He reached across and touched her hand. “That’s what you did also. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel ashamed. I had no right to judge you. I should have honored the sacrifice you made. The gift you gave to your son’s parents.”
Unable to sit any longer, Nikki jumped up from her chair. “It’s time to go. If I’m going to make my flight, I need to leave in the next ten minutes.” She put her mother’s Bible in her duffel bag, pausing for a moment to calm her breathing.
A gentle touch on her arm turned her back to Adrian. He stood less than a foot away from her, his hand connecting them.
“Emotions don’t have to be bad things, Nikki.” He sighed. “May I drive you to the airport and pick you up when you get back? I’d like to take you to dinner so we can talk.”
Did she risk it? Everything inside her yelled one word. “Yes.”
The pounding of her own heart was so loud, she wasn’t sure he heard the whisper. She was going to do this. She was going to allow herself the freedom to love Adrian. He closed the small gap between them.
Hands cupped her neck. The tips of his fingers pressed gently into her skin and his lips met hers. The very core of her being melted.
Closing her eyes, she leaned into him, kissing him back. She didn’t know a kiss could make her feel so cherished and loved.
The sun came through the window, caressing her skin. She wrapped her hands around Adrian’s biceps to steady herself. All these years, hiding in the dark, she forgot how good the sun felt. Adrian was the sunshine to her darkness.
One last nip at the corner of her mouth and he rested his forehead against hers. “I made a promise to myself not to chase another woman, not to give someone the power to destroy me. Nikki, you keep pulling me into your world. I like it there, and I don’t want to leave.” He closed his eyes. “I think you already have my heart, and I’d love to prove to you that I can be trusted with yours.” His thumbs caressed her cheeks.
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m not sure how much heart I have left to give, but it’s already yours.” She closed her eyes. “That scares me.”
The warmth of his breath and smell of soap tickled her senses. He pressed his lips against her hair. “Me too. But I think we can do this. If we both turn everything over to God, we can do this.”
He needed to understand she was not looking for a knight in shining armor. “I don’t need to be saved by you.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Saving you? One of the things I love about you is you don’t need saving. But I’d love the opportunity to love you. Will you let me love you? And maybe pull you out of the rain every now and again.”
Sand and gravel dried out her throat. She couldn’t get a word past them.
Dropping his hands, Adrian took a slight step back. He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers. “You don’t have to say anything now.” He glanced over his shoulder then grabbed her bag. “The clock has struck midnight and your time has run out. Your carriage awaits.”
“You might have the wrong girl. I’m not a fairy-tale princess.”
He winked and marched out the door. A strange noise sounding like a giggle escaped her lips. Horrified, she covered her mouth. That could not have come from her, but when Adrian chuckled she couldn’t deny it.
“I like that sound,” he yelled back at her. With a swing, her bag was tossed into the bed of his truck. He smiled as she got in the truck. “I guess I owe your sisters a favor now. They’ve given us almost two hours of uninterrupted time.”
“Oh no, you hadn’t planned to drive to San Antonio today.” She was going to kill her sisters when she got home. Or thank them.
As soon as she was alone, she was calling. Maybe by then she’d know if she was going to kiss them or strangle them. To her horror, a tear slipped over her bottom lashes. She wiped it away and looked out the window, hoping Adrian didn’t notice.
She might not have her mother, but God had given her three sisters who would do anything to see her happy.
Adrian’s grin softened her hard edges. “No worries. It’s an unexpected gift. Time with you. God is good.”
“All the time,” she whispered.
He laughed as his truck bumped its way down the overgrown path. “Yes, all of the time.”
His hand reached for her hands. “Nicole Bergmann, I love you.”
The words had never had such true meaning to them before, but they still scared her a little bit. “Right back at you, Adrian De La Cruz.”
He winked at her. Understanding her more than any other man ever had.
Epilogue
Adrian took a deep breath, inhaling scents of the rodeo. He loved everything about it: the smells, sights, sounds and energy that sparked his nerves. Today he was a bit in overdrive. The last few months had been the best in his life, and he thanked God every morning and every night.
He scanned the oak tree grove for Mia and her mother. They had been talking over the internet, and today they met for breakfast. Mia seemed to be taking it all in stride. She was excited when she saw her mother at the rodeo.
Her mother. He was going to have to get used to that and not shudder every time she said the word.
When he left to get the horses ready, he gave Mia a way out, but she asked to stay and visit with Charlotte. Life was shifting, and he had to remind himself it was all in God’s hands.
A laugh that lifted his heart came from somewhere behind him. He twisted in the saddle and found Nikki holding her horse’s lead, standing next to her father, her great-aunt and the couple who had adopted her son. They had come in for a huge family reunion. A young teen ran up to his father and took some money handed to him before running off with Seth and a few other boys.
The boy looked so much like Seth and Tommy, everyone in town had probably figured it out by now, but no one was talking. Which was pretty incredible, in itself. Hearing her laughter and seeing her happy made his heart feel lighter.
He patted his pocket. The ring suddenly became a heavy weight in his shirt. Everyone in the whole county, her extended family, plus all the visitors from across the country, would be talking soon. Sweat coated his whole body.
When he first thought of ways to propose to Nikki, he knew it had to be big and grand. A way to show everyone how proud he was of her. The stands were packed with people. The reality of what he was about to do set in. If she said no, it could be a major embarrassment.
Plus, it wasn’t fair to put her on the spot like this either. She didn’t like big emotional hoopla. What had he been thinking? He let Mia watch too many YouTube videos.
He needed to find Danica and Jackie to tell them to call it off.
He’d ask Nikki tonight, at the family dinner. That was a much better idea and still very public.
“Daddy!” Mia stood and grinned at him. He dismounted and led both horses closer.
Mia took the reins of the big gray gelding. Lancelot nickered softly and rubbed his forelock against her, causing her to laugh. He couldn’t help but relax at that sound.
“Thank you, Daddy.” She turned to her mother. “He also brought Tank and told me I might be riding him. He’s super slow.”
Charlotte joined them. “I’m looking forward to seeing you ride. I used to love watching your father. Either on a horse or a bull, he was something else.”
“I wish I could see him on a bull at least once.”
“Oh no, those days are so far behind me, you can’t see them in the rearview mirror.”
“Before I run the barrels, we have a special show.” Mia leaned closer to Charlotte. “Daddy is going to ask Nikki to marry him in front of everyone, right in the middle of the arena. I get to carry a flag.”
Charlotte’s eyes went big. “Wow.”
He glared at his daughter, before turning back to Charlotte. “I’m having doubts abo
ut this.”
Mia gasped. “About asking Nikki? No!”
“Shh.” He glanced over at Nikki and her group. “Not about asking her, just about making it so public.”
Charlotte put her hand over her heart. “Oh no. Every girl dreams about a big gesture of love.”
“Nikki is not like other women.” His gaze went back to staring at the beautiful woman he wanted to make his wife.
“All women want a man that loves them enough to risk embarrassing himself in front of a crowd.” Charlotte had a goofy grin on her face.
“Yeah, Daddy. What she said. It’s too late anyway. Mr. Miller—” she turned to her mom “—he’s the announcer, has the script. And the Bergmanns have the flags.”
His stomach rolled a bit.
“Hi, Charlotte.” Nikki had walked up behind him. “So are we ready for the exhibition?”
He wiped his forehead. “I was thinking about calling it off.”
Mia scowled at him and Charlotte laughed. “I’ve never known him to get nervous to enter the arena, but then again, I haven’t been around lately.”
“Daddy’s fine. He’s worried about me.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze.
“Adrian, she’ll be fine. I would love to know what exactly I’m doing. Why do you need me to stand my horse in the middle of the arena?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to be jumping over you or anything crazy, but I do want you to know...if you want to say no to anything, you can. At any time, if you want to leave the arena, you go. I don’t want you to worry about me. Promise?”
With a tilt of her head, Nikki gave him a cockeyed look. “Okay.”
A phone vibrated. Charlotte pulled hers out. “My friends are here.” She hugged Mia. “I’ll be in the stands cheering you on.” With a grin, she winked at him. “And praying that all goes well with your show. ’Bye, Nikki. I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
Mia turned her head. “Where are your sisters? They have the flags.”
“We have flags? Now I’m really curious. What am I doing with a flag?”
“You don’t have a flag.” Mia mounted her horse. Before he could remind her, she took the helmet he had looped over the saddle horn and put it on and secured the strap. “You just make sure you’re in the center of the arena.” She giggled. “I see them at the back gate. This is going to be great!”
He ran his hand over his forehead. What if she hated him for doing this to her?
“Adrian.” She touched his arm. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
With what he hoped was a reassuring smile, he shook his head. “It’s good. I just hope I didn’t mess up. Have you ever done something that sounded like a great idea, then afterward you realized how stupid it was, but it was too late to change course?”
She laughed. “Really? That would pretty much describe my life up to this point.”
Should he just tell her?
Frank called his name from the announcer’s box. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the craziness in his head.
Nikki mounted her horse. “That’s you.” She looked down at him as if he had lost all his good sense.
With a hand on the saddle horn, he swung onto Zeta’s back. One slight touch of the reins, and she spun on her heels and headed to the arena. Without looking back, he knew Nikki followed on her big palomino.
He leaned over Zeta’s neck and ran her into the arena, as fast as she could sprint. They made spirals and figure eights, hitting each flying lead change. Frank introduced him as a hometown boy with some of the titles he won with the Childress’s cutting horses. With barely a touch of the reins, Zeta came to a long sliding stop and started spinning on her back heels. The crowd went wild with cheers and yells.
Coming to a stop, he waved at their enthusiastic audience. His family, even his mother, was in the stands. Charlotte sat with a group of people he didn’t know. Everyone from the Childress Ranch was there. He nodded to Mr. Bergmann. Nikki’s father tipped his hat and winked. Everyone was there, plus a few thousand others.
Frank introduced Nikki, asking the crowd to show their appreciation for her service to the country. She walked her horse through the deep sand of the arena and waved. Everyone stood and cheered.
Addressing her directly, Frank got her attention. “So, Nikki, I hear you are the star of the show tonight.”
With a big smile, she shook her head no and pointed to Adrian.
“What? You mean you don’t know why you’re out here?”
She shrugged her shoulders, palms up. There were chuckles in the stands. She pointed to the gate behind her. Mia, her sisters, nieces and Vickie Torres were lined up there with their flags. They waved back, but shook their heads no.
“Seems they left you out here on your own. Adrian, do you know what she’s supposed to do?”
Swinging his leg over, he dismounted and started walking to her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe our poor cowboy has a question to ask his sweetheart.”
He had never had so much trouble walking in the sand before. He kept his gaze on Nikki. He saw the slight intake of breath. Blood pulsed through his limbs, and he could feel his heart pounding. He turned and looked at Frank.
“Seems our cowboy needs some help with his lady. Mia, can you help your dad out here?”
Kicking her horse, helmet on her head, Mia charged into the arena and ran along the railing. Danica followed her. Jackie, Lizzy and Suzie came next. Vickie was the last to enter the arena. Their flags started flying.
The crowd went wild. His eyes stayed on Nikki. He saw the change in her face as she scanned the flags. He pulled the ring out of his pocket and reached up to take her hand.
This was it. Please, God, don’t let me ruin this.
* * *
Nikki read the flags again. Each flag had one word. Mia’s started with Nikki. It was followed by Will. You. Marry. Me? The last flag carried by Vickie had Adrian written on it.
She read them again. They popped in the wind as each horse flew by her. Unable to take her eyes off them, she sat there and stared. Adrian was asking her to marry him in the middle of the biggest public event in Clear Water.
The announcer’s voice pulled her attention back to the crowd. “Seems as if our cowgirl’s at a loss for the right words. What do you think she should say?”
One word vibrated through the arena and over the hills. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” She looked down. Adrian stood there, holding her hand in his. In his other hand he held a ring.
“She seems to be making our boy sweat it out.”
She dismounted and ran her fingers across his forehead, below the rim of his hat. “You’re sweating.”
“Stands full of cheering people seemed like a good idea on paper. It’s kind of noisy and not very romantic. I’m sorry. Someone told me women liked big gestures. This was the biggest thing I could think of.” He kept rattling on, but couldn’t seem to stop himself. Leaning in closer, she took in his warmth. “Mia and your sisters came up with the flag idea. I just wanted to let everyone know how much I love you and how proud I am of you. I—”
Dry, her throat wouldn’t work, so she stopped his words with her fingertips on his lips. Oh no, she was going to cry. She blinked several times, trying to hold back the burn.
Reaching up, he curled her hands into his and kissed each of her knuckles. She was lost in his dark gaze, and the world fell away. She was standing in front of Adrian and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Her, Nikki Bergmann. She shook her head in disbelief.
He pressed her hand against his heart and started talking again. This time she just smiled and listened. She loved the sound of his voice.
“Nikki, there are parts of me I had locked away, but with you I’m fully alive. I’ve been working on building the perfect home,
but it’s just a building. Will you build a home with me?” He dropped down to one knee. “Nicole Bergmann, will you marry me?”
“Oh, Adrian.”
His breathing became harder. “Nikki?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes. Yes!”
“Are you sure?” His nostrils flared.
“Adrian De La Cruz, I love you.” She couldn’t stop the tears this time. The words had never felt so right. “I’ll say yes a thousand times if you need me to.”
“Once will work.” He slipped the ring on her finger.
The world started spinning. Her boots were off the ground. Adrian held her close and spun her in a circle. Throwing his head back, he let out a shout.
Laughter bubbled out of her heart. She wanted to sing and dance.
“I believe that’s a yes, people. How about they give us a victory lap with their flag bearers?” The crowd got so loud, they drowned out the announcer.
He gave her a quick kiss. “I think they want us out of here so they can start the bull riding.”
She didn’t want to let go of him, or this moment. With his hand on her waist, he helped her mount. Normally, she would have bristled at his help in front of so many people, but right now her legs were so weak she needed it. And it had nothing to do with her injury.
Her sisters rode past and grinned. Adrian pulled his horse next to hers and reached for her hand. In step, their horses followed the others around the arena once, then out the gate. He never broke contact with her.
Once out of the arena, they were surrounded. Dismounting, they were swallowed up in hugs and well-wishes.
“Daddy, I told you she’d say yes.” Mia ran from her horse to hug them. “Now I get to have two moms.”
“We’re so happy for you.” Her sisters wrapped her in their arms. People talked and laughed. Everyone was happy. Happy wasn’t a word she would use to describe her emotions.
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