Page 80 of Big Island Horizons
That easy peace that existed between them had been one of the things that she’d loved most about him. They could climb mountains or sit on the beach for hours, enjoying the beauty of the island and the pleasure of each other’s company without filling the air with useless words.
She felt a prickle of apprehension when they passed a hugeFor Salesign on a quiet stretch of road. Sure enough, he turned up the private driveway and kept going up the hill. There was a solid wall of green jungle to one side of the private road and a vast orchard on the other. Dozens – no, hundreds of lychee trees grew on the gentle slope, all of them covered in green fruit.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Fifty acres,” he replied.
She gaped at the rolling green property as they continued up the hill. It was gorgeous, with several acres of orchard surrounded by pasture that gave way to uncut jungle. If it was really fifty acres, most of it was still uncleared.
“Are you thinking of buying this place?” she asked in disbelief.
“I already did.” Nate grinned broadly at her look of shock as he parked at the top of the hill.
In the distance, she glimpsed a deep blue patch of ocean beneath the clear blue sky.
Nate got out of the truck and circled around to open ‘Olena’s door. She remained where she was, seatbelt on, staring at him.
“You bought it,” she said flatly.
“Yep.” He was still grinning, but there was something else in his eyes. Something deeper and more vulnerable. ‘Olena looked away from him to peer out the front window, then turned to look back over her shoulder.
“Is there a house?”
“No house.” His voice came out in a pleasant rumble, almost a laugh. “I put everything I had into the land, so the house will take some time. I’ll be in that rental in Pualena for a while yet.”
“So… you’re a lychee farmer now.”
“To start.” His grin was so charming that she hardly minded when he reached across and unbuckled her seatbelt. “That’s a profitable business on its own. But I want to diversity, plant more fruit trees. All kinds. Would you come see?”
There was such a deep longing in his voice beneath all that bombastic hope that her body moved on its own accord, out of the truck and up the hill beside him.
“Someday there will be a big house right here,” he said as they reached the summit. “For now, I’ll put a trailer up here that I can use as an office. Remember my dad’s old camper?”
‘Olena blushed. “I remember.”
“Well, I’ve been fixing it up. It’s nearly done. Those lychees should bring in enough money this summer to clear a few more acres and plant more trees. I’m going to keep pouring the profits back into the land for a while. Then, eventually, I’ll build a house.”
“You’re really serious about this.”
Nate took her hands and looked into her eyes, as earnest as she had ever seen him. “I keep trying to tell you that I’m here to stay, Lei. When have I ever lied to you?”
“I didn’t think that you were lying.” She tried to look away, but found that she couldn’t. “I just thought that you’d get tired of the island after a while. Tired of us.”
“I could never get tired of my home or my family. I tried to tell you years ago, that’s not why I left. I just didn’t want to work a nine to five and live in some moldy rental forever. I wanted more than that for our girls, and for you.”
“And for yourself.”
“Is that so wrong? I wanted to build something for our girls, something that would last. And now I can.”
“You missed out on so much. First words, first steps.”
“But I’m here now, for all the rest of it. I’m not going anywhere.” He cupped her face with one hand, so strong and solid that it felt like a shield between her and all the worries of the world. “Would you give me another chance?”
She tried to shake her head but only succeeded in pressing her cheek against the palm of his hand. He leaned down to kiss her, and she let him.
Time seemed to melt and warp; she had no idea how long she spent in his arms. But at the distant rumble of a truck driving up the road, she pulled away.
The huge black truck coming their way looked familiar. It got closer, and she saw her dad behind the wheel. Two little faces appeared out the back window.
