“Been better, been worse.”
He let out a sigh. “Okay. That’s…good.”
I found myself smiling. “Yeah.” I put him on speaker. “I’m eating. The boys made chicken soup and it’s incredible. Distract me?”
Hudson chuckled. “All right. So, do you think it’s nepotism that I’m considering name-dropping my ex’s son for a role in that series they’re making on Netflix when the time comes?”
“Ruth’s series?”
“Yeah. I’ve been doing the legal side, and I’m wondering if it would be too much if I name-dropped Jae.”
I thought for a moment. I wasn’t sure why it surprised me so much that Hudson was talking about his pseudo-stepson, since he so rarely had mentioned the kid over the years he’d been married to Johanna, Jae’s mother.
I realized he was waiting for me to speak. “Well, he has a decent career already, so I don’t think it’s…weird or anything. Plus, haven’t you mentioned that he never lived with you and Johanna and so on?”
“He never did, no. I was with Johanna for almost eight years, and I met Jae maybe ten times. At first it was the distance and then when he got his first roles, his dad wanted him to concentrate on acting. There were a couple of family vacations we took with Jae, but all in all, I don’t really know the kid.”
Something about Hudson’s tone was…off. I didn’t have the energy to dive into it, so I hummed something noncommittal.
“I mean, he might have something else going on, who knows. He might not even be interested in the role, even if the casting people contact his agent.” There was an unease in his voice now, almost as if he was becoming distressed—which made no sense—so I cleared my throat.
“I managed to drop Hope’s lead rope today and she took off. Truce wasn’t happy.”
Hudson’s laugh sounded relieved. “Tell me more?”
So I chatted with him about the horses and the rescue while I finished my soup and it was time to go do a final check of the stable.
“Thanks, Hud,” I said at the end of the call.
“No problem, buddy. Call me anytime if you need me.” Then he chuckled under his breath. “Or even if you don’t.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
As soon as I got off the couch and took my bowl away, Bucky stretched and yawned on his bed, sliding off it until he thumped on the floor.
“Wanna go check on everyone?”
His tail wagged as he jumped to his feet and stretched some more, then he dashed out of the doggy door. I knew he’d be waiting for me on the other side though.
I knew I was fortunate. Even when my brain decided to play tricks on me, I wasn’t alone. There was always something that had to be done to keep me moving, always someone to talk to or a dog to cuddle.
That night, I slept on the couch for once, just so Bucky could sleep next to my legs. Somehow, having that contact with another living being as I slept felt more refreshing than I’d thought.
* * * *
Things fell into a new normal in the next week.
I did my usual tasks every day, running the stable like I always had. Lake came in to help where he could, but he was still reading and re-reading the manuscript and hadn’t made any decisions about it.
“Are you stalling because of me?” I asked him one cool morning when we were saddling a couple of horses to go on a trail ride.
“Maybe? I don’t know. It’s a big decision.” He patted the horse—Salem, a black quarter cross Lake had taken a liking to—and re-checked everything.
Since we had the horses cross-tied in the aisle with enough distance that it was safe, I was dodging Ursula’s attempts at biting and kicking me with every move I made.
“You shouldn’t. I don’t think there’s anyone more qualified,” I said quietly, part of me hoping for some stupid reason he wouldn’t hear the words.
Soon enough, we were outside at the mounting block and got on the horses.
