His Temporary Wife (23 page)

“Your choice of words is dead on,” he muttered. “All the town dirt.”

She bit her lip until it hurt and looked away. “Your choice of words is insulting.”

She thought he might just turn and ride off, but instead he swung off and dropped
the reins. “Let’s sit over there and talk, Esme.” He indicated the flat outcropping
of rock. “We’re going to have a lot to do tomorrow without anything hanging over our
heads.”

“I had decided not to sit there,” she admitted, but got off Domatrix anyway, dropping
the reins and hoping the mare remembered her training and wouldn’t wander off. “Scorpions
and snakes.”

He grinned slightly. “Have you quit taking risks, Esme?”

She snorted. “That’ll be the day.” She climbed up on the rock and scraped her feet
around hoping to dislodge any unseen residents. He followed her up, and when she looked
back, he had his cell phone out.

“These,” he said, handing it to her.

She glanced at the photos. The video of her impromptu dance made her smile. “I’m not
apologizing for these,” she told him. “I had a blast.”

“So I saw.”

“We’re going to be married for a few weeks, Rafael. You’ve made that clear. You’re
not going to control my life. You hired me. You haven’t bought me.”

“Are my mom and dad going to buy we’re happily married if you spend your nights dancing
with drunks?”

“They weren’t that drunk, and it was one dance. I didn’t spend the night there.”

“No, I know.” He moved on to another picture. “You spent half the night with Doug
Harper slobbering over you.”

“Two things. I don’t like your tone of voice, and how the hell did I know someone
named Bounty Collins was Doug Harper?”

“Everyone in Truth knows. He changed his name legally right before Cody died.”

“I was not in Truth. I did not know.” She started to add that Marie had conveniently
not mentioned that to her, but stopped herself. This was between the two of them.
Marie must have thought she would know.

“So, did you go to the Silver Dollar just to see him?” he asked.

She walked to the edge of the rock and stared out into the tree-covered distance.
“Yes. But I didn’t know who he was.”

He rubbed his face. He looked tired and she wondered if he’d stayed up all night raging
over the photos.

“Can we sit?” she asked. “Before I see something scary and don’t want to?”

He nodded and came over to join her, sliding down and resting his feet on the smaller
rock below and reaching his hand to her. She took it and let him steady her as she,
too, eased down to the hard surface.

“I didn’t know you wore boots,” she observed. “Nice.”

He ignored that, and pocketed the cell phone. “Can we make this work, Esmeralda?”

She thought about that. After her aunt’s new attack, which didn’t even seem driven
by alcohol, just viciousness, she didn’t know that there was any reason to. Except
that she wanted it to work.

The realization struck her hard. She wanted to marry Rafael Benton. She scooted away
a few inches, unable to think logically with most of his body in contact with hers.

“Do you still think you should?”

“Now more than ever. And there’s not a lot of time.” He half-turned, and a lizard
they hadn’t seen skittered off the lower rock.

“I hope nothing else does that.” Esme leaned over to look again. “I don’t mind lizards.
They’re okay. But snakes … ” She reluctantly turned to listen to Rafael. “Why is time
running out?”

“Nana Ellen’s old.” He circled a hand in the air. “I mean, of course she is, and my
parents are, but I never think about their age. Sometimes it seems that our lives
together just started. I lost a lot of years. To have Ellen tell me she was retiring
at the end of the summer and then find out my parents had hired two nannies to help
watch Justin came as a shock.”

“I can see how it would. But I still don’t know—”

“My mom’s scared that a court wouldn’t want to leave Justin with them if he won’t
be watched by family members.”

“But you’re plenty young enough. And responsible. How can they think …”

“They’ve known me in all my worst moments, maybe. You haven’t. Yet.”

“Yet?” When he didn’t answer, she sighed. “I know it can’t be easy to talk about her,
but Cody and my aunt have a history. You and she do. And I’m on the outside. How can
you expect me to know anybody, do anything, when you keep everything hidden away?”

“What is there to tell you that I haven’t? I was assigned to protect her. I didn’t.
She died.”

“Why do you blame Bounty Collins if your sister was a grown woman and chose the destruction
she did?”

“After I introduced Harper to Cody, she wanted to spend all her time with him. At
first, it looked like a relationship that might work in spite of the fact that she
was already becoming well-known and he was just starting out.

“He went on the road as her assistant, someone who could sit in with the band in a
pinch—and Cody liked him, so I stepped aside and pretended they were just friends.
But Cody’s life started to fall apart. Drinking, dating one loser after another, canceling
performances …”

“Having Justin?” Esme put in.

“Yes,” Rafael agreed. “Except that Justin was a blessing, not a curse like all the
rest. Cody loved him so much. At first, he was enough to help her hang on. My parents
were upset that Cody refused to tell who fathered Justin. She insisted she didn’t
know. They kept telling Cody and me that Justin was why marriage mattered—for him,
and for all the Justins of the world. I don’t think an hour went by that my parents
wouldn’t bring up that ‘m’ word. Cody got ballistic about the situation, and Harper
got scared. Kept saying that he was leaving, and none of us tried to stop him.”

Unbidden and unwelcome, Toby’s memory needled her. He’d gotten scared, too, scared
of making her life miserable with her parents and brother constantly attacking him.
He’d left, and she’d tried to keep him from joining the Army for her sake.

“Then Harper signed over at the Silver Dollar and became a permanent fixture there,”
Rafael continued. “When Cody was between road trips or appearances, she’d wind up
over there too, just to be close to Harper. Your aunt was furious. She kept telling
Cody that she’d betrayed her by hanging out with the competition. We never could figure
out why Tía thought Cody owed her. The only tie between them was that Cody happened
to stop in Truth on her first tour, and enjoyed singing karaoke and visiting the club.

“To appease your aunt, Cody started insisting that Harper be allowed to sing at Tía’s,
too, and have access to the club when and if he wanted.”

“I wonder how Cody got into my aunt’s good graces so easily.” Esmeralda shifted on
the hard rock, wishing she had somewhere softer to sit.

“I don’t know, but after Harper showed up, so did the drugs. Cody might have dabbled
before, but with Harper around she just plain went over the edge. Before she died,
we’d put a restraining order on Harper. We were keeping him away from her, and she
seemed to be doing really well. My parents had been awarded custody of Justin, but
Cody wanted to win him back. We were all praying that she would.” His boot heel began
tapping the rock with frustration. “We thought Harper had left town. I was keeping
Cody busy at Witches Haven, listening to songs, planning a new tour, riding every
day. Marc called and asked me to fly up to Houston for a day. There didn’t seem any
harm in it.”

He fell silent for a long time. Birds squabbling in the trees around them and a single
engine plane flying over them took the place of conversation. “I was in Houston and
Marie called, saying that your aunt had stopped by and Cody left the house with her,
even though she wasn’t supposed to. Marc and I got Dad’s pilot to fly us to Truth.
We were there within two hours and just minutes too late. According to investigators,
Doug Hooper, your aunt, and Cody were all upstairs when Cody overdosed. She was alive
when I got here, but barely.”

“Rafael, nothing you’ve told me sounds like any of it was your fault. None of it.”

“Maybe.” He pushed himself up, rubbing his butt and then holding out a hand. “Can’t
take it any longer.”

She caught it and pulled herself up, but she didn’t let go of his hand. “Your parents
must have been devastated. They’d had so much trouble having her.”

“Yeah. Things were …” He eased his hands out of hers and turned away. She suspected
he was fighting back tears.

“My mother took it harder than any of us. She had to be hospitalized for a couple
of days. The first time she saw me after it happened, she asked why I hadn’t been
there. She said she wouldn’t be surprised if subconsciously I hadn’t envied Cody because
she was their real daughter.”

“What?” Outrage burned through her. These were the parents he wanted to please? She
would have gone on, but he faced her again and reached out to cup her face in his
hands.

“Ssssh. Don’t. She didn’t mean it, Esmeralda. It’s like a wound between us that doesn’t
heal, because it hurts so much. She can’t forgive herself for saying it, and I can’t
help thinking I could have done more to save my sister.” His voice was ragged.

“But to say something like that—”

“It’s all right. Really. But your aunt and Doug—Esmeralda, I’d never ask you to leave
your family. Your aunt is what she is, and I don’t like her, but I can’t tell you
to stay away from her. But I have to ask—tell you—that I can’t handle seeing you with
Harper. Under any circumstances.”

“Look, Rafa, I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was a creep when I met him, and
I won’t see him again.”

“That easy?” Rafael teased, and she nodded.

“Just that easy,” she agreed. “I can’t stand the man. Lucky you.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“I’m running away from home.” She stood on tiptoes, placed her hands on his shoulders,
and brushed his lips with hers, then danced quickly away as he reached for her. “Need
a roommate?”

Esmeralda packed the last of her toiletries into their case and picked it up, looking
around the room carefully. She didn’t think she’d forgotten anything. Sadness weighed
on her as she turned off the switch and carried the bag downstairs. She’d really wanted
a better outcome with Tina, but she’d reacted with her usual decisiveness, leaving
no wiggle room. Tina was in her bedroom, pretending not to know anything. When Esmeralda
first started carrying her things out, Tina had wheedled and begged, but Esme didn’t
change her mind about leaving.

She tried to soften her departure, pointing out that she would have left after the
wedding anyway. She took some of the blame, claiming that she could be proud and stubborn,
“just like you, Tía.”

Andy came in, friendlier than he had been during her whole brief stay. “So sorry to
lose you,” he told her, relieving her of the small case. “But you’ll be so comfortable
at the devil’s place—and you’re marrying him anyway.”

Esme ignored him, but paused as Angel came down the stairs, her face weary and worried.
“I’ll miss you. Will I see you around?” Angel asked.

“Of course. I don’t know if I’ll be welcome in Tía’s, but you’ll know where to find
me.” She hugged Angel. “Thanks for sticking with Tía. I don’t know if she realizes
how alone she is without you.” She kissed Angel on the cheek. “Take care.”

Angel left, picking her purse up on the way, en route, undoubtedly, to stir up menudo
for the early crowd at Tía’s.

Esmeralda looked around a final time, letting the pain register. She’d walked out
the door to escape her mother and father. Now, she’d do the same, closing off the
very different relationship she’d hoped for with her aunt. She’d never had trouble
sharing a few hours or nights with a man. But she’d never stayed, except with Toby,
and she’d been a stupid, starry-eyed teenager then. Toby had wanted her up until he
stepped on the bus to leave Texas. Family? They’d never made her feel loved enough
to stay.

“So you’re really going?” Tina asked, pausing in the hall between the kitchen door
and the living area. “Hard to believe you came here begging to stay and now you’re
gone without a second thought.”

Calm. Stay calm.
“Tía, I’m sorry I imposed on you. I hope someday you’ll understand how much I wanted
to know you.”

“But not love me? No matter. You’ve got your little gold box, Esmeralda. I hope you
enjoy your payday. Others would.”

Esme walked over to her aunt, and this time the alcohol on her breath and clinging
around her like cheap perfume was overwhelming. “Tina, you need help. Won’t you see
someone?”

“I don’t need help, I need money. Do you think I drink because I have to? I just want
out. Out of this bottomless well that leaves me penniless because no one’s got money
anymore. I won’t need alcohol a minute after I pay off the loan I took out from …
the loan I took out.”

“I accepted this position as Rafael’s wife largely because I thought I might be able
to help you. The money is still yours.”

“And why would you do that?” Tía asked, her voice slurred.

Esme shrugged. “Because I don’t sell myself, Tía. I bought my own wedding dress. I’ll
take as little as I can until the charade is over, and then you’ll have your money.
And I’ll have my freedom.”

“Freedom for what? To show your money-maker all over Truth, Texas?” Tía’s voice was
acid. “You oughta take Rafael Benton for every penny you can. You think he cares about
you, even as an employee? Hah! He let his own sister die of heartbreak because he
wouldn’t let her marry Doug. How sick is that, a brother being put at his sister’s
door to keep her lover away because he wasn’t good enough? Sound familiar,
sobrina
?”

“Goodbye, Tina.”

“Go! Go ahead and run to that arrogant bastard. But ask him—no, ask Marie, so you’ll
get an honest answer—ask her if they cut a check for me. A ten-thousand-dollar check
in my name, because I did what he couldn’t do. I got him the perfect little summer
playmate!”