Chapter 26
A s I’m making my way to the bar’s front entrance, a voice calls out my name.
“Out back, Sage.”
“Ahh, it’s Chaos himself.” I spin on my heel to find the familiar scruffy, sandy head of hair and grin of Chaos Hayes stacking empty beer kegs by the back door. He’s got his wild mane tied in a topknot and wears a black tank with ripped jeans, revealing all those rodeo athlete muscles. I’ve already had the chance to admire them up close on the day he was out at the ranch helping unload hay bales. He’s exceedingly pretty; I’ll give him that, but doesn’t spin my teacups.
“Come through this way. My brother’s inside. I’ll stick around and help interpret the grunts and scowls if you like?”
“Don’t worry, I’m prepared. Everyone knows a wild creature comes gently when there’s a tasty treat on offer.” I fish out the bag of candy from my duffel and rustle the contents.
“Smart girl.”
“This is what you do when you’re not wrangling broncs? You wrestle kegs pretending they’re cute little baby cows?”
“More like ropin’ unruly patrons to get ‘em out the door at closing time.” He winks, gesturing with those ingrained country manners for me to go inside ahead of him. “Nah, my brothers and I are just trying to help out in the places we can. Wes is mostly too busy, not to mention goddamn cranky, what with taking over our family ranch. Cam loves flashing his Sheriff’s badge around, so he’s more likely to scare customers off than actually be useful. But we can all see the potential in the place, so family does what it does, and we’re pitching in.”
“Four brothers running a cowboy bar? Well, that’s our marketing campaign right there.” I laugh. “Let me get my notebook out. How many of you are already taken, and how many of you can I truss up to dangle like baubles in the window?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard about the Hayes curse then, have you, ma’am?” Chaos smirks at me.
“There’s no curse. You’re all just assholes.” A rough voice meets us as we enter the main bar area. Stools sit upside down on tables, legs pointed toward the ceiling like a sea of dead ants, and the sour tang of beer tickles my nose. At least the floor isn’t sticky now, unlike the last time I was here when it felt like walking through tar.
I glance around, not seeing anyone at first. Then, a scruffy head of dark hair appears. A man stands up from doing something below the cash register with a towel slung over one shoulder. I’m not sure what’s more striking about him. The tattoos up the side of his throat, the green eyes, or the bad boy aura he wears. One glance and I know this kind of cowboy. He’s the type who smells like reckless decisions made while pressed up against the wall of a back alley at three a.m.
“Twins?” I point back and forth between the two men, who look like they couldn’t share a whisker of DNA if they tried.
“Knox here wishes he was a Hayes… but we won’t hold it against him. We picked up the nickname after one too many nights out being young, drunken dumbasses. Back then, we had nothing better to do than be country kids starting fights and borrowing tractors after dark… not necessarily in that order, either.” Chaos folds his arms and clicks his tongue. “This scowly shithead got dropped on our doorstep covered in fleas, and he’s been my besotted little shadow ever since.”
“Get fucked.” Those green eyes narrow, and he flings the towel at his brother’s face. “You a coffee drinker, ma’am?” He jerks a stubble-covered chin toward what looks like a shiny new spaceship of a machine.
“Almost exclusively by the gallon.” I stick out my palm. “Nice to meet you properly… outside of the emails flying back and forth. I’m Sage Maloney.”
“Pleasure, Sage. Thanks for working with us.” Knox shakes my hand—it’s all no-nonsense with this cowboy—and then points to a stool waiting right-side-up at the bar. “You? Don’t even think about sitting your ass down, fuck face. Polish those glasses.” He whips a growl at Chaos, who holds up both palms in mock surrender before flipping his hands around to present him with two middle fingers.
“You’ll be sobbing into your pillow soon as I’m out of town for the next leg of the rodeo circuit, bitch.” Chaos grins broadly, but steps behind the bar and starts picking up the glasses one by one with his ass resting against the back bench.
“Give us both barrels. What have you got planned for the place?” Knox is quick to make my coffee and slides the cup my way.
“Thank you… I’ll be singing your caffeine-dispensing praises far and wide, by the way.” As I take a large sip, I tap the screen to wake my tablet up and spin the proposal around.
Knox leans forward on his forearms, working his knuckles, and his brows pull together as he studies the visual mood board I’ve compiled. Chaos joins him, bumping shoulders to jostle for a closer look.
“That’s fucking cool.” He spins a glass around on a cloth and raises both eyebrows, glancing between me and the screen.
“Thought the Hog could use a bit of a modern gunslinger look with the logo and signage… but it’ll still fit with the ideas you had for introducing a distillery and being more than just a late-night dive bar.”
I sit up a little straighter and point to the visual I made of the neon sign: a pig with belt buckle slung jauntily on its hips, cowboy hat in place, and wink to complete the look.
“Eventually, having something like this lit up outside would be a great PR opportunity… folks love an icon to take photos of. Once they do, that becomes free organic marketing. Locals typically love having something to be proud of, and out-of-towners always tend to remember a visual landmark much easier than a name.”
Knox rubs a thumb over his jaw and keeps silently listening.
Chaos lives up to his reputation, poking and prodding at the screen to zoom in and look closer at different parts of the design.
I talk through my ideas for how they can tie in the visuals while gradually adapting what they already have here, and then we get to the point of the concept where I pitch them my thoughts on an event to launch their rebrand… officially.
Once I finish, feeling a little like I’ve just talked their ears off without pausing for breath, I gulp back the last of the coffee, which has long gone cold.
“How long do you think will be needed to make it happen?” Knox fixes me with a look that doesn’t exactly tell me what he’s thinking, but I’m fairly certain he’s the type of straight-shooter who would give it to me plain and simple if he didn’t like the concept.
“I’ve talked to a designer who needs about ten days to fabricate, deliver, and install outdoor signage. The other parts are mostly building excitement online, which happens through word of mouth.” I tick off my fingers. “Having a reason for folks to come check the place out. You could have tastings of a new menu, live music during the afternoon to set the tone, and a focus on a family-friendly atmosphere. Using the height of summer for something like this will always work in your favor.”
“She knows her shit, bro.” Chaos flashes pearly whites my way.
“I like the staggered approach.” Knox twists his lips, thinking hard. “There’s some practical shit, renovations, and messier projects we’ll tackle in the off-season during winter.”
“Might as well make hay while the sun shines, huh?” Chaos elbows his brother. “Get her dolled up now, then we can work on the other shit behind the scenes.”
Knox runs one hand through his hair. “Think it looks like the Hog is about to have a makeover.” His green eyes don’t give much away, but I’m inwardly squeaking with the thrill of knowing they’re happy with the concept.
Play it cool . Play. It. Cool.
I’d worked my ass off for this—probably going over and above, but whatever, I’m extra to the core—so to nail it the first time feels incredibly satisfying.
“We can leave it in your hands? All the frilly party shit?”
I grin. “ Frilly party shit would be my honor. All you gotta let me know is a budget to work with, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Send us some numbers. We’ll make it work.”
We continue to chat a little more. The guys and I hash out some of the practicalities around staffing, catering, getting in a band, and how they want to set up the space.
As we’re wrapping things up, I get to my feet and shake Knox’s hand again. He might be on the quiet and gruff side, but he’s got a clear head on him for running this place.
“If you’re open to the suggestion…” I hover before making a move to leave. “I think bringing in a photographer for the event would be well worth it, even if it seems like a big chunk of your marketing budget. One afternoon and evening would easily give a year’s worth of stills and video footage to repurpose afterward. My advice is that it’s money well spent.”
Knox tips his chin. “Go for it.”
“Do you have anyone locally you’d want to use?”
“Let me check.” He picks up his phone and sends a quick text.
Chaos is still working his way through the glassware, and even though he’s obviously more at home out on a ranch from what I’ve seen of the man so far, he seems to be committed to helping his brother in this.
Knox frowns, reading the reply he just received.
“Shit. It’s peak wedding season. They’re booked out for the next few months.”
An idea bubbles up, one that I really should ignore. However, my pussy is clearly still reluctant to vacate the driver’s seat where my decision-making is concerned.
“Let me just…” I mutter, digging out my phone.
Can I make use of those photography-nerd skills you’ve been hiding away?
It’s for the Hayes boys. The event at the Hog.
There will be food and whiskey in it for you. Promise.
Cock Ring:
Sure.
My grin widens when I see his reply come through immediately. Followed by four words that leave my blood humming merrily to his tune.
But it’ll cost you.