Page 107 of The Cowboy Who Worked Late
“In case you haven’t figured it out,” Angel said, “Henry Marshall and I are dating.” The crowd stood deathly still. Henry cataloged the shocked look on Levi’s face, Shad’s gasp, Cedric’s and Clay’s wide eyes, and the surprise in every member of his team. Anger flashed across Creston’s face, and Henry would have to deal with that later.
“We got new employee handbooks a week or so ago,” Angel continued. “The no-dating rule has been removed now that I’m in charge.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” someone called, and Henry wasn’t sure if they were joking or upset. It was a lot to take in—all of their faces, the emotions, deciphering what they might be feeling. He wasn’t capable of it.
“We have several female stable hands at Lone Star right now,” Angel said. “We’ve had female farriers from time to time, and we could have a female barn manager or horseman in the future. I’m not my father, and I’m willing to deal with the drama between people who choose to date each other.” She squeezed Henry’s hand. “We don’t know how long Henry will be at Lone Star as a farrier, but I know he’s going to be at my side for a long time.”
She nodded and faced the crowd again. Henry wasn’t sure what to add to that. He wasn’t in charge. She laid it all out exactly the way he’d wanted her to. She’dclaimedhim, and he bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Someone whooped, and Henry very much thought it was Levi. Applause started, and that only made Henry’s face fill with heat. He wasn’t sure if it was shame or embarrassment, humiliation, or simply just being in the hot spotlight for too long. No matter what, he didn’t like it, and he nudged Angel before he went down the ramp and off the platform.
Others immediately surrounded him, some patting him on the back, and Levi pushing through them all and taking him into a hug. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Levi said. “How did you hide this from me?”
Henry chuckled and clapped him on the back. “I don’t know, brother. I didn’t exactly lie.” He pulled back and looked his friend in the face, sober as ever. “You know that, right? I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I know,” Levi said. “My guess is you were out texting on the porch with your family, and then you’d go over to Angel’s. You just left that part out.” He grinned. “You two sure are cute together.”
Henry didn’t want to get too far away from Angel, so he tucked her against his side. “You think so?”
“Oh, yeah,” Levi said.
“This isn’t a problem for you?” Henry asked.
“Not for me,” Levi said. Then he turned and clapped his hands. “All right, I need my crew over here with me.” He turned back to Henry. “And that includes you, cowboy.”
Henry turned to Angel. “I’ll see you later,” he said, squeezing her hand. He told himself over and over that Angel was a mature adult and she could handle herself. If anyone had a problem with their relationship, she could handle it, and he would be at her side. He hadn’t taken two steps when Creston appeared in front of him.
“You’ve been dating the boss?” Creston folded his arms. “No wonder you got a captain position.”
“That’s not true,” Henry said at the same time as Angel.
“I got promoted because I deserved it, because I’m a good farrier and a good leader.”
“Yeah, right,” Creston said. “Just like Angel runs this place because her last name is White. It’s not like she knows what she’s doing.”
“Hey, now,” Henry said. “That is totally not true. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“She hasn’t been to farrier school.”
“Actually,” Angel said. “I did attend farrier school. All the coursework. All the practical hours. I simply never applied for graduation.”
“See?” Henry took a step forward, trying to get Creston to back up. “She knows who to promote because she knows who’sgoing to bring the loyalty and team spirit that she wants here at Lone Star. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“Is there a problem here?” Bard asked, stepping into the fray.
Henry looked over to him, suddenly nervous all over again. “No, sir.”
“You got something you need to say?” He looked at Creston.
“No, sir,” Creston said.
“Because if you do, my office is always open,” Bard said. “Isn’t that right, Angel? We’re open to feedback, criticism, anything we can do to make Lone Star better.”
“That’s right,” Angel said, and together the three of them created a united front. “I just want the best people to work with the best horses here at Lone Star,” she said. “I know I’m not perfect, Henry’s not perfect, but he didn’t get promoted because he was my boyfriend. The three of us—me, Justin, and Daddy—went through all the applications, and we chose the men. I didn’t do it myself. In fact, it wasn’t me who chose Henry at all.”
“It was me,” Justin said, stepping next to Bard.
“And me,” Bard said. “I seconded it immediately. Henry is a good farrier, and he’s a great leader.” He looked right at Henry. “And I wouldn’t be able to pick a better man for my daughter.”
