“Rhett! Good to see you!” He offers me a hand to shake. “Was your drive okay?”
Hunter’s voice is warm and genuine, and I relax as I grip his hand. “Yeah. As good as it can be to drive across the prairies.”
Hunter laughs deeply. “Don’t I know it! I need smelling salts and Jamieson’s horrible singing when we make that trip.”
“I heard that!” An indignant voice carries down the hall.
Hunter grins. “You were supposed to!” he calls back before focusing on me again. “Would you like to join us for a drink? Or even a quick snack? We have lots.”
My gaze shifts down the hall, where the voices are lower now, and Hunter’s husband waves around the corner. I wave back with a smile. He’s the lawyer here who sent me my contract and offered some advice when I needed it last year. The rest of the rodeo crew is likely gathered, and while I’m tempted to stay and start building a new base of friends, I’m exhausted.
“If you don’t mind, I’d just like to unload Wilbur and get settled. It’s been a long day.”
“Of course, yeah.” He sets his drink on the hall table and pulls on his boots from the mat near the door. At least six or seven other pairs of shoes litter the hallway, and my gaze stays on the pair of stylish boots that are out of place among the worn cowboy boots and old running shoes.
Why a pair of stylish boots catches my attention, I’m not sure, but I’m curious who they belong to.
Hunter leads me outside to the barn and flicks on a light. Horses huff when they hear us, and heads poke out over stall doors.
“I think Wilbur will be comfortable in this one. Mack likes company.” Hunter scratches Mack’s ears with a crooked smile. “An attention hog, this one, but he prefers Gabe.” Hunter opens the stall door next to Mack. “Do you need help with him?”
“No thanks. I think I can manage it. He’ll be happy not to be in a trailer anymore, I imagine.”
Hunter follows me back outside and, even though I said I didn’t need help, he opens the trailer door and secures it while I get Wilbur. Before I have Wilbur in the barn, the sound of a shovel scraping the trailer floor sounds, and I shake my head with a smile. I’ll have to remember next time to just say yes to help, since he’s doing it anyway.
“Here you go, boy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I bring my head to his, and Wilbur’s lips tug at the fabric of the flannel on my shoulder. His predictable good night affection.
“Love you too, buddy.”
When I exit the barn, Hunter is closing the trailer doors. “It’s all cleaned out for you. No sense in having a mess to greet you in the morning. Store it next to mine on the side of the barn.”
With a nod, I hop in and do that. Tater vibrates on the seat next to me. She loves meeting new people and going to new places. Thank god for that because lord knows she’s seen more of this country out of a truck windshield than most people.
“Keep your shirt on, Tater. You’ll meet him in a few minutes, so behave.”
Of course, she doesn’t listen and races over to Hunter like a loon once she’s out of the truck and barely has her feet on the dirt.
Hunter bends with a smile to greet her, and Tater eats up the attention like I’ve kept her in the closet for a week.
“She’s a cute little thing. Gabe will probably spoil her, just so you know.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind us staying while I look for a place?”
He shakes his head. “I’d be a dick not to offer you a place, Rhett. This old farmhouse has many empty rooms. But I won’t apologize if you hear or see things between me and Gabe. I mean, I won’t walk around naked or anything, but I also won’t stay quiet, if you know what I mean.”
His grin turns a little wicked, and I know exactly what he means. Despite knowing I might hear things that can’t be unheard, I laugh. A full belly laugh because my hosts’ indiscretions weren’t on my mind.
“I meant, are you sure you’re okay with the dog in the house?”
“Oh, totally. Jackson has his two here all the time. I love pets.”
Grabbing my duffel bag and Tater’s dog bed from the truck, I breathe a shaky breath before meeting Hunter again to walk up to the farmhouse.
“I didn’t know you’d have company tonight. I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice the day when we agreed on when you’d arrive. It’s a Scrabble night, and you’re more than welcome to join us.”
The laughter of the group greets us again when the farmhouse door opens, and the warmth of it all almost makes me smile. Somehow, I’ve gone through life without having this experience of a friend group gathered and laughing over board games. Or if I did, it was so long ago I don’t remember it.
