A Marriage-Minded Man?

by Linda Turner

  “I—I know. I j-just feel s-so stupid.” Wiping her eyes, Rosa drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s Carlos,” she said finally, shakily.

  Not surprised, Jennifer didn’t say a word, but she didn’t have to, for Rosa went on, “I know you never liked him and you thought he was bad for me, but I really thought he cared for me. He was always so protective.”

  “He wasn’t protective, sweetie—he was possessive. There’s a difference.”

  Rosa nodded miserably. “I know. Now. I should have known it when he talked me into quitting my job with you, but I was so confused. I was working a lot and I didn’t get to see him as much as I wanted to, and he made me feel guilty. I didn’t know what to do, so I quit. I thought it would make things easier.”

  “And did it?”

  “No.” She sniffed. “Every time I tried to get another job, he found reasons for me not to. He didn’t like the idea of me driving so far, or the hours weren’t right, or he’d heard the boss couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Before I realized it, I’d gone through most of my savings.”

  “Everything you’d been saving for college? Oh, no!”

  Rosa nodded. “It was a stupid thing to do, but at the time I couldn’t see anything else to do. I didn’t realize how much he was controlling me—I just knew we were arguing all the time. Then this morning, when I saw the fire on the news and wanted to come right over, he ordered me to stay away from you and Molly and all the friends I’d made here.”

  The amazement in her voice changed to outrage. “Can you believe that? He was acting like my father or something and actually thought I’d say, ‘Yes, sir, whatever you say, sir,’ and do as I was told like a good little girl.”

  Her black eyes snapping fire, steam practically pouring from her ears, Rosa obviously hadn’t fallen meekly into line as expected. Fighting a grin, Jennifer said dryly, “I gather you didn’t.”

  “When you were in trouble?” Rosa said indignantly. “Of course not! We had this huge fight, a real knock-down-drag-out—”

  Jennifer sobered. “Did he hit you?”

  “No. He’s not that stupid. But he did grab me and leave a few bruises. I don’t know who was more surprised—him or me.”

  Outraged, Jennifer immediately reached for the phone. “I’m calling Sam.”

  “Detective Kelly? Oh, God, Jennifer, don’t bring the police into this!” she pleaded, grabbing Jennifer’s hand before she could punch in the number. “It’s just a few bruises, and it’s not like I’m going to see him again or anything. He took off and he won’t be back—not after I told him I’d call 911 if he ever dared show his face on my doorstep again.” She added with a slight grin, “I think I wounded his pride. He said I didn’t have to worry. He wouldn’t cross the street to see me dance naked. It’s over, Jennifer. Let it go.”

  Any man who deliberately hurt a woman didn’t deserve clemency, Jennifer thought, but if he was really out of Rosa’s life, she could, for her sake, let the matter go. “All right.” She sighed and replaced the receiver. “But if he ever shows up here again, I will call the police.”

  “Then I can have my old job back?” Rosa asked eagerly. “Three days a week after school and all day Saturdays? Pleeease? You said yourself I needed a trade to support myself when I got out of school. How’m I gonna do that if you don’t keep teaching me the baking business?”

  Jennifer would have liked nothing better than to hire her on the spot, but there was a slight problem. “You know the job’s yours, sweetie, when I reopen the café, Trouble is, I don’t know when that’s going to be, and you need a job now.”

  “So hire me to help you with all the work that’ll have to be done before you can open up again,” Rosa suggested. “I can do anything you need done—clean up, run errands, swing a hammer, paint. Anything! You’re going to be so busy coordinating everything, you’re bound to need some help.”

  “Molly will be here—”

  “That’s true,” Rosa said quickly, “but you don’t have to wait until the rest of the place is ready to have the kitchen up and running. We can open a to-go window. That way, you’ll be bringing in an income and we won’t lose all our customers to the competition. I can run it and that’ll leave you free to supervise the construction workers. You know how they are—if you don’t keep an eye on them, they’re bound to do something you won’t like, and then it’ll take more time and money to change it.”

  Laughing, Jennifer surrendered. “Okay, okay, I give up. You’ve got a job, same hours as before. Can you start tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow?” Rosa scoffed, dark eyes dancing. “What are you talking about? I’ll start today!”

  When Sam walked into the squad room to report for work, his co-workers took one look at his stony face and cut a wide path around him. All, that is, except Tanner. Sprawled comfortably behind his desk, he took one look at his partner and immediately sat up straighter, amusement sparking in his eyes. “Uh-oh. Somebody’s got woman problems and it’s not me. What’s the little psychic done now?”

  “Stuff it, Tanner,” Sam growled, dropping into his chair. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Far from discouraged, his friend only grinned. “It’s your own fault, you know. You play white knight for a lady, and the next thing you know, you’re the one who’s falling like a ton of bricks. Happens every time. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “So when’s the wedding? You’re inviting old lady Truelove, aren’t you? Now there’s a gal who’s probably dancing a jig. Has she said ‘I told you so’ yet?”

  Tom between a grin and the need to bust him one, Sam jerked out of his chair and said through gritted teeth, “No, and she’s not going to. There isn’t going to be a wedding—at least not between me and Jennifer Hart. You got that? She’s just a kid, and kids fall in and out of love a dozen times before they settle down. I’ve been that route once. Never again.”

  His voice took on that hard edge it always did whenever he spoke of his ex-wife, and that was usually all it took to warn anyone who get in his way that they were treading on thin ice. But Tanner was like a brother to him, knew things about him that no one else knew, and it took a hell of a lot more than a growl to make him back off.

  “She’s not Patricia, Sam,” he said softly. “Not even on her worst day. She’s a nice lady, and you could do a hell of a lot worse. Just because she’s not an old stroke like you is no reason to write her off.”

  “I’m not an old stroke.”

  “Then the age difference shouldn’t be a problem,” he said simply, flashing him a triumphant grin. “Admit it, pal. You’re hooked.”

  “And you’re worse than Alice,” Sam retorted. Ignoring his partner, he picked up the phone and made arrangements for a black-and-white to park across the street from Heavenly Scents while Jennifer was there. When he hung up, Tanner was grinning from ear to ear. “You gotta say something, then say it, Bennigan! Don’t just sit there grinning like a jackass.”

  “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” Tanner chuckled, wiping at the tears of laughter that streamed from the corners of his eyes. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

  Tanner was in one of those moods, the kind that made Sam want to laugh and shake him at the same time. There was no dealing with the guy. Grinding a string of exasperated oaths from between his teeth, Sam pushed to his feet. “Go ahead, have yourself a good laugh. I’m going to check out some things about last night’s fire. If you’re coming with me, you’d better get it in gear.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, but headed for the door. He’d only taken two steps when Tanner started in behind him, still grinning like an idiot. “I’m right behind you, partner,” he said. “Lead the way.”

  Sam took him at his word and drove to one of the worst public housing projects in the city. Located on the west side of downtown, it was a complex of two-and three-bedroom apartments divided by paper-thin walls. Drug dealers regularly conducted business there, and in spite of frequent raids by the pol
ice, it was a hotbed of illegal gang activity.

  The car was unmarked and Sam and Tanner wore no uniforms, but Mario Sandoval and the rest of the thugs who made up the Terrors made them the second they turned into the complex. Nearly six feet tall and skinny as a fence post, Mario, like his buddies, thought he was the toughest thing that had ever walked on two legs, and anybody who came onto his territory uninvited had to deal with him. By the time Sam and Tanner stepped from the car, Mario and the other gang members had them surrounded.

  Sam didn’t have to even glance at Tanner to know that he didn’t show any more fear than he did. Lowlifes like Mario thrived on intimidation and got off on fear. If he and his fellow thugs were looking for their daily jollies, they could damn well look somewhere else.

  “Look, Tanner, we got us a welcoming party. Ain’t that nice?” Sam drawled. “Now we’ve only got to ask our questions once. Now, who wants to tell us about the hot little cocktail that was thrown through the window of an apartment on Commerce last night at about one-thirty? It had the Terrors handwriting all over it.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” Mario said harshly. “You’re not pinning that one on us! We wasn’t anywhere near Commerce last night.”

  “Yeah, and we’re Santa’s little helpers,” Tanner retorted. “If you weren’t lighting fires downtown, then where were you?”

  “You wanna know, you take me to the station and ask me in front of my lawyer,” Mario said coldly. “Otherwise, I ain’t talking.”

  “You’d rather have us haul you in than cooperate?” Sam taunted. “Whatever makes you happy. We’ll haul all your asses in. Tanner, get on the radio and call for backup—”

  “No!”

  His eyes stone cold, Sam growled, “Then talk. The Terrors have a reputation for hurling cocktails at anyone who rats on them, and whoever threw that one last night headed straight this way. Give me one good reason why we should believe you aren’t in this up to your neck.”

  “Because we were at the gym playing midnight basketball,” he said triumphantly. “If you don’t believe me, ask the security guard there. He’ll tell you we didn’t leave until two-thirty.”

  Chapter 10

  By the time she thanked everybody for their help and made her way back to the Lone Star Social Club, Jennifer was so tired she could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Every bone in her body ached, and all she wanted was a hot bath and a bed, in that order.

  She’d called Alice earlier in the day to let her know she was taking her up on her offer to stay there until she could move back into her apartment. When she stepped through the older woman’s front door now, dinner was cooked and waiting for her on the back porch, where Alice was lighting candles on an old wonderfully ornate wicker table. She’d already brought out the food and filled their tea glasses, and in the flickering light of the candle, the scene looked like something out of The Great Gatsby.

  Delighted, Jennifer must have made a sound because Alice looked up from lighting a second candle, her blue eyes sparkling. “I hope you don’t mind eating out on the veranda, dear. I know it’s almost November, but it feels like spring, doesn’t it? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I could smell the mountain laurel in the air.”

  Closing her eyes, Jennifer sniffed, a smile tracing her lips, only to feel her heart lurch in surprise as the sweet scent of mountain laurel drifted teasingly under her nose. Her eyes flew open. “My God, you’re right! But how can that be? Mountain laurels don’t bloom until March or April.”

  Not the least disturbed, Alice smiled serenely. “It’s the house, dear. There’s a magic in the air here that you won’t find anywhere else. Time, seasons, years just seem to ebb and flow from one to the other and back again. Sometimes, if you sit very still and just listen to your heart, it’s impossible to tell if you’re in this century or the last.”

  Jennifer could just imagine what Sam would say to that, but she, more than most, knew just how possible the impossible was. Intrigued by the idea of looking back in time, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift. And just for a second, against the backdrop of her closed eyelids, the restaurants and shops along the River Walk faded, then disappeared altogether, and from the back veranda of the social club, she caught a glimpse of a San Antonio that hadn’t existed for a hundred years.

  Fascinated, she wanted to see more, but then someone at a riverside table at the restaurant across the river laughed, and the image vanished. When she glanced up, Alice was watching her with a knowing twinkle in her eyes. “You saw something, didn’t you?” she said.

  Jennifer nodded. “The river before the River Walk was built. But I don’t understand how. I’ve always been able to look into the future, never the past.”

  Understanding perfectly, she reached for Jennifer’s plate and served her a healthy portion of the chicken casserole she’d made for supper. “There are some people who come into this house and never see anything but the here and now. Then there are others, like you, who are more sensitive, who catch scents and sounds and images no one else can. It always amazes me who sees what. Can you pick up anything else besides the flowers?”

  Jennifer would have sworn she was too tired to see anything, but when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is there a place on the stairs that always makes you feel like laughing?”

  Alice gasped. “Why yes, there is! But I never told anyone about it because I thought it was just my imagination.”

  Her eyes still closed, Jennifer grinned. “There was a cowboy sometime after the Civil War—he must have been a real rounder. But the women loved him. One summer night he rode his horse right up the stairs to the ballroom.”

  “Oh, my!” Alice laughed. “I had no idea.”

  Enthralled, Jennifer told her stories of lovesick cowboys, an outlaw judge and a railroad baron’s daughter from the East who tamed the most dangerous man in town. They were outrageous tales, and if only half of what she saw really happened, she could see why stories about the Lone Star Social Club still circulated through the city almost a hundred years after it closed its doors.

  Caught up in the stories, they both ate with hearty appetites and never noticed the passage of time. Then, just when Jennifer was sure she couldn’t eat another bite, Alice produced a chocolate cake that had to have ten thousand calories. “Stop!” she groaned. “Sam just bought these jeans for me. You keep feeding me like this, and I’m going to need a bigger size by the end of the week.”

  Grinning, Alice cut her a piece that would have done a pro football player proud and set it in front of her. “You could use a little weight on you—you’re too thin. A man likes a woman with some meat on her bones. If your jeans get a little tight, I’m sure you won’t hear Sam complaining. He’s nuts about you.”

  “Alice!”

  “Well, it’s true, dear. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t still have eyes in my head. He’d walk across a burning bridge for you—he just doesn’t realize it yet. But he will. It’s only a matter of time. I’ve seen harder men than him try to fight the power of love, but they can’t win. Not in this house.”

  Confused, Jennifer frowned. “What does the house have to do with anything?”

  “What does it have to do...” Surprised she even had to ask, Alice laughed. “Why, everything! Haven’t you heard about the legend?” At Jennifer’s blank look, she exclaimed, “My God, you haven’t! Oh, dear. That might change things, but I don’t see how. It never has before. I keep forgetting that you’ve only lived here a short while. I guess that’s why I just assumed you knew...”

  Amused at her rambling, Jennifer arched a brow. “Assumed I knew what? Alice, I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about.”

  The old woman grimaced. “I know. I’m sorry. In case you hadn’t noticed, I do have a tendency to go on at times, especially about this house.” Gathering her thoughts, she drew a calming breath and let it out with a smile. “You already know the house has a special magic to it...”

  “Ye
s, the spirits—”

  “No, it’s more than that. People didn’t stop falling in love here just because social clubs went out of fashion. I guess you could say bringing people together, helping them find their mates, is ingrained in the very walls. And whenever a single person moves in here, the magic just seems to rub off on them.”

  “What do you mean? How?”

  “They meet someone and fall in love within the year. Every single time.”

  She was so serious, Jennifer couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, c’mon, Alice! You don’t really believe that, do you? What about Sam? He’s lived here a lot longer than a year, hasn’t he?”

  “True, but he was married when he moved in, and his divorce wasn’t final until six months ago. I’ve never seen a more bitter man,” she confided solemnly. “He told me that if he ever even looked at another woman under thirty again, I had his permission to shoot him with own his service revolver. And he was serious! That was just this past summer. Now he’s involved with you.”

  “But not romantically,” Jennifer said, blushing. “Oh, he’s kissed me a couple of times, I admit, but that doesn’t mean anything. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know if he likes me!”

  Grinning at her miffed expression, Alice cut herself a generous portion of cake and said dryly, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one’s watching, and he much more than likes you. Just be patient. He’ll come around. And while you’re waiting, you might start looking at wedding dresses. You’re going to need one.”

  “Alice!”

  “Well, it’s true,” she said, grinning. “I’ve lived here a long time—I’ve seen the spell this house weaves around people. Trust me, it packs a powerful punch when just one of the parties lives here. Now that you and Sam are both under the same roof, you haven’t got a chance.”

  Her stomach flip-flopping at the thought, Jennifer told herself that Alice was just kidding. No one believed in the mystical powers of the universe more than she did, and there was no denying that the house had an aura distinctly its own. But there was no way four walls and a roof could bring together two people and make them fall in love. It was nice in a fairy tale, but such things didn’t happen in the real world.