Untamed Fire (15 page)

She jumped, startled.

He braced his body against hers, afraid she
would flee him. “Don’t,” he ordered. “I won’t hurt you.”

“You will,” she whispered, struggling to
keep the tears locked away. She knew, without a doubt, that the
hurt was inevitable, just as their coming together and parting was
inevitable, and her heart was already aching for what was to be.
And yet would she deny the joy and pain of it?

His fingers traced her lips lightly, running
over their smooth, moist contours each time slipping a little
deeper inside her mouth. “I will never hurt you,
querida
...
never.”

Her eyelids fluttered from the sensuous play
of his fingers. They touched the inside of her lower lip and
instinctively her tongue reached for one. He moaned and his head
dropped forward until his brow rested against hers. “Don’t stop,”
he urged.

His words fueled her and her tongue circled
his finger, licking, sucking, and drawing him deeper inside
her.

“God,
querida
, what you do to me,” he
whispered.

He pressed into her and she felt him; his
hardness, his heat and his power. It thrilled her and frightened
her all in one breath, and she pulled back away from him suddenly
unsure of her actions or perhaps fearful of where it would
lead.

He grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her
to look at him. “Will you obey my orders now, Gaby?” he questioned,
attempting to control the raging desire shooting through him. He
wanted her so badly that he throbbed with pain, but he did not want
her here amongst the hay and horses. He wanted a full,
uninterrupted night with her. He wanted to discover for himself if
she needed to be introduced gently to a man, or if she had shared a
man’s bed before. At the moment it mattered not, he just wanted to
feel her beneath him. Gentle or forceful, he would experience both
with her until he had filled himself of her and driven his demons
away.

“Will you?” he insisted once again.

“Yes,” she said, unable to move her head and
fearing any other answer would prove useless.

“Go,” he said, releasing her. “Go tend to my
mother.”

She slipped past him, needing to put a good
deal of distance between them for sanity sake and to save herself
from the passion that surged uncontrollably through her.

“Gaby!”

His strong command halted her and she turned
once again to face him.

“You will ride no horse without my
permission. If you chose to do so again, I will add another six
months to your punishment.”

“But I was not—”

“Enough!” he shouted.

He was testing her, seeing if she would defy
him so soon after being warned. “As you wish,” she said, bowing her
head dutifully and turning to leave.

“And Gaby...”

She turned once again slowly, her hands
curled into tight fists at her sides.

“I will not tell you again to wear your
sandals.”

“
Si,
Senor Rafael.”

“Good, I’m glad you finally understand your
place.”

“Oh
si
, I understand,” she said and
smiled.
I understand perfectly.

~~~

Rafael found the late evening to be the most
difficult time of the day. It was then his thoughts were free to
remember things better left forgotten, to think of things that
could never be. All day the running of the ranch kept him occupied.
He had no time to reflect on memories past and present, but at
night it was different.

With supper over, his mother retired to her
room, the servants busy with their families, the hacienda quiet,
time became his enemy. Tonight was especially trying for him. He
recalled his afternoon encounter with Gaby and the memory disturbed
him.

He had given serious thought to announcing
his engagement to Louisa. Marriage would at least fill some of the
void, but then he thought of his first marriage and how cold and
unloving Anna had been. Gaby wouldn’t be that way. She would enjoy
warming her husband’s bed, spending time with him, carrying his
child. She would love him without restraints or limits and that was
the kind of woman he wanted. But women of breeding were different.
They performed their duties obediently and without question, also
without emotions.

Lighthearted laughter caught his attention,
and he turned to look out the window of his study. Juanita, Lupe’s
ten-year-old niece, and Gaby were playfully tossing a brightly
papered ball in the air, attempting to keep it up each time it
descended.

Their efforts did not always prove
successful, but it mattered not to them. They were enjoying
themselves. That was the type of scene Rafael had envisioned when
he thought of the family he would have. He had longed for a wife
who would laugh and play without regard to appearance and what
others would think of her. He wanted a wife whose hair he could
mess and whose breasts he could touch when he wished and not when
she allowed. He wanted a woman who wasn’t afraid to love—a woman
who would go barefoot without giving it a second thought.

Rafael’s eyes drifted to Gaby’s feet. They
were bare and he smiled. He rose from his chair, crushed the cigar
he had been smoking in the glass dish, and walked out of the
room.

“Get it, Gaby, get it!’ Juanita yelled
jumping up and down as the ball descended just above Gaby’s
head.

Gaby hit it, sending it flying upward, and
both girls squealed with delight.

“It’s coming toward you. Hurry, Juanita,”
Gaby ordered.

Juanita jumped, swinging her arms, but the
ball only drifted further away from her. “Oh, no,” she cried.

The ball was suddenly hurtled into the air.
Gaby and Juanita turned and stood still upon seeing Don Rafael
standing there.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Go after it!”
he yelled.

Both girls scurried to obey. In minutes the
three were racing around the courtyard laughing. Every time the
girls thought it would hit the ground, Rafael saved it, then
cheered them on to go after it. They ran and romped with pleasure,
all three until...

“Rafael, what is the meaning of this
disgraceful display?” his mother demanded, standing erect in her
high-collared nightgown and robe.

Rafael tensed. His dark hair had spilled
onto his forehead, his white shirt lay open at his throat, and his
dark skin glistened with a hint of perspiration. He resembled a
young boy who had been caught in an act not befitting his station
and Gaby suddenly felt sorry for him and the life he had to
endure.

“It is not a disgraceful display. It is
merely a game,” he remarked more calmly than Gaby had expected him
to.

His mother bristled at the sheer thought of
such a thing. “Really, Rafael, you are no longer a child. You
should know better. If you wish to play a game,” she said with a
sigh of disdain, “then at least do not do so with the
servants.”

Gaby motioned for Juanita to leave, and she
did, in a hurry, grabbing the paper ball from the ground as she
left. Gaby made haste to follow.

“Stay where you are, Gaby,” Rafael said
sternly. “Mother, I am a grown man and if I wish to
play
with the servants I shall do so. Never—I repeat—never question my
actions or authority again. It is not your place.”

Dona Maria, realizing she had overstepped
her boundaries, mumbled a quick apology and returned to her room,
promising herself she would make every effort to see that her son
married Louisa as quickly as possible.

“You were harsh with her,” Gaby said without
thinking.

Rafael turned to face her. “It isn’t her
place to question me, just as it isn’t yours.”

“
Si
, Don Rafael, but she is your
mother and set in her ways.”

“And what way is that?”

“That she obeys her husband or older son
without question.”

Rafael took a step toward her. “You find
this objectionable? Didn’t the padres teach you to respect and obey
your husband when you marry?”

Gaby couldn’t help but grin. “When I marry,
but I doubt there is a man capable of handling my willfulness.”

“Don’t forget disobedience,” he reminded
her, glancing down at her bare feet.

She pulled her brown skirt up to glance down
at her feet. She smiled again and wiggled them. “Yes, I suppose my
disobedience would be a deterrent in finding a husband.”

“Men expect a dutiful wife. One who will
obey without question.”

Gaby rocked back and forth on her bare
soles, her arms tucked behind her back. “Is that what you wish from
your wife? Someone who never questions your actions or ideas? One
who agrees with your every word? One who does exactly what you
wish, whether she desires to or not?”

Rafael grimaced at the prospect of such a
woman but said, “You describe a proper wife.”

“I describe a dull, boring wife. How much
more interesting marriage would be if a wife said and did as she
pleased. Then a husband would find himself confronted with a
challenge each new day and they would smile and love often.”

“You have strange ideas, Gaby.”

Gaby’s smile turned thoughtful. “Padre Jose
says they are dreams that will never come true. That such a man
does not exist and I would be better off spending my time praying
than daydreaming.”

“And do you follow the padre’s advice?”

She shook her head. “No, I continue to
dream.”

“You are stubborn.” Rafael smiled and Gaby
found it disarming.

“Where are your sandals, Gaby?” he asked
softly.

She pointed to the stone wall where they
rested.

He walked over, picked them up, and returned
to her. He stared down at her slim ankles and small toes. The
tender flesh beckoned him, so warm, so soft, and so inviting. If he
slipped the sandals on, he would not stop there. His hand would
glide upward along her firm calf, to her thigh, creamy soft beneath
her skirt. He would linger there until his fingers could stand it
no longer and then they would slip between her legs and—

“Put them on and leave them on,” Rafael
shouted as he shoved them at her and stomped away.

Gaby puzzled over his strange departure. She
hooked the strap of each sandal over her one finger and walked with
a gentle sway of her hips and a confused shake of her head to her
room.

“Gaby! Gaby!” Dona Maria’s voice was filled
with such urgency as she entered her bedroom that Gaby dropped the
linens she held and hurried to the woman’s side.

“What is the trouble? Are you ill? Let me
help you to bed.”

Dona Maria waved Gaby’s offer away, shaking
her head. “I’m fine. Actually, I feel wonderful. I just received
news from Spain that dear friends of ours are on their way here for
an extended visit.”

Gaby smiled, sharing her enthusiasm.
“Wonderful. Has it been long since you have seen them?”

“Much too long,” Dona Maria added with a
touch of sadness. “But they are on their way and we have much to do
before their arrival.”

“
Si,”
Gaby said. “Where do you wish
me to start?”

Dona Maria looked at the young girl with a
hint of regret. She had grown to care deeply for Gaby. She was so
vibrant and full of life. Her smile alone could melt the coldest
heart. If only she were not of peasant stock... if only.

Dona Maria reached out and squeezed Gaby’s
hand. “You are a good girl. I am glad you are here to help me.”

Gaby was surprised by the show of affection,
but remained silent.

“We will start by going through my wardrobe.
I have many dresses that require alterations and pressing.” She
walked to the tall wide wardrobe that held her dresses and flung
the doors open with a flourish.

Dona Maria was soon inspecting each garment
and issuing instructions. An older woman, the hacienda seamstress,
was summoned to make the alterations. Her hands were small and
delicate and worked with lightning speed as she pinned and poked
the material into shape.

“I want new outfits for the house servants,”
—Dona Maria ordered with a wave of her hand—”especially for Gaby. I
want her to look special since she is my companion.”

Gaby was about to protest, but Dona Maria
continued. “Lupe, make certain the hacienda sparkles. Have the
servants polish and scrub everything in sight and everything not in
sight. Fresh flowers are to be everywhere. Arrange them in my best
vases and change them at first sign of withering.”

“These people must be important,” Lupe
whispered to Gaby.

Dona Maria overheard the remark. “Very
important, Lupe, and there will be no gossiping while they are
about.”

“
Si,
Senora,” Lupe said.

“You will make certain the meals are
excellent. The Galvezes are accustomed to the finest foods and
wine. They dine often with Spanish royalty.”

Gaby half-listened as Dona Maria droned on
about the distinguished couple who were to visit. The name Galvez
struck a familiar cord. She had heard it before, though not in the
village.

“After all,” Dona Maria continued, “Rafael
would have been part of their family. We would have remained in
Spain and become an important part of court life, had not his
betrothed been kidnapped and lost to him forever.”

Gaby caught the hint of a tear in the older
woman’s eyes and a shadow of sorrow slipped over her. She spoke
more to herself than to the servants. “My Rafael, he has suffered
much. How I pray he finds happiness.”

Dona Maria took a quick deep breath. Her
eyes fluttered and her hand flew to grab at her chest. “Gaby,” she
cried with fear.

Gaby was instantly beside her, taking her
frail weight in her arms. She collapsed slowly to the floor,
cradling the older woman. She quickly used her one free hand to
loosen the high-necked collar of her black dress and then pulled
her clean white apron from her lap to wipe Dona Maria’s perspiring
brow.