Hope Against Hope: The Hope Brothers Series by Honey Palomino Page A

me. He was gentle, funny, and my favorite of all the Haggard boys. He was solid. In a way, he reminded me of Crit. There was a rooted sense of self in both of them that I envied. They knew who they were, and they didn’t question it, and both of them moved through life like they were exactly where they were supposed to be.
    Lately, I felt just the opposite. Sometimes, I feel like a boat at sea, totally lost, with no shore in sight and nothing to anchor to. Just floating around, mindless, restless, and empty.
    Beau wasn’t always like that, though. Before the tragedy that he went through when he was a teenager, he had a wild streak. He’d been a whole different person since then.
    While Beau was someone I saw often, he rarely just stopped by the barn. I knew right away that Finn had opened his big, fat mouth.
    “Howdy, Georgie,” he said, giving me a little wave. His blue eyes crinkled with a soft smile, and he tipped his black felt hat my way.
    “Morning, Beau,” I replied. “What brings you here so early?”
    He didn’t reply at first. He avoided my gaze for a moment, walking over and sliding his big hands over Cherokee’s nose. He pressed his head into him, and he scratched between his ears. Cherokee could have walked out of the back of his stall and into his long run outside, but he had been inside watching me sweep instead. There were days I sure he had been a puppy in a past life or something, because he always preferred to be by my side, and now, seeing him swoosh his tail and rub as much of his body against Beau as he could, I almost expected him to turn over onto his stomach for a couple of belly rubs.
    “He’s the puppy of the family,” I said.
    “I’ve always liked Cherokee,” he said, nodding and smiling. “We’ve always had a special bond,” he said, winking at me, his blue eyes crashing into mine at last.
    “I had no idea,” I replied, taking a deep breath.
    Silence filled the air as I waited for him to speak. He looked away and his eyes swept around the barn.
    “Everything’s looking good over here,” he said. “Y’all got everything under control?”
    “Crit does. I guess we’re doin’ okay,” I replied.
    “Glad to hear it,” he nodded. He took off his hat, and ran his hand over the short brown hair that was left after his latest cut. Beau was a no-nonsense kind of guy, he’d never kept his hair long. Not like his brother, Lee. My eyes trailed over his body, the pearl-button snaps of his black shirt straining to stay fastened over his muscular chest. He was the biggest of the Haggards and while he was more ruggedly handsome than Lee’s pretty-boy good looks, it was his gentle confidence that drew me to him.
    “Congrats on making it to State,” I said, trying to delay the inevitable uncomfortable conversation that I knew was coming. The competition was only a few days away and I knew it was all that was really on his mind. Like I said, he was just like Crit, and if Crit hadn’t been forced to be spending all this extra time running the farm, it’s all he would have been thinking about, too.
    Which only served to make me feel even worse that I had ever told Finn about Lee. Beau and Crit had other things they needed to be thinking about.
    “Thanks, Georgie. Listen, can we talk?”
    “We are talking, Beau,” I said, teasingly. Beau grinned at me again and I felt an low electric pulse begin to throb deep inside my gut.
    “Yeah, we are, huh?” he winked. “Georgie, Finn told me about Lee. And I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I’m mortified, actually,” he said, his eyes flashing with anger, the gentleness fading quickly. “I can’t fucking believe him. I know it’s no excuse that he was drunk.”
    “Beau…” I began.
    “I mean, it’s really unforgivable, I know. But I want you to know that I believe you.”
    “Beau…” I started again, trying to stop him as he rattled on.
    “Georgie, seriously,” he said, his eyes peering into mine with something new,