Dark Secret

had written it word for word as Armando had dictated it to her. She didn't want Juan to see her disappointment over not being adopted by Armando, or the anger she felt at Juan's lying, reflected on her transparent face.

The sun was beginning to make its way through the thick bank of clouds shrouding the mountains and, for some reason, Colby's eyes were ultrasensitive. The light stabbed at her so that she pulled the brim of her hat lower to shadow her face. Even so, her eyes hurt, burning in the morning sun.

Juan swung the gate closed after them. 'Armando must have added to the letter. His hand was shaky and we would not have known but for his crest.'

'He couldn't have. He could hardly move at the end.' Colby said it stiffly, not looking at him. Her stepfather had asked her to leave the letter on his nightstand so he could look it over in case there was something more to be said. The next morning, the letter was folded neatly and Colby had inserted it into the envelope and sent it off. She wanted Juan to be telling the truth, but she was afraid if Armando hadn't included her it would break her heart, and if he had, she might cry a river of tears.

'Did you ever know Armando to tell you a lie?' Juan asked it quietly while the leather of their saddles creaked and the horses' hooves chinked against rock. A melody she found soothing, one she remembered from her childhood with her stepfather.

Colby shook her head mutely.

'I would not dishonor my brother's memory by telling you a lie either.'

Colby rode for a few minutes in silence, turning the information over in her mind. 'That's why your grandfather refused to answer him, isn't it?' she guessed shrewdly. 'He didn't have me put it in the letter myself, because he didn't want me to know your family rejected him because of me.'

'Do not mistake that it was a familia.'

She looked at him then, her green eyes alive with a fierce pride. 'The De La Cruz family, then? They didn't want me to ruin their spotless reputation with my lack of a name?'

Juan sighed softly. 'The De La Cruz brothers are not interested in such things. They do not concern themselves with the lives of others. This is solely the responsibility of my avo. He did not tell my father or any of us of Armando's letters. Had he done so, we would have come at once. I cannot tell you how much sorrow this has caused our familia.'

'Armando was happy with my mother,' Colby told him, leading the way through a narrow canyon that emptied out into the flats where most of her cattle were spread out. She rode straight to the small barn where the hay was stored and urged her mount inside. The sun was really bothering her eyes now, and the shadows of the barn provided some relief. She must have suffered some damage in the fire without realizing it. Even her skin seemed ultrasensitive, burning fiercely wherever the sunlight touched her.

Juan followed her, silently cursing his grandfather's snobbery. 'I am certain it is so. He would never have stayed in another country away from his familia had he not found something better.'

Colby dismounted, the movement swift and fluid despite the fact that she was short. She moved efficiently, with no wasted motion. Juan had to admire her abilities as she began to toss the flakes of hay. 'Where does the De La Cruz family fit into all this?' Colby asked it with studied casualness.

There was a small telling silence. Colby knew the man was choosing his words carefully as he worked beside her. 'Their familia is ancient, as is ours. The two families have been inter-twined for hundreds of years. Who knows how far back it goes? We look after their estates, and they look after us. We have existed that way for so long we have become one familia.'

'But you have your own money and lands.'

'That is true, but our families have a symbiotic relationship. What is good for De La Cruz is good for us. They have special abilities and we aid them in other areas.'

He was telling her something, yet nothing at all. For some unknown reason, something in his voice sent a shiver down Colby's spine. 'What are they like?'

'There are five De La Cruz brothers. The others are all much like Rafael and Nicolas.' Juan paused for a moment. 'Do you do this work by yourself every day?'

There was a hint of censure in his voice, although she could tell he tried to keep it out. 'My brother helps me and I had a man, Pete Jessup, working for me'

Juan leaned on his pitchfork. 'The man found dead.' He made the sign of the cross reverently. 'That was not a good place for you to be riding by yourself.'

Colby shrugged carelessly. 'I do it all the time. Someone has to.'

He shook his head. 'It is not safe. That is not a good place. It felt… ' He made the sign of the cross a second time. 'It felt evil to me. I do not think those men would have allowed you to leave had Senhor Everett's rider and I not been there watching.'

'I could have handled them,' Colby said, not certain she was telling the truth.

'This cannot continue. The things you do are too dangerous.'

She shoved a hand impatiently through her hair. 'Fortunately for me, I don't have to answer to anyone.' There was sheer defiance in her voice and an open challenge. 'I run this ranch, Mr. Chevez. That means I have to ride everywhere and work like a man.'

'But you are not a man,' Juan pointed out patiently. 'Don Rafael will not allow this to continue. He is a man who will have his way and it is not good to oppose him. If he decrees otherwise, do not attempt to defy him.'

Colby stopped working and looked directly at him for the first time. Her green eyes blazed at him. 'Rafael De La Cruz may be a big man where you are, but here, on my ranch, in my little corner of the world, his opinion means this.' She snapped her fingers. 'He doesn't rule me or my brother or sister.'

Juan shook his head slowly. 'You do not know Don Rafael, senhorita; he is not like other men. You are Armando's daughter and therefore minha sobrinha, my niece. You do not wish to claim the relationship, but I must look after you the way he wanted us to. I do not want you to test this man.'

Did she hear the faint sound of fear in his voice again? 'Why should you worry? Rafael De La Cruz has nothing to do with me. Hopefully he will be gone very soon.' As soon as the words left her mouth, fear almost amounting to terror gripped her. The thought was unbearable. It was more than grief, an inconsolable grief. The mark on her neck throbbed and burned in protest.

'Don Rafael is a very influential and powerful man. He is not like other men.' Juan was obviously searching for the right words. 'The De La Cruz brothers are not as we are. They are formidable opponents and make harsh, unrelenting enemies.'

Colby kept her smiles to herself. Obviously Juan knew Rafael and his brothers were gifted with unique talents, which she had begun to discover through her own touch of those gifts. He did not want to betray a confidence, yet he was attempting to warn her. She found it rather sweet. 'I doubt that I could do anything to make Rafael notice me enough to make him my enemy. I've seen him in action. Quite the ladies' man.' Even saying the words seemed to hurt, but Colby didn't want to examine too closely why that might be.

'You mistake him, Colby,' Juan said. 'Don Rafael is a man of honor. And there is something different about him since he has shown interest in you. I saw him with the little one. He was very gentle with her and protective. Don Rafael has never shown much interest in children. He has rescued them when it was necessary, but as a matter of duty, not the way he was with your sister. I have never seen this unusual behavior in him. And he is different with me, more open in his emotions.'

She didn't want to think too much about Rafael. She rubbed her eyes and could tell they were beginning to swell severely. Tears were streaming unchecked down her face now and she couldn't stop them. 'I think the fire somehow hurt my eyes,' she murmured by way of explanation. 'If you go home, Rafael would go home too. I had the impression both brothers were anxious to leave here immediately?'

Juan looked at her closely, his eyes dwelling on the strange mark on her neck. 'I am afraid it is too late for that,' he said ominously. He looked very alarmed, his gaze remaining on the blemish, all at once speculative.

Colby sighed heavily and, to keep from self-consciously covering the mark like an embarrassed teenager, added another flake of hay to the feeders. 'Just say it straight out, Mr. Chevez. You can't have it both ways, you know. One minute you can't be implying I'm a good influence on him and the next that he might in some way be trying to harm me. If there's some reason you think I'm in danger from Rafael De La Cruz, you may as well tell me.' Her gaze settled on his face. 'I'm not afraid of him.' That was a terrible lie, but she persisted, trying to force Juan into admission. 'Has he threatened me in some way? You don't think he was responsible for what happened to the