I was selfish and scared and I took the coward's way out while you did the hard work. But I'm trying to do better now, be the kind of man Ma and Pa would have been proud of. They would have been proud of you today. You came all this way to support me. It's the least I could do.
Thomas hesitated. Are you coming back when your contract's up? I don't know. Part of me wants to. The house is home and you're there and it would be easier in a lot of ways.
But but I've built something here, found something that's mine and I'm not sure I'm ready to give that up. Thomas nodded slowly. Then don't. The house will still be there if you change your mind and I'll be fine. You don't owe me your future just because we share a past.
After he left to catch a ride back to town with Coop, Evelyn stood in the quiet kitchen and let herself feel the full weight of the decision ahead of her. 3 months until her contract ended. 3 months to figure out what came next. The following weeks passed in a strange suspended state. Winter was coming in earnest now, bringing cold that made morning starts brutal and evenings that arrived too early.
The ranch settled into its winter rhythm, less work outside, more work maintaining equipment and planning for spring. Evelyn's daily routine continued unchanged, but everything felt different. The easy camaraderie with the ranch hands had returned stronger than before. People in town nodded to her when she went for supplies instead of whispering behind her back. Even the gossip had died down to occasional speculation that lacked the venom it once had.
But the thing with Ridgewell sat between them like a live wire neither wanted to touch. They were scrupulously polite, professionally distant, and absolutely terrible at hiding what was actually happening from anyone who bothered to pay attention. "You're both idiots." Mrs. Chen announced one afternoon, finding Evelyn staring out the window in the direction of the main house. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You and Dawson are dancing around each other like teenagers at a barn dance. It's painful to watch." "There's nothing to dance around. We're employer and employee."
"Your contract ends in 2 months. Then you'll be neither employed nor employer." "What's your excuse then?" Evelyn turned to face her. "My excuse is that I don't know if he actually wants anything beyond what he said at the party."
"He said he felt something, not that he wanted to do anything about it." "Men like Dawson don't say things like that lightly." "He was testing the water." "And I told him I felt it, too." "The ball's in his court."
Mrs. Chen shook her head. "The ball is lost in the middle of the court while you both stand on opposite sides waiting for the other person to pick it up. Someone needs to take a risk." "Maybe I'm tired of taking risks. Maybe I want some certainty for once."
"Then you're going to be waiting a long time. Certainty is a myth we tell ourselves to feel safe." The older woman's expression softened. "Love, and don't pretend that's not what this is, love requires someone to jump first. Usually both people at the same time in the dark hoping the other person's jumping, too."