“It’s just the land. Not mine.”
Not yet, but Hudson was thinking it might be…
“Well, if you decide against it, you can always stay in Denver with me.” He snorted. Jack hated Denver and he knew it. He didn’t know what they were going to do about it, but he knew.
“I can’t have my horses in Denver, darlin’. They need me.”
“I know, baby. I was joking. Anyway, you hated Denver.”
“Hated is a strong word. I just… I ride in cities all the time. I want my home time to be open and free.” Jack pulled out and headed down the driveway.
He nodded. He understood. “So why isn’t it yours yet?”
“I wanted you to see it.”
“You did?” He stared at Jack, but he couldn’t hold back his smile. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I invited myself out here, huh?”
“I guess so.” Jack’s lips quirked in a half grin. “It’s 148 acres, a house, a barn. The fence is in decent shape, the house is livable, but not pretty, the barn is huge and old, but solid.”
“So we’ll renovate the house. And the barn too, why not?” At some point, they were going to have to stop talking around what was happening and talk to each other instead. But for now, this was fun.
“What do you like in a house? I mean, this is nowhere like your home.”
“I don’t know; I’ve never had a house.” He stared out the windshield and thought about it. “I want to be comfy, I guess. I’d love a fireplace. A cozy bedroom. A big shower. I’m not really a chef, but a reasonable kitchen would be nice. A grill. A porch or a deck to chill on. And I guess I need an office.” He had no idea about style, or what was most common up here.
Jack’s head bobbed as they got to the road and took a left. “A deck is a must. And I like lots of sunlight.”
“I’d be happy with sunlight too. A view of the stars. Anything. Oh!” He turned to Jack, grinning. “We should get a telescope.”
“Do you know how to work one?” They went about two minutes, and then turned into a lane, coming up to a huge gate, and Jack handed him a key. “Can you unlock us?”
“Wow.” He blinked at the gate. How cool. “Uh. Yes.” He slid out of the truck and unlocked the gate, then swung the door open wide. “Wow. A gate.”
Jack pulled through and stopped, letting him close and relock. Before he hopped in, he looked around. From here, he couldn’t see Mackey’s place, because the land had a long line of pine trees for privacy. He felt like he was on an episode of a Western TV show. Just trees and land and sky everywhere he looked.
Jack killed the engine and hopped out. “So Mackey’s fence is there behind the treeline, and the land goes to the other side of that hill on the other side, and straight back to the foot of the mountain.”
“Wow, Jack. That’s a lot of land.” And it backed up to a mountain and a friend’s property. Seemed pretty ideal.
“It is. Enough room for a herd. For a breeding program.” Jack sounded awed. “And if we put a nice gate in, we could make an easier road from here to Mother’s.”
Hudson was getting better at listening to Jack—the things he said and the things he didn’t say. Mentioning the breeding program meant Jack was thinking about, and telling Hudson, what he might want to do once he retired. And mentioning the road to Mackey’s meant that Jack wasn’t just thinking about the land anymore; he wanted it.
Jack wanted him to want it.
“Show me the house.”
“Hop in the truck.” That smile was about as wicked as could be.
Almost as naughty as the hungry kiss Hudson got in the truck before they headed down the long drive.
The house came into view gradually as the drive curved around a stand of trees, and he was in love almost instantly. “Look at all the windows!” The house was like a mountain style crossed with a chalet and had a big window in the front that had to offer amazing views of the mountains and the sunset.
“It needs work—everything’s outdated,” Jack warned. “But it’s got great bones, huh?”
There was a huge wraparound porch, somewhere to sit, to breathe, to make love. Oh, he was already hooked.
“I’ve got some money put away.” If Jack wanted to know if he wanted the place, that ought to clear things up. “Let’s do it.”