But I knew exactly what I’d been thinking. In that moment by the creek, with him standing there dripping wet and looking so damn vulnerable despite his best efforts to hide it, I’d wanted to give himsomething of mine. Wanted to stake some kind of claim, however small. I wantedhim.
“You’re a goddamn fool, Mendez,” I muttered to the empty room.
The worst part was, I knew better. Hayden wasn’t staying in Sagebrush. He’d made that clear from the beginning. He was just passing through, licking his wounds before going home or wherever the hell he ended up next. And me? I never stayed anywhere long either. That was my whole deal. I kept moving, never got attached, and never let anyone get close enough to push me away first.
After Christmas, Hayden would be gone. Then all I had to do was wait until after Beau and Lucas’s wedding. Once that was over, I could hand in my notice and find some new place to wander off to. Either way, the pair of us would be heading in opposite directions. We had no future together.
But knowing that didn’t stop my heart from doing something stupid every time I thought about him. It didn’t stop me from wanting to see him again tomorrow, or from wondering if he’d let me teach him how to really ride. It didn’t stop me from imagining what it would be like to wake up next to him, all tousled hair and sleepy blue eyes, maybe with my hat still sitting crooked on the nightstand.
I rolled over, burying my face in my pillow with a frustrated groan. This was exactly why I didn’t do relationships. They made you think crazy thoughts, made you want things you couldn’t have. Made you forget that caring about someone was just setting yourself up for disappointment.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I reached for it without lifting my head from the pillow. A text from Lucas.
Lucas: Heard you skipped work to play hooky with Dolly’s nephew. Mabel says you gave him your hat? Call me. We need to talk.
Great. Just fucking great. By tomorrow morning, the whole ranch would know about my little romantic gesture. Hell, the whole town probably knew by now. That’s how it worked in places likeSagebrush. Gossip traveled faster than wildfire and it was twice as destructive.
I tossed my phone back onto the nightstand without responding. The last thing I needed was Lucas trying to play matchmaker or give me relationship advice. The man meant well, but he’d found his happily ever after with Beau. He wouldn’t understand that some of us weren’t built for that kind of happiness.
The fan continued its lazy rotation above me, and I found myself staring at the shadows it cast on the ceiling. Somewhere across town, Hayden was probably sitting in that little apartment behind Dolly’s diner, maybe reading a book or watching TV. Maybe he was thinking about today too. Or maybe he’d already forgotten all about our ride, chalking it up to just another boring afternoon in small-town Texas.
But I doubted it. There had been something in his eyes when he’d taken my hat, something that looked almost like wonder. And the way he’d pressed back against me on Ranger... that hadn’t been my imagination. The boy felt something, even if he was too stubborn or too scared to admit it.
My cock stirred again at the memory, and I groaned, rolling onto my stomach to press it against the mattress. This was getting ridiculous. I was acting like some lovesick fool over a guy who’d made it crystal clear he couldn’t wait to get out of town.
I needed to get my head on straight. Tomorrow I’d go back to work, focus on the ranch, and stop thinking about freckles and blue eyes and the way Hayden’s ass had felt pressed against me. I’d treat him like any other guest or visitor, polite but distant.Professional.
Even as I made that resolution, I knew it was bullshit. The moment I saw him again, all that professional distance would evaporate like morning mist in the Texas sun.
I hated and secretly loved how much my stomach fluttered when I thought about him.
Chapter 10
Diego
There was no avoiding Lucas the next morning. Monday mornings were when we had ourranch management meetingsover coffee. Usually it was just Lucas, Beau, and myself sitting around the kitchen table shooting the shit for a couple hours while Mabel made us breakfast. But today there was more on the menu than just eggs, toast, and sausages.
“Well, there he is,” Lucas chimed from the kitchen table the moment I stepped through the door. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on my head. “And no hat either. I guess the rumors are true.”
I groaned inwardly, pouring myself a cup of coffee from the pot on the counter. “Morning to you too, Lucas.”
“Diego, sit down,” Beau said gently, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. “We need to talk.”
I took my time adding cream to my coffee, stalling for as long as possible. The last thing I wanted was to discuss my personal life over breakfast, especially when I wasn’t even sure what the hell was happening myself.
“Look,” I said, finally taking my seat, “if this is about me taking time off yesterday?—”
“It’s not about the time off,” Lucas interrupted, leaning forward with that intense look he got when he was about to meddle in someone’s business. “It’s about the hat, Diego. Mabel told us everything.”
“What’s everything?” I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I already knew.
Beau cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “She said you gave Hayden your hat. That cowboy hat you’ve worn every day since I’ve known you.”
“So?” I took a sip of my coffee, trying to project nonchalance I didn’t feel. “It’s just a hat.”
Lucas snorted. “Bullshit. That hat is practically part of your DNA. You damn near sleep with the thing.”
“I do not—” I started to protest, then realized he was right. There were plenty of nights I’d fallen asleep with it still on my head. And it was the first thing I reached for every morning. “Okay, fine. Maybe I’m attached to it.”
