Page 51 of Wilde Flame

I nodded and looked back toward my brother and uncle. They had almost gotten all the cattle into the pasture. “I don’t know why I can’t open my heart. The thought of doing it…I don’t want to go through that kind of pain again.”

“You called it. Love is definitely complicated. But it’s also one of the most beautiful things in this world, Caden. It’s a deep commitment between two people, and it’s not just about sex.”

“Dad,” I groaned.

He smiled. “It’s about intimacy, and the need for the person you love to always be safe and happy.” He placed a hand over his heart. “A deep connection in here, and it’s not fleeting. It’s about wanting to see the person you love succeed at everything they do. It’s empathy, commitment, trust, and most importantly…honesty. It’s selfless, yet passionate. It’s patient and kind. It’s a partnership that can teach us so many things, son. How to grow, trust, heal.

“Love is the most powerful emotion we have. And when it’s true, it doesn’t lie, steal, or cheat. Sometimes when we think we feel it, but it’s simply another emotion disguised as love. Let me ask you something about Rachel.”

I exhaled. There was no use in trying to get him off the subject until he’d said what he came here to say. “Ask away.”

“Why did she say no when you asked her to marry you?”

Laughing, I replied, “Shit, Dad. Just straight to the point?”

He tipped his cowboy hat at me. “Only way I know how.”

I looked back over the ranch that I loved with my whole heart. “She thought I’d be getting the ranch once Grandpa passed, and that I’d sell. Move out of River Falls and start a new life.”

“That’s what she wanted.”

“Yeah, that’s what she wanted.” I faced him once again. “It took me almost a year afterward before I could fully accept that she never wanted anything but her own happiness. Maybe I always knew that, but didn’t want to see it. Maybe I subconsciously thought if I waited long enough, she’d come around. I know I’m better off without her, Dad. I know that.”

“Does your heart know that? If she showed up today and asked you to take her back, would you?”

My mind instantly conjured an image of Lilibeth. Her beautiful, smiling face looking up at me after we’d made love. It surprised me for a moment, that mental image. Especially after what my father had just asked.

“No.”

“You didn’t hesitate to answer.”

“Because I know in my heart she isn’t what I want.”

His brows raised. “Is there someone you do want?”

My heart nearly answered for me. “No. At least, not right now.”

He smiled. “You’ll know, Caden. Trust me, you’ll know. It’ll happen when you least expect it, and when it does, you’ll be knocked off your feet.”

“Like you were with Mom?”

“Like I was with your mother. The greatest day of my life, other than the day you kids were born, was the day I laid eyes on that woman. She’s my heart and soul.”

Gatlin’s whistle caused us both to turn and look in his direction. One of the calves had gotten loose, and I wasn’t paying any attention.

“Let’s see how your roping skills are,” my father said with a smirk.

“Is that a challenge, old man?” I asked, as I pulled up my rope.

Before I even knew what was happening, my father took off.

I kicked Draco’s sides and quickly caught up to my father. Unfortunately, he beat me to it, had already roped the calf, and was leading her back toward the pasture gate.

Gatlin laughed as we rode up. “You still got it, Dad.”

“He never lost it!” Uncle Mike added.

After the calf was reunited with her mother, my father turned to us. “Finish up here. Your mother will be expecting everyone up at the house in a few hours.”