt’s curious eyebrow quirk, Hugo scrambled to correct his comment. “I mean, I can imagine. I’ve, ah, heard stories.”
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 the Join Our Family link 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.”
“Sorry to hear that. It’s a big kick in the head that we both ended up here, though, huh? What are the odds?”
“Pretty slim. But I’ve heard some of the other guys say there’s something magical about Clean Slate. It brings people here when they’re meant to be, for whatever reason. I, uh...” Hugo took a deep breath, held it, then released. “I applied to work at your family’s ranch. Your father offered me a job.”
Colt’s eyes went comically wide. “You’re shitting me. Really? I mean, he called me this morning and mentioned he’d gotten an application from a guy named Hugo Turner who worked here, and he asked me for a personal reference on your working habits. But he didn’t mention he’d offered you the job.”
“That’s because it just happened. I honestly didn’t expect anything to come out of it. I love it here. Arthur and Judson have been great, and I’ve learned a lot since I’ve worked here, but now I feel as if I have unfinished business back in Texas.” No way was he going to admit part of that business included a never-ending crush on one of Colt’s younger brothers. “I didn’t leave on good terms with a lot of people. I kind of want to fix that.”
“You don’t have to leave the ranch to fix old hurts. When’s your next week off?”
Hugo shook his head. All the hands got a week’s vacation on a rotating basis throughout the year, but he’d never used his to go home. He rarely went much of anywhere, because everything he needed was at the ranch. Or so he’d thought. “I like this job a lot, Colt, but this isn’t the end of the road for me. I’m only twenty-seven. I’ve got a lot of miles left to travel, and if those miles take me back home for a bit, I’m okay with that.”
More than any other time since he’d left home, Hugo truly was okay with going back. With facing his past and all the ugly parts he’d tried to leave behind.
“Well, I can’t say I won’t miss you,” Colt said. “You always were an easy mark on poker night.”
Hugo laughed. Genuine laughter, because he did kind of suck at cards, and because Colt was just teasing him. The big, blond cowboy didn’t have a mean bone in his body—much like his younger brother Brand. “You aren’t wrong about that. I’ll miss poker nights. And I’ll miss our group visits in San Francisco to hang out with Slater and Derrick. I’ll miss a lot of things, but the more I sit with it, the more this move feels right.”
“Then go with your gut, pal. And hey, I’ll see you next time Avery and I go home to visit my family. I’ll bring you all the juiciest gossip.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Hugo wasn’t much of a gossip himself, but he definitely wanted to know what was up with the friends he was leaving behind. “I guess I should find my courage and go tell Judson I’m resigning. Give him time to hire a replacement.”
“I imagine it’s easier for Judson to find new hires than it is for my father. Ranching is a bit more complicated than leading trail rides and camping trips for tourists. You sure you’re up for that life?”
“Yes.” Hugo stood a bit straighter. “I grew up on a ranch, and my stepfather still works for a local CSA. I got my first paid job there when I was fifteen, so I know hard work. I know cattle and horses. I’ve got a lot of metaphorical fences that need tending back in Texas, and I know I can’t mend them in a week.”
I can’t mend myself in a week.
“I hear that,” Colt said, his familiar, affable smile firmly in place. “I also won’t spread your news all over the ranch. Promise.”
“Thanks. I’ll probably tell Shawn and Miles tonight. Might as well rip the bandage off, right?” Hugo considered the pair of cooks to be his two best friends on the ranch. They were the closest people to his age, and he’d definitely miss seeing them in person. But the power of smartphones and the internet meant they could easily keep in touch.
“Yeah, putting it off never seems to accomplish much except hurt feelings.” Colt checked his phone. “I gotta get back to work. Some of the south fencing needs repairs, and that’ll probably take up the rest of my afternoon.”
“I need to get back, too. I’m on this afternoon’s trail ride with the guests. Thanks for the chat, Colt, I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. See you around.”
Hugo watched Colt amble toward the big red barn to collect whatever tools he’d need for his fence mending, then walked around the back of the guesthouse to face the main house. Arthur Garrett, the owner of the ranch and adjacent horse rescue, lived there with Judson and Patrice, the woman who cooked for their guests and the hands. Judson was likely in his office, and there was no reason to put off giving his two weeks’ notice.
He steeled his spine and strode toward the house.
“Good news, son.”
Brand Woods looked up from the paperwork on his desk, startled by the sound of his father’s voice coming from his office doorway. Usually, the old Woods family home’s floors creaked loudly enough that you heard most anyone coming, going, or moving about above your head, but somehow Dad had gotten the drop on him.
Then again, they were close to the end of the month, and Brand was desperately trying to balance the books before sending things off to their accountant for tax season. He hated February with an unbridled passion, but he’d gotten a business degree for a reason and this was it. To help keep Woods Ranch in the black and running. They employed a lot of people in their county, not only as ranch hands, but also the grocery store, and their feed and hay suppliers. Only half of their current head of cattle were free-range, grass-fed, so the other half needed to eat just like the humans who raised them.
While the demand for organic, grass-fed beef had risen dramatically in recent years, the transition was still a gamble for a family who’d done things a certain way for multiple generations. But Brand was determined to make this transition work.
“What’s the good news?” Brand asked, desperate for anything to make him smile today.
“I got us a new hire, and he’s got experience with horses and cattle.” Dad grinned in a weird way. “And he’s someone you and Rem know.”
“Oh?” Brand couldn’t think of a single person in Weston or Daisy who didn’t already work for them, or who’d tried and failed to make the cut. “Who?”
“Hugo Turner.” Dad sat in the chair opposite Brand’s desk. “Remember him? One of Rem’s best friends from high school.”
An uncomfortable ball of ice dropped into the middle of Brand’s stomach, and he worked to keep his face as neutral as possible. He hadn’t heard that name spoken out loud in years. His mind flashed with a memory of the jumpy, hyperaware, brown-haired teenager who’d seemed to be there whenever Brand turned around after Brand returned home from college. And flirting every chance he got—which was crazy distracting from someone Brand considered a kid but who was also cute in all the right (and wrong) ways.
He’d put up with it for two years, until the night things went sideways. The night Hugo kissed him and everything Brand thought he believed about himself changed in irreversible ways.
Brand coughed. “I didn’t realize Hugo was back in town.”
“He’s technically not back yet. As fate would have it, he’s been working with Colt out at Clean Slate these last few years. Heard through Colt we’d been having trouble finding qualified help, so he applied. When I saw the application, I called Colt for a reference, and it sounds like Hugo will be a good fit for our staff. Plus, he’s familiar with the area and practically family.”
“That’s...wow.” What were the odds Hugo would end up working the same dude ranch as Brand’s big brother? Astronomical. What were the odds he’d end up working here alongside Brand, who’d spent years trying to hide the guy side of his bisexuality? Even more astronomical. And how on earth had Hugo hidden himself when their family was in California for Colt’s wedding? Hugo hadn’t said a word to any of them.
“So, um, when’s he coming?” Brand asked.
“I don’t have a specific date, but if his momma raised him right, he’ll give at least two weeks to his current boss. I also gave him Elmer Pearce’s number about that trailer he’s always looking to rent. Should be a good fit.”
Brand bit his tongue. Elmer Pearce was, well, eccentric, to say the least. The man owned several acres of property next to their ranch, and he’d filled the land with... Elmer called it art, but Brand called it mostly junk. He’d accumulated piles of metal, usually from properties that had been torn down in their county and neighboring ones, and while Elmer did make folk art out of some of it, a lot of it just sat in rusty piles. Pickers constantly tried to buy from Elmer, but the man rarely sold anything.
But the property did have a single-wide trailer not too far from Elmer’s house, and more than one Woods Ranch employee had rented from Elmer over the last thirty years or so. Elmer always said the extra income gave him money to keep buying more stuff. Brand wasn’t keen on continuing to feed the man’s semi-hoarder habits, but their ranch needed hands, and Hugo would need a place to live.
“Sounds like it’s all worked out, then,” Brand said, a little annoyed that he’d been left out of the decision. Despite being named foreman about five years ago, sometimes he still felt like Dad was looking over his shoulder. Not quite trusting Brand to run the ranch as they’d agreed. “Wouldn’t have minded a little heads-up about the new hire.”
Dad waved a hand in the air. “You’ve got so much going on right now that I don’t want to bother you with every little detail. I may have stepped back a bit but I can handle new hires no problem. You focus on keeping us afloat.”
“I’m doing that, sir.”
“Good man. Sage and her family are coming over for supper at six. Your mother’s making pork chops.”
“I’ll have this finished up and be at the table on time.”
“All right. See you in a few hours, then.”
After Dad left the office, Brand leaned back in his chair and let out a long, frustrated breath. He loved his family, this ranch, and his job, but some days he wasn’t sure his father completely trusted him to run the business. As if he was always looking over Brand’s shoulder, because Brand had been the second son. Not the first choice.
His big brother, Colt, had run away from home when Brand was sixteen, and the job of taking over from their father had defaulted to Brand. At first, Brand had been furious, because he’d wanted to be a teacher, not a cattle rancher. He’d grown up expecting that task to fall to Colt. But Brand had enjoyed getting his business degree, and so far, it had helped keep their small-to-medium-sized cattle operation going in a time when small ranches were going out of business all over the Southwest.
Still, he couldn’t help wonder if Dad would have been as hands-on if Colt was the foreman now, instead of Brand. Would Brand always be second best?
Only time would tell.
Brand tried to push those self-doubts out of his head and got back to work.
Don’t miss His Fresh Start Cowboy, available now wherever ebooks are sold.
Copyright © 2022 by A.M. Arthur