Hudson Scene
I recommend waiting until after you’ve read the book to read deleted scenes. It will help you better understand characters and the dynamics of the story in the deleted scene. In addition to this deleted scene, there are two included at the end of the novel. Stop reading here if you haven’t read Hudson’s Luck yet.
In an early draft of Hudson’s Luck, I sent Hudson back to Ireland a second time before Charlie came to Texas. Charlie was trying to forget about the sexy American and Hudson was nervous as all hell about seeing the cute Irishman again. Rory was the bloke Charlie caught kissing another man in the beginning of the story. This chapter would have taken place after the hot night in Cork, but before Charlie went to Texas. Because I deleted it, however, this scene doesn’t actually take place in the final version of Hudson’s Luck. It is not a scene that now takes place off the page. It is a scene that was completely deleted so I could move the story forward in a different way. Hope you enjoy this peek behind the curtain of an author’s process!
Deleted scene 1 (Rory) from Hudson’s Luck by Lucy Lennox
Charlie’s Note To Self:
Don’t date men named Rory.
(Wait… haven’t we done this one already?)
It was selfish of me to agree to give Rory another chance. I should have taken his feelings into consideration, but I couldn’t think past being unable to kick a crying man to the curb. We’d been accidentally set up together on a double date with a mutual friend weeks after my night with Hudson in Cork. I’d forced myself to accept being set up in hopes I could find someone, anyone, to help me get past my obsession with the American.
Nothing had happened between Rory and me on the date, but in the week since then, he’d had stopped by the pub no less than four times, apologizing and begging me for another chance at a relationship. When I tried to tell him I was working a shift behind the bar, he just parked himself on a stool and rested his smiling face in his palm to watch me.
It was off-putting to say the least. But, again, I couldn’t bring myself to kick him out.
“You need to talk to that fucker,” Cait whispered in my ear. “At the very least put a bar towel under his chin to catch the drool.”
“Shut it,” I warned. “I’m going to talk to him tonight, I swear.”
“Mm.”
I looked at her and noticed that she’d put on a face of makeup yet again. “What’s going on with you? You’re all done up.”
“Donny’s taking me to the cinema. Some new Revengers movie I think. I dunno. A guy thing.”
“Avengers,” I corrected with a grin. “Superheroes and shit.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m probably going to snooze through it. I’ve spent the last four nights at his place and haven’t gotten crap for sleep if you know what I mean.” She winked at me while I pretended to gag.
“Stop. Christ, Cait. Enough. Be careful. That man was a skirt chaser at uni.” She knew I was kidding, but she went along with it anyway.
“I’m perfectly happy to have him chase my skirt, Charlie. The man is blessed with—”
“LA-LA-LA!” I squeaked. “For the love of Mama please spare me.”
“I was going to say, a talent for kissing,” she lied. “Don’t wait up.”
“You don’t live here,” I called after her. “But text me anyway to let me know you’re safe.”
She shot me the middle finger as she wriggled her way through the pub in a way-too-short skirt.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“Sweetie?”
I looked over at Rory. His eyes held so much fake guilt, I couldn’t stand it. After a quick glance around to make sure I’d have a few minutes of uninterrupted time at the end of the bar, I made my way down to address the lovesick elephant in the room.
“Rory…”
“What time do you get off? Can I please come over for a little while after? It doesn’t matter how late,” he said in a rush. “Please believe how sorry I fucked up. I was drunk and stupid. I’m an idiot. Let me prove to you how sorry I am. I know you said you’ve been really tired, but it’s killing me not being able to touch you and kiss you, Charlie.”
The thought of kissing Rory left a pinch in my gut, not because of Rory specifically but because the mention of kissing made me think of only Hudson. And how fucking unfair was that? I was hung up on a straight bloke I’d never see again and it was causing me to miss out on the sure thing in front of me. I was running out of excuses to keep Rory out of my pants.
“No, cutie,” I said quietly. “Listen, I have to be honest. I am not looking for the same thing you are. You want someone to play with, and I’m looking for Forever Man.”
Rory’s face fell while I spoke. “But that’s what I’m offering.”
I snorted. “Good one.”
“It’s true. You’re ten times better than anyone else I’ve been with. I was stupid, and now you’re sad. I don’t want you to be sad, Charlie. Not when I’m right here.”
He reached out a tentative hand to rest on mine on the bar top. I took it and squeezed. “That’s very sweet, Rory, but you’re not ready to commit, and I’m not okay with being played around with.”
He clutched my hand in his, unwilling to let go. “We’ll start slow. Friends first?”
I tried to pull my hands away again, but he held tight.
“Charlie, I’m serious. I could really use a good mate. Please?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He deserved the truth from me no matter how hard it was.
“Just because I really fancy you, Charlie, doesn’t mean you’re irresistible,” he teased. “Give me a chance to prove we can just be good friends.”
“How will I know you’re really okay with that? Because that’s all I have to offer, Rory,” I explained in a soft voice.
“We’ve both established we could use a friend, right? So friends it is.” His grin was contagious, and I vowed to try and be a good friend to him. “Want to celebrate with a pint on the house? Don’t worry about it, I have an in with the bartender.”
Rory held up his empty glass, and I laughed. Before I could pull my hand away to pour the pint, he yanked me over the bar for a big hug.
“Rory, let me pull the pint,” I said with a laugh.
He held tight for a moment too long. If he was a bit too handsy for just friends, there wasn’t anyone around to notice.
Until I pulled back and saw Hudson Wilde standing a few feet behind Rory looking like someone had just kicked his fucking puppy.
We stared at each other. I’d had no idea he was expected back. For a moment, I actually wondered if I was hallucinating and had conjured him up.
“Hudson?” I asked carefully.
His eyes were like confusion-filled arrows straight to my fucking heart.
“Charlie,” he said in a gravel-filled voice, no doubt rough from travel and dry airplane air. “Good to see you.” And then he turned around and walked right back out of the pub in the direction of the staircase to the sleeping rooms.
“Fuck,” I breathed. “Fuck.”
“Who the hell was that gorgeous thing?” Rory asked. “Now that I’m newly single, I think I might try to—”
“Business man,” I bit out. “Working with Dev on something important. He’s straight.”
I felt Rory’s eyes on me, but mine were still focused intently on the doorway to the staircase.
Bloody hell. Hudson Wilde was back under Fig and Bramble’s roof. My heart was thundering and I could hear a roaring in my ears. All I could think was a phrase my old grandfather used to say to his regulars.
If wishes were pints, we’d all be on the lash.
Deleted scene 2 (Best Western) from Hudson’s Luck by Lucy Lennox
Charlie:
We left the following day after work and drove south to a little town called Junction. The swankiest hotel in the entire town was a Best Western, which Hudson promised me would be an experience. I tried to explain that I’d once stayed in a guesthouse named the Spread Eagle. If I could spend the night at the Spread, I could survive a couple of nights at Junction’s fanciest motel.
The older lady behind the desk was not impressed with my homosexual ways.
“Two rooms you say?” she asked, eyeing me as if I was on the verge of stealing the silver.
Fairly sure there was no silver.
“No, just one room. King bed please,” Hudson said as if he’d been fucking other blokes his whole life. Did the man not have a survivalist bone in his body?
“You sure you don’t want queens?” she sniffed, hitting the word queens like she’d accidentally seen Priscilla once on the telly and it had ruined her life and the lives of everyone in Texas.
“Honey, if you saw this man naked,” I drawled, “you’d know he meant king.”
I felt Hudson stiffen beside me before his head swiveled toward me in slow motion. “You did not.”
“I did. Now grab the feckin’ key and let’s go.”
Deleted scene 3 (Love Posse) from Hudson’s Luck by Lucy Lennox
Overheard at the Wilde Ranch in Hobie, Texas:
In which Hudson’s siblings and grandfathers talk about the poor man behind his back.
“Hudson needs a love posse,” West said, looking around at all of the other Wildes assembled in the family room attached to Doc and Grandpa’s kitchen. “He hasn’t been himself since the split with Darci, and I’m starting to freak out.”
Hallie took a sip of her cocktail and sniffed. “You know he’s not coming tonight, right? He got called away on business.”
Winnie grabbed the glass out of her twin’s hand and took a large swig before speaking. “To Ireland. That fucking piece of shit boss of his sent him away.”
West whipped his head around. “Darci’s dad? Why?”
Winnie nodded. “Yeah. Apparently Bruce is testing him. Said if Hudson can successfully navigate their acquisition of some beer company in Ireland, he’ll make VP.”
“Finally,” Hallie muttered.
“Never gonna happen,” Saint interjected. “That guy’s an ass.”
“No he isn’t,” said Doc. “He’s simply upset about his daughter’s broken heart.”
“Fuck,” Otto said, leaning forward to rub Walker’s shoulders where the sexy sheriff sat against Otto’s legs in front of the sofa. Walker groaned in appreciation. “Does Hudson realize what a mistake he made going to work for his girlfriend’s dad?”
“He does now,” Hallie said. “But you know Hudson. His main goal in life is to be the perfect worker and make everyone around him happy. He’ll still do his best to impress Bruce.”
“Quintessential over-achiever,” West added.
“Pot,” Nico coughed. “This is Kettle, you’re black.”
West pulled Nico into a headlock to knuckle the top of his head. “Not anymore, asshole. Now I’m penis-whipped and come home on time every day.”
West pulled out of his husband’s hold and pulled his head down for a kiss. “And Pippa and I love you for it.”
MJ had been sitting quietly, seemingly ignorant of the conversation around her, when she suddenly sat up and snapped her fingers. “I have an idea.”
Everyone stared at her.
“And?” Sassy prompted from her spot on the floor.
“We need to force him to take some time off.”
Otto chuckled. “Good luck with that, sister. Never gonna happen.”
MJ shook her head. “Hear me out. What if we somehow extend his stay without giving him any advanced notice? And then we pile on a bunch of ‘errands’ he needs to do for us while he’s over there. You know, shit that gets him out of the hotel room and out into the countryside. Something that makes him take a damned break for once and get some fresh air.”
Everyone seemed to take a minute to process what she said.
“I like it,” Doc said. “What kind of errands and how do we extend his stay when the travel is booked through the firm?”
MJ was quick to answer part of it. “I’m friends with his assistant, Nadine, remember?”
“As for errands,” Nico pulled up his shirt and twisted around to show some of the ink on his back. “Somewhere on here is an illustration of Ross Castle in Killarney. I’ve always wanted to see it in person. I could ask him to go and take pictures for me.”
West ran a gentle hand along the varied ink on Nico’s back. “Why didn’t you ever say anything? I’d love to take you there.”
“That’s a good idea,” Hallie said. “Not you taking him there, I mean. But asking Hud to go. What else?”
Walker lifted his head from the relaxation coma he’d been in. “Jolie has always wanted something from the Waterford crystal factory over there.” Otto stiffened behind him, causing Walker to turn and put a hand on his leg. “Simmer down, hot stuff. Daevon asked me for ideas for her birthday. I told him I couldn’t think of anything, but this would work.”
Sassy stood up from the floor with a squeal of excitement. “The Cliffs of Moher!”
Several sets of eyes blinked at her.
“Remember when I was little and watched The Princess Bride ten thousand times?”
“Yes,” West said. “Of course we do. You made Hudson pretend to be Fezzik and carry you up the cliffs as Buttercup, but then as soon as you got to the top you wanted to be Inigo Montoya so you could sword fight.”
“Good memory,” Nico said with an affectionate squeeze of West’s hand.
MJ rolled her eyes. “Who do you think insisted on being Westley?”
West preened while his sisters groaned and Grandpa and Doc laughed.
“Anyway,” Sassy continued. “The real-life Cliffs of Insanity are the Cliffs of Moher which are in County Clare.”
It was Grandpa’s turn to speak. “You all know he’d never say no to Sassy if she asked him to go there.”
“Ok,” Hallie said, looking up from where she was making notes in her phone. “So far we have three side trips. The tattoo thing in Killarney, the crystal in Waterford, and the cliffs in County Clare. Let’s think of at least one more. Something he really, really wouldn’t be able to refuse.”
There was silence for a few minutes while everyone tried to think. Doc kept sneaking meaningful glances at Grandpa until Grandpa couldn’t take it anymore.
“Okay fine. I have one,” Grandpa muttered.
Doc let out a breath. “You sure, sweetheart? You don’t have to.”
“Liam, love.” Grandpa reached for his husband’s hand and held it tight. “You know Hudson won’t be able to say no. I can ask him to take a picture of their graves.”
“Whose graves?” Winnie asked.
“My grandparents,” Grandpa said softly. “My mother was Irish. Her parents are buried in County Clare.”
A hush fell over the room again before West spoke up. “But you don’t ever talk about your parents. We don’t even know who they were or where you’re from exactly. I guess I just assumed you didn’t know them.”
“He knows,” Doc said, pulling Grandpa closer against him to wrap an arm around the old rancher’s shoulders. “He just doesn’t like to talk about them. It’s painful for him. They kicked him out when he was still young.”
“Who were they?” Sassy asked, coming over to sit on the floor by Grandpa’s feet.
“My maternal grandparents were Moira and Seamus Dugan. I don’t know the name of the cemetery, but I know the name of the village where they lived.”
“You were Weston Dugan?” Sassy asked. “No, wait. That was your mom’s family. What was your dad’s family name?”
Grandpa blew out a breath. “Marian.”