Valaquez Bride (18 page)

The next Tuesday afternoon, Juliet decided to go riding.
For a day in mid-June, it was only moderately hot. Though the sun
blazed down as usual, a brisker cooling breeze drifted across the Vega
plain. And Juliet felt a great need to escape the
casa
.
It had been four days since her encounter with Raul at the house in
Granada, and though she hadn't spoken to him alone since then, she
still felt very vulnerable whenever she saw him. The memory of that
day's events seemed almost a tangible thing between them and, now, his
every glance in her direction made her look away shyly. She simply
wasn't worldly enough to smile blithely at a man who knew with such
certainly that he would become her lover someday.

She had tried telling herself that she simply wouldn't
allow him to become her lover but such resolutions were rather
meaningless, considering how she invariably responded to him. In that
bed with him on Friday, she had come so close to complete surrender
that now she was afraid to be alone with him again.

After dressing in jeans and a cool knit tank top, Juliet
waylaid the housekeeper in the hall outside her room. When they had
confused each other thoroughly by speaking in a pidgin mixture of
fractured English and Spanish, Juliet had comprehended enough to know
that Raul was busy in his office. Relieved that there would be little
chance of running into him out on the grounds of the estate, she went
back through her room, down across the courtyard, and on to the
stables. No one was there, not even the stable hand. Passing between
the double rows of stalls, she admired each of the perfectly groomed
horses that were napping the lazy afternoon away. The fresh smell of
grain reminded her of the riding lessons she had taken in boarding
school. Twelve years old and rather small for her age, she had always
been intimidated by the sheer size of the animals. Now, though she was
no longer afraid of horses, she chose to ride the golden mare in the
last stall because she knew her to be gentle and easily managed.

Florera whinnied softly and tossed her cream-colored mane
as Juliet surreptitiously fed her a lump of sugar, all the while
glancing around, hoping she wasn't being observed. She felt sure Raul
wouldn't appreciate her giving such unwholesome treats to one of his
thoroughbreds, though she didn't see what it could hurt to do so
occasionally. After slipping a bridle over the mare's sleek, fine-boned
head, Juliet led her out of the stall and saddled her herself, inhaling
the rich leather scent of the gleaming saddle. As she bent down to
adjust the stirrups, Florera playfully nudged her derriere, probably
hoping to discover more sugar in the back pockets of her jeans. The
soft brown nose, however, nudged a bit too hard. Caught off balance,
Juliet had to grab for the saddle to keep from falling and,
unfortunately, just at that moment, Raul entered the stable, smiling
indulgently at her very unequestrian pose.

Feeling clumsy and inept and very nervous now that he was
here, Juliet steadied herself with as much dignity as she could muster.
She returned his smile wanly, unnecessarily smoothed her hair, then
hooked her thumbs in her back pockets. "I was about to go for a ride,"
she murmured, though that fact was perfectly obvious. "You don't mind,
do you?"

Shaking his head, Raul walked toward her, his muscular
thighs straining the khaki fabric of his pants with each long stride.
In a safari shirt with the top two buttons unfastened, he looked more
approachable somehow, less menacing, and as Juliet finally managed to
get her breathing under control, he stopped close in front of her. "I
don't mind if you go riding. But I would like to talk to you about
something first." When she inclined her head agreeably, he propped his
elbows on the top railing of the stall and leaned back slightly, his
dark gaze never leaving her face. "The manager of your bank called me
this morning, knowing that Will is recuperating here. He was afraid
maybe Will didn't realize you had withdrawn four thousand dollars from
your account. I told him I would take care of the matter so that's what
I'm doing. Would you care to tell me what you need four thousand
dollars for?"

Juliet was incensed. "He had no right to divulge my
transaction with his bank," she said indignantly. "That's privileged
information and he could be in a lot of trouble for being such a
blabbermouth."

"He was only thinking of Will," Raul said patiently. "And,
besides, you're avoiding the question. Why did you withdraw that much
money?"

Gesturing impatiently, Juliet turned around, pretending to
adjust a stirrup but Raul wouldn't allow her to escape his inquisition
so easily. Lightly gripping her arm, he turned her back around to face
him again.

"Obviously, you didn't buy yourself a new car with the
money or I would have noticed," he said, his voice deceptively low.
"And unless you bought a very expensive piece of jewelry, I can't
imagine what you did with four thousand dollars. Or maybe I can.
Perhaps you gave it to your boyfriend, Benny."

Juliet clenched her hands into fists at her sides. "Benny
is
not
my boyfriend."

"But you did give him the money," Raul said tersely.
"Didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" she retorted. "What business is it of
yours? Why should you care what I do?"

"I care that you're still so attached to him," Raul said
grimly. He widened his stance, resting lean brown hands on his hips.
"Don't you wonder what kind of man would take so much money from a
young woman?"

"A desperate man!" Juliet shook her head, something like
disappointment darkening her amber eyes. Turning away from him, she
took up the reins, thrust her left foot in the stirrup and propelled
herself up onto the saddle, where she sat for a moment, small chin
outthrust as she looked down at him. "I guess I was mistaken in
thinking you could be a compassionate person. In case you haven't
noticed, Raul, not everybody in the world is as wealthy as you. Benny
certainly isn't and to keep Holly in the hospital, he has to pay the
bill. He didn't want to take that four thousand dollars; I practically
had to force him to. And finally he accepted the fact that he really
didn't have any other choice. So that's the kind of man who would take
money from a young woman—one who's been pushed against the
wall and has nowhere to turn, except to a friend."

Without waiting for Raul's reaction to her explanation,
Juliet tugged on the reins and rapped her heels sharply into Florera's
flanks. Pivoting smoothly, the mare took off in a loping gallop and
Juliet exited the stable without a backward glance. As they headed down
the dusty road that dissected the olive groves, the warm wind whipped
her heated cheeks and lifted her thick russet tresses off her shoulders
so that her hair streamed out behind her. Feeling the need to move
quickly, she urged the mare onward at a faster pace until it seemed
they were literally skimming over the gritty surface of the roadbed.
The horse's swift easy stride somewhat eased Juliet's irritation and
exhilaration took its place. The widely spaced olive trees with their
heavy spreading branches provided patches of blessed shade on the
sun-dappled road. So it wasn't until they left the groves behind and
the road petered out that Juliet realized she had left her straw hat in
the stable. Though the day seemed cooler than usual, the sun still beat
down on her head until she was beginning to feel uncomfortably hot.
After the wild galloping ascent of the sloping grove, she didn't want
to tire Florera further. She slowed the mare to a trot as they followed
a narrow trail that wound between the hills and outcroppings of rock.
Sun dried grasses swayed in a gentle breeze. This was untamed
Andalusia. Without irrigation channels, vegetation was sparse. The
grayish-brown earth only hinted at green and solitary trees were
scattered here and there over the landscape. Spying a clump of hardy
yellow-bloomed wildflowers that had sprung up in the shadow of a huge
jagged rock, Juliet pulled back on the reins, bringing Florera to a
halt, then dismounted.

After winding the reins around the branch of a scraggly
bush, she picked one yellow blossom and tucked it into her hair above
her ear. Protected from the full rays of the sun in the shady spot, she
leaned back against the rough rock surface and gazed pensively at the
serrated, saw-like peaks of the Sierra Nevadas. Yet, her enjoyment of
the scenery was marred somewhat by the memory of the confrontation she
had just had with Raul. She plucked a long spike of golden grass, idly
twirling the stem between her thumb and forefinger and as she was
searching her brain for some way to improve Raul's opinion of her, the
man himself came into view.

Astride a large black stallion called Diablo, he rode
toward her, handling the spirited horse with the same seemingly
effortless efficiency he exhibited in everything he did. He wore no hat
but hers swung from the pommel of his western saddle. He didn't look at
her as he dismounted, then tethered Diablo near Florera, giving the
stallion enough rein to graze on the tender shoots of nearby wild
turnip plants. Catching her hat by the ribbons, he allowed it to dangle
from his fingers as he walked to her, diminishing the distance between
them with only a few swift long strides.

As he stood silently before her for a long tense moment,
Juliet swallowed uneasily, but it wasn't the argument they had just had
that made her feel so vulnerable. It was the very real aura of male
magnetism that exuded from him that was disturbing her right now and
she wished he would say something, anything, to ease her tension.

"You forgot your hat," he said at last, his voice without
inflection. But he was very gentle as he adjusted the hat on her head,
then tied the narrow navy grosgrain ribbons beneath her chin. In doing
so, his hard knuckles grazed her jaw and when she drew back
compulsively, his hands dropped down to span her waist. He smiled. "You
should never come out riding without protection for your head. You're
not accustomed to such intense heat and, besides, your fair skin could
easily burn in this sun. And you don't want more than that very
charming sprinkling of freckles across your nose. Do you?"

Though Juliet shook her head, she gazed up at him
bewilderedly, wondering what had caused this turnabout in attitude. And
obviously, her confusion was quite apparent.

"You should have told me why you gave Benny the money
before accusing me of lacking compassion. I'm not a mind reader,
Juliet," he said wryly. "And, frankly, where your friend Benny is
concerned, I seemed to have developed this peculiar intolerance, almost
an active dislike."

"Why?" Juliet breathed, disconcerted merely by his
nearness. "How could you dislike him? You don't even know him."

"I think it's fairly obvious why I'm not fond of him," he
answered cryptically, then shrugged. "Well, anyway, I'm sorry I assumed
he had some frivolous
reason for taking your money. It just never occurred to me that he
needed to pay his wife's hospital bills. But I am well aware that
everyone in the world isn't as fortunate as I am financially. Surely
you don't really believe I live in my ivory tower and never notice
those who have more difficult lives."

"I didn't think you did," Juliet murmured. "That's why I
was so surprised you had no sympathy for Benny."

"As I said, I don't read minds," Raul reminded her. "But
I've said I'm sorry. Do you accept my apology?"

"Of course I do," she answered, happy to do anything that
would preclude another argument with him. "Why don't we forget the
whole misunderstanding?"

"It's forgotten," Raul said softly then abruptly released
her waist to take a step back from her. Slipping his hands into his
pockets, he scrutinized her for several seconds, as if he were
searching for something in her uplifted face. Then those magnificent
green eyes turned away to stare beyond her and he almost sighed. "I
realize now how loyal you are to your friends," he announced suddenly.
"But I also know the extent of your personal finances. And you're not
going to be able to support your friends indefinitely. So what will
they do? Raising a child can be expensive."

"Benny said they'd probably go back to the States after
Holly has the baby. He realizes he'll have to get a permanent job so
they can settle down but he doesn't know what kind of job it'll have to
be. As he said, there's not a great demand for people with master's
degrees in music these days."

"And if they do go home, what about you, Juliet?" Raul
asked very quietly. "Will you go with them?"

Something in his manner made Juliet shift her feet
uncomfortably. "I don't plan to go anywhere until Uncle Will's well
again. After that, I suppose I'll go back to the States but not until
January, when the second semester starts at college." Even as she said
the words, she realized how difficult it would be when she did have to
leave Spain and Raul. Though he didn't return her deep feelings, there
was something comforting about being near him. Yet she couldn't live a
life of leisure with her uncle forever. A girl had to make her own way
these days, she thought rather ruefully, bending her head so that the
rim of her hat concealed her eyes. Suddenly, her heart skipped several
beats as Raul stepped close again, so close that his hard thighs
brushed hers. He cupped her chin in one hand, tilting her face up, his
narrowed gaze again strangely searching as he looked down at her from
his considerable height.

"Will would be much happier if you stayed in Spain," he
almost whispered, his voice appealingly rough. "But I suppose you
wouldn't want to do that?"

Responding to his serious tone, Juliet answered seriously.
"I don't think I could just loaf around forever, letting Uncle Will
support me. Besides, everyone expects young women to take up careers
these days. I wouldn't want to be a misfit."