said this man - his name is Julian but Mick said he pronounces it the Hispanic way, making the J sound like an H - worked for a year as Gus Gorman's lead hand."
Brian waited to see the light of recognition flicker in his brother's eyes. He wasn't disappointed when Chase's eyes widened and he said, "Grumpy Gus Gorman?"
"Yep. We met him that summer, when he was off-loading those horses that time. Remember? We all wondered if someone had shoved a burr or ten up his ass."
"Hard to forget a man who fell out of the ornery tree and hit every damn branch on the way down." Chase set his hat back on his head. "Any man can last a year with that sombitch deserves at least a look-see."
"That's what I figured. I didn't commit us to hiring him. I figured we could meet him, see how it feels. If we both don't cotton to him, we don't have to hire him at all. Or, we can give him a trial period."
Chase nodded. "And knowing how well you know me, you'd have told Mick to send the man on out."
Brian knew he blushed, just a little. Then he shrugged even as he noticed a slightly worn black Ford half-ton pickup making its way down their long and winding driveway. He nodded in that direction, and said, "I did, yes. Reckon that's him now."
Chase turned and moved subtly, standing beside him so that they were shoulder to shoulder as the truck came down the lane toward them.
The vehicle eased to a stop and the driver's door swung open without making a creak. The man who emerged was tall and ripcord lean. His jeans appeared as worn as his truck, but clean, and his black T-shirt didn't have a wrinkle or a cute saying across the front of it. His straw hat covered dark hair, and when he peeled his sunglasses off, revealing his eyes, Brian could see their color was dark, his gaze sharp and intelligent.
He walked right up to them, no hesitation whatsoever. "You'd be the Benedicts?"
"Well, two of them, anyway. And you'd be Julian." Brian shook his hand and approved of the strong grip, and the way Julian met his gaze straight on. "I'm Brian."
"Chase," his brother said as he shook hands with Julian.
The man didn't waste time. "Mick said you were looking for someone who could help you get the place up and running. He didn't say what you'd be running, so I'm guessing cattle or horses. If it's pigs, goats, or sheep, we're done here."
Brian grinned but Chase laughed outright. "Horses, mostly, with a few cows thrown in. We're thinking the cattle can be for market, and to help train the horses."
"You've decided on cow ponies, then? Quarter horses? Or were you planning to crossbreed?"
"Quarter horses, first off. We want to target ranches, supply them with working horses that are sure-footed and amenable to work with. But we realize a lot of ranchers are also interested in acquiring horses for rodeo or western showing."
"I've worked with a couple of ranches where they've had good breeding programs set up. Heard of a couple of others, run by men I consider very reputable, that we can likely go see. One of them, the best, is just over in Divine. I can help steer you in the right direction, and help you get your stock picked out, if you haven't done so yet."
"Mick said you knew horses."
Julian shrugged. "I'll be honest with you. Until five years ago, I didn't know squat about anything. I was living another life that revolved around Gucci suits and vanilla lattes. Is that going to be a problem for you, that I wasn't 'to the saddle born,' as they say?"
Brian felt one eyebrow go up. He turned to look at Chase, who seemed to be doing a better job of hiding his own amusement.
"Vanilla lattes," Chase scoffed. "Ours were double espresso lattes with an extra shot of chocolate and a dash of cinnamon."
Julian sighed. "I used to dream of those. Unfortunately the group I worked with held to the belief that the more complicated the latte order, the bigger the asshole. No insult intended."
Brian grinned. "None taken. Our coworkers felt that way, too. But since our coworkers were also mostly our brothers and giving them a hard time our sworn duty..." He let the sentence fall.
Brian wondered about the look that came and went quickly on Julian's face.
"We seem to have a lot in common,"