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In the now bustling kitchen, filled with hand-painted tiles and wood-beamed ceiling, the air simmered with delicious aromas. This spacious room, ladened with cherished, well-worn implements, was her mom’s domain, rich with color, rustic furniture, simple iron chandeliers, and ceramics.
With dawn breaking outside the windows in the big, warm room, Mari poured a cup of coffee from the always full pot. She leaned against the counter and smiled at her mom who was making gallo pinto, a typical breakfast of leftover rice and beans in which she added scrambled eggs, fresh tomatoes, and avocado with a side of cinnamon-sugar fried plantains. Her mouth watered as she took a sip of the aromatic and delicious home-grown coffee with notes of honey and apricot, a new blend Mari was working on. This was a mid-roast and the slow, medium heat brought out the flavors beautifully.
Her mother held up her cup, then took a sip. “This might just be one of the finest blends you’ve created, my sweet,” her mom said in her soft tone.
Mari smiled, her mother was always full of praise, but her father…that was a different story.
The oldest of Mari’s siblings, her sister Sofia walked into the kitchen in fresh clothes. They’d all been caught in their pajamas when the spec ops guys had appeared out of the jungle, running for their lives. She was a family doctor at the La Cruz practice in town, but her training had been extensive. She was married to their marketing whiz, Victor Morales, and mom to her five-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.
She sat down on one of the bar stools and said, “How about you pour me a cup of that delicious-smelling coffee?”
Mari smiled and set down her cup, which her sister instantly stole, then sipped with a smile. “Mmm, delicious.”
Mari shook her head and poured herself another cup, adding just a touch of cream.
“You are so bad,” her mom said with a gleam in her eyes. Sofia liked to confiscate things.
“More like a sneaky thief,” Mari said, nudging her sister’s shoulder as she joined her at the expansive counter.
Anna, Mari’s second oldest sister, walked in with her infant son in her arms. She was married to the processing plant’s manager, Marco Quesada. Shortly after that, her brother’s wife Fernanda walked in still in her pajamas, her hair haphazardly piled on top of her head. She yawned.
“There was a lot of commotion this morning. The girls went to school chattering about it. Thank the stars everyone was all right.” Fernanda and her brother Diego had two daughters.
All her family members had dark hair, brown skin, and wide brown eyes of the Navarro side of the family.
Fernanda got herself a cup of coffee and joined everyone at the bar. “Talk about a hot group of men,” she said.
Mari smiled in amusement at her sister-in-law as her mom slid bowls of their delicious breakfast one after the other along the polished countertop. Each of them caught the bowls in succession.
“Yeah,” Anna slid a glance over to Mari. “Especially Zazu’s guy,” she said as she took a bite of her breakfast.
Mari rolled her eyes. “He’s not my guy.” But she had to agree that he was definitely hot. “He lives in the States and is from a working Wyoming ranch.”
“That medic was pretty hot if you ask me. Those dark eyes and devastating looks, not to mention that muscled body. Very knowledgeable and cool under stress.”
“He was impressed by your skill, Sofia. Very grateful for your help.” Mari enjoyed her mouthful of tomato, avocado, and scrambled eggs.
“Their commander…Joker…wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t ended up here. He’d lost so much blood by the time he got to me, I had to do something, or he would have died.”
“That’s so scary,” Fernanda said. “I’m so glad you could help them.”
“I’m just wondering if that handsome Wyoming cowboy can do something for our Zazu’s love life.” Sofia nudged her with a sly grin curving her lips. “He looks like the kind of bad boy who would be perfect to end your dry spell.” She turned to Anna’s son and fed him some scrambled eggs. He cooed and wrapped his chubby hand around her spoon. She smiled and rubbed her hand over his downy head.
Mari gasped and stole some avocado from her bowl. “I’ve dated.” So, it wasn’t a flood of men, plenty of admirers, but none of them aroused anything even remotely like the zing she’d felt with Buck—something she wasn’t going to admit to these nosy sisters.
“Yeah, right,” Anna said with a scoff. “Who, one of the field hands? You’re always working.” She smiled at her son, feeding him small bites of avocado.
“Who’s talking about dating?” Sofia said, waving her spoon. “She hasn’t had a moment to sleep with anyone. You know, mutual physical pleasure, orgasms, and all that fun stuff. You’re much too young and vibrant to go that long without sex.”
Her mom huffed out a laugh and said, “That’s my cue to leave and check on your sister. Make sure she’s up. That girl would lose her head if it wasn’t attached.” Her mom had nothing but affection in her voice for their youngest sibling, her seventeen-year-old sister, Carmen. Make sure you clean up before scattering,” she ordered. She disappeared out the door, then popped her head back in. “But I have to agree with them.”
“Mom, you traitor!” Mari yelled after she skedaddled away.
All her sisters chuckled. And, for a moment, Mari felt such a frustrated, and urgent need to see Buck again. She worked at keeping the disappointment out of her voice. “Besides, it’s very unlikely I’ll ever see him again.”
Anna looked at her, then sighed. “Oh, I see,” she said softly. Apparently, Mari hadn’t been that good at covering up her emotions. Anna set her hand over Mari’s and squeezed, then said, “You never know what the future holds.” She winked.
* * *
