by Debra Holt
“How did you know I was here?” She gazed up into his eyes and felt the fresh jolt of awareness and something else.
She always experienced the feeling each time he came into view. He was quietly commanding and darkly handsome in his usual jeans, boots and Stetson. The dark sienna of his jacket matched the landscape.
“I stopped by the shop. They said you had headed out with your sketchbook under arm. I figured I’d find you here.”
That surprised her. “Using your finely-honed tracking skills, marshal?” She teased a bit. It was a defense mechanism she had developed early in her life. Keep things light and never too serious. Laugh instead of cry. Never let people see the tears. Don’t allow anyone close enough to figure out the weaknesses. Once they did that, she was doomed. Her self-reliance made her the woman she was.
“My wise detecting skills. I know you enjoy watching people and getting a feel for the life of the place around you. What better place than the heart of the town?” He looked around the plaza as he spoke. Then his eyes went back to hers. “Besides, I’ve seen you here in this spot a time or two… when I drove by on my way to one meeting or another.”
“I see.” Angie wasn’t sure why the thought of him watching her when she was unawares both intimidated her and made her feel… safe… all at the same time. In a way, it was nice to know he was close by. She decided it was a pleasant feeling to have.
“Now, I have some news that might not be too welcome,” he began. His brow knitted into a furrow. Angie steeled herself for whatever it was that was causing him to hesitate.
“Aunt Victoria has lasted as long as she can, I’m afraid. She called this morning and I was told to bring you to Taos for Sunday dinner. It looks like our honeymoon period is over.”
Angie’s heart sank at this. She had known it couldn’t last forever, but she had hoped. She bit her lip.
“Don’t look so tense.” He spoke in a soothing tone, his hand automatically finding hers. “You passed the first hurdle with flying colors and received Aunt’s blessing. Just be yourself and relax. Besides, you won’t have to speak much. Aunt Victoria and Marita will talk enough for all three of you.”
She knew he was trying to coax the smile back and it worked. He reached for her sketchbook, tucking it under his arm. His free hand still held hers. She liked that. Neither one of them made a move to break the connection. To a passerby, they must look like any normal young couple… in love and lost in their own little world as they slowly walked along the streets. Sadness flitted through her at the thought. How nice it would have been if it were true. Jason Blackhawke was a good man. Any woman would indeed be lucky to have his heart.
But not someone the likes of Lisa Hawkins. Angie was definite on that one. He needed someone who could provide the inspiration he spoke about on their first evening at his home. It should be someone to match his wit and stand up to his opinionated ways when needed. It definitely had to be someone who could fit into his family and give him children of his own to carry on the heritage. Someone. Just not someone like me.
Chapter Eight
There was a sense of dread weighing her down as Angie came downstairs the next morning. On the one hand, she was looking forward to being in Jace’s company all day, and she certainly wanted to see more of the countryside and Taos. However, she would be placing herself in the company of those members of Jace’s family who meant the most to him. His Aunt Victoria would have her fine-tuned gaze on Angie for a longer period of time. She was no expert on families. Would she be able to pull this off without arousing suspicion?
“You look beautiful this fine morning… and it’s so early too.” His smile was warm and brought an automatic one in response. She just wished she could stop the blushing in his company. She wasn’t a stranger to compliments, but mostly on a professional, “schmoozing” level and nothing as personal as Jace seemed to make it without any effort.
Angie caught sight of herself framed in the large mirror across the room. Hopefully, Jace approved of her choice to face his family again. Long legs were fitted into a snug pair of denim jeans, topped with a white peasant-style blouse. A wide ruffle trimmed the elastic top worn just off the shoulders to show off lightly tanned skin and a silver concho belt fitted loosely around her slim waist. Silver and gold entwined loops were the only jewelry she wore, with the exception of her ring. A large gold clip caught her silky hair back from her face. Soft leather flats encased her feet. She caught the flare of approval before his gaze lowered as he took a sip from his coffee mug.
“I’ll ignore the crack about the early morning,” Angie replied, taking the glass of juice from him as she headed to the kitchen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw two plates on the bar with yummy looking omelets on them. She turned toward Jace with raised eyebrows.
“I thought a little sustenance would be needed before we hit the road. I wasn’t sure if you were a breakfast person, since you rarely see the sunrise.” He was definitely in fine form, and so early. Angie let his remark slide and took her seat. The first bite demanded a second one and then a third.
“This is really quite good. A man that can cook. You are certainly full of surprises.”
“All good ones I hope.”
“And oh, so humble.”
He grinned as he finished his own omelet. “I try to be. So, how do you like my bed?”
She choked on the last bite she had just taken. She grabbed her glass of juice and took a quick gulp. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. He could barely contain himself. He was trying really hard to not laugh at her expression.
“Pardon me?” She managed, her voice sounding just above a squeak.
“My bed. I hope you’re finding it to your liking. My uncle hand-carved it.”
Sitting alone with him in his home, discussing the merits of his bed, was not a subject for so early in the morning, when her mind could barely function.
“I’ll just get my bag and a jacket,” she replied, quickly excusing herself from a charged situation. “We don’t want to be late getting to your aunt’s home. That would be rude.”
Angie didn’t wait for a response but she did hear his amused laughter as it followed her up the stairs. Her cheeks had to be flaming red! She would never survive the day if he kept this up.
*
“The mountains certainly are higher in this part of your state.” Angie made the comment as the road grew steeper as they neared their destination. The winding road was a bit much for her, as it clung to the edge of the stone walls. She tried to keep her mind on distant objects as the vehicle climbed and to not let her gaze wander below them and down the steep sides of the highway. At one point, she found herself inching farther away from the door of the vehicle. Surely their journey would be over soon? She held that thought as she tried to appear far calmer than she was feeling.
Angie felt familiar warmth and her eyes slid to the space between Jace and herself. Her hand laid there, her fingers trying not to dig into the soft leather in her nervousness. Jace easily took care of that when his hand covered hers. He made no comment. He just gave her what she needed… a quiet, solid reassurance. Jace’s gaze never moved from the road but she felt it. Today would be a good day. She smiled without fear.
“I thought your family lived in Santa Fe? Yet, we are going to Taos to have dinner with them.”
“Santa Fe is where they lived for years… decades really. They still maintain the family home there for when they have to attend business interests and meetings there. The Taos home was inherited when my aunt’s parents passed. It’s close to Marita’s home and their grandchildren, so she and Uncle spend most of their family time there. It’s also convenient to the business she and Marita own together.”
“I see. Your family keeps very busy.”
“Yes, but they keep family at the heart of all they do. There is nothing more important than that.”
Angie liked his aunt’s Taos home on sight. It was also touching to see that the whole family had met
them in the courtyard to welcome her. Jace covered most of the greetings and gave her time to take in her surroundings. The bright turquoise door in the carved arch made her smile. From the moment she stepped inside, she felt the welcoming warmth of a real family home. Not overly large by most standards, it was roomy and “lived in”.
While everything had its place, it wasn’t pretentious even though she recognized many of the heavy pieces of furniture throughout the rooms could easily fetch hefty prices in high-end antique stores. She sensed it was furniture cared for lovingly over many generations. Each piece had its place in the fabric of this family’s lives. It was certainly different from the modern pieces she had in her Manhattan apartment, all of which were very expensive and tastefully arranged by a highly-paid decorator. Yet none were irreplaceable. Just another reminder of the contrast in her life and Jace’s.
Some of the artwork on the walls were Jace’s handiwork as she might expect. Shelves throughout the main rooms of the house held dozens upon dozens of photos of family members and various family gatherings. One particular shelf drew her not long after they arrived. Jace excused himself to join his uncle and brother-in-law in the workshop not too far from the main house. Marita was on a business phone call in another room. Aunt Victoria had gone to the kitchen to check on the temperature of the roast she was cooking for lunch.
Angie recognized the eyes and the unmistakable grin of a younger version of Jace in more than a few of the photos. She smiled when she noted he had indeed been a boy scout… and eventually an eagle scout. Knew it. There was one of him in a football uniform. She should have known he would have been into athletics while growing up. His physique was indication of the fit shape he still maintained.
Her attention was suddenly caught by a couple of smaller photos. Taking one of them into her hands, she studied it. Jace looked very young and he was not smiling. She recognized he was standing on the front porch of the same house where she now stood. The suit coat hung on his small frame. It obviously was borrowed or a hand-me-down. His hair was a bit shaggy and unkempt looking. It was his eyes that drew her attention. Something about the look of sad longing in those dark grey orbs spoke to her. Angie recognized the look in an instant as an arrow shot to her heart.
“Our Jason was not always a happy child.” Aunt Victoria’s voice broke into her concentration and Angie moved to put the photo back in its place, embarrassed she had been found staring at it.
“I’m sorry,” Angie responded. “I just find all your photos very interesting.”
“No apologies are necessary, my child. It’s natural that you have interest in your husband’s childhood. Unfortunately, Jason’s early years were not very happy ones. It was a hard time for him.” The woman’s eyes grew solemn as she looked at the photo of the youngster. “My sister, Lourdes… his mother… was not a very strong person. And our father was hard on her. After he disowned her for running off with an unsuitable man, she was lost to us.”
Angie felt for the sadness in the woman’s voice now. She clearly loved her sister.
“Jace has told me how you and your husband took him in. He is certainly grateful to you. I suppose he couldn’t stay with his mother when she became ill?”
The woman looked over at her. She spoke the words softly as though saying them louder would bring back memories too painful to bear.
“Jason’s mother became addicted to painkillers and alcohol not long after the death of Jace’s father. She couldn’t work and what savings they had didn’t last long with her habits. Jason would search through dumpsters and along roadways to find empty cans and items he could sell for money to at least feed them. She wouldn’t allow him to seek our family out for help… to ask us for anything. Keep in mind that he was only nine years old at the time. They lived in Texas and we did not see them at all. Jace was born there in a military hospital. He returned there to go to college and worked in Texas for a while as a deputy. But he returned to his ancestral roots here for which we are grateful. But to return to his boyhood… it was hard.
“My father forbade my sisters and me from having any contact with my eldest sister, Jace’s mother, and did so up until his death. I received word one day that Lourdes had been admitted into a hospital in Dallas. The only reason I knew about it then was that a cousin of my husband had heard from one of their family members who worked in the same clinic. She recognized her name on a form. It was pure coincidence… or an act of a higher power. By the time I arrived, my sister had died. I was too late.” The pain of not being there for her sister was still quite evident. Angie didn’t want the woman to relive such memories, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop her. She wanted to know more about Jace, the boy.
“Jason came to live with you after her death,” Angie gently prompted.
“Not right away. You see, we had to search for him. My sister had abandoned him in an old camper outside the city. They had been living there for a few months. She collapsed outside a bar in downtown and was taken to the hospital. She couldn’t remember where she had left him. Her mind was too far gone.
“So, for almost a week, Jason stayed where she had left him. He was afraid to go too far from it in case his mother came back for him. Yet, he was hungry and afraid. It was on one of his searches to find more cans that a policeman spotted him. He recognized him from the fliers we had put out looking for him. He lost his mother and was faced with a house full of strangers. It was a hard time for him. But love and patience and trust… they can work miracles.”
“Jace was only nine years old and he was left alone…” Angie’s voice trailed off.
Her heart broke thinking of the small boy and how afraid he must have been. So alone. She knew better than most what it had taken for him to survive. This was quite an unexpected look into Jace’s past. He hadn’t had a perfect childhood, but he had emerged from it to become a pretty incredible man. “Love and patience and trust” were the keys? She supposed they would be. At least he had been lucky enough to have those things. He had people who reached out and wanted him.
“Enough of sad things.” The older woman straightened her shoulders and put the past where it belonged. “The men will be coming in soon looking for food on the table. We must get busy.”
Angie worked alongside Aunt Victoria and Marita in a kitchen filled with copper pots and dozens of fresh herbs growing in containers in the immense windows which allowed warm light to flood the room. The view of the mountains added to the magic of the kitchen. It wasn’t long before Angie realized the trio had moved into an easy camaraderie with each other. Jace had been correct. Marita and her mother did most of the talking, first about new recipes. Then they began relating family members that she tried to make note of on an imaginary family tree in her mind. Angie gave up on the second set of cousins. The pair went out of their way to make her feel welcome and included. It was easier to smile as the time passed. Then she had found laughter came on the heels of the smiles. She actually caught herself enjoying the time. Imagine that.
“I will give you the recipe for Navajo fry bread before you leave. Jason loves it with stew. You have a recipe for stew?” Aunt Victoria paused in her emptying of potatoes into a serving dish to look over at Angie.
Angie’s smile was hesitant. Would the woman think less of her if she admitted she rarely cooked? Marita came to her rescue.
“Momma, you forget that Angelina has a business of her own to run. She is a very successful woman back in New York City. Not everyone was born in a kitchen.”
Angie sent her a smile of gratitude and Marita responded with a quick wink. It would be nice to have a sister-in-law like her. Angie had always wanted a sibling, someone to share the lonely days. That thought was cut short by the arrival of the men.
Glenn came in and gave his wife a quick hug on his way to the refrigerator. Uncle Tomas went to the sink and set about washing his hands. He gave a smile in her direction. “Has this old woman been boring you with the family history? Just learn to smile and nod and she w
ill keep right on going and you can tune her out. And that is good advice for you to heed also, Jace. But hopefully, your wife isn’t a talker like mine.”
This earned a stern glance from his wife, but he just gave her a wink and went on with his hand-washing. Angie smiled at the man’s advice. It was then she became aware of Jace standing directly behind her. She caught her breath when his hands went to rest possessively at the top of her hips. His voice… rather, his lips… were suddenly very close to the side of her face. Jace’s answering laugh was low and teasing, his breath teasing the soft skin below her earlobe sending all sorts of feelings throughout her.
“She has her moments. But I’ll keep your advice in mind, Uncle.”
Angie’s gaze was glued on the cucumber she was slicing for the salad. It was very hard to concentrate on the task when her every nerve was aware of the closeness of his body to hers.
“If you men want food, then get out of our way.” His aunt waved her hands at the men. “Go find the children and make sure they are ready for lunch. Make yourselves useful.” Her voice brooked no argument and none was given. Angie could breathe again when Jace moved away only to return and grab one of the sliced cukes to pop into his mouth with a wink at her. Her heart did a somersault.
“Look at that blush.” Marita pointed out after Jace left. She threw a knowing glance at Angie. “You have it bad for that brother of mine.”
Angie felt the warmth deepen. Of course, Marita had misread things. She and Jace were just playing parts for the benefit of his family. But there was no playacting in the way her pulses reacted whenever he came too close. She was dangerously close to falling for her own husband. The admission caused her to almost drop the knife out of her hand.
Perhaps she shouldn’t handle sharp objects. She turned to the sink, not wanting anyone to see her emotions at that point. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t fall for Jace. They had nothing in common. He lived in a different world from hers. Despite how much she was enjoying this day, Angie could never truly fit into his life, nor that of his family. Their welcome would certainly be quite different if they knew the real truth. All of it. She had to remember that. Their world was not hers.
