Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
L evi had never been a clock watcher. He’d always had too much to do. He had a staff who watched the clock for him. Now, he could do nothing but think of the conversation he would have when he met Rachel at the diner.
He drove into the restaurant parking lot at nine—as the lights inside the building dimmed one by one. Other cars and trucks waited as well.
A group stepped through the entrance. Gabe, who had owned the diner since Levi could remember, locked the door and wished everyone good night.
Levi stepped from his truck and tightened his jaw at the cool air that greeted him. He was glad he could take Rachel home. If anything, it kept her from waiting for her car to warm up.
He opened the passenger door for her. When she slipped inside, he tried to ignore her long legs encased in black jeans.
“Did you eat dinner?” he asked and followed the other vehicles out of the parking lot.
“Yes, Gabe gives us a food allowance, which I didn’t need to use tonight, since we went out to lunch.”
“And you didn’t eat much.” He glanced at her .
“Neither did you.” Her look was direct.
He nodded and headed toward Main Street. He drove into the parking space next to her car and turned to her. “Are you working tomorrow night?”
“Yes, and every night this week.” She studied him. “If the school needs me, the other waitresses will take my shift until I come in.”
“When can I see you again?”
“Tomorrow, my shift doesn’t start until two.” She frowned. “Why?”
“I didn’t say everything I wanted to,” he said.
“You can say it now.”
He looked around, then back at her. “This isn’t how I imagined I’d say this.”
“All right.” She reached for the door handle.
“But I will.” He rested his hand on her arm.
Her eyes large, she lifted her gaze to his.
“I love you, Rachel. I want to marry you. This isn’t the way I wanted to propose, but I’ve been carrying this around in my heart for too long. Will you marry me?”
He couldn’t see her eyes but felt the change in her. She didn’t say anything, and he wondered if he’d read her wrong. He was about to take his company public. He’d walk away from his lifetime dream, but when it came to Rachel, his life hung in the balance.
“This is coming out all wrong.” His tone was rough. He pushed fingers through his hair.
“I’d never thought I’d see the day when the great Levi McSweeney was nervous.” She laughed.
“The great?” He was many things. He hadn’t considered himself great, and she hadn’t answered his question.
In the silence came a sniff.
“What is it?” His heart stilled. Of all the reactions that passed through his mind, he hadn’t expected her to cry.
“If you only knew …” Her voice trailed. In the parking lot light, he saw her silhouette rummage through her purse.
“Here.” He dug through his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. When he handed it to her, she thanked him. “If I only knew what?” He was afraid to ask but like everything else in his life, he couldn’t rest until he had answers.
“How I dreamed of this moment.” She broke into another sob.
“Rachel.” His heart ached. What had he missed? He’d been so consumed with producing his tech ideas, he hadn’t thought about anything else. Football had been the physical release his mind needed so he could welcome fresh ideas. He could’ve been with Rachel.
He thanked God he was with her now.
“I don’t know why I’m crying. I’m not sad.” She sniffed. “This is the happiest moment of my life.” Her voice cracked.
“Oh, Rachel, honey. Count on every day being happier than the last.” He took her hand, warm, soft and delicate in his own. The release flooding him now was more exhilarating than what he felt after a football game or a product launch.
He heard her touch the door handle.
“Wait.” He opened his door. “I’ll walk you up.” He was out of the truck before she could speak.
When he caught her door handle, a gust of wind came up. He didn’t have to think about his desire to protect her. She didn’t need his protection. Her independence drew him to her. He had met women who hadn’t hidden their need to find someone to care for them. Rachel’s mission was to help others.
He pulled her close. The wind blew again tossing Rachel’s hair about her head in a cloud.
“This isn’t going to let up. Let’s go inside,” he said.
“We’d better.” Her voice was kind and welcoming, making the feelings inside him softly pulse.
His arm around her, he relished her lush curves as he walked her to her apartment door. As children, he’d been drawn to her tender spirit.
When they stepped into her apartment, its warmth soothed over him as it brushed away the cold that clung to his shoulders. With reluctance, he released her.
“Would you like something to drink?” Her quietly spoken question made him wish he’d never let her go and that he hadn’t spent the last twelve years on the other side of the country from her.
“I won’t stay.” He looked straight into her eyes.
Her face serene, she didn’t drop her gaze.
“You never answered my question,” he spoke softly.
“Will I marry you?” Her mouth curved gently. “Since I was a child, I knew that I loved you. I had thought of the moment when you would see me as more than Jonathan’s little sister.”
“But not anymore.” Had he blown it? He braced for the response he wouldn’t want to hear. He schooled his voice and features.
“My feelings for you never changed,” she said with an emotion that swamped him with relief.
“Oh, Rachel.” His held breath rushed from his lungs. His hands on her shoulders, he leaned away from her. Stepping from her, he took her hand in his. “I want to do this the right way.”
A frown flickered over her brow. His smile slight, he dropped to one knee. Her eyes wide, she touched her fingers to her full lips.
“Rachel Bonneville, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” His heart beating hard and fast, he looked into her golden eyes.
Her mouth worked. No words came.
“Is that a yes?” he asked tentatively.
She hadn’t said no.
Her eyes bright, she nodded vigorously.
Rising, he took her in his arms. Tipping her chin, he took her mouth with his.
The sensations pouring through him made his head spin and filled his senses with a euphoria that scooped air from his lungs. The honeyed taste of her lips and her intoxicating scent made his pulse roar.
His life had been spent seeking the next victory, creating technology that benefited others. The accolades poured in. He had thought each victory would satisfy him. Instead, he felt empty.
Holding Rachel in his arms, he now understood what he had sought—the love of this woman. His other accomplishments hadn’t satisfied him because they didn’t give him the fulfillment he sought .
He had God’s love, which gave him joy, but as Rachel’s love poured into him, he thanked God for this special blessing. He was grateful he hadn’t let another woman distract him. God’s hand had been on him. Rachel in his arms was what he wanted all along.
The passion of their kiss turned softer until breathless, he lifted his face from hers.
“I guess we have other things to discuss now.” Despite his pounding heart, he kept his tone level.
Her brow knitted, she lifted her face to his.
“Like buying an engagement ring and planning a wedding,” he said with a faint lift of his brow.
“Oh, that,” she said in a rush of breath, then laughed softly. Turning serious, she lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t need an engagement ring.”
“You may not need one, but if you’ll agree, I’d like to give you one.” He lifted his gaze, then looked back at her. “I want the world to know we are together. If you like, we can pick it out together. I want to make sure it’s exactly what you want.”
“I’ve never thought about engagement rings,” she said with a slight frown. “I wouldn’t know what I would want.”
“That’s what jewelers are for,” he said with a laugh.
She was as he was—small town. Marriage was to build a life together not to accumulate wealth. Sadly, he had seen the hunger in the eyes of the women he’d met. Starting in high school, he knew his successes drew women to him. Other men thought he was crazy not to take advantage of their invitations.
These women would have given him whatever he asked. He thanked God for showing him that if he had taken advantage of them, he would have been filled with regret. If he ever decided to marry, he had hoped the men his future wife had been with would have treated her with respect.
“Are you free tomorrow morning? We can visit Antoine’s,” he said, mentioning the town’s local jeweler.
“I have nothing planned. Tomorrow morning would be fine.” Her bemused laugh was gentle. “Then I need to plan the wedding.”
“How about if we plan the wedding?” he asked. “It’s a big job. Because we both work, I’m happy to share in the responsibility. If you agree, we can hire a wedding planner.”
“Help would be nice. How do you know so much about what to do?” Her eyes widened.
“I’ve been to more weddings than I can count.” He laughed at her surprise. “After a while, you learn things.”
“I guess I should be relieved,” she said. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“Have you never been in a wedding?” he asked. In town, she had several friends who had married.
“I have, but I never paid attention to the details.” Her mouth tipped. “Except for fittings, I never thought I’d need to know, because I …” She flushed and her gaze shifted.
His mouth tightened. Because she never expected him to notice her, let alone propose. If only he hadn’t been so caught up in his company that he hadn’t realized this woman’s love for him. It would have saved them both years of wandering in a desert of unfulfilled relationships.
“We’ll work on this together.” Looking at her now filled him with more love than he thought possible.
“How will you have time to do that? You run a major corporation.” She gave him a knowing smile.
“Things may be different by the wedding, especially if I take my company public.” He pulled her close, relishing the feel of her against his chest.
“How big of a wedding should we have?” she asked, surprised.
“We’ll have to discuss that, but I was thinking of just family and close friends if that’s agreeable,” he said.
“Yes, the simpler the better.”
“Then that’s what we’ll have,” he said. The next step would be breaking the news to Madeline.
“Madeline,” she said as if reading his mind. “Do you think she’ll like the idea?”
“She’ll be ecstatic.” He laughed. “She loves you. When you come to the ranch, you’re all she talks about before you come and after you leave.”
“And I love her.” Her eyes shone.
“That’s evident,” he said. “I also want to adopt her. I want us to be a family.”
“Oh, Levi, yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I want that, too. She’s an adorable little girl. To have her call me Mom would be the greatest gift I could imagine.”
“Yes,” he said, his heart welling. “She calls me Daddy Levi. I didn’t want her to forget her own parents, though she was so young when the accident happened. I made scrapbooks that we look at as much as possible. I don’t want the memories of her parents to fade.”
“That’s important. I’ll do the same.” She rested her cheek against his chest. “They’ve given us a special gift. I want to honor them in every way possible.”
“So do I.” Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her again. “I’m so glad you agree, and now it’s time for me to go.”
Her eyes reflecting the disappointment he felt, she nodded.
At the door, he kissed her again. A gust buffeted him and tossed her hair.
“Do you want to go to brunch tomorrow before we visit Antoine?” He narrowed the door opening.
“That would be nice.” Her voice was soft.
He took one last look at her, then closed the door and turned around. Knowing he’d spend the rest of his life with this woman filled him with hope. He drummed down the stairs to his truck.
As he drove back to the ranch, his heart lifted. He was free from the all-consuming thoughts of his company, the products it would produce and the public’s reception. He was the small-town cowboy God had meant him to be, thinking about the woman he loved.