Marjorie grew up on a modest ranch less than a hundred miles from Belo Horizonte. She’d met Gary, almost twenty years her senior, when he had come to train a stallion her father bought. It was love at first sight for her, even though she was only eighteen. Fortunately, Gary had a similar reaction, although it would be a few years before they married. Shortly after, as if by some miracle, he’d been offered a full-time position as a horse trainer at Belo Horizonte. The ranch was far from what it is today. There was only one stable, if it could be called that, a small one bedroom house for them and the house in which Flor’s been staying for the summer, prior to its renovation.
It took Marjorie and Gary a while to figure out who the mysterious Brazilian owner of the ranch was. He’d blow in and stay for a week or two at a time, sometimes bringing with him his beautiful, classy girlfriend from New York. Gustavo Sr. was friendly and very ambitious. He claimed to want to build a nice ranch for his family, a place he could retire to. Then he started to bring in men from his country and Argentina. It was an adjustment, learning to communicate with the Brazilians and gauchos. But Marjorie was young and excited to have such an adventure considering she’d never been outside the country.
It was a few years later that Gary came to her with a secret. The mortified look on his face made her wonder if he was about to confess to an affair. She had been young and insecure, and Gary had the rugged, cowboy Robert Redford thing going. It wouldn’t have surprised her. But what he told her was entirely unexpected and tied them to Belo Horizonte even more.
Gustavo Sr. started to conduct more of his business from the ranch, his girlfriend joining him often enough that Marjorie had gotten to know Poppy and her complicated history. She smiles at Poppy as she sets down a tray of food in front of her and Gustavo. “This was all I could find in kitchen.”
“You let my daughter starve too,” Gustavo complains, placing a chunk of tuna onto a piece of seasoned flatbread.
“You should have some faith in Flor. She’s quite independent and self-sufficient. Often children turn out the opposite of their parents.” Poppy couldn’t help that one.
“I happen to notice that with your daughters. They’re far nicer, and more generous than you.”
The beautiful woman nods. “Yes, well, they’re from a different generation. They didn’t have to develop the tough skin I had to.”
“Oh, is that what you call it?” Gustavo bites back. “I thought your cunt was made out of nails.”
Poppy laughs off the derision in his voice, refusing to be broken by a few meaningless words flung at her by a desperate man. “Whatever you want to call it, it’s an incredible responsibility to raise young women these days, make sure they know their worth. Whether my daughters realize it or not, I did my best, and they’re doing well. If only your mother hadn’t been so coddling and left you with those insipid, uneducated nannies to raise you. Fortunately for you, your father took my advice and sent you to the States for school.”
Gustavo’s eyes widen, and he chokes on his meager meal. “You cannot claim to be a surrogate mother to me! You took my father from me, from my family. Now I want what’s rightfully mine. What I could get for this land would set me up and help me rebuild Grupo de Lima.”
Poppy shakes her head and mouths a ‘no.’ “I’m no longer your bank. Let your mother help you.”
“It’s not enough. You hold the keys, Poppy, you always have. Belo Horizonte was the crown jewel, and you’ve held onto it. You have any idea how humiliating it is that my father left me little choice but to ask his whore for money?”
Poppy remains stoic, unfazed by the insult. She’s been called worse. “Then don’t, Gustavo. Go back to Brazil and deal with the consequences of your choices. You should know by now that you can’t hide from them anymore.”
“Neither can you, Poppy,” Gustavo responds pointedly.
“No one ever can. I learned that a long time ago. Now you need to as well.”
Chapter 53
Taking off wet clothes is far easier than putting them back on. It doesn’t help that Collin has a body that Flor wants to devour. She runs her warm tongue along the length of his torso before he fastens the buttons.
“If you keep doing that, I’m going to take that as an invitation,” he says, gritting his teeth.
Flor looks over in the direction of the tree where they’d just spent an incredible hour making love. She’d always believed she’d had a satisfying sex life. From the time she’d discovered the pleasures of sex, Flor had taken it seriously, believing that give and take was the ultimate rule in good sex. However, being with Collin just showed her that it’s a gift to be able to receive, especially when it’s with someone as giving as this man in front of her. She’d never had so many orgasms from one lover in a short time like that. And like the karmic rule, what goes around comes around. Flor wants one more go around to show just how grateful she is for his generosity.
“Maybe it is,” she says, caressing his lips with hers. Her pussy trembles at the promise of more. How greedy and possessive one can become over such a good lover.
Collin wraps his arms around her naked waist and draws her to him for a deep kiss. He could do this the rest of the night and to the end of days with Flor. “You realize now that it’s stopped raining people will come looking for you. I’m sure your father is worried about you.”
Flor glances down. The mention of her father is enough to burst this perfect bubble. “Maybe we can stay out here until he leaves tomorrow.”
Collin chuckles, kissing each of her breasts before helping Flor into her shirt. “I’d love that, more than you can imagine. I’m sure your father would have my head before that happens.”
“No one here would allow that. He’s unwelcome here. I can tell by the way everybody scattered when he arrived.”
Collin shrugs a broad shoulder. “I don’t know about that. After your grandfather died, things changed a lot. Gecimar and my dad took over in a big way, tightening security and stuff. I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but I wonder if it had to do with your father.”
Flor buries her face in Collin’s chest, the smell of summer rain filling her nostrils. Summer will forever remain her favorite season, if nothing else but for this very moment when she feels completely safe and comfortable. Something tells her as soon as she sees her father again, that will change.
Chapter 54
“Querida!” Gustavo bounds over to Flor standing in the doorway. He pulls her in for a full body hug then steps back to place kisses all over her face. For a minute, Flor is six again and her father has just returned from a long business trip. He was always demonstrative and affectionate. But this time, Flor isn’t six. She’s twenty-one, and she no longer sees him through a daughter’s adoring eyes.
“Father,” she replies stiffly, her arms resting by her sides. She’s in no mood for his feigned or sincere gestures. Over his shoulder, she spies Poppy Baron sitting with Gary and Marjorie in the family room.
“What is she doing here?” Flor whispers, moving out of his embrace.
Before Gustavo answers, Poppy crosses the room to greet Flor with two kisses.
“Hello, darling. I’m pleased to see you’re alright.” The Baron matriarch turns to Flor’s father. “You see, you were worrying for nothing.”
Gustavo places a protective arm across his daughter’s shoulders. “I couldn’t worry enough when it comes to my precious daughter.”
Flor steps to the right, feeling suffocated by the proximity to her father.
Poppy gives Flor a tender pat to the cheek. “Excuse me for saying, dear, but you really look like you could use a shower. Why don’t you get cleaned up and then we can talk.” Poppy leans forward to whisper in Flor’s ear. “And might I suggest wearing something with a high collar to cover that love bite on your neck.”
Flor’s thoughts are all over the place as she lathers shampoo through her tangled mass of curls. Each time she comes back to first meeting Poppy in New York, the way sh
e generously treated Flor as a guest and quasi-daughter in need of a makeover. The woman had admitted to visiting the ranch, so her presence can’t be a total surprise. However, it’s Poppy’s timing that Flor questions. Why she’d show up unannounced on the heels of her father’s surprise visit.
As desperate as she is to know the answer, Flor takes her time in the shower. The feeling of foreboding that she’d experienced earlier that day returns. None of the reasons can be good, she decides. Lately, anything associated with her father and her family has only brought heartache. Could Poppy’s presence be a remedy for this hurt?
Flor wipes the fogged mirror with her towel, noticing the Sferra label on them for the first time. Why didn’t I notice them before? Perhaps because she wasn’t so attuned to labels, having been accustomed to them for most of her life. Yet, when she looks around at the bathroom fixtures and the furniture, every piece is high end, something suited to the tastes of someone like Poppy.
The young woman’s father nearly pounces as she emerges from her bedroom. In her absence, everyone had moved to the library per Poppy’s suggestion. Gustavo had sucked all the oxygen out of the room with his carrying on about family loyalty and his daughter.
“I’m glad you’re alright,” Marjorie says, approaching Flor who’s standing by the fireplace, taking in the somber scene. You would’ve thought someone had died by the serious expressions on everyone’s face. It’s disconcerting to her that her peaceful haven would take on a different mood to her now.
The young woman offers a polite smile at Collin’s mother. No matter what may come out of this, she’s grateful to Marjorie for the kindness and generosity she’d shown her. She places a gentle kiss on Flor’s cheek, then motions for Gary to walk out with her. As he passes the young woman, he pats her on the shoulder and grumbles something inaudible. He too is relieved, but for a different reason. He’s glad Collin didn’t show up with Flor and incite a Gustavo eruption. More than that, he trusts that between Poppy and Flor, Gustavo won’t be coming back to Belo Horizonte for the foreseeable future.
“Would you like anything to eat, dear?” Poppy asks, taking a seat on Flor’s favorite chaise by the window. Flor pictures the stars that have begun to dot the midnight blue sky. The three of them form a triangle in the room, with Poppy at one end and Gustavo and Flor at opposite points across the library.
The young woman shakes her head. “I’m fine.”
“But you should eat,” Gustavo insists. “Although I’m not sure what’s left in that bare kitchen of yours. You haven’t been taking good care of yourself.”
Flor cuts her father a harsh look. Criticism over her self-care is entirely inappropriate coming from him. She leans against the bookcase. “I would really like to know why both of you are here in my house.”
“You mean my house,” Poppy corrects.
Chapter 55
“Eddie delivered this for you.” Collin hands a bag of food to Flor as he steps inside the house. He plants a loving kiss on her forehead before pulling her into his chest. By her tired, red eyes, she’s probably heard everything. Well mostly. It depends on where Poppy decided to end the story.
He guides Flor to the kitchen and lifts her onto the countertop while he sets about getting plates and glasses. Fortunately, Eddie was generous enough to provide a bottle of tequila along with the delectable food. Collin pours a shot into two tumblers and hands one to Flor. “To this afternoon,” he says.
Flor smiles and downs the amber liquid, savoring the sweet burn. She wraps her legs around Collin who digs a few containers out of the bag. “Food first. You’ll need your energy.” The young woman groans. Again with the promise of more. Already she can feel him inside of her, and she wants it more now than ever before. If nothing else, it will help her forget the horrible hours of confession she had endured with her father and Poppy. Never in a million years had she imagined such a story could be real. It was the plot of the telenovelas her mother watched daily. She was exhausted by the time Poppy and Gustavo had left her for the night, Gustavo retreating to the guesthouse and Poppy staying with Marjorie and Gary. Gustavo initially resisted, arguing that he wanted to have quality time with his only daughter. Luckily for Flor, Poppy insisted that she deserved to be alone to process everything.
When Collin texted to see if he could come by, it ignited Flor’s longing to see him and the chance to perhaps forget everything else. No matter how tired she’d felt, she knew being with Collin would make her feel better.
They eat Eddie’s fish tacos in silence, Flor still considering everything Poppy told her from the three decade long affair with Flor’s grandfather, Gustavo Sr., to being the owner of Belo Horizonte. As Poppy told the story, Gustavo Sr. had bought the ranch at an auction while on a business trip to Northern California. He was there doing due diligence on a regional newspaper publisher when he noticed an ad for the auction. He hadn’t planned on purchasing anything, however, when he saw the photos featuring Belo Horizonte (then named Oak Grove), he couldn’t resist. It reminded him so much of his family’s fazenda.
The original owners, who made their fortune in railroads, preferred to reside on the East Coast, leaving the ranch to fall into disrepair. Other than the structural issues, it was a pristine piece of land which inspired Gustavo to see its enormous potential. When he returned to New York, he couldn’t wait to tell Poppy about the property he’d bought for them. The place where one day, when their children were grown and established in their own careers, they could finally live together. Despite not being in love with their spouses, neither one had the heart to tear apart their families. Too much was at stake, and both acknowledged that they had the luxury of time. If only Poppy had listened to her instincts then, it would be her and Gustavo Sr. living in the room where Flor now resides.
Flor winces at the image of her father cutting into the romantic tale that Poppy had been weaving, accusing her of being the whore that stole his father from the family. She had never seen her father in such an angry state. It was difficult to witness the way he lashed out. She was grateful Gary and Marjorie weren’t around to hear him. Little did she know they had heard plenty earlier that day.
Collin tucks a stray strand of hair behind Flor’s ear. “Care to share your thoughts?”
“How long have you lived here?”
“We moved here shortly after I was born.”
“And my grandfather would come here with Poppy Baron?”
Collin nods. “Are you upset that I didn’t mention her? I wanted to, but technically I’m not supposed to tell anyone about her connection to this place. I knew she was coming so I thought it best she tell you herself.”
Flor considers this for a moment. At first, she had been angry with Collin when she realized that this was the missing piece he wasn’t telling her about. She felt blind-sided when she first saw Poppy in the house. But as she listened to the woman tell the story of her affair with her grandfather, she understood that she wouldn’t have believed any of it if she had heard it from anyone else.
Collin refills their glasses, and they do another shot, this one smoothing over the edges in Flor’s mind.
“Did your dad explain why he came?”
“He said it’s because of you.”
“Me?” Collin asks incredulously.
Flor nods. “Paco told him that you and I were involved. My father thinks it’s unseemly for me to get involved with a horse trainer.”
Much to Flor’s surprise, Collin doesn’t appear angry by this revelation. He grins playfully and runs an index finger over her lips. “And what do you think?” It’s refreshing to Flor to be with someone who doesn’t care about the elitist trappings of careers and money.
Flor bites down on the tip of his finger before tracing it with her tongue. “I think I quite like the way you taste.”
Collin moves his hand to the side of her face, his thumb caressing her lips. He’s becoming distracted by her mouth, anxious to see it around his cock tonight. If they even get that far. He
’s ready to fuck her right there in the kitchen.
“Do you believe that’s really why he came, because he thought, however correctly, that we’re lovers?” Collin swallows that last word, not wanting to label what they are quite yet. It’s still new, born out of a mutual passion, but rooted in something deeper.
Flor shakes her head. “Poppy said he wants the ranch. There’s money here, although I don’t understand how, and my dad wants it for himself to finance his freedom and stay out of jail.”
“Could that be true?” Collin takes a deep breath. “I can tell you that for all the work that goes on, it’s not the most lucrative ranch in the area. It’s extremely private not to mention the fact that we mostly work with Marchadors. I just figured that Poppy supported the ranch with her own money. Things have gone well for as long as I can remember. I didn’t see the point in questioning how it worked.”
“Yeah, it’s just the way my dad kept pressing Poppy. It’s like he wanted her to say something but she refused.”
“Did she mention anything else?”
Flor absently chews her food as she replayed the fight in her head. The arguing had gone on so long, it was worse than any of her parents’ arguments during the divorce. She’d learned of her father’s affair with one of Poppy’s daughters. The married one, maybe. Flor had done the math and realized it was well before the divorce and overlapped with holidays she had been taking with her father. How many times had he disappeared to take a phone call or for a day or two during the vacations? Was it to see Lily?
Flor shakes her head to rid herself of these thoughts. It made her uncomfortable to know that her life was so inextricably linked to the Barons because of her father and grandfather. What would’ve happened if her grandfather were alive today? Would he be living here with Poppy? Would Flor have seen him for Easter or Christmas? And why would her father feel entitled to come to Poppy for money? As far as Flor’s concerned, their relationship should’ve ended with her grandfather’s death, yet her father seemed to become more dependent upon Poppy over the years.
Blossoming Flower (Wildflowers Book 1) Page 19
