a terrific turnout for the vote tonight, which means that y’all are equally invested in putting the right man on the board.”
“Get to it, Greeley,” a voice yelled from the back of the room, and everyone laughed.
“I am, I am,” Hank chastised. He pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket of his denim shirt and balanced them on his nose, then picked up the paper another member had placed in front of him. He read it to himself and smiled. “Well, alrighty, then! Distinguished members of the Kingsley Cattlemen’s Association, we have a chairman.” He looked around the room and a few men groaned because of his theatrics.
“Congratulations, Mr. Chad Radford on a successful campaign. Please come up and accept your new title as the chairman of the Kingsley Cattlemen’s Association!”
The whoop that filled the room was deafening. Both Jett and Shane clapped him on the back and side-hugged him at the same time. Chad bowed his head as other members reached out to shake his hand as he made his way to the front of the room.
A mix of pride, humility, and nerves washed over him.
He’d done it!
“Care to say a few words?” Hank asked him over the noise as they shook hands.
Chad nodded and waited for the applause to die down.
“First of all, I want to say thank you,” Chad said. “For trusting that I can handle this important job. I’ve had a chance to talk one-on-one with many of you during the campaign, and I’m well acquainted with the challenges you’re facing, both on a professional level, and on a personal level. I’m can’t thank you enough for considering me the right man for the job, but I hope you’ll also remember me first as your neighbor and a fellow rancher with dust on my own boots.”
Everyone chuckled.
“I’m honored that you have confidence in my ability to lead this fine organization. But for tonight, I don’t want to start going on about business right off the bat, so I’m putting forward the motion that we end this meeting and move it to Saddle Joe’s. First round is on me!”
The group cheered and the sound of scuffing boots and rattling chairs filled the room.
Chad felt like he was swimming upstream to get back to his seat. The handshakes and back slaps didn’t stop coming. It felt incredible, like he was exactly where he belonged for the first time in his life.
“Hey, Chad,” Hank called to him. “Congratulations. I’m so glad that we made the right choice. I never imagined when we had that talk in the parking lot that you were serious about this position. But you proved it. My son showed me everything you were putting up on that Facebook of yours.”
“Oh, that was all my campaign manager, Hannah. Not me. She’s the one who made me look good.”
“That pretty girl you were going around with? Well, I’d say all she did was show the world who the real Chad Radford was. You didn’t change, son, you changed what you showed the world. The stuff she was puttin’ out there was just Chad being Chad, am I right?”
Hearing the old-timer speak the words really brought it home for him. Hannah had quickly assessed who he was and found the most direct way to show it to the world. Without her, he probably wouldn’t have won.
“Well, I guess so, if you put it that way.”
“Hey, I’m ready for that beer you promised,” Jett said, joining the two men. “Let’s head over to Saddle Joe’s. We sprang for a babysitter so Matilda and Noelle are joining us too. Anyone else you want to invite?”
He gave him a long look, but Chad shook his head and opted to move on before the conversation could get too serious. “Nope, we’ll have a full house as it is. I’m gonna go broke paying for that first round.”
“Okay, then let’s head over.” Chad shook Hank’s hand again and wished he could tell the one person who was just as invested in the outcome as he was.
18
“Hannah, someone wants to talk to you,” Tania said as she swept into the kitchen. “He looks important. I could see the diamonds on his Rolex from behind the counter.”
Hannah froze with a frosting bag hovering above a naked cupcake, wondering what an important-looking person could need from her. “Did he say why? Did he ask for me by name?”
Tania nodded. “He did. Go see what he wants, I’ll finish frosting those.”
Hannah wiped her hands down