Page 86 of Cowboys Next Door

We stand embracing for a long while as I struggle not to cry. All I know for certain is that nothing I do or say is going to fix this. Maybe if Hudson comes? Or Eli tries again, but I’ve done all I can on my end to bring him back into the fold. It’s out of my hands now, and for all our wins, I still feel like we’ve all lost terribly.

CHAPTER29

Hudson

Rose’s discontent doesn’t go unnoticed by Eli or me, but we make a point not to talk about it as we work on the renovations harder than before. I will never admit it aloud, but it’s a completely different vibe without Connor at the BB, cracking jokes and singing his stupid, off-key songs.

With the threat of MVP behind us now, our minds should be clearer to focus on the future, but Connor’s conspicuous absence makes it hard to function, particularly when it’s affecting Rose as deeply as it is.

Rose keeps it lighthearted, spending nights in our beds, enjoying dinners in Helena, or walks through the mountain trails with one or both of us. But there are small differences, perceivable to me and Eli. Katherine also does not ask about Connor, but I’ve caught her looking off toward the east, as if she expects the two mutts to come bounding over the hill with Connor on their heels.

But that day never comes, heavying the cloud around us.

Rose no longer asks for riding lessons that she used to pressure me for every day, and we know she heads off to Connor’s when she can. She stops bringing him up, as if she realizes that reconciliation is futile now. It breaks my heart that I can’t make her a hundred percent happy, but if Connor’s insisting on being stubborn, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“You could apologize to him,” Eli suggests to me this morning as we’re heading to the Winterbournes’ after meeting together on the backroad which connects our properties. I stop mid-step and gawp at him.

“Me? For what?”

“I don’t know, Hud. I mean, we did kind of lie to him,” Eli offers sarcastically, continuing up the path to leave me where I stand indignantly, refusing to acquiesce.

“Hecan apologize for being such an asshole. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s just doing this for sympathy points. He does get Rose’s undivided attention now.”

Now it’s Eli who stops and gives me a baleful look. “You think that’s why he’s doing this?”

“I have no idea,” I lie, my gut twisting. It’s easier than acknowledging that maybe Eli has a point.

“He was going to sell to MVP and move away, man. I don’t think this is a ploy for sympathy,” Eli retorts in annoyance.

“Didyouapologize?” I counter, picking up my pace to catch up with him as I recognize he’s not waiting on me.

“Yes.”

I’m taken aback by the blunt and quick response.

“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong!” I snap.

Eli inhales patiently like he’s dealing with a kid, and I’m irked by his response even before he says anything. “Because that’s obviously what he’s looking for, Hudson. He feels like he was wronged, and in a way, he was.”

I scoff. “Well, that’s not my problem.”

The matter is closed as far as I’m concerned, and I try to keep Connor from creeping back into my mind. He and I were never that close anyway, right? Why do I care if he’s pissed off?

I care because Rose cares,I think, but I know deep down, it’s more than that. Close or not, I grew up with Connor. We’re neighbors, friends—even if not by choice, by necessity. Rose brought us together, and damn if I don’t miss having his stupid, boyishness around to brighten the workday.

Maybe I do like him better than I always thought.

Our arrangement is unconventional; it’s our own version of family. And if someone doesn’t approve of us—they can fuck off.

The thought of sharing a partner with others was once unimaginable, but with Rose, everything just fits. Eli and Connor are more than just co-partners; they’re like brothers to me. Watching the joy they bring to Rose’s life fills me with a sense of contentment. Without Connor, our family doesn’t feel complete.

I chew on this as we get on with the day until I hear someone calling my name from the house. It takes me a few seconds to register, lost in my thoughts.

“Hudson!” Katherine yells at me from the front porch, a few feet from where I’m digging the foundation for the horse troughs. The shatter of my reverie and the panic in her voice alarms me. I hurry toward her, dropping the shovel in my hand.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” I croak, immediately looking for signs of weakness or confusion on her face. “Are you dizzy?”

She shoos me like I’m a gnat but waves the ancient cordless phone in her hand. Her voice lowers an octave. “It’s not me, darling. It’s your father.”

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