Chapter 33 Hudson
HUDSON
The cottage looked worse than the last time I’d seen it in the daylight.
Due to the level of work needed on the ranch, I’d only had the time to do the bare minimum, but as I stood in the yard, tarps folded at my boots, and hammer in hand, it was difficult to feel anything but disheartened.
When Heather had bought the house for us, I’d been skeptical, but I’d done everything I could to make it a comfortable home for Ivy.
The rugs stunk of mildew, the brand-new couch was still damp and sagging, and Ivy’s little bed had gone to ruin. I’d hauled out what I could, but every trip left me with a rock in my chest.
My plan was to patch the worst of the damage to the roof caused by the hailstorm, cover what I couldn’t fix, and pray it held till I could afford proper repairs.
With Matty out of town, it was the perfect time to get the work done, since he couldn’t interfere and take on way more than he needed to.
He didn’t need to shoulder all my burdens.
I braced the ladder against the porch roof and placed a boot on the lower rung. A pickup rumbled up the short drive and stopped. Then another. And another.
“What the hell?” I muttered, lowering the hammer.
First out was Gray, climbing from his truck with that long stride that dared anyone to argue with him. Behind him came Lawson and Clayton, both unloading boxes and tools from the flatbed.
“Looks like we’re right on time.” Gray’s eyes flicked over the cottage, then back to me. “You didn’t think you were going to do all this on your own, did you?”
I blinked. “I—what are you all doing here?”
“Helping.” Lawson clapped me on the shoulder like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Matty said you’d be too damn stubborn to ask.”
My throat tightened. “Matt?”
Gray crossed his arms, expression unmovable. “Half the ranch hands are off duty. They’ll still get paid, but today, they’re yours. And we’re not patching the roof. We’re reroofing it. Hank should be here soon with the materials.”
I swallowed hard, heat stinging my eyes. “I-I can’t—”
“Listen,” Gray cut in. “Even if Matty didn’t strongly suggest this, I would have done it anyway.
You’re a part of the Bristle M family, and we look out for our own.
You’ve worked the ranch for the past two days to get things back up and running.
Now we’re here to do the same for you. Are you going to turn down help from family? ”
Before I could answer, more voices drifted down the lane.
And not from the ranch hands. Sheriff Donald ambled up with a box of nails under one arm.
Cameron from the flower shop arrived with a case of bottled water and a vase of sunflowers, saying the place needed cheering.
Hank finally pulled up with his trailer, and Dolly Mae came bustling with foil pans and pies balanced like offerings.
“Double shot latte. You’re welcome.” Cole shoved a cup of hot coffee into my hand. I hadn’t even seen him arrive. Someone had set out a table, and people were lining up to grab a cup of coffee from his shop.
“Thanks,” I said, still in a daze as I stared at the growing crowd, neighbors, friends, townsfolk, all stepping into place like they’d rehearsed it. “I don’t know what to say.” My chest was tight, words trapped there.
“You don’t need to say nothing, honey.” Dolly Mae set a pie on the porch rail. “And eat something before you keel over.”
The lump in my throat burned. “Thank you. All of you.”
Gray squeezed my shoulder once, solid as bedrock, and gave me a wink. “This town takes care of its own, Hudson. Payment comes in the form of gossip. Luckily for you, the Magnuson men have been providing enough material to keep us in business for the rest of this year.”
Lawson barked a laugh as he hauled shingles off the truck. “Amen to that. Between Gray parading Ozzie around like a trophy husband and Matty and you at the outdoor movies last week pecking like lovebirds on a parade, we’ve had enough entertainment to last us through winter.”
“Well, well, how the tables have turned.” Cole slung an arm around Lawson’s neck, grinning wickedly. “Wasn’t all that long ago a certain somebody brought a stripper into town who, if I recall, tried to maul me the same day we met.”
Sheriff Donald nearly doubled over, wheezing. “Fastest damn arrest I ever made of a newcomer. Hell, I didn’t even have time to welcome him all proper to town before I had to cuff him.”
“By the way, I won the bet about you and Opie.” Cole smirked as he handed out coffee.
“What bet?” Lawson asked.
“There was a bet on how long it would take for you two to split,” Cameron said in that natural soft voice that was perfect for breaking bad news. “Everyone knew about it.”
I glanced away, not about to admit we all knew about the bet. I hadn’t joined in, not because I was noble, but because I didn’t have money to throw around. If I had, I’d have lost too.
Opie and Lawson couldn’t have looked more mismatched.
Lawson, all grit and sweat, working himself raw to save his ranch.
Opie, glittery and soft, like he’d never lifted anything heavier than a cocktail glass.
He’d screamed sugar baby, and Lawson hadn’t had two pennies to pinch together.
Not to mention Opie was just a more beautiful version of Lawson’s ex-husband, who’d ripped him off.
Except Opie was different: kind, sweet, and funny.
He’d shocked the town when he’d saved Lawson’s ranch from foreclosure. No one had seen that coming.
Dolly Mae slapped a dish towel against her hip.
“Well, are y’all here to work or to gossip?
And you men love to say it’s us women who keep the rumor mill spinning, but I swear you’re the ones feeding us half the stories.
Gossip or not, though, we’ll never let one of ours drown under a leaky roof.
Now get to work because if you don’t, not one of you will be tasting my peach cobbler. ”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The pounding of hammering took over, and chatter rolled around me like a hive in full swing.
Gray barked instructions, Cameron arranged trays of sandwiches Dolly Mae had sent over, and Cole weaved through the crowd with another carafe of coffee.
Sheriff Donald had his sleeves rolled up, nails clenched between his teeth while he lined shingles in neat stacks.
Clayton and Lawson were side by side on the roof, arguing about whether the pattern of the shingles mattered when nobody but the birds would see it.
It was too much. Too good. Too… overwhelming.
I slipped inside the half-gutted cottage, phone in hand, and pressed Matty’s name. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, Hud, how’s it going?”
“What did you do?” My voice came out rougher than I’d meant. “The entire damn town is in my yard.”
On the other end, Matty chuckled softly. “Sorry I’m not there to see it. Sounds like Dad pulled it together.”
“Pulled it together?” I leaned against the wall, staring out at the swarm of people on my lawn. “You made this happen. Matty, I—God, I love you so much. I don’t even know how to thank you, but when you get back, I’ll show you.”
“Careful,” Matty said, teasing warmth in his tone. “You’re making me regret being here instead of with you.”
Shit. I forgot about the reason he was in Denver.
“Have you worked things out then?”
“They’re getting there.” A pause, but someone whispered in the background. “Actually, she wants to talk to you.”
I froze. “She what?”
“She wants to talk to you. Just… don’t hang up, okay?”
“Hudson?” A woman’s voice came through the line, smooth and polished in a way that still made me feel like a nobody in dirty boots.
Emma Magnuson.
My mouth went dry. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I owe you an apology,” she said straightforward.
“A real one. What I did to you years ago was out of line. There’s no excuse for it, so I won’t make one.
I hope that in time you can forgive me. I’d love the opportunity to get to know you better.
Matty hasn’t stopped talking about you since he’s been here, and I can tell you both love each other very much, which is all I could ever want for my kids. ”
“Uh—thank you,” I stuttered. “I appreciate that.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting Ivy too.” Her voice perked up. “You have no idea what it was like raising two boys, but finally, I’ll have a little girl around to pamper and spoil.”
As long as she didn’t parade Ivy around at cotillions like she did with her boys. And maybe not so much pampering. I didn’t want her to grow up being spoiled. I did, and it’d made me into an entitled brat and ruined my life. Gray and Matty already spoiled her too much.
“Ivy doesn’t have many female influences at the moment.” I could offer an olive branch. “I think she could benefit from knowing you.”
“I swear I won’t let you and Matty down. I hope I can meet her soon.”
For a long moment, I couldn’t breathe. The Emma Magnuson I remembered had looked me up and down like I was dirt under her Louboutin heels. This voice? Gentle. Sincere. Almost maternal.
“Take care of my boy,” she said. Rustling followed of phone exchanging hands.
“I’m back,” Matty said softly.
“You sure that’s your mother?” I asked, half-panicked, half laughing. “Doesn’t sound anything like the woman I met four years ago.”
Matty chuckled. “Yeah. I think everything’s going to work out fine, but let’s take things slow, especially with Ivy.”
Relief loosened my shoulders. He understood my fears where his mother was concerned. “Yeah, that’s best.”
“Listen, I thought I’d stay the night here and head back in the morning. Unless you need me. Are you okay with that?”
I swallowed the immediate truth. I always need you. “I’ll always need you, Matt, but I can do without you for one night if it helps your relationship with your mother. Might even get to stretch out and take up more of the bed for once.”
“Please.” He snorted. “You’re the one plastered all over me every night.”
“That’s not true.”