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After he lifted his suitcase down from the conveyor belt, he swung around to find a woman about five foot four standing before him. African American with shoulder length wavy hair and big almond shaped eyes, she offered him a bright smile and pointed a finger at him. “You’re Miguel Torres, aren’t you? I would recognize you anywhere. Hola. I’m Jasmeka, but you can call me Jas. Everyone does.”
“Hola.” Miguel’s voice came out rougher than he had intended. Sure, he wasn’t in the best of moods, but he hadn’t meant to take it out on her. He let his gaze slip down over her form, big breasts, a petite stature, and curvy body. The Texas sun led her to wear short shorts that showed off thick thighs and exposed a lot of her smooth cocoa skin. He’d been attracted to black women before, finding them incredibly sexy, but Jasmeka took his breath away.
When he couldn’t think of anything else to say because he was busy staring at her, she waited for him to have his fill. That surprised him. He snapped back to himself, amazed that his wandering eyes didn’t tick her off.
“Uh, si, I’m Miguel. You work for Thiago?”
Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows rose. “Wow, you do call him by his name. I’d heard… I’m the cook actually. You’ll be enjoying my delicious food while you’re here. Do you have anything for me to carry?”
She certainly wasn’t shy or modest. He’d give her that. Once more, he swept his gaze over her. There was no way she’d be able to carry his bag, and why would he need her to? She wasn’t much bigger than a preteen. Besides, he had packed his weapon in the bag, and he wouldn’t feel right until he had strapped it on again.
“I have it. Just lead the way.”
She nodded. Miguel paused a moment before moving into position beside her to take in the sway of her hips and the roundness of her rear. He chided himself for a second and then dropped the resistance. Why shouldn’t he look? After all, he and Carmen weren’t together anymore.
And yet I’d been thinking of marrying her. It went to show he knew nothing of love. He dismissed thoughts of his ex-lover and focused on getting through the next few days. With any luck, his brother’s funeral would go without a hitch, and he could settle any other issues quickly.
They reached the pickup that Jasmeka drove to the airport, and he held his hand out to her. “Mind if I drive?”
She blinked at him and then shrugged. Miguel waited for her to climb in on the passenger side of the truck and started the engine. He recalled the route from the airport to his father’s ranch, and it wasn’t more than an hour and a half away.
Jasmeka chattered as if she felt she needed to cover for his silence and his dark mood. He cut across her diatribe to ask what was on his mind ever since he heard the news. “Mind telling me how my brother died?”
His question seemed to startle her, and then huge pools of tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Regret hit him in the chest as she raised a fist to her mouth to press to her lips. Her shoulders shook, and she blinked, trying to clear her vision. He swore and pulled over to the side of the highway.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“No, stop.” She sniffed and held up a hand. “I said I wasn’t going to cry anymore, at least not in front of anyone. This is more your loss than mine, and I’m so sorry, Miguel. David was the most wonderful man in the world, and we’re all going to miss him like crazy.”
He was glad she wasn’t looking his way. Of course he hadn’t seen his brother for over a decade, but he grew up with David. He knew what kind of man he was. Apparently, he and Jasmeka didn’t see David the same way.
“Cry as much as you like,” he said and knew his voice was still too gruff. To distract himself from the awkwardness, he pulled into traffic again. “You seemed to have cared about him a lot.”
Miguel was pretty sure she blushed even though he couldn’t see red in her darker skin. Long lashes covered the expression in her eyes, and something stirred in him. There was no denying the attraction he felt.
“I’ve been working for the Torres family for ten years. They’re all like family. David was the glue that held us together, and the boys are taking it hard. I just want to be here for them as long as they need me.”
“The boys?”
She looked at him like he had a screw loose. “Your little brothers, Antonio and Angel.”
He flushed. “I thought you meant someone else.”
Her expression cleared. “I guess I did make it sound like they were little kids. They’re seventeen now. I can’t believe how time has flown. Before you know it they’ll be out on their own or away at college.” She sniffled. “I think of them like my own little brothers, and I only want the best for them. I’m just glad I have a reason to stay.”
Suspicion rose in Miguel, although he kept it from his expression. “Reason?”
She smiled through the remnants of her tears. Something told him Jasmeka was a naturally happy person no matter the circumstances.
“Like I told you, I’m the cook. Some people assume I’ll be moving on, but Antonio and Angel need me.”
Several prospects of what she might be hinting around at occurred to him, but he placed them at the back of his mind for now. He wanted to learn as much as possible about David’s loss and where that left the rest of them. Miguel tried to convince himself not to give a rip so he could get back to New York, but curiosity had already taken hold.
“Oh, pull in here, Miguel,” Jasmeka called out.
He looked to where she indicated in surprise. They were still miles from the ranch. The strip mall of specialty shops surrounded a larger all-purpose store. Miguel had hardly come to a stop before Jasmeka leaped from the truck to hurry toward the entrance. He followed at a more sedate pace, and before she reached the entrance to the largest store on the block, several people shouted greetings to her, telling her how sorry they were to hear about David.
“I’m going to stop by later, Jas,” one woman said. “The kids are coming too. Should I bring something?”
