by Liz Isaacson
Scarlett turned back, her impatience nearly getting the best of her. “Yeah?”
“Could you ask Hudson about fixing my car? It has a starter problem.”
She grinned and nodded. “That’s an easy one. I’ll talk to him.” She started across the lawn again, late for yet another interview.
The following week, Scarlett sat at the dining room table with her cup of chamomile tea, enjoying a lazy start to yet another Friday. She and Hudson had taken Gramps to church on Sunday, and it had been so peaceful sitting on the bench and listening to the pastor talk about forgiveness.
With Hudson’s help, she’d finished the clean-up of Gramps’s cabin. He was out there making repairs, and then they’d repaint and put down new floors to complete the renovation. They’d gone through all of the buildings and Hudson had literally worked late into the night to fix cracks, re-plaster walls, and replace broken windows.
Scarlett had never considered herself a great painter, but she’d done six rooms in the past four days, and wow, her back was tired. So tired.
Jewel had called and scheduled an appointment for next Monday, so she still had ten days to get the ranch into tip-top shape. Adele and Carson’s first goat yoga class was scheduled for next Saturday morning, and they’d been spending a lot of time together out in the Goat Grounds, and it turned out that Adele had skills in web design too.
There was still plenty to do around the ranch, but Scarlett just wanted to enjoy her tea. She lifted her cup at the same time someone pounded on the front door, causing her to startle and spill hot liquid on the back of her hand.
Before she could answer, Hudson burst in. “I just sold another car.” He wore a look of utter triumph on his face, and he crossed the room to her in three long strides and threw a wad of cash on the table.
She gaped at it. “Holy cow, Hudson.” She jumped up, the burn from her tea suddenly unimportant. The bills in her hand felt like relief, and she counted out two thousand dollars. “Which car?”
“That little blue sedan. All it needed was the spark plugs and the belt, remember? A hundred-dollar fix.”
“Excellent profit,” she said, counting out twelve hundred dollars with fifties and twenties. She held it out to him, finding him so desirable when he was happy.
“Nope,” he said. “That’s your cut.”
She looked at the money and back at him. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.” He’d sold another car a couple of days ago, but it hadn’t fetched nearly as much. “And I have that 1956 Ford down at the intersection, along with the white car I finished yesterday. I’ve already had three calls about that truck.” He looked at his phone as it chimed. “We’re going to bring in a lot of money for that truck, I’m telling you.”
Scarlett finally felt like the sky was lifting, like she could make this ranch into something wonderful and worthwhile. She squealed and danced over to Hudson, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you, Hudson.”
He held her tight, and the moment sobered as she realized what she’d done. She pulled back but didn’t remove herself from the safety and thrill of his arms. She gazed up at him, the connection that existed between them strengthening and solidifying as the seconds ticked past.
“Scarlett,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to her mouth. She wasn’t so new to relationships that she didn’t know what he was asking when he said her name.
She had to admit she’d been thinking about him a lot. They worked together all day, and held hands, and laughed. If she cooked, which she hardly ever did, he ate with her, or they ordered food and stole a few minutes of relaxation while they ate together.
She let her eyes drift closed, her silent permission for him to go ahead and kiss her now. She detected a slight movement in him before the back door crashed open.
Scarlett yelped and jumped back, pressing one hand over her heart as she took in the sight of Adele standing there, the same pure joy on her face.
“Goat yoga just sold out,” she said.
Scarlett still had her hand on Hudson’s waist, and she hurried to pull it back to her side. “Next Saturday just sold out? Didn’t you just open registration this morning?”
“An hour ago.” Adele laughed as she came forward. “And Saturday evening is sold out. And Monday morning, and every morning this month!” She grabbed onto Scarlett’s hands and they bounced up and down as the realization of what she’d said sunk into Scarlett’s mind.
Their laughter mixed together, and it wasn’t until Carson entered the house and cleared his throat that Adele sobered.
“So we’d like to go over a few logistics,” Adele said, pure professionalism in her voice now. “Do you have a few minutes?” She threw a glance at Hudson.
Scarlett did too, the moment between them gone but still heated. “Yeah, sure,” she said. “Hudson and I can chat later.”
All she could hope for was that Hudson would know that by “chat,” Scarlett really meant “kiss.”
He nodded his head, touched the brim of his cowboy hat in a salute, and moved effortlessly out the front door, leaving Scarlett to discuss goat yoga with Adele and Carson, who definitely had their own kind of charge between them.
Chapter 10
Hudson sat with Scarlett, Adele, and Gramps in church, having listened to the two women chatter about the upcoming goat yoga class for the quick drive down the canyon. And yesterday. And most of Friday.
He wasn’t tired of it, just a little frustrated that goats had stolen his time with Scarlett. Baby goats. Adele and Scarlett had gone to town and bought a bunch of yoga mats with the cash he’d given her from the sale of the cars. She’d also bought him new wood for the signs, and the amount of work that loomed before him threatened to overwhelm him.
He appreciated Sunday, because he didn’t have to worry about work. About paying bills. About anything. Inside the church where they sat, he wasn’t troubled with worldly things. He refused to let them disturb his day of rest.
Scarlett scooted closer to him on the bench and said, “Adele is cooking after church today. She wants to know if you’d come so there’s a buffer between her and Carson.”
Hudson leaned down, his mouth dangerously close to Scarlett’s earlobe. “Can she cook?” He seemed to remember smelling some amazing scents a few times as he passed Adele’s cabin in the evenings.
“Oh, yeah,” Scarlett said.
“Then sure.” He kept his head bent toward her. “But why does she need a buffer between her and Carson? Why doesn’t she just not invite him?”
“She was raised in the South,” Scarlett said as if that explained everything.
“Is she barbequing after church?” Because that would change everything.
“She didn’t say.” Scarlett nodded toward the pulpit, where the pastor had just moved to stand behind.
Hudson slid his hand into Scarlett’s, thrilled that she didn’t pull away. He shouldn’t be surprised. She’d practically kissed him a couple of days ago, and her initial frosty demeanor had vanished completely.
He listened to Pastor Williams talk about embracing change without fear, wondering if God had spoken directly to the preacher about what Hudson needed to hear most. He enjoyed feeling like his life had purpose. That he could do better tomorrow than he had today. That though he was now employed at Last Chance Ranch, he could have multiple chances to repent and do better.
The hour passed quickly, and when he stood to sing the final hymn, he appreciated the opportunity to be where he was. He’d been all over the state in the past year, and it seemed a touch ironic that he’d come back to these foothills. His family’s ranch was nearby, and he had the strangest urge to call them and see if he could come visit.
He believed people could change. He’d changed a lot in the course of his forty-five years. But his father hadn’t, and Jude hadn’t, and as far as Hudson knew, Jan had spent a day near Thanksgiving last year with his family. At the invitation of his mother. Six months after their divorce.
Bren
t had refused to go, and it had turned into quite the family fight. And yet Jan had gone, and Hudson’s mother had baked all of her favorite things.
He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, and when Adele said, “Give me a couple of hours, okay? It takes a while to smoke brisket,” his attention switched to her.
“Brisket?”
“Oh, that got your attention, huh?” She laughed and Hudson grinned.
“Well, yeah. I mean, brisket.”
“He’s a meat lover,” Scarlett said.
“Most men are,” Adele said. “Shoot. Should I not be making brisket? Do you think that will entice Carson?”
“Entice him to do what?” Scarlett asked.
Adele folded her arms and said, “I don’t know.”
Apparently that was the end of the conversation, and Hudson pulled into Scarlett’s driveway a few minutes later. Adele practically ran around the house, and Scarlett called, “See you in a bit,” after her as she helped Gramps out of the car.
Hudson went with them across the lawn to help Gramps get up the steps and into his recliner. “We’ll come get you for lunch,” he said. “Okay?”
“All right.”
“You want me to bring Hound over?”
“Yes, please,” Gramps said. “He likes it when I rub his chin.”
Hudson chuckled. “I’m sure he does.” He exchanged a glance with Scarlett, and they left the cabin. “You want to walk with me over to my place to get the dog?”
She glanced up into the sky. The clear, blue sky with the blazing sun in it. “Really? You think now’s a good time to take a walk? It’s hot.”
“Exercise is good for you,” he said.
Scarlett stopped walking and said, “I’ve got work to do.” She stormed away, and Hudson stood there in the backyard wondering what he’d done wrong.
“Scarlett,” he called, but she didn’t even turn back. Didn’t wave her hand. Just marched up the steps, went inside, and slammed the door behind her. Slammed it.
Hudson glanced around like perhaps there’d be someone there who could translate Female. He got he’d done something wrong, but he didn’t know what. Suggesting they walk to his cabin to get his dog?
He looked back and forth between the homestead and Gramps’s cabin and decided the safer route would be to go get Hound and then try to deal with Scarlett. He didn’t want to miss out on a smoked brisket lunch, and he suddenly understood how Carson must feel around Adele.
The walk from the homestead to his cabin took about ten minutes, because some of those pastures were bigger than they looked. Sawyer had moved in a week or so ago, and he’d chosen the cabin at the very end of the first road. Carson had chosen the one right next to Hudson, at the top of the U-shaped community.
Scarlett even called it the Community, and it seemed Hudson couldn’t do anything without thinking about her.
Carson sat on his front steps, his two black labs beside him, his knife making something out of a piece of wood. “Hey,” he called as Hudson approached. “Back from church?”
“Yep.” Hudson detoured up the sidewalk toward Carson. “Adele says she needs a couple of hours before lunch will be ready.”
Carson frowned at his whittling, but there was no evidence of annoyance when he glanced up at Hudson. “Great.”
“What’s with you two?”
“Oh, she doesn’t like me because I have a little bit of money.” Carson shook his head, a smile on his face. “I’m not sure why that matters, but apparently, to her, it does.” He went back to carving.
“I’m going to get Hound,” Hudson said. “Gramps wants him.”
“You want to take Tony and Ted?” The dogs lifted their heads when Carson said their names.
“If you want to donate them for the afternoon. Gramps sure does love dogs.”
“And you want Gramps to be happy so you can spend time with Scarlett.” Carson gave him a knowing smile.
Hudson shrugged, thinking about that missed moment on Friday. “She….” He looked at Carson. “How well do you know women?”
“Well enough to know I don’t know anything,” he said with a chuckle. “What happened?”
“She’s mad at me about something, but all I said was we could walk over here to get Hound. She said it was too hot, and I said exercise was good.”
Carson stopped carving and cocked his head. He gave Hudson the courtesy of thinking about it for a few seconds before he said, “I have no idea, man. That sounds innocent enough.”
“She got mad and stormed off.”
“Well, just go ask her.”
Hudson half scoffed and half laughed. “Yeah, you definitely don’t know as much about women as you think you do.”
Carson laughed outright. “You’re so right. If I did, I could figure out how to get Adele to go out with me.”
“Maybe use some of that money you’ve got,” Hudson suggested, backing up a few steps. “See you at lunch.” He went next door and found Hound lying on the couch. He got down and came over to Hudson to welcome him home, and he said, “Let’s go see Gramps, okay, bud?”
Back outside, he let the dog take care of his business and romp around with Tony and Ted for a minute. “Come on, guys,” he said, wondering if twenty minutes stood between him and confronting Scarlett about what he’d said.
He walked back over to Gramps’s cabin, saying, “We’re back,” as he opened the door and let the dogs in. “Carson sent over Tony and Ted too.”
Gramps grinned at the dogs. “Oh, good.”
Hudson let the dogs go over to him, tails wagging, noses sniffing, as he walked into the kitchen to get water for the animals. He filled three bowls and set them by the back door. Only Hound came over to drink, and Hudson sat on the couch beside Gramps’s recliner.
“You okay?” he asked the older man.
“Yeah,” Gramps said. “My hip is bothering me. Those hard benches really do a number on it.”
“Need some pills?” Hudson hoped he’d say no. Gramps had a dozen pill bottles lining the counter in the kitchen.
“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just old. It’ll be okay.”
“Have you ever had brisket?” Hudson asked, prolonging the moment until he’d have to decide if he’d go talk to Scarlett or go home and take a nap instead.
“A few times,” Gramps said. “Adele’s always cooking something next door. She brings me things sometimes, late at night.”
“She does?” Hudson asked. “How late at night?”
“Oh, nine or ten. Right about the time I wake up from my evening nap. I eat, get up my energy, and I can get down the hall to bed.” He grinned, the life and sparkle in his eyes as bright as Hudson had ever seen it. As far as he knew, he’d only called Scarlett the wrong name that one time. His scans and tests had all come back negative, though the doctor had said he had the early stages of dementia.
Scarlett had been upset for a couple of days, and then she hadn’t brought it up again. Hudson exhaled as he stood up. “Well, I have to go talk to Scarlett.” He’d made it to the front door before turning back to Gramps. “Do you know why she might be upset that I suggested a walk?”
“Now?” Gramps asked. “It’s a million degrees.”
“Yeah, she said that.” Hudson couldn’t figure it out, and he decided he better just go straight to the source. So he left Gramps’s cabin, crossed the lawn, and rapped lightly on the back door.
Scarlett didn’t come, and he knocked louder the second time. It felt like an extraordinary amount of time passed, and he lifted his fist to pound this time. The door got whipped open and Scarlett stood there, her pretty, flowery dress gone. Now she wore a pair of dark gray leggings with a teal T-shirt, and her hair, which had been straight and shiny for church, was twisted on top of her head and secured in a knot.
“What?” she asked.
Hudson flinched at the harshness in her voice. He wanted to throw her attitude right back at her, but decided to take a softer approach. “What did I do wrong?”
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p; “When?”
“Come on, Scarlett.” He was much too old for games and decided to tell her that.
Her eyebrows went up so high, they almost touched her hairline. “You don’t want to play games?”
“Not particularly,” he said. “So I said or did something that upset you, and I just need you to tell me what it was.”
“You called me fat,” she said.
“What?” Hudson felt like someone had filled his body cavity with ice water. “I did not.”
“You said exercise is good for you, as if I needed the exercise.”
He held up both hands in a universal I-mean-no-harm gesture. “I absolutely did not. I was simply saying I wanted you to come over to my cabin with me, hold my hand, and maybe I’d kiss you over there since we got interrupted over here.” Hudson’s eyes widened and he stepped back, his confession racing from one ear to the next. Had he really just said all that?
The back porch wasn’t that big, and he almost fell off. He stumbled and threw his hand out to grab onto the doorframe, adrenaline mixing with pure humiliation.
“Whoa,” Scarlett said, grabbing onto his arm too. He steadied himself and looked at her again.
He drew in a breath and decided to keep talking. “I do not think you’re fat.”
“I’m not skinny.”
“I don’t like skinny.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you say there’s more of me to love, you’re fired.”
Hudson said, “I wasn’t going to say that,” though the thought had just run through his mind.
“Good idea,” Scarlett said dryly.
Hudson swallowed, his blood on fire, which was surely affecting his thought processes. Because he said, “I think you’re absolutely gorgeous.”
Her expression softened, and she leaned into the doorframe now. “Is that so?”
“It absolutely is so,” he said. “And I don’t care if you walk or don’t walk. I just wanted to spend some time with you this afternoon.” He looked over her shoulder but could only see the utility room. “Are you really working?”
“No,” she said. “It’s nice to have a day off, you know?”
