Page 13 of Cowboy Falling Hard

“I might be old, but I’m not entirely helpless.” Charlene’s words were a little brisk, but her tone held humor. He stood, and they walked slowly toward the church, silence slipping in like a comfortable old shoe between them. Easy and warm, it lay soft and he felt no great desire to break it.

“I think I’d rather sit in the sanctuary for this discussion, but you’ll have to help me up the steps,” Miss Charlene said.

He put an arm around her and held out his other hand for hers. “Let’s get you up first, then I’ll grab your walker.”

She huffed, then took his hand, and they walked slowly up the stairs.

All the while, he was thinking he didn’t really want to talk to her. She’d already basically told him he wasn’t good enough for Orchid, and she’d pretty much refused to help him. He couldn’t hold it against her. He’d tried on his own, and it had been an unmitigated disaster. It wouldn’t have been any different if the Piece Makers had helped.

Maybe he should tell her she’d been right. He didn’t have a problem admitting when he’d been wrong. Not usually. He just tried hard not to be wrong, because it was much nicer to be right.

Of course.

As he stepped into the sanctuary, he said, “If you tell me where the lights are, I’ll turn them on.”

“I think it will be easier if we sit here in the dark. Sometimes words come out in the dark that can’t come out under the harshness of bright lights.”

He couldn’t argue with that, because he knew it to be true. So he helped her to the back pew and sat down after she settled herself.

It took her a bit to adjust herself, and he waited, not overly eager to hear what she had to say anyway.

Finally, Charlene spoke, her voice surprisingly soft and gentle. “I know I’m pushing in a bit, coming out here, asking you to talk to me. You don’t have to tell me what the problem is.” She hesitated. “I know you were sitting there for some reason. And I am curious as to what it was. But honestly, I asked you to talk to me because I have an apology to give you.”

“An apology?”

He couldn’t think of anything she would need to apologize for. Had he missed something?

“I don’t feel like you owe me anything, just so you know,” he added, a little hesitantly, because he couldn’t believe she wanted to apologize. Maybe he should tell her that she had been right, but he was curious as to what she was going to say, and he kept his mouth shut.

“You came to me and my friends, and you asked us for a favor. Instead of doing everything I could to help you, I brushed you off. I treated you like an outsider. Like you weren’t as good as someone who had grown up in Sweet Water.” Her voice was low. It was obvious her apology was sincere. “I acted like Sweet Water was the only place that could possibly be right for Orchid. I insisted that you needed to do what I wanted you to do in order for you to get me to help you. How arrogant of me. Basically, I was playing God. And I’m sorry.”

He’d been a little offended at the time. But he certainly hadn’t been so upset that he felt she needed to apologize. Still, he could see what she was saying. Why she might have thought she needed to apologize.

“Just so you know, I wasn’t going around holding any of that against you. In fact, as we were walking along the street, I decided that I needed to tell you that you were right.”

“What?” Charlene said.

“You were right about Orchid and me. She, at least, doesn’t think we belong together.”

“Your date didn’t go well tonight?” Charlene asked, equal parts surprise and tenderness in her voice.

He didn’t even bother to ask her where she heard that he was going on a date with Orchid. It was a small town. Probably everyone knew it. By 6 o’clock tomorrow morning, all those people would also know that his date with Orchid had been a total bust.

“No. I had a good time, but...I guess she didn’t. I wanted to go out again, ask for her number, and she said no.”

This was where he was happy for the fact that there were no lights. If there had been, he might not have been able to say all of that. After all, it was humiliating. He’d been more focused on his disappointment, but when he thought about everyone knowing, it was embarrassing as well. And humbling, because he knew he wasn’t good enough for Orchid.

“I see.”

He could almost see Charlene nodding her head. The light was just bright enough that he could see the outline of her chin going up and down.

“The thing is she said she liked me. She wanted me to find someone who appreciated me. And I had thought the date went really well.” He stopped, frustrated. He wanted to get up and pace, but he put a hand on the back of the pew in front of him and held it tight. “Obviously I was wrong. I don’t even know where I went wrong, so I can’t figure out anything to fix it. Which is frustrating. Especially since...I really like her. More than I’ve ever liked anyone before. She’s...different. Different in a way that feels perfect to me.”

“Do you want to tell me about your date?” She shifted just slightly. “I might be an old woman, but I was young once. I might be able to give you a few pointers.”

“It’s too late. She turned me down so many times and finally took a chance on me, and somehow I blew it. I don’t even know how. I’m sure she’s not going to give me another chance.”

“But God might.”

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