by Kristy Tate
She and the girl with her, another brunette, but taller and curvier, were trying on hats and laughing at their reflections in the mirror. Declan stepped to the side so they wouldn’t catch him spying on them.
How did Lizbet always manage to spin him off balance? She wasn’t his type.
“Declan!”
He turned to face Nicole. She hurried his way, her blond hair blowing around her face. He had to remind himself that Nicole was exactly his type, and now that they were both going to Duke there was nothing to stop them from...
From what? He had four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, and at least four years of a residency program ahead of him. And how was he going to pay for it all? He didn’t have the time or money to date.
“Hey.” Even to himself, he sounded flat. When Nicole’s smile drooped, he tried to inject some enthusiasm into his voice. “How are you?”
How are you? Lame. But what should he have said?
“Good,” she answered, her smile brightening. “Beetle, right?” She reached down and rubbed the dog between the ears. “How are you?” she asked the dog. “Does Declan treat you well?”
“He belongs to a neighbor. She broke her hip.”
Nicole smiled up at him. “And you’re helping her out? Wow, that’s so good of you. You’re one of the kindest people I know.”
His smile felt false. He needed to tell her that he wasn’t walking the dog to score brownie points—he did it for money. He opened his mouth to say the words, but nothing came out. He’d much rather be considered kind than poor.
The consignment store door swung open and Lizbet and the other brunette came out carrying multiple shopping bags. Lizbet had ditched the cowboy hat, but she was still wearing the red boots.
“Declan!” she said. “Hey there,” she said to Nicole. “You’re the girl who threw that party, right?”
“Right,” Nicole said with a nod. “Hey, Maria.”
Maria and Nicole hugged while Declan, Beetle, and Lizbet stood watching.
“Are you coming tonight?” Maria asked Nicole.
“Of course,” Nicole said. “Wouldn’t miss it. It’s like a preview of my graduation party—but with better food.”
“If you want my mom’s empanada recipe, just ask,” Maria said.
“It wouldn’t be the same,” Nicole said.
Declan wanted to ask where they were going, but he didn’t want to sound like he was begging for an invite.
Nicole elbowed him. “Are you coming? You should.”
“I wasn’t invited,” Declan said.
“You are now,” Maria told him.
“Are you sure?” Declan asked. “I don’t want there to be a shortage of empanadas.” A shortage of empanadas? Really? Why was it so awkward to be around Nicole and Lizbet? He had a hard time with just Nicole, but somehow having Lizbet around made it a zillion times worse.
“Sure,” Maria said. “My mom will make a sea of empanadas.”
Nicole blinked at him. “Pick me up around eight?”
“Um, okay,” Declan said, hyper-aware of Lizbet’s gaze on his face.
Nicole leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Great! Okay, see you.”
“I guess we’ll see you tonight,” Maria said to Declan after Nicole swung away.
“Where am I going?” Declan asked. He knew he should be elated, but he felt flat and lifeless inside.
Maria laughed and told him her address.
“Just a minute, let me put it in my phone.”
“I’ll do it for you,” Maria said, taking it from him.
Declan met Lizbet’s gaze. He looked away first, feeling guilty, but he didn’t know why.
After he thanked Maria, said goodbye, and pulled Beetle toward the park, he heard Lizbet say to Maria, “I thought she had a boyfriend.”
“So did I,” Maria said.
That was what Declan had thought, too.
#
Music thrummed through the kitchen. Lizbet, who was totally unfamiliar with any sort of ethnic food, was fascinated with Mrs. Hernandez and the way her fingers flew over the empanadas. She tried to help, but it took her five times as long to make than one misshapen doughy ball. She wanted to try taquitos because they looked a lot easier, but Mrs. Hernandez shooed her out of the kitchen and into the thick of the party.
It wasn’t that Lizbet didn’t want to dance, or watch others dance, or watch Nicole drape herself over Declan, it was just that she wasn’t used to so many people gathered in one place.
The dying sun cast shadows over the crowd. She and Maria had spent the afternoon hanging twinkly lights in the trees lining the Hernandez’s’ backyard. Beyond the trees and split-rail fence lay long stretches of pasture. Lizbet wondered how Maria and Matías’s family would feel about a hotel resort moving in next door. She felt guilty for not telling them, but what could she say? My cat told me my aunt wants to turn this place into a ritzy dude ranch? She’d have to find some way to spill the news to both the Hernandez’s and her grandmother.
Or she’d have to find a way to stop her aunt. The idea hit her so hard she choked on her drink. Horchata, she reminded herself. The drink’s name sounded like it belonged to Nicole, or her aunt. Not nice, she scolded herself.
She had no reason to call Nicole a horchata. She seemed like a nice person. So what if she pressed herself up against Declan when they danced? Lots of girls were doing that. Maybe she could ask Matías to turn off the slow songs. She’d helped him pick out the night’s soundtrack, so she really only had herself to blame.
“Want to dance?” Matías’s breath blew across the back of her neck, making her feel ticklish and squirmy.
“Sure, Although, I have to warn you, I’m not very good.”
Matías’s face crinkled in a smile. “You don’t have to do anything but put your arms around my waist and sway.”
He was right, it didn’t look hard. Some of the couples were hardly moving. Still. “Can we stay near the edge, out of the light?” Away from Declan and Nicole?
He shrugged, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms. He felt solid and comfortable. “No one’s going to be watching your dancing,” he said.
“I know. Especially now that we’re in the darkest corner.”
“Doesn’t matter. What I meant was, they’ll be so busy looking at your face, they won’t be watching your feet.”
That was a compliment. She wasn’t sure what to do with it. One quick glance at Matías’s face told her that she was more than a calculus pupil to him. Maybe more than a friend. She wasn’t sure what to do with that, either. She rummaged in her head for something to say.
“Matías, if you knew or suspected something—something big, something that could impact a lot of people, and not in a good way— would you find a way to tell them, even if you didn’t know for sure...” Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the best time to tell him, or anyone, but it did catch his interest.
“Of course. What do you know?”
“Remember, I don’t know for sure. It’s just something I thought I overheard.”
“What is it already?”
She told him about her aunt’s plans.
He pulled away from her as if she’d slapped him. “What do you think about this?”
“I think it’s terrible! Mostly for Elizabeth. I know she doesn’t want to trade her home for a dude ranch.”
“I have to tell my dad,” Matías said, letting her go and turning away.
“Remember...nothing’s sure,” she called after him, feeling sick. “I could be mistaken.” She shouldn’t have told him. She felt like she’d just poured a gallon of lighter fluid on spark and watched it turn into a blaze. What had she been thinking? Now she’d upset not only Matías, but potentially his father as well. And she only had the word of her cat to go on.
CHAPTER TEN
Traditional worship practices are often a part of tribal gatherings with dance, rhythm, songs and trance.
From Declan’s Research
“Wha
t was that about?”
She hadn’t noticed Declan coming up behind her. His voice sent a tremor down her spine. She shook her head, feeling dizzy with remorse. “I’m spreading rumors.”
“Really? Interesting. I want to hear.”
Lizbet looked around for Nicole. She’d been plastered to Declan all night. What had he used to pry himself loose?
“Want to dance?” he asked.
“Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t know how, and I’m terrible at it.” But dancing wasn’t the only thing she was terrible at. She felt awkward and out of place in all social situations. Maybe the island had been the right place for her.
He laughed. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true...I don’t think I can do this.” She waved at the party.
“Define this,” Declan said, concern touching his voice.
“I’m not good with people. I think I probably upset Matías, and I didn’t mean to...”
“He’ll get over it.” Declan’ voice was firm. “Want to go for a walk?”
She breathed out a long sigh. “I would love that.”
He placed his hand on her arm and guided her through a break in the trees. Moments later, they were in the field. The moon skimmed the top of the hills, and the music, while still audible, dropped to a soft background noise.
“I’m not used to so many people,” she admitted.
“I’m used to people, but I don’t always love them,” Declan said.
“But what about Nicole? Aren’t you with her?”
“I picked her up, yes.”
“Don’t you think she’ll miss you?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Right now, she’s too busy toying with Jason. I doubt she’ll notice I’m gone.”
“That’s her old boyfriend, right?”
“Old, new, current—really, it’s hard to say.”
“No, it’s not. It might be hard for you to guess, but for her, all she has to do is say whichever it is.”
He chuckled softly. “True, but right now, she’s keeping everyone guessing.” He shook his head. “Going anywhere with her is a mistake.”
“I’m sorry.” Lizbet bit her lip and laced her fingers through his. She thought he might pull away, but he didn’t.
“What for? You didn’t make me drive to her house and pick her up.”
She smiled. “No, I wouldn’t have done that.”
He pulled her further from the party. The tall grass slapped against her new boots and jeans, but she didn’t care.
“You’re not like other girls.”
“I know. You’ve told me that before.”
He laughed.
“For one thing, I can’t dance.”
“You were doing fine with Matías.”
“You were watching?”
He nodded.
She sighed. “I feel like a giraffe out there—not really sure what to do with my arms and legs.”
“It’s easy, and I promise you, you are the least giraffe-looking girl here.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Not really. I’m about to ditch my date.”
Lizbet cast a quick glance at the trees separating them from the party. It was hard to know what Nicole was thinking or doing, but Lizbet guessed she wasn’t really too concerned about Declan. She, herself, on the other hand was having a hard time being concerned about anyone else.
“Want to dance?” Declan asked.
“What? Here?”
“Why not?” He put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. “This is a perfect place to practice.”
The music turned from a slow jazzy number to something with a faster pulse. Lizbet knew that in order to keep time with the music they needed to do more than shuffle their feet in a long embrace, but she leaned her head against Declan’s chest, listened to the steady beat of his heart, and matched her movements to his.
He cupped her face. His eyes held a question and she knew her gaze couldn’t answer him. She didn’t know what they were doing. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. When he kissed her, she forgot about questions or answers. She wasn’t thinking about Nicole, Matías, Maria, or any of the others at the party through the trees. All her senses drowned in his kiss. She clung to his shoulders, afraid that she might lose track of herself as well. Of all the things that had turned her life upside down in the past few weeks, this was maybe the most earth-quaking, and yet, the best.
By far.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.”
― Francis of Assisi
From Declan’s Research
Lizbet woke late the next morning. The sun had risen hours before, meaning the animals would be snorting and wanting their breakfast. She bounced from the bed, threw on a pair of overalls and a T-shirt, tied her hair up in a bandana, and padded down the stairs. About halfway to the mudroom, she knew they had a visitor.
Lizbet’s Spanish had barely moved out of the taco and burrito phase, but she could tell from Perez’s raised, tense tone that he was unhappy. Lizbet froze as her mind raced. Of course Matías had gone to his father with the news of the dude ranch. She had known that would happen. How could she explain this to Elizabeth? Her shoulders sagged as she walked into the living room, debating how she could fix the mess she’d made.
Wearing jeans, a denim shirt, and a pair of boots, Perez stood near the fireplace wringing a baseball cap in his hands. As she gazed into his weather-beaten face, Lizbet tried to imagine how a neighboring dude ranch would impact him. She knew that Elizabeth and Perez shared pastures.
Elizabeth folded her arms and faced her granddaughter. “Perez tells me that my daughter plans on turning my ranch into a resort and that this information came from you.” Anger and resentment echoed through Elizabeth’s words, but Lizbet knew the anger wasn’t necessarily completely directed at her. “Do you care to share with me how you came to this conclusion?”
“I overheard them talking when they came by,” Lizbet said. “Maybe they had been talking about another ranch. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to say anything to you in case I was mistaken.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. “Were you spying on them?”
“No!” Lizbet gulped. “But sometimes you hear and see things you don’t want to hear or see.”
“Humph. In some cases, and in ones such as this, I prefer spying,” Elizabeth said, turning from Lizbet to Perez. “There is nothing to be done but to confront my Josie.”
“Wait,” Lizbet said, holding up her hands. “Maybe we should wait until we know for sure.”
“And how can we do that?” Elizabeth balled her fists and planted them on her hips.
“I just think that...” Lizbet swallowed, intimidated by Elizabeth’s let’s-fight glare. She cleared her throat and started again. “Why stir up problems without cause? If it’s not your ranch they wish to convert and they were just making comparisons—”
“Do you think that’s the case?” Elizabeth arched an eyebrow.
“No, but...I really think we should give Josie the benefit of the doubt.”
Elizabeth and Perez exchanged glances and a string of incomprehensible words. When their conversation paused, Lizbet quickly added, “If they are planning on converting your ranch and you don’t want them to, don’t you think we should put together a counterattack? I’m sure Josie will have compiled a compelling reason why she thinks you should do this.”
Elizabeth raked her fingers through her hair, letting Lizbet know that her grandmother was not the sit, wait, and strategize sort. She was obviously the kick-butt and ask questions later kind. No wonder she and bossy Josie didn’t get along.
“And how do you suggest we find out Josie’s plans?”
“I don’t know...” Lizbet’s mind grabbed at fleeting ideas, but none of them were good enough to hold on to. Sure, she could send a few furry animals into
Josie’s apartment or office, but they couldn’t read so unless they overheard something, they’d be useless spies. “Let me do some reading on dude ranches. Then we’ll invite her to lunch and just talk to her. We can ask about her plans in general. If she brings up the dude ranch, hopefully we’ll have some persuasive reasons why this won’t work.”
Elizabeth still scowled, but she didn’t look quite so huffy. “I’ll think about it, but I have to warn you, once Josie gets an idea in her head, you need a crowbar to wedge it out.” She jabbed her finger at Lizbet’s chest. “I’m calling and scheduling a lunch right now!” She made this sound like a threat.
Lizbet swallowed. “I’ll do some research as soon as I’m done with the morning chores.”
But the bulk of her research was spent with the animals. The chickens knew nothing about Josie’s plans. The goats were too busy butting heads to carry on any sort of conversation, but the horses were a wealth of information, mostly because none of them wanted to be turned into horses for hire.
“Do you know who was with Josie?” Lizbet asked.
Trotter nodded his head. “She called him Godwin.”
Was it just a coincidence that this Godwin person had been at the ranch and the same hospital as her mom?
“It’s flagrant prostitution!” Angel, the appaloosa whinnied.
Trotter, an Arabian, tossed his head in agreement, sending his silky mane to cover his eyes. “We can’t be expected to trot and tote around any Joe or Jane. All these city-slicker cowboy wannabes, they’re all kick and slap and no sugar cubes.”
“But you know for sure they were talking about this ranch and not some other, maybe even hypothetical, ranch?” Lizbet asked.
“There’s more than this ranch?” Angel neighed, sounding skeptical.
“No.” Trotter shook his mane again, this time uncovering his large black eyes. “This pasture is all there is. I’ve traveled enough to know that beyond this pasture there is endless forest. We are the only horses, and Elizabeth’s ranch is all there is. That’s why so many will come for the pleasure of riding on our backs.”
“It’s true, you are the only horses in Elizabeth’s ranch, but...” Lizbet began.