Flirting with Disaster

by Jane Graves

  “Take it easy,” he told Lisa. “You haven’t eaten much in the past few days.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, popping a couple of fries into her mouth. “I’ve got an iron stomach.”

  Why did that not surprise him?

  At Lisa’s direction, Dave drove to the part of town where the hotel was, and slowly everything took a turn toward the historic. And the festive. The entire area was an explosion of color, with street vendors selling bread and fruit and flowers and various kinds of artwork, along with big, gory-looking skull masks.

  “What’s with all this stuff?” Dave asked.

  “What day is today?”

  “November first.”

  “Ah. El Dia de los Muertos.”

  “Huh?”

  “The Day of the Dead. It’s actually two days, November first and second. It’s when Mexicans honor the dead, only it’s not a downer. They decorate everything, and some of them even go out to the grave sites and eat and drink and dance.”

  “Okay. I’ve heard of that. It’s like a great big party.”

  “Right.” She took a sip of Coke. “Not all Mexicans celebrate, though, particularly in the big cities like Monterrey. Some of them even go the Halloween route with pumpkins and witches and all that. But some people still like to uphold tradition.”

  “And some people just like to party.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of like Christmas. Some people celebrate with three masses. Others just eat themselves sick and watch a couple of ball games.”

  Finally Dave pulled up to the hotel, a two-story structure with heavily stuccoed walls stained by decades of rainwater, tattered awnings, and a rusted wrought-iron gate leading to a courtyard, which the native flora had pretty much overtaken.

  Lisa pointed to an alley that ran beside the hotel. “This car is conspicuous. There’s a parking lot in the back. Wouldn’t hurt to pull back there.”

  Dave swung the car around to park in the rear. He got out of the car, tossed their trash into a nearby trash can, then grabbed both of their bags from the trunk. A minute later they stepped inside the clay-tiled entry of the hotel, which soared two stories to a balcony above and was lit by a huge wrought-iron chandelier. The foliage explosion in the courtyard had made its way indoors, filling every corner with greenery and sending ivy crawling up the roughly textured walls. In a large gathering room beyond the entry, several people scurried around, carrying food and drinks as if they were preparing for some kind of celebration.

  “Day of the Dead?” Dave asked.

  Lisa nodded. “Looks like it.”

  In a parlorlike room to their right sat a large table dressed with a mustard-yellow cloth. Spread out on it were baskets of bread and fruit and sweets, along with vases of marigolds and a parade of framed photographs. A large crucifix hung on the wall behind it.

  “What’s that?” he asked Lisa.

  “A family altar.”

  “Huh?”

  “Has to do with Dia de los Muertos.”

  Before Dave could ask exactly what it had to do with it, a slender middle-aged man looked out from the gathering room and hurried to the desk. He raised a dark bushy eyebrow when he saw Lisa’s dirty clothes, messy hair, and bruised forehead, then introduced himself as Manuel Lozano.

  “Do you have any vacancies?” Dave asked. “We need to stay one night.”

  “I’m sorry,” Manuel said. “The front door should be locked. For Dia de los Muertos, only family and friends are in the hotel.”

  Lisa slumped with dismay. Dave could see how tired she was, her shoulders drooping, her eyes heavy and bloodshot. In spite of the sleep she’d had last night, she was coming off a huge deficit and could use a whole lot more in an actual bed. And she definitely needed a shower. He wouldn’t mind a little of those things himself.

  Lisa gave the man a look of utter helplessness. “So you’re telling me there’s no room at the inn for a couple of weary travelers?”

  “No room at the inn?” The man raised that same bushy eyebrow again, seemingly amused by the reference. “No, there is not. Unless, of course, one of those travelers is having a baby.”

  Dave blinked. “Baby?”

  “Why, yes, I am,” Lisa said, suddenly coming to life. “I’m going to have a baby. Maybe tonight, even.” She leaned across the desk, smiling at Manuel. “Now, you wouldn’t want to be an innkeeper who turns away a poor pregnant woman, would you?”

  Manuel gave her a sly smile. “Hmm. How did you arrive at my inn?”

  “By donkey, of course,” Lisa said. “Not an easy way to travel, let me tell you.”

  Manuel nodded thoughtfully. “And for what purpose are you in Monterrey?”

  “Why, to pay our taxes.”

  “And three wise men will come from the east?”

  Lisa gave him a plaintive look. “Will that help us get a room?”

  The man smiled. “Perhaps.”

  “Donkey, taxes, wise men, and a big old star. I swear.”

  “Christmas falls on El Dia de los Muertos?”

  “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  The man gave her a pseudostern look. “As I said, only friends and family for these two days.”

  Lisa let her head fall against the desk.

  “But you are now my friends. I have one room available. You may stay.”

  Lisa jerked her head back up. “Oh, thank you!” Then she gave him a wary look. “Now, you’re not putting us out in the stable, are you?”

  “Why, certainly not. But your donkey will be comfortable there.”

  Dave didn’t like this. Staying in the same room with Lisa was undoubtedly going to make his mind go places where his body shouldn’t. He had no business complicating this situation until they could get the hell out of Mexico and everything was back to normal.

  But right now, staying at this hotel was the path of least resistance, and he’d had more than enough resistance for one day. And in the end, he had to admit it would be safer. Even though there was no indication that anyone was on their trail, the one-gun-equals-one-room formula was probably a good one to follow.

  “And of course you will join us this night for our Dia de los Muertos celebration,” the man went on. “We have much food and drink.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t,” Dave said. “We’re both ready to drop.”

  “When you hear the music, you will change your mind.”

  “Thanks, but all we’re looking for is sleep right about now.”

  Manuel gave them the key to room 203 and wished them a pleasant stay. Dave and Lisa climbed the stairs and went into the room, where he was nearly blown over backward by the decor.

  Color. Everywhere there was color. From pumpkin orange to pea-soup green to Kool-Aid purple—this room had it all. The bedspread. The oil paintings. The draperies. Everything was awash in a cataclysm of hues so bright that Dave could have stared straight into a solar eclipse and not done his eyes as much damage.

  “I think I’ll go back to the car for my sunglasses,” Dave said.

  Lisa blinked with disbelief. “I don’t care how tired we are. This room’s going to keep us awake all night.” She walked across the room and pulled the draperies open, revealing glass doors leading out to a secluded balcony. “Okay. Check this out. It’ll give your eyes a rest.”

  Dave came up behind her. Through a break in the foliage that enclosed the balcony he saw the Sierra Madres towering in the distance. A rattan sofa with a padded vinyl-covered cushion afforded a nice place to sit to enjoy the view.

  “Pretty slick how you talked that guy into giving us the room.”

  “I just played the Catholic card.”

  “He did it because he liked you.”

  She turned and gave him a crafty smile. “I have a way with men.”

  He sure as hell couldn’t argue with that. Lisa had some obvious physical attributes a man would have to be in a coma to miss, and Manuel had been fully conscious.

  “Problem,” Lisa said.

  “What�
��s that?”

  “I need a shower, but I haven’t got anything clean to put on. My suitcase went down with the plane, and everything in my backpack has been through the Mercado River. Can you help me out?”

  Dave reached into his bag, pulled out a shirt, and handed it to her.

  “Don’t suppose you have a pair of women’s panties in there, do you?” she said.

  “Nope. I had to pack light. Left the recreational stuff at home.”

  “I’ll be stuck with my dirty jeans when we leave here, but for now I can just wear this.”

  Lisa disappeared into the bathroom. He sprawled out on the sofa with a weary sigh. He’d left Dallas only yesterday, but it seemed as if he’d been gone a month.

  The white noise of the shower running lulled him until he almost fell asleep. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Lisa came out. He sat up. Stared. Even when she’d been a mess before, she’d commanded his attention, but now he’d be lucky to pry his eyes away with a crowbar.

  Her cheeks were flushed pink from the hot shower, giving her face a warm glow. She wore the sleeves of his pale blue shirt rolled to her elbows. The tail of the shirt hit mid-thigh along her bare legs. Even with several bruises marring them . . . good God. What a sight.

  She tossed her dirty clothes onto the floor of the closet, and when she stood again her back was to the patio door. With the evening sun filtering in behind her, the cotton fabric of his shirt suddenly seemed gauzy and translucent, revealing every hill, valley, and curve of her body beneath it. Her short, still-wet hair was a tangle of dark reddish gold that reflected her personality far more than a sleeker style could ever have. She combed both her hands through it, and the movement made the shirt rise up on her thighs, inching closer to revealing a part of her he had no business thinking about, much less looking at.

  She’s got nothing on under that shirt.

  As those words pounded at his brain, which currently was minus most of the blood that kept it in working order, she ducked into the bathroom again, returning with a sample-sized lotion that must have been provided by the management. She sat down on the bed, pulled up one leg, and placed the sole of her foot on the bed, the tail of the shirt barely covering the private parts he was having such a hard time keeping his mind off of. She opened the lotion and sniffed it, making a face of disgust.

  “Damn. Floral. I hate floral stuff.”

  With a sigh of resignation, she poured some of it into her hand. Starting at her ankle, she smoothed it up to her knee, then back down again, moving slowly and thoroughly, avoiding a healing cut on the outside of her calf that was pink-edged from the heat of the shower. Then she tucked that leg and pulled up her other one, giving it the same treatment. There was nothing deliberately sensuous about it, but suddenly it was as if every atom in the room had become electrified and all of the energy was coming straight from Lisa.

  He grabbed clean clothes from his bag and headed for the bathroom. It was nearing seven o’clock. They were both exhausted, which meant an early bedtime. In the same bed. Together.

  What had he been thinking? He should have insisted on finding a hotel with a room for each of them, no matter how tired they were.

  He was going to take a shower. A long one. And maybe by the time he got out she’d be under the covers. On the other side of the bed. Asleep.

  Half-naked.

  Make that a long, cold shower.

  chapter nine

  Lisa pulled back the covers and climbed into the king-size bed. The hot shower had lulled her senses, making a pleasant feeling of relaxation flow through her. She laid her head on the pillow and pulled the covers over her, blinking wearily.

  In just a few minutes, Dave would be joining her. That she was in the same room with him after all this time was astonishing enough. That she was sleeping in the same bed with him was beyond belief.

  That he’d come to Mexico to help her was unfathomable.

  Downstairs in the Lozano household, music started to play, an upbeat Latino number that tapped softly, rhythmically, through Lisa’s mind, soothing her to sleep. But when the bathroom door opened and Dave came out, she opened her eyes again. And what a sight she saw.

  He wore nothing but a pair of jeans. He had a towel draped over his shoulders, but it did little to hide the part of his body that was currently naked. Strong, sculpted shoulders, a broad, powerful chest, and a rock-solid set of abs all merged together to take her breath away.

  Dave pulled the towel from around his neck and tossed it aside, then went to the desk and picked up the phone. “I need to call my brother.”

  Lisa nodded sleepily. Dave went a few rounds with whoever was acting as hotel operator in the Lozano household, then dialed several numbers. He sat down in the chair to wait for the call to go through. He stared out the patio doors, and she stared at him. A lot had happened to him in eleven years. He’d grown up, become a cop, had a child.

  Lost a wife.

  Lisa had been shocked to read the newspaper account of Carla’s death, a dramatic accident on an icy bridge that had left Dave alone with a nine-month-old daughter to raise. As jealous as she’d been of Carla, she never would have wished that kind of misfortune on either of them. It was the kind of tragedy that could age a man fast, making him cynical and hard-edged, giving him the kind of attitude about life that would fuel any resentment he felt at having to play knight in shining armor to a woman he probably never thought he’d see again. But Dave didn’t seem resentful at all. Merely determined to get the job done.

  Dave pressed the phone closer to his ear. “Hey, John,” he said, then listened for a moment. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. We’re staying tonight in Monterrey, and I’ll be home tomorrow. I’ll tell you all about it when I get there.” He listened for a moment more, his expression growing irritated. “Would you stop worrying? I’m telling you everything’s okay.” He turned away and lowered his voice, but Lisa could still hear him. “We’re renting a plane to fly into San Antonio tomorrow morning, and I’ll be heading back to Dallas soon after that. . . . Yes. I already told you. Everything’s fine. I’ll fill you in on the rest later.”

  Dave glanced at Lisa. She looked away quickly, pretending she wasn’t listening to every word he spoke.

  “Yeah,” Dave said. “Put her on.” After a moment, he smiled, and Lisa could tell by the conversation that he was talking to a child. He said something about a rabbit named Flopsy and some other kid stuff Lisa couldn’t quite decipher.

  “Yeah, I love you, too, baby,” Dave said finally. “Put Uncle John back on, okay?” Pause. “John? It’s getting late. Why isn’t she in bed?” Dave listened for a moment, and suddenly his eyebrows flew up. “She’s what? Jesus, John, will you guys quit spoiling the hell out of her? She’s going to expect that every night. . . . Oh, yes, she will! And then I’ll have to play the bad guy and tell her she can’t do all that crap at home.” He stood and paced to the end of the phone cord and back again. “Oh, you think it’s funny? Wait until you guys have kids. I’ve got one hell of a long memory, big brother, and payback’s a bitch.”

  Dave looked over at Lisa and rolled his eyes. He listened for a while longer, then sighed with resignation. “Okay, fine. Whatever. Buy her a pony. Take her to Disney World for a month. Hey, why don’t you pay for her college education while you’re at it? That I can use.”

  He exhaled with disgust, shaking his head. He listened for a moment more, and then his tone grew more somber. “Will you stop with the questions? I told you I’m fine. I’ll be home tomorrow evening. Give Ashley a kiss for me, will you? . . . Yeah. I’ll see you then. Good night.”

  He hung up the phone. “My family. Good God.”

  “How old is your daughter?” Lisa asked.

  “Five.”

  “So what’s your brother doing?”

  “Get this. He and his wife have her stuck between them in bed, feeding her fudge and popcorn and letting her stay up past her bedtime watching Cinderella. Renee gave her the remote and told he
r she could rewind the good parts all she wanted to, which means an hour-and-a-half movie turns into three hours. All that sugar means she won’t sleep worth a damn, even if she has a chance to sleep after staying up so late.” He shook his head with disgust. “Wait until they have kids. I’m going to teach them to sling oatmeal across the room and run naked down the street. And any other bad habits I can think up.”

  In spite of his feigned anger, Lisa could feel the love radiating from Dave as he talked about his family, and suddenly she was struck by an image of just how idyllic his daughter’s life must be in that alternate universe, the one where little girls ate fudge and popcorn and watched Cinderella while snuggled up next to people who loved them. And because Dave worried about dumb things like that, she knew what a good father he must be—kind and gentle and always, always there.

  “So you never spoil her,” Lisa said.

  “Of course not.”

  “Liar.”

  “Not like that I don’t!”

  He glared at her. She stared at him pointedly, and after a moment he rolled his eyes. “Okay. Maybe a little. But only a little.”

  “Let them spoil her, too,” Lisa said. “It won’t hurt her a bit.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He pulled down the covers on his side of the bed and slid beneath them. “Wait until you have kids. You’ll eat those words.”

  “Me? Please. I won’t be having any kids.”

  “Why not?”

  Lisa laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Come on, Dave. With the gene pool I’m drowning in, I’d be doing the world a favor if I sterilized myself.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  She looked away. “You know where I come from.”

  “I don’t care. Don’t talk like that.”

  “I have no desire for kids. Or a husband, for that matter. Family obligates you.”

  “Yes, in some ways it does.”

  “Well, I can’t deal with that. I fly charter, which means I have to be ready to take off at a moment’s notice if some oil company executive needs to be in Galveston pronto, or some widow with more money than sense decides to head to Jamaica for the weekend with a couple of friends to play in the sun. Thing is, if I go there, I get to play, too, until they’re ready to fly back. I never thought I’d have that kind of freedom, and I love it. I don’t want to depend on anyone, and I don’t want anyone depending on me.”