Page 12 of The Cowboy Who Worked Late

“Yep, this is a good idea.” Rory grinned as if she’d just won the lottery, and Edith edged her chair a little bit closer to Angel.

“I think we’re going to wipe the floor clean with you guys,” she said. “All right, you cowboys. Move to the other side. Ladies over here. Let’s go. Everyone move.”

Everybody shifted around until the five men sat on one side of the table, with their ladies on the other. Henry sat directly across from Angel, and he grinned at her with all he had. Shesmiled back, and she seemed to be twinkling like all the stars in heaven.

He sure hoped tonight and this weekend would be an excellent escape for her from the pressures and anxieties and worries of her professional—and personal—life at Lone Star Ranch.

Not only that, but Henry thanked the Good Lord above that he had been the one to provide this escape for her, and he hoped that when she needed another one, she would text or call him.

In fact, he made a mental note to check-in with her more often to make sure she was okay, so that if she needed even an hour off the ranch,hewould be the one to drive her to Amarillo to get her favorite soda. Eat a hamburger. Or just go sit somewhere that wasn’t Lone Star-owned, so that she could find the peace and serenity that she so richly deserved.

A couple of hours later, Henry couldn’t stop laughing as he drove down the dirt road and around the bend toward his childhood home at Three Rivers Ranch. “I have never seen someone so animated during a game,” he said, bursting into another round of laughter. “You should’ve seen yourself. It was incredible.”

She laughed with him, and they’d been having a great time ever since they’d arrived at Finn’s. Good food, ice cream, the best company, no awkward questions, and an amazing game.

“Hey, it was life or death,” she said through her giggles. “We were only up by two points, and I knew you guys were gonna close in on that round.”

Henry said, “Well, you cinched it with that last one. You were standing up. I’ve never seen—you’re a petite woman, but your arms were flailing. You almost hit Edith in the face, like, fourtimes.” He laughed again, really filling the cab of his truck with the sound.

Angel sucked in a breath and said, “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why?” he asked. “You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

“I’m too competitive. I was like this growing up too. And my daddy kept telling me, ‘You have got to find a way to curb this because you’re not gonna have any friends as an adult.’”

Henry grinned. “I really liked it. I think my friends really liked you too. Don’t even worry about it. Nobody got hit in the head.”

“Yeah,” she said, and then she sighed happily. “Thank you, Henry. This was amazing.”

A deep sense of contentment descended on him as he rounded the corner and the night sky became brighter because of the streetlights and house lights on the ranch.

“Yeah, no problem,” he said easily, because it was no problem. He’d had a great night too—dinner with a beautiful woman, game night with his friends. They all laughed with her, accepted her into their fold, chatted with her about her life, and enjoyed treats together. What was wrong with that?

“Well, here we are,” he said. “This is Three Rivers Ranch. My daddy’s place is right here on the right. That’s where I grew up.” He paused before turning down the long driveway. “Big equine therapy unit right here.”

He nodded forward to the huge glass-front building that was Courage Reins. “My daddy gets nonprofit funding from different organizations around the country, some even up in Canada. He helps veterans, people who have been in accidents, special needs children and adults. All kinds.”

“They come for therapy?”

“Heck, sometimes I just like to go out there with the horses and play ball with them. Tell them all my troubles, walk around the fields with them.” He quieted, thinking of his time with thetherapy horses. He did love horses with his whole soul, and they were the best listeners on the planet.

“We can go out tomorrow if you want,” he said. “My daddy will probably have appointments in the afternoon, but he doesn’t do anything in the morning because they go to church.”

Angel didn’t say much for a beat or two either, and then she asked, “Do you go to church, Henry?”

He kept looking down the road toward the chicken coops and the long row of stables and the barn that he couldn’t see, and the administration building for Three Rivers Ranch where he’d worked one summer with his uncle. Ah, Three Rivers Ranch.

“I have in the past,” he said after a minute. “It’s not a priority right now. I’m still trying to find my feet under me at Lone Star, trying to figure out where I belong there, who my friends are, all that.”

“You’re friends with everyone,” Angel said. “I’ve seen you. Everyone loves you.”

“Well, that’s not really true,” Henry said. “Appearances can be a little deceiving.”

She scoffed. “I don’t believe that. You’re charismatic, you’re strong, you’re kind, you’re knowledgeable. What’s not to like?”

“Maybe the part where I boss everyone around,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s fine. I know who I am. I’m trying to be the best version of myself. Levi and I get along real great, but he doesn’t go to church, and I just haven’t really found my way back there.”

“Yeah, it’s quite the drive,” she said quietly.

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