The Texas Renegade Returns. Charlene Sands

nod. She wielded the spatula his way and gestured for him to go on.

      “I want to throw you a wedding, Gabriella.” All joking aside, Alex couldn’t think of anything he wanted more for his sister. “Before Papa returns to Mexico, you could speak your vows at my home in Pine Valley. I’d make sure you’d have the wedding of your dreams. Whatever you wanted, I would provide.”

      Slowly, Gabriella lowered the spatula. He eyed the thing and was glad his arm was out of danger now. Lifting his gaze to his sister again, he marveled as the sweetest expression stole over her face. Growing up, Gabriella had never been a problem to him. He simply loved to tease her, and now it was important to him that she allow him this honor. “Oh, Alejandro.”

      Tears of gratitude and love swam in her eyes and his heart warmed. “That is very kind of you. Chance and I want to be married quickly, but we have not made our plans yet. We want nothing big, but only to be married with our family and friends in attendance.”

      “Done.”

      “Are you certain?”

      “I’m sure. Let me do this for you and Chance.”

      She began nodding. “Gracias, Alejandro. Thank you. Thank you. My heart is filled with happiness today.”

      “Mine is, too, mi hermana. You deserve it.”

      She smiled again and offered him a seat. “Let me finish cooking. I will give my big brother the entire batch of tortillas.”

      “With beans and potatoes?”

      “Sí. It is your favorite.”

      * * *

      Alex left Chance’s house with a full belly. Why was it that food from the past always tasted better? Always satisfied more? Up until a short while ago, Alex didn’t really know which foods were his favorites, which ones were held over from his childhood, which foods turned his stomach. Now all of it was back, and Tía Manuela’s fresh warm tortillas had put a smile on his face as he gunned the engine of his SUV and drove down the path that led him off McDaniel’s Acres. Before he reached the gate, his gaze hit upon a blonde woman entering the stables. His mind flashed, familiar and female, and his heart pumped hard against his chest.

      Cara?

      He braked suddenly and parked the car on the side of the road. Taking brisk steps, he entered the stables and squinted from lack of sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted, he scanned the aisles, searching for the woman he’d seen just seconds ago. Footprints marked the ground and hay rustled, but otherwise all was quiet. How far could she have gone?

      Then movement caught his eye. Down along a row of stalls, all the way at the end, he found Cara with her arms folded on top of a stall door, her eyes fixed on a mare. Her hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail and secured with a rubber band. She wore white jeans and tennis shoes, obviously not riding gear, and a flimsy pale blue button-down blouse. The ball cap on her head screamed Dallas Cowboys in bold blue-and-silver lettering.

      Alex couldn’t keep from staring at her and strained to hear the soft, soothing words she granted the horse. Finally, his feet moved and he headed down the long aisle, catching the eye of Striker, the mare he’d taken out this morning with Chance. He clucked his mouth, and the horse’s ears perked up. Cara stayed focused on the mare, even as his boots parted hay and crunched as he moved closer.

      Without her knowledge, he took in every graceful move she made. Relished each uttered sweet word drifting to his ears. When he stood within five feet of her, she turned her head to one side and found his eyes. He was caught off guard by the softness on her face, the kindness in her expression. He’d expected anger or rebuke when she noticed him, but instead her lips lifted slightly.

      Alex halted and caught his breath. His heartbeats fired rapidly. “Cara.”

      “Hello, Alex.”

      He drank in her blue depths and the mellow tone in her voice. Dios, how he loved her.

      “What are you doing here?” he asked.

      “Visiting my friend.” Her gaze dropped over the stall to a bay mare. “I rescued her a few months ago and Chance lets me keep her here.”

      Alex moved closer to glance at the horse that had put Cara in a melancholy mood. The mare was average size, probably a mustang, marked with two white stockings on her front legs and a coat that was a little duller than the ones in Chance’s well-cared-for string.

      “I thought you were afraid of horses?”

      “I’m getting over that. This horse has changed me. She’s special.”

      “She must be to get you to come into the stables without blinking an eye. What’s her name?”

      “Mercy.” She stared at the horse. “When I laid eyes on her that was the first thing out of my mouth. Mercy. She was abused and neglected. There were maggots living in her coat. They were eating her alive. I didn’t think she’d survive. She was starved and jittery. It broke my heart to see an animal suffer that way.”

      “Terrible. How often do you come to visit?”

      “As often as I can, but it’s not always possible. Chance has been good about it. He gives me updates on her condition.”

      “She’s going to survive.”

      “I think so. She’s still nervous with people. She’s got trust issues and I don’t press it. As long as she’s cared for, I’ll wait until she’s comfortable enough with me before I step inside her stall.”

      “That is probably wise. I’m sure she appreciates your visits. She will come around.”

      She shrugged and directed her gaze to the recovering horse. “It’s not a hardship for me. I...I missed her today.”

      The hint of sweet vanilla teased his nose as Alex stepped closer to Cara. He inhaled deeply to savor her scent over the more potent musty barn smells of earth and straw. Images flashed in his mind like a flip book, one scene after another. Cara giving him cooking lessons. Cara just stepping out of the shower. Cara sprawled out across his bed, waiting for him. “I know something about missing someone you care about.”

      The slightest flicker in her eyes told him she’d heard his comment. “Cara, look at me.”

      Her eyes closed as if she was in silent prayer. A few seconds ticked by, and he used that time to move a step closer. His heart hammered hard as he waited. And finally she turned and opened her eyes. They fluttered like butterfly wings.

      She wasn’t as immune to him as he’d feared.

      “Alex, what are you doing here?”

      “I met with Chance earlier. We rode.”

      “I mean, what are you doing here?”

      “I got lucky. I was pulling away after seeing Chance and my sister when I spotted you coming in here.”

      “Oh.” She nibbled on her lip and looked away. No eye contact. He wondered if his candor broke through some of her defensive walls. “Did you follow me?”

      They’d already wasted enough time, months, and he’d be damned if he let her slip through his fingers now because of his foolishness and her pride, so he told her the absolute truth. “I am not following you, if that’s what you’re asking.” He couldn’t blame her for wondering. Yesterday, he’d hijacked her from her office. Today was simply a blessed accident. “But as soon as I saw you, I followed you inside the stable.”

      Her eyes lifted to his.

      He brought his hand to her face and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. Breath puffed from her chest in a whispered sigh as she closed her eyes and absorbed his warmth, telling him what he wanted, needed to know, with unspoken words. “You haven’t forgotten what it was like between us?”

      Her head moved. “No.”

      “We had heat,