Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

H enry couldn’t stop smiling as they drove to Coyote Pass from the place they had just seen with Jerry Bozeman. The moment they’d come out of the front door and seen Jerry waiting by his truck, Henry had said, “We want it. Tell us what to do next.” And Jerry had said he’d send the paperwork.

Angel had started a timer to see how long it would take to get to Coyote Pass from their place. They had to go into town, then north, and then a little bit further west. Finn’s was to the east, and Henry decided that it would probably take the same amount of time to get to Finn’s as it would to Alex’s.

“Are you still thinking April?” he asked.

“What?” Angel looked over to him. “Yeah, yeah, April’s fine.”

He glanced at her. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering how you got that diamond in the drawer,” she said, pinning him with one of her boss-looks.

Henry’s blood, which had been bubbling since he’d seen Angel’s reaction to the blue farmhouse, positively sparkled now. “Yeah, I bet you are.” He chuckled. “I gave it to Jerry when you were coming up the steps from the patio.”

“You gave it to Jerry, and he just knew what to do with it?”

“Yeah,” Henry said. “I told him that if we found a place today, I would ask you to marry me there. And I could tell that this was ours. I sort of felt it from the pictures, but actually physically being there—and seeing your reaction—I just knew.” He glanced over to her and reached for her hand, spinning the diamond left and right on that left finger where it had never been before. “I can’t believe you said yes.”

“Of course I’m going to say yes,” Angel said. “We’ve been talking about marriage and kids and looking at places for two months.”

“I know,” he said. “It just feels like something that would happen to Paul or Finn or John, not me.”

“Well, it is happening to you,” Angel said. Her phone beeped, and she looked at it and then glanced up and out the window again. “Also, today’s luncheon topic is employee management and staffing,” she said. “I guess Alex is thinking of bringing someone on when the twins are born, and he wants to know how everyone handles making sure that they have the personnel they need to get the jobs done.”

“It’s a great topic,” Henry said. “My dad has been really struggling with staffing all summer.”

“Yeah,” Angel said thoughtfully. She sometimes disappeared into her own mind, and Henry let her, because she always told him what she’d been thinking about.

They arrived at Coyote Pass, and Angel said, “Thirty-five minutes,” as Henry put the truck in park.

“It’s not bad,” he said. “Thirty-five minutes to Alex’s, thirty-five minutes to Finn’s, probably forty minutes to Three Rivers, and forty minutes to Lone Star. It’s literally the epicenter of where we want to be.”

“It’s perfect,” Angel said, grinning. “It’s so perfect.” She lifted her hand again, and Henry nearly got sidetracked by the diamond there. But they had a luncheon to attend and discussions to have. He hoped that Alex would at least allow a little bit of time for personal news. They’d had their ultrasound last week, but he hadn’t said what gender the babies were—surely Alex would have something to share.

Henry got out of the truck and helped Angel down, and he once again positioned himself on her left side so he could hold that diamond-ring-hand. “Sure like this ring on you,” he said.

“You didn’t even tell me you’d bought a ring.”

“What do you think I’d been doing all this time?” he said. “I did talk to my daddy about a loan, and I went shopping with Momma and Aunt Kelly. I’ve been busy, my angel.”

Angel grinned at him and said, “Thank you so much, Henry. I love it.”

It had cost him a lot, but Henry didn’t care. Angel was worth any price. Besides, his parents had helped him with the ring and told him that he didn’t need to pay them back. When he protested, they said they’d done the same thing for Paul, and they’d do the same thing for John and Rich, and to just take the money and not be in debt when he started his new life with Angel.

So he had.

He knocked a couple of times and then simply went inside, as his wasn’t the first truck there. Sure enough, Alex stood in the kitchen working, while Finn and Paul waited at the island, chatting.

“Hey,” Henry called, and everyone turned toward him.

“Hey,” Finn said, and he turned to come greet them. “How was the drive?”

Henry exchanged a glance with Angel and said, “Not bad at all.”

Over the course of the next several minutes, everyone arrived. Link came with Dawson, Conrad and JJ Walker, Ollie, and JJ’s best friend, Tate. They were all working at Seven Sons that summer, even Ollie, as ranching took a lot of hands, and it sure seemed like cowboys were in short supply around Three Rivers.

Once everyone had arrived, Alex said, “We’re ready.” He lifted the lid on a slow cooker, and the delicious scent of braised beef filled the air. “Brisket,” he said. “Nothing fancy. You can make a sandwich or tacos.” He pointed to the chips and the soft dinner rolls. “There’s coleslaw, and I ran to the bakery this morning and got mint brownies for dessert.”

“All right,” Finn said as he clapped his hands in excitement.

“We’ll eat first,” Alex said. “And then I want to talk about staffing issues.” He was a no-nonsense man, as was everyone there. They had busy lives, some of them with wives and children. No matter what, they had big ranches, and their daddies had big expectations for them. They certainly weren’t going to sit around not doing anything.

Everyone had met Angel before, so Henry didn’t need to introduce her. But once they’d all gotten their food and settled at the table, he glanced over to Alex. “What are you guys having?” he asked.

Alex had just taken a big bite of his brisket sandwich, and he leaned over and held up his hand as if to say, Give me a second.

Henry chuckled and said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that right when you took a bite.”

“Let’s do news,” Link said, exchanging a glance with a still-chewing Alex. “I’m pretty sure that’s what Alex is going to say.”

They had started doing news more and more often at the beginning of their meetings, and no one protested. No one asked if they had to; they all knew they could pass.

“Misty is gonna have a baby,” Link said, smiles and sunshine pouring from every cell of his body. “She’s due at the end of February.”

“Oh, that’s amazing,” Henry said, adding his voice to the others congratulating Link on becoming a daddy soon.

“No new babies for us,” Finn said. “Edith is working on her book. We’ve got no news.”

“You always have something,” Paul said, shooting Finn a knowing look from across the table.

“Do I?” Finn asked innocently. Then he broke out into a grin. “Fine, we’re adding to our livestock. Edith is getting another cat—hopefully one who doesn’t meow constantly—and I’m getting a new horse.”

“That’s almost better than a baby,” Dawson quipped, and that sent a ripple of laughter through the cowboys. “No babies for us either,” Dawson added. “But we have a new crow who keeps showing up with Rocks and Nugget.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex asked. “What are you going to name this one?”

“Caroline wants to name her Beauty,” Dawson said. “And well, I just kind of let Caroline do what she wants with the crows.” He laughed, and Henry did too because Carolyn had wanted crows in their wedding, and she’d gotten them.

“Smart,” Ollie said, and the conversation turned to Angel, as she sat next to Dawson.

Panic ran through Henry. He didn’t want her to tell them they were engaged. He wanted to announce it. She glanced over at him, and he found the same fear in her eyes. He quickly raised her left hand.

“Angel and I got engaged,” he said.

A second of stunned silence filled Alex’s farmhouse, and then Finn whistled through his teeth in the loudest, shrillest celebration Henry had ever heard.

“Holy cow,” Link added.

“Look at that thing,” Dawson said. He grabbed onto Angel’s hand and grinned at the diamond. “Congratulations, you guys.”

“When’s the big day?” JJ asked.

“Sometime in April,” Angel said. “We’re going to get married in April.”

“April, right,” Henry said.

“Not gonna lie, but April is the best time to get married,” Finn said.

“I agree,” Link said, grinning at Finn. They even high-fived, like they’d had any choice in the month they’d gotten married.

Oliver said, “You know, a holiday wedding is beautiful.” He grinned as he scooped up a pile of brisket and sour cream with a tortilla chip. “Easy décor near Christmastime.”

Alex said, “Come on . Summer is the best time to get married, you guys. You don’t have to worry about the weather.”

Laughter went around the table, and when it subsided, Ollie said, “Aurora found out she’s gonna have another girl. That’ll be three girls, one boy. I’m going to try and convince her we’re done after that.”

Finn chuckled. “Good luck with that, brother.”

Henry couldn’t even imagine having four kids. But then again, a little over a year ago, Henry hadn’t even imagined that he could ever find one person who he could love enough to settle down with.

JJ sat next to Ollie, and he said, “I went on a date last night,” with a sly-as-a-fox grin. That started a hullabaloo that took several minutes for JJ to get through, and he finally concluded with, “I asked her out again, and she said yes.”

Tate grinned at him and said, “We’re going to double too.”

“Oh boy,” Finn said. “You boys going to the summer dances to meet women?” He eyed them as he ducked his head and took a bite of his sandwich.

JJ nodded. “Why not?”

“Because you’re going back to school in three weeks,” Angel said dryly.

“Yeah, ain’t no thing,” JJ said, and Henry could only laugh at the mindset that he’d once had.

Conrad Walker was next. He didn’t say much, and he’d only been coming to the luncheons this summer. But he was strong and broad-shouldered, and Henry thought he couldn’t be much younger than him. Maybe three or four years was all.

“My news is,” Conrad said, his voice soft but somehow powerful at the same time. “That I’m thinking of buying my grandma and grandpa’s farm and moving in with them.”

“You’re what?” JJ asked.

“I might move in with them,” Conrad said. “Gramps needs a lot more help now, and I’m over there all the time doing things for them anyway. Yard work, things around the house, stuff Grandma can’t reach like she used to.” He looked at JJ, as they were cousins. “Been talking about it with them and with my parents. I think I’m gonna move in with them. I might buy their place if it makes sense.”

“That’s great,” Finn said with a genuine quality in his voice.

“It is great,” Henry said. “Being close to family is important.”

Conrad nodded, his news done in only a few words. That only left Paul and Alex, and as Paul sat next to Conrad, he said, “Brielle and I are going to build a house out on the Three Rivers Ranch complex.”

Henry stopped eating completely as he gaped at his older brother. “You are?”

“Yeah,” Paul said, nodding more than usual, almost like if he kept doing it, he’d believe it too. “We’ve been talking to Daddy and Uncle Squire about it. Everyone has to be involved—Ethan and Brynn, and the administration at Courage Reins. It’ll be part of Three Rivers land.”

“There’s a lot going on out there,” Alex said.

“My momma and daddy aren’t ready to retire yet. They have a nice place they can still take care of for a good couple of decades. Brielle and I can’t live there, obviously.”

“You’re getting married in three months,” Finn said. “Is that enough time to build a house?”

“I don’t know,” Paul said. “We just started talking about it, and we’ve agreed that it’s going to happen.” He looked at Henry. “Uncle Squire is having a land surveyor come out to do some measurements to find a plot of land we can legally annex and buy to build on.”

Henry blinked, sure he hadn’t heard his brother right. “A land surveyor?” he asked and looked over to Angel. “A land surveyor.” This time it wasn’t a question.

She grinned at him and said, “It’s the best way to make sure that you find the right piece of property and that everyone knows who it belongs to.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Link asked, and that only made Henry tip his head back and laugh.

“Nothing,” he said. “Something our pastor said a few months ago.” He shook his head, so grateful for his place at this table of good men. “Oh, I have—” He looked at Alex, realizing his mistake. “Wait, you’ve got news.”

“If you’ve got something else, go ahead.” Alex’s plate was almost empty as he didn’t talk much. He did love hosting everyone at Coyote Pass, Henry knew that. He loved feeding a crowd, and he and Nikki had started hosting game nights just like Finn and Edith.

Henry wondered if he and Angel would do the same when they had their place. He wasn’t sure—they both worked around the clock, and it wasn’t just one of them. He had no idea what their days and nights would look like once they got married and had to drive home to a big three-story house they had to maintain.

“Angel and I found a place to live,” he said when Alex didn’t offer up the gender of his coming babies. “Offsite, away from Lone Star.”

“You’re kidding,” Finn said, his words full of disbelief “Where is it?” He became more animated, putting both hands on the table as his grin grew. “It’s close, right?”

“Just outside of town,” he said. “About halfway between here and Stinnett. It’s out on the Miller land.”

“Whoo-ee,” Link said. “Those are nice.”

“You know them?”

“Mitch told me about them,” he said. “He said there’s what? Seven or eight places out there?”

“Something like that,” Henry said. “The one Jerry showed us today is real nice. We told him we want to buy it.”

“That’s so great,” Paul said, reaching across the table to squeeze Henry’s hand. “I’m really happy for you, brother.”

“Same,” Finn said, and others echoed the sentiment.

All eyes then turned to Alex, and he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, almost like he was irritated he had to share his good news. “Well, Nikki is going to have a pair of boys.”

He finally grinned, and it lit up his face, the dining room table where they all sat, the entire house, and then the world.

“A pair of boys,” Finn said. “That’s so amazing.” He clapped Alex on the shoulder and grinned around at everyone. “He’s not going to have staffing problems for long, guys.”

They laughed, and the conversation moved on to ranch business. Link had a lot of experience with staffing as he worked a big ranch and had to deal with cowboys moving in and out fairly often. Dawson, not so much though.

They did have someone who worked for them at the Rhinehart Ranch, but just one man, which was what Alex and Finn were looking at doing.

Paul dealt with a ton of staffing, and Henry wasn’t surprised to listen to him talk quite a bit about his experience in hiring everyone from secretaries who worked indoors, to licensed and certified counselors to work with people, to horse trainers, to groundskeeping, and everything in between.

Henry had almost no experience at all, but Angel spoke up plenty as she’d managed the staffing across the board at Lone Star for a couple of years now. Everyone treated her with respect and kindness, and she spoke as much as Paul. Every word she said brought more and more pride and love to Henry’s chest.

By the time they’d said their goodbyes and left Alex’s farmhouse, Henry’s heart felt like it might burst wide open. He made it all the way to the passenger door and opened it for Angel before he took her into his arms and said, “You’re incredible.”

She smiled up at him and giggled. “You think so?”

“Listening to you talk in there with all those ranch owners….” He shook his head slightly and grinned at her. “I love you so much. You’re so smart and so beautiful.” He reached up and brushed his hand through her hair. Though he knew it was fake, he hoped she could feel something.

“I’m completely in love with you, and I’m so glad you said yes to being my wife.” He kissed her right there with others pouring out of the house, and he didn’t even care.

She didn’t let him go on for too long before she pulled away and rested her cheek against his. Then she did the best thing in the world, the thing that sent shivers all the way down to Henry’s heels and back up to his head, the thing he hoped she would do for the rest of his life.

She whispered, “I’m completely in love with you, Henry Marshall.”

I think Henry is one of my all-time favorite cowboys. I love the way he helps Angel slow down, and how devoted to her, her stable, and his family he is. Please leave a review for them here.