Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
T wo weeks later, Levi forgot his exhaustion when he drove down the ranch’s driveway, and the house came into view. As he parked his truck near the base of the steps, the front door burst open, and a squealing Madeline raced across the porch.
“You’re home!” She rushed to him and hugged him tight, making his heart rise in his chest. Never had he realized what a welcome he’d receive when he returned from a trip. Instead of walking into his quiet, sterile penthouse, he was looking into the dancing eyes of a six-year-old who celebrated his homecoming as if he were a king.
He lifted his gaze to the front porch—to Rachel. She looked fresh and alive in a jacket that covered a t-shirt and slim-fitting jeans. Her slight smile made him realize how much he’d missed her.
“You’re coming home has been all she could talk about.” Her soft laugh made his breath catch.
“It’s good to be home.” He dropped his gaze to Madeline and squeezed her again.
Looking at Rachel made him think of all sorts of things. His mind was still cluttered with everything that had happened during the launch. When he thought of Rachel, he wanted his thinking to be clear .
His parents moved out to the front porch, and greeted him with smiles and hugs, though he didn’t miss the knowing look in his mother’s eyes when she caught his gaze linger on Rachel.
“Let’s go inside.” Levi moved up the front steps.
Though his father looked better, Levi could see that he still tired easily.
Rachel stepped to the side while the others entered the house.
“You’re not coming inside?” He frowned.
“I’m working at the diner tonight.” Her mouth tipped in apology.
He was the one who was sorry. He tightened his jaw before he spoke his mind. She knew her financial situation. He didn’t, though he wanted to find a way to help her. He didn’t just want to help her, he wanted to keep her in his life.
How hard had she worked while he was gone? Madeline was a bundle of energy. He didn’t doubt that she kept Rachel busy from dawn to dusk.
When the others stepped inside, she reached through the door and picked up her small suitcase. She pressed her key fob. Her car trunk lid floated open.
The disappointment plunging through him made him tighten his jaw. He hadn’t just looked forward to being home. He had thought he’d spend time with her. He wanted to talk about something other than his company and stock options and research and development. He wanted to look at the pictures that Madeline had drawn, though she’d held them in front of the computer’s camera lens whenever they chatted on video. He wanted to hear what she had learned in gymnastics.
He wanted to see the light in Rachel’s eyes as she sat near him and listened to Madeline tell him everything.
“I want to thank you for taking care of Madeline,” he said in a low tone. He was sorry that she’d refused payment, but he’d find a way to compensate her. He slipped her suitcase from her fingertips.
“It was my pleasure.” Her brows rose.
“I know, but it meant a lot to my parents and Madeline … and to me,” he said .
She stilled, then relaxed. “I was glad to do it.”
“I appreciate that,” he said. “I’d like to take you to dinner.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “that would be nice.”
“Tomorrow night?”
“I’m working tomorrow night.” She pressed her lips together.
He shook his head. Of course, she would have a schedule.
“Do I have to make an appointment?” He forced a lightness into his voice, though he wondered. Never had it been so hard to be with a woman.
Was God teaching him something?
“My substitute teaching assignment finished last Friday,” she said. “The diner is short-staffed, so I was relieved that Gabe would schedule me to work more hours.”
He wouldn’t ask how many more hours she was working. He wanted to be with her. He’d find a way.
“Then how about lunch?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“Is this really about your schedule, or is there another reason?” He didn’t want to ask the question, but he had to know why she seemed reluctant.
“There’s nothing I’d like more than to meet you for lunch.” She looked at him with such sincerity, he felt a burst of heat.
“Good,” he said on a rush of air. “You had me worried.
“Where should we meet?” she asked.
“Meet? I was thinking of this as a date. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to pick you up at your apartment.” He hoped she’d agree to that. “I can be at your place at eleven-thirty if that’s agreeable.”
“All right.” The slight curve of her lips made him relax.
“Then it’s a date.” He placed her suitcase in the trunk and closed it. He stepped to the driver’s side and opened the door. “Do you have any preferences for lunch?”
“I haven’t been back long enough to visit too many restaurants.” Her frown was slight.
“I know the feeling.” He gave a soft snort. “I’ll check around and call you with a few options,” he said .
“All right.” She slid behind the steering wheel.
He closed her door and stepped back. He didn’t move until she guided her car onto the county road.
He turned to the house. The chaos of the product launch no longer churned in his head. Instead, everything slipped away except for his thoughts of Rachel. He wanted her in his life.
Sweet Mountain was the only place where he felt peace. God had blessed him, and he was grateful, but it was time to close the door on this chapter of his life. Being this close to Rachel filled him with joy. Never had he noticed it more than when he was in San Francisco surrounded by high-powered people ready to jump at his command.
For years, he’d felt the urge to step back and think of what he really wanted. He was sorry that it had taken his father’s stroke to make him realize what was important. Being with Rachel brought him joy.
The complexity of running a company had taken him by surprise, and he’d let it take over his life. That wasn’t God, but he’d been so caught up with the public clamor for his products, he’d never taken the time to think through what he was doing. The quiet of Sweet Mountain Ranch let him think and renew his faith.
And it helped him realize the emptiness of the world. God was his strength and his salvation.
His mind turned to his lunch date with Rachel. He wasn’t sure what he’d say to her. He wanted to be with her, not just as friends. He wanted more.
What would she say? He was a risk-taker. He’d take that chance.
Shaking his head, he stepped into the house where Madeline leaned over the coffee table in the living room and chatted with his father as she drew a likeness of their new horse, Plato. His father listened intently to everything she said.
“How’s it going, Dad?” Levi sat in the chair across from his father. Steepling his fingers, he looked into his father’s blue eyes.
“It couldn’t be better.” His father grinned.
“You look good.”
“By the grace of God, I am.” His father’s clear voice lit Levi’s heart with joy. “It won’t be long until I can resume my work here on the ranch. You won’t need to stay here. You can return to San Francisco. That way you won’t have to fly back to your company every few weeks for meetings and all that other stuff you do.”
“It’s not so bad.”
Though the trip could be tiresome, he used the travel time to work and return calls and texts. He hadn’t told anyone how he felt about traveling. Until he returned to Sweet Mountain, he hadn’t given it much thought, but his father was intuitive and sensed something was wrong.
“Did the doctor say you could return to work?” Levi didn’t want his father’s eagerness to work the ranch to endanger his health.
“Since the stroke, I’ve been telling him I’ll be back at work even when he said that might not happen. He agrees I’m showing improvement,” Felix said in earnest. “He told me all along to stay active. What’s more active than working on the ranch?”
“Nothing.” Levi chuckled. When he’d returned to help at the ranch, he hadn’t realized how out of shape he’d become, even though he’d hired a personal trainer.
“Don’t get me wrong, son. When you return to San Francisco, you’ll be missed.” Felix’s eyes softened. “But we understand you worked hard to create your company. We want you to follow your heart.”
What was in his heart? Not San Francisco.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He was glad his father was better, even if he couldn’t resume his full responsibilities of running the ranch. He had seven sons, including himself, who would help.
The tension that had consumed Levi slipped away. Only something else could make him feel better. Tomorrow, he’d find out what else his future held.