Page 62 of The Cowboy Who Worked Late
Henry sat on the top step of the porch at his cabin, his eyes on his phone, as the sun sank in the west. The day turned dusky, then darker and darker, and would eventually be night. Henry hoped he could then slip away and walk over to Angel’s. He often sat on the front porch or on the front steps and texted, so this wasn’t a new activity for him, and Levi shouldn’t suspect anything.
And it so happened that his family text string had gone off the rails. Momma had just found out John’s graduation date, and of course, she wanted everyone to come celebrate him as a Baylor graduate. Paul had already said he’d be there. Rich would return home from Amarillo State for the summer, so he’d be living in Three Rivers, and he would go with Momma and Daddy to the graduation. That, of course, left Henry.
He swiped over to his calendar and looked at it. John’s graduation was on a Friday, but Baylor was hundreds of miles away. He would need at least two days off to be able to attend, and he might be able to be back by Monday.
“Could be three days off,” he said to the deepening darkness. Not that it really mattered. Angel would give him the time off;it was a family thing, not just him going out, getting drunk, or losing track of time.
After he’d left the grocery store this afternoon, he’d gone by the farrier academy to get his own graduation packet. It was due next week, and Henry would make another trip to town to drop it off.I have my graduation date too, he texted.May 21.
A few weeks after John’s, so his parents should be able to come, and he wondered if John would be able to. He’d gotten an internship with a company that made horse trailers, and he knew it started pretty quickly.
That’s great, Momma said.I’ll put it on the calendar right now. Daddy and I will for sure be there.
I can be there too, Rich said.
I’ll be there, Paul said. And, of course, that just left John. He’d been texting a few minutes ago, but he didn’t chime in right away, and Henry didn’t really mind if his brother missed the graduation.
I understand schedules are tight and weird, he said.If everyone can’t come, it’s not a big deal.They’d all come to his college graduation, as he’d been the first in their family to earn a college degree. He didn’t expect them to come for his farrier certificate.
They’re rearranging a bunch of stuff here at Lone Star, he texted next.I’ve applied for a captain position, as well as a foreman position, as well as a welcome greeter position that doesn’t even exist right now. Angel’s doing a lot of restructuring. I’m expecting her to make some announcements in the next couple of weeks.
That’s great, Daddy said.We’ll pray for you.
Henry lowered his phone and looked out into the night. It hadn’t quite turned all the way dark yet, but his eyes took a moment to adjust from the light of his phone to the blackness beyond.
He sure liked that his daddy had gone right towe’ll pray for youwhen Henry had told him about the opportunities here. And that tickled his compliment bone, the one he’d been trying to exercise more and more since his conversation with Levi weeks ago.
Who else can we pray for?he texted his family. He’d been trying to find people around him that he could help, people that needed lifting up, and he figured he could extend that to his family.
Paul answered, and as Henry read the message, a blip of surprise moved through him.I’m planning to propose to Brielle soon, he said.I’m real nervous about it, so I could use some prayers for that.
Momma sent five praying hands, and John said,Wow, you’re gonna propose to Brielle?with five question marks.
Henry kind of felt the same way but not really. Paul and Brielle had been dating for a while now. He tapped out of the family texts and moved over to one with just Paul.
Why are you nervous about asking her to marry you?he asked.
Her family has a ranch in the Hill Country, Paul said to just Henry.Brielle’s the oldest, and she’s kind of always thought that she would take it over. But I’ve got Courage Reins and all the things I do with Three Rivers, so I’m a little nervous that she might not say yes because she doesn’t want to live on that ranch with me.
Henry hadn’t known that Brielle had a ranch and that she might inherit it in the Hill Country. He assumed that she’d move to Three Rivers with Paul, that they’d find a house in town or find a way to build a house out at the ranch, and that they’d live there while Paul ran the equine therapy unit for Daddy.
Henry’s lungs had no idea how to keep breathing, but his fingers managed to type out,Wow. That is something.
Yeah, Paul said, and Henry could hear the dejected tone in the four letters.
I’m sorry, brother, he said.I’ll pray for you and Brielle both to have a clear mind.
Thank you, Paul said.I think that’s what we need.
I know you’ll figure out the right thing to do foryou, Henry said.You’re real smart like that, Paul. Don’t forget that.
Paul called, which didn’t surprise Henry all that much, and he said, “Hey, brother,” as he answered the phone.
Paul said nothing, which spoke volumes, and Henry’s own throat worked with emotion. Finally, Paul said, in a slightly nasal voice, “Thank you, Henry. I really needed to hear that.”
“That you’re smart?” Henry asked.
“Yeah,” Paul clipped out.
