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He had begun to think that today was never going to be over. Since before sunup, the day had felt endless.
Which, he supposed, made it no different from all the others that had come before it in the last few months. His days were stretched to the maximum, filled from beginning to end with work. By the time he finally walked upto the house each evening, Cruz Perez felt as if he barely had enough energy to put one foot in front of the other.
Certainly not enough to sit and talk the way Savannah always wanted to do when he walked in through the front door.
He wished he had the energy she required of him.
He wished she could understand.
Getting the life he wanted for them required a great deal of sacrifice on his part. And part of that sacrifice meant not doing what he would rather be doing.
Which was being with Savannah.
He loved his wife. He really did, he thought as he drove up the winding lane to his house. Loved her with every fiber of his being.
But at the same time, the very sight of Savannah made him acutely aware of all his shortcomings. They came at him from all directions, illuminated with glaring headlights. They made him ashamed, because he couldnât give her what he wanted to give her.
A woman like Savannah deserved to have things, things he couldnât find a way to give her no matter how hard he tried. How hard he worked.
He always knew that running a ranch wouldnât be easy, but he had lusted after it as far back as he could remember. Having a ranch made you your own man, gave you something to make you proud.
If it was successful.
Lately, though, there were more headaches, more bills than there was joy. A lot more.
And then there was the new baby comingâa baby that hadnât been planned.
Lightning certainly did strike twice, he thought, driving his Jeep into the garage. Getting out, he began to walktoward the house. Luke had certainly not been planned. His firstborn had been the result of a night of passion, the kind that most men only dreamed about.
Cruzâs mouth curved as he remembered. Heâd been working for the Fortunes then, with a chip on his shoulder and an army of women trailing after him. Heâd had more than his share, but from the first moment he laid eyes on her, heâd seen something special about the quiet beauty who was Vanessa Fortuneâs friend.
Savannah was genteel, refined, not like the other women heâd bedded. Women who wanted a wild ride with the rebel stallion, who hadnât seen him for who he really was. Savannah had looked into his eyes, and heâd felt that she was seeing things inside of him that he had only been wishing were there.
She made him want to be a better man.
Still, when sheâd left soon afterward, heâd locked her memory away and gone on with his work, being a horse whisperer. Gone on with his life, bedding every willing woman he came across. But even then, Savannah had haunted the perimeters of his mind, making him long for her even though she was an unattainable dream.
After sheâd lost her teaching position in a prim and proper private school, sheâd returned, to work for the Fortunes as the Double Crownâs bookkeeper. Heâd been stunned to see her belly slightly rounded with child. His child, although pride had her denying it at first.
Pride was the one thing they had in common. Her pride wouldnât let him marry her out of a sense of obligation, so sheâd lied to him about the babyâs father. And his pride wouldnât allow Savannah to be married to anyone but a success.
It still didnât.
He was determined to be that success for her. And for his son. Honor demanded nothing less.
Heâd expanded on the original ranchâs one hundred acres, buying more land to the east, planning on having more horses, planning to put the name of La Esperanza on the map. This ranch would never rival in size anything the Fortunes had, but in
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He had begun to think that today was never going to be over. Since before sunup, the day had felt endless.
Which, he supposed, made it no different from all the others that had come before it in the last few months. His days were stretched to the maximum, filled from beginning to end with work. By the time he finally walked upto the house each evening, Cruz Perez felt as if he barely had enough energy to put one foot in front of the other.
Certainly not enough to sit and talk the way Savannah always wanted to do when he walked in through the front door.
He wished he had the energy she required of him.
He wished she could understand.
Getting the life he wanted for them required a great deal of sacrifice on his part. And part of that sacrifice meant not doing what he would rather be doing.
Which was being with Savannah.
He loved his wife. He really did, he thought as he drove up the winding lane to his house. Loved her with every fiber of his being.
But at the same time, the very sight of Savannah made him acutely aware of all his shortcomings. They came at him from all directions, illuminated with glaring headlights. They made him ashamed, because he couldnât give her what he wanted to give her.
A woman like Savannah deserved to have things, things he couldnât find a way to give her no matter how hard he tried. How hard he worked.
He always knew that running a ranch wouldnât be easy, but he had lusted after it as far back as he could remember. Having a ranch made you your own man, gave you something to make you proud.
If it was successful.
Lately, though, there were more headaches, more bills than there was joy. A lot more.
And then there was the new baby comingâa baby that hadnât been planned.
Lightning certainly did strike twice, he thought, driving his Jeep into the garage. Getting out, he began to walktoward the house. Luke had certainly not been planned. His firstborn had been the result of a night of passion, the kind that most men only dreamed about.
Cruzâs mouth curved as he remembered. Heâd been working for the Fortunes then, with a chip on his shoulder and an army of women trailing after him. Heâd had more than his share, but from the first moment he laid eyes on her, heâd seen something special about the quiet beauty who was Vanessa Fortuneâs friend.
Savannah was genteel, refined, not like the other women heâd bedded. Women who wanted a wild ride with the rebel stallion, who hadnât seen him for who he really was. Savannah had looked into his eyes, and heâd felt that she was seeing things inside of him that he had only been wishing were there.
She made him want to be a better man.
Still, when sheâd left soon afterward, heâd locked her memory away and gone on with his work, being a horse whisperer. Gone on with his life, bedding every willing woman he came across. But even then, Savannah had haunted the perimeters of his mind, making him long for her even though she was an unattainable dream.
After sheâd lost her teaching position in a prim and proper private school, sheâd returned, to work for the Fortunes as the Double Crownâs bookkeeper. Heâd been stunned to see her belly slightly rounded with child. His child, although pride had her denying it at first.
Pride was the one thing they had in common. Her pride wouldnât let him marry her out of a sense of obligation, so sheâd lied to him about the babyâs father. And his pride wouldnât allow Savannah to be married to anyone but a success.
It still didnât.
He was determined to be that success for her. And for his son. Honor demanded nothing less.
Heâd expanded on the original ranchâs one hundred acres, buying more land to the east, planning on having more horses, planning to put the name of La Esperanza on the map. This ranch would never rival in size anything the Fortunes had, but in
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