Untamed Fire (33 page)

Rafael’s alarm had grown with each word the
padre spoke. Gaby was not one of the twins. She was a peasant
woman’s daughter.

“Do you find my confession hard to bear, my
son?”

“No, padre, you did what was necessary for
everyone. I’m sure God approved of your decision.”

“Then why is Padre Manuel dead,
murdered?”

Rafael felt a pinch of fear sting him. “You
think the man who killed the padre was after information?”

“Yes, I think he was hired to trace the
twins, discover their true origin, and then kill them.”

“And you think the padre supplied the man
with this news?”

“No, Padre Manuel probably tried to explain
to the man that the one twin was dead in hopes of protecting Gaby.
And that the other had moved away and he knew not where.”

“But the man refused to believe the tale and
believes Gaby is one of the Galvez twins.”

Padre Pablo nodded slowly. “I fear she is in
danger.”

“I’m sure of it.”

“Something has happened to her?”

“She was attacked.”

“
Oh Santo Dios!”
the padre prayed and
crossed himself. “She is all right?”

“Yes, and I intend to make certain she stays
that way.”

“My son,” the padre said, a bit reluctant to
say what was on his mind. “I think, that is, I feel it is in Gaby’s
best interest that no one knows of this news.”

“I definitely agree. If we try to convince
everyone that she isn’t one of the twins, then she will become even
more of a target.”

“I have another request.”

Rafael nodded for him to continue.

“I fear for my safety and ask permission to
stay at the Cabrillo hacienda until this matter is settled.”

“You are welcome to stay as long as
necessary, Padre. Actually, my mother will enjoy having you
here.”

“Good, good. And the other twin, you will
see to her safety?”

“She has been sent for, though I will send
some of my vaqueros to escort her the remainder of the way.”

The padre released a heavy sigh. “I worried
so about both girls when I heard of Padre Manuel’s murder. I would
have come without your summons.”

“You cared much for both girls?”

“The one twin who survived was given to a
family who moved away shortly afterwards. We kept in touch to make
certain she was well taken care of and she was. I was told she has
a talent for drawing and has grown into a lovely woman. But Gaby,
she was special. She was inquisitive, always seeking answers to the
most unusual questions. And her smile, only an angel could have
such a lovely smile.”

“You will marry Gaby and me, Padre?”

“What?”

“When the time is right and all these
problems cleared away, you will marry us?”

“Do you love her, my son, for what you ask
is difficult for many to accept?”

“I love her more than life itself.”

“And you have spoken of this to her?”

“No, she doesn’t know of my love or my
desire to wed her.”

The padre smiled knowingly. “Gaby can be
difficult to deal with, but not when she knows how much another
cares for her. Then she overlooks their faults.”

“What you’re suggesting is that I tell Gaby
how I feel about her?”

“It would make life simpler for you, my son.
Your burden would be lifted.”

“Or would it grow heavier?”

The padre frowned. “In this New World, the
rigid rules of Spain do not apply. Forget the old ways and think of
the bright future this land holds for you. The people are a mixture
of different races and they are just as proud of their heritage as
the Spaniards are of theirs.”

“I am beginning to realize that.”

“Gaby can be extremely persuasive in her
opinions.”

“She is remarkably intelligent for a
woman.”

The padre winced. “Don’t let her hear you
say that. She could never understand why women were considered less
intelligent than men. I told Padre Manuel that no good would come
of him teaching her how to read, but he insisted.”

Rafael laughed, thinking of the way Gaby
must have badgered the old padre into teaching her, and he bet she
did it mostly with her smile, not to mention her quick wit.

“You ungrateful brat!”

Rafael and the priest heard the screaming
accusations clearly through the thick closed door.

“Excuse me, Padre,” Rafael said and stood.
“I will send someone to show you to your room so that you may
rest.”

“Easy, my son,” the padre said softly.
“Anger will only make the difficult situation worse.”

“It’s past worse, Padre. It’s a full-blown
war.”

~~~

“This is proper attire for a lady!” Dona
Isabel yelled sounding far from a lady as she shook the pale yellow
dress in Gaby’s face.

“Perhaps in Spain, but here that dress is
useless as well as worthless,” Gaby argued.

Rafael entered the room hearing Gaby’s
words. He tended to agree with her. The long heavy dresses were far
from comfortable for this climate. Even his mother had taken to
wearing lighter clothing and dresses with less lace and frills.

“Is there a problem?” Rafael asked
calmly.

Dona Isabel quickly gained control of
herself. “No, there is no problem. But tell me, have you discovered
if the twin girls could possibly be our daughters?”

Rafael wasn’t prepared to discuss this yet.
He had wanted to speak with Gaby first and prepare her. He had no
choice but to let her think she was one of the twins. When the time
was right, then he would tell her the truth.

“I think it wise for Felipe and my mother to
be present for what I have to say.”

“Of course, I’ll go get Felipe and have one
of the servants tell your mother. Shall we meet out in the
courtyard?”

“Yes, we’ll be there shortly.”

Gaby waited quietly. Even after Dona Isabel
left she didn’t speak.

“It would be best for all concerned if you
accepted this and not fight it,” Raphael said, talking a step
toward her.

Gaby backed away from him. “I don’t care if
you think me one of the twins. I don’t care what Padre Pablo said
to you. I am Gaby Alvardo and always will be.”

Rafael took another step forward. Gaby
quickly backed away. He did not like her putting even a small bit
of distance between them.

“You will accept who you are,” he demanded,
irritated by her stubbornness over a matter that could make things
easier for them.

“I do accept who I am and with pride,” she
said softly. “It is you who finds my acceptance difficult.”

“Gaby.” Rafael’s voice held a gentle plea as
he stepped toward her once more.

“No,” she yelled and backed away from him
once again. “Don’t come near me and don’t touch me. Now every time
you touch me, you touch Annabelle Galvez, not Gaby Alvardo.”

“That’s not true,” he demanded taking
another step toward her, but stopping when she backed farther away
from him.

“It is true. You’re glad I’m a Galvez. Now I
am acceptable to you and your family.”

Rafael saw the raw hurt in her eyes and
shared in her pain. He wanted to tell her the truth, make her
understand. But he feared for her safety... her life.

“Trust me,
querida
,” he pleaded
tenderly. “I will protect you.”

“I don’t want your protection,” she cried.
“I want your love.” She ran from the room, speeding past him before
he could stop her.

“You have it,” he whispered. “You always
have.”

~~~

Felipe couldn’t contain his excitement over
the news. Isabel displayed her satisfaction with a smile, and his
mother was aglow with happiness. Rafael had not been completely
honest with them. He had omitted the part where the one twin had
died and had been replaced by Gaby. Until he could find out the
truth behind this strange turn of events, he would let them believe
that both twins had survived.

“Well, where is she?” Felipe demanded. “I
want to hug my daughter.”

“She needs time to accept this,” Rafael
said. “After all, her life is about to change completely.”

“I doubt that,” Isabel said.

“Of course it will, be patient with her,”
Felipe said, patting his wife’s hand.

“She doesn’t wish to change. She refuses to
where the clothes I choose for her. She won’t allow her hair to be
styled properly. And,
Madre de Dios
,” Isabel added
dramatically,” she will not wear shoes.”

Rafael couldn’t help but smile. That was the
Gaby he loved.

“She will learn,” Felipe said with
certainty. “She will learn to obey. She has no choice.”

They didn’t know Gaby, Rafael thought. They
didn’t know her at all.

When he found her, he was going to kill her.
Rafael stormed through the hacienda like a raging bull. Two days!
Two days, Gaby had managed to avoid contact with the Galvezes and
himself. He had searched everywhere asked everyone. The answer was
always the same, ‘she’s around somewhere’.

Her people were protecting her. They knew
she was unhappy with her new status, didn’t want it, didn’t believe
it. He wished he could tell her the truth, but strangers had been
spotted on the outskirts of the ranch and he was concerned for her
safety.

He had warned her repeatedly that she was to
tell him of her whereabouts at all times. She had blatantly ignored
his orders. He had been patient understanding, and damn it—he
missed her.

“I’m not going to ask again. Where is she,
Lupe?”

“I don’t—”

“You do know. You’ve known all along. And if
I’m not informed of her whereabouts within the hour, the whole
hacienda will suffer,” he warned.

Lupe winced when the door slammed shut, a
door that always remained open due to the heat of the cooking
hearth. Normally, she would go open it, but this time she
waited.

“He’s angry.”

Lupe turned at the sound of Gaby’s voice as
she walked out of the storeroom.

“Of course he’s angry,” Lupe said, shaking
her head. “Your manners have been horrible.”

“I’m not a Galvez, I’m an Alvardo, and I
refuse to leave Los Angeles.”

Lupe’s head didn’t stop shaking. “You are a
foolish child. Swallow some of that pride before it strangles
you.”

“I find it so difficult to accept,” she said
tearfully.

Lupe walked around the table and slipped her
arm around Gaby. “I know, but think of the bright side.”

Gaby gave her a strange look.

“You have a
twin sister
.”

Gaby smiled then, her usual exuberant smile.
“Yes, I do. I hadn’t even given that thought.”

“Don Rafael said in an hour he must be told
of your whereabouts. Go to the shed by the stables and visit with
the new kittens and take time to think this thing through. It
really isn’t as bad as you make it seem.”

Gaby agreed, hugging the woman, glad for her
advice and friendship. She slipped out of the cookhouse, carefully
glancing about to make certain no one saw her, then she hurried
along to the shed.

Rafael grinned. He knew if he were patient
it would pay off. He had realized some weeks back how close Lupe
and Gaby had become. It was only natural she would seek out the
woman when feeling troubled. He waited, watched her direction, and
then followed.

The kittens scampered all over Gaby, happy
to see her. She played with each one, their tiny, sharp teeth
nipping at her unmercifully. She laughed at their frisky antics and
watched as they finally grew tired and hungry and went off to
suckle at their mother’s nipples.

She leaned back against the rough plank
wall. “A sister,” she whispered. “I have a twin sister.”

Gaby wondered if they looked exactly alike.
If they had the same habits and tastes. Did she love to dance? Was
she stubborn and curious? Was she married? Did she have children?
Then she’d be an aunt. There was so much to discover about her.
Suddenly she was looking forward to meeting her and learning more
about this stranger who was her other half.

“Daydreaming?”

Gaby jumped and sprang to her feet, bracing
herself against the wall. She stared wide-eyed at Rafael. Her
breath caught, for just a second, in her throat. He was so
handsome: his stern, strong features, his dark hair with its
stubborn curl that fell temptingly upon his forehead, the breadth
and width of him, and his eyes, hot blue and sensual. God, she
didn’t realize how badly she had missed him.

“Have you lost your voice?”

Gaby found her throat dry, while a response
evaded her.

Rafael stepped forward. “Perhaps I should
help you find it.”

She shook her head and pushed herself back
against the plank wall with no place to go.

He advanced like a predatory animal on a
cornered prey, slow and sure and filled with excited anticipation.
He didn’t ask why she had stayed away from him; he didn’t care at
the moment. He wanted her now... and badly.

Rafael braced one arm against the wall,
blocking any flight. His other hand reached up. His fingers grazed
her lips drowsily.

“The words stuck?” His voice was a soft
murmur that tantalized and teased.

Gaby remained still.

“Should I pull them out?” he asked, sliding
his finger lazily into her mouth.

Gaby shivered over his slow entrance and the
taste of his warm skin. It was deliciously sweet. He had been
testing the grapes again, their delicate juices still vibrant upon
his flesh. The tip of her tongue reached out just a little, very
little, and licked him.

His face drifted toward her until his brow
touched hers. “Don’t stop,
querida
, taste me.”

His finger slide further in and her tongue
slipped across and around it. Rafael teased her, easing it almost
out of her mouth. She moaned and reached for it and once again he
slid it in.

Her teeth nipped at his skin, needing to
taste more of him, and an agonizing groan escaped Rafael’s lips,
his breath fanning her lashes.