Page 47 of His Secret Wish

Chapter 11

Isabella stared at Owen, who was on the dais talking with Yaya, Marissa balanced on his hip. The little girl had her head resting on his shoulder, her little frame relaxed and at ease. For some reason, she’d taken a shine to Owen, and Isabella had to admit, it was stinking cute.

Sadness slashed through her, the slice sharp and bright. She swallowed back the wail threatening to crawl up her throat, because now was not the time nor the place. Just because all the could have beens and should have beens were taunting her, didn’t mean she had to make a scene.

Yaya pointed in her direction, and Owen turned.

Their gazes collided across the tent.

The world stopped spinning.

He was gorgeous in his blue button-down shirt and black pants. He’d even put on a tie for the occasion. But then, he’d always cleaned up really nicely. The blue of his shirt made his eyes pop, the icy blue bright even from all the way over here. Under the tent and the twinkling lights, it felt like a poignant moment in a romantic movie.

Her lips bent up in a smile she couldn’t stop. He always said he hated the mushy romantic films she picked out, but he sat with her and watched them all the same. Without complaint. She’d always secretly thought he actually enjoyed them. Of course, he’d never confess to it because if he did, he’d never hear the end of it from either his brothers or the rest of the cowboys at the ranch.

He stepped off the dais and walked toward her. His long legs ate up the distance quickly. And then he was there, standing in front of her.

“Hi,” she said, tilting her head to look up at him. The word came out breathy, like she was in awe. Which wasn’t far from the truth.

“Hi.” His deep voice skittered across her skin, leaving goosebumps behind. His gaze traveled the length of her. “You look amazing.”

The compliment sent warmth skipping through her. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

The silence between them grew, growing tense, but the good sexual kind, even though the rest of the party was in full swing around them.

Finally, she broke, unable to take it any longer. “And look at you, Miss Marissa, looking like a princess in the dress we picked out.”

Marissa smiled and ducked her head onto his shoulder.

“Tia, tia, tia.” Claudia came barreling through the crowd, screeching to a halt next to Isabella. “Tia Isabella, you look so bootiful.”

Isabella turned to her with a smile. “Thank you, chiquita. You look very beautiful, too.” After they’d gotten back from their outing this afternoon, Isabella had asked the girls to show her their dresses for the party. Claudia had pulled out a yellow t-shirt dress, and Marissa had grabbed a navy blue pinafore type thing. They were both incredibly inappropriate for such a special occasion.

Isabella had looked through their bag to make sure Yolanda hadn’t packed something more appropriate, but no, her cousin had proven once again she didn’t really care about these kids. So, Isabella had decided she would make sure tonight was magical for them. She’d dug through Yaya’s special trunks, which were pushed up against the wall in what barely qualified as a room, until she’d found her old dresses.

Why Yaya had kept them all of these years, she had no idea, but she was grateful all the same. Claudia had jumped in as soon as she’d seen the lacy dresses, picking out the pale yellow one Isabella had worn for her abuela and abuelo’s thirty-fifth anniversary party. It was a little big on her, but Isabella did some quick alterations to make it serviceable for tonight.

Marissa had stared at the pink dress Isabella had worn to her cousin’s christening when she barely older than Marissa with wide eyes. “Pretty,” she’d said, her little voice small in the quiet.

“Would you like to wear it tonight?”

Marissa had turned her big eyes toward Isabella, disbelief clear on her little face. Isabella didn’t know the girls’ background, but it was evident that, even when their parents were alive, they didn’t have a lot.

“For me?” The awe in her voice made Isabella’s throat catch.

“Yes, for you.” Isabella helped her into the dress, which needed only a bit of alteration. Then she gave them a bath and put them in the bedroom to rest until the party. It was probably going to be a long night, and they’d be so disappointed if they missed anything fun. Besides, cranky kids were no fun at parties.

“Thank you.” Claudia did a twirl, the skirt of her dress flaring out. She was practically vibrating with excitement. Even more so than even this afternoon, which Isabella would have thought was impossible.

“Did you see the table over there? The one with the buñuelos?” Isabella pointed to one of the food tables. The one where all the other kids were hanging out.

“The what?” The look of confusion Claudia’s her face was adorable.

“Buñuelos. They’re like little donuts.”

“Donuts?” Claudia glanced at the table and then back at Isabella.

“Yes. Why don’t you take your sister over there and have one before dinner starts?” Isabella hoped that maybe being in the same vicinity as the other kids might bring the two of them out of their shell a bit. She’d noticed that, while they seemed to be free and easy with her and Owen, around anyone else they were pretty stiff. And they spent most of their time in the little closet room in the attic, playing together instead of socializing with the other kids.