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‘If we could find him I know he would help,’ Margarita argued.
‘How?’
‘He could lend you the money.’
‘That’s not an option,’ Annalisa said firmly. ‘I would never borrow money from Ramon. The two of you have done more than enough for me already.’
‘I’ve done nothing yet,’ Margarita said dismissively. ‘But there is something I could do for you.’
‘What?’
‘I could get your airline ticket changed.’
‘Why bother?’
‘Presumably your mother had a solicitor in England?’
‘Yes,’ Annalisa agreed, ‘of course she did. But don’t you think I’ve talked to him? I can assure you there is no secret stash of money waiting for me there.’
‘You don’t know that for sure,’ Margarita persisted stubbornly.
‘I do. My mother left everything to me. There are just a few stocks and shares waiting to be sold.’
‘I think you should go back to England,’ Margarita said. ‘Make another appointment with the lawyer. Find out how many stocks and shares.’
‘What are you trying to say, Margarita?’
‘It’s just a hunch. And while you’re there telephone every five-star hotel within a twenty-mile radius—’
‘I can’t afford to stay—’
‘Not you, silly. Ramon.’
‘Ramon,’ Annalisa murmured. On cue her heart started to thunder. ‘Do you think—?’
‘I don’t know what to think,’ Margarita said frankly. ‘And I don’t want to raise your hopes. But after what I saw at the finca…all those people putting their trust in you…and then seeing the sharks circling at Claudia’s. You have to keep up your investigations, Annalisa, until every single possibility has been exhausted.’
As the plane levelled off Annalisa opened the buff-coloured envelope that had been waiting for her at the airport. She blinked as she read the contents through again. She had never seen so many noughts in her life. And the offer for the finca had come from—Claudia Fuego Montoya.
She stuffed the letter back into the envelope and then stuck them both into the rubbish bin at her side. There wasn’t enough money in the world to tempt her to sell the finca. There had to be a way to save it and she wasn’t about to give up without a fight.
It seemed odd, coming back to her hometown and feeling like a stranger. But all her friends were married and scattered. She had no relatives, and the tiny house where she’d used to live with her mother had new occupants… She couldn’t resist walking down the old road, and smiled when she saw the children playing in the front garden that seemed to have grown so much smaller than she remembered. She stood watching for a moment and then, burying her head deeper into her jacket, she hurried on.
Officially it was spring, but there was a sharp north wind and, catching sight of a bus, Annalisa hurried across the road. The appointment with her mother’s solicitor was later that afternoon and she had already checked into a small bed and breakfast establishment just off the high road. Paying the fare, she steadied herself as the bus jolted forward. It was quite a change from Ramon’s limousine. But if it took her to someone who could help her save the finca it was the best transport on earth.
She stopped dead in her tracks and tucked her chin even deeper inside her jacket. Her heart was racing so fast she could hardly breathe. Even cloaked in a long navy blue cashmere coat, the tall figure was unmistakable. She turned around to catch her breath, hoping he hadn’t seen her yet. She needed time to think, to prepare—
‘Annalisa!’
Pulling her jacket collar higher around her face, she started walking towards him.
‘You look frozen.’ Instinctively his hands went to her shoulders and he rubbed as if to coax some warmth into her.
‘I’m fine.’ But his touch only accelerated her tremors.
‘Like hell,’ Ramon argued. ‘Come on, I’ll get you a coffee…warm you up.’
‘Why are you here?’ As she stared up into Ramon’s handsome, familiar face, all she could think about was Margarita saying he loved her…and that now, instead of feeling ashamed, she could revel in the honey warmth of desire as it trickled through her veins.
‘I might ask you the same question,’ he drawled, the customary amusement glowing behind the intelligence in his shrewd dark eyes.
‘This is my hometown,’ she murmured, feeling as if her lips were already swelling in response to his hooded appraisal.
‘Believe it or not, you don’t need a permit to come here,’ Ramon countered softly, the curve of his sensuous mouth directing a bolt of lightning to her senses.
