Fierce Passion (32 page)

His shocking question forced her to wonder. Last Sunday, she’d woken from surgery with the world a blur and found she had a husband. Wasn’t it true? The possibility it had been a convenient lie, or a cruel hoax, sent her heart tumbling. “I’d like to go to my cabin, please.”

He rose to his feet. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Of course you did. Don’t tell yourself otherwise. I’ll ask my husband for the details. You needn’t bother to search elsewhere. His word will be enough for me.”

“He’s a very lucky man.”

Ana told him good night as she rolled through her door, and he behaved as a gentleman and left her to her own thoughts. She sat in the middle of the cabin, staring out at the night, too confused to move to a chair or the bed. She could only dimly recall last Sunday but thought Alejandro had said something about telling the hospital he was a relative—not a brother, but her husband. Was that how it had started? He’d said it, and she’d been loopy with drugs and believed it?

When her cell phone chimed, she feared she’d be too upset to make sense, but she sucked in a deep breath and said hello. “How is your father?”

“There’s been no change from this morning. He’s alive, but just barely. I miss you. What did you do all day?”

His voice had a low echo, as though he were standing in a hospital hallway. “It doesn’t matter. I have a question for you. When you told the hospital you were my husband, it wasn’t true, was it? We’re not really married. Why did you let me continue to believe we were?”

He sighed softly. “This is the conversation I’d meant for us to have.”

She gripped her phone tightly. “But you didn’t. You even said I’d worn my gray suit to the wedding. I should have known you were lying then. What were you after, Alejandro?”

He spoke after a long pause. “I wanted it to be true. You’re the one who asked to have a wedding at sea, so you were happy with me.”

She was furious with herself for seizing on his conveniently fabricated farce as though they were meant to be together. It was the stupidest thing she’d ever done. Rain splashed against the balcony doors as the predicted storm reached them. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. “I was happy, which makes your lies hurt all the more. I’m going to forget we ever met. If you sell a word of this to the tabloids, I’ll sue you for every ship the Ortiz Line owns.” She ended the call before he could apologize and vow to do whatever it took to win her love.

He called her right back, but it went to her voice mail. “I don’t blame you for being angry with me. I’m disgusted with myself for not speaking up before you discovered the truth. Let’s not fight over the phone. I’ll come back as soon as I can. I love you. Good night.” He hated being stuck in the hospital again where he could do nothing to help his father or reach Ana. There was also the baby to consider. She’d have to call him when she realized she was pregnant, and he’d have to pretend he didn’t know. It would be another convenient lie, but it was all he could do. If she called.

The bouquet of yellow roses arrived with the breakfast cart. Ana was up and dressed, but she hadn’t ordered anything. “This all looks wonderfully good, but are you sure it’s for me?”

The steward assured her it was. “Mr. Vasquez left orders for the week.”

“How considerate of him.” Ana tipped him and waited until he’d gone to open the card on the roses. Alejandro had written he missed her. She wondered if he’d left bouquet orders with notes for the whole cruise. If he hadn’t, she was sure he’d called them in that morning. There was a vegetable omelet that smelled too good to ignore, and she sat down and placed the plate in her lap.

There were women who believed all men were incredibly stupid but trainable. She’d never been of that opinion, but thought she was even more stupid than Alejandro. He’d scooped her up so easily, and she’d been a willing party to her own kidnapping. That was the real story. She’d never been so gullible with any other man. If anything, she was too cynical for most men’s tastes. The omelet was gone before she’d decided what to do, and the crumb cakes didn’t help either. She poured a cup of tea and looked out at the gray day.

Rather than sit in her cabin brooding, she returned to the library.

The rainy day brought more people in looking for something to read, but she didn’t glance up from her book. The hero suffered so much pain and loss, she readily identified with him.

Eduardo came over to her when they were alone. “You look so sad. Maybe I suggested the wrong book.”

“No, this is fine. It’s just that my life has taken a strange turn, and I’m not sure what to do. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll pull myself together.”

“Perhaps some tea and muffins?”

“Tea only, please.”

He returned swiftly with her cup. “There are good movies playing in our theaters. You might like one of the comedies, and there are many films available to watch in your cabin.”

She wasn’t in the mood for a comedy, and with anything serious, she’d only sit in the dark and cry. As for entertainment in her cabin, it was too full of Alejandro to be bearable. His clothes were still in the closet and held his scent. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll just finish my book and maybe begin another.”

The captain came to escort her to dinner, but she hadn’t changed out of the long skirt and knit top she’d worn all day. “I should have called and saved you a trip, but I’d rather eat here in my cabin than join the others.”

“They are a regrettably uninteresting group, aren’t they?” he replied. “I can send another officer to take my place if you’ll join me for dinner in my private dining room.”

He’d ruined her life with a little detective work, and she didn’t trust his motives. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Do you think Alejandro would object?”

“I’m the one who objects, Captain. Our first stop is Corfu. Will I be able to fly home from there?”

“You want to leave the cruise early?”

He looked so aghast at the thought, she almost laughed. “Yes. The
Siren
was supposed to be a fun place to rest, and without Alejandro, I can’t bear it.”

“You choose, dinner with me or the others, and then I’ll help you make your travel arrangements.”

He was a very good-looking man, certainly personable, but one-on-one was more than she could manage in her present mood. “The others. Let me get the shawl I wore last night, and I’ll go.” She’d begun using her wheelchair as a walker in the cabin and quickly hopped to the closet, came back to him and sat down in it.

“I admire any woman who can get ready that quickly.” He rolled her out the door and closed it behind them.

“I spend most of my working life changing clothes, so I don’t play around with my own clothing when I’m not. Besides, I don’t care how I look tonight.”

“You’re beautiful as always.” He paused a long moment. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d never looked for your wedding data.”

She knotted the ends of the shawl to keep it loosely draped around her shoulders. “I should have searched for it myself, so you needn’t apologize. Please don’t say anything to the others at your table. I don’t need anyone laughing at me.”

He stopped and knelt beside her. “I won’t say a word, but no one would laugh at you. Alejandro’s the one who’s at fault.”

“Keep it to yourself,” she emphasized. “The tabloids would make fun of me forever if they learned how easily I’d been tricked.”

He stood. “You’d been in an accident. It’s no wonder you weren’t thinking clearly.”

“True, but I am now.”

They reached the table last again, and the group was talking about the storm and how safe they’d felt on board the
Siren
. Ana didn’t feel safe. Her dinner tasted as delicious as the other meals, but she felt full after a few bites. The wheat rolls were good slathered in butter, and she finished one.

Linda peered across the table at Ana’s plate. “Aren’t you feeling well? You’ve barely touched your dinner.”

The captain passed Linda a bowl of olives. “These are especially good. We pick them up in Corfu on each cruise. I’m fond of Spanish olives, of course, but these are wonderful too. Are you all fond of Greek food?”

Ana was relieved he’d spared her from Linda’s unwelcome observation on her appetite. She turned the gold band on her finger and blinked away tears. Alejandro had also been so thoughtful and kind. Clearly she’d placed far too much faith in him, and it carried a terribly painful price.

Alejandro flew into Corfu in the afternoon of the day the
Siren
docked. He’d left messages on Ana’s voice mail so she’d know he was coming, but none of her things remained in their cabin. He called on the ship’s phone to locate the captain and met him on deck.

He was afraid he already knew the answer. “Where’s my wife?”

“Miss Santillan flew home to Barcelona this morning. Had I known you were coming, I would have done what I could to delay her.”

“She knew I’d meet her here. It’s not your responsibility to keep track of her.”

The captain nodded slightly. “Still, I would have done my best. I’m sorry you two were unable to enjoy the cruise you’d planned.”

Alejandro lowered his voice. “I’m not one of your vacationing passengers, and you needn’t pretend with me. I’ll take my things with me this time. If you have a chance to book the cabin for the return voyage to Barcelona, do so.”

“I will. There’s one thing you ought to know. Ana didn’t take off her ring, so it must mean something to her.”

Alejandro doubted it. He searched their cabin for a note, but Ana hadn’t bothered to write one. The flowers he’d sent were still fresh. He was angry enough to eat them, but he couldn’t blame Ana for avoiding him. She’d complained people only saw the illusion she created without ever really knowing her. He’d created his own wonderful mirage, but maybe he’d made the same mistake as everyone else, and dreamed of a future that couldn’t exist. He wanted their baby. It frightened him to think maybe she wouldn’t.

Chapter Sixteen

Ana left the
Mediterranean Siren
on a pair of crutches from the sick bay, and once home in Barcelona, Henry carried her luggage from the elevator to her door. “Thank you. It’s so good to be home.”

“It’s always good to see you, Miss Santillan.”

She’d called Fatima from El Prat airport, and her housekeeper opened the door for them. The kittens came bounding up, nearly grown now. “Thank you for taking care of Romeo and Juliet and my condo. I’m flying to France this afternoon, so will you help me unpack and pack again? Henry, please take my luggage to my bedroom. Thank you.”

Fatima waited until the guard had gone downstairs to his post to speak. “Wait just a minute,” she cautioned. “Let me take a look at you. I’m glad to see you can get around on your own, but you certainly aren’t at your best. I’ll fix you a cup of peppermint tea, and you’ll have time for a bowl of my vegetable soup, won’t you? I’ve a new batch in the freezer.”

“Yes, of course. I’ve missed you and your delicious soups.” She sat down at the dining table and dropped her crutches to the floor. There was a stack of mail waiting for her, and she laid the bills aside to pay before she left.

Fatima thawed the block of soup in the microwave and transferred it to a pot to heat thoroughly. She brought Ana the cup of tea. “I didn’t expect to see you home so soon. Didn’t you like Greece?”

Ana’s hands shook as she raised the cup to her lips. “I didn’t see much of Corfu before I left. I might as well tell you the whole wretched story.” She’d played it over and over in her mind as she’d flown home, and supplied the facts without embroidering the pathetic tale. When she finished, Fatima stared at her wide-eyed.

“He seemed so concerned about you when he came here, but he said nothing about marrying you. I’m shocked he’d take advantage of you. What could he have been thinking?”

“That he’d get away with it. I’ll never speak to him again. I’m horribly embarrassed to have been so naïve. I watch the people I meet on jobs so carefully, but he fooled me completely. Please don’t even whisper what happened to your family, or anyone else.”

“You know I’m discreet, but if you’d planned to marry Alejandro last Sunday, he must have been, how shall I say it, adequate as a husband.”

Ana took another sip of tea and nearly choked. “Believe me, he’s more than adequate, but he lied every time he opened his mouth, and I believed him. I’ve called my mother. I don’t know how long I’ll stay with her, but if Alejandro comes here looking for me, please tell him I’ve gone to Brazil for a bathing-suit shoot and won’t be home before Christmas.”

Fatima got up to stir the soup. “He won’t believe it. I should probably say August. That sounds better.”

“Fine, August is good. Then when he comes around in August, you can tell him I’ve gone to Africa to photograph cheetahs.”

Fatima set her place and brought the bowl of soup to the table. “Maybe you should talk to him yourself.”

“What could I possibly say? He had to be laughing at me the whole time.” Fatima made wonderful vegetable soup with every fresh vegetable available at the market. “This is so good. Thank you for being here.”

Fatima sat with her at the table. “I work here, remember? I’ve visited the widows and done some mending for them. We even had an afternoon tea party with little sandwiches it took me all morning to make. I hope you’ll come home soon so we’ll have our usual routine.”