Erin bit her lip. “Brothers and sisters?”
“I have two brothers.” He frowned briefly. “Only one is here. And two sisters.” Daniel glanced at her and smiled. “Worry not, querida. We do not bite. And my family will behave.” He arched an eyebrow. “Or they will not be happy with the conversation I will have with them.”
“Okay.” Erin sighed. Just one dinner. One dinner. And there were children. Surely she could avoid the adults and focus on the children.
Daniel parked and walked around to her door. Erin shook her head and waited. She never had anyone open her car door before. It was odd. She grinned.
“What has amused you?”
“You,” she admitted as he helped her from the car. He frowned and she chuckled. “I’ve never had anybody open a door for me before.”
“I will always open car doors for you, querida,” Daniel vowed and smiled. He escorted her to the front door and opened it.
Three children immediately flew past them and spilled onto the front law. Erin blinked. “Coming out of the woodwork, aren’t they?” She grinned. “I love it.”
Daniel shook his head. “I have several nieces and nephews.”
“But none of your own?”
“I have not been blessed as of yet.” He opened his mouth to say more when Maria Rodriguez walked into the front room.
“Were you lost, son?” She held out her hands to Erin. “Welcome, Miss Sanders. We are delighted you have joined us.” She turned to her son again to scold when Erin stepped forward.
“I apologize, Mrs. Rodriguez, for your son being late. My car had a flat, and I was stuck at school. The storm knocked out the phones.”
Daniel beamed at her, and Maria snorted delicately. “Your guest has saved you, mijo.” She arched an eyebrow. “Now go entertain her while I finish supper. And make sure the children wash off their feet before they track grass across my floor.”
Two boys ran from the kitchen like they were on fire as soon as Maria walked back that way.
“You do not enter Mama’s kitchen when she cooks.” Daniel shuddered, but his hazel eyes danced. “A fate worse than death.”
The smells coming from that direction made Erin’s mouth water. Her nose was hit with the aroma of several dishes, and her stomach growled.
Daniel chuckled. “Ten more minutes, querida, and then we eat. Would you like to go meet the children?”
“Yes.”
Daniel led her back outside to a couple of chairs that were covered. He lifted the covers and set them aside. Erin sat and smiled at the group of half a dozen children who kicked a small ball around to each other. They ranged in age from three to eight. They were beautiful children dressed in their play clothes. The girls wore sundresses while the boys had on plain blue shirts and jean shorts.
The older children made sure the younger ones had a turn, and Erin watched the scene with interest. There was no squabbling. They moved like a unit and took time to cheer each other on. And then she glanced to her right where another set of furniture sat.
A lone girl sat on a tan chair that faced the group. She must have been around eleven. Her long dark hair was braided and hung down her back. She didn’t wear a dress but a pair of black jeans and a black shirt. Her feet were bare, and she had them tucked under her.
There was such sadness on her face that it literally took Erin’s breath away. She turned to Daniel, and his smile was bitter.
“That is Erica, one of my brothers’ daughters.” He motioned to the group of children. “Her brother Juan plays with the other children. Erica will not.” Daniel’s mouth tightened, and his hands gripped the sides of his chair. “Nor does she talk much.”
“Why?” Erin frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Her father is a bad man. My own brother.” Daniel sighed. “He has hurt this family. Erica is a sensitive child. I think she is ashamed. But she will not speak of it. Mama keeps her and Juan. Their mother was killed when Juan was only a year old.”
“Can I speak with her?”
“She does not like strangers.” Daniel held his hand up in apology when she opened her mouth. “Maybe after dinner, querida.”
“Fine.” Erin glanced at the other children playing, but her heart and mind were on Erica.
Chapter 5
Maria rang a cowbell that had children and adults alike scrambling for the door. Erin threw back her head and laughed at the mass exodus to the house. Daniel simply quirked his eyebrow.
“We’ve amused you again?”
“Go make sure your nieces and nephews don’t track grass across your mother’s floor.” Erin shooed him away. Daniel glanced at Erica and then back at Erin. He clapped his hands loudly and herded the smaller children into the front of the house.
The older girl unfolded herself from the chair and walked toward the house slowly. Erin stood and waited for her to walk by. When she was three feet away, Erin smiled at her.
“Hi. I’m Erin. What’s your name?”
Dark brown eyes glanced at her and then lowered. “Erica,” she mumbled and kept walking.
“I’m a little nervous,” she confessed. “I’m not used to so many people. Is there usually this many people here?”
Erica allowed herself a small smile. “Grandma’s house is always full of people.” The smile slid from her face. “There are so many here.”
“Does it bother you?”
The girl shook her head and walked quicker toward the house.
Erin sighed and watched her go. Something was wrong there. Something that bothered her on several levels. Her stomach growled again, and Erin stepped in the front doorway. If she weren’t used to large groups of children, she may have turned tail and run.
There were four adults and approximately a dozen children being steered in several directions. Hands needed washed. Feet needed cleaned.
Erin stepped back and watched the commotion with a grin. A beautiful young woman with long brown hair stepped forward and extended her right hand. Her left hand stayed on the small of her back as she pushed her very pregnant belly forward. The large bump pushed against the beautiful black sundress she wore.
“Isabel.” The woman smiled.
Erin took her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Erin.” She glanced around. “Where is Daniel?”
“Hopefully power washing my sons.” Isabel chuckled. She motioned to the other woman. “That is my sister Rosa. Her husband is driving a truck. He will not be home for another week. My husband, David, is helping Daniel.”
A tall handsome man stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Jose. Pleasure to meet you.”
Isabel grinned up at the man. “That’s my baby brother.”
Erin looked from one to the other, and Jose smiled. “I am the tallest. I think that is fair since I am the youngest.”
Isabel smacked him lightly on the arm. “Round up my children, baby brother. I need to sit down.”
Jose was instantly concerned. There was a brief conversation in Spanish with Isabel assuring her brother. Erin may have not understood the words, but she did understand the meaning. She instantly took Isabel’s arm and guided her into the dining room.
“Thank you.” Isabel smiled gratefully. “I am almost ready to have this one.” She rested her hand on the bump beneath her dress. Her smile widened, and she took Erin’s hand. She placed it on the baby.
Erin felt the strong movement beneath her fingers, and her breath caught. Life. Waiting to join the world. She smiled at Isabel through blurry eyes.
“What are you having?”
“A girl.” Isabel looked toward the door. “Finally,” she whispered and grinned.
Erin grinned back and slowly removed her hand. “Thank you.”
Isabel patted her hand. “Daniel says you teach. That you would be used to children.” She sighed. “Even so, I will apologize for all the children beforehand. They can be a bit rambunctious. Especially mine.”
Erin chuckled. “They’re wonderful. I watched them play out front. No child is p
erfect, but I believe these come close.”
“How sweet you are.” Isabel sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “Damn hormones,” she muttered. “I actually cried during a commercial the other day.” Isabel’s brown eyes watered again. “Damn diamonds.”
Erin bit her lip to keep from laughing at the younger woman’s disgust. “You’ll be fine, won’t you? How much longer do you have?”
“Three weeks.” Isabel patted her stomach. “And then little Isabella will be joining us.”
Maria walked in with the first dish and smiled at her daughter. “How are you feeling, mija?”
“Emotional.” Isabel sniffled and smiled at Erin. “But Daniel’s friend is keeping me company. Do you need help, Mama?”
“Not from you, little one.” Maria’s voice was stern though her eyes danced. “I think that’s why you keep giving me grandchildren. No chores for you.”
Isabel threw back her head and laughed. “Only you, Mama. Only you.”
Erin stood. “I can help you, Mrs. Rodriguez.”
“Maria,” she corrected. “Please.” She glanced at her daughter again. “Round up the rest of my brood, mija. Dinner is ready.” She turned and motioned to Erin. “Follow me, child.”
Maria handed Erin a large dish of enchiladas and pushed her gently toward the door. “Put these on the end of the table opposite the front door. That’s where Daniel and David sit. Half this dish will be gone before I can blink.”
Erin turned quickly and deposited the dish on the trivet and turned back to the kitchen. Maria handed her a plateful of corn tortillas and pointed again. “Second chair to the left. Keep a space open for my tamales. Edge these toward Isabel. She craves corn near the end of her pregnancy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Erin made seven more trips back to the kitchen before Maria waved her away. “You go now and help Isabel round up the rest. The men will bring in the drinks.”
Five minutes later, the table was full with Maria at the head with Daniel on one side and David on her other. Isabel sat next to her husband and brother. Daniel motioned to the living room where the children sat and waited for the signal to begin eating.
Maria had specifically made dishes that could be eaten with hands and not utensils. Several small taquitos and tacos decorated each plate. And then there were also corn chips and salsa in front of each plate. Each child had a glass of lemonade.
Maria bowed her head to say grace and everyone joined hands. Erin found one hand encased in Daniel’s and another in his sister’s. She bowed her head and listened to Maria give thanks in Spanish and then English. Daniel squeezed her hand gently at the end of the blessing and smiled up at his mama.
Erin found it surreal. Everyone immediately reached for dishes and seemed to have a system as for what to pass and to whom. It was such a flurry that she simply sat back and let Daniel and Rosa put things on her plate they thought she would like. Soon it was overflowing. Daniel reached for a chimichanga and started to place it on her plate when she laughed and held up her hand.
“Not on your life, buddy.” Erin shook her head. “I don’t have room for half of this.”
“Then you will take it home, child.” Maria smiled at her. “It is a blessing to have you here.”
Conversation and laughter filtered through the table, and Erin listened to bits and pieces. She never had any experience even remotely close to this. Usually she avoided crowds, but she enjoyed the camaraderie and closeness of this group. Siblings finished each other’s sentences. Plates were filled with a mere glance.
The children finished first, and came to be dismissed from their table. Maria inspected each plate personally and gave her nod of approval.
“You will play in the back now, ninos. No more in the front yard until the adults have finished. Si?”
“Yes, Grandma Maria!” The children whooped with joy and left the room in a flurry that made Erin’s head spin.
Erin ate as much as she could stand before she finally had to push the plate back and watch the activity around her. If Isabel wasn’t on her twelfth corn shell, Erin would eat her book bag. The woman didn’t eat much of anything else, but she couldn’t seem to stay away from the corn shells. Maria met her eyes and winked. Erin hid her answering grin behind her glass when Isabel looked at her and narrowed her eyes. Then she took another corn shell from the plate and saluted Erin.
Daniel talked with his brother about business but always made time to ask Erin if everything was okay. Did she have enough to eat? Did her glass need filled? Would she like some dessert?
And somewhere in the middle of dinner, Daniel’s left hand found her right and didn’t let it go. Erin tried to pull back without disrupting the meal, but he wouldn’t let her. She shot him a glance, but he only returned it with a patient smile.
She tugged one more time, but her hand stayed firmly in his grasp. Erin didn’t know whether to leave it or kick him under the table. The memory of his lips on hers was distracting. But after witnessing his wonderful family in action, she knew now more than ever that she didn’t belong here.
Not with his beautiful, giving mother or sweet sister. This family deserved a good woman for their son. Not her. Never her. And that hurt more than just a little. Erin tilted her chin up. She couldn’t fix the things she’d done. Couldn’t undo it all. But she could at least make sure this decent family didn’t become hurt by her past. So she left her hand in Daniel’s and enjoyed the feeling.
Tomorrow she would be the voice of reason. But not now. Not here with this wonderful family. The thing she searched for her entire life but never had.
“Are we done?” Maria looked around the table and smiled at each in turn. Isabel grabbed one last corn shell and shook it at her mother.
“Mama. You know I can’t resist these. Why do you put them by me?”
“Because I adore you, mija.” Maria grinned. “And the rest of those will go home to you so you know that I think of you even when I cannot see you.” She stood and the rest of the family followed. Then they began to filter into the living room or the backyard to check on the children.
Erin stayed sitting until the rest of the family left the table. Daniel left just a few minutes earlier with an apology about a business call. She stood and began to stack the dishes so she could take them into the kitchen.
“You don’t have to do that, mija.” Maria smiled kindly from the kitchen doorway. “You are a guest.”
“I don’t mind.” Erin shrugged and looked around. “And I believe the rest of the family took off.”
“They would.” Maria laughed. “No one enjoys dishes in this house. And I have yet to get a dishwasher. Though all the children have offered more than once to buy one.”
“Why wash them twice?” Erin asked.
“Exactly!” Maria beamed at her. “A woman after my own heart. Now come along. Bring those into my kitchen. I will be more than happy to wash them.”
“I’ll help.” Erin tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and followed the older woman into the kitchen. It was the first time she had seen it. Earlier, when Maria cooked, no one was allowed in. Any who dared enter her domain were subject to pinched ears and dire warnings.
The walls were cream and had so many pictures on them, that they almost looked like wallpaper. Erin walked over and looked at all the smiling faces beaming down at her. Young or old. Didn’t matter. Each had a smile for the camera. And the sense of family flooded each portrait. It was a knowing. A certainty that those in the picture would always be there for each other.
Her hand reached out of its own volition and touched the large family portrait that hung in the center. Daniel and his family. Maria and her husband sat in the middle with their two daughters and three sons behind them. Daniel had his hand on his mother’s shoulder. And in front of Miguel and Maria were at least ten children.
“That was taken three years ago.”
Erin snatched her hand back and turned around. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to touch.”
&
nbsp; “Child.” Maria smiled and took her hand in hers. “You touch anything you want to here.” She patted Erin’s hand absently and let it loose. She turned back to the sink. “You have brothers and sisters?”
“No.” Erin bit her lip and picked up a dishtowel with red apples on it. “I’m an only child, I think.” She grabbed a white saucer and briskly dried it. “I have no family.”
Maria half-turned and studied her. “You have no mama? No papa?”
Erin shook her head and avoided her eyes. “I have no one.”
“Oh, mija.” Maria sighed. “We must have overwhelmed you. I apologize.”
Erin’s head snapped up. It was the last thing she expected. Usually that bleak news was followed by apologies and more prying. Erin was quick to assure her. “Oh no! Maria, your family is wonderful. All laughing and talking. It’s how I always imagined a family to be.” She smiled at the older woman. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Maria turned back to the sink. “You are always welcome here, mija. Always.”
Erin reached out and traced the canvas again. “This is your husband?”
“Si.” Maria turned to look at the portrait. “The love of my life. The father of my children. No better man has ever walked this earth, mija.” Maria dabbed at her eyes. “The cancer took him a year after this. So quickly. And the man I loved all my life was gone in a heartbeat.”
“I’m so sorry!” Erin blinked rapidly to fight back the tears. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Always so careful, mija. So cautious with everyone’s feelings. Including your own.” Maria stroked Erin’s hair gently. “I loved Jose with everything in me. He was for me. And now I raise his children and grandchildren by myself. But I know I will see my love again.” She moved her hand and stroked the canvas lovingly. “He holds my heart.”
“That’s beautiful.” Erin smiled tremulously. “Your entire family is wonderful. You’ve both done a wonderful job.” She paused and gathered her courage. “What’s it like?”
Maria turned to study her, and Erin pushed back the tears that always felt at the front of her emotions lately. “It’s hard. And it’s easy.” Maria sighed. “We love each other. But there are problems even here, child.” The older woman studied her as if taking her measure. “Daniel’s brother, Hector, sold drugs out of the bar Daniel now owns. When the DEA busted him, he tried to implicate Daniel in the whole affair.”
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