My eyes filled with tears. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I understand why you want to keep this place, why you want to live here and preserve you grandma’s memory. She was such a wonderful woman. I miss her too, you know.” I flung my arms around his neck, ignoring the pain shooting through my hand, and he hugged me tight. “You’re turning out to be just as wonderful as she was. I’m so proud of you.”
A sob raked through me. “Thanks.”
“We’ll figure out how to keep this place and our breeding farm running together, if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want.” I kissed his cheek like I hadn’t done since I was eight years old. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you.” He disentangled himself from me. “Now, I need to get going or I’ll be late for another stressful meeting with Mr. O’Neill.”
“Oh, Mom told me you’re having problems with him.”
“The word problems doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s acting crazy since our business fell through. We’re trying to fix it, but I’m not sure I want to do business with him anymore.”
“I understand.”
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Have a great day, Hannah.”
“You too, Dad.”
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, Paul’s last class ended at four thirty in the afternoon, and Jimmy was done with his chores a little after five. Good thing too, because Eric would be back from Florida and in for dinner around six.
I quickly took a shower and began preparing the meal. Usually, he liked the sophisticated stuff like lobster or complicated duck sauces or whatever, but he never complained about eating my lasagna or ravioli or stroganoff.
Like the apology dinner he’d made me a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to cook him a let’s-solve-whatever-the-problem-is-and-go-back-to-normal dinner. It was time for me to really put Leo out of my mind, and to remember I had always been crazy about Eric. Besides, after my father’s support and understanding, there was little that could put off my mood.
For the occasion, I’d put on a flowery summer dress and high-heeled sandals, and I’d blown dry my hair, pulling every strand into a perfectly straight line, the way he liked it. I thought about taking off the splint from my hand, because it disrupted my look, but I wanted to heal fast and for that I needed to stay with this crap.
I smiled when I heard the engine of his car driving down the road toward the ranch, and ran to the porch to greet him. He parked his car beside mine and slid out, wearing slacks and a polo shirt. I watched him, ashamed for having forgotten how handsome he was, how good he looked when dressed up, and also how proud I was of being his girlfriend.
He raced to the porch, smiling, and barely slowed down as he put his arms around me and lowered his face to mine. His lips were hard and demanding, his hands on my back rough and greedy. He pushed me back toward the door, probably with intentions of going upstairs, but I pushed him away.
“No, no,” I said, catching my breath. I held his hand and beckoned him inside. “I’m making dinner. Come on.”
He followed me to the kitchen, but then his demeanor changed. He frowned at the stove. “I was going to invite you to go out with me, to a nice restaurant.”
“Oh.” By nice, he meant fancy, with dishes that cost well over a hundred dollars, and drinks over five hundred. “I thought after your trip you would like to stay in with me.”
“No reason why.” He turned off the burners and I stared. “I want to treat you to a nice meal and good glass of wine. You deserve it.”
I crossed my arms, not buying it. “Eric, what is it?”
He sighed, turning puppy eyes toward me. “Sorry, baby, but I don’t like it here, you know that. I want to take you out for dinner, then to my house.”
Frustration surged in me and I shook my head. “You’ve gotta get used to this place, because it’s not going anywhere.” He offered me a confused look. “I’ve talked to my dad. If I want to keep the ranch, I have his support.”
“What?” He squared his shoulder and grew taller somehow, as if his curt tone of voice made him more intimidating. “No. I talked to him before my trip. We are on the same page. He wants you to sell this place as much as I do.”
“Not anymore. He understands me and my reasons for wanting it. He agrees with me and supports me. I’m sorry, Eric, but I’m not selling the ranch. Ever.”
Grunting, he turned his back to me. I tensed, praying to not witness a repetition of his tantrum when he broke the picture. But it didn’t come. Instead, he took several long breaths and his shoulders sagged. A couple of seconds later, he peered at me over his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
I let out a relieved breath. For a moment there, I’d been worried he was going to freak out again, and then … and then I didn’t know what would happen.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” He approached me, a little wary. “Let’s get out of here and not talk about this place tonight. For me. Please?”
What good would it do? I wouldn’t change my mind, and apparently neither would he. But perhaps this was the best way of dealing with Eric’s newly revealed explosive temper. I had to deal with things one at a time, taking everything slowly. I could do that. I could at least try to do that.
I nodded and let him take my good hand and drag me out of my home.
***
Order a new saddle: Check. Take a couple of horseshoes to be fixed: Check. Run to the pharmacy and grab my pills: Check. Stop by the university bookstore and sell books from previous semester: Check. Retrieve parcel from post office: Check.
I stepped out of the building carrying the small but sort of heavy box, and squinted at the sun. What I most loved about Santa Barbara was its weather, though the day was warming up too fast for my taste.
The second thing I liked most about Santa Barbara was downtown. Spanish mission-style buildings, white and off-white facades, and mosaic-like sidewalks. It was quaint and beautiful. It was a nice place to walk around, with no certain destination. Maybe that was just what I needed.
“Hannah.”
I heard my name called in a sensual woman’s voice. My heart lurched as I stopped and saw Beatriz walking toward me. With tight jeans, flat ballet slippers, and a polo shirt, she looked incredible. I bet she could rock any look and I kind of hated her for that.
“Hey.” My eyes scanned behind her, searching for her twin, even when I knew I shouldn’t. He wasn’t with her.
She halted a couple of steps from me. “Odd running into you here.” I was thinking the same thing. “How are you?”
“Good. And you?”
“How do you say it? Hmm, same old, same old?”
“Yup, that’s right.”
“I haven’t seen you lately,” she said. “Are you avoiding the club because of my brother?” She winked with a knowing grin on her pretty face.
My jaw fell open. Wow, the girl was direct.
I shut my mouth and pretended ignorance. “Why would I avoid the club because of him? I just haven’t fel—”
“Que mentira! You think I don’t know Leo has been to your ranch a couple of times, and that you two are attracted to each other?”
My eyes widened, darting around us. “No, no. I’m not attracted to him.”
“Guria, you’re only lying to yourself.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but I didn’t really know what to say. “Beatriz …”
“Bia.”
“What?”
“You can call me Bia.”
I shook my head. Crap, this girl was confusing. “Bia, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, thanks very much for not showing up. Those crazy women have dragged me to those damn teas, and you’re not there to make me feel at least a little bit better.”
I laughed, imagining her among my mother and the other snobs. “Sorry.”
She narrowed her eyes and offere
d me a teasing smile. “The thing is, I don’t think you are.”
“You’re right. I’m not. Damn, how I wish I could have seen you alone with them.”
She smiled. “Oh, it was super fun. Ha.” Her smile fell a little. “You can’t avoid us forever, you know. We’re staying for at least six months, and the next tournament is going to be here. I bet your boyfriend will want you there.”
Crap, she was right. I’d totally forgotten about the coming tournament. “I’ll deal with it one day at a time.” Like everything else lately, it seemed.
“Won’t you ask me how Leo is doing?”
Again, I couldn’t help but look around, searching for people who could overhear us and ruin my life.
Of course I wanted to know how Leo was. I was dying to. But I shouldn’t ask.
The ringing of my cell phone saved me from answering her.
I frowned upon seeing “mother” flashing on the screen. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hannah.” She said my name like a prayer, and that deepened the furrow between my brows. “Your father is in the hospital.”
***
I paced the small waiting room while my mother stared at the wall, deep inside her own mind, and my sister texted on her phone. We’d been at the hospital for three hours and had seen no sign of the doctor to tell us how my father was doing.
Several times I’d thought about going to the cafeteria downstairs, just to have something to occupy my mind, but I gave up on the idea a second later. What if the doctor came when I wasn’t there?
I flopped down in the chair beside my mother.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered.
My mother reached over the armrests and held my good hand. I stared at our fingers laced together. She never did that.
“There isn’t much to understand,” she said. “We won’t know the details until he can tell us.”
But when would that be? We had no idea when he would wake up. If he would wake up.
My father had gone to Santa Barbara for a meeting with his lawyer. While walking back to his car in the underground garage after the meeting finished, he was assaulted. One of the security guards heard the gunshots and found him unconscious and bleeding beside his car, his assailant—or assailants—long gone. However, his wallet, cell phone, expensive wristwatch, and his important documents hadn’t been stolen. And that was all everyone knew.
The lawyer told my mother they were discussing arrangements for Mr. O’Neill and his threats, which led me to consider that Mr. O’Neill had been the one behind my father’s incident.
Two more hours went by. At least Hilary, who didn’t seem too affected, had gone to the cafeteria and brought gallons of coffee and stuff to eat. I ate without tasting anything. My nerves were uncontrollable, and the uncertainty made me feel like I would pass out at any moment.
Jimmy had called once to check on me, and Eric had called twice, telling me he was finishing up some business that couldn’t wait and would be over soon. I wanted to be mad at him for not being here yet, but I understood that sometimes he had to work around other people’s schedules.
Finally, almost six hours after having arrived at the hospital, the doctor came to see us.
My mother stood, looking pale. “How is he?”
“Stable,” the doctor said, his eyes hard and jaw tight. “But he isn’t out of risk yet. Two of the six bullets were close to his heart, and a third one perforated his left lung.”
Six bullets? I locked my knees before they buckled. “What does that mean?” I asked. “Will he be okay?”
“At this point, we can’t predict that,” he said. “Rest assured we’re doing whatever we can to save him.”
“When can we see him?” my mother asked.
The doctor shook his head. “He just got out of one surgery, and we’ll take him into another one soon. I don’t think you’ll be able to see him before tomorrow morning.” I checked my phone, totally lost in time. It was 5:20 in the afternoon. “I suggest you all go home and try to rest a little. We’ll call if anything changes.”
He left as I was about to tell him to go to hell. Go home and rest when my father was undergoing delicate surgery? Yeah, right.
“I’m going home,” Hilary said, finally putting her phone down. “Mom, are you coming with me?”
“No.” Our mother sat back down on the firm chair.
I couldn’t hold my tongue. “Really? You’re going home? I know you’re a spoiled brat but I didn’t think you were this unaffected.”
“What?” Hilary turned to me, appalled. “Of course I’m affected. He’s my father too, you know. But we’ve been here for hours, and the doctor said the situation won’t change any time soon. And I’m tired.”
“And we aren’t?”
“I’m sorry I’m not as noble as you are.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Girls,” my mother said, her commanding tone on. “Stop bickering this instant.”
Hilary sighed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, but I need my bed right now.”
“Go, dear,” Mom said. “Go home and rest. We’ll call you if anything changes.”
“All right.” Hilary kissed Mom’s cheek.
Mom showed her a tight smile. “Be careful, okay?”
Without looking at me, Hilary paused at the door and nodded.
She left and I sat down beside my mother. Once again, she grabbed my right hand and squeezed it.
More time passed, and I drifted in unwelcome sleep until my phone rang. I reached for it without looking at the screen, certain it was Eric calling to tell me he was still busy.
“Hello.”
“Hannah.” It was Leo. My heart skipped a couple of beats. “How are you? Wait. Hmm, what a stupid question. Sorry.”
I stood, walked out of the waiting room, and dashed across the hallway, afraid somebody would hear me.
I stepped through the double doors and entered a busy, loud lobby. “Why are you calling?”
“Bia told me she was with you when you found out about your father. I’ve been dialing your number and then giving up for over four hours.” He paused, and instantly, I missed his voice, his accent.
Tears surged up, strong and sure, and rolled down my cheeks. The urge to have him here, comforting me like he’d done many times, overwhelmed me. I knew it was wrong, but crap, I wanted it. “I’m glad you called,” I confessed.
I heard a sharp inhale. “Me too,” he muttered. “How is he?”
“I’m not sure. Some time ago the doctor said he was stable, but still in critical condition.” I wiped a few of my tears away just as a new sob shook me. “Someone shot him. Six times. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of someone surviving that many bullets.”
“O que? Six shots? That’s crazy. Did they catch whoever did this?”
“No. The police don’t know if it was one guy or thirty, or why it was done so viciously.”
“There are robbers in any part of the world. Unfortunately, Brazil has quite a few of them.”
“But they didn’t steal anything.”
“What?”
“My father was found with all his belongings still on him. His wallet was in the pocket of his jacket, his wristwatch still on his wrist, his cell phone and his briefcase with several important papers on the ground.” I pressed my eyes closed. “Whoever did this wanted to kill him.”
“Que merda,” he muttered. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this but, damn, I wish I was there with you, morena.”
“Me too,” I said before I could think it through. Oh crap.
There was a long pause. “Say the word and I’m there. Please … say it.”
At that moment, besides hearing from the doctor that my father wasn’t at risk anymore and would be all right, what I wanted the most was Leo here with me. But it wasn’t fair.
My thoughts traveled to the my-own-boyfriend-isn’t-here-yet-but-there’s-a-perfectly-fine-guy-wanting-to-be land one too many times.
“I can�
�t,” I whispered, feeling like a coward. “Leo, I won’t lie, okay. Not today. Whatever I feel for you, it shouldn’t be there. Yes, I want you here to hold me more than anything, but … it’s not right.”
“It could be.”
I shook my head as new tears flooded my eyes. “It isn’t that simple.”
“You do know people are the ones that complicate things, right?”
I smiled through my tears. “It’s easier when we’re not seeing each other.”
“Easier for whom?”
Good question. Not for me, and apparently not for him.
But I owed it to Eric. We had over two years together, two great years. I owed him to at least try to make things work again as well as it had before. I couldn’t just throw everything we had away.
“My statement still stands,” I said. “If you like me as much as you think you do, please, stay away.”
“Hannah, I don’t think I like you. I know I do. And I’ll confess it’s getting harder and harder to honor that wish of yours.”
I know. “Please.”
He grunted. “Don’t do that, morena.”
“I have to.” I took a deep breath. “Thanks for your concern about my father’s health.”
“I’m concerned about you too.”
I closed my eyes tight and gathered my strength. It was hard when he kept saying stuff like that. “Goodbye,” I whispered.
Afraid I would be weak and call him back and tell him to come and be here with me, I turned off my cell phone and walked back into the waiting room.
It really was going to be a long night.
Chapter Fifteen
“You look beautiful,” Eric said, watching me from behind the wheel.
I squirmed in my seat and smoothed my dress. I donned a one shoulder, going from hot pink on the top to white on the bottom, with a tight waist and flared skirt. A few vertical lines of translucent sequins added a little bit of sparkle. My long dark hair was pulled up in an intricate ponytail adorned by braids. Silver stilettos and silver jewelry completed my look. Thank goodness, I had taken the splint off a couple of days ago, because it didn’t go well with my outfit. Yes, I guess I looked beautiful, but I felt uncomfortable in such an updo while my father was still in the hospital.
Breaking the Reins Page 15
