“Jovi, it’s not a matter of control. It’s my property and my name. If there’s ever another ‘business’ meeting with some law official, I’d like to know. And be included,” she said crisply.
“Suits me.” He watched as she reached a hand up to massage the tense muscles at the base of her neck.
“Let me,” he offered, stepping close and cupping her chin with one hand while he kneaded her neck with another. “I suppose that inviting you in for more tea would be pointless?”
She sighed, opening her eyes again and reluctantly stepping away from his soothing fingers. “Pointless,” she agreed. “The girls are probably wondering where I am.” She turned to go, wishing fervently that their afternoon together had ended differently. Much differently.
“Jovi — don’t hide things from me again,” she warned as she reached for the knob. “Deception and dishonesty — I don’t deal with them.”
He shrugged off her admonishment. “Deception and dishonesty weren’t involved here, Dell. I was just earning my salary. My job is running the ranch.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think you’re right.”
“Right? About what?” Dell asked, pulling the door open.
“Right about waiting to have any more of that tea. I need to go help Pete with feeding and be sure Danny’s pulling his weight.” He glanced around. “As late as it is, I’m sort of surprised not to see Rosa or one of the girls here looking for you.” He bent to touch her lips with his own, and the gesture was at once sexy and full of tender concern.
“Take care, Dell. We’ll talk again later.” Without giving her a chance to respond he clattered off the porch and headed across the drive to the barn.
• • •
The next morning, Dell’s fingers flew over the computer keys, and she hummed under her breath as she typed. Getting back to work had been easier than she had anticipated — almost as easy as letting the idea take root and acting on it. In spite of downturns in tourism to Mexico, there was still so much traffic between Laredo and points south that several of the largest brokerage firms in Laredo were chronically short-handed. It was difficult convincing some of the freight-forwarding firms that she wasn’t applying for a regular job with them, but that she wanted to help develop contacts and work with various Mexican businesses right from the privacy and comfort of her own home.
The incident with Jovi still bugged her when she took time to think about it. She had been on her own for years and certainly didn’t need his misguided paternal protection. She had also wondered, after the fact, why the agent had come at all. Didn’t the Drug Enforcement Agency officers cloak themselves and their missions in secrecy? Why would one have come forward to admit the ranch was being watched? Even given that Jovi had worked for the agency, she didn’t think he could have any connections here in Laredo that warranted receiving special information from his ex-colleagues. He hadn’t been stationed in Laredo, anyway, but in Florida. The DEA probably hadn’t wanted to speak to him, but to her. She was the property owner, after all. A slight frown twisted her lips when she thought of how easily Jovi manipulated situations.
Still, she had little time to dwell on her reservations. When she contacted several local firms she had worked with in the past, the demands on her time were immediate. One of the firms, Garza y Landin, was in the midst of an ambitious expansion from Nuevo Laredo into Monterrey. The owners were from Mexico City and had put the manager of the Laredo office in charge of finalizing details for office space, staff, and the actual physical movement of several pieces of equipment.
Dell hadn’t really wanted to accept overseeing that sort of an operation. As she told the harried Laredo manager, she had lost any real awareness of the Monterrey labor and real estate market. But he insisted he could use her just to handle the Laredo end and make general recommendations, and she knew a reliable employment agency in Monterrey, which seemed to ease the manager’s mind almost immediately.
Given the value of computers and the Internet, with newer satellite technology thrown in, she wound up being helpful to the manager without having to drive down to Monterrey, which she had been willing, if not eager, to do. When she finally hung up from a lengthy call to the employment agency, where she had renewed some old acquaintances as her call was channeled, she couldn’t help smiling in satisfaction. The sense of accomplishment and the anticipation of new challenges were invigorating. Going back to work seemed financially prudent, if not really a matter of urgency, but the pleasure in accomplishing what she set out to do so easily was rewarding in itself.
“You look happy,” Rosa remarked as she came into the study carrying a glass of freshly made lemonade.
“I got a lot done without much time or effort,” Dell admitted. “It feels good to actually work again.”
Rosa sniffed. “I’d call the girls work,” she pointed out. “When it wasn’t one thing it was another, when you started helping that judge friend of yours. And then the horses — ”
“It seems all I’ve done recently is watch the girls and attend functions with this person or agency or that. Not that I’m complaining,” she added quickly, aware Rosa still didn’t really approve of having the girls at the ranch. Rosa might enjoy the girls’ company, but she wouldn’t admit it.
Rosa made another faint sound of disavowal and patted Dell’s arm. “Well, as long as you enjoy yourself. People should do what they like best. Which is why” — she made a face — “I’m going to go tackle the laundry.”
“Get the girls to help you,” Dell suggested. “They need to learn.”
“No, no. I don’t mind it too much. I just put it in the machine, anyway. The only part of it I don’t like is sorting it. Selina would help — she always does. Amy and Michelle do a lot. Maribel’s face would curdle cow’s milk, so forget that.” Rosa shook her head. “No way in the world I ask la princesa Becky to sort. Nothing would ever match again!”
Dell laughed. Becky did enjoy separating and taking apart more than she liked to put things up. “Well, all right. But don’t spare the girls if you need help. Three of the four don’t mind, and the other needs it the most.”
Rosa went out, and Dell sat for a minute, trying to decide what to do next. Finally she decided she’d walk down to the barn and see how the horses were. She had no intention at all of seeing how Jovani Treviño was doing, she told herself. Nevertheless, she found herself checking her makeup and hair in the hall mirror on the way out.
• • •
The barn was quiet and shadowed when she went in. Some of the horses had been let out to roam the pastures, while others dozed, waiting for feeding time. She stopped, as she always did, to pet Carbón’s graying head.
“Old lug,” she crooned, and went into his stall. “You should be out to pasture, not hogging the best box in the barn.”
He snorted disdainfully, and she laughed and scratched his ear, knowing in spite of his rugged nature, she’d never have the heart to turn him out. She wondered if she should saddle him up and see what he’d do. Becky loved to ride when Allison Gonzalez came over, or when Dell had time to swing up on a horse and carry her around, but Carbón had once been gentle and safe. Maybe Becky could ride him on her own in the near future. If the old guy didn’t mind. Dell had heard often enough that horses were actually a better choice for children than ponies. Ponies could be as obstinate as mules, and more devious. Still, it wasn’t nearly as long a fall from a pony, she acknowledged, grinning. She’d certainly had her share of falls from both distances, but coming off Carbón hadn’t hurt quite as much, if she remembered correctly.
Still smiling, she opened the door, half turning to give the pony a final pat and push him gently back, since he wanted to follow her out, and she walked right into Jovi.
He was leading one of the Arabians, a fidgety bay mare who reared and tried to pull away, but he somehow m
anaged to hold the temperamental horse with one hand while steadying Dell with his arm.
“I’d say hi, but I’m busy.” He grinned, and before Dell could manage a reply, he bent and pressed an unexpected kiss on her upturned lips. Then he freed her, switching the lead and catching the halter up close to control the dancing mare.
“Think quarter horses,” he admonished, and went on down the hall, cursing at the mare in gentle tones as he tried to quiet her.
Bemused, Dell wandered into the office and sat down at the desk Jovi had cleared off. She picked up an issue of Western Horseman and leafed through it without real interest. She didn’t like Western horses. She liked Eastern horses — hunters, jumpers, the hot bloods.
The irony of it made her smile. Men who asked her out without success had insinuated that her blood must be glacial. Cold as they come, one rebuffed pretender had sniffed. But she had no use for the gentle warm bloods or the big, plodding cold bloods when it came to horses. They had to be hot and fast. Her breath caught momentarily in her throat as she visualized Jovi in his trunks at South Padre. Or in his shorts in the foreman’s house. Hot … and fast. Her taste seemed to run that way where men were concerned, too.
He walked into the room just then, and she blushed. Dark eyebrows shot up. “Did I interrupt a private fantasy? I hope?” He walked over and perched on the edge of his desk, towering over her.
“Not exactly.” Memories aren’t fantasies, so I’m not lying. “I was just thinking something funny. About the horses.” To prove her point, she picked up the glossy magazine and waved it in front of his nose. “These horses.”
“Ah.” The glint in his eyes told her he didn’t buy it, but he moved from the desk and sat down in his own chair, and she felt more comfortable. Looking across at him was a little less unnerving than being forced to look up at him.
She put the magazine back down and fidgeted with it, trying to find a way to tell him to stop kissing her. She didn’t want to be kissed. She glanced at the door. What she really wanted was to get up, walk to the door, and latch it. But she couldn’t do that.
“I didn’t mean to bump into you,” she began finally. He grinned at her, boyish and unrepentant.
“You just didn’t see my six-foot frame coming down the hall with a horse,” he offered, nodding. “Of course.”
Dell expelled a slow breath. “You really irritate me sometimes,” she muttered. “I’m serious.” She frowned at him. “You shouldn’t have kissed me, either.”
He shrugged, and something of the humor seemed to fade, although she wasn’t sure why. “No,” he agreed. “I probably shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t help myself.”
At a loss for a rebuttal, or for anything intelligent to say at all, Dell stood slowly and walked over to the office window, looking out at the empty riding arena. “You have to help yourself,” she said finally. She didn’t add, because I can’t, but she thought it. “If only you didn’t work for me,” she added impulsively, turning to face him.
The mischievous gleam was gone completely, and humor had turned into grimness. She remembered when he had called himself un enojon, someone easily angered, and was a little more inclined to accept that now than she had been then.
“But I do work for you,” he said, slowly and heavily. “And my job matters. I’ve always considered myself a professional. Matter of pride, I guess. So I’ll try to keep my mind on business, Dell. For both our sakes.”
He sighed and reached for a neatly typed letter lying on one corner of his desk and stood to hand it to her.
“Look this over,” he suggested. “A ranch just up I-35 is going out of business. They’re liquidating their stock — and they have Arabs.”
She made a show of looking at the letter offering him the chance to come view the horses before they were consigned to a local auction house. She had already known about the horses, but they didn’t interest her. Jovi Treviño interested her. And infuriated her. And fascinated her. She handed the letter back.
“What do you think?”
“Most of the stock is only fair. But the broodmares are used to this south Texas heat. And two of them look really good on paper. I think it’s worth checking out.”
She nodded. “Go, then. Let me know when you get back, or call if you think you need to.”
He shifted a little, studying her thoughtfully. “Can you afford new stock?”
She looked startled at the question. “We’ve sold most of what I had, Jovi. Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“It was just a question.” He shoved a hand through his hair and glanced at the clock on the wall. “I think I’ll try to go up today. Might as well beat any competition. Do you want to go with me?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been locked up in the study all day. Becky needs some quality time. I think I’ll take her and the others into town to eat.” She smiled faintly. “It’s a kid thing, but they’re in heaven if we go somewhere with fast food. “I’ll take Rosa, too, if she’ll go. Mostly she won’t.”
He sat back down at the desk, reaching for the phone. “Have fun,” he said absently, already punching numbers in. She nodded and left, wishing he’d put her — them — before the horses.
Chapter Thirteen
Two days, later, though, Dell couldn’t fault Jovi for his attention to his job. He’d picked up the only two horses they’d agreed were worthwhile and talked the farm owner into throwing in a trailer he no longer needed. Dell smiled at the girls’ excitement as Jovi pulled to a gentle stop by the barn, the horse trailer rocking a little as its occupants shifted and moved inside, unseen. Michelle and Amy were giggling and hopping around, and even Maribel had come down to watch as the two new mares were unloaded.
“Horses,” Becky crowed, as Jovi lowered the ramp, and Dell kissed her cheek.
“Yes, Becky, new horses.”
“Are they tame? Can we pet them?” Amy demanded, clearly the most excited of the girls.
“Jovi said they’re very gentle. But we need to let them get settled in. They’ve never been moved before,” Dell warned gently. “Let’s let Jovi and Pete bring them out.”
Actually, she would have loved to go up the ramp and help unload her new purchases personally, but someone had to supervise the teenagers and keep Becky at a safe distance. She smiled again as she heard Pete complaining to Jovi about Arabians. He just couldn’t help himself, she knew; to him, quarter horses were a south Texas tradition that should be honored above all others.
The first mare down was gray, her coat fading in patches with age. She pricked her ears and looked around with interest but without alarm. Thinking of the nervy, overly excitable bay mare in the barn, Dell was relieved this old girl seemed perfectly docile. Jovi was stroking her neck, and when she showed no signs of nervousness, he led her over to the girls.
“Meet Desert Snow. It never snows in Laredo, but I get stuck with all these gray horses named Snow,” he said, then grinned wryly at Dell. “She loves men.”
“She has beautiful lines,” Dell approved, reaching out to stroke her forehead gently. “Of course, I’m not sure about her intelligence … ” Becky squealed in delight and stuck out a chubby hand. The mare lifted her nose and sniffed the toddler’s cheek, ruffling wisps of her hair, and Becky laughed happily and patted the mare. Amy and Michelle came up quietly, the way they had been taught, extending their hands and talking to the horse. Although they were careful with their movements and voices, their faces glowed with excitement; it was almost as if the horse had been bought just for them.
Maribel leaned back against the fence and sniffed in disdain, her mouth a dark red frown as she watched.
Pete unloaded the second, a taller, younger mare, but she danced skittishly and seemed more upset than her stable mate, so he took her into the barn right away, and Jovi excused himself and led the gray mare in, too.
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br /> “They’re nice,” Michelle said.
“Nice?” Amy sounded outraged. “They’re beautiful! Bien bonitas! They’re incredible. They’re — ” She stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong?” Dell asked, seeing the stricken expression on Amy’s face.
“Nothing!” Amy colored a little. “It’s just … I suddenly realized. What I want to do.”
“Oh?”
Amy nodded, her young face full of sudden conviction. “A vet. I want to be a veterinarian.” She stopped for a minute, unsure again. “I think.”
Dell smiled. “You’ve got time to be sure. But you’d be very good at it.”
Maribel snorted. “Good at it! Like she’s smart enough — hey, Amy — you dropped out, no? You gonna pass medical school and stuff? Even vets have to go to school, I bet.” She chortled. “I can just see you, stickin’ your skinny arm up some horse’s ass — ”
Amy ignored her and Dell frowned at Maribel.
“There aren’t any dropouts here, Maribel,” she reminded the girl. “And Amy will do well. I’m counting on it.”
Maribel shrugged insolently. “Whatever,” she muttered and stalked back toward the house.
Dell put Becky down, careful not to let the toddler pull her hand free and rush toward the barn.
“Well, girls, don’t be afraid to go help the guys,” she urged. “I know mucking stalls isn’t anyone’s favorite job, but the effort’s always appreciated.”
Michelle and Amy exchanged amused glances.
“That sounded like a suggestion,” Michelle groaned, and Amy nodded.
“I thought so, too,” she agreed. “Or an order. Do we get to ride if we help?”
“Sure. But in the arena, and don’t choose those two new girls. Give them a day or two,” Dell warned, and they nodded happily and ran toward the barn.
Becky tugged, wanting to follow, and Dell reluctantly picked her up again. “Not this afternoon, sweetheart,” she said reluctantly. “We need to go get some work done at the house.”
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