by Reeni Austin
"Sorry," he whispered as he trailed his thumb across her bottom lip. "We have to get to work."
She looked in his eyes, sighing. Then he nuzzled her nose with his and almost started in for her lips once again, but stopped himself, scooting further down in his seat.
Marcy took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure.
Ramon looked at the house. "Okay. Let me give you some history."
He paused for a long time as he thought of what to say. Marcy wondered why he waited until now to do this, when they had spent all weekend together.
He exhaled slowly and said, "You're gonna meet Edna Perry. This all used to belong to her and her husband, till he died. She's very sweet, but her health's bad. She got sick a few years ago and it really took a toll on her. Turned her into an elderly woman all of a sudden. A nurse's aide comes every afternoon to take care of her." He frowned. "She really needs to go to a nursing home but I haven't found one I'm happy with."
"You're looking for a nursing home for this lady? Do you pay for her medical care? Are you related to her or something?"
"Yeah, I pay for it. But no, I'm not related to her." Ramon glanced shyly out the window, his voice soft. "I've known her since high school. She was my English teacher, senior year."
"Oh." Marcy nodded, sensing he was somehow ashamed. "I think it's really sweet that you'd help her like this."
He shrugged, staring out the window harder than before. "She was sick and in foreclosure. Can't just let her lose everything and suffer like that." He quickly opened his door.
Maybe he's ashamed of having a big heart, Marcy thought.
But she was quickly distracted by her next task: climbing out of the truck.
She took a deep breath and opened the door, then grabbed the silver handle inside the door.
"Wait!" Ramon said from the ground. "Let me help."
"No, I got it." Marcy lowered her foot, searching for the step, then gasped as her body slid down to the ground, landing on her boots with a thud. She stood still for a moment, scared that she'd hurt herself, but quickly realized she was fine.
He groaned and reached up to the cab to get her purse. "Next time, let me help you."
She ignored his admonition, pulling her T-shirt down, then taking her purse from his hand. "I still don't understand why you had to jack your truck up so high. Wasn't it high enough already?"
"No." He closed her door and started toward the house. "It's in case I gotta drive through water or mud or something. It protects the engine."
Marcy rolled her eyes and followed him silently to the front door.
Ramon rang the doorbell, then knocked loudly before inserting his key in the knob. "She likes it when I knock first. It scares her when I walk right in."
A petite, smiling woman with chin-length white hair slowly approached the door, pushing a walker in front of her. She wore thick, wide-rimmed glasses that magnified her bright blue eyes. "Good morning!" she said.
Ramon smiled, put his arms out, and brought her into a gentle embrace as though he was afraid he might break her. "Mornin', Mrs. Perry." When he released her, he kept one hand on her back and extended his other to Marcy. "This is Marcy, the girl I was telling you about."
Mrs. Perry's face lit up and she held out her hand. "Hi Marcy. I've heard such nice things about you."
Marcy blushed a little and took the woman's small, chilly hand in hers. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm glad to be here."
Mrs. Perry welcomed them both into the house and chatted with Ramon as she slowly led them to the large bedroom that doubled as an office. After Marcy took a seat behind the desk, amidst piles of bills and documents, Mrs. Perry excused herself and said she'd have lunch ready at noon, after her nap.
Ramon waited until the door was closed, then he pulled up a chair next to Marcy. In a low voice, he said, "Don't let her make lunch. If you hear her get out of bed, call me. There's a bunch of pre-made casseroles in the deep freezer. I'm about to put one in the fridge to thaw." He sighed. "She's in denial about how sick she is. Seems to get along okay since she started using that walker, but I don't like her being here alone."
If Marcy didn't know better, she would think Mrs. Perry was Ramon's mother by the way he spoke with such sympathy. She asked, "Have you thought about moving her in with you so you can keep an eye on her?"
"Yeah." He picked up a document from the desk, examining it. "She didn't want that. This is her home. Says she feels close to her late husband here."
"Does she have any family members who can take care of her? Kids?"
"She's got a sister in Florida but they're not close. No kids." He got quiet as he shuffled a few of the piles around on the desk, then handed one to her. "These are unpaid invoices. Make sure you…"
Ramon proceeded to give her instructions about certain vendors who could easily overcharge him if Marcy didn't pay special attention to the details. He also showed her the payroll register and a detailed general ledger report of a few accounts that concerned him, asking her to make sure nothing was counted twice.
Marcy turned on the computer and made a list of his instructions. Her heart sank at the last thing he said.
His tone was urgent. "And if you come across the electric bill, cell phone bill, or anything that looks like a personal medical expense, stick it in this bin right here. I'll take care of it. She tries to be helpful and open all the bills for me. That's how everything ends up in that big pile. I didn't have time to sort 'em out last week. Sorry."
Marcy gulped, trying to hide her nerves. She had practically forgotten about Victor's request to find Ramon's cell phone bill. "It's okay."
"Good." His eyes darted around the room. "Hmm. I think that's about it for now. If you need help with something, give me a call. I'll have my phone on." He stood. "I'm gonna go check on the guys. First time I've gotten to do that first thing in the morning in a long time."
Marcy suddenly felt his lips on the top of her head, kissing her.
"Thanks for your help," he said. "I hope I haven't overwhelmed you."
"No, I can handle it," Marcy replied.
After he left, Marcy went to work on the giant stack of invoices. It only took a half hour for her to find the cell phone bill.
She breathed deeply and sank down in her chair. More than anything, she wanted to please Ramon.
But she thought of how desperate Victor looked, ready to uproot his life to help his brother.
Maybe Victor was right. Maybe Ramon was hiding something he didn't need to hide. Something his brother needed to know about, so he could help him.
She let out a pained whine as she made the decision to go against Ramon's orders. But it was only for his own good.
Marcy listened to make sure she was still alone, then she pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Victor's number.
He answered on the third ring, sounding tired. "Hello?"
"Oh, sorry. I forgot how early it is."
"No, it's okay. How's it going?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's going well. I found the cell phone bill."
Victor gasped. "Already? Great! Can you send it to me?"
Marcy's heart pounded heavily. "Send it?"
"Yeah. Does he have a scanner?"
"Uh…" Marcy looked around. "He has one of those three-in-one scanner, copier, fax machine things."
"That'll work."
"I don't know. What if I can't figure out how to use it and he sees I tried to scan it and—"
"No, no, no. I had to use one of those at my office all the time to send confidential information without my assistant seeing it. I'll walk you through it…"
And suddenly, Marcy wished she hadn't called Victor. But it was too late now.
Ten minutes later, she had scanned and sent the five-page bill to Victor. And she was sick at her stomach. She said, "You promise, you're only looking out for him, right? You're not just being nosy? Because he absolutely hates that."
Victor chuckled. "I know he
hates that. And yes, I'm trying to help him. Like I told you before, if I can figure out what he's hiding, it'll benefit all of us. I'm determined to help him whether he wants my help or not."
"I understand." She gulped.
"Have you met Mrs. Perry?"
"Yeah. She's a really sweet lady. Ramon says she's failing, physically. Did you know he's paying for her health care?"
Victor paused, sighing. "No, I didn't know that. I can't figure out their connection. We all had her for English in high school and she was a nice lady and all, but… damn."
"I guess they were close? I don't know."
"They were a lot closer than I realized. She called me when Ramon was a senior to get me to talk him into going to college but he wasn't havin' it."
Marcy chuckled, her stomach twisting with pain from talking about Ramon behind his back. "I could see that."
"All I can figure is maybe he got close to her because he'd lost Mama. Maybe Mrs. Perry kinda took her place. I don't know. It's all news to me." Victor paused. "Thanks for your help with this. If you have any other information, let me know. I promise, I just wanna be a good brother. Ramon's the kind of guy who'd rather suffer than let someone help. If Mrs. Perry's ranches are important to him, they're important to me. I'm gonna help him if I have to force my way in."
The pain in Marcy's stomach weakened. The conviction in Victor's voice made her feel a little better.
* * *
By the time they left work for the day, Ramon seemed almost as tired as he did that morning. Marcy watched him yawn several times, and each time he said, "Don't worry, I'll get a second wind by the time we get home."
She knew he was exhausted because he spent most of the afternoon doing physical work on the ranch. Before they left, he took a shower at Mrs. Perry's house and changed clothes.
Marcy was grateful he didn't want to talk on the way home. The comfortable silence as they listened to the radio gave her time to think. All afternoon, she had to force herself to concentrate on numbers when all she wanted to do was fantasize about him.
She knew she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe he didn't want a commitment. And heck, maybe she didn't either. But what was she doing back home in Newark that was so great? Trying to restart a failing business?
She smiled as she got a whiff of his freshly-showered scent. Mmm… aside from his boots, there was no sign he was even a rancher. He was just a hot guy driving her around in a gigantic pick-up truck.
Ramon sat up straight as he took a left turn toward Turnbrook. "See? Told you I'd wake up."
"Good. I was worried."
He turned the radio down then reached over and squeezed her hand.
A few minutes later as they neared the ranch, Ramon said, "Gotta take the back road today."
Marcy nodded, knowing the main driveway was getting paved. "I'm sure it'll be a relief not to hear everyone complain about the potholes anymore."
Ramon huffed. "You have no idea."
Soon they were pulling up in the backyard, and Ramon asked, "Who's that?" as he spotted a maroon SUV near the spot where he usually parked. He squinted to get a better look. "I see a rental car sticker on the back." He sighed and brought the truck to a stop. Then he leaned over the gear shift and held out his arms.
Marcy's heart raced. She unbuckled her seat belt and reached for him. Instantly, they were locked in a kiss.
When he pulled away, Marcy groaned and said, "I wish we could skip dinner and go upstairs."
Ramon flashed her a hopeful smile. "Me too." Then he reached for his door handle.
Marcy took a deep breath and reached for hers too. She opened it and took a step down, proud of herself for learning how to climb out of that truck.
Ramon was already standing on the ground below her. "You okay? Need some help?"
"I got it." She took another step then lowered herself to the ground. Then she gasped. "Oh no! I left my purse."
Ramon chuckled and reached up for her bag, handing it to her. Then he closed the door and put his hand on her back, heading toward the front door. "I think you make that a lot harder than it is."
"No." Marcy's lips formed a straight line as she shook her head. "Vehicles like yours aren't made for short people."
He tossed his head back, laughing as they walked. "But you're so cute—" Then his eyes focused on a window. He put a hand at his brow to block the sunlight and get a better look. "Thought I saw someone."
Marcy looked up at the window, but only for a second. Ramon's pace had increased and she had to keep up.
When they reached the front door, Ramon held it open for her and let her inside first, but he immediately ran past her into the kitchen.
From the foyer, she heard an unfamiliar male voice call, "Pendejo!" Then she peered into the kitchen where everyone except Isaac was gathered. She saw Armando and Katie, both of whom she recognized from pictures.
CHAPTER 17
Ramon gaped at Armando in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
Armando stood from his stool and stretched his arms toward Ramon, grinning. "Well, nice to see you, too."
As much as Ramon loved having Armando around, something wasn't right about this. He glanced at Victor, who hovered near the corner with Tom, then looked at Armando. "What's goin' on? Thought you weren't coming back till Friday."
Armando shrugged. "We're here early."
Ramon gave Armando a quick hug, then stepped back and greeted Katie with a nod.
Everyone else who had stopped to watch them suddenly resumed what they were doing. Patty stirred a pot on the stove. Cara washed a dish in the sink. Tom and Victor were chatting.
Ramon looked around the kitchen. "Where's Isaac?"
Cara glanced at Ramon. "He's upstairs." She cleared her throat and didn't look at him as she added, "He got in trouble again at daycare today and he's in time out until dinner."
Concerned, Ramon said, "Is it okay if I go up there and talk to him?"
Cara turned off the water in the sink then turned around, her eyes narrowed at him. "No."
Ramon's heart sank. He knew she was implying that he had something to do with Isaac's recent turn of bad behavior, but he didn't know why. Then he saw Cara's eyes light up a little as she looked at someone behind him. He turned around, and there was Marcy, shyly staring down at the floor. He rushed to her. "Sorry. Me and my manners." Then he took her hand and led her to Armando and Katie, both of whom were already looking Marcy up and down like they couldn't believe she was real.
Ramon said, "Marcy, this is Armando and Katie. You guys, this is Marcy."
Armando extended his hand, smiling. "Marcy. Nice to meet you."
"You too." Marcy shook his hand then moved on to Katie. "Nice to meet you. I saw pictures from your wedding. It was beautiful."
Katie grinned. "Thank you. So you're… uh… living here?"
As Marcy and Katie made small talk, Ramon crossed his arms over his chest and gave Armando a stern look. "So," Ramon said, "You came back early? For what?"
Armando cleared his throat. "Family stuff. Katie's mom and dad's divorce."
"Hmm." Ramon looked in Armando's eyes, noticing his brother held his gaze a bit too long. "And you decided to surprise me like this? Why'd you keep it a secret? I don't have an extra room for you anymore."
Armando said, "We got a hotel. It's fine."
Ramon nodded, keeping his eyes on his brother's face. "How long are you staying?"
Armando shrugged. "Don't know yet."
"Really? You're supposed to be on your honeymoon. This doesn't make sense."
Armando tilted his head to the side, and a silly grin flashed across his lips. "Don't be paranoid. We can have our honeymoon here."
Ramon snorted. He recognized that little grin of Armando's all too well. "Who said I was paranoid?" Then his voice deepened, and in Spanish to keep everyone from hearing, he told Armando he was a terrible liar. "Tú no eres un buen mentiroso."
Armando smirked.
Ramon's eyes darte
d to Victor and he called out, "Victor." Then he nodded toward the hall. "You and Armando. My office."
The room fell silent. All eyes went to Ramon.
Victor's jaw set firmly, he met his brother's glare with a glare of his own and said, "All right."
Ramon started toward the hallway and waited for a moment to make sure his brothers were following him. As he walked, he repeatedly balled up his fists and released them, trying to keep his anger in check. He always knew when his brothers were up to something, but instead of assuming the worst, he decided to let them explain themselves before letting his rage take over.
When Ramon got to his office, he stood at his desk chair and watched Victor and Armando file in. Armando shut the door. Then they both sat in front of the desk with blank expressions on their faces.
Ramon sat in his chair, and in a firm voice, said, "One of you start talkin'."
Victor and Armando shared a silent glance.
Ramon growled. "Come on!" He looked at Victor and pointed at Armando. "I already know he's lyin'. You gonna try to bullshit me, too?"
Victor let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Ramon, we care about you. Please understand that. I've been worried sick about you for weeks."
His blood boiling, Ramon cracked his knuckles and stood. "All right. First, I'm gonna kick your ass, then I'm gonna—"
Armando stood and held up his hand. "Don't be so dramatic. Calm down and we'll have a civilized discussion."
Ramon snorted. "You got no fuckin' clue how sick I am of you guys worrying about me. How long have I lived here without your help? I've always been able to take care of myself." Nostrils flaring, his eyes flashed between their faces. "You guys think you're so much smarter than me, you know how to run my business better than I do?"
Victor shook his head. "No one thinks that. Believe me."
Ramon narrowed his eyes at Victor. "And what's this mess about not letting me talk to Isaac? I know Cara hates me but I got nothin' to do with how he's acting. I told you already. He's confused about you being his new daddy."
Victor said, "Cara doesn't hate you. She's just taking precautions. That's all."