Page 111 of Paper Horses

I turned to see my brother, Parker, coming toward me. He put his hand out, and I took it, tugging him into a big hug. Unlike Olivia and Gabe, Parker and I hugged whenever we were back together. I pushed him back, holding my hands on his arms and checking him out. He looked sharp in a gray designer suit, pressed perfectly and accented with silver cufflinks. Parker and I were the same height, but where I had my mother’s blond hair, he had my father’s thick head of black hair. Only our brown eyes matched. Otherwise, it was difficult to tell we were brothers.

“This look is good on you,” I said, letting my hands fall. The last I’d seen him two years ago, he was in jeans and a button-down, visiting me on the ranch for the weekend.

“Funny to see you without that damn cowboy hat,” he joked, tussling my hair. “You put that fancy suit on for Mom?”

I adjusted the sleeves of the suit I’d bought on the fly when I’d gotten into town the day before. It was restricting and reminded me of my life here and what I was giving up for happiness. An exchange of one joy for another. It seemed an even trade.

“Yeah. Best I could do on short notice.”

“She’ll call you out for the brand, but at least you tried.” He ribbed me in the side, and I shoved him back. “Come on, she’s waiting.”

“Seriously? She made me schedule the time with her, and she’s complaining about waiting?” I was early for the nine-thirty meeting with my mother, knowing she’d mention it if I was even a second late.

“You know how she is.” His expression turned serious. “You really want to do this?”

When I’d called him the same night I’d asked Jessie to watch the ranch, it had taken three times of him asking if it was the same Olivia Icinda before he believed me.

Did I want to do this? No, but for Olivia I would. “Yes.”

“Have you talked to Olivia since you got into town?”

“No. I need to get my ducks in a row first.” Like she was. I supposed we had both needed our space. Her to find herself and me to realize what I’d be giving up if I let her walk away again.

“What if she says no, Hud?”

I shrugged. “I go back to Montana with my tail between my legs.”

“And you think Mom will let you do that?”

The thought of talking to my mother, of groveling to gain my way back into her favor, had my stomach bunching. The fact that I had to schedule time with her was just another slap in the face. Once I bargained with the devil, would she let me go so easily if I’d read Olivia wrong? If I were overstepping by stepping into her world?

“I’ll deal with it.” I tugged my sleeves down.

His brows crinkled, his chestnut eyes holding understanding.

“Let’s get you in there before you’re late and she cancels the meeting.”

“She would do that, wouldn’t she?” I said with a chuckle.

“Yes, she would.”

He led me from the reception area where I’d been waiting, as if I weren’t her son and simply some intern waiting for an interview. Her punishment for my leaving.

“What kind of mood is she in today?” I asked, scraping a hand through my hair before quickly patting it back in place so it wouldn’t look messy. Since when did I worry about my hair looking messy? Since I’d decided to sell my soul back to the devil.

I looked around the floor, into the offices with stylish people and expensive clothes. Lesser versions of Olivia without the beauty she held.

My mother’s office was at the end of the floor, its view the best in the city, overlooking the Hudson River, which my parents had named me after. My brother had an office next door, my old office.

“You’ll see. Stop by on your way out. Maybe we can grab a beer tonight?”

I scratched my cheek, missing the constant stubble that was normally there. Missing the mountain air and my horses.

“Yeah. Let’s see how today goes. Might need a few if it doesn’t work out.”

“It will,” he said, slapping a hand on my back. I gave him a nod and a forced smile before continuing to my mother’s office. My knock on the door had her answering with a terse, “Enter.”

Hesitation gripped me right before I grabbed the doorknob and entered. A panoramic view of the city and the river spanned before me, but my eyes focused only on the woman behind the desk. In the decade since I’d last seen her, gray had invaded her blonde hair, which she now wore in a sleek bob. Her blue eyes rose and evaluated me before she stood from her desk.