"I will hire you and put it in writing that you have final approval. I promise you, Francesco Giordano hurts no one. I am an honest man. Hurting that town would mean hurting you, which would mean I'd hurt Katherine and my son. Rosie would fall out of love with me. I will never allow that to happen."
Andy stretched his hand out. “I’m in!”
“I’ll be seeing you in Prairie, Andy.”
The nurse came in with a lunch tray and sat it in front of Andy. He lifted the lid. “This stuff isn’t even food!”
“Andy, you must understand that you have to be healthy in order to take on a business venture that will last for years to come. If you don’t take care of yourself, there’s no point in doing any of this. Katherine needs you.” Francesco stood up, reached over and grasped Andy’s hand again. “I’ll talk to you soon. Enjoy your lunch and get strong. We have lots to do.”
“Yes, Sir!” Andy watched as Francesco left the room. He hadn’t been expecting much out of this life. Now, I’ll have a new one!
Daniel was walking hand in hand with Katherine in the direction of the hospital. He stopped to answer his phone.
“Daniel!”
“Father, I’m so glad you called. I have so much to tell you.” Daniel smiled at Katherine.
“Actually I’m in Prairie at the farm, and I have a lot to tell you also. But I wondered if you could fly back to New York with me. In five days the business will be yours, so we need to go to my office. Can you fly back with me?”
“Are you leaving now?” Daniel looked at the curious expression on Katherine’s face.
“I’m driving back to Nashville and having a bite to eat first.”
“Let me call you back in just a few minutes.”
“Is something wrong?” Katherine asked when Daniel hung up the phone.
“Sweetheart, I have to go back to New York. Will you come with me? The final arrangements need to be made regarding Giordano Seas. I don’t want to be away from you.”
“Let me talk to my uncle, then we can go pack our things. I’m not going to live my life through other people anymore.” Daniel bent down to taste her sweet lips. His smile was wide.
Katherine and Daniel walked into the hospital room and heard someone whistling.
“Uncle Andy! You’re very happy today. I haven’t heard you whistle like that since I was a little girl.”
“Daniel, your father is amazing. He’s a great man.” Andy gave Katherine a big hug and shook Daniel’s hand.
“Yes, he is indeed an amazing man. Did he call you?”
“No, my boy, he came to visit me. You won’t believe what he’s offered. Seriously, you’re not going to believe this.”
Daniel and Katherine sat down and listened to Andy recite the words from Francesco. The enormous love and respect that Daniel and Katherine felt for both men was evident.
“Uncle Andy, that’s wonderful! Are you excited?”
“Katherine, it’s been many years since I looked forward to the next day. Now, I’m actually looking forward to the next chapter of my life!”
“And I’m looking forward to mine. I want to ask you if you’d be okay if I left with Daniel to go to New York. He has some business he needs to take care of. You were right, Daniel’s my home. Thank you.”
“Oh?” Andy was clearly puzzled.
“You gave me the courage to open up my heart. I did, and Daniel and I are very happy together. So thank you!” Katherine embraced her uncle, whose coloring had greatly improved.
“Katherine, I don’t need a babysitter in here, I have plenty of them. Go to New York, get married and start a family. I’ve already told you not to waste time with someone you love.”
“Andy, did you want to come to New York and recuperate? We would really like to spend as much time with you as we can.” Katherine noticed that Daniel was wearing his business face. She knew he meant what he said.
“I can’t travel for a few weeks, but when I can I’d love to come and visit. But my home is in Prairie.”
“I can live with that. Seems like you and Francesco have a lot of plans, and I’m very excited for you.” Katherine squeezed Daniel’s hand as she felt a huge burden get lifted from her shoulders.
“I’m not going to close the bar until the other one is opened. That will take some time, but at least the folks will have something to look forward to. Francesco is only hiring people in Prairie, unless the work projects become bigger. Daniel, your father has made me a very happy man.”
“Andy, how about we have someone else do the work at the bar, that way you could just do some management. You also have to eat better, don’t forget.”
“Daniel, I’ll look for someone but I can’t right now. I don’t have any money to pay them!” Andy let out a boisterous laugh, but Daniel didn’t miss the shame on his face.
“No, I’ll hire someone for you. Not unless you have a person in mind.”
“There is a man named Gary Hitchingham. He’s a local farmer who couldn’t afford to keep his family fed. He works three minimum wage jobs to support his wife and four children. They barely scrape by. I’m afraid he wouldn’t make much money working at the bar.”
“He will indeed make money, and so will you. Give me his number and I’ll offer him the job. You’ll definitely live comfortably while we build up that land. Everyone in the Giordano family is taken care of. That includes you.”
“I don’t understand this, really. You and Katherine are only dating, and yet you and your father consider me family.”
“Trust me, Andy. In our hearts, you’re family. But Katherine and I have to get going. My father is waiting for us in Nashville. We’ll call you soon to check on you, and if any problems arise or you aren’t getting the attention you should be given in here, we’ll be on our way back in a flash.”
“Katherine, you need to marry this man. He has a good heart.”
Daniel looked at Katherine’s face as she blushed. That's exactly what he had in mind.
Chapter 16
When Francesco saw his son’s face, the look in his eyes, he knew it was because of Katherine. Their love for each other was never hidden, and he was happy to finally see his son have his heart belong to someone.
When the jet took off, they discussed the plans for the land, and he even told them about his engagement to Rosie. They wanted to have a wedding on Christmas day because he felt like that would be the greatest gift to one another. They planned it for next year, and Rosie was excited to make her own dress. He asked Daniel to be his best man.