The Santana Heir. Elizabeth Lane
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gone to get ready herself.
The older woman Grace had met last night caught up with her in the hallway and guided her back to the patio off the dining area. “Aquí está, señorita,” she murmured, indicating a sunny table with two chairs. “Don Emilio llegará en un momento.”
Grace congratulated herself on having understood that Emilio would be here in a moment. She took her seat with a polite “Gracias.”
The woman poured rich black coffee. “El niño es hijo de Don Arturo?” she asked.
Again Grace understood. The woman was asking whether Zac was Arturo’s son. “Sí,” she responded, fumbling for the words. “Es hijo de Arturo y de mi hermana.” Had she said it correctly, that Zac was the son of Arturo and her sister? The woman’s smile told her she’d succeeded.
The woman pointed to her chest. “Me llamo Dolores.”
“Mucho gusto, Dolores. Me llamo Grace.” The old high school Spanish was coming back.
“A su servicio, señorita.” With a nod of her graying head, Dolores hurried away. Settling back in her chair Grace sipped her coffee and took in the view. This patio was larger than the one she’d crossed earlier. Bougainvillea, riotous with pink blooms, cascaded from the eaves. A spacious wrought-iron cage held two scarlet macaws. They fluttered and squabbled, feasting on scraps of fruit.
A cobbled path meandered through a grove of flowering trees. Not far beyond, Grace glimpsed a swimming pool. A shirtless young man with a taut, muscular body was skimming the water with a long-handled net. In the distance, steep mountains, bare of trees, towered against the sky.
“Here you are.” Emilio strode onto the patio. “Sorry if I’m late. Just catching up on some work.”
“No problem. I’ve been enjoying the view. I didn’t expect to have so much time on my hands, but it seems Ana and Eugenia have taken over—” Grace almost said my son, but she caught herself. “They’ve taken over the baby. They even insisted on bathing him.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. But you don’t need to worry. They’re good girls and very capable.” Emilio slid into his chair, his eyes taking her measure from her gypsy hoops to her low-heeled leather sandals. “You look...nice.” He paused before the last word as if he’d been about to say something else.
“Thanks. This is about as dressed-up as you’ll see me while I’m here.”
“Oh?” Emilio poured his coffee and took a sip. “That’s too bad because I’m planning a party next weekend to welcome you and my brother’s son to Peru. I was looking forward to seeing you in an evening dress.”
“Oh, but I didn’t bring—”
“Of course you wouldn’t have packed a gown. But there are fine shops in Cusco. My driver can take you after you’re settled in.”
Dolores had come outside with a tray of beautifully cut tropical fruits—pineapple, mango, melon and banana. “It’s almost too pretty to eat!” Grace speared several pieces for her plate.
“Get used to it. When it comes to food, Dolores is a true artist. The two girls you met are her nieces. She’s training them to take her place one day—as her father trained her in this very kitchen.”
The food kept coming—airy scrambled eggs, crisp slabs of bacon, seasoned black beans, fried potatoes and buttered corn muffins. Everything was so delicious that Grace had to push herself away from the table. “Heavens, do you eat like this every day?” she asked.
Emilio had been watching her devour breakfast, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “Again, you’ll get accustomed to it. In the city, meals are more like what you’re used to. But here in Urubamba we follow tradition—a hearty breakfast to start the day, a light lunch around two o’clock followed by a siesta—when there’s time for it, at least. Then at night, around nine o’clock, we dress up and gather for dinner. It’s all very civilized.”
He finished his plate and put his napkin on the table. “If you’re finished I’d like to show you the countryside. By chance, do you ride?”
Ride? Grace’s stomach clenched with instinctive fear. She forced her mouth into a smile. “I rode as a teenager. But I haven’t been on a horse in fifteen years. I’m not sure if I even remember how. If you don’t mind, I’ll walk.”
“Nonsense!” he exclaimed, his insistence tightening the knot in her stomach. “We’ll have a lot of ground to cover—too much to travel on foot—and nobody forgets how to ride. I’ll find you the gentlest horse in the stable.” He glanced down at her bare legs. “You’ll want to put on long pants.”
Grace rose. It would be simpler to tell him the truth. But the truth was too private, too personal to share. The only other choice was facing stark, paralyzing panic.
“See you back here in fifteen minutes,” he said. “I’ll find you a hat, and I’ll check on the boy for you.”
His name is Zac, she wanted to remind him. But her fear-constricted throat refused to form the words.
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