Untamed Fire (14 page)

Lupe wagged a disapproving finger in the
young girl’s face. “She didn’t mean for you to take it
yourself.”

Gaby plopped her hands on her full hips and
cast Lupe a persistent smile. “Do you see anyone about who could
run the errand?”

Lupe’s large brown eyes cast about
hopefully, but in vain. She was well aware that all the available
vaqueros were busy tending to their duties and wouldn’t return
until supper. The few that remained were under strict orders to
guard the hacienda, not that there had been any trouble of late,
but with the padre’s murder, Don Rafael had taken extra
precautions.

“It could wait,” she insisted, attempting to
dissuade the young girl.

“No,” Gaby persisted. “Dona Maria stressed
the importance of it being delivered immediately.”

Lupe crossed her arms over her ample bosom
and sent Gaby a suspicious look. “I think you wish to ride the
horse, that’s why this note has become so important.”

Gaby grinned like a child waiting for a
sugar treat. “Oh, Lupe, just look at him, he’s beautiful. I’ve
never seen a horse such as him.”

As though the black stallion knew she spoke
of him with awe, he bowed his head, snorted, and beat the dirt with
his newly shoed hoof.

“See,” Gaby glowed proudly. “He wishes me to
ride him.”

“Huh,” Lupe said in feigned annoyance. “The
horse is as stubborn and foolish as you. You make a fine pair.”

“Yes, we do,” Gaby agreed softly as she
approached the horse. She gently ran her hand along his thick neck,
stroking the dark flesh. “You are a beauty,” she whispered, and the
horse answered with a strong snort.

“I remind you once again—you have no
permission to ride him.”

Gaby’s smile was vibrant and filled with
self-assurance. “Dona Maria gave me permission when she directed me
to deliver this note any way possible.”

“You will get yourself in trouble with Don
Rafael.”

“I’m always in trouble with him,” she
laughed and gently pressed her face to the horse’s neck. He didn’t
protest, and Gaby realized he was finally accepting her.

“He isn’t saddled,” Lupe continued, still
hoping to dissuade the reckless girl.”

“I never use a saddle. My papa taught me to
ride without one.”

Lupe nodded knowingly. Many of the
townspeople rode their horses without saddles, using only reins,
because they were too poor to afford one. And Lupe found them to be
the most skilled of horsemen. “You will be careful and hurry
back.”

Gaby ran to the large round woman and hugged
her. “I will ride like the racing wind.”

“You will be careful and not take foolish
chances,” Lupe scolded as she watched Gaby mount the stallion and
steady his nervous prancing with a gentle nudge of her legs and
soothing words. The animal instantly obeyed.

Gaby waved as she rode out of the corral.
Lupe waved back before crossing herself several times. She walked
to the kitchen, planning on preparing Don Rafael’s favorite supper.
It wouldn’t hurt to make certain he was in a good mood this
evening.

The warm breeze that whipped Gaby’s face
playfully tore strands of her dark hair free from her braid. She
relished the feel of the soft wind, the smell of the fresh earth,
and the heat of the early afternoon sun. It revitalized her,
filling her with renewed strength. She had needed to get away from
the hacienda, taste freedom once again, do as she pleased.

She slowed the stallion, not wanting to tire
him. She didn’t know his name, although she had seen him often in
the corral alone. Always alone. She had felt a strange kinship to
him. Here among others, yet alone. She was certain he had felt the
same way. Now they were both tasting freedom, and he seemed to
relish it as much as she. They rode on, both content.

Gaby didn’t notice the rider in the
distance. The stallion alerted her to his presence with a snort.
She looked and watched. It didn’t take long to make out who it was,
and she braced herself with her newfound fortitude for the
confrontation that was sure to take place.

Rafael told himself over and over it
couldn’t be her. It was impossible, but then he reminded himself
that with Gaby anything was possible.

He rode toward her, tall and stiff. He
contained his annoyance. He would deal with her calmly and
rationally.

Then his eyes caught sight of the horse she
rod. “
Madre de Dios!”

Gaby waited just below the crest of the rise
from where he rode down. She could almost feel his frown and
decided to greet it with a cheerful smile. It quickly faded when he
spoke.

“What the hell are you doing riding
him?”

The stallion reacted immediately to his
angry tone, backing up and pawing the dirt in warning.

“Ease your tone,” she snapped, attempting to
comfort the irritated animal.

Rafael was no fool. He knew why she spoke to
him with such an imperious manner. He tried hard, very hard, to
obey her. “Why do you ride him?” He attempted gentleness, but
without much success. The animal still sensed his anger, pawing the
dirt with a bit more exuberance, demonstrating his dissatisfaction
with the man.

“Curb your tongue,” Gaby said through
clenched teeth.

Rafael wasn’t used to commands, especially
from a young woman who rode his most feared horse bareback with her
skirt hoisted up past her knees, her feet bare, and the dark
strands of her hair teasing the lashes of her brown eyes.

His nostrils flared in anger at the same
moment that the stallion did. “Do you know what the vaqueros call
him?”

Gaby shook her head, fearing her voice would
betray her annoyance and irritate the skittish horse even more.

“
Satanas.”

“He’s not the devil,” Gaby insisted in
defense of the handsome stallion. The horse agreed with a nod of
his head and a decisive snort.

“Get off him,” Rafael ordered, fearing the
animal’s strength and temperament too much for her to handle. This
time it was Bella who snorted and pranced backward. The pressure of
his strong legs to her sides warned her to behave, but the dark
stallion’s presence caused her to do otherwise.

Rafael tugged at her reins and issued a
sharp command. Bella obeyed without hesitation. He adjusted himself
in the saddle to the stiff position he previously held and
delivered Gaby a scathing look.

She smiled in return, delighted over being
the cause of his predicament.

He read her message easily. Her dark eyes
sparkled with mischief... and challenge.

“You have a way of causing chaos, Gaby.”

“Thank you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“I know,” she grinned.

“You are too strong-willed for a woman,” he
snapped. “No man would want one such as you.”

Gaby raised her head high. “No man could
handle a woman such as me.”

Rafael’s posture stiffened even further.

Gaby wondered if she had gone too far. As
usual, her mouth had spoken before her mind gave thought to her
words. But he was so exasperating she couldn’t contain herself. She
watched as his lips moved to speak, and she fixed her attention on
them, purposely avoiding his eyes.

“Is that a challenge, Gaby?”

Gaby tried to remain focused on his lips,
slim and sleek in line, hardly ever smiling and never laughing.
Would that sternness be evident in his kiss?

“I asked you a question, Gaby.”

His commanding voice caused her eyes to jump
to his.
Hot blue
. The intense color scalded her flesh,
sending quivers along her body and heating more than just her
flesh. The black hat sitting low on his forehead shaded his eyes
allowing her a better view of their throbbing color. Damn if they
didn’t scorch her flesh until she felt uncomfortably hot. She
wiggled in her saddle attempting to find relief. Finding none, she
knew she had only one choice.

A narrow smile slowly spread wide and with a
toss of her head and rumble of laughter, she tightened her hold on
the stallion’s reins and took off in a flash.

“Damn,” Rafael muttered and urged Bella to
follow.

The stallion flew like a mighty wind. Gaby
held on tightly, feeling safe and in control. The warm air whipped
at her face and tore at her braid and it felt good, so good. She
heard the heavy, steady pounding of hooves behind her. Bella was
fast, but Gaby didn’t feel the mare was as fast as the stallion.
She would beat Rafael to the corral and hopefully have time to run
to the hacienda before he caught up with her. Once there she would
have some protection from his fury since Lupe and Dona Maria would
be about.

The steady pounding of the hooves grew
louder in her ears and she urged the stallion on. He obeyed,
seeming to sense her plight and sped swiftly. She spied the corral
up ahead and felt victory close.

No one was about as she drew closer. With no
saddle to worry about she could jump the empty corral and leave the
stallion to cool himself down in the confines of the large pen.
Later when things calmed down, she could return and tend to
him.

She cleared the wooden posts easily and
slipped from the horse with just as much ease. She delivered a
quick pat to his neck to let him know all was well before she
climbed the two wooden rails to hop over the corral fence. Her bare
feet hit the dry dirt, and she was off in a dash, leaving a small
cloud of dust trailing her.

Gaby wore a large satisfied grin. She was
going to make it. She only needed to pass the stable and she’d be
right near the cookhouse door.

A few more steps, just a few—

Gaby was grabbed with such force that the
breath was knocked from her. She could get no air even though her
lungs screamed for it. She clawed at the powerful arm that circled
her waist and he loosened his grip as though sensing her panic.

She began to breathe deeply and heavily, her
chest surging, her lungs attempting to get all the air that they
could. She was so busy fighting for breath that she hadn’t noticed
she was being carted off to the barn. She protested, beating at the
arm that held her, clawing for her release.

“Let go!” she screamed. “Let go!”

“No!” Rafael stated so emphatically that
Gaby stilled all movement.

Freshly spread hay and horse flesh stung
Gaby’s nostrils as Rafael strode into the barn, walking deep
within, away from the sunlight and any spying eyes.

He strode into an empty stall and spun her
around to face him before pinning her body firmly up against the
wall. His hands flew up to imprison her on both sides, and his body
moved in close, preventing any avenue of escape.

His hat was gone from his head and his dark
hair fell in disarray along his forehead. His eyes boiled with
anger, and his lips were pinched tightly shut. His nostrils flared
almost like that of the stallion when irritated, and his chest
heaved as hers did from the exertion of the chase.

They were close, too close. The dark
material of his jacket was spread wide from his imprisoning stance,
and her soft large nipples beneath her blouse skimmed the white
cotton of his shirt, causing her to shiver and them to harden in
quick succession.

Rafael was far from in control of his
emotions. They warred with him like some demon from hell. He wanted
to reach out and rip the thin peasant blouse from her body, tease
her hard nipples with his tongue and lose himself deep within her.
Instead, he controlled the demons as best he could, taking several
deep breaths, calming his racing heart, his boiling blood, and the
ache that throbbed unmercifully below his belly.

“Who gave you permission to take the horse?’
he asked calmly and in a low whisper.

Gaby swallowed what she thought was a huge
knot in her throat, catching her hard-fought breath before she
spoke. “Your mother.”

Rafael raised a doubtful brow. “My
mother?”

“She needed this note delivered immediately
and there was no one about.” Gaby carefully reached to her
waistband, not wanting to come in contact with any part of him. Her
hand searched, but could not find the slip of paper.

“I suppose you lost it,” Rafael said with a
sneer.

“Yes.” Gaby would say no more. There was no
use in doing so. He would not believe her.

“Were you running away from me, Gaby?” He
spoke in a soft, not commanding tone.

It touched Gaby’s heart, causing it to
flutter. She hadn’t been running away from him when she had left on
her errand, but her flight back to the hacienda was a flight from
him.

“Tell me,” he whispered in a mere breath. A
breath that was so close to her lips that if she spoke her words
would tickle his mouth. And his mouth sat ready for them. Partly
open and waiting, waiting to capture...

“Tell me, Gaby.” He was insistent.

“No.” Her response was barely audible.

“Then produce this letter of proof.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She
had no letter. No proof.

“Shall I ask my mother?” Now he issued her a
challenge.

“I haven’t lied to you—ever,” she said,
raising her head slightly, but not too high since then her lips
would graze his and the thought of that contact frightened her.

“Then there is only my mother’s word to
absolve your guilt.”

Dona Maria had not told her to take a horse,
only to make certain the message was delivered. Her willfulness
once again had gotten her into trouble.

“I took it upon myself to deliver the
message,” she found herself answering.

“Will you ever obey me, Gaby?” His warm
breath drifted across the soft contours of her face, tickling her
flesh.

“Do you really wish me to?” she asked in a
quivering whisper knowing she was flirting with danger here and yet
throwing caution to the wind.

He wanted her to obey him, heed his every
word, his every command... his every touch. God, how he wanted to
touch her, feel her warm flesh, taste her moist mouth. His hand
moved of its own volition, his fingers coming to rest against her
cheek.