The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal (11 page)

It could have all been so beautiful. Tonight she really had thought that she was in love with him. He had made her feel special and it had promised to be a birthday to surpass all birthdays. It had done that all right! This was a birthday she would never forget. Not as long as she lived.

She felt his hands on her shoulders, gentle, tentative, and they sent waves of anguish through her body. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she cried. ‘Get away from me.’ And she swung round to meet the sad silver of his eyes.

‘We need to talk,’ he said quietly, ‘properly talk, but we can’t do so until you’ve calmed down.’

‘You think I’ll ever recover from this?’ Elena found it hard to believe that he was still trying to talk her round. ‘No words will ever put the matter right. What is done is done. It cannot be undone. I’ll never forgive you. Not in a million years.’

And it wasn’t only the fact that he had hurt and humiliated her, he had deceived her parents as well. How were they going to feel when they found out?

They mustn’t. She must never tell them, it would break their hearts, it would send her mother into hospital again—and this time she might not recover. Oh, God, how had she let herself get into this mess? Vidal was a monster. Thinking only of himself, his own pleasure, his own needs.

Every time she thought about the way she had given her body to him, willingly at times, lovingly even, she wanted to stab a knife into his heart.

‘Perhaps in the morning you might think differently. My motives were entirely—’

‘Dishonourable!’ Elena’s eyes met his head-on. ‘Don’t think you can talk your way out of this, Vidal.’ Her whole body was on fire; she wanted to flail her fists against his chest; she wanted to hurt him as he had hurt her. Except that no amount of physical violence would ever heal the hurt in her heart. It was doubtful it would ever go away. She had been a stupid, silly fool, taken in by a handsome face and carefully spoken words.

‘I think you should get some sleep,’ he said quietly. ‘Perhaps you’ll feel better in the morning. We can talk then.’

She strode across to the door. ‘Perhaps
you
will sleep. Perhaps your conscience won’t affect you. If you have one, that is. I’ll use another room tonight, Vidal, and then tomorrow I’ll be gone. Out of your life. For ever.’

She slammed the door behind her, half expecting it to be pulled open again, for him to follow, not knowing whether to be relieved or surprised when he didn’t. Both perhaps. She was most definitely surprised; she had expected him to stop her, to come after her, to make a further attempt to excuse his behaviour.

Except that there were no excuses. What he had done was unpardonable.

And her relief that he was giving her time to herself, that he wasn’t coming after her and forcing her to continue the conversation when she felt like drowning her sorrows in a bottle of something strong and intoxicating, knew no bounds. There was nothing else left for them to say. He had hurt her immeasurably, she felt used and defiled, and it would be a long, long time before she ever trusted another man. If ever!

She pushed open one of the other bedroom doors and curled up on the bed fully dressed. She wouldn’t sleep—how could she when her mind was in turmoil? Tears spilled down her cheeks as she lay there sobbing silently. Never had she met a man whom she hated as much as she hated Vidal now.

If her sister hadn’t turned up she would have given her heart to him. Thank goodness she hadn’t. Because once given she wouldn’t have been able to take it back. Once she had confessed her love he would never have let her go. It would have bound her to him as surely as if she were held in shackles.

Never in her wildest imaginings had she dreamt that Vidal would be capable of such duplicity. He had worked his magic on her, and she had fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

The first pale fingers of dawn were spreading across the sky when she finally fell asleep. A deeply troubled sleep where her dreams were peppered with visions of Vidal. Sometimes he had the horns of a devil and was mocking her. At others his face was gentle, his eyes filled with love, and she would reach out her arms, only for him to fade away before she could touch him.

Unaware that she was crying out in her sleep, thrashing her arms and tossing her head from side to side, Elena opened her eyes to find Vidal bending over her, trying to still her frenzied movements, touching a gentle hand to her brow.

‘You were dreaming,’ he said quietly.

Elena knocked his arm away. ‘I was having a nightmare. And it was about you.’ He even had the nerve to look as though he cared. How could he? Damn the man! She swung away from him, rolling to the other side of the bed and standing up.

‘Elena—’

They stood within inches of each other now, eyeball to eyeball. Neither moving a muscle. The only sound in the room was her own heart beating. Thud! Thud! Thud! Loud enough to echo in her ears and make her feel faint. Which was ridiculous. She had to be strong, she needed to be strong. This man had tricked her big time.

‘We need to talk.’

‘There is nothing left to say. Nothing that will make any difference.’

‘I think there is. You need to listen to my side of—’

‘Vidal, am I not making myself clear? I do not want this conversation.’

‘I am sorry I deceived you,’ he said quietly, his eyes shadowed and full of pain.

‘It’s not good enough,’ she answered.

‘More sorry than you’ll ever know. It was a stupid idea. I should have known that Reina would return one day and you’d learn the truth.’

‘But surprisingly it never occurred to you.’ Elena’s voice was filled with derision. ‘I don’t know who’s the most stupid, you or me.’

‘I don’t want you to go.’

‘Try stopping me!’

‘The least we need to do, Elena, is sit down and discuss the matter.’ His eyes pleaded with her to listen. ‘I’ve made a terrible mistake, I’m fully aware of that, but there has to be some way out of it. I’m—I’ve grown very fond of you. You’ve become a part of my life, you’ve added to it, you’ve—’

Elena’s eyes flashed. ‘Spare me the sob story.’

‘Unfortunately I have to go to the office this morning. Something’s cropped up that needs my personal attention. Promise me you’ll be here when I get back.’

‘Not if there’s a flight home, I won’t,’ she claimed, locking her eyes into his, seeing his misery, but he couldn’t be hurting as much as she was. She felt as raw as if she had been whipped.

‘I need a shower,’ she said bluntly.

‘Then I’ll see you later. Don’t run out on me, Elena.’

The warning note in his voice did not escape her. But it made no difference. She was still going to leave.

Except that when she telephoned the airline she discovered that there were no direct flights to LA today. She could of course go home to her parents, but then her mother would worry and that was the last thing she wanted. With a bit of luck Reina had not said anything yet about the state of affairs.

She would speak to them in her own good time, and hopefully make them believe that Vidal had released her from their marriage early.

After booking a flight for the next day Elena impulsively decided to take Jet out. She needed escapism and Jet was such an amazing horse that she felt as though she were flying when she was on his back. Riding him would clear her head and make her strong enough to face Vidal and insist that enough was enough.

His head stable hand had other ideas though. ‘I’ve had my instructions, Señora Marquez. You are not to take Jet out again. If you do I will lose my job.’

Elena had known he would say this, but she was determined to have her own way. It was amazing what a few softly spoken words and a winning smile achieved. She assured him that he would not lose his job, that she would put matters right with his master.

Following the same path beside the river that she had taken before, Elena once again gave Jet his rein. In no time at all she began to feel better. He was such a magnificent beast, she could understand why Vidal would never let anyone else ride him. He was powerful and strong like his owner. And she couldn’t help wondering whether in the horse world Jet was the master, bending all the other horses to his will.

Before long they left the river and headed up into the hills, Jet picking his sure-footed way, sometimes carefully, at others racing as though all the hounds in hell were on his tail. It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world and she was able to forget her anger and distress, laughing out loud, relishing the feel of this strong beast beneath her.

Until—suddenly and unexpectedly—Jet stumbled. He went down on his forelegs and Elena pitched forward over his head. There was nothing she could do to stop herself.

It seemed like for ever that she rolled down the hillside, her body bouncing against the hard earth, crushing branches, bruising her limbs, before coming to an abrupt halt as she slammed into an oak tree. After that she knew no more.

On his way home Vidal ran over in his mind the conversation he intended having with Elena. He intended to beg her forgiveness, promise her anything, the world, if she would only stay. He had been foolish to believe he could get away with the pretence that her parents would lose their bank. It had been childish and manipulative and he found it hard to believe now that he had actually thought it would work.

To his dismay there was no sign of Elena. He took the stairs two at a time, his heart sinking as low as it could get at the thought that she had already left. But her suitcase was still there. Packed and locked, no clothes left in her dressing room, so she
was
going—but where was she now?

He searched the grounds, checked the swimming
pool, the stables. He could not believe what he was hearing when he was told that she had taken Jet out.

‘Didn’t I leave express instructions that she was never to ride him again?’ he roared, feeling his heart bang uneasily against his ribcage.

‘Your wife, she is a very determined lady, señor,’ said his stable hand. ‘I am sorry, it was impossible to stop her.’

‘Impossible!’ snorted Vidal. ‘What sort of talk is that? Never mind, don’t answer, I know what she is like.’ As stubborn as a mule. He had hurt her unbearably, but for her to take out Jet again, in the mood she was in—the consequences didn’t bear thinking about.

‘Saddle me up one of the other horses,’ he instructed. He had no intention of standing around waiting for her return. This was all his fault. He felt as guilty as hell now, and if anything had happened to her…

But then, as before, he heard the clip clop of hooves. He swung round, words of relief on his lips, but his thoughts stopped right there when he saw that Jet was riderless. His heart came into his mouth. Unless she was following on foot? Maybe Jet had thrown her and she was limping along feeling slightly foolish.

But there was no sign of Elena. Just the horse. Returned home like the faithful friend he was. He even had a faintly hangdog expression as though he knew that he had done wrong. The question now was where was Elena? Was she lying hurt somewhere? Maybe she was even lost. Which route had they taken? She could be anywhere. The area around them was endless. There were woods and scrubby areas and the river.

The river! What if she’d got thrown into the river and
drowned? Or what if she was unconscious somewhere up in the mountain, somewhere inaccessible where no one would ever find her? He had only himself to blame. Everything was his fault. Why the hell had he thought he would ever get away with it?

The horse came to nuzzle him and Vidal patted his nose. ‘You’re coming with me, boy. We have to find her.’

He sprang into the saddle and even though the stirrups were too short he didn’t want to waste time lengthening them. He urged Jet into a gallop as they covered the ground he imagined they might have taken, and the longer he was out there, the more concerned and distressed he became.

They left the river and climbed the mountain, his horse seeming to know exactly where to go. But after a while the animal grew tired, and Vidal was nearing his wit’s end—when he thought he heard a sound. He brought Jet to a halt and they stood still and silent. There it was again. A faint, ‘Help!’

‘Elena!’ he shouted. ‘I’m coming. Where are you?’

He followed the sound of her voice, his heart beating a million times a minute when he saw her lying motionless. Every vestige of colour was drained from her face and one leg was pinned beneath a log.

Immediately he was down on his knees beside her. ‘Elena, you scared me to death. When Jet came home on his own I immediately thought the worst. I thank my lucky stars that you are alive. Are you in pain?’

‘My leg…’ she said faintly.

‘I’m going to lift the log off you. Tell me if it hurts too much.’

He watched her face just in case her leg might be
broken. But she didn’t flinch, she simply lay there pale and lifeless.

‘Never, ever do this to me again, Elena.’

She didn’t answer. Why would she when she was hell-bent on leaving him?

‘Can you move your leg?’

She tried warily and nodded.

‘Are you hurt anywhere else?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Nevertheless you’re going to hospital to be checked out.’

‘Whatever you say, Vidal,’ she whispered, and then fainted.

V
IDAL
cursed. He should have brought someone with him. It had been a crazy idea coming to look for Elena alone. He couldn’t leave her now and yet he needed help. He checked his cell phone. No signal, of course. Was there ever when you really needed it?
Infierno!
What now?

‘Elena,’ he said, stroking the soft skin of her cheek. ‘Elena, can you hear me?’

Gradually she stirred, opening her eyes again and looking straight into his.
Dios!
All he wanted to do was hold her close and kiss her better. He had only himself to blame that she had taken Jet out again. He had let her down big-time.

What sort of a fool would insist on a temporary marriage for no other reason than he wanted her in his bed? With the added danger that her sister might return and tell her the truth? He had to have been seriously insane to believe that he would get away with it.

When he had seen her at that dinner, though, when he had decided there and then that he wanted her, he hadn’t given Reina a thought. He’d put his own selfish
needs first. And now look what had happened. Never in his life had he felt so foolish.

‘I’m going to lift you up, Elena,’ he said gently. ‘Put your arms around my neck, but tell me if it hurts too much. It’s the only way I’m going to get you out of here.’

Slowly she did so, and with strength born of desperation Vidal managed to lift her onto the horse. He sat behind and with his arms securely around her they walked sedately back to the house where he phoned for an ambulance.

Elena kept drifting in and out of consciousness and he was desperately worried. She hadn’t worn a hat so could have banged her head and be suffering from concussion as well as an injured leg. Where the hell were they? Why was it taking so long?

It was actually only a few minutes before the medics arrived even though it felt like hours. Vidal accompanied Elena in the ambulance, murmuring words of comfort, though he was not sure that she could hear them. She had drifted again into her own world where there was no pain, either mental or physical.

Of one thing he was sure now: he loved this woman more than life itself. Deeply and truly and irrevocably. He couldn’t imagine life without Elena. If anything serious had happened to her then his own life wouldn’t be worth living.

It had been naïve of him to believe that he could use her and then discard her. How stupid and insensitive was that? Elena was not the sort of woman to let herself be used. She had come to him in all good faith, doing what she believed was right, and he had let her down. No
wonder she’d been angry when her sister had told her the truth, no wonder she’d wanted to leave him. Not only had he let her down, but he had let himself down as well.

‘I’m sorry, Elena,’ he whispered, unsure whether she could hear him but feeling that he needed to say it. ‘I was wrong, I was foolish, will you ever forgive me?’

At the hospital she was hurried away and all Vidal could do was pace and wait. It felt like an eternity before anyone came to see him, an eternity while he imagined the worst. Brain damage perhaps? She would never be the same again. And it was entirely his fault. She wouldn’t be in this position if he hadn’t forced her to marry him.

He had taken her away from a job she loved in LA, from her own business for pity’s sake. What sort of a monster was he? So sure of himself. So cockily self-sure that he had taken her without any thought what he might be doing to her.

His head was bent low in his hands when the doctor approached. ‘Señor Marquez?’

‘Sí.’
Vidal jumped swiftly to his feet. ‘How is my wife? Can I see her?’

For the first time it felt different, saying ‘my wife’. Before, it had been no more than a general term. But now, knowing that he loved her, it felt more personal. It felt good, actually. He was her husband, she was his wife. They were a couple, a
real
married couple.

Except that Elena did not love him. Elena wanted to leave him. He hadn’t thought this far before, too amazed by his own discovery and the importance of it. But now it struck him that Elena did not return his feelings. She
had made the best of a bad job, but was now determined to return home.

He had ruined everything by his own selfish greed.

‘In all good time,’ answered the doctor. ‘First things first.’

First things first! What did that mean? It sounded ominous. As though he was preparing him for something unpleasant. ‘What is wrong?’ he asked swiftly and urgently, his brow dark now, a frown slashing across it. ‘Tell me.’

‘Nothing at all is wrong,’ answered the man, smiling now. ‘We’ve given your wife a thorough examination. She will be sore and bruised for a few days, but fortunately there are no major injuries. She’s very lucky.’

‘So can I see her now?’ he asked, breathing more easily.

‘And even luckier still that she didn’t lose her baby.’

Vidal froze.

His heart stopped beating. The world stopped moving. The whole room faded away until there was nothing left except the doctor’s positive face, a pair of brown eyes smiling into his. A baby? Elena was pregnant with his child and she hadn’t told him! Mixed emotions flared through his mind. ‘Are you sure?’

Mistaking his question for concern about his unborn child the doctor smiled. ‘We’ve carried out a scan. All is well. Baby’s heartbeat is just as it should be. You can go to her now. She’s still shaken, but there does not appear to be any serious damage. Nevertheless we’ll keep her in overnight to make certain, and when she gets home you must ensure that she gets plenty of rest for a
few days for the baby’s sake. Although they’re resilient little creatures, this one has had a big shaking up.’

A fresh wave of feelings rippled through Vidal—it was the strangest feeling in the world, an incredibly emotional one! He had created another being. Perhaps someone in his own image, with a little bit of Elena thrown in.

His heart had started beating again, rattling along at a terrific rate, as it did when he made love. And he didn’t dare speak for fear that he gave away the fact that he hadn’t even known his wife was pregnant. What sort of impression would that give? But he was so full of emotion that his chest felt as though it wanted to burst wide open.

He was irked that Elena hadn’t told him, but also oddly buoyant. If the Reina affair hadn’t blown up there would have come a time when the evidence would be irrefutable and she’d have had to say something. Perhaps she’d been afraid? Afraid of his reaction. Afraid he might have accused her of trapping him.

Or perhaps she had never planned to tell him at all. Perhaps she’d intended returning to LA in any case. It had just brought things forward when her sister put in her appearance. His lips thinned at the thought of her leaving. Over his dead body!

The doctor’s words cut into his thoughts. ‘Come, Señor Marquez, I will take you to your wife.’

Although Elena had her eyes closed she knew the exact moment when Vidal entered the room, and she was afraid to look at him after what the doctor had told her.

She was carrying Vidal’s baby!

It was her worst nightmare come true.

Elena knew exactly when it had happened—in the shower by the pool, the first time he had taken her, when they had both been too caught up in their own screamingly intense feelings to even think about contraception. Since then he had always, but always, taken precautions.

Even her missed period hadn’t worried her because she’d put it down to the emotional trauma she was going through. Now, though, she was facing the biggest dilemma of her life.

A temporary marriage had been bad enough, but to be bound to Vidal for ever because she had stupidly allowed herself to get pregnant. How ridiculous was that! And the fact that she had unwittingly fallen in love with him made it ten times worse. Nevertheless he had deceived her big-time and she would never forgive him, not ever.

‘Elena?’ Vidal bent low over her bed, one hand either side of her, his face close to hers. She had no choice but to look at him.

There was tenderness and concern in his eyes, his voice so soft as to be almost inaudible. ‘Are you all right,
mi querida?
’

She gave the faintest of nods, not daring to speak in case she gave away her fear.

There was nothing in his expression to suggest that he knew about the baby. Perhaps the doctor hadn’t said anything, leaving it to her to tell her husband that the tiny scrap of humanity inside her was safe and well. As if she would! As soon as she felt up to it she was flying back to LA. She would bring this child up on her own. Vidal could go to hell.

He bent his head lower and touched his lips to hers. ‘I’ve been out of my mind with worry. You took a bad fall, Elena. You’re very lucky to have no serious injuries.’

‘I know. Thank you for finding me. I’m not sure I could have made it home.’ Thanking him was the least she could do.

‘I’m damn sure you couldn’t have done. You were out of it for most of the time.’ His voice rose, became gruff, and then softened again almost immediately. ‘The doctor wants to keep you in overnight, just to make sure there are no after-effects. And he wants you to rest now, so I must leave. I’ll be back in the morning.’

He touched his lips to hers, looked at her long and hard, and then walked quietly away.

When he had gone Elena closed her eyes again, breathing out, relaxing her limbs, unaware of how tense she had grown these last few minutes. The discovery that she was carrying Vidal’s baby was proving too much to take in.

She felt drowsy again now and sleep claimed her. Perfect, dreamless sleep. When she awoke the first thing she thought about was her baby. She put a hand to her stomach again, finding it hard to believe that there was a new life growing. The very thought made her smile briefly.

It was not how she’d planned her time with Vidal to end and, although she desperately wanted to say nothing, to disappear out of his life and bring the baby up herself, there were also her parents to consider. Without a doubt they would spread the news. Their first grandchild! He would find out one way or another.

But it still didn’t mean that she had to stay with him.

After breakfast the doctor came to see her and shortly after that Vidal arrived. His smile was warm and concerned, making Elena feel a little guilty at the thought of keeping her condition from him. Not that he deserved to know—he didn’t deserve anything. She would hate him to the end of her days for tricking her into this marriage.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked quietly.

‘A little bruised, a little sore, but otherwise okay,’ she answered. ‘I’m free to go home so long as I rest.’

Vidal’s smile widened. ‘I’ve brought you some clean clothes.’

‘Thank you.’ His thoughtfulness did not surprise her. But the fact that he had been going through her drawers to find clean undies made her skin go warm. The idea of this big man’s hands touching her delicate briefs, deciding which bra she should wear, did they need to match, did colour matter, caused all sorts of feelings to race through her body.

Elena slid off the bed, took the case and disappeared into the bathroom. Vidal had chosen a pair of loosefitting cotton trousers and a T-shirt, both in shades of pale pink. She guessed that he had decided on something soft because of her bruising and she reluctantly appreciated it because she was most definitely very tender in places.

She really had been foolish taking Jet out again. And even more foolish allowing the horse his head on such difficult terrain. It could have all ended so differently. She could have broken her leg; she could even have been killed.

For one very brief moment she thought that even that might have been better than bringing Vidal’s baby into the world. But then she dismissed it. The baby hadn’t asked for any of this. He was the innocent pawn in the game they had played. He deserved the very best in life and she was determined to give it him. Without Vidal’s help!

In the limousine on their way home he constantly asked whether she was all right until in the end Elena snapped, ‘For pity’s sake, Vidal, stop fussing. I had a fall, that’s all. I’m not made of glass. I didn’t break. Just leave me alone.’

His mouth tightened and he threw her a pained glance that suggested she was hurting his feelings, but she didn’t care. He hadn’t thought of her feelings when he’d demanded that she marry him.

Once they were home Vidal insisted on her sitting comfortably in the garden room, constantly asking whether there was anything she needed. Elena felt like screaming. She would have preferred his anger, it would have helped in her decision to leave. Instead she had to put up with his undivided attention.

It unsettled her.

‘Shouldn’t you be at work?’ she enquired, when he asked for what seemed like the hundredth time whether she wanted anything.

‘And leave you in this condition?’ he promptly returned, his silver eyes gentle on her face.

‘What condition? I’m bruised, yes, and sore, my leg hurts, but I’m not ill. I fell, that’s all. There’s enough staff here to look after me.’ For pity’s sake, she wasn’t an invalid.

‘You’re also pregnant!’

Elena stopped breathing. Everything inside her clenched. Her senses went on high alert. She chanced a look into Vidal’s face, seeing recrimination now, seeing a toughness that had been noticeably absent.

‘The doctor told you?’ It was a stupid question because how else could he have known? But what was she supposed to say when she hadn’t even known herself?

‘What I’m wondering is why you didn’t tell me?’

She heard controlled anger and shuddered. She was still feeling a little delicate if the truth were known and could do without the third degree.

‘I’m wondering if you ever would have told me, or whether your decision to leave had something to do with it?’

‘There is a simple explanation.’ Elena heard the defence in her voice and wished she had been able to speak normally. She didn’t feel up to confrontation. Why couldn’t he have waited a few days until she was back to normal, strong enough to stick up for herself?

‘There is?’ Dark, masculine brows rose imperiously.