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He pulled Zeta up and looked at Nikki. “And as you say that, you’re trying to move him out. He’s a good and safe horse for someone recovering from knee surgery.”

  “I’ve never moved so slow in my life.”

  “Maybe it’s time for you to slow down and take in the scenery around you. I think your mom’s family ranch is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in the canyon. It’s a shame that your dad has locked it down. The juniper will take over soon if it’s not cleared. Some of the outbuildings might already be lost.”

  “I know. Danica and Jackie said he won’t talk about it.” She urged Tank to move faster again, but he swished his tail in response. “Open communication does not run rapid in the Bergmann household.”

  “Have you thought about talking to him? I know you want to go back to the Grand Canyon, but have you thought about doing something similar here? Between the cliffs and river, you could run all sorts of adventure packages from here. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, along with kayaking. Throw some cabins out here and you’ll have people from San Antonio and Houston on a waiting list.”

  She shook her head and grinned at him. “Now you sound like the twins. Did they put you up to this?”

  “They might have mentioned it in passing, but they didn’t tell me to tell you. I like the idea of you staying around Clear Water.” He realized he wanted to spend more time with her. “I’d miss you.” The breeze felt cool against the flash of heat that burned his face.

  Standing in the stirrups, he twisted a bit to watch Nikki. He loved the slight scowl she had as she tried to talk Tank into moving faster.

  For the first time, he was interested in what the future would be like with a woman in his life. With Nikki. Mia liked her, and the idea of a relationship didn’t scare him.

  He lowered his head as the narrow path took them under a bent live oak that created a canopy. Past the live-oak grove, it opened to a field full of native pecan trees. The grass was lush and green with the river a few yards away. He could hear the running water, and the cypresses were visible, but he couldn’t see the river.

  “We’re close to my favorite spot.” She pulled Tank to a stop and stood in the saddle. Turning her head, she surveyed the area. “It’s been so long. I think it’s right up there. I hope it looks the same. Floods have a way of changing the landscape.” Clicking her tongue, she put Tank back into motion. Slow motion, but he was moving forward. With a heavy sigh, Zeta followed.

  He patted her withers. “Good girl. I promise later today we can run and play with the cattle.”

  “I take it Tank does not play with the cattle?” She leaned over his neck. “What if I promise you some molasses on your feed?” The spotted ears flicked back as if he was willing to consider it.

  Adrian laughed. “The last thing that horse needs is molasses.”

  As the path lowered, the river came into view. Nikki stood up in her stirrups again. “There it is. That’s where we would swim and hang out on warm days.” She turned back to him, her face alive with excitement. “It was Mom’s favorite place during the summer. With her chair in the edge of the water, she’d read while we played and swam.”

  Two gentle slopes flattened on the water’s edge, creating a little sandy beach surrounded by the rocks. It was different than any other area he’d ever seen on the river, and he’d covered many miles in a tube or kayak. “This is a great spot. It’s amazing no one knows about it.”

  “My mom’s family was small and very private. My grandfather didn’t allow friends out here. He said they’d start thinking they could come whenever they wanted and bring more people.” She gave a half chuckle. “He didn’t like people. Loved animals, but could do without people. Except for us. He loved us.” She became still and stared out across the overgrown pastures. “I miss him.”

  Adrian didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t lost anyone close in his family. “I remember his funeral. My dad worked for him a few seasons. He had a lot of respect for your grandfather. I was a freshman, so you were a senior when he died?”

  She nodded and dismounted, making her way to the largest pecan tree. Dead branches were tangled throughout the tree, strangling the healthy ones. Nikki always seemed to have it all together. She lost her grandfather at the same time the trouble her father was having with his second wife led to an ugly divorce from her stepmother. All he remembered was the bold smile she always had on her face, and the fierce determination in every movement when he watched her play sports.

  He figured the smile hid a great deal of loss and pain. He dismounted and followed her. Letters were carved into the tree trunk. Her fingers traced the grooves. “He carved each of our names in the tree when we turned five. He said it was so the land would not forget us and we would not forget we belonged here.” She pressed her palm flat against the tree’s rough bark. Silence settled between them. Then her shoulders trembled.

  She was crying. The deep silent internal kind of grief that consumed a body. Not knowing what else to do, he moved close enough to wrap her in his arms. If nothing else, she needed to know she wasn’t alone.

  The breeze gently stirred loose strands of long hair against his skin. Turning, she buried her face between his shoulder and neck. Not a sound was made, but his shirt was wet. His heart broke. Birds flew from tree to tree, the horses munched on the green grass and the river flowed around rocks and over roots as he held her.

  If there was a way to take the pain he would, but he knew it was her grief and she would have to deal with it. He suspected that was the problem. For years she had been running, climbing and jumping, not facing the loss.

  After a while, she stepped back and wiped her face with the backs of her hands. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I never cry.” Looking off in the distance, she crossed her arms over her waist. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “It’s okay to cry.” He knew it was bad when she started chewing on her lip. He’d never seen her do that. “You’ve lost people you love. There’s nothing wrong with grieving.” He wanted to tell her the only thing about her that wasn’t perfect was her plan to leave, but it wasn’t the time for that kind of confession. “Maybe some barbacoa from Fred’s Tacos would help you feel better. I happen to have a couple of tacos with your name on them.”

  Her face relaxed into a smile. “Really? I love those. They’re my favorite.”

  “That’s what I hear.” Getting the foil-wrapped tacos out of the saddlebag, he handed her a couple. “You want to go sit on the rock over there?” He pointed to the edge of the river. Between two cypresses that towered over the river, there was a large flat rock tangled in the roots. Water lapped against it.

  He reached out and offered his hand to her. For a stuttering heartbeat, he thought she wasn’t going to take it. With a shy smile, her fingers wrapped around his and he helped her over the uneven terrain of rocks and roots along the way to the flat limestone.

  “When I was a kid, I would sit on this rock for hours if my mom let me.” Nikki took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

  Watching her had become one of his favorite pastimes. “I can’t imagine you ever sitting for hours.”

  Hands on her hips, she turned to stare into the clear water of the Frio. “That is probably true. It might have been minutes, but it was the only time I remember sitting still and being content.”

  Adrian unrolled the small blanket tucked under his arm and sat down, leaning against the old cypress. He rested his arm across his raised knee. “I think I might actually be able to sit and relax here too. You’re blessed to have this place. I can’t believe you stayed away so long. You couldn’t have dragged me past the fence line.” Unwrapping his soft taco, he nodded to her.

  Sighing as if the world sat on her shoulders, Nikki joined him on the colorful Mexican blanket and started eating the barbacoa he’d bought for her.

  For a whi
le they ate in silence, just the sounds of God’s creation surrounding them. She paused in the middle of her second taco and looked at him. “I was angry and guilty. At the time I thought it was better if I left. Then it just got harder to come back.” She gave him the gift of her smile. “You’re the kind that stands firm and waits it out. You’ve done a great job with your daughter. You’re a rare man, Adrian De La Cruz.” Her gaze turned to the pecan grove where the horses grazed. “Most men would have run earlier when I had my little meltdown, or at least told me it was going to be all right with a pat on the back.” She lifted her shoulders, and her summer blues stared straight at him. “Thank you for just holding me.”

  He leaned forward and took her hand. “Grief and other emotions stay with us, even when we try to bury them. That’s a lesson you just witnessed me learning yesterday. I was returning the favor. You stayed when I was at my worst.”

  Nikki moved closer. “It just made you more human. I was worried for a while that you were too perfect.” Her eyes danced with light.

  One hard laugh came up from his gut. “No, that would be you.” An electric wire ran through his veins, connected to her. He cupped her face, and the wire went live. “I’ve known you were perfect since I was thirteen years old and thought you were the love of my life.”

  Confusion creased her brow.

  That invisible wire reeled him in until he was less than an inch from her. All those years ago he knew what he wanted, but he hadn’t acted. “I thought you were out of my reach. Then you left without warning, Nicole Bergmann, and broke my heart.”

  * * *

  He loved her in high school?

  Finally, he moved in to kiss her.

  This time he was gonna follow through on the promise his eyes made several times. From the determination stamped in his jaw, nothing was going to stop him this time.

  The light stubble along the edge of his jawbone tickled her fingers as she encouraged him to come closer. His dark eyes with the depth of the universe dropped to meet hers. Her breath froze in her lungs. Then he kissed her and fire melted her very core.

  Adrian De La Cruz was kissing her. Kissing her on her secret river rock.

  She tasted peppermint and spices. Firm and powerful, his mouth took what he wanted. Joy bubbled at the thought of this beautiful man waiting for her for so long. She could stay here in his arms forever.

  He broke from the kiss and rested his forehead on hers, breathing as if he’d just roped a calf in record time. Could a heart tremble? Hers was doing something strange, something she had never experienced before this moment. Warning bells went off in her head.

  “I want you to stay in Clear Water.” His words were a pickax to the already weak heart.

  Closing her eyes, she took the scent and warmth of him into her small protected world. “Adrian—”

  The song “Kiss the Girl” started playing from his pocket. She sat back and raised one brow. Adrian’s tanned skin actually went darker as he grabbed for his phone. “That’s it! She’s never getting a phone or leaving her room.” He put the phone to his ear, slightly turning away from Nikki.

  “Mia, you need to leave my phone alone. It’s not funny.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “It is kind of funny,” she whispered.

  Adrian shot her a hard glare.

  “I’ll ask her. Seriously, Mia, don’t mess with my phone or you’ll never get your own.” Slipping the phone back in his pocket, he looked at her from under his thick lashes.

  “Sorry. She must have changed it this morning.” He stood and offered his hand to help her up. “George has invited you to dinner. There’s a game on tonight and, well, they want you to join us.”

  Face-to-face, he tucked his knuckle under her chin. “I would love for you to have dinner at our house tonight.” He leaned in for another kiss. The first one was fire and ice.

  This one was a light breeze across her lips. “Will you let me feed you dinner?”

  She nodded. Where had the gravity gone? His warmth disappeared. Her anchor left her. She opened her eyes and found him walking toward the pecan trees.

  He turned back to her, leading the horses. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

  She smiled and nodded again, getting up to join him.

  “I need to get some work in on the Childress’s horses. It won’t take long. Then we can head to my house. Do you mind?” He helped her mount without even asking if she needed help.

  What surprised her was that she was starting to like it. Anyone else and she would have put a stop to that nonsense, but being close to Adrian felt right.

  With one hand on her braced knee, he looked up at her. “Is the knee okay?”

  She nodded again.

  He laughed. “My mother used to offer me money to not talk. I never made it to the end of the timer. You would have raked in the dough. Let me get the blanket. Then it’s to the boss’s stables. Ready?”

  “I’m ready.” Was she? Was she ready to risk it all for another man?

  Chapter Ten

  Nikki eased the door open. It was late and she didn’t want to bother anyone who had turned in for the night.

  “Nikki, is that you?” Her dad’s voice emanated from the kitchen. Then she heard giggling. Giggling? It didn’t sound like one of her sisters.

  “Dad?” Carrying her boots in one hand and her backpack over her shoulder, she stepped into the large family kitchen. Lorrie Ann’s mother, Sonia Ortega, sat at the table with him. They each had a plate full of pecan pie and vanilla ice cream.

  Sonia stood up. “Sit, sit, sit. I’ll fix you a plate. The pie is still warm.” She paused in slicing and looked at Nikki. “One or two scoops.”

  “Uh, one.” She slid into the chair next to her dad. Why was Sonia Ortega hanging out with her dad at ten o’clock at night? “What are you doing here?”

  “Nicole.” Her father gave her the look.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ve just—”

  Ms. Ortega waved her hand. “Oh, don’t worry about it, mija. I saw your father at the store picking up one of those frozen pies—” she shuddered “—and I couldn’t let a good man eat one of those dreadful things. I offered to bring him a homemade one. He said only if he could cook me dinner.” She set the pecan pie and semi-melted ice cream in front of her. “He made steaks, and I brought the pie.”

  “All the girls just went upstairs. The twins have school in the morning.”

  Nikki tried to keep her face neutral. The stupid eyebrow wanted to pop up, but that might look rude. When did her father start keeping company with Sonia Ortega?

  To stop things from getting awkward, she shoved a fork full of... Oh, my. She might have moaned. Sonia smiled at her and her father chuckled. “Good, isn’t it?”

  She nodded and took another bite to make sure it tasted the way she thought it tasted the first time. Another moan escaped. “This is the best pecan pie I’ve ever tasted. You made this?” Oh, that sounded rude. “I mean, I know your sister owns the Pecan Farm and makes a mean pie, and the other one has the bakery, but this is a whole other experience.”

  With red cheeks, Sonia nodded. “To be fair, Maggie and Maria did teach me how to bake. It’s become a hobby. They’ve asked me to join in the business.”

  “I was thinking they could run it out of the upstairs area once the De La Cruz boys finish it.” Her father popped another forkful in his mouth.

  This time she couldn’t stop both eyebrows from showing her surprise. “Uh...have you talked to the twins about this?”

  He scowled at her. “It’s my building and my business.”

  “We haven’t even talked about it. I wouldn’t do anything to cause problems.” Sonia tucked her long hair behind her ear and took another bite, keeping her eyes down.

  She thought of how Sheila
had taken advantage of her father right after the death of her mother. She didn’t know much about Sonia other than she had left her daughter to be raised by Maggie Shultz, Sonia’s sister. The Ortega family was one of the most solid families, but Sonia had had problems with alcohol and drugs in the past. Sounded too much like Sheila for her comfort.

  “You’re home later than expected.” Her father’s gruff voice brought back the reason she tried to sneak into the house. “You and Adrian dating now?”

  “Daddy, just because we went riding on the ranch and had dinner with his brother and daughter doesn’t mean we’re dating. We’re just friends, like you and Sonia.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Friends are good. Have you decided to stay, or will you be going back to the Grand Canyon?”

  “I haven’t decided. Thank you for the pie. I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day, and my knee is feeling it.” Did she just use her knee as an excuse?

  Her knee did feel a bit sore and stiff as she slowly took the steps one at a time. Slipping into her old bedroom, she found Danica and Jackie waiting for her.

  “So?”

  “You stayed all day!”

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “Do you have another date?”

  “They do! Thursday, right? What are you going to wear?”

  Nikki held her hands up in surrender and laughed. “One question at a time, please?” She dropped her backpack and boots then fell flat on her bed. If she was going to stay, she’d have to get a new comforter. The purple-and-black polka dots had to go.

  The twins flopped on their bellies with her in the middle. “So did he kiss you?”

  She giggled. They squealed. Then covered their mouths, expressions identical. Danica glanced at the door. “Shh. I don’t want the girls to wake up.”

  Jackie hunched her shoulders and rested her chin in her palms. “You have to tell us everything.”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything. He’s very private, and I don’t think I should talk about him. But I do want to talk about Dad. What’s up with Sonia being over here for dinner? Do y’all know her well? Are they dating?”