Dark Secret

Part of her felt she might be losing her mind. 'Not to my knowledge.'

Sean rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. 'You've corralled ninety percent of the training business around here. Anyone wanting to work with horses is out of luck.'

'Most ranchers break and train their own horses. In any case. most of the ranches are cattle ranches. I don't see how I could be stepping on toes taking in horses to board or train. I've been doing it for years.'

'What about this man Daniels Ginny was telling me about?' Rafael straightened from where he was leaning casually against the sink, a fluid motion of sheer grace and power. 'Does he stand to gain the ranch?'

'Clinton Daniels maybe the biggest creep in the world, but he's a wealthy man. He doesn't care whether he has this ranch or not. I wish it was that simple.'

Julio Chevez cleared his throat. 'Don Rafael, the sun has risen and you have been up all night. Perhaps Juan and I should stay here and oversee things while you return with Senhor Everett in the helicopter,' he suggested.

Colby looked at him, for the first time really noticing the resemblance to his brother, Armando Chevez. She also realized he was nervous, very nervous, and it had something to do with Rafael De La Cruz. She studied the Chevez brothers. They were handsome men as Armando had been, as Paul would surely be. They were obviously wealthy in their own right, and very educated. They both were watching Rafael carefully, and both of them were definitely tense.

Rafael reached out in front of everyone, his palm curling possessively around the nape of her neck. 'You may let it be known that this woman and these children are under my protection. Should any harm befall them, I will take a hand in the hunt for the person responsible.' He spoke the words almost formally, as if it was a ritual she didn't understand. But if she didn't, the Chevez brothers did. They looked at one another uneasily and one made the sign of the cross, even as they nodded their acknowledgment of his words.

Rafael bent closer to her. 'Querida, I will see to the legal papers and return as soon as possible. You must try to eat something.' Even through his dark lenses she could feel his penetrating, mesmerizing gaze. As tired as she was, Colby was afraid of falling forward and drowning in Rafael's strong personality. Without turning his head, Rafael added softly, 'Paul, instruct Ginny to make vegetable soup and insist Colby eat it. None of you must wander too far from home in my absence. Juan and Julio will assist you with your work today.'

Colby tried to shake her head. 'That won't be necessary.'

His thumb moved over her pulse in a long slow caress that sent her blood pounding. 'It is necessary, meu lindo amor, as I can do no other than protect my own.' Abruptly he released her, his black gaze finding and pinning the Chevez brothers.' You will walk with me to the helicopter.' Rafael had circled the burn site, studying it with more than human senses. The taint of the undead was there, but the vampire had not been the one to start the fire. He may have been the will behind it, but he had not done the actual work. Rafael had no way of picking up the scent of the arsonist as too many volunteers had shown up to fight the fire. The men, who come from the various ranches and the town, had been everywhere. He could only wait for the next time, and Rafael was certain there would be a next time. He might be helpless, locked in the ground. but he would see to it that Colby was protected while he slept.

Paul's eyebrow shot up as he watched the group of men walking toward the helicopter, Sean talking earnestly to the fire captain, Rafael and the Chevez brothers a distance apart. Rafael had his arm draped affectionately around Julio's shoulders, but he obviously was giving them orders. 'Protect my own? What does that mean, Colby?'

She had turned up the volume of her hearing again, finding it a useful tool now. 'Ssh, just a minute.' She could hear the captain reassuring Sean Everett he was certain Colby hadn't set the fire and thanking them for their help. But she couldn't hear a thing Rafael was saying to the Chevez brothers. And strangely, she couldn't hear what they said to him. But they were talking about Paul and Ginny and her. She was very certain of that. 'Do you trust him, Paul, enough to put the ranch into his hands? Because if we borrow that money from him, that's exactly what we're doing.'

Rafael De La Cruz removed the dark glasses and turned his head to look straight at her with glittering merciless eyes. She shivered and moved closer to her brother for protection. The helicopter was very loud, yet she knew he heard her question to Paul. Colby lifted her chin at him, pretending not to be intimidated. But she was. The Chevez brothers were not servants. They were wealthy businessmen, proud, strong men. They knew cattle and obviously worked their ranch. Yet they had exhibited signs of something very close to fear when speaking to Rafael. Who was he to have such an effect on them?

'If he comes back with the terms he stated to me, there's no problem,' Paul said. 'He didn't say we would have to go back to some other country; it was a straight-up loan. Of course, you'll have to go over everything carefully, I just don't see we have much choice.'

'You're right, Paulo, it's just that everything is so awful. And he isn't a man who gives you something for nothing.' She had lain with him, her hands on his body while he took possession of her over and over. 'I don't trust him.' His hands had been all over her, his body buried deep inside of hers. 'Even if he lends us the money for the mortgage, where are we going to get a new stable? All of the horses are a mess, their owners are going to be upset, and rightly so. And Shorty-what am I going to tell him? Butane was his up-and-coming hope for calf roping. Now he's dead. Shorty won't be so understanding that the fire was deliberately set.' She was rambling and she knew it. Normally she would have shielded Paul from her fears, but she needed to talk, to think aloud. To keep her mind away from the shocking night she had spent with a virtual stranger. To keep from thinking someone hated them enough to burn down a stable filled with horses. To keep from dwelling on Pete's violent murder.

'Like you always tell us: one thing at a time,' he reminded her. 'We got through Mom dying. And we got through Dad being confined to bed. And then we made it through when he died. We can do this too, Colby. You're just tired.'

The morning sun shone bright, holding the dark at bay for another day. She smiled a little at that, knowing ranch life continued no matter what the drama. Animals had to be fed and watered. The world didn't stop turning because Colby Jansen was weary and depressed. Not even because her little corner of the world was teetering on the brink of disaster.

She watched the helicopter lift off until it was a small speck in the distance, then turned to stare at the smoldering ruins of her stable. It was almost too much to comprehend. Slowly Colby sank onto the porch swing, drawing her knees up, resting her arms on her legs. Who could hate them so much? Who could have done such a thing? First Pete and now this. Groaning softly she buried her face into her hands. She had to have a stable. A bank loan? If they borrowed the money from Rafael and the existing loan was cleared up…?

Paul laid a hand on her slender shoulder. 'Stop sitting out here staring at it, you'll go crazy. Come in and get something to eat, or at least sleep for an hour or two. Rafael left those two men, my… ' He trailed off.

'Uncles,' she inserted firmly. 'We may as well take the time to get to know them.' Her voice softened. 'They do look a lot like Dad.' And Rafael was gone. From her sight. Gone. Her body ached, was sore in places she hadn't known about, reminding her continually of his possession. Her heart pounded a drumbeat in her ears, in her throat. Grief welled up, a tight pressure in her chest. She wanted to believe it was grief over the burned stable, over the loss of an animal, but she feared it was her separation from Rafael De La Cruz.

7

Paul rubbed a hand over his face and looked at the black streaks left behind on his fingers. 'I'm going to shower first. If I'm going to spend time with relatives, I'd rather do it looking halfway decent. You know how Dad was about details.'

'Never forget the little things.' They both repeated the creed together, then laughed. The sound was astonishing in the midst of the smoky smell of their ruined stable.

'Don't worry so much.' Paul leaned down and unexpectedly gave her a kiss on the top of her head. 'We'll beat this just like we do everything.'

Colby watched him disappear into the house, her heart filled with love for him. He didn't realize the implications