can’t buy my affection with a lavish house and a fancy barn. Can you really picture me in that place, entertaining your football buddies or prospective horse buyers?” Mattie’s voice became slightly shrill. “Who are we kidding? You’re used to a lifestyle I can’t imagine, and my home is on the prairie. I need an uncomplicated life, Gil — not one where I have to pretend to be someone I’m not.”
Gil squeezed the steering wheel. Life back home was anything but simple for him. It was extremely complicated. “If we care about each other, we should be able to work through these obstacles. You give a little, I’ll give a little.”
“That sounds good in theory, but not if it means I have to give up the one thing I care about most — and I don’t even understand why.” She gripped his shoulder. “What are you afraid of? You’re so busy pushing this place on me that you stopped giving Kansas a chance. Why won’t you work out your problems with your dad and help run his ranch? Make that your future instead of this overpriced hacienda . . . which seems too good to be true, by the way.”
Her gaze penetrated and unnerved him.
Swerving off the main highway, he parked alongside the road on a rugged cliff. The salty spray of the Pacific coastline whisked into the cab of the Escalade as he took a deep breath and stared out over the ocean. Far beyond the outcrop of jagged rocks, the white-capped breakers rushed onto the pebbly shore, only to draw back into the dark blue depths, just like his long-buried emotions.
He considered the last few months, his inclination to return home to make amends with his father, only to be swept away by an onslaught of waves — Dusty, Mattie, his dreams of raising horses and owning the California ranch — all of these things had served as deterrents to his original objective.
When had Mattie become his end goal? He’d become so taken with her that he’d glossed over the problems that had followed him all of his adult life. Gil suddenly realized that football wasn’t the only thing he needed to retire from; he needed to retire from deceit and the distance he’d put between himself and his dad. He wanted peace. “I’m sorry for pushing you. I guess I have been coming on a bit strong.”
“Just a little.” Mattie opened the door to get out, and Gil followed her to the scenic overlook. A gusty wind whipped against his shirt, and he went to grab his jacket.
“The view here is beautiful,” she admitted as she gazed out at the western horizon. “But to me, these pounding waves are as unsettling as the life they represent.”
“No more unsettling than a Kansas tornado.”
“Or a California earthquake,” she quipped.
“With the prairie, what you see is what you get. It doesn’t hide anything.” She held down her skirt as it flapped in the wind. “It’s not a majestic mountain or hypnotic seashore, but it’s honest . . . unpretentious and tranquil. Winter snows and summer droughts come, but you prepare for them, and as the seasons change, you get a chance to start anew.”
Gil zipped his windbreaker. “Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about more than dates on a calendar?”
“I recall a man who wanted another chance with his father.” Her eyes challenged him. “Why don’t we concentrate on that first, then maybe we can deal with this other stuff . . . when and if we have the footing to handle it.”
Unable to resist, Gil stepped closer and pulled her into his arms, welcoming her sturdy, yet slight body next to his. She rested her head against his chest as he stared out at the Pacific. The timed surge of the swells as they foamed against the beach whispered in his ears like the distant wind on stems of tallgrass. At that moment, he felt in his heart that he’d do nearly anything for this woman, even if it meant coming to terms with his past and admitting his faults. He just prayed his confession wouldn’t destroy their prospects for a future.
“Do you mean you might still give us a chance?” he asked.
Mattie looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes. “All I know is I’ve been in this state for two days, and already I’m itching to get home. Any chance you’d fly with me tomorrow?”
After a moment’s consideration, Gil nodded. A four-hour flight