Page 6 of Cowboy Falling Hard

She looked at her sister, knowing she would never give her advice that she thought might hurt her or wouldn’t be best for her.

“This is one of those times where I’m not seeing things because I’m so sure that what I think I know is all there is to know?”

Lavender shook her head. “I don’t know. But I do know when a man chases a girl the way Dwight has chased you, the way he has allowed you to put him off but not be dissuaded, the way he’s admired you, no matter how much you didn’t encourage him, if he truly is that dedicated to you, I don’t think you could go wrong with him, since he seems to be a man of character and integrity.”

Lavender looked across the arena as the first hog of the night stepped on the scale. In a softer voice, she said, “I wish there was some man who admired me like that. It has to make you feel like you’re worth something.”

“You’re worth something!” Orchid said, concern for her sister making her forget about the auction, and the people around, and the man across the arena, who was looking at her again.

“I know. I know my worth is in Christ, but I don’t think it’s wrong for us to desire the love and affection of a man. Isn’t that a desire God gave us?”

“Yeah. I’m sure it is. It’s just sad that it’s something we seem to need, because you don’t. You don’t need a man in order to make you feel worthy.”

“I know. I didn’t mean it that way, I just meant it’s an inborn desire to have a mate. And to have one who appreciates you and loves you for who you are.”

“And the ability to give that back to him.”

“Of course. Marriage is a two-way street, not something that is supposed to benefit one party exclusively.”

The auctioneer pounded his gavel on his little stand and called out, “Sold!”

Orchid and Lavender split apart, going to their respective places in order to move the hog out of the arena and into the area where the buyer would eventually back in and load it.

As she worked the rest of the evening, Orchid prayed silently, asking the Lord for wisdom. He promised to give liberally to anyone who asked, and she needed it. She didn’t want to make a mistake, not in choosing a life’s partner, and end up divorced with a broken home. Or to be married for the rest of her life but miserable. Lonely and alone.

She wanted to make a good decision and marry the man God wanted for her. She needed wisdom to figure out who that was.

By the end of the evening, she had decided to say yes when Dwight came down and asked her on a date, which was usually around ten or so.

After she’d made that decision, she pushed him out of her head, and she and Lavender got busy until the auction was over. There was a constant stream of people loading their animals and leaving.

Usually their brother, Coleman, and sometimes his wife, Sadie, gave them a hand.

But they were both out of town at a horse show, and so Lavender and she would be closing things up tonight.

She had to laugh at herself when Dwight didn’t show up.

After ten, she found herself looking for him, but his place in the bleachers was empty. Still, he didn’t show up where she was, and she decided it was just as well. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so arrogant and sure that he would continue chasing her.

“I bought two Herefords and a black Angus steer,” Mr. Reynolds said as he handed her the receipt he’d gotten from the office when he paid for his animals.

She looked at it, checking out the numbers, looking over the pens.

As she did so, she could see a long line of farm trucks, headlights off, parking lights glowing, sitting off to the side. They were going to be working until well after midnight.

“You have your trailer in chute three?” she asked.

“Yeah. And I can give you a hand. Just tell me where to stand.”

She placed him by a gate and told him to close it when she had the animals through. Then she walked down the aisle until she got to the pen were his three feeders stood.

They were in a pen with two other cows and a two-year-old bull. She hadn’t realized they were penned with additional animals and would need Lavender’s help for this, since the bull and cows needed to stay.

Glancing around, she saw her sister all the way down at the other end of the aisle, at gate one, working with a farmer and his new herd of goats.

“Can I give you a hand?”

She whirled, not recognizing Dwight’s voice at first.

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