A Flower for Angela (10 page)

She gazed at Ricardo with obvious appeal. Ricardo shook his head. There was a limit to how far he would go with the students—and playing a dragon stretched beyond it.

He could see she was sorely tempted to coerce him. He cast her his most stern look and dared her to try.

"Jose would make a great dragon," she relented and Ricardo breathed a sigh of relief.

"No. No. You, Miss Stuart,” Fernie insisted.

From their eager faces, Ricardo could tell that they expected her to participate and that she had done so before. Her look of dismay spoke volumes. She wouldn't let her students down, but clearly she didn't want to perform in front of an adult male audience. Ricardo couldn't control his laughter when she bent down on her knees and slashed her arms about, trying to look fierce. She looked about as threatening as a kitten.

The romping and laughter brought back memories of his childhood. His father used to tussle in a similar fashion with Ricardo and his brothers when he returned home from work. Watching Angela play with her students made him long for sons of his own.

Wouldn't his sisters love that? They had been insisting that Ricardo needed to settle down and have a family. But his work was too hectic and time-consuming now to allow for a stable home life.

The children squealed with delight. Ricardo was half-tempted to join Angela and the children on the floor. Ken's chuckle brought him up short.

¡Madre
mio!
he swore to himself. That woman could make him forget everything else but her.

"Save the princess!" the children chanted.

It happened so fast, Ricardo couldn't have prevented it if he'd tried. Caught up in the drama, Jose had grabbed a baseball bat and wielded the club in a pretend attack. But he miscalculated, and, before Ken could react, smacked the end of the camera. The piece of equipment crashed to the floor and the lens shattered. Everyone froze. A ghostly quiet filled the room and Ricardo glowered at Angela.

Angela knew she was in for it now. How much would one of those lenses cost? She groaned aloud, the sound reverberating in the silence.

Jose's dark eyes widened with fear when he realized what he’d done. Angela stepped toward him, responding to the panic she saw on his face. But he moved faster than she could. In a flash, he dropped the bat and tore past his classmates. The door slammed before Angela could reach him.

Angela barely glanced at Ricardo, unconcerned with him or the camera. She had to get to Jose. "Call Maria! She can take the class to her room."

She rushed out the door, aware that Ricardo was herding the children away from the broken glass.

CHAPTER 6

IT DIDN'T TAKE HER LONG
to find Jose. He'd headed straight for the nurse's office where Mrs. Adams held him against her ample bosom, murmuring comforting words in Spanish. His body shook with sobs.

Angela knelt in front of them. "It's all right, Jose. It was an accident."

Finally, Jose calmed down. Angela slid into the chair next to Mrs. Adams and explained what had happened.

"
Probrecito
,” Mrs. Adams said. "Poor little one, you'll be fine now. Miss Stuart won’t let those men be mad at you."

"We aren't angry." The softly spoken Spanish words startled all three of them as Ricardo entered the office. It was his turn to kneel in front of Mrs. Adams and Jose. "You were such a brave dragon slayer. And
Señorita
Stuart was such a fierce dragon."

A smile began to curve Jose's lips as Ricardo continued to speak. Angela smiled, too, charmed by the gentle way Ricardo was handling Jose. He'd make a good father, she thought, understanding and fair.

Then Jose shook Ricardo's hand and both agreed to forgive and forget.

"The school day is almost over. Maybe I'll just take him on home and explain to his
mama
,” Mrs. Adams offered.

Angela agreed and thanked the nurse for making the trip.

As they left, Angela turned to Ricardo. "Jose will be fine. Mrs. Adams has a way with people. She can smooth over all the touchy situations."

"So I gather. She reminds me of my grandmother.”

"She's everyone's
nana
. The students, the parents and even we teachers go to her with our hurts and our troubles."

In fact, Angela envied Jose now. She'd give anything to be the one going home with someone murmuring soothing words of comfort. It had been a doozy of a day.

"You okay?" Ricardo shifted. For a brief second, she fantasized about Ricardo taking her home and easing the stress of the day away. Unexpectedly, he brushed cool fingers against her cheek. His eyes filled with tenderness and his glance caressed her face. Angela smiled.

"Now there's some color. I thought for a minute I'd have to call the nurse back."

Her anxiety returned. Ricardo was the source of it, after all. She looked at him, wondering if his reassurance to Jose applied to her, as well.

"We'd better go across the hall to the office and fill out an accident report. If the school doesn't have insurance for this, I'll cover the cost. Jose's family won't—"

"Don't worry about it." A frown replaced his tender expression. "The camera is insured. Like you said—it was an accident." His frown deepened as he brushed back a loose strand of her hair. "There's one good thing that came of this."

"Hmm? What’s that?" She looked into stormy eyes and should have been forewarned, but the feel of his fingers had entranced her.

"You cannot continue this way. You're going to have to change your teaching methods and bring more order to your class. This kind of thing cannot be allowed to happen again."

"How can you say that?!" she exclaimed, her heart racing in alarm. "After the understandings we’ve reached recently, you can still insist on that?"

He grasped her shoulders. "I
have
to insist on it. The way your kids act is unacceptable. It's dangerous.” Irritation sharpened his tone.

"Dangerous? No one has ever been hurt in my class."

"Someone could have been today."

"The children were absorbed in the play."

"Absorbed? I'd describe them as unmanageable."

"You're being closed-minded again." Hadn't he observed enough these last weeks to change his opinion? Or was his problem with her, personally?

Dismayed, Angela slumped her shoulders. He didn't care enough to give her a chance.

"Angela." He stroked her cheek again and she jerked away, trying to ignore the tingle his touch created. "Don't do this. I'm on your side."

"Are you?"

Brushing his hand aside, she backed away. "I have data and research to back up my methods. I'll make you understand," she swore. "Nothing is going to change. You promised me this month, and we're going to see it through."

"Nothing's so important that you should risk your well being.”

"Are you saying these children aren’t important?" She cast him a censorious look. "These children have never been given a chance. People often assume that because they live in the inner city, are poor and are from Mexico, that they will fail or—worse—that they are stupid. Why I've—"

"We're not discussing sociology here. I'm concerned about your class."

"Then look at my class. The students are performing above grade level and defying society's expectations. And do you want to know why?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

"My teaching methods, Mr. de la Cruz. The whole language process."

His wince pleased her. "These kids are smart. We've just stifled their intelligence by using the wrong methods and materials."

"I thought you disapproved of self-righteous statements."

"It sounds conceited, I know." Placing fingers to her throbbing temples, she sighed. Exhaustion washed over her. "But I'm right and I can prove it."

But could she prove it to this man? At the moment, everything seemed so overwhelming—the shock of the accident, the emotional turmoil of dealing with Jose and now this new threat to the continuance of the program. Tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks.

"You're not going to prove anything like this,” he soothed. "You're upset and…"

"I will. Those kids need me. There are so few who care to…" Her voice quivered and then trailed off as emotion tightened her throat.

He pulled her against him. She tried to push away, refusing the comfort he offered.

"Stop it,” he ordered softly, his voice full of concern.

"Let me go."

He tightened his hold. "You're wrong. I do care for those kids."

The fight went out of her. She sank against his chest and let the tears flow.

"I care, Angela,” he murmured into her hair. "For those kids—and for you."

But did he, really? How could she have feelings for a man who didn't recognize her efforts as a teacher? She had to maintain her integrity and purpose, even though she couldn't gain his respect. The thought saddened her.

"Don't do this to yourself.” Ricardo drew back in order to see her face.

Angela kept her lashes lowered. "I'm sorry." She fought to stop the flow of her tears. "I'd better go back to class."

"No, rest here a few moments." With one hand pressing the back of her head, he pushed her against him again. "We've both had a rough go here. Let's just calm ourselves."

His body shuddered, alerting her to the fact that he was as upset as she was.

Without realizing it, she wrapped her arms around his back. His muscles flexed under her touch. His heartbeat sounded in her ear. She rested her damp cheek against the stubbled skin of his jaw.

His arms tightened around her. She felt as if she could stay in his embrace forever and revel in the feeling of being cherished.

"Angela, are you all right?" Mrs. Edwards's voice intruded on her fantasy.

Angela quickly stepped away from Ricardo. She had only been accepting offered comfort, but would the principal think it was more than that?

"She's had a rough day." The rich tones of Ricardo's voice vibrated in the room as he explained what had happened.

"Oh my. We'd better file a report."

With reluctance, Angela moved away from Ricardo's side. "If the insurance doesn't cover it, I'll pay for the damage."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Edwards shook her head. "I'm sure it'll be taken care of. Just don't hold your breath, Mr. de la Cruz, because these things do take some time."

"No problem,” Ricardo assured the flustered principal. "I already told Angela it was covered."

Further argument became futile when Ricardo insisted they drop the issue.

Resigned, Angela finally agreed. "I should get back to my class.”

"Maria's watching them,” Mrs. Edwards reminded her.

Angela's head was beginning to ache. What she really wanted was to go home.

As if she’d read her mind, Mrs. Edwards suggested she do just that. "The bell's going to ring in a few minutes, anyway. Maria can dismiss your class."

"It isn't necessary…” Angela began, but Mrs. Edwards insisted.

"You look all done in. What you need is to go home right now and get some rest."

"I can't leave now. I took the bus and—"

"I'll take you." Ricardo interjected.

"Good idea,” Mrs. Edwards piped up before Angela could protest. She turned to Angela. "You're always putting in extra hours. You deserve to go home early once in a while."

"She's right, you know,” Ricardo said, a crooked smile on his face. "Let's go collect your things."

"I'll let you take me home,” she conceded, “but I'm going to Maria's classroom first."

A slight movement caught her eye. Lupe stood behind the counter witnessing the exchange between her and Ricardo. Terrific. That was all she needed.

Quickly, Angela opened the door, more than ready to leave.

"Angela—” Ricardo started to protest, but Angela cut him off.

"The class is probably upset about what happened. I need to let the children know that everything is okay."

"I'll walk you down then."

¡Caramba!
The woman was stubborn. Falling into step beside her, he watched the sway of her hips. He could still feel her body against his.

When they reached her classroom door, she paused and said with unexpected humor in her voice, "This could get emotional. Want to wait out here?"

"I can take it." He grinned and followed her in.

The noisy class fell silent when Angela stepped through the door. She spoke quietly as she reassured them and let them know they were to stay with Maria until they were dismissed.

One of the children came flying out from the far corner of the room. She threw herself into Angela's arms so hard that Ricardo feared she’d knock Angela down. He braced her with a supporting hand on her waist while she bent to hug the small child.

The girl burst into tears of relief, and Angela sat in a nearby chair and pulled her onto her lap. Ricardo ignored the “I-told-you-so” look she cast him while she reassured the child.