Love in the Heartland

by Diana Currie

  “It sounds amazing,” Maddie answered nervously.

  “Welcome home, Angel,” Nathan said softly as he turned the knob and opened the front door.

  Maddie stepped inside what she could hardly believe would be her new home. The foyer was two stories high with beautiful tile flooring and an exposed balcony with wrought iron railings on the second floor. It was a very European design inside that matched the exterior. Nathan took her into the kitchen and main living area. He pointed out the patio with a view of the golf course and a pond beyond the fence in the back yard. He was right about privacy; the nearest house looked to be at least a hundred yards away with plenty of lush trees and shrubs to obscure the view. Maddie’s eyes bugged out further with each new room Nathan took her through. There was a home office, a fitness room, a beautiful outdoor stone barbecue, and yes… even an elevator. Whoever designed the house had fantastic taste; the decor was a neutral palate with so many interesting features. It was a much larger house than Maddie ever imagined herself living in. It was a little bit of a relief that although this home was luxurious and spacious, it had a homier feel than Nathan’s Beverly Hills mansion; less marble and more wood gave it a Midwestern feel.

  “So… do you like it?” Nathan asked as they returned to the kitchen where the tour had begun.

  “I think you hit it outta the park, Slugger,” Maddie replied smiling.

  Nathan whistled a sigh of relief. “Thank God. Honestly, I was a little worried you’d hate being next to the country club, or maybe you’d tell me it’s too big.”

  “Well, it does feel huge without any furniture. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t have it furnished already.”

  “I want us to do that together. This is going to be both our homes,” he said seriously. “I mean it. You’re not just living with me, Maddie. This is your home too.”

  “Maybe this is a silly question, but do you really have enough money to keep up houses in L.A. and Amarillo; to furnish this whole house without bringing anything from your old one?”

  Nathan smirked. “You’re right, that is a silly question. I’m financially sound, I assure you. Hank approved the purchase without any arm twisting. And don’t worry about upkeep; I’m going to hire a housekeeper and a gardener just like in L.A.”

  “Okay, but I want us to cook for ourselves. Hire someone to clean all those bathrooms, but I don’t want to be taken care of like I’m the queen of Amarillo. Part of the point to living here is to maintain somewhat of a normal life, remember?”

  Nathan nodded in agreement and walked over to the double glass patio doors that overlooked the back yard. “I bet the sunset is amazing,” he mused.

  “Thank you so much for doing this, Nathan,” Maddie said as she moved to stand beside him. “And I don’t just mean the house. I know that moving here is going to be a culture shock for you. And it’s going to be a lot of air travel going back and forth to L.A. You have no idea what it means to me that you’re willing to try life out here.”

  “I could live in Siberia as long as you were with me,” he said.

  For a few minutes they gazed out the windows at the beautiful landscape together, holding hands, and letting their new reality sink into their minds. Maddie was overwhelmed and excited about the prospect of living in the house with Nathan. She didn’t know how to even begin buying the right furniture and she thought maybe Emma wouldn’t mind helping out.

  “We should invite your brother and Jackie down as soon as we, you know, have beds and couches and stuff,” Maddie giggled happily.

  “So, you’ve started thinking about having people over, huh? Does that mean the shock is starting to wear off?” Nathan asked.

  “A lot has changed since I woke up this morning,” Maddie replied dryly. “But I’m starting to be able to think clearly again if that’s what you mean.”

  “Good,” Nathan said. “Do you want to open a bottle of wine from the cellar? I saw glasses in there too.”

  “Sure. Maybe we can pick up where we left off at my parents’ house,” she replied suggestively.

  “Hold that thought. I will be right back,” Nathan said as he hurried through the kitchen to get a bottle and some glasses.

  Maddie checked the kitchen for a corkscrew but every drawer was empty. “There wouldn’t happen to be a screw top bottle of wine back there, you think?” she called out.

  “There’s an opener in here,” Nathan replied.

  Maddie smiled and went to open the door to the patio. Luckily, a few chairs had been left by the previous owner and Maddie brushed off the dirt while she waited for Nathan. He returned with two glasses half-filled in his hands and the open bottle tucked under his arm.

  “To our new life together,” he toasted and clinked his glass with Maddie’s.

  “Cheers.”

  Nathan watched her eagerly as she took a sip of the French red wine. “Oh, it’s really good,” she commented.

  “Drink some more. If you sip it like that we’ll be here all night,” he encouraged.

  Maddie took a larger drink of the wine, happy to be sitting there with the man she loved, waiting to witness another gorgeous Texan sunset with him. As her glass tipped and the wine sloshed inside she noticed something at the bottom that she knew shouldn’t be there.

  “There’s something in my glass,” she said.

  “Really? What?” Nathan asked hiding his grin.

  Maddie held the glass above her head so she could see what it was. “Oh my God,” she gasped. Quickly she drank the remaining wine and inspected the empty glass again. At the bottom was a diamond ring. She turned to look at Nathan and watched speechlessly as he slid out of his chair and dropped down to one knee.

  “Oh my God,” she repeated.

  “Not God, Angel, I’m just Nathan,” he managed to reply in a teasing tone even though his hands were slightly trembling from nerves.

  He took the glass from her and tilted it so the ring slid out into his waiting palm. “Madeline Sherratt, I’ve never met anyone in this world quite like you. I’ve known from the very beginning that you would changemy life, but I had no idea that you would quickly become my life. This house is about more than a place for us to share a roof. We’re choosing Amarillo together because it’s the right place for us as a couple, but also because it’s the better place to raise a family. I want to build a life with you here, have babies with you, and spend the rest of my life loving you, Maddie. Will you be my wife?”

  Maddie exhaled slowly with tears in her eyes. She’d never heard any words more precious than those. “Yes,” she replied breathlessly. “Yes, I will.”

  Nathan smiled brightly and slipped the ring onto Maddie’s finger. It fit perfectly. He would have to thank Joe for helping in that department too. Maddie laughed and wiped tears from her eyes as Nathan leaned in to kiss her.

  “How long have you been planning all this?” she asked.

  “The Texas plan started in December. The proposal… that has been formulating in my mind since the moment we met.”

  “Everything you said sounds wonderful. Life here together, the TV show, and having kids. But are you sure you don’t have any doubts about moving here?” Maddie wondered. “I’m worried you’re just trading my sacrifice for yours and we’ll still have problems down the road.”

  Nathan stood up to refill their wine glasses and pulled his chair as close to Maddie’s as possible. “Everyone has problems; we’re not unique in that way. But no, I don’t have doubts. We’ll have a better quality of life here and that’s more important to me than any movie role. Whenever the Netflix gig is over we’ll deal with it. I like the idea of going off to film a movie and when I’m done being able to come back here to you and reality. We’re going to be happy here, I can feel it.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear that she loved him. Maddie could hardly believe that so many pieces of her life were falling into place at once.

  They stayed on the patio until the s
un set, coloring the sky with brilliant streaks of red and orange and pink. Another day was ending but they both knew that dawn would bring a new day and that they would spend it, and every one after it, together.

  The End