“I thought you two were getting along? Didn’t you go look at horses with him a couple weeks ago?”
Mattie’s eyes started to sting as they’d done all day whenever she let her mind drift to her relationship with Gil. She rested her forehead on the counter and brushed at the tears before Clara had a chance to see. “He asked me to go to California with him.”
She raised her head. “Shoot, he asked me to work for him there.”
Clara grabbed her dishrag and wiped circles on the counter. “What did you tell him?”
“No, on both counts.”
The circles stopped. “You don’t seem too happy with your decision.”
Mattie’s discomfort grew. “He wanted to show me the property he intends to buy — tempt me to work for him.”
“Why is that so horrible? Go and see what it’s like. You might love it.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t go.” Mattie took the cloth from Clara’s hand and wiped a grease spot she’d missed. “Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of owning land in Charris County? — Of reclaiming what my father lost? The Flint Hills are my heritage. I thought I could convince Gil that California was a mistake — that he belonged here. Instead, I find myself being drawn deeper and deeper into his world.”
“You’re falling for the guy.”
Mattie’s gaze locked on Clara’s. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. I know the symptoms. When you’re with him, your dreams seem less important.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t go with him.”
Clara laid her hand on Mattie’s. “Did you stop to consider how much that might have hurt him? Think about it. He has no one to share this moment with.”
Mattie’s resolve weakened.
“The Lord tells us he won’t put more on us than we can bear,” Clara said — as though Mattie needed to be reminded.
“It’s too late. Even if I did change my mind, his retirement party is tomorrow night. I have no plane ticket and nothing to wear.”
Clara smiled and Mattie cringed. She’d seen that look before.
Her friend took three steps behind the counter and returned with a thick, metropolitan phonebook. “The number for the airport ought to be in there.” She handed it to Mattie. “And hanging in my closet happens to be a fabulous dress that’s never been worn. I bought it on sale last year, hoping to lose enough weight to fit into it. That didn’t happen, but I bet it’d fit you like a glove.”
THIRTY-FOUR
GIL PAID THE VALET, THEN GAZED UP AT THE MARK HOPKINS HOTEL on Nob Hill. The team had rented the Top of the Mark for this party, a swanky lounge on the nineteenth floor with a near 360-degree view of the San Francisco skyline.
Too bad he wasn’t in a mood to celebrate.
He checked his tie and ascended the steps. His black suit confined his shoulders, and his shirt collar threatened to strangle him. As he stepped through the revolving doors, Charlie met him in the hotel lobby.
“Hey, guy.” His friend affectionately cuffed him on the neck. “I hardly recognized you in those duds.”
“Yeah, you either. I bet your wife likes the shiny shoes.” Gil pointed to the designer lace-ups and relaxed a bit.
“You here alone?”
“Is there a better way to be?” He didn’t need Mattie’s company to enjoy the night. This was his party, held in his honor. No way was he going to let a woman spoil the moment. He’d have fun if it killed him.
“Don’t let Linda hear that. She’ll be all over you with a list of women a mile long.” Charlie laughed mischievously. “There are some real lookers upstairs, but I doubt they’d be on Linda’s list — if you know what I mean.”
Gil tapped the button to the elevator. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They reached the top in seconds. Gil stepped out into a swarm of mingling guests clothed in more black suits and sequined gowns. Makeup adorned the women’s faces, their lips bold and shiny, hair sleek and long or arranged on top of their heads with curls streaming down. He noticed one lady with long red spirals, and his heart thumped against his chest at the reminder of the doc.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our guest of honor has arrived,” Johnson said and handed him a glass of champaign. At this, several of his teammates whistled from the bar and the guests applauded. From that moment on, Gil couldn’t take a step without a lady clinging to his arm or someone trying to monopolize his time with conversation. Despite his determination to enjoy the party, his resolve started to crumble under the onslaught.
Right on cue, Charlie latched onto his elbow and pulled him through the crowd.
“I don’t know how much of this I’ll be able to take.” Gil deposited his drink on an empty tray as he passed by. “I might have to duck out early.”
Charlie glanced back with his ever-present grin firmly in place. “The night’s young. It’ll get better.” He led Gil to a table where several of the boys and their wives and girlfriends sat. Charlie’s wife gave a slight wave and indicated for Gil to sit beside her.
“You look very debonair this evening,” Linda teased.
Gil squeezed her hand. “You clean up pretty swell yourself.” He noted her shimmering blue dress and diamond solitaire necklace. “Charlie buy that for you?”
She clutched the pendant and smiled. “He did, and I have you to thank that I have a chance to dress up and show it off.”
Charlie reached across the table for a bottle of sparkling cider and poured some in their glasses. “Yeah, I don’t wear this penguin suit for just anybody,” he said. “Not even my darling wife.”
“Can’t tell me that. I know better.” Gil focused on the blinking lights above the bar in the center of the room, trying to ward off the tightness in his throat. Few couples drew his admiration like Charlie and Linda. Now he understood how fortunate they were to share such an intense love within their marriage.
Not everyone had that opportunity.
As these thoughts filtered through his head, a large television screen flashed to life, commemorating Gil’s time on the football field. He watched as a Dallas linebacker plowed him to the ground early in his career.
“Ouch.” Gil cringed from embarrassment as those in the room tittered with amusement. One of the linebackers razzed him from the bar. “That’s the way to take one for the team, hey Gil?”
Gil raised his drink to his teammate and grinned.
His coach then stood in the center of the room and tapped his champaign glass. “If I can have everyone’s attention, I’d like to propose a toast.”
The room came to hush.
“I’ve had the privilege of having Gil McCray on my team for a good long while. We all know that in this sport, superstars come and go, but Gil’s managed to stretch out his career for fifteen years — no easy accomplishment in this day of instant fame and instant replay.” He chuckled, as did many in the crowd.
“Our team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year,” he went on. “but as many of you know, it’s not how many games you win, it’s how you play the game — and even more important, how you live your life when the game’s over. We’re all going to miss you, Gil — me probably the most. So, here’s to one of the finest quarterbacks I’ve ever coached.” He lifted his glass to Gil in a toast.
“May your retirement be rewarding and your future a blessing to you and to those you love. And may you never forget how quickly time passes.” Coach’s eyes narrowed in on him, and Gil understood well the implied message.
“Here, here,” the people around him chanted and sipped their drinks.
Gil stood from the table and strode over to his old friend. He squeezed Coach’s shoulder with affection. “Thanks for the kind words. I only hope the years will be as good to me as they’ve been to you,” Gil said. Then from the corner of his eyes, he saw her.
Easing through the crowd in a black, satin lace dress that clung to her curves and hung slightly off her shoulders was the doc — his Doc.
For a secon
d he doubted his vision, but as she neared, there was no mistaking her identity. Mattie’s long, red curls draped loosely about her face and drew his attention to the string of pearls that graced her neck.
He’d never seen her look so beautiful.
“Will you excuse me please,” he told his coach, unable to take his eyes off Mattie. He reached her in seconds.
“You came.” He caught her hands and stared into her eyes, the sweet scent of roses captivating him. “What changed your mind?”
Mattie offered a sheepish grin. “Clara helped me see the error of my ways.”
Gil wondered at her meaning. “But . . . when . . . how did you get here?”
Charlie came up beside them and introduced himself. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Dr. Evans. Was the limo ride satisfactory?”
Gil’s gaze darted to his friend, who stood there with a definite smirk. “You knew about this?”
Charlie winked at Mattie. “Dr. Evans phoned me last night after she’d made her plane reservations and told me everything. After that, I was happy to arrange her accommodations.”
“How did you know to call Charlie?”
“You left your invitation with your dad. It listed Charlie’s number.” Mattie’s eyes shone with satisfaction.
Gil gripped Charlie’s hand, overcome with gratitude. “Thanks for looking after her.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
Gil returned his attention to Mattie. Despite their argument, and her abhorrence for the city, she’d traveled all this way for him.
So beautiful.
His chest swelled with emotion. Oh yes, this woman was worth the risk involved. He knew that now. He’d risk just about anything if Mattie would return the affection he felt for her.
“I’m thinking the two of you probably need a few minutes alone.” Charlie’s voice echoed in Gil’s ears as though spoken from a distance. The woman had enraptured Gil’s senses.
He grasped her arm and led her to a quiet spot by a window overlooking the white lights of the city. “The last time we spoke, you were determined not to join me. In fact, I thought we were finished.”
Mattie looked out the window. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you the other day. I behaved like a switch-tailed mare. Spoiled and unwilling to give an inch. But I was wrong. I want you to know I’m here for you.”
“I scared you with my talk of California. I’m not used to people telling me no.” Gil tipped her chin to see into her sparkling green eyes. “You’re gorgeous with your hair down. It reminds me of the first time I saw you on Dad’s mare, with your curls blowing behind you in the wind.”
He swept his hand about the room and heard the juiced notes of a jazz orchestra. “Your being here makes all of this worthwhile. Do you know how close I was to leaving?”
She smiled, and Gil’s joy radiated all the way to his toes.
“I’m glad you stayed. Who else would give me a tour of this big city?”
Gil considered all the places he’d grown to love that he wanted to show her — Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Union Square, and of course the stadium. “We can start that tour right now.” He pointed out the window to a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
A waiter passed by with a plate of hors d’oeuvres. “Are you hungry?” Gil stopped the man and reached for a slice of pumpernickel topped with smoked salmon and chive cream cheese.
Mattie selected a piece of goat cheese on brioche with fruit chutney. Gil also grabbed one from the plate before the waiter left, his appetite returned now that Mattie was by his side. “Shall we mingle and see what else they have?”
At her nod, he took Mattie’s elbow and guided her around the room, introducing her to his friends and teammates. To his surprise, he found the mayor in attendance as well as the team’s owner and a dozen Super Bowl champions.
The two stopped at an ice sculpture of a quarterback passing a ball. “How does it make you feel, knowing they did all this for you?” Mattie stared at the replica and a mix of emotions crossed her face. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in your shoes. This entire city worships you.”
Gil shook his head. “It’s the image they love. You should have seen what they did for Montana. Now he was a man they loved.”
Mattie bit the corner of her lip. “I have to admit, most of the time when I’m with you, I don’t know how to feel. You’re a celebrity, even in our hometown, but when we’re at the ranch . . . when it’s just the two of us, you’re a normal person.” She stared down at her hands.
“That’s nice to know. There for a second, I thought maybe I was made of ice.” He tried to ease her embarrassment.
She gazed up with a spark of hope. “I’ve only known you a short while, yet you know my fears — my deepest hopes and dreams. Sometimes you make me so mad, and then at other times I think I’ve found my soul mate.”
Gil drew back at her words. But wasn’t this what he’d hoped for — to gain Mattie’s affections? Why then, did he suddenly feel like the world’s worst heel? He knew exactly why. Soul mates didn’t keep secrets, and they didn’t lie to each other. He should have told her about Jenna a long time ago, but he didn’t. If he told Mattie now, there was a good chance he’d lose her for good, soul mate or not.
THIRTY-FIVE
THE HESITATION ON GIL’S FACE CAUSED MATTIE TO REGRET HER RASH confession. She should have held her tongue. Waited to see how he felt before throwing all of her sentiments out on the floor before him.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said. “I’m not sure I’m worthy of your hard-earned trust.”
“What do you mean?” She clutched his lapel, wanting so much to reach out to him. “You’re caring, honest, dependable. You have problems with your dad, but who doesn’t have issues?”
“I’m not perfect, Mattie.”
“I never said you were.”
He cupped his hand over hers and concern filled his eyes. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go down and get some fresh air.” He laced his fingers through hers and pulled Mattie through the crowd of guests, shaking hands with well-wishers as they went out.
“What about your party? You can’t just leave.” Mattie worked to keep up in her high heels and narrow skirt.
Gil waved to Charlie and a few other friends. “In another thirty minutes, they won’t care if I’m here or gone.”
They took the elevator to the lobby, and Mattie adjusted her ankle straps, conscious of the low neckline on her dress.
“Everything all right?”
Mattie straightened and pulled on the hem of her skirt, which kept riding up from her knees. “I’m not used to such a fancy dress — borrowed it from Clara.”
He leaned closer, and the crisp scent of his aftershave wrapped itself around her. “Quit fussing. You’re gorgeous.”
The elevator doors opened to reveal the luxurious lobby adorned with giant crystal chandeliers. “Would you like to see Fisherman’s Wharf?”
Mattie’s sandals already pinched her toes, and her feet ached from the high heels. “How much walking will that involve?”
“Wishing you had your boots?” He grinned, then whirled her through the revolving doors and down the hotel steps. As they neared the sidewalk, the cable car’s bell clanged right before it stopped.
Gil grabbed a pole and hopped onto the running board. He swung Mattie up to join him, his hands clasping her arm and waist. Her heart raced at his touch, and she hoped he’d never let go.
But he did, and they settled in for the ride. “Your team really loves you,” she said. “What made you decide to retire?”
Gil took a moment before answering. “My age, my aching shoulders and knees.” He looked thoughtful. “It’s time to start the next stage of my life. I’m nearly forty years old. I want what Charlie has — a loving home, a wife, family. I crave these things even more since I met you.”
Despite the cool breeze, Mattie’s cheeks warmed at his directness. “You don’t mince words, do yo
u?” She rubbed her arms as goose bumps prickled her skin.
Without a word, Gil removed his tuxedo jacket and placed it around her shoulders. “Life’s too short for games.”
She clutched his jacket, intensely aware of his arm resting on her back. His face hovered over hers, and she gazed into his eyes. “I don’t want to play games, Gil.”
“Neither do I.” He leaned closer, then paused as though waiting for permission. “And you know I don’t like to take no for an answer.”
Mattie closed her eyes and gave her consent. She pressed her lips to his in a kiss that made her thoughts swirl and turn to mush.
Maybe the two of them could work out their differences. Maybe God had plans for her and Gil, and maybe her visit to California would reveal those plans. It made perfect sense, especially when she considered how much she fought the trip and then how easily the arrangements came together, despite lack of time and money.
His finger trailed down her cheek and lingered on her lips, causing her skin to smolder. Then he enclosed her in his arms and kissed her again, this time with more fervency and passion. His kiss ignited a flame in her heart that threatened to consume her.
The bell above them clanged, and she broke from his embrace.
After a few seconds, she touched her mouth where his lips had been and struggled to think clearly. “Okay . . . so we agree we share an attraction . . . and that we’ve at least considered the possibility of a future. But you have to admit, our situation isn’t perfect.” The cable car lurched over a hill and headed down a steep grade. Mattie gripped the iron handlebar to hold her balance.
Gil reached out to steady her. “As I mentioned, there’s a lot you don’t know about me — things you should know.” His voice murmured softly in her ear.
“You’re a football star — I’m sure you’ve seen and done things that would turn my cheeks red.” Again, she swayed with the movement of the car and brushed against Gil’s shoulder. “I’m more concerned with our regional differences. My home is in Kansas.”
“And mine is in California.”
Snow Melts in Spring Page 17
