by Karen Kelley
“No!” Cody blurted, coming halfway out of her seat. Realizing she might have been a little too verbal, she quickly sat back down and picked up her napkin. “Josh and I are orphans.” She dabbed at the corner of her eyes.
“Yes,” he quickly interjected. “We were raised in the same orphanage. There was little food—and it was cold.”
“Oh.” Maria’s breath caught in her throat. “No mama? No papa? An orphanage?”
She looked between them, and for just a moment he felt lower than the lowest scum on earth. Hell, he hadn’t meant to make her cry. He only wanted to embellish a little so the story would become more real.
Cody bit her bottom lip, apparently feeling pretty badly herself.
“Please, it’s okay. You don’t miss what you never had.” Cody motioned toward him.
For a moment, he couldn’t talk. She spoke the words as if she had firsthand experience. It made him wonder again about her relationship with her mother.
“Yeah,” he added. “But we had each other.”
“A fairy tale. A very beautiful fairy tale. Eez okay. Mia familia is your familia. Si, Hector?”
Hector sniffed. “Si, mi amor.” He took Maria’s hand across the table and squeezed it,
Great, now he felt even lower, and he hadn’t thought that would be possible. Even Adoncia had tears in her eyes.
When he went to his room later that night, guilt went with him every step of the way.
Cody glanced at Adoncia. A white cotton nightgown completely covered the woman. A cot had been moved into the room for her. Maria had said that it was tradition. Cody had had just about all the tradition she could stand for one day.
All forms of torture came to mind, but not for her chaperone. No, she wanted Josh to suffer for this one.
Feeling stifled by the other woman’s presence, she went to the double doors that opened onto the balcony. Maybe some fresh air would help her to chill out. Once outside, she did start to feel a little more relaxed. She took a deep, cleansing breath, leaning against the iron rail.
It was beautiful here. A sort of peacefulness she’d never experienced before. So maybe it wouldn’t be so bad staying a day or two.
The thought of losing Adam’s bounty didn’t sit well with her, but there would be other bounties. She was good at her job. She didn’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone. Especially…
Especially who? Her mother?
Ridiculous. Maybe their relationship wasn’t so hot. She’d learned to adjust. That’s all love really was—learning to adjust. There was no big bang or flashing lights. No all-consuming need to feel someone’s arms wrapping around you. Hugging was a really stupid custom. One she could do well without.
Her gaze absently moved toward Josh’s quarters. She could see his balcony from where she stood, and the dark shape of him when he moved. There was no light spilling from his room as there was from hers, but she knew he’d been watching her.
What did he think of all this? Was he angry Adam might slip between their fingers? Surely he had to be upset. It didn’t show. If he was ticked off, he hid it well.
She went back inside and turned off her light. Adoncia was already on her cot. For a brief moment, she thought about seeing if she could sneak out the door. She and Josh would be long gone before anyone awakened in the morning. She took a step in that direction.
“Sueno. Sleep.” Adoncia turned on her cot and faced the wall.
How the hell had the woman known what was going through her mind? The old battle-ax. She flounced to the bed, stripped out of her clothes, and without bothering to put on the gown Maria had left for her, climbed between the sheets.
At least she had the bed all to herself. Josh liked to hog the covers. He also had a habit of laying his arm over her and pulling her close. She, on the other hand, liked to stretch out.
She flopped to her other side, punched her pillow, and lay back down. What was it about the bed that made it suddenly uncomfortable? She should have been luxuriating in the plush mattress. She rolled to her stomach. It didn’t help. With a sigh, she gave up and snuggled the extra pillow close to her. She could have almost believed it was Josh.
Night drifted away, and the sun crept up above the horizon, an orange glow casting her approval on the earth. As it rose, so did the sound of voices.
Cody opened one eye, staring at the white eyelet lace that trimmed her pillow. It took only a moment to acclimate herself to her surroundings.
But where was all the noise coming from? It almost sounded as if they’d been invaded by a herd of cattle.
She jerked up in bed. Oh, lord, were they being invaded? Maybe someone wanted to oust el capitan. Put in a new capitan. Would they all be shot? She jumped from the bed and reached for her clothes. They were gone. Where the hell were her clothes?
She turned toward Adoncia’s cot, but the old woman was gone, too. Lying on the cot was a full skirt and a white blouse. Hell, she’d wear anything right now. She damn sure didn’t want to go to her grave the same way she came into this world.
Beneath the skirt and top were underclothes. They certainly didn’t look like they would fit Adoncia’s ample girth. She quickly dressed, running her hands through her hair.
Okay, she needed to assess the situation. She crept to the door leading to the balcony. Easing the door open, she slipped out. There were people everywhere, but she didn’t see any guns or a firing squad. Actually, it all looked quite festive.
“Codeeee! Are you awakened yet?” Maria opened the door and stepped into the room. “Cody?”
“Who are all those people?” she asked as she stepped back inside the room.
“Oh, you are awakened. Is good, no? They are my familia. Your familia, too.” She beamed. “Mamacita! Come meet your new daughter.”
A slender woman pushed open the door and hurried inside. She was an older version of Maria. Just as beautiful, but with a maturity that only came with age.
Maria’s mother rattled off a string of Spanish and hurried forward, enfolding Cody in her warm embrace. She wanted to jerk away from the woman, but instead she closed her eyes and let the woman’s warmth penetrate her shield.
Damn, she needed a pot of coffee if a hug from a stranger could make her feel like this.
“Niña.” She kissed both Cody’s cheeks before stepping away and again rattling off a string of Spanish.
“My mother says her new daughter will make a very beautiful bride and you are to call her mama.”
“I thought this was going to be a small wedding,” Cody said while still trying to maintain her smile. This was way too much. She suddenly felt as if she were suffocating.
“Si. Small.” Maria nodded.
“It sounds like half of Mexico is in your house and outside on the patio.”
“My familia. It is custom when there is a wedding that all the family is invited.”
“Si, familia.” Maria’s mother nodded.
“But how did you get the wedding invitations…?”
Maria interrupted with her own string of Spanish. She and her mama laughed.
“We do not send invitations,” Maria explained. “All family members are invited to the wedding. It is our custom.”
Great. And was Maria related to everyone in Mexico? From the noise downstairs, it was a distinct possibility.
“We will party today.” Maria clapped her hands. “There will be much food and wine and dancing. You will get to know your new familia so when you marry the day will be most special.”
Special, yeah, right. And not even close to being legal. Okay, no biggie. Then why did it feel as if bees buzzed inside her stomach?
And why did it feel so damn real?
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She didn’t believe in the fairy tale wedding. No one stayed with someone forever. They always went away. Then the one left behind had to put the pieces of their life back together again.
Except in her mother’s case. She was certain Pearl had never really gotten over her hu
sband having left her. If they had been actually married, and Cody had her doubts. Not that it mattered to her. But something inside her said this wedding was wrong. She just didn’t know how to extricate herself from the mess they had made.
“Come, we eat and then we plan the wedding.”
“Coffee,” Cody mumbled. “And lots of it.”
Once downstairs, she saw it was worse than she could have ever imagined. Men were moving the furniture and women were bringing in fresh cut flowers and arranging them in crystal vases. When Cody made her entrance, everyone immediately stopped to stare.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked around for a hole she might crawl into. Before she could run anywhere, Josh stepped forward. Like Moses when he parted the Red Sea, the crowd of people separated.
Her gaze drifted over him, drinking in every inch. Someone had replaced his jeans with black slacks and his T-shirt with a white silk shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down. Her mouth began to water. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him.
“My love,” he said when he drew closer and took her hand.
His lips brushed her palm, sending tingles of pleasure all the way down to her toes. The crowd seemed to disappear and it was just the two of them. She took a step toward him. Their gazes locked and she saw something flicker in his eyes. Almost as if he were seeing her for the very first time—and he liked what he saw.
But this was crazy. Of course, it was all pretend. Before she could dwell on what she saw or didn’t see, Mama and Maria grabbed her hands and pulled her away from Josh.
“There will be plenty of time to spend with each other after you are married,” Maria called over her shoulder as they hustled her away to the kitchen.
Josh smiled. What was he thinking? Something about all this wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Not exactly. Before she could even try to figure any of it out, someone pulled out a chair and gently pushed her into it.
A cup of coffee was set in front of her and she didn’t care about trying to figure out what the hell was going on as the rich aroma of the strong black coffee wafted to her nose. Everything else might be chaos, but this was heaven.
She added a liberal amount of cream and sugar, stirred, and brought the cup to her mouth. That first taste. Delightful.
“This is my sister, Delores.” Maria pulled a shy young girl of fourteen in front of her.
The girl curtseyed, giggled, and hurried to the back of the room. Apparently, this was when all the introductions would be made. One by one. Not that Cody really cared as long as someone kept refilling her cup.
But people just kept coming out of the woodwork. Maria didn’t stop at first cousins—no, there were third and fourth cousins—but they all acted as if they were just as close as Maria’s brothers and sisters.
And now they were treating her as if she were a part of the family. She should’ve felt warm and fuzzy, like when Maria’s mother hugged her. She didn’t. Terror was closer to what she felt. Everyone wanted to touch her or hug her. The room was beginning to close in on her.
Maria’s mother spoke in Spanish.
“Okay, you can meet our Cody later,” Maria said. “She eez not so used to a big family like we are. Shoo.” She waved her arms and the rest of the greeters hurried away, laughing and giggling.
Thank God. She didn’t think she could handle meeting another person. Were they trying to populate the world or what?
“I am so sorry. I did not realize this would be so much for someone who has never known a familia. Please forgive?”
Maria lowered her head, clasping her arms in front of her. Cody shifted in her chair. She’d never really had someone care about her feelings like this.
“I think I have something in my eye,” she muttered, and brought the linen napkin up, dabbing at the moisture. What the hell was wrong with her? Damned if she wasn’t getting sentimental.
“Hola!” A balding, rotund man spoke.
Another relative? She blinked past the tears in her eyes. Maybe, maybe not.
The man smiled. “I am Dr. Hernandez. I will take a little blood.” His smile widened. “We want everything to be legal, no?”
No, she didn’t. Josh. Where was Josh? If he drew blood, the marriage would be legal. Oh, lord, she was going to be sick. “Actually, I’m allergic to needles.”
He laughed as he took her wrist, turning her arm up. “Americans. I love how they make the jokes.” He reached into his black bag and brought out a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. Before she could think of anything else to say, he’d swabbed her arm and inserted a needle.
Her stomach churned when she saw her blood filling the syringe. She could take seeing someone else’s blood, but looking at her own always made her queasy. She was so going to kill Josh.
The doctor removed the needle, put cotton over the puncture site, and brought her arm up to stop the bleeding. Maria fanned her face. When her gaze met the other woman’s, Maria smiled.
“The fainting feeling will be over uno momento. I do not like when the doctor takes my blood, either. Crackers, they will help.”
She said something in Spanish, and almost immediately there was a bowl of crackers set in front of Cody. She would eat one just to make Maria happy.
Strangely, after only one, the queasiness began to go away. She was still going to kill Josh, though. Not legal, her ass.
“Better?”
Cody nodded.
“Good, now we make you more beautiful. Josh will be fighting off the men. My cousins can be very amorous when it comes to a beautiful woman. We will hope there are no fights, eh?”
She hated to tell Maria, but she really doubted Josh would fight over her. Unless she was the one who threw the first punch. Then he would probably step in and help her out. Maybe this time he wouldn’t get clobbered. She smiled, remembering the last time he’d assisted her.
“You have a memory?”
“A what?”
“A memory. You smiled as if you were having pleasant thoughts. Like a memory.”
“Si,” Cody said. “I had a nice memory.” Odd, but the more she was around Josh, the more nice memories she had.
Life was getting complicated. Especially hers. She’d always worked alone. Didn’t want or need anyone. She liked it that way.
Now Josh had shoved his way past her defenses. Maria and her family were close on his heels. The sooner she left Mexico, the better.
Mariachis were playing in the courtyard, the music drifting into the main room of the house. People laughed and partied. The sweet scent of flowers filled the room, along with an air of gaiety.
But Josh didn’t see Cody. He hadn’t seen her all afternoon. Now he was getting worried.
Had she managed to sneak away while everyone was busy preparing for the wedding that would take place tomorrow? No, she wouldn’t leave him holding the bag, just because he’d been the one who blurted out that they were here to get married. Would she take into account that it had kept them out of jail? Or would she conclude that she’d be better off going it alone?
Damn it, maybe she had. Cody had been really pissed. He could just imagine how she’d felt when the doctor had taken her blood. He cringed at the thought. Their marriage would be legal.
Odd, but it didn’t seem to bother him. It should have, but it didn’t.
He remembered how she’d looked coming down the stairs this morning. It was all he could do to swallow past the lump in his throat. She was breathtaking, and she’d easily managed to steal his breath away.
Damn, wouldn’t she have a field day if she knew he was really falling for her? His hand tightened on his glass. He and Cody? Not in this lifetime. What the hell was he thinking? It must be the moonlight, and the spicy food he’d eaten today. All these people milling around didn’t help any.
The sooner they were married and out of here, the better. Unless of course Cody had slipped away undetected. If so, Hector would probably lock him up and throw away the key. Then Mar
ia would kill Hector.
“You look like a man anxiously awaiting his bride-to-be,” a voice spoke from behind him. A very American voice, and so out of place here.
He turned, ready to greet the man, but his words caught in his throat.
“Hello,” the man continued. “I’m Adam. Adam Sinclair.”
“Josh…Josh Pierce.”
Josh noted the watchful gleam in Adam’s eyes. The man was playing him—seeing what he was up to. He didn’t have long to wait for his next move.
“The bounty hunter.” Adam casually took a long pull from his beer.
“Yes, Cody and I are both bounty hunters.” Had Adam spoken with his sister? Probably. Was he here to turn himself in? Or was he playing cat and mouse with them? Seeing if they would admit they had crossed the border after him?
“I spoke with my sister. She said a man and a woman wanted to take me in. Funny thing is, they never showed. Just some jerk who goes by the name of Turbo.” He snorted. “He’s not nearly as tough as he thinks he is. A few months in a Mexican jail should have him begging for mercy.”
Josh was tired of playing games. “Did you kill your partner?”
“What do you think?”
“Your sister doesn’t think so.”
“So, you were the ones. I suspected as much. My sister described both of you.”
He looked at Adam. Really looked at him. His face was lined from years of working under a harsh sun right alongside his crews.
Who really knew another human being? There was something about him, though. Call it gut instinct, but Adam Sinclair didn’t strike him as being a murderer.
Years working undercover had trained him well. He’d learned to watch for certain signs to see if a person was lying or telling the truth. He watched for those signs now.
“Did you kill your partner?” he asked again.
“No, I didn’t. Dan Gray was a good man.”
Adam hadn’t hesitated, but looked him right in the eye when he answered. He also seemed genuinely saddened by the death of his partner.
“Then why did you run?”
