Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
R achel’s mind wrestled through a fog that felt restful, but she was ready to escape this drifting feeling. The rest had been welcomed but she was eager to think and plan.
A soft click sounded in the distance followed by footsteps moving across a carpet. Her eyes opened. She stared at an unfamiliar tray ceiling and pendant lamp. She remembered being in the hospital, then Levi had come and said he was taking her to his parents’ place.
Images of the welcome banner Madeline had created helped her to relax. Being at Sweet Mountain Ranch made her feel as if she’d come home. If only she could call this idyllic place with its rolling hills at the base of Sweet Mountain home, but she’d settle for a few days with the family that was filled with excitement and energy.
“She wakes.” Levi’s deep voice was a caress that reminded her of all the reasons she’d crushed on him when they were kids and in high school.
She turned to him, fully expecting the flood of sensations sweeping over her whenever she took in his powerful build, his chiseled jaw and his blue eyes filled with energy and excitement.
“How do you feel?” He moved to the bed and looked down at her.
“Fine.” She winced at the croak in her voice .
How could she not be used to talking? Whether teaching or waitressing, talking was her life.
“Better,” she said, that word rougher than the previous one.
His soft laugh was filled with compassion. “Give it another day. Giving your body a chance to rest will build up your energy reserves.”
“I need to get up now.” She rolled to her side and onto one elbow.
“No, you don’t.” His hand on her shoulder filled her with a heat that made her still. “What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”
“My phone.” Even as she spoke, she knew he’d argue with her, but maybe he’d listen and help her. “I’m working the dinner shift at the diner.”
“No.” He looked her full in the face. “I saw Gabe at the supply store this afternoon,” he said, referring to the diner’s owner. “He had heard you were in the hospital and had sent you a bouquet.”
“I haven’t had a chance to look at those,” she said with a twinge of regret.
“I’m sure everyone understands,” he said.
She met his gaze and saw sympathy.
“You were hospitalized,” he said. “Probably everyone knows that by now. You know how the scuttlebutt works in Sweet Mountain. Gabe understood you wouldn’t be working tonight and was able to get the other waitresses to cover your shifts for the next few days.”
Despite the guilt welling inside her, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. She was remembering what it was like to live in a small town. Everyone learned your business quickly.
Gabe had owned the diner since she was a child. He understood his staff had lives and was always ready to adjust schedules as his crew needed. He and his wife had done everything when they first bought the diner and still pitched in during emergencies.
“People know you’ll need time to recuperate,” he continued. “I doubt they sent the bouquets to hear your gratitude. They want you to feel better.”
“I know you’re right,” she said with a soft exhalation. “Still, I want everyone to know how much I appreciate what they’ve done. ”
“They know. You’re not going to get everything done at once. You’re not ready for the pressure yet,” he said.
“Are you talking to me or to yourself?” Her mouth tilted with amusement.
“Touché.” He laughed. “Before you analyze me, are you hungry? You slept through lunch.”
She started to shake her head, but her rumbling stomach made her blush.
“At least part of you knows when to speak up.” His chuckle brought back all the familiar feelings she’d fought against when Jonathan had warned her in high school to be careful of revealing what she’d felt for Levi.
He held out his hand to her.
She rested her hand in his palm, its strength not hiding its tenderness. With no movement, he drew her to her feet. She waited a moment for the dizziness to pass, then lifted her gaze to his blue eyes filled with the tenderness that made him a dichotomy. He’d been rough and tumble on the football field calling out plays or riding broncs at the local rodeo, his face intense as he maintained his balance until the eight-second buzzer screeched through the arena.
He was also the caring homecoming king who had escorted his queen to the royalty parade as the local high school celebrated the couple who had gained the annual honors. He was gallant to his queen, which made Rachel and probably half the girls in the school sigh wishing a man, especially Levi McSweeney, would treat them with such dignity.
If he held any feelings toward any of his dates or girlfriends, he hid it well. After he graduated high school, she’d see him occasionally when he returned home for college breaks. Even after he started his company, he’d fly home and help on the ranch as if he still lived there and wasn’t leading an up-and-coming tech company.
Knowing Levi had started a tech company in San Francisco made Rachel want to burst into tears. She would miss his not coming to the house to see Jonathan .
Never had she received a commitment from Levi. He was Jonathan’s best friend, who affectionately called her squirt.
She didn’t care what he called her. Any attention from Levi McSweeney was all she wanted.
“Can you make it downstairs?” He frowned with concern.
“Or what?” she asked hesitantly.
“Or I’ll carry you,” he said as if that was the only logical way to get to her kitchen.
“You are not carrying me.” Her cheeks heated. She stared at him in horror. “I’m not a weakling.”
“Prove it.” His mouth turned in that familiar way when they were kids, and he challenged her. Even then, she had to prove to him and Jonathan she could do anything they did—and better.
Though he enjoyed teasing her, he kept a measured distance as if ready to help if she needed it. She’d refused to let him think she’d fail. She was determined to win.
“Just watch me and you’ll see.” She lifted her chin. She grabbed the bedpost.
“Rachel, don’t be stubborn.” His tone was low and filled with concern.
Her pulse quickened. His warmth and strength consumed her as he balanced her while she rose to her feet. Dizziness spun in her head as if she were tossed by a wave. She willed it away. No matter how she felt, she wouldn’t be weak.
“Give into it.” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I don’t know what you mean.” She shifted her gaze from his.
“I’ve been watching you since you were a kid,” he said in disbelief. “Don’t think I didn’t know when you did more than you should have. And don’t look at me as if you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
She widened her eyes.
“I’ve known you too long,” he said but not with the teasing tone he’d used when they were kids.
“Don’t think you know me,” she said firmly but gently. “We haven’t seen each other in ten years. ”
Yet it seemed like yesterday. All her memories of him came rushing back.
“Too long,” he said, the look in his eyes filled with unspeakable regret.
She felt that, too, but she’d rarely been in town when he’d fly in to visit his family.
She’d known every time he visited the ranch because her friends would call or text her. They had crushed on him as she had. In high school, everyone knew he’d do well and he had. Even the locals who could care less about the tech industry followed his company as it climbed the ranks and made news. Everyone knew about every invention his company had released.
What the other girls had felt for Levi seemed to fade with age. They moved on, fell in love and most had married, or would be soon. Everyone had someone—except Rachel—and not because she hadn’t tried. She wanted to marry, but no one she dated seemed like the right guy.
She knew what she felt for Levi was more than a crush. Looking at him, the deep emotion washing through her had to be love. She’d never felt this toward anyone else.
“I’m ready to go downstairs.” She looked at the bedroom doorway. She wanted to leave this emotional battle waging inside her.
Levi didn’t just have a company to run. He was raising precious Madeline. For now, she’d relish her time with him. However long that lasted was God’s decision.
“Then that’s where we’ll go.” His voice was ragged. He placed her hand on his arm and guided her through the door. When they reached the stairs, his glance at her was sharp.
“I’ll be fine.” She looked down the staircase that seemed longer and steeper than she remembered. Her teeth set, she gripped the banister.
“Rachel—” His tone was husky.
“Honest. I can walk down the stairs.” She wouldn’t let a set of stairs stop her.
“You’re not fine.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Lean against me. ”
She did. Feeling the ridged muscles in his arm and chest made her relax. She could get used to resting in Levi’s arms. She should fight the hope that this was where she belonged, but she knew better. In a day or two, she’d return to her apartment. Once she recovered, she’d be back at the diner and the gymnastics center and hopefully have another substitute teaching position. Staying busy was the solution to these unwanted feelings. God was blessing her. She’d keep her mind on Him.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Silently, she thanked Him for the reminder. Madeline was Levi’s future. Still, she knew her feelings for him would never wane.
At the hospital, what he’d said had given her hope that he felt something for her, but now it seemed as if that had never happened. Had she misunderstood?
In his eyes, she was Jonathan’s little sister. Even ten years later, he was kind to the kid who had tagged along behind them.
She wasn’t tagging anymore. God had led her to Sweet Mountain. He would lead her and guide her in the way she should go. Trusting in Him gave her peace. She’d wait on Him as He unfolded His perfect plan—even if that plan didn’t include Levi.