Calvin announced the next facility looking for apprentices—a huge horse ranch up in Oklahoma. His cousin Libby seemed to like living there, but Henry wasn’t as willing to branch out as she was.
He suffered through theinternship announcements, the apprenticeship announcements, at Castleton. He didn’t get anything.
He leaned forward as Angel announced their full-time internships at Lone Star. His number didn’t shine on the screen, but Jake jumped to his feet, both fists in the air. “Yes!” he shouted.
He wasn’t the only one celebrating. Cedric had gotten a full-time internship too, as had several others.
Henry’s anger started to bloom, and he’d need to call his momma as he started the drive back to Three Rivers. It would take the whole hour to vent out all the negativity inside him.
Especially when he didn’t even get a part-time internship from Lone Star, and nothing from Oklahoma.
The auditorium started to empty, and Henry sat there, feeling hollow and completely abandoned. How was it possible that he’d gotten nothing?
He had top marks in his classes. An excellent recommendation from Bard himself at Lone Star. And not one other facility wanted him? He had all the required hours to move into being an apprentice. He’d had to scrape and call random ranches to get those hours too.
He’d worked incredibly hard to get this far. And now what?
He was supposed to sit here and accept defeat?
Henry hung his head, but he had more dignity than to cry in front of everyone. Well, almost no one now, as most people had left the classroom.
Dear God, he prayed.This hurts too much.
His fingers tingled with it, and his chest felt so, so small. Not big enough for his lungs to expand properly, and air became the wrong thing to breathe anyway.
He had to get out of here before someone saw him wallowing. He got to his feet, but they too had turned numb inside his cowboy boots. Somehow, he made it down the steps without falling, and as he approached Calvin, a horrible, bitter desperation spewed from him.
“Did I mess up my application packet, sir?” Henry swiped his cowboy hat from his head, his pulse one big pounding of a bass drum now. “I wasn’t—I mean, I’m not the best or anything, but I didn’t get anything.”
Calvin looked up from his tablet, surprise in his expression. “Yes, yes, your paperwork is in the office,” he said.
Henry blinked, sure Calvin hadn’t heard him right. The man went back to his tablet, clearly distracted—and disgruntled—and Henry looked out the double-wide doors. “Okay,” he said. “Thank you, sir.”
“Congratulations, Henry,” he said “Everyone was impressed with your application.”
Henry turned back to him, so many questions firing through him, but Calvin’s phone rang, and he answered it with, “I’m coming right now,” before he brushed by Henry and left the room.
Henry followed him, more confused than ever. “Ifmy application was so great, why didn’t I get anything?” he wondered.
The office teemed with people, and Henry really didn’t want to be among the celebrators. He didn’t wish them any ill will, but he didn’t want to exist among their smiling faces, the high-fives, and the inflated egos.
If you’d gotten something,he thought.Yours would be the biggest one.
And it would be. And Henry knew he needed to pull on the reins on his ego, humble himself, and figure out what to do next. His momma had told him never to apologize for his big personality. She said it came from Daddy, and that was one of the things she loved most about them both.
He’d find the right thing for him, she’d promised. The right career. The right place to be. The right woman for him.
He hovered out of the way, trying to get his bearings. One by one, the victors got their paperwork and settled in to fill it out. Henry finally stepped forward to the girl there—Mandi.
He sucked in a breath. “Oh, hey,” he said.
“Henry Marshall,” she said back. He’d dated her best friend last fall, and well, that had not gone well. Mandi clearly didn’t like him, and she simply sat there without giving him any further directions.
He had no idea what to say. “I….”
“He’s with me,” a woman said, and Henry’s attention flew up and behind Mandi.
Angel stood there, and to his complete surprise, she motioned him forward. “Come on, cowboy,” she said. “I don’t like to be kept waiting.”