Wilder:I don’t expect you to tell them anything. I just need youto make some rounds for me this morning. Report back if the guys are where they should be.
Rose:OK. Will do.
I see the three dots jumping as he works on his response. But they disappear. So I send one of my own.
Rose:How are things over there?
He sees the message but doesn’t respond. And there are no little dots jumping around to indicate he’s participating in the topic.
As soon as I set my phone down, it rings, Wilder’s name on the screen.
“Hi,” I answer.
“Hey,” he sighs. “We’re just waiting now. He’s already gone in, but Mr. Hartly and Ellie were late.”
“Oh.”
“Dallas was a little annoyed until they got here. Then he took one look at her bedhead and sleepy face and all that just melted away.”
“Wilder, that’s so sweet. Even you have to admit that.”
“Yeah, I suppose. He wanted to wait here until she’s done. She seemed a little nervous. Soon as they’re finished with everything, we’ll head back.”
“No rush. How long until you know?”
“Couple days.”
“Does he know you told me?” I ask.
Another long sigh. “He does.”
I bite my bottom lip. “Is he mad at me about the rodeo?”
He chuckles. “Why do you ask?”
“Because since he knows I know, I thought I’d give him some words of encouragement, but if he’s mad at me, I’d rather wait.”
“Hold on.” There’s a few seconds before a new voice comes on the line.
“Rose,” Dallas says. And I try to recall my earlier psych classes, where I learned to decipher how someone is feeling based on their tone.
“Hey, Dallas. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask how you’re doing. I can probably guess. I just wanted to say that no matter what those results say, you’ve got this. I know you’re already going through a hard time and waiting these next few days will feel impossible, but focus on things you can control for now.”
If there’s one thing I learned from what happened to me, it’s that I can’t control what happened, but I can control how I move on.
He sighs. “Waiting is gonna be all right, I think. Hardest part for me is trying to not have a preference one way or the other.”
I don’t ask him what that is.
“It’s OK to have one. But whatever the outcome is, try to take the time to think about how you’ll handle it. We know you can.”
“Do you?”
“The guys on the ranch don’t count on you because you’re thoughtless and irresponsible. You run a tight ship. You got this.”
“Thanks, Rose. Hey, you should come to dinner with the fam next Sunday night. Silas will be in town and Wes usually joins us.”
Dinner with the Thorne family? Would Wilder like that?
