Chapter 5
5
Hudson
H udson gaped at Rachel. This was worse than he thought. At least with a developer, he knew what was going to come. Not knowing who had bought the place meant that it could be anything. But most likely, it would be some rich idiot who wanted to play pretend and identify as a cowboy.
The two men reached them from across the field, and one of them wheezed from the distance they’d walked. The other puffed a little, his focus sweeping from Rachel to Hudson. “Is everything okay, Ms. Walton?”
She smiled at the men. “Yes. This is my friend Hudson. I asked him to meet me out here to give his opinion on a few things.”
What? Friend ?
He fought the instinct to tell them she was wrong. He wasn’t her friend, and she didn’t ask him to be there. Why would she lie about that?
Probably because he wasn’t supposed to be here. That was why. Hudson didn’t know who these men were, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t do some damage. They could easily call the cops, and then he wouldn’t be able to figure out what Rachel was up to. If her friend had taken over this property, he needed to know if it was going to be a threat to the way people lived out here.
The men stared at him with surprise, but neither one of them asked any questions, which was probably a good thing. Rachel glanced up at him. “Thanks for your help today, Hudson. I will be sure to take your thoughts under consideration.”
He opened his mouth, then thought better of it. At any moment, she could tattle on him. He’d figure this out one way or another. He just needed to get her to answer some questions. Hudson touched the brim of his hat, then nodded to the men. Lucky for him, he knew where he could find Rachel. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid him for long.
Hudson turned his horse around and headed back the way he’d come, which was through an old gate that Hennesy had probably forgotten about. Hudson wasn’t sure why the properties were linked, but it served him now, and that was all that mattered. Wade didn’t have any animals in the pasture that pushed up against this property, so there was no worry on his side, but he should probably get it fixed up before Rachel’s friend found it.
Only two days had passed since Hudson and Rachel bumped into each other on the property her friend was buying. She’d still managed to avoid him at his home—a fact that surprised him, seeing as she used to spend all her time there when she wanted to see Athena.
He’d been tempted to ask about Rachel’s address so he could corner her and make her tell him what was going on. He needed to know the plan. It was as if he’d been set out on a specific path, and now he had to see it through. If he could just find out what was going on with the property, then he would be able to drop it.
Okay, that might not be entirely true. He didn’t know if he’d be able to drop it if the new owner was going to create an eyesore.
It was just after lunch when Athena and Henry returned from doing wedding stuff. They pulled up in front of the house and climbed out of the truck. “I really liked that reception center in Billings, but I honestly think we should just get married here.” Athena pushed the door to the truck shut and smiled at Henry over the hood.
Their goo-goo eyes were still as annoying as all get-out. Hudson rolled his eyes. They were clearly deeply in love, but that was their problem. He didn’t need anyone in his life, and he never would. If he never fell in love, he’d never get hurt.
“I know you want to get married here, but it’s just not…”
“Big enough?” Athena chuckled.
Henry shrugged. “I mean, I’d like to invite as many people as we can.”
Hudson groaned, causing both of them to look in his direction. “Seriously? The whole town? Don’t be ridiculous. Do you even know how expensive that would be?”
Henry and Athena exchanged looks. Then Athena spoke. “I think we’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re trying to feed everyone a full meal. It’s just going to be a party. I’ve always liked the idea of something more rustic with mason jars for the drinks and pretty paper plates for the food.”
“Sounds awful.”
Henry glared at him, but Athena laughed. “It’s okay. I’m used to it. Hudson has never been one of my biggest fans.”
If she only knew how much Hudson actually liked her—well, in part. She still chose to leave for a time. Even though she came back, that was something he’d never forgive.
“Well, he’s gonna have to get used to treating you better because you’re going to be his sister.”
“Blech,” Hudson muttered, to which both of them laughed.
Henry came around the vehicle and took Athena’s hand in his own. “What does Rachel think about the location?”
Hudson perked up at Rachel’s name. Had they heard from her?
Athena smiled as they moved up the stairs toward the house. “She said she might have a really good idea for a place, but she wasn’t going to tell me yet. She’s still swamped with work.”
“Well, she’s gonna have to take some time off eventually. You’re going to need your maid of honor.” Henry’s sharp gaze met Hudson’s once more—a warning that he wasn’t going to put up with Hudson’s attitude. Perhaps this was a sign that he needed to rein in his disgust for everyone his brothers brought into the fold.
“She said she might be able to stop by tonight, but I’m not sure.”
“Why not?” Henry murmured as he opened the door.
“She wanted to know if Hudson was going to be here.”
Henry froze, as did Hudson. They stared at each other, and Hudson could only imagine what his older brother might have been thinking. He held up his hands. “I didn’t do anything.”
Athena folded her arms. “You did walk her home the night of our engagement party.”
“But I didn’t do anything that would make her uncomfortable.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed, remaining locked on Hudson even though he spoke to Athena. “I don’t think he did anything different than normal. It’s probably Hudson just being his usual rude self.”
The tension between the three of them only continued to mount until Hudson couldn’t take it anymore. “You want me to apologize to her? Fine! I’ll do it. But I can’t apologize unless I speak to her, and I can’t do that if she won’t show up.”
He couldn’t tell if they were surprised by his willingness to do something about Rachel’s apparent apprehension or if they were surprised that he practically admitted to doing anything at all.
Athena and Henry exchanged looks. Then Athena motioned to Hudson. “Pull out your phone and I’ll give you her address. I can’t promise she’ll be there.”
“I thought you said she was busy with her work. Doesn’t she work from home?”
Athena shook her head. “She can work from anywhere. Sometimes I even see her working at Sal’s while she digs into a piece of pie.”
“She likes pie?” The question slipped from Hudson’s mouth before he had a chance to think better of it. He was showing too much interest in Rachel, and it needed to stop before his brother started getting suspicious. He wasn’t about to let anyone butt into his plans—least of all his brother.
Thankfully, neither one of them seemed to wonder why he was asking questions about Rachel. Athena simply nodded. “She’s a sucker for lemon meringue. Are you going to get out your phone or what?”
Hudson jerked into action and pulled his phone from his pocket. He handed it over to Athena and avoided looking directly at his brother. As soon as Athena gave him back his phone, he backed away. “I’m on it. I’ll make sure she’s not uncomfortable because of me.” With that, he darted off the patio and headed for his truck.
If Rachel wasn’t at this address, then she might be at Sal’s. Actually, if he was smart, he’d stop by the diner first. If she wasn’t there, he could pick up a pie as a peace offering. That would likely get him further with her in figuring out what was going on with that property.
Hudson arrived at the diner and headed inside. It took all of two seconds to see Rachel seated in a booth with the sun shining down on her. She had a fork in one hand and a document in the other. Her legs were crossed and her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun. She wore glasses—something he’d never seen before.
Her tongue trailed along her lower lip, catching the crumbs left behind from the bite she’d just swallowed. Rachel Walton could have been in a commercial for that pie and they would have sold thousands.
He shook his head, mostly to clear it. Hudson wasn’t here to check her out. He was on a mission. With quick, quiet steps, he strode across the room and plopped down in front of her. She didn’t even look up at him as she said, “I was wondering when you’d track me down.”
Hudson leaned across the table, his voice hushed. “Yeah, well, you haven’t exactly been forthcoming with information.”
She snorted. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“Yes, you do. You were there when?—”
Rachel lifted her eyes, and the bright blue color caused him to momentarily lose his train of thought. “You’re not part of the purchase of that property. Your interests in it, while strangely chivalrous and bordering on inappropriate, don’t have any merit.”
He scowled at her. “I’m the one who told you about it.”
Her smile irritated him more than he wanted to admit. She placed her fork back on the table, then lifted her napkin to wipe away nonexistent crumbs. Then she sat back in her seat. “Everyone knew about it.”
“But I’m the one who told you that the developer was going to take it over. Please tell me you’re not in cahoots with them. That they’re not the people you know .”
Her brows lifted, her cheeks filled with color, and she had the decency to look more offended than he’d ever seen. “I most certainly am not .”
“Then what’s happening? That person you mentioned, are they some stuck-up snob who wants to turn it into a dude ranch? Because that’s not much better.”
Rachel laughed. He hadn’t expected that reaction. She actually threw her head back and laughed loud enough that the tables nearby glanced in their direction. Then she set him with a serious stare. “I would never allow any of my friends to turn that place into a dude ranch.” She leaned forward this time, her voice lowering to a heated whisper. “I meant what I said. I don’t owe you anything , but clearly, you’re not going to give up, so I’ll tell you. The sale on the property has officially gone through, the closing was yesterday. The new owner wants to convert that run-down piece of property into a wild horse sanctuary. There aren’t any within five hundred miles of this area. It would ensure that the land doesn’t get developed, while at the same time saving hundreds if not thousands of animals who need a home.”