If Oscar thought it odd she would request to see the letter she’d written, he didn’t say so. He didn’t even blink as he pulled the envelope from his suit jacket and handed it to her. As he did so though, he knocked over the picture of Miguel. The silverframe clattered against the table. Thankfully, the glass did not break. She righted the picture then smiled at the man sitting beside her. He returned her smile, his expression one of definite interest and expectation as well as curiosity, but only for a moment before his gaze fell to the table between them.
She glanced at the envelope and instantly recognized Lucy’s penmanship. Her stomach twisting with anxiety, she pulled the letter from the envelope and began to read. After a moment, relief rushed through her. The knot in her stomach started to unravel.
It wasn’t a proposal of marriage at all. Instead, it was an invitation to visit the ranch for an opportunity to get to know one another. The prospect of marriage was sometime in the future if all parties agreed; however, there was no promise of such. The words in the letter did not say “come to Montaña del Trueno to be married.” It was simply an invitation to meet.
Evie folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. As she did so, she studied his face. It was a nice face, younger than she originally thought, and right now, his expression was full of hope. “I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed, Mr. Peña. My niece placed the advertisement in the newspaper unbeknownst to me. She was the one who also wrote this letter. I’m not looking for a husband.”
“Oh.”
It was the smallest word, but it held such regret.
“I’m sorry.” Her gaze roamed his face, and she noticed the emotion in his voice was reflected in his expression. She hated to be the cause of someone else’s unhappiness, and since he had come all this way, the least she could do was extend an offer of work, like she’d done for Jake—she just wondered how many others there would be. The ranch could handle quite a few ranch hands, but the bunkhouse could not. “I can offer you a job asone of my ranch hands, providing you want to stay. Do you have experience?”
“Yes, ma’am.” His face brightened, the disappointment nearly gone. “I grew up on a ranch. I know how to ride, how to rope, how to brand. Anything you need me to do.”
A stark departure from Jake, who couldn’t do any of those things. “Excellent.” She handed him the letter, which he stuffed in his suit jacket pocket. “I can have Antonio show you to the bunkhouse and get you settled.” She rose from her seat, her gaze on him as he did the same. “Just out of curiosity, why did you answer the advertisement?”
He shrugged, a reddish hue suffusing his face. “There weren’t too many eligible ladies where I’m from and I was competing with my older brothers,” he blurted out, though she wasn’t sure he meant to say it. His face seemed to turn even redder, and sweat beaded on his forehead as if he realized his faux pas.
At least, he was honest. “No need to apologize, Mr. Peña. I value honesty.” She smiled at him, trying to put him at ease. “You have brothers. How many?”
“I have seven brothers,” he said, the redness on his cheeks beginning to fade. “And six sisters. I’m the youngest.”
“Being the youngest of so many children can be hard.”
“It can be. There’s a lot to be said about being part of a big family. You’re never lonely,” he chuckled. “How could you be with so many people around all the time?” He let out a sigh. “I’ve always wanted a spread of my own, though, not something I had to share with my brothers and sisters and their children.”
She filled in the words he didn’t say—that by marrying her, he thought he would get that spread of his own—that what she owned would become his with the marriage certificate. She should disabuse him of that right now but didn’t see the need. She’d already told him she wasn’t looking for a husband.
“And how old are you, Mr. Peña?”
“I’ll be twenty-nine on my next birthday.”
Twenty-nine! She knew he was young, but more than ten years younger than herself? That would be a scandal. Or would it? It wasn’t for a man. They could marry someone twenty or even thirty years younger than themselves and no one batted an eyelash. Well, some did, but the rules just weren’t the same for a woman. Never had been.
“If you’ll wait here, I’ll get Antonio so he can show you around.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She left the room, leaving him to wait, hoping he wouldn’t break anything in the meantime. She found Antonio in short order, explained the situation, which was difficult because he kept laughing, then she joined Marisol in the garden once more.
Evie sat down and said, “It was another man answering Lucy’s advertisement.”
Marisol laughed. “And?”
“And nothing. I’ve offered him a job, but nothing more. He accepted.”
“You might not find a husband from Lucy’s ad, but you are hiring plenty of ranch hands,amiga.”
She laughed and picked up Miguel’s shirt from the basket. “I’m not looking for a husband. What was Lucy thinking?”
“Well, if you’re not looking for a husband then what about…oh never mind. You’d never.”
“I’d never what?”
“Take a lover.”
“Marisol! I couldn’t!” She jabbed her finger with the needle, shocked by her friend’s suggestion, though she shouldn’t have been because of who said it. A drop of bright red blood blossomed on her finger. She brought her finger to her mouth and sucked at it, leaving a metallic taste on her tongue.
