A Montana Cowboy

“I say I miss you so much, I feel like I’m going mad.”

He could just picture her stomping the floor in one of her spiky high heels. Trace wouldn’t be getting a definitive answer out of her yet. Maybe never. “I love you, too. Phone me when you’ve picked the date to fly over.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Eat dinner and go to bed. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.” But that exhaustion was of the mental kind.

“That’s where I wish we were right now.”

He inhaled sharply. They’d always communicated well in bed. “Then hurry and make arrangements. I’ll pay for your ticket.”

“Papawill do it!”

“You know how I feel about that. I plan to take care of you.”

“We’re not married yet. He can afford it.”

Yes he could. Benito Tornielli, who owned a company that constructed some of the largest cruise ships on the Adriatic, was a multimillionaire who spoiled his children. Trace almost said she would need to get used to living on his salary, but he caught himself in time.

She was so headstrong in favor of spending her father’s money, this was one fight he couldn’t win over the phone so there was no point in trying.

“Good night, Nicci. Come to me soon.”

After they hung up, he lay back staring at the ceiling. Nicci still wasn’t ready to fly over, which made their conversation more troubling to him than ever. She was a fiery, exciting woman who’d been pampered all her life and felt perfectly safe in her sheltered environment.

The accident that had changed his life had shaken her to the core. To live with him in Colorado away from her family was so frightening to her, she couldn’t face it.

He understood. This would ask a lot of any woman from another country. But Nicci wasn’t just any woman. The more he thought about it, the more he feared that marriage to her wouldn’t work unless it was on her terms, which meant living in Italy.

For her sake he’d been wrestling with the idea of being a flight navigator since his injury. But enough time had passed during his recuperation that he knew in his heart it wasn’t what he wanted. He’d expressed that sentiment to Cassie on Tuesday, and to the therapist today. He couldn’t do that job, not even for love. Trace had to be true to himself. His father had taught him that much.

To work for Nicci’s father—to be under his thumb for the rest of their lives—was out of the question. So until she came to the United States to see if they could make a new life here work, then a marriage between them wasn’t possible. She needed to be true to herself, too. Knowing his own mind helped him to deal with matters closer to home.

Trace left the bedroom and walked out to the kitchen to wash his hands. Cassie eyed him. “I was just going to call you to dinner.”

His gaze darted to the table. She’d fixed him a plate of meatloaf and potatoes, but it looked like she was ready to disappear. “Since you’ve gone to so much trouble, why don’t you eat with me?” It upset him that she felt she had to stay away when he was home for the evening.

“I can’t. I have plans. Just leave everything when you’ve finished and I’ll be back to do the dishes.”

An unaccountable feeling of disappointment passed through him as she walked out the front door. He’d looked forward to talking to her. More important however, there was something he needed to discuss with her tonight. After his therapy session he realized it couldn’t be put off.

His plans to sell the ranch had made her circumstances more precarious because she was pregnant. He hated the idea of bringing her added distress, but she needed to know his plans so she could think about making other work and living arrangements.

When he’d finished eating, he cleaned up the kitchen. Still at a loose end, he went to the bedroom for his laptop. After going to the living room, he looked up some real estate websites for Billings. From the long list, one name stood out he recognized. Over the years he’d seen Hawksworth Realty signs around the White Lodge area and figured they must be a reputable company.

While he jotted down the phone number, he heard the front door open and turned his head. The sight of Cassie brought him more pleasure than it should have. “Home so soon? You weren’t gone long.”