Page 17 of The Cowboy Who Worked Late

“Hey,” she said as brightly as she could, everything on the inside wavering. She looked at Pete and then Chelsea and then Henry, where her gaze landed and locked. “I can help with breakfast.”

Henry moved toward her. “Not necessary,” he said. “Daddy never lets anyone in the kitchen to help him when he’s making breakfast on Sunday.”

He grinned at her, his eyes scanning down to her boots and back. “How are the boots?”

“Great,” she said. “Just fine.”

“Have you had coffee?”

“Yes,” she said at the same time his momma said, “She had coffee.”

Henry looked at his mother for a moment and then turned back to Angel. “Do you want to go out to the stables after breakfast?”

She nodded, not quite sure why she was so nervous with all of them watching her. “I don’t think you’ve met my daddy yet,” Henry said as he moved to her side instead of standing in front of her. “Daddy, this is Angel White. She’s my boss at Lone Star.” He said the last couple of words with plenty of heaviness in his voice.

“Angel,” Pete said with a smile as wide as the Texas sky and as bright as the Texas star. “So great to meet you. Welcome to our home.”

“It’s so lovely here.” She turned toward the blue door. Henry had said the sunlight would hit that door in the morning, and she’d be able to see the beautiful stained glass. She turned toward it fully. “The stained glass is amazing. I love it.”

She faced Henry and his family again, and she found Henry’s smile just as wide as his daddy’s. “Thank you,” Pete said. “We do love that door.” He put his arm around his wife. “Don’t we, hon?”

Chelsea smiled at him. Angel could see the pure love they had for each other, and she really wanted it for herself. Her mama and daddy looked at each other like this too, and her heart throbbed at the thought that perhaps she and Henry could have this kind of love one day.

“We can go sit out on the front porch,” Henry said. “Until breakfast is ready.” He didn’t touch her, but he looked at her with pure questions and desire in his eyes.

“Sure,” she said. “That’d be great.” She wanted to reach out and hold his hand, but she had just listened to him tell his parents that they were not dating, that she was not his girlfriend.

She didn’t think that would be a very “just friends” kind of thing to do. So she started toward the front door while Henry muttered something to his parents behind her.

When she made it to the front porch, she took a big, deep breath of the air here at Three Rivers Ranch, feeling it cleanse her lungs and fill her soul with more strength than she’d had in a long time.

“Thank you, Lord,” she whispered just as Henry stepped out onto the porch next to her. She turned to face him as he closed the door. She grabbed onto him and hugged him tightly against her. “Thank you, Henry,” she said, her voice wavering but not breaking.

He wrapped her up in a tight hug too, and Angel thought if she could just have one of these every day, or even every time she felt like she couldn’t go on for another moment, she would be okay.

Chapter Five

Henry could hold Angel in his arms for a good long time. He stood at least six or seven inches taller than her, which meant she could lay her cheek against his chest right where his heart beat, and he could fold his arms around her shoulders, enveloping her in his embrace. He did, and he’d gladly do it as many times as she wanted him to.

He wasn’t sure what he needed to be thanked for. It was his momma who’d done everything. But he didn’t mind. Angel wasn’t crying, which was a good sign, and she only clung to him for two more seconds before stepping back.

She drew in a deep breath and said, “I sure do like your ranch here, Henry.”

“I do too,” he said. “I mean, I left almost the moment I could, and I don’t want to take this place over, but it’s really nice to come home to when I need a breather.”

“Your parents are great,” she said as she moved over to the chairs. A little round table sat between two of them, and she sat down and started rocking back and forth.

Henry simply watched her because he’d seen his momma and daddy bring sweet tea and lemonade out here to this table and rock in the evening shade many times. He’d never thoughtthat would be his reality because he’d never wanted to stay at Three Rivers Ranch.

He wasn’t the oldest, number one, and Paul was much more of a cowboy than Henry. He didn’t like crowds, he didn’t mind a long drive to town. He wanted peace and quiet, wanted to work outside, and wanted to look out every window in the house and see cows or horses.

Henry didn’t like cattle ranching nearly as much as anyone else, but he’d take a horse any day over any person.Maybe not Angel, his mind whispered, and Henry had never felt like that about a woman before.

“Are you going to sit down?” she asked.

Henry moved over and took his place in his daddy’s chair. It rocked back with his weight and then moved forward again. He hadn’t brought out his coffee, and he’d only had two sips, but he was keyed up enough to sit with Angel for the morning.

“Daddy’ll probably make pancakes,” he said. “He puts fruit in them. Is that going to bother you?”

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