Untamed Fire (39 page)

“Shhh,
querida
, and think about
yourself tied down, hot and ready beneath me.”

She stiffened, unable to stop herself from
envisioning the sensually seductive scene.

“See the walls of the shed around you, feel
your hands tied tightly above your head, your legs spread apart
waiting for me.”

His words were powerful intoxicants. Her
body responded to each, and the coolness of the arbor suddenly
became heated like that of the shed blistered in the afternoon
sun.

Gaby wasn’t certain how he did it and she
didn’t care. She just knew she felt good naked against the earth,
his body covering hers, her hands held tightly clenched in his
above her head.

He touched her with his hands, teased with
his tongue, tormented with wicked promises, until she begged him to
stop.

“You don’t want me to stop,
querida
.
Do you?” he whispered. “You don’t want me ever to stop.”

He slid into her then, so slowly, so gently,
that Gaby sighed.

“You feel good,” he murmured. “So damn
good.”

Then he moved with more force, urging her to
do the same.

“Harder, harder,” he demanded, and she
obeyed.

He wouldn’t let her release right away. He
wanted it to last. He wanted it to build. He wanted her total
surrender.

She gave it... and so did he.

“You want me to have it?” Rosalita asked in
disbelief.

“It belongs to you,” Gaby answered, holding
out the Galvez cross to her.

Rosalita sat on Gaby’s bed, staring at it.
“But Padre Manuel gave it to you. He must have wanted you to have
it for a reason. I cannot take it.”

Gaby took Rosalita’s hand, placed the cross
in her palm, and closed her fingers over it. “The only reason I can
think of the padre giving it to me was for protection. He knew how
obstinate I was and thought, rightfully so, that I would never let
anyone take it from me. One day he knew I would find out and make
certain the true Galvez twin received it.”

Rosalita blinked back the tears that
threatened to spill.

Gaby squeezed her hand, pressing the cross
into her palm. “Let me fulfill his unspoken request. Take the
cross. It is yours.”

Rosalita placed the gold chain around her
neck, slipping the cross beneath her blouse. “I will keep it always
and reflect often on the person who gave it to me and pray for a
small bit of the courage she possesses.”

“You have courage. You just need the
self-confidence to use it.”

“I am not as brave as you,” Rosalita said.
“Although I wish I was.”

“Do not be afraid to speak your mind,” Gaby
said with a reassuring pat to her hand.

Rosalita considered her words. “It isn’t
always possible to do that.”

“No, it can prove difficult, but you must
not give up. You must be determined.”

Rosalita stood and smiled. “I will think of
your iron will when I face such a moment.”

Gaby laughed. “Then you are sure to succeed.
Now we had better go. It’s time to meet Dona Isabel.”

Rosalita followed Gaby out the door. “I gave
some thought to the kidnapping, since I found sleep difficult last
night.”

“I did too. And the only thing that haunted
me was that four people who were present when it happened are
present again.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Dona Isabel,
Don Felipe, Dona Maria, and Rafael were all present during the
kidnapping. So it would seem sensible that one was involved.”

Gaby agreed. “And we know Rafael and his
mother had no part in it, and it’s safe to assume that Felipe was
ignorant of the plan as well. That leaves one person.”

“It also leaves the reason. Why would she
want her own babies dead?”

Gaby noticed Rosalita still referred to them
both as the twins. Was she that hungry for love?

“There’s one other thing we’ve
overlooked.”

“What’s that?” Rosalita asked.

“She hired someone to find us, either
recently, or has always had someone looking.”

“We’re in danger, aren’t we?”

“Not if we’re careful. Besides, I think it’s
about time we confronted
Mother
and see her reaction,” Gaby
said with a smile.

“She may deny everything.”

“I think we should take the chance.”

“Yes, you’re right. And my time here is
running short.”

“You must return soon?”

“Very soon,” Rosalita emphasized.

They walked into the dining room and
Isabel’s eyes opened wide.

“How darling, dressing identically,” she
said, her eyes fixed with annoyance on the bright yellow skirts and
blouses they wore. They even had the same colored sash around their
wrists, vibrant orange. Only their hair was different. Gaby wore
her usual braid and Rosalita wore her waves tied back with a yellow
ribbon.

“We thought you would appreciate it,” Gaby
said, twirling about to demonstrate the fullness of her skirt.

“They suit you
perfectly
,” she said
and stiffened her posture. Her appearance was far from plain. She
wore a lilac dress with layers of lace from the waist down. A lilac
mantilla sat over a pearl comb that hugged the back of the top of
her head, and a pearl necklace hung to her waist.

“The servants are lacking in their duties
today,” Isabel said. “I have been here for several minutes and have
not yet seen one.”

“That’s because I requested them to hold the
meal,” Gaby explained and took a seat opposite Dona Isabel while
Rosalita took a seat next to Gaby.

“Oh how wonderful, a mother-daughter talk,”
she said with more sarcasm than enthusiasm.

“We thought it was about time,” Rosalita
added.

“Yes, I think it is past time,” Isabel
replied.

Gaby didn’t wait. She had had enough of this
cat-and-mouse game. “Why did you want us dead?”

Isabel didn’t even flinch. “You mean you
haven’t figured it out yet? I was sure I gave you enough time. You
did seem extremely bright. I didn’t think it would take you
long.”

“Money would seem the most logical reason,”
Gaby said, furious that the woman could be so callous.

“Intelligent, just as I thought,” Isabel
said. “But there is more, sweet daughter.”

“Perhaps it would prove more beneficial for
Father
to hear this,” Rosalita suggested.

“Yes, I thought you the dumb one,” Isabel
said and smiled.

Gaby felt the hurt as sure as Rosalita did.
Her tongue was quick to respond in defense. “Someone had to take
after you,
Mother.
”

That remark only made Isabel smile all the
more. “My, my, you are like me, aren’t you?”

Gaby grinned. “I don’t think that’s
possible.

“Really, you obviously know something I
don’t,” she remarked.

“I’m not your daughter. Annabelle died
shortly after arriving at the mission,” Gaby informed her.

“At least one of you little brats did
something right,” she said and smiled.

Both girls were stunned by her indifferent
remark.

“Now for my little surprise—no—I think I’ll
let you discover for yourself. Go and talk with Eduardo Ortega
before you speak with Felipe. There is where you will learn the
whole truth.

She stood. “I’ll be waiting for you
afterwards. We have unfinished business.”

“Only with me,” Rosalita said in defense of
Gaby.

“Unfortunately, Felipe will never believe
she isn’t his daughter. The fool is blind.” Isabel walked from the
room, never turning to glance back at them.

“Let’s go,” Gaby said, standing.

“Where?”

“To talk with Senor Ortega.”

Rosalita seemed hesitant. “Do you think that
wise? This could be a ploy to give her time, or a trap to
accomplish what she had failed to do years ago.”

Gaby gave the idea thought. “Or she might
just be telling the truth for once.”

“What you’re saying is that we won’t know
until we talk with him.”

“It doesn’t seem that your dear, sweet
mother is going to tell us anything more, and she’d probably deny
everything if we go to your father. We need some kind of proof to
offer everyone.”

“But why is she handing us this proof? By
sending us to Senor Ortega and discovering the truth her little
game comes to an end,” Rosalita said, disturbed by the woman’s
strange actions.

“I see your point. She must have plans for
us.”

“And not a trip to Spain, either.”

“Someone must be helping her,” Gaby
said.

“But whom?”

Gaby was tired of this game of charades. “I
think our answers lie with Senor Ortega. We must take the chance
and go there.”

“I agree, but do you think Rafael will allow
us to go?”

Gaby was certain he wouldn’t give his
permission, but then she could always leave a message for him
instead of telling him directly. “I’ll make sure he knows of our
destination. Besides, the Ortega land borders the Cabrillo estate.
It is only a short ride, and we’ll probably be back before he knows
we’re gone.”

Gaby had been right. The ride was short and
uneventful, although their departure created quite a stir. Lupe
insisted they wait for Don Rafael to return from town as did Carlos
when they went to the stable requesting two horses.

The only way the women were finally allowed
to leave was when Carlos insisted they have an escort of two men.
Gaby saw no problem with the added protection and readily
agreed.

The Ortega hacienda was quiet when they
arrived. The women were shown to a receiving room to wait while the
two vaqueros who accompanied them were directed to the cookhouse
for refreshments.

“What are you two doing here?” Eduardo
Ortega’s voice was filled with concern and the wrinkles around his
eyes seemed deeper as if he was worried or frightened.

“Dona Isabel sent us,” Gaby answered. “She
said you could explain everything.”

Eduardo shook his head and muttered an oath.
“You must leave—immediately.”

Gaby was surprised by his nervous state. “We
didn’t mean to upset you.”

“We’re only looking for the truth,” Rosalita
added.

“The truth. Yes, yes, you deserve the
truth,” Eduardo said. “But you are in danger, and you must return
to the safety of the Cabrillo hacienda.”

“We will return as soon as you tell us what
we came to hear,” Gaby insisted, having come too far in their
search to back down now.

“I thought I had covered my trail well. I
didn’t think she’d find me and discover my plan, not after all
these years. But I forgot how devious she could be, how
unforgiving, how selfish,” Eduardo said, reminding himself of the
past.

“Are you speaking of Isabel Galvez?”
Rosalita asked.

“Yes,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Please
sit down. It is time the truth was told; time to remove the veil of
deception.”

The women sat, each hoping that Senor
Ortega’s explanation would be the last piece in solving the
puzzle.

“Before I begin, both of you must make me a
promise. After I explain the past, you must return to the Cabrillo
hacienda and stay there until Rafael tells you this matter has been
settled.

Both women nodded in unison.

“Good,” Eduardo said and smiled. “You are
both so beautiful. I am glad I made the choice I did those many
years ago.”

“You are the one who protected us from our
own mother?” Rosalita asked. “But why? Why would she want us
dead?”

Gaby heard the deep hurt in her voice and
understood. Rosalita felt unloved, unwanted, and now to discover
that her mother had wanted her dead and possibly still did—the
ludicrous thought was just too much to bear.

Eduardo shook his head sadly. “She is a
selfish woman. She cares for one thing and one thing only...
money.”

“But how could our birth possibly affect her
wealth? Rosalita asked, fighting to understand it all.

“Yes,” Gaby agreed. “She was wealthy and
would remain so.”

“Not if Felipe discovered the truth. Then
she would be penniless and scorned by society.”

“But what could...” Rosalita’s eyes opened
wide. “I know the final piece to the puzzle, Gaby.”

Gaby stared at her, confused.

Rosalita kept her eyes on Eduardo. “Felipe
is not our father, is he?”

“No... I’m your father,” he announced and
continued before either woman could respond. “I had an affair with
Isabel. When she discovered she was pregnant, she was beside
herself. You see, Felipe had been away for a few months and
couldn’t possibly have fathered the child. She lied about the time
of birth, then pretended to fall and go into labor early.”

Eduardo stopped talking for a moment and
took a seat as if it was all too much for him. “I had a strange
feeling she was planning something. She had refused to see me
shortly after telling me about the child. I found out that she
planned to have the child done away with at birth. I managed to
switch the woman in attendance at delivery, but knew there wasn’t
much time before she’d see her plan succeed.”

“You saved us twice?” Rosalita asked
incredulously.

“You’re my daughters. I love you both very
much,” he answered with a sad smile.

Gaby sat forward in her seat, ready to tell
him she wasn’t one of the twins, but Rosalita stopped her with a
shake of her head.

“Anyway,” Eduardo continued. “I made
arrangements for passage on a ship. I had wanted to travel to
California, start a new life. I hadn’t really loved Isabel. I was
lonely and made a dreadful mistake in becoming involved with her.
The plan worked out perfectly. I left Spain two weeks later and
caught up with the man and woman I had hired to care for you
both.”

“Who cared for us on the voyage here?”
Rosalita asked.

Eduardo’s smile brightened. “I did, and I
enjoyed it. You both were the most wonderful babies. Hardly ever
cried and were more than content to sleep in my arms. I cherish the
time I spent with both of you on that ship. It was all too short.
When I arrived here I knew I had no choice but to separate the both
of you. No one could know you were twins. It would be much too
dangerous. I still didn’t trust Isabel. She would search and search
until she found you both.”