The Forbidden Groom_Texas Titan Romances

by Sarah Gay

  “You need a fork?” Fabiana handed her a fork. “Is that why you haven’t started eating?”

  Fabiana wasn’t joking around. It looked like she took her food serious. Maggie could empathize with that.

  “Yes, a fork is all I need.” Maggie unwrapped the husks and dug her fork in. The steamy masa broke away in chunks like cooled cookie dough. “Thank you.” She smiled up at Fabiana and Veronica to find them eagerly awaiting her first bite. No pressure.

  Maggie brought the fork up to her nose and tried to decipher what spices were used. In tasting food, she could almost always pick out the spices. She had attempted recently to train her nose as well to detect the ingredients. She caught a hint of a familiar aroma, but she couldn’t place it.

  She folded her lips over the fork and moved the warm, savory tamale around her mouth with her tongue before chewing. As she bit into the spicy pork, she closed her eyes and her mind carried her back to a place and time of her childhood she cherished above all other memories, but in this flashback her memory was more vivid, as if it happened in real time.

  The cold water on my toes takes my breath as I stumble along the slippery stones that tumble along the river and over the waterfalls into the magical aqua pools. Abuelita says my eyes are the color of the magical milky blue and green waters. I give a happy yelp as I jump from the ledge and fly through the air until the cool, peaceful water flows around me, over me, and through me. I swim like a happy fish until Hidalgo neighs for me to go. I squeeze the water from my shirt as I run and jump onto Hildalgo’s back. When I reach the stable, mi abuela is waiting. I run into her arms. She doesn’t scold me for being wet or taking Hidalgo. She hands me food instead. She loves me. “Gracias, Abuelita. Te quiero.” I bite down into her specially tamale and…”

  Maggie woke from her powerful dream, or memory; she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. A strong hand found her shoulder as her tears surfaced.

  “I spoke Spanish?” Maggie said in awe to Fabiana who continued to hold her shoulder. “I swam in magical aquamarine waterfalls? And rode my grandmother’s horse?” Maggie rubbed her eyes. “But I couldn’t have been older than four or five.”

  “Chiapas!” Fabiana nodded to Veronica. “I knew it. You’re from Chiapas.”

  “Why do you think that?” Maggie questioned.

  “Some of the most mystical waterfalls in the world are in Chiapas called Aguas Azules. It’s close to the ancient city of Palenque. In that jungle, you can visit the beautiful pyramids of our Mayan ancestors.”

  “Our Mayan ancestors?” Maggie questioned.

  “In the tamales,” Veronica pointed to Maggie’s plate. “My special ingredient is a pepper that only grows in the lush jungle of Chiapas.”

  “Can you teach me how to make more food from that region?” Maggie said through her tears. “I feel like I’ve finally come home.”

  “You know,” Fabiana said with a wink. “Those tamales are Cole’s favorite.”

  The mention of Cole’s name sent a flush of heat through Maggie’s body. She had been successful over the past few days to block him from her mind as she prepared the menus and organized the events. She had decided that she would see if a friendship would work with him. She missed Pineapple and wanted, needed, another connection like that, but she’d wait until she completed this assignment. The job required a level head. She had to be able to focus.

  Alex bolted into the kitchen in a rush. “I just seated a table of twelve. I need three chimichangas—”

  “Ahem!” Veronica cleared her throat.

  “Si? Yes, Tia Veronica?” Alex questioned.

  She waved a metal ladle at him. “Why don’t you ever cry when you eat my tamales?”

  Fear crossed his face before he relaxed into a smile. “Because you work me so hard I never have a chance to eat them.” He took a hot tamale out of the pan, unwrapped the top section and bit down, fanning his mouth from the heat. “Oh, tia!” He pretended to cry. “These are amazing!”

  The metal ladle twirled through the air and bounced off Alex’s arm. He rubbed the site of the hit, pretending as if she’d maimed him. He handed Maggie the ticket. “Can you read this?”

  Maggie read back the order to him. “Yep.”

  “Yes!” Alex exclaimed. “Maggie, I sure hope you don’t leave. Everyone is happier with you around.”

  Pineapple was the only person Maggie knew who brought happiness to others just by being around him. “I’m Pineapple?” she questioned with excitement.

  “Sure,” Alex drawled out, giving her a look like she’d just said something crazy. “You’re a … pineapple.” He laughed as he bounced out of the kitchen.

  11

  Maggie longed for her yellow Jeep as she maneuvered along the windy dirt road ridden with pot holes. She didn’t know how her rental car would handle the gravel, so she kept her vehicle at a slow speed. At least there were no cars ahead of her to kick up dust and impede her sight. She held true to her mantra:

  We are no better than our worst thoughts. Be positive and a positive outcome will follow.

  She could think of nothing but positive thoughts. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming. And what gorgeous flowers! Maggie parked her car in the center of the road and jumped out. An entire landscape of burnt red and yellow blazed in the light of the setting sun.

  Maggie stepped through the wildflower patch with her arms raised to her side and spun in a circle with her face tilted to the sky, reveling in the last rays of sunlight. She had found a corner of heaven.

  She stooped down to admire the hearty desert flowers and their will to survive in the scorching climate. She plucked several flowers and brought them to her nose. They didn’t have much of a scent, but she appreciated their rugged beauty that resembled a red daisy, but with bright yellow pigment painting the tips of their petals.

  She returned to her car with increased hope. She had observed most of the men at the Dallas Dating event she hosted. She hadn’t been particularly attracted to any of them, but they all seemed kind and attentive. Perhaps she had a chance with a simple rancher after all, and life on a ranch like this was exactly what she dreamed of, but could she live without the magnetic attraction that she had felt with Cole? She had to see him again, even if the rancher proved attentive. After this event, she’d swallow her pride and contact Cole.

  Maggie hit a section of washboard bumps in the road. She tapped her finger against the steering wheel and scrunched her lips in thought. This would be a difficult road for a delivery truck to travel. She’d need to call her supplier the moment she reached the ranch, so they would send out the appropriate truck for the terrain when they delivered the supplies tomorrow. She would also be meeting with the film crew first thing in the morning.

  A pump of adrenaline shocked Maggie’s heart as a mountain lion lunged across the road in front of her in one long, muscular leap. She clenched the steering wheel and instinctively slammed on her brakes, throwing her car into a skid until it ultimately rested at a complete stop.

  She sat erect in her chair and breathed in and out of her mouth for a full minute, willing her heart to slow. If she went into cardiac arrest out here, she might not make it. On second thought, maybe this ranch wasn’t the best place to hang her hat. She found comfort in the idea of having neighbors, people who knew when she returned from home from work and kept tabs on her. A small apartment in the city, with a roommate she could teach CPR to, could be ideal.

  She didn’t like where her imagination dragged her, but she couldn’t deny what she had seen as a firefighter either. She knew all too well the dangers of sustaining an injury while alone. With no help from a companion, or even a stranger, chances of survival decreased exponentially.

  She reached the main lodge a few minutes later. The front receptionist’s eyes widened when Maggie gave the elderly woman her name. “Ms. Margarita Suarez?”

  Maggie cringed at the woman’s pronunciation of her name.

  “Yes,” Maggi
e affirmed.

  “You’ve been given the best room in the lodge.” The woman scratched her temple with her pen and wrinkled her brow as if giving Maggie the room unsettled her. “It’s the owner’s private suite, but it looks like he’ll be staying in the guest cabin while you’re here.”

  “Oh, no. I can’t.” Maggie waved her hands, rejecting the offer. “Could you find me a more appropriate room? I wouldn’t want to put him out.” And she didn’t want to “owe” him anything either. Hopefully this guy was a gentleman, but she knew for a fact he was single, and on the prowl—considering he’d attended the Dallas Dating event. “Do you have any other rooms available?”

  “Sorry, but we only have a few rooms, and with the film crew arriving in a few hours, every room will be occupied.”

  Maggie breathed out her resignation as she took the metal key and climbed the stairs to her tower—with a prayer that this guy would be her Prince Charming and not Rumpelstiltskin. She unlocked the door and entered the comfortable room, but it didn’t look like a sterile suite, it looked like a normal bedroom. She placed her backpack on the king-sized bed and rolled her suitcase to the closet. The closet door swung open with ease, demonstrating a full wardrobe of men’s clothing, neatly hung with precision.

  She took a few steps back. This couldn’t be the right room. And if it was, what’s to say this guy wouldn’t knock on her door in the middle of the night looking for his socks or something?

  Maggie grabbed her bags and descended back down the stairs. She avoided knocking every stair with her suitcase but wasn’t successful. After all the ruckus, it didn’t come as a surprise to find the receptionist at the bottom of the stairs with a look of concern on her face.

  “I just don’t feel right in that room,” Maggie began. “I’ll take my bags to the car. When I come back, if we can come up with an arrangement, then I’ll grab them back out. Otherwise, I’m sure I can find a room at a nearby hotel.”

  The golden-aged receptionist simply blinked her eyes and nodded as she took the key back from Maggie.

  Maggie placed her suitcase in her trunk then swung her backpack over her shoulder. Her stomach began to grumble. Thankfully, her backpack safely stashed away her dinner.

  She breathed out a content sigh when she found a rocker on a secluded porch around the corner from the main entrance. There she could sit and enjoy her dinner. She sat and rested the backpack between her legs at her feet as she watched the stars brighten in the clear night sky.

  Maggie hoped that she had made the right decision. If she had any chance of a relationship with this rancher, she may have blown it by refusing to stay in his room. He was probably just being chivalrous by lending her his room, but this guy was still a stranger to her.

  She closed her eyes and listened to how the crickets rang in the first sight of moonlight with their rapid song. The sound of tires on gravel interrupted her reverie. She opened her eyes to three black vans slowing to a stop in front of the front entrance. She watched intently as five men and three women filed out of the vans with their sunglasses still in place. Were they afraid someone would recognize them here?

  “So, what’s the spin on this one?” one of the men asked another. “I forget what we’re going for here.”

  “Idiot playboy tries to catch a high society dame. When she refuses him, he tries to play the ‘I’m a good guy’ card by bringing in all these mentally ill kids but she sees right through him. Something like that. This woman, Josie something, is all over it. Something tells me she’s in it for the fame.”

  “Aren’t they all?” the second man said with a smirk. “Let’s give the viewers what they want.”

  These guys were creeps in the worst sense of the word. Maggie had no idea who the owner of this ranch was or why these guys were trying to smear him, but it wasn’t right. Once the camera crew were all inside, Maggie pulled out her phone and dialed Tori’s husband, Zee. As a documentary executive producer and close friend, Zee would have some good advice for her, and perhaps even lend her a hand.

  “Hey Zee, I need your help. What are the chances you have a few days to join me in Dallas? You know how you’ve been wanting to expose certain reality TV shows for the scripted trash they really are in one of your documentaries? Well, I’ve got the perfect story. And I’ll be in your debt. Maybe watch your precious little girl for you and Tori for a few weeks so you can travel?”

  Zee asked her what was so pressing. She related to him everything she knew, which wasn’t much, but even with the limited information he promised to clear his schedule and catch a morning flight. Zee was her hero.

  “Have I told you how much I love you!” she said before hanging up.

  The receptionist rounded the corner. “Everything okay, miss?”

  “Sorry,” Maggie said shyly. “I hope I didn’t disturb anyone.”

  “No. Not at all. I’m just headed to dinner. I’ll be back in an hour. Have you decided where you would like to stay tonight?”

  Maggie shrugged. “Would you mind leaving the key with me?”

  The receptionist held up the same metal key as earlier. “I thought you would change your mind,” she said with a smile. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

  Maggie sat back down on the swing and dug into her bag for her dinner until a horse’s neigh distracted her. She jumped up and followed the sound to the stables where a middle-aged cowboy removed a saddle from off a mare.

  “She’s beautiful,” Maggie exclaimed, causing the cowboy to nearly loose his footing as he jumped back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Maggie.”

  “Maggie, the chef?”

  She shrugged. “Guess you can call me that.” She winked. “I’ve been called worse. So, what’s her name?” Maggie questioned, stroking the horse’s forehead and side of her face.

  “Lilly.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “We try to give the horses tender names to match their personalities. Lilly here is a favorite amongst the Down syndrome kids due to how gentle she is with them. She’s an amazing therapy horse.”

  “Therapy horse?” Maggie’s heart soared. She loved this rancher already. “Why does your boss do this? It can’t be very lucrative.”

  The cowboy shook his head. “Simple answer: He loves the kids and wants to provide their families with an opportunity to bond with these precious animals and each other through equestrian therapy.”

  “I grew up around horses but don’t have access to them now.” Maggie perked up. “Do you think I might be able to ride her tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow is busy, but how about now? Let me saddle her back up. She knows this trail.” He pointed to a hill. “It’s just a mile round trip.”

  “Sounds fabulous, but you don’t need to saddle her. I prefer riding bareback. I enjoy the connection formed with the horse when riding bareback.”

  “There shouldn’t be any problem riding bareback on such a short ride.” He handed her the reins with a smile. “Enjoy your ride, Maggie.”

  Maggie adjusted her backpack straps to secure a snug fit and used a nearby stool to step up onto Lilly’s back. The first few minutes of the ride were exhilarating, but when she couldn’t see the lights of the lodge, or anything else for that matter, she panicked. Horses typically knew their way home, but would this horse want to go home right away? As the moon rose in the sky, she grew more nervous, not for the horse, they had excellent night vision—for herself. Her only option was to trust Lilly.

  After a few additional minutes, the road curved into a U. Maggie relaxed with the assumption that Lilly was turning back to the lodge.

  The rattling of a snake’s tail stopped Lilly in her tracks. The trail came alive in front of them. Lilly spooked and jumped to the side. Maggie grabbed firm to Lilly’s mane for stability. This would have been a good time for a saddle. Lilly threw her head back and turned when the snake coiled. Lilly bolted in the opposite direction, away from the lodge. Maggie was able to hold on until Lilly made a sharp turn,
causing Maggie to lose her grip and catapult through the air.

  Maggie tensed as she tumbled across the gravel and into the low bushes. Her arms and legs stung as the blood began to drip from her road rash, but she didn’t have any sharp pain. She sighed out her relief as she sat up and verified that she hadn’t sustained any breaks.

  Not only were the crickets louder tonight than Maggie had ever experienced, a team of frogs added to the crickets’ chorus. By the frogs’ presence, she guessed that water was close by. As she walked back along the road heading toward where she believed was the lodge, she reevaluated her injuries. She had gotten scraped up in the gravel pretty good and wasn’t looking forward to scrubbing the tiny rocks out of her flesh when she got back to her room. She prayed she wouldn’t run into the film crew as they tested their cameras for tomorrow. She preferred her tumble not be part of their story.

  The stench of rotting animal overcame her. She slapped her hand over her mouth and nose as she peeked behind a bush to find a half-eaten deer. With immediate nausea threatening to stop her in her tracks and heave, she pushed on. She had to get away from the area to prevent meeting the animal that killed that deer. At least she was wearing neutral, dark clothing that blended with her surroundings. She wouldn’t want to be mistaken for prey, especially not the prey of a mountain lion.

  Maggie picked up her pace when she had the eerie feeling of being watched. That apartment in the city was looking better by the minute.

  12

  Cole gripped the steering wheel of his truck as he approached a section of the road with skid marks in the dirt. He pulled to the side of the road and hopped out, half expecting to see a dead deer in the field.