Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

A ngel wanted to address what Henry just said, because those three words in that specific order meant a great deal to her. She had a hard time expressing them to other people. While her momma, daddy, and Trevor told her they loved her all the time, sometimes Angel didn’t feel very lovable.

Henry kissed her though, and she didn’t want to stop that. She kissed him back, hoping that she could say those three little words through actions. Perhaps he would get the message without her having to use her voice. At the same time, she needed to use her voice; she wanted to use her voice. He needed to hear her voice.

He pulled away, and they breathed in together. “I’m sorry I’m taking your therapy time.”

“That’s what you’re sorry about?” she asked.

Henry opened his eyes and looked at her. Angel smiled softly at him. “I want you to have as much time here with your family as you need. But I also wanted you to know that I’m hearing you, Henry.”

“I know that,” he said.

“No, I don’t think you do,” she said. “Equine therapy is important to you, and I’ve dismissed it for months. Us getting up on that platform and telling everyone we’re together is important to you, and I’ve put it off and put it off. I know you’re frustrated.”

She stepped away from him and tucked her hands in her back pockets. She faced the wall-to-wall window that looked out into the arena. “I’m frustrated too. And I want you to know that the very first roll call you’re back, we’re going to stand on that platform together. It doesn’t matter if we have a plan.”

She threw him a dirty look like he’d been the one to postpone the announcement until they had a plan. But that had been all Angel, and they both knew it.

“I don’t care, Angel,” he said.

“You do,” she said. “And it’s fine that you do. I guess me coming here today is….” She trailed off, trying to find the right words. “Well, one, it’s selfish. I miss you and I want to see you. But two, it’s to let you know that what you say is important to me. And what’s important to you is also important to me, even if I don’t understand it in the beginning.”

He approached Angel, and her body tingled in anticipation of being touched by him. He slid his hand around her waist, barely touching her until his hand rested on her opposite hip. She leaned into him, enjoying his warmth, his strength, and his height.

“I should warn you,” she said. “Levi’s bringing Trevor in half an hour. It’s really his appointment.”

“Hm…so why did you come early?”

She bumped him with her hip. “Maybe to hear you say you love me.”

Henry cleared his throat. The air in the waiting room turned tense and thick. “I mean,” he started. “I’m not gonna take it back, but it wasn’t exactly how I…maybe it wasn’t exactly how I wanted to say it the first time.”

“How long have you wanted to say it?” she asked.

“Not long,” he hedged.

“Probably not as long as me,” Angel said.

“Yeah, except you haven’t actually said it.”

Angel turned toward him, running her hands up his chest and fisting his collar in her fingers. “When you told me you were looking into the future and that you could see us together, I started doing the same thing—looking into the future.”

“Mm hm.” He brushed her hair back, which caused a sensation to dance along her skin where he touched.

“And I could see us, Henry, me and you, together. And you know what? You were right. It’s not at Lone Star.”

Henry blinked a couple of times and then closed his eyes.

“I want to build a life with you,” Angel said. “I want to talk about marriage and what you want and what I want, and I want to talk about kids, and I want to talk about where we’ll live. And I want to talk about how Lone Star fits into all of that, because if it doesn’t fit, Henry, I’m willing to let it go.”

His eyes shot open, and “No,” burst out of his mouth. “No, we’re not letting Lone Star go.” He searched her face almost frantically. “Why would you think you need to give up Lone Star? I’m not asking you to do that. I would never ask you to do that.”

“Because it does consume a lot of me,” she said. “And I don’t want it to take so much from me that I don’t have enough for you and for our kids.”

“We won’t let it do that,” he said. “That’s part of us moving off-site, so that it won’t do that. So that you have a safe place to come home to at night, and we can leave work at work and have family time at home.”

“I just don’t want you to be frustrated with me because I’m slower than you.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not.” He pulled her into his chest the way he had when he had comforted her and rescued her that very first time. “I will always be there to pull you out of the dark water,” he said. “And I’m not in a hurry, Angel. Speed is irrelevant when there’s no direction.”

She pulled away from his heartbeat and looked at him. “The pastor said that recently.”

“Yeah,” Henry said. “It really meant something to me. It was like God telling me to be patient. I don’t know what direction I’m going quite yet, but it’s becoming more and more clear every day.”

“Is it?” she asked. “In what ways?”

“Well, for one, I know I’m not supposed to be here at Courage Reins. But at the same time, I need to be close. That’s been made very clear to me with Grams’ stroke and everything going on here now.”

“So Stinnett is a great option,” she said.

“It is,” Henry said. “But it’s not the only option, Angel. They’re putting in a new road, and I don’t mind the drive from Lone Star to here. We could be at the outskirts of Amarillo or the outskirts of Three Rivers. I know I want to be close to my friends and go to their luncheons every first Thursday of the month. That’s a direction I know God wants me to take. He wants me to be close to my family, and he wants me to provide a safe haven for you. So it’s triangulating,” he said. “I’m getting closer and closer.”

“I want to look at some places with you,” Angel said.

“I’ve got a great real estate agent,” he said. “Finn’s used him, and I heard Mitch was looking at some property too. But that’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.”

Angel giggled. “Who am I going to tell, cowboy?”

He grinned at her. “I just want us to be going in the same direction, Angel. And it doesn’t matter how fast we go, as long as we go together.”

She nodded, her throat tight and her lips pressed together. “That’s what I want too, Henry.”

“All right.” He wrapped her up tightly into his arms. “Hug me again. It’s so good to see you.”

She held onto him tightly, thrilled that her touch could comfort him, and knowing that Henry would need to be rescued sometimes and that she would be the one to do it.

Her phone chimed, and Angel said, “My brother is here.”

“All right,” Henry said. “Kiss me one more time, and then we’ll go meet him.”

She took his face in her hands and stroked her fingers down the side of his beard as she said, “I love you, Henry Marshall,” right before she kissed him.