Authors: Mary Tate Engels
Speak to the Wind (9 page)
Water squeezed between her toes, oozing around inside her pink pumps as she stood in line. Dammit, why had she worn them, anyway?
Now
she
’d
ruin
ed her new shoes. Trying to dis
regard the unple
asantness, she assumed her well
-
trained, confident bearing and sm
iled at Joe, who waited so impa
tiently across the terminal.
The way he paced the tile floor reminded her of a caged tiger. In the month since they'd met in the White Mountains, she'd forgotten how han
dsome he was, how large and pow
erful he looked compared with those around him. Yes, Joe Quintero would make an imposing
chairman
for the Apache.
She'd also forgotten how
much his strong masculinity ap
pealed to her. Or perhaps she'd been successful in pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. Until now.
Today he was devastatingly informal in pleated white trousers and a textured white cotton sweater. He wore leather
huaraches
—Mexican sandals—on bare feet, and his copper skin contrasted with his entire outfit. He'd let his dark hair grow a little so that it edged his collar. His expression was serious, almost brooding, and his eyes were like onyx, shiny but intense. In one large hand he toyed with a single yellow rose. There was only one word for him today—sexy—and Maria couldn't avoid thinking it, try as she might.
When Maria finally wal
ked through the customs gate to
ward him, Joe felt a strong impulse to wrap his arms around her and greet her with a kiss. A long, meaningful kiss. But he was too reserved and felt that now wasn't the time or the place, so he handed her the rose with a smile. "Welcome to sunny Mexico, Maria. I'm afraid the sun's ta
king a siesta to
day."
Maria took the flower, touched by the romantic gesture. "Why, thank you, Joe. What a nice, but wet, welcome."
"All day I kept telling my
self they must have rain to pro
duce such beautiful flowers this time of year." His sweeping gaze took in her hair and the rain-spotted shoulders of her raincoat. "But why did it have to pour today
?
"
They moved out of the stream of traffic and stood facing each other. She tucked a damp strand of hair back into place, but it returned to droop b
eside her ear in a loose curl. “
I’
m soaked. I must be a mess."
He breathed in her faintly floral fragrance and found her wildly alluring, especially in her slightly disheveled state.
Decent conversation beca
me a struggle. "You're lovely..
.
er, you're just fine. Did you have a rough flight
?
"
"Wasn't the smoothest. Did you have to wait long?"
"Couple of hours."
"I'm sorry, Joe. Wish there had been some way to warn you about the delay."
"No trouble. Seeing you is worth the wait." He quickly amended his statement. "Seeing you down safely. Although I'm sure everything was under control. It's just that when you're waiting
here in Mexico, you sometimes
don't kno
w what's happening
. I
t's nerve
racking."
"
We were
tossed around
quite a bit
up there," she said with a little chuckle. "Not fun."
He gave her
a little smile. "Well, now that you're here, we can both breathe easier. Do you have luggage
?
"
"Lots, I'm afraid." She smiled apologetically. "I try to travel light, but I had to pack more clothes than usual because I'm staying so long. And, of course, the video equipment."
"Video equipment? Just for me?"
"It's part of the Speechcraft training, whether there's one or fifty-one," she explained. "After we've been through some of the strategies and I've taught you a thing or two, I'll make a video of you and well see how much you've learned.
And, of course, my computer
."
"
I hope we don’t have electronic problems
. Even TV reception is poor." With his hand lightly on her back Joe guided her to the edge of the crowd awaiting luggage.
"The whole thing sounds compli
cated."
"Not really.
We’ll
use electronics as one of several learning tools. It helps both of us decide quickly what improvements you may need to make. And
what’s satisfactory. We
work on them together. It's a process that I'll explain more fully later."
"I'm impressed already."
"Joe, I want you to know that I'm honored to be chosen to work with the Apache candidate." She smiled genuinely. "This is one of the most important assignments I've had, and I've either put things on ho
ld or turned them over to my as
sistant in order to give you my best effort."
"I rank that high, huh
?
" His dark eyes twinkled with a touch of light.
"You bet. And I appreciate your recommendation to the election committee."
"You understand, I hope, that I really want... no, I
really
need your help, Maria." He grew serious again. "I don't have any experience in the areas of communications, especially the public kind. In my business t
here was no need for it. The in
cumbent's opposing me in this election. And Ben Cartaro's been doing this for years
, too many years
. Kissing babies and making speeches comes naturally to him."
"Those are learned techniques," she said with a wily grin. "And I'm sure you'll be speaking with ease in no time. You have a lot of natural ability.
" She had dreamed about his nat
ural ability, but it had nothing to do with speech
making. Now, though, she had to f
orget that and get down to busi
ness. Joe's future could well depend on her. It was a sobering thought.
"Speaking naturally
?
Sounds like a minor miracle to me."
"You're going to do great." She thought that if he appeared as he was today, so earne
st and bold, and so damned hand
some, he'd win on intent alone. "
I realize t
he pressure's on me. I'm
the teacher, and I’ll
only feel I've done my job if you're elected, Joe."
He laughed. "You sound like a very determined lady. What's the old saying about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse? But I'm sure glad you're on my team."
As they waited for her lug
gage, Joe experienced her close
ness in a strange way. He felt as though invisible ties were wrapping around them, drawing them together. This was the work of fate, to thrust them in the same path and put them to work on a joint project. This is where they belonged. He wondered if she felt the same, if she believed in fate.
Or was he attracted to her because of her striking beauty and because she said all the right things? She certainly made him feel as though what
he was doing was the most impor
tant thing in the w
orld. That took a special skill
and a very smart lady.
When her luggage was finally stacked on the sidewalk, Joe dashed through the rain and returned in the car he'd rented.
Maria laughed when she saw the bright yellow Volkswagen bug. "You're going to get all this in that little thing?"
"Just takes some packing skills," he said as he tucked a bag under each arm. "I worked in the stockroom of a toy store one summer. I can arrange
anything to fit." He hefted an
other bag and began stuffing them all into the tiny vehicle. When every spare inch was filled, he opened the passenger door and, with a flourish, made a mock bow. "Madam..."
“I’
m impressed with your packing skills," she said with a teasi
ng smile and squeezed into her s
eat, arranging her long legs as best she could.
"Sorry, but this car is all I could find to rent yesterday," he apologized as he slid in beside her. "They don't have a wide choice of rentals here. They like VWs. No leg room but cheap to run."
"This is fine.
Just another
challenge.
You've already met the first one by getting my luggage in here."
She was well aware of how snugly they fitted into the small vehicle. Shoulders rubbing, elbows occasionally banging and knees separated only by the stick shift on the floor.
"Actually, the first one was getting me in here," he said with a chuckle. Joe made a special effort to keep his eyes—and hands—on the gearshift as they took off through the rain. But he was acutely aware that the front panels of Maria's coat had fallen open and of the way her skirt had crept upward on her shapely legs. And he could hardly take his eyes off those long legs that were tucked so modestly beside his.
Once, reaching for the gear, he brushed her leg with the back of his hand. He wasn't sure whether to apologize and bring attention to the incide
nt or ignore it. He couldn't ig
nore the slide of his hand over her smooth
leg
, and he shifted clumsily so that the car lunged.
In an effort to divert their attention, he related informa
tion about the area. "The a
irport is located between Guay
mas and the beach town of San Carlos. Our villa is on the beach, but Guaymas is a larger city, wel
l
known for fabu
lous shrimp. If you like, we'll drive over there one day for some."
"Love it."
"You probably know that fish and seafood dishes are t
he main staples around here. Not so much of the
hot
chilies
or what Americans think of as Mexican food."
"Well, that makes sense, this being a seaport."
"You'll have to try the seafood soup
, too. It's great." He peeked through the narrow slot above her piled luggage.
“
Too bad you can't see the beautiful scenery as we drive to the beach. There are mountains on the right side of the road, the bay on the left. Flowers everywhere. It's beautiful."
"Sounds like a lovely place to work," she said as they rounded a curve and their shoulders pressed together. His muscles felt hard and unyielding, and her fantasies of the man she'd met in the mountains returned full force. "What a good idea to come here to work." But suddenly she wondered if it was such a good idea. All she could think of at the moment was
being alone with
the man beside her.
Joe grew silent as he concentrated on driving the rain-slick road to their Mexican villa. He realized his frustration with the rain and the delayed plane and even the modest little car were signs of how much he wanted this whole experience to be perfect for Maria. They could work in private almost anywhere. But to be alone in Mexico with her was the ideal, the reality of a fantasy, and he wanted it to be special for both of them. But she didn't seem to mind the inconveniences nearly as much as he.
When they arrived at the villa, Joe insisted that she go on in while he unloaded her
lug
gage in the rain. Reluctantly Maria complied. She found a
glass for the rose in the kitch
enette and placed it in the center of a round pigskin table by a window. Vaguely she wondered about the view. Joe had said they were right on the beach, but all she could see were gray storm clouds.
Wandering through the casi
ta, Maria found it to be first
class with all the modern conveniences, tiled floors and bath, a sliding glass door in the
bedroom that opened onto a gar
den patio, a kitchenette an
d a living room. She hung up her
raincoat, freshened up a bit and returned to the living room.
Joe was ordering room s
ervice by phone. "Hot coffee for
two, por favor. With lots
of cream." He looked question
ingly at her. "Anything else? I'm starved. Didn't have lunch,
you
hungry?"
She shrugged and remembered she hadn't eaten, either. "Anything," she whispered.
"And a basket of sweet rolls," he added, then caught her eye again. "Would you rather have a drink. Wine or—"
"No. Coffee's fine, thanks." Maria stepped around the pile of luggage Joe had left in the corner.
"And some cheese soup and tortillas," he continued, then hung the phone up slowly, his eyes glued to her, his mouth slightly open. She was stunning in a pale pink knit dress with matching shoes. And oh, those legs! This was a different Maria from her blue-jeaned casualness in the mountains. Different, but just as fabulous.
Eyeing the pile of baggage that filled the corner, she groaned aloud. "I see I have my work cut out for me."