And it wasn’t long before Hudson showed, wearing jeans, a checkered button-down that tugged at his shoulders, and that unforgettable wide smile. Hudson gave him a lazy wave and headed his way, long legs and tight hips weaving around the dining tables.
“Can you get me two Bud Lights, please, honey?” he asked the bartender, eyes on that taut belly.
“Well, Jack Boers. Fancy seeing you here.” Hudson stuck a hand out and pulled him into a bro-hug when he took it, the familiar light cologne filling his nostrils. “And at the bar no less.”
“I ordered you a Bud. Good to see you, darlin’.” Oh, maybe they could take their beers up to their rooms. He could order room services.
“Thank you. I need a beer after that flight.” Hudson settled on a stool. “You’re looking healthy. Everything good?”
“Doing great. You know how it is. I got my dream job.” He rode for three events a weekend whenever he wanted, his horses were happy and healthy, and he had both his thumbs.
“I do know how that is, since I got mine too.”
“Two Buds. Are you running a tab?” The bartender set out cocktail napkins, then set the glasses on top.
“Just the one for me, thanks.” Hudson put a twenty on the bar.
“So, you looking forward to the weekend? Feels like forever since I got to hang out with your happy ass.” Jack wrote his room number on his receipt. “Want to find a seat?”
“Well, it’s been about a year, like always. A long one.” Hudson stood, and his sharp blue eyes scanned the room. “There’s a table over there that’ll work.”
“You been okay? You don’t text like you used to.” And he hated to bother Hudson if he was… doing whatever he did now. Hudson was way quicker to change than he was. Way.
“Yeah. Sorry, I… I’ve been busy. I got an incredible offer on my company, and I sold it. Now I work for them.” Hudson did some kind of work with medical technology that he didn’t completely follow, but he knew the company had been important. “But it’s good. I’m consulting now, so I have way more time than I used to, you know?”
“So you sold the place so they could hire you?” Jack guessed the taxes on that were good? He didn’t know. “Time is good.”
He could give Hudson something to do for a few hours.
“Sort of? I sold it for over three times what I put into it and now I don’t run it anymore. I just work there. It was a good deal.” Hudson leaned back in his chair. He might only see Hudson once a year, but he could tell there was something off, something in Hudson’s eyes. “I’m turning my talents to my favorite sport.”
“Yeah?” Surely that was rodeo, right? It needed to be rodeo. Rodeo rocked.
Just ask him, he’d tell you.
“Yep. I’m working on a glove. I’ve been working with a couple of riders off circuit, but we’re trying to find some pros to try it out. I’ve got a prototype with me. I’ll show you.”
“No shit? Go you, man! I’d love to see it.” He was all over that. “What does it do? Protect the hand or keep them in the rope?”
Hudson smiled and seemed to like the questions. “It’s safety gear, so protection mostly, but the riders seem to like the grip too.” Hudson shrugged. “We’ll see. It’s just nice to have the time to focus on things I enjoy.”
“I hear that. I been staying with Mackey and his new guy for a bit. It’s nice to be able to just get out and ride.” He could outrun the world on the back of Ghost or Princess, either one.
“He bought a place in Colorado, right? He has a guy? That’s amazing, good for him.” Hudson sipped his Bud, then studied the glass. Hudson hadn’t ever talked about wanting someone steady, and Jack knew the guy wouldn’t be here if he had someone else.
Neither one of them were cheaters.
Jack didn’t promise anyone monogamy. He knew how that worked out.
“Sid’s okay. Smart like you. I like him for Mackey.”
Hudson chuckled. “You don’t like smart people for yourself.”
He frowned over because he surrounded himself with smart guys. He loved fucking the hot, smart ones because they had imaginations.
“Just curious.” Hudson finished his beer. “I can’t believe how long we’ve been doing this.”
“Long time, and every year it gets better.” He loved the California air, yessir he did.