Summer Dreams (7 page)

With a deft downward pull, he finished milking and patted the goat's rump. Faster than the blink of an eye, Apolinaria landed a well-placed kick to his mid-section. His hands flew up, his arms wind milling in the air. His balance lost, he went over, landing with a sickening thud against the concrete floor.

"Uumph," the sound of his breath leaving his lungs echoed in the still barn. 

Natalia darted forward to help. But he righted himself quickly, drawing deep breaths and letting loose another string of profanity. She stopped and hesitated again, not quite ready to let him know she was watching him. So, Esteban, the bad boy wasn't completely tamed. He still knew how to cuss with the best of them. She smiled to herself.   

"¡Mira!
Enough of that!" She shouted.

His dark head swiveled, and his gaze found her. He lowered his eyes. The barn was dark, but she could have sworn he blushed.

So much for her image of him as a dangerous man.

He scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off. "
Por favor
, I apologize, Natalia. I didn't know you were there."

"Not a good excuse. I know Apolinaria can be ... difficult at times. But really, Esteban, your language ..."

She grinned to herself, loving his embarrassment. Being the serious-minded person she was, he was usually the one who teased her. Now the shoe was on the other foot, and she couldn't be more pleased.

"I, ah, I know, I shouldn't---"

"Okay, let's not dwell on it." She bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"
Está bien
." He thrust his hands into his blue jeans. 

The breath caught in Natalia's throat. With his hands inside his almost-too-tight jeans, it stretched the fabric thin, revealing the distinct outline of his sex. Her heart thudded, low and deep, somewhere in her nether regions. A warm, wet slickness started between her thighs. She itched to cross her legs and stop the tell-tale evidence, but that would look odd.

Instead, she went on the offensive. "Hey, you weren't supposed to be here today, and you scared me to death. I thought you were a vandal or worse. Where's your car?"

"It's in the shop. It's the alternator, I think." He removed his hands from his jeans to explain, making vague rotary motions. "You see, the starter has teeth on it and when one of those teeth break off, the alternator won't engage and the car won't start."

She nodded, not understanding half of what he'd said. All she cared was that he'd removed his hands from his pockets. She hadn't realized it, but she'd been holding her breath.  Gulping air, she felt giddy.

"So how did you get here?" she asked.

"Hitched from the main road to the turn-off and walked the rest of the way."

"I see. Pura didn't mention you would be coming today."

"Didn't she?" His voice dripped innocence. "Pura wanted me to hoe the garden. She said it's full of weeds. When I got here, I realized Apolinaria hadn't been milked, so I decided to help."  

He was blushing again. Was he lying or telling the truth? Had Pura really told him to come without mentioning it? And if she had, what was her
abuela
up to? Trying to throw them together? But she wouldn't fall into that trap, not even for her grandmother.

"
Gracias
for milking Apolinaria." She made a face at the goat, still tied to the stall. "It's not a pleasant task, all things considered." She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Just got the wind knocked out of me," he replied. "I'm fine."

"Then you'll be working in the garden?"

"
Sí
, but I wondered if ..."

Here it was. She had expected it. And her own
abuela
had set her up.

"
Sí,
" she prompted.

"I went to the grocery store this morning and bought a lot of food." He shrugged. I don't know what came over me. I must have gone to the store hungry. Anyway, I brought my lunch with me, and there's more than enough for two." He paused. "Want to have lunch with me? We could picnic by the waterfall."

Every fiber of her being strained to say no. She had known what he would ask. Though, technically it wasn't a date, given Pura's connivance, his invitation came to the same thing. Or was she reading too much into her grandmother's actions? She couldn't be certain.

Esteban's invitation hung in the air. What should she do? Was this her chance to be adventuresome? Could she forgive herself if she crept into the house and played it safe?

She didn't know who she surprised more, herself or Esteban, when she said, "I'd love to go on a picnic."

Chapter Four

Esteban spread the blanket while Natalia emptied the picnic basket. The waterfall splashed in the background, misting the warm summer air. The wind moved through the trees, bringing their pine-laden scent with them. Underfoot, the smell of crushed grass filled the air, a sweet counterpoint to the trees' astringent fragrance. 

Natalia gazed at the horizon. The mountain peaks stretched away, as far as the eye could see, humped one after another, like whimsical, multi-hued, paper maché creations. Aspens shuddered on the hillsides, their leaves tossing in the wind, green and then gold and then green again. Purple columbine, golden day lilies, and crimson field poppies sprinkled the mountains, their gaudy splashes of color dotting the meadows. 

She sighed, filling her lungs with the crystal-pure air. Her muscles and nerves relaxed, untangling like threads of a skein. Her mind floated free, soaring with the lazy circles of a hawk flying overhead. Peace filled her, an almost drowsy contentment, a feeling of supreme well-being. This was hers and Esteban's special place, and there was no other place quite like it. 

"Daydreaming?" Esteban's deep voice brought her back.

"
Sí
, daydreaming," she said. "This is the perfect place for it."

He lowered himself to the blanket and crossed his legs, Indian-fashion. Shading his eyes with the palm of his hand, he followed her gaze to the horizon. "
Sí
, it is perfect for all kinds of dreams."

A shiver tingled through her, disquieting but strangely pleasurable at the same time. It was as if he was touching her. She felt so close to him just now, this split-second in time, as if they were one person. They'd shared this view a hundred times before, from childhood through awkward puberty and into adulthood. And she knew with a certainty that went beyond knowing, that he understood exactly how it affected her.

Suddenly uncomfortable with their unspoken affinity, she turned her gaze away, allowing it to rest on the playful tumble and splash of the waterfall. Light caught the multi-faceted diamonds of water, sparking showers of dazzling brilliance, ending in a gauzy rainbow at the foot of the cascade.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "I'm starving."

Like the setting sun seeking the western horizon, her gaze sought his. He was watching her and another tremor shook her. His cloudy-gray eyes were unblinking, his eyebrows knitted together with an unspoken question. What did his scrutiny mean?

"
Sí
, I'm hungry too."

"Then pass the paper plates and fried chicken."

"How about the potato salad and deviled eggs?"

"Sure, I'll have some of those, too."

She filled his plate with food and handed it to him.

He put his full plate on the blanket and waited until she'd served herself before attacking a chicken leg. With his mouth half-full, he said, "Pretty good for supermarket deli food."

With her mouth full, she nodded. She was famished, too, hadn't felt this hungry in a long time. The chicken was good, crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.   

"Haven't you wondered why this place has remained the same, Natalia?" He asked.  "How we can come here year after year and no irate owner complains?"

 His question took her by surprise. But when she searched her memory, she remembered something Pura had told her long ago. "My grandmother said your father owned this mountain.  Isn't that true?"

"
Sí
, he did own it," Esteban replied. "But I own it now." Inclining his head, he indicated the meandering valley below. "And the pass to the other side of the mountain."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"My father gave it to me after I straightened out and graduated high school. He said it would be my only legacy. He plans on leaving the rest of his land to my stepmother---for her security in retirement."

Natalia thought about what he was telling her. Esteban's relationship with his father and stepmother had been rocky for as long as she could remember. But she detected no note of rancor in his voice, only a recital of the facts.

"Do you plan on doing anything with your land?" She asked.

"Not really. I might retire here." He lifted his head and snared her gaze. "I don't want anyone to touch this mountain. I want my grandchildren to enjoy it as we have, pure and untouched."

His hawk-like gaze pierced her, suggesting more than his simple words. What was he really trying to say? She lowered her head and took a bite of the potato salad. But the mention of his grandchildren taunted her. She'd never considered Esteban in that light, as a family man.  Instead, she'd pictured him as a famous ballplayer with a gorgeous blonde on each arm. How silly was that? He would, like most people, even major league athletes, eventually settle down and have a family. It was just a matter of time.

The thought of him with another woman, having children and establishing a future, left her with an empty feeling inside. Not that she was jealous of him. No, it was more like envy.  Would she ever find love and a stable marriage? Damn, but it was so easy for a man. They did the pursuing and the asking. But for a woman, it wasn't that simple.

Not simple at all.

She wished she hadn't asked what he planned to do. She swallowed a bite of potato salad past the lump in her throat. "I think that's lovely, Esteban. To keep the land unchanged for future generations. I hope you'll let my grandchildren come too."

"Depend on it," he said with conviction. Then almost as an after-thought, he added, "There's talk of a new ski resort on the other side of the mountain. I hope it doesn't change things too much."

"
Sí
, I know about that," she said. "Remember when Hector visited last summer? He thought the basin and mountains over there would be perfect for a resort. He got some investors together and ..." 

Heat flushed her cheeks as she realized what she'd just done. Brought up her ex-fiancé and confessed he was the one who might ruin Esteban's perfect mountain. How could she be so unfeeling and crass? 

Glancing at Esteban, she saw that his features had hardened, as if chiseled from the granite of his beloved mountain. He pushed his plate off his lap, rose to his feet and walked to the pond. At the water's edge, he bent down, picked up a stone, and skipped it across the surface. Then he did it again ... harder this time.

Guilt swamped her. She started to rise and go to him but decided against it. Esteban was quick to anger but even quicker to cool off. She knew his moods and tempers as if they were her own. If she left him alone for a few moments, he would be okay.

But what had driven her to say such a thing? Had she been hurt by his comment about having a family and had mentioned Hector to bolster her shaky self-confidence?

No, it was simpler than that. His comments about having a family had made her nervous.  Was he trying to make her jealous? But for what reason? They weren't even dating.

She watched Esteban from the corner of her eye and saw the tenseness in his shoulders, the rigidity of his back. He was taking longer to cool off than she'd expected. Because her mistake had been innocent, she began to resent his reaction. Guilt drained away to be replaced by a feeling of defensiveness.

This was what came from Pura's meddling, from throwing them together. And from her own desire to change her serious approach to life. She'd known better, should have known better.  If she was dreary, there was a good reason for it. Her serious mindedness had kept her from being involved in situations like this. 

With a sinking heart, she realized her and Esteban's relationship would never be the same again. By kissing her and asking her for a date, he'd doomed their friendship. Gone was the easy camaraderie of their childhood days to be replaced by this sticky, sexual thing between them.  They couldn't even have a simple conversation without pointed questions and double meanings.  If Esteban was angry, so was she. Angry to lose him as a friend. 

He turned from the water and faced her, his fingers hooked in his jeans and his hips thrust forward in that cock-sure attitude of his. "You didn't bring him here, did you?" The tone of his voice made his question into an accusation.

She started to put him off, asking what if she had. But something in the look on his face stopped her. Had she detected a note of hurt? Of the ultimate betrayal?

Even if they could no longer be friends, she didn't want him as her enemy.

"No, I didn't bring Hector here. I wouldn't do that. This is our ..." Her voice caught. She couldn't say it.

His face cleared, and his shoulders relaxed. His hands dropped to his sides. "Thank you for that."

"¿Por qué?"
She shot back, her anger surging to the forefront now. "The harm's done. If I know Hector, he'll move heaven and earth to close the deal."

Despite her angry bravado, she cringed, expecting Esteban to strike back. After all, it was Hector's visit to Pura's farm that had given him the idea for a ski resort, even if Natalia hadn't committed the ultimate betrayal and shown Hector the waterfall.

But Esteban surprised her. He said nothing and closed the distance between them in two strides. His strong hand reached out and cupped her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze and asking, "He hurt you, didn't he?"

If she'd been uncomfortable before, that couldn't begin to compare with the way she felt now. If the earth were to quake, opening a chasm beneath her feet, she would have gladly jumped in. She wanted to run and hide, to cover herself, to conceal her shame. For Esteban to pity her was too much. Handsome and self-assured, he'd had every woman he wanted. But she couldn't even keep one fiancé.