by Robin Gianna
“Miranda.”
She turned, and her amazing blue eyes that had shone through the darkness in that tunnel lifted to his in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought your shift ended quite a while ago.”
“It did. I came to see if you’d like to join me for coffee. A little thank-you for doing such a great job with Emily this afternoon.”
“Oh. Well.” Her tongue moistened her lips, and he found himself fixating again on how soft and full they were. “I was just doing my job, you know.”
“Yes, but you do it very well.” She looked so wide-eyed and shocked he couldn’t help but tease her a little. “It’s just coffee, Miranda. Surely your time in my apartment showed you I’m not a big, bad wolf.”
A nervous little laugh left those pretty lips. “No. I mean, yes, I know. Of course, I’d love some coffee.”
“Good. How about we go to the coffee house two blocks down? Pardon me for saying so, but the stuff they serve in the hospital is swill.”
Another laugh, but this time it was a real one. “I don’t mind it. But I suspect those of European heritage are a little more picky than those of us raised in Chicago.”
He felt his eyebrows rise. He’d seen the Davenport mansion, and it was in one of the most exclusive areas in New York City. “Chicago? What do you mean? I know you live in Brooklyn now, but didn’t you grow up on the Upper East Side?”
“Long story.”
He wished he hadn’t said anything, because the smile on her face instantly disappeared, and he hoped he hadn’t ruined his chances of her going along with his proposal before he’d even had a chance to ask. He grasped her elbow and headed toward the revolving back door. “Come on. It’s been a long day for both of us. I don’t know about you, but I need a double shot of espresso, pronto.”
“Espresso pronto sounds like exactly the drink I need right now.” The twinkle in her beautiful eyes was new to him, as she’d been so serious during their previous interactions. But he liked it. A lot. “Let’s go.”
A somewhat private corner table was open, and Mateo steered them there, glad he could ask his important question without anyone overhearing. After some general hospital talk and conversation about the continuing traffic mess from the tunnel collapse, Mateo drew a breath.
It was show time.
“I have something I’d like to talk with you about,” he said. “To ask you.”
“All right.” She looked a little concerned about that, and he wondered what his expression was, forcing himself to relax. Not a big deal, right? Nothing to stress about. She’d either give him a yes or no, and he’d go from there.
“You met my parents yesterday,” he said. “They—”
“Actually, I didn’t meet them,” she interrupted. “You didn’t introduce me.”
He stared at her, then realized that was true. Their stopping by his apartment unannounced, lambasting him and trying to drag him home right then and there, had upset him so much he’d completely forgotten his manners.
“I’m very sorry. That was rude of me. I was frustrated at the situation, which is what I want to talk to you about.”
Her eyes met his, serious again. She sat quietly, sipping her coffee, and something about her expression and the caring way she was looking at him helped him relax.
“I’ve heard your family described as New York royalty. My family is a little like yours. We have a dukedom in Spain. In Catalonia, about an hour from Barcelona.”
“A...what? A dukedom?”
“Sí.” He had to smile at her incredulous expression. “I know you may think I’m making up a story, but it’s true. You’re welcome to look us up on the internet. You’ll see my father, Rafael Alves; my mother, Ana Alves; and myself listed under the Duchy of Pinero, living at the Castillo de Adelaide Fernanda. My brother, Emilio, is listed as well.” Just saying his name made Mateo’s chest constrict with pain and disbelief. It was probably even worse for his parents since Emilio had been the favorite, golden son, which was another reason Mateo could never take his place.
“Wow. That’s real royalty, not the fake kind the Davenports enjoy.” Her palm pressed against her cheek as she stared at him. “I wondered what in the world your father was saying about you being an heir or something. What made you move to New York, if you had a cushy life of back home?”
Cushy life. If only she knew the difficult dynamics of their family. “I served in the Spanish army for four years, and discovered there my love for search and rescue. For field medicine. Being part of a team. Working as an EMT is a little like that, and I enjoy the anonymity of a big city like New York.”
He wouldn’t go into all the reasons he’d wanted to leave home, which included despising his brother’s cheating, social-climbing wife and Emilio’s private pain because of it. Somehow, for as long as possible, he had to avoid being thrust back into that world. Did part of him feel bad about that attitude? Hell, yeah. He also felt horrible that his father’s health continued to decline. He had to find some kind of compromise where he could be there for his parents while still living most of the year here. Away from painful memories he didn’t want to be reminded of every day.
“But they want you to go back home.” She said it as a statement, not a question, which wasn’t a surprise, since she’d heard his parents insisting he go back right away.
“Yes. My father is ill and handed over his responsibilities to my brother a few years ago. Then, six months ago, Emilio died in an accident. I became the heir and they believe it’s my responsibility to run the estate.”
“Oh, Mateo, I’m so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love.”
She placed her warm palm on top of his as her eyes filled with a deep compassion. Remarkable, really, how a blue that intense could be warm and soft and brilliant all at the same time. Normally, he didn’t want others’ sympathy, but hers felt genuine and so full of caring for a man she barely knew that he found himself soaking it in, despite himself.
“Yes, it’s been...hard. And just as hard is the thought that I have to leave my life here. We have many managers at the estate who are good at what they do. If I’m there only part-time, I believe that will be enough.”
“You grew up there. Why don’t you want to move back?”
“I like my job here. And there are reasons that I’ve been somewhat isolated from my family for a long time.” Despite the question and the way her eyes focused on him in a way that showed she cared, he didn’t want to go into them right then. “My father’s illness puts pressure on me to step into his shoes, the way Emilio did. While I know that I have to take over for him in some capacity, I’m not going to move back to Spain full-time. I’m confident my parents will come to see that all will be okay when I’m there only part of the year. But I need some time to make that happen, for them to understand that. And that’s where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” He smiled at her expression of startled surprise. “You’d said you have some vacation time and want to get out of the city for a while. I know that, as a Davenport, you have the means to travel anywhere you want, any time. But I can show you the beautiful area of Spain where my family has lived for centuries, have some fun riding our horses. Tour Catalonia and the Pyrenees. At the same time, you can help me accomplish an important goal by doing me a huge favor.”
“Goal? Huge favor?” Those intense blue eyes had widened even further, and Mateo drew a fortifying breath, because her saying yes to his proposal suddenly felt much more important than it had an hour ago.
“I’d like for you to pose as my fiancée. My parents won’t like me planning to marry an American who doesn’t share their culture. I’ll tell them you have a contract with the hospital, and can’t possibly leave there for another year. You saw their disapproving expressions when you were at my apartment. I’m confident that our fak
ing an engagement would buy me extra time and get them more used to the idea that I’ll only be there a few times a year. Please, Miranda?” His heart sped up as he held her hand between his. “Will you pretend to want to marry me?”
* * *
Miranda realized her mouth had sagged open and stayed that way for a very long moment. Managing to finally close it, she stared at Mateo in utter astonishment, unable to find her voice. But who wouldn’t be in total shock at his unbelievable proposal?
Pretend to be his fiancée? A fake engagement to keep his parents from insisting he move back right away, while the two of them, two people who barely knew one another, spent vacation time together in Spain? It was the most unbelievable, outrageous thing anyone had ever asked her to do.
And also crazily, absurdly, tempting.
The man was utterly gorgeous. The kind of man any woman would love to spend time with. She’d seen he was caring, too, the way he’d run into the tunnel to help John, and had even put himself in danger again to go back and find Benny. Then today he’d been so good with little Emily, and the synchronized way they’d worked together had been remarkable and impressive.
But all that was a far cry from spending a week with him. And pretending to be engaged, for heaven’s sake! Impossible.
“I’m just... I...” She gulped. “I don’t even know you, really. That would be too strange, pretending we’re, you know, a couple. And going on a trip together. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“I can tell you that it wouldn’t be hard for me to pretend to want to spend time with you, because I genuinely do. I know we’d have a good time adventuring together while we’re there.” He gave her a crooked smile as he squeezed her hand, speaking softly. “When was the last time you did something crazy, Miranda? Just threw caution to the wind? That’s what I just did, asking you to pretend to be engaged to me. What do you say? Good or not so good, it will be a true adventure for just a week, right? When we get back, you’ll go back to your regular life, as I will, taking with us some enjoyable memories.”
When was the last time you did something crazy, Miranda? His words echoed in her head. Her sister Penny lived her life as a daredevil, and had often asked Miranda that question, wondering why she was okay with her life being pretty mundane outside the excitement of the ER. She could just see Penny rolling her eyes at her hesitation, which was part of what had motivated Miranda to be bold and go to Mateo’s after the tunnel collapse. How often had her sister challenged her to come along on one of her adventures? Each time she’d refused, Penny had run off without her, shaking her head and grinning, to climb some mountain or abseil from a helicopter or drive a dirt bike on a race course.
When was the last time she’d done something crazy? Probably when she’d been sixteen years old, and had gone to see Hugo Davenport, which was a long time ago now. Mostly, she’d lived her life carefully. Sensibly. Studying hard to become a doctor, to try to fit into the Davenport family at least a little. To make them proud of her. She’d excelled at school, and now she mostly worked, still proving herself.
If she’d been looking in a mirror, she could easily see dull and dutiful practically tattooed on her forehead.
So wasn’t she due for something crazy? Something illogical and inappropriate and completely mad? Something ultra-exciting to do with her week off? After all, when she travelled with her family, she still sometimes felt like the outsider she’d always been. And most of her friends had boyfriends or husbands, and didn’t want to vacation without them. So that left Miranda vacationing alone, as she often did.
As she’d planned to do this week. Because she knew that Vanessa Davenport only had a place setting for her at their Thanksgiving table because she was obligated to. And even though Miranda loved her siblings, and knew they cared about her, holidays always reminded her that she didn’t really belong the way everyone else did. Having travel plans had become her MO in recent years to avoid that.
Suddenly, the thought of another trip all by her lonesome felt unbearable. Could she really do it? Do something insane and use her vacation time to travel with Mateo? Maybe it would be a disaster, or maybe it would be wonderful, but, no matter which, it would be something she’d never done before, right? Something not careful and sensible and dutiful. And if it turned out to be awkward, it was only one week out of her life. Seven days.
At the same time, she’d be helping Mateo with his problem, and never mind that her friends would tell her she was just being a people-pleaser as usual, which was a learned behavior she’d been trying to work on.
No, Mateo was obviously disconnected from his family, and didn’t she know all about feeling that way? The pain he felt over his brother’s loss? She had the power to help him during this difficult time. And she couldn’t help the thought that, maybe, if she told Vanessa afterwards that she’d been briefly “engaged” to the heir of a dukedom, the woman might actually be slightly impressed.
And how pathetic was it that something like that would even cross her mind?
She drew a breath then stared at the incredibly handsome man sitting there, smiling encouragingly. “This is...this is the most outrageous thing anyone’s ever suggested to me,” Miranda said, and the reality of exactly how outrageous it was made her start to laugh. “But I find that, somehow, I can’t resist. So my answer is yes, Mateo Alves. Yes, I will go to Spain with you and pretend we’re going to get married.”
CHAPTER FOUR
MIRANDA WASN’T NEW to flying in a private jet, since the Davenport family often used theirs, and she’d occasionally joined them. So it clearly wasn’t the plane departing at night that was making her stomach jump up and down and her heart feel all fluttery.
No, it was the close proximity of the über-sexy man sitting across from her, his deep brown eyes focused on her during the entire take-off. It was the peculiar feeling that, despite the strangeness of the situation, it somehow felt oddly right, too. During the taxi ride to the airport and while they’d been waiting on the tarmac for clearance, he’d talked with her about his work and the ways it intersected with hers. Had shared an amusing story from his childhood that had made her laugh, putting her at ease. He had been an utter gentleman as he took pains to make sure she was comfortable on the plane. He was so proud and regal in his bearing, it struck her that she should have realized he was different from most of the EMTs who brought the injured and ill into Manhattan Mercy’s ER.
Her eyes met his and the way he smiled at her had her smiling back, and at the same time her stomach felt oddly squishy, as though she’d known this man for years instead of days.
“Miranda.”
His voice made her start. Probably because she’d been fixated on his handsome features and brown eyes and charismatic smile. “Yes?”
“A very small part of me feels a little guilty to have asked you to participate in the charade we are playing. But most of me is very happy that you’ve agreed to come with me, and I hope you know that. I’m looking forward to spending time with you, and this isn’t just about my situation with my parents. So, for all those reasons, thanks for coming with me.”
“No need to thank me. I came because I wanted to.” And she had. Even when she’d been shocked at his proposal, deep inside she’d wanted to say yes the moment he’d asked, despite the self-protective part of her telling her she shouldn’t.
Swatting down those insecure misgivings, she let the excitement of this adventure bubble up in her chest. It overflowed into a big smile she couldn’t have stopped even if she’d wanted to.
“We’ll be served a late meal soon, then you should try to get some sleep. I’m sure you know that, with the time change, traveling overnight is always best, arriving in the morning refreshed and ready to go.”
“I’ll try to sleep, but have to confess I’m not good at that.”
“Not good at sleeping? What, are you in reality an
android?” The corners of his lips tipped up as he raised his eyebrows. “Is this why you seem to always be at the hospital, working?”
She laughed. “No, I’m very human. I just mean I’m not good at sleeping on planes and in cars and such. I just get restless and start thinking too much and then I can’t sleep.”
“I hope you’re not thinking too hard, and worrying, about how our week is going to go. I’ll do my best to make it less awkward when dealing with my parents, and show you Catalonia when we’re not with them. I can’t imagine you not loving it there.”
If he felt that way, why was he so determined not to return? “I’m not worrying.” Well, truthfully, now that she was actually on this plane with him, she couldn’t help but hear, again, those whispers that reminded her she wasn’t good enough for a man like Mateo Alves. But it wasn’t real, right? So she didn’t have to be concerned about not measuring up.
He reached into the pocket of his sport coat, and she stared when he held out what was obviously a small jewelry box, wrapped in light blue paper with a silver ribbon. She looked up to see him giving her an encouraging smile. “Go on, open it.”
Oh my gosh. Her breath catching, she carefully tore the paper and lifted open the lid to expose a ring. A ring that held a pale blue stone at its center, surrounded by small white diamonds.
“I...” Miranda swallowed and tried again. “I assume this is a ring you’d like me to wear to convince your parents that we really are engaged?”
“I hope you like it. I got the blue diamond for you to wear because it reminded me of your eyes. Though no stone could look anywhere near as vivid and beautiful.”
Her heart oddly fluttered at the seeming sincerity of his words and expression, though at the same time she knew they were probably just the practiced words of a man very good at charming women. “Well, it certainly is...pretty. I’ll take good care of it for you.”