Untamed Fire

by Donna Fletcher

  “I’ve noticed,” Gaby said, rolling her eyes.

  Lupe laughed. “He’s not that bad. After all, he’s a man and can’t help some of the things he does.”

  It was Gaby’s turn to laugh. She didn’t think anyone criticized Rafael... and got away with it.

  “And does the same hold true for women?” Rafael asked.

  Gaby caught the look of fright in Lupe’s eyes. It was evident no one criticized the powerful ranchero, at least not in front of him.

  “I’m sorry, Don Rafael. I meant no disrespect,” Lupe apologized.

  Gaby turned just as Rafael nodded his approval of her apology. The small display of power irritated her. She couldn’t remain quiet. “You know, senor, God gave women the difficult job of raising men. That says something for what he thinks of us.”

  She heard Lupe gasp and wasn’t surprised by the woman’s reaction. After all, one did not question a powerful ranchero such as Rafael Cabrillo, but then her mouth had a habit of speaking before her mind gave thought to her words.

  Rafael stared at her puzzled. He had never met a woman who dared to voice her opinions in front of a man. A woman simply obeyed. But Gaby certainly did not obey. He had learned that upon meeting her. It mattered not though, she would learn her place, of that he was certain.

  He stepped closer to her. “Listen carefully and learn. Women nurture and obey, men protect—that is the way of God’s law.”

  Gaby opened her mouth prepared to continue the debate, but Rafael’s hand shot up in front of her face and pressed a finger against her lips. “I gave you no permission to speak.”

  She glared at him with wide angry eyes. He was testing his authority, and she had no choice but to obey. She fought the words that threatened to run from her lips. His look made it worse. It was one of superiority. His blue eyes shined with it, as did his stance — his head held stiff and proud, his chin jutting up, and his chest wide. It was just too much for her to keep silent.

  “Men protect... only because women allow them to.”

  Her whispery breath tickled Rafael’s finger and her words fueled his temper. “You have much to learn, Gaby, and the first lesson is that you will obey my orders... whatever they are.”

  She opened her mouth, intending to tell him she understood, since his expression was one of controlled rage. But he wouldn’t allow her to speak. He pressed his finger firmly against her lips, forcing silence.

  “I will not tolerate disobedience. You will learn your place and learn to keep your ridiculous opinions to yourself. Understood?”

  Gaby nodded her head in confirmation, her eyes fixed on his.

  “Lupe, bring my mother to the study,” he ordered, never taking his eyes off Gaby or removing his fingers from her lips.

  “Si, Don Rafael,” Lupe said and hurried away.

  Rafael remained unmoving.

  Gaby, not certain of what he expected from her, remained the same.

  His finger moved slightly, gliding along her soft lips. He noticed her bottom lip was plump and tender where the top one lacked the ripeness of its partner. The difference intrigued him and he gave thought to tasting the tempting plump one.

  Gaby shivered from the way his finger played along her lips; exploring, teasing and tempting. She didn’t move; she couldn’t. The sensation was too exquisite to interrupt.

  Rafael watched her body stiffen, her eyes glaze over. Her lips weren’t the only parts of her that were fresh with ripeness. He smiled, took her chin and whispered. “You will learn to obey me.”

  Gaby didn’t respond. She knew he didn’t expect her to. His hand dropped away. “Follow me.”

  She placed her bundle and the flowers on a nearby chair and trailed after him. She took several short, quick steps next to his long powerful ones. He was well-built, his muscles taut, his stomach firm and not an ounce of fat as indicated by the superb fit of his garments. She could easily understand why the women found him physically attractive. Other men paled in comparison to Rafael Cabrillo, yet mentally he held the same attitude as most men. Women were chattel to them, possessions they could do with as they pleased.

  Someday she would find someone different; someone who thought of her as a person and not a possession.

  “Gaby, do you often daydream and not pay attention to what goes on around you?”

  Gaby stopped abruptly and realized that not only had they entered the study but that she would have collided with him if he hadn’t spoken. Her face lit with a devilish grin. “I fear I often get lost in thought when I should be paying attention.”

  Rafael was fascinated by the way her personality could change from argumentative to joyful. She reminded him of the chameleon who changed colors to suit his surroundings. She appeared to change personalities to suit her opinions and situations.

  He assumed what he was about to say would annoy her, probably spark her anger. But why should it matter to him? “It isn’t necessary for women to think or consider on things. Men do it for them... with much more success.”

  Gaby’s grin remained devilish and her eyes danced with merriment. “If you say so, senor Cabrillo.”

  Rafael’s brow shot up and his nostrils flared. She was appeasing him and that irritated him. Why? Did he prefer her to argue with him?

  “Rafael.” The soft voice sounded as if it drifted into the room.

  “Mother,” Rafael returned with tenderness.

  Gaby whirled around and her smile quickly faded. She caught her reaction almost immediately and forced a smile. She couldn’t believe that a large, vibrant man like Rafael could have such a small, frail mother. It just didn’t seem possible.

  Rafael walked to his mother’s side and bent down on one knee so he’d be even with the wheelchair. “How are you feeling?”

  “Tired. Always tired,” she sighed as if life was too much for her to bear.

  Gaby watched the odd exchange between them. She was stunned that a son would allow his mother to live in such self-pity. Dona Maria was an attractive woman. Small in stature and not a trace of gray hair in her lustrous dark waves, she looked no more than fifty. Yet lack of color to her complexion made her appear in ill health, and Gaby didn’t think that was the case. She was probably like many of the hacienda wives, who when their domineering husbands died, they thought their lives over and useless. After all, they had been so used to obeying how did they possibly live without someone telling them what to do?

  Rafael continued to speak to his mother, feeding her sorrows with sympathy.

  It annoyed Gaby. There probably wasn’t any reason for her to be in that wheelchair in the first place and that black dress she wore made her even paler, not to mention how hot and uncomfortable it must be.

  “Perhaps a blanket over your legs would help, Mother,” Rafael said and directed Lupe to get one.

  Gaby couldn’t believe her ears. A blanket in this weather? What was he trying to do, suffocate her?

  Rafael stood. “Mother, I want you to meet your new companion.”

  Dona Maria produced a weak smile as she extended her hands to Gaby. “Come, child, let me get a better look at you.”

  Gaby knelt before her. The woman took hold of her hands and Gaby gave a squeeze. The older woman returned a firm squeeze. Dona Maria wasn’t as frail as she appeared.

  “It will be good to have someone keep me company throughout the day.”

  “There is much we can do,” Gaby offered. “I will read to you. We can talk, take walks and pick flowers and perhaps even go on a picnic and —”

  “No!” Rafael’s voice boomed throughout the room.

  The smile that had been noticeably growing on Dona Maria’s face quickly faded.

  “Mother isn’t well enough for such strenuous activities.”

  “Why?” Gaby asked.

  “Because her health prohibits it,” he said.

  “And what is this health problem that stops her from living? I must know if I am to look after her.”

  “Her strength isn’t what
it used to be and she tires easily. The doctor has ordered rest. And you shall see that she gets it.”

  Gaby nodded. “I shall see she gets exactly what she needs.”

  “Good,” Rafael said, leaning casually against the large desk in the center of the room.

  “Shall we pick one of the books from this vast library to read?” Gaby asked Dona Maria, pointing toward the stacked bookcases that ran from floor to ceiling along two walls.

  “I think not,” Rafael said.

  “Why?”

  He answered her with annoyed impatience. “Mother only reads the Bible. And who taught you to read?”

  “Perhaps your mother should read something else for a change and Padre Jose taught me at my insistence.”

  Rafael couldn’t help but grin at her tenacity. First it was wild flowers and now books. What was next?

  “The blanket,” Lupe said entering the room.

  Gaby took it from Lupe and placed it on the back of the heavy wooden chair near the desk. “Dona Maria won’t need it. It’s hot enough without that awful thing covering her lap.”

  Lupe’s eyes popped wide and Dona Maria’s mouth parted in surprise.

  Rafael stood away from the desk and sternly ordered, “Come over here, Gaby.”

  She walked over to him without hesitation, tilting her head up slightly to look at him with a smile that challenged.

  “Put the blanket on mother’s lap.”

  “She doesn’t need it. It’s too hot.”

  “She’s ill and feels chilled when others do not.”

  “Did you ask her if she feels that way, or did the good doctor tell you?”

  “The doctor told me and I trust his advice. Now put the blanket on her,” he said raising his voice.

  “I will do it,” Lupe said, reaching for it.

  “No,” he snapped, stopping the plump woman in her tracks. “Gaby will do as I say.”

  Gaby nodded, whirled around and did as directed. She hummed as she carefully tucked the blanket around the woman’s legs. When she finished she patted Dona Maria’s hand. “All done.”

  “That wasn’t so hard was it?” Rafael asked with a glint of satisfaction.

  “No, senor,” she answered obediently.

  “The servants call me Don Rafael.”

  The smile at Gaby’s lips faltered some. She had never intended to serve anyone. That wasn’t what she wanted. But at the moment she didn’t have a choice. “Don Rafael.”

  Rafael felt his name glide around him like a warm caress, whispery soft. He shook the strange feeling away. “Good, Gaby. You are learning. Lupe, take mother to her room to rest before supper and then show Gaby to her room.”

  Gaby followed silently behind Lupe.

  Rafael shook his head as he watched them leave the room, the door closing behind them. He walked over to the tall, narrow window that looked out onto another courtyard. The high noon sun had passed over it and the afternoon shadows now shaded the areas. A large table, benches and several chairs sat surrounded by numerous terra cotta containers with lush green plants and bright pink and red flowers.

  He focused on the calming scene, giving thought to Gaby. Over the years he had learned to rely on his instinct when it came to judging people. It was a necessary skill for survival. He had known from their first encounter that she was different than most women. The way she had dared to question his authority, her boldness in asking him if he intended to hang her, her insistence in picking flowers, her odd opinions concerning a woman’s proper place... yes, she certainly was different.

  He rubbed his chin in concentration. It would take time for her to accept his authority, but she was at least beginning to understand it was her duty. She had proven it by obeying his command about the blanket. He could tell she didn’t care to follow his order. He had caught her objection in the slight change of her smile.

  Actually, her whole face intrigued him. Her features were stunning for a peasant girl; rich dark eyes, thick even brows, slim nose, high cheekbones, sparkling white teeth. She appeared almost perfect with the exception of her lips.

  He grinned, recalling the contrast between the upper and lower ones, slim and plump. He wanted to taste them and discover their differences.

  The workers’ busy chatter outside the window interrupted his musings. He watched the way they so easily mingled together. They smiled and laughed and shared common traits. Gaby was one of them. She belonged to that fraction of society. He didn’t.

  He was of higher birth and expected to marry within the realm of his class. And it wouldn’t be proper to take his mother’s companion as a mistress.

  He grinned wondering if she would be obedient in bed, or if her boldness would exert itself. His grin hastily vanished when he realized he would not be the one to find out.

  Rafael grabbed his hat and gloves off the end of the desk and marched out of the room. He would attend to his duties in the vineyards and set his mind on other more important matters.

  He closed the study door behind him and walked down the hall, halting abruptly when he caught sight of the blanket that had been covering his mother’s lap. It lay on a chair neatly folded.

  Rafael’s expression grew dark and serious. He had broken some of the wildest stallions and mares and now they obeyed his every command. By month’s end Gaby Alvardo would do the same.

  Chapter Three

  “I don’t want to wear them,” Gaby said, placing a plate of scrambled eggs with green peppers on the serving tray.

  Lupe wiped her hands on her bright yellow apron. “Don Rafael said you must wear sandals... and Dona Maria will never eat those eggs.”

  Gaby’s face lit with a determined smile.

  Lupe shook her head. “You have a stubborn nature, and it’s going to get you into trouble.”

  Gaby gave Lupe a quick hug before snatching a corn biscuit from the platter on the table. “I’ve been here five days and have seen Don Rafael only twice. If I keep my distance from him, he will never know.”

  Lupe shook her finger in Gaby’s face. “He knows everything that goes on at the hacienda. Last year, Elena—she’s one of the young girls who clean the main house —became pregnant. She is a good girl, but fell in love with the wrong man.”

  Gaby listened with interest, aware that Lupe knew all that went on at the hacienda and was prone to gossip. But gossip could help her learn more about her new home and about Don Rafael.

  “Anyway,” she continued while filling the silver pot on the serving tray with coffee. “Elena was sick with worry. The father of her child disappeared soon after she had told him. She was too ashamed to confide in her family.” Lupe’s voice lowered to a whisper. She glanced around the room making certain no one was about. “She even considered taking her own life. Madre Dios.” Lupe crossed herself.

  Gaby felt sick for the young girl. She should not have to bear such shame simply because she had mistakenly surrendered to a man who had claimed to love her.”What happened to her?” she asked with concern.

  Lupe’s voice picked up its usual robust tenor. “Don Rafael summoned Elena into his study. She thought he was going to order her out of his home in disgrace. But three days later she was married to one of the vaqueros who had lost his wife only six months before and was left with two small children to care for.”

  “Is Elena happy?”

  “Very,” Lupe grinned. “Rico, her husband, is good to her and she loves his two little ones as he does her son. It was a perfect union. So you see Don Rafael knows everything.”

  “Someone must have told him or he heard gossip,” Gaby insisted folding the white napkin embroidered with pink flowers next to the plate.

  Lupe vehemently shook her head. “No. The servants only speak in his company when he speaks to them and no one would have dared to tell Don Rafael about Elena’s problem.”

  “There is always someone willing to talk.” Gaby smiled picking up the tray and putting it right back down as though she had forgotten something.

 
; Lupe laughed as she watched the young woman go through her usual routine. Gaby rushed out the open kitchen door, snatched a white daisy bursting in its early morning bloom and hurried back into the house to fill a slim crystal vase with water before slipping the lovely flower in it and then she placed it on the tray.

  “Dona Maria loves flowers,” Gaby said recalling how delighted the woman had been with the bouquet of wild flowers. Her face had lit with a smile and Gaby caught a sight of the young vibrant woman she had once been.

  “I know, child. Everyone should be as perceptive to that woman as you are.”

  “Then you know that she isn’t as ill as they claim?”

  “Of course I do. She mourns for her late husband.”

  “Yes, she does,” Gaby said, lifting the tray. “And do you know the best medicine for that?”

  Lupe’s earthy brown eyes widened questioningly.

  “Another man,” Gaby laughed and walked out of the room.

  ~~~

  Gaby bumped Don Maria’s bedroom door open with her hip. She backed in and turned with a flourish as she sang out, “Good morning!” She stopped abruptly as her glance fell on Don Rafael.

  “Good morning, Gaby,” Dona Maria said, noticing the irritated expression on her son’s face.

  “Your breakfast,” Gaby said walking past Rafael and ignoring the way his eyes remained focused on her bare feet. She placed the tray on the table near the wide open window and pulled out the chair, readying it for Dona Maria.

  “My mother has her breakfast served to her in bed,” Rafael said.

  “Not anymore. She sits by the window so she may enjoy the morning sun as she eats.” Gaby picked up Dona Maria’s robe from the end of the bed.

  She remained where she was as Rafael rose from the chair beside the bed. He glanced from his mother to Gaby, then walked over to Gaby and took the robe from her and returned to his mother’s side.

  “May I assist you, Mother?”

  Dona Maria smiled with relief. She had so wanted to sit at the table and feel the warmth of the sun on her face, but she had not dared to countermand her son’s orders. “Yes. Yes, by all means do help me, Rafael.”