The Vasquez Baby

‘Then we’ll have to do something about that.’ He turned towards her and there was laughter in his wicked dark eyes. ‘Relax.’ His voice was surprisingly gentle. ‘You’re going to have a nice time. This is my thank-you for saving my horse and my apology for not having more faith in you. You were impressive.’

His praise was as surprising as it was welcome. ‘Your groom didn’t think so. Perhaps you could have a word with him.’

‘That won’t be necessary. He no longer works for me.’

‘You fired him?’ She was shocked. ‘Isn’t that a little extreme?’

‘You asked for his help. He didn’t give it.’

Faith felt a flash of guilt. ‘I didn’t mean to get him fired. Shouldn’t you give him another chance?’

‘I gave him one chance. I employed him.’ His smile didn’t falter but there was something in his eyes that hinted at a more ruthless side of him. The side that had made him a billionaire by the time he was thirty.

Sensing that the subject was best dropped, Faith glanced around her. ‘Where are we going?’

‘You’ll find out.’ Without answering her question, he turned his attention back to the controls and the helicopter lifted into the air.

Terror soon turned to exhilaration as they swooped above the pampas. ‘The view is amazing from up here,’ she breathed, her eyes fixed on the landscape beneath her.

They flew over grassland, interspersed with lagoons and wetlands. Occasionally Faith saw cattle being herded by men on horseback, but this was a vast landscape and the sheer size of it took her breath away.

Eventually a large lake came into view and Raul landed the helicopter.

‘We’re here. This is the boundary of the estancia.’ He jumped down from the helicopter and led her towards a luxurious lodge that nestled between water and trees. ‘My secret hideaway.’

Faith stopped dead, her heart bumping against her chest. ‘We’re alone here?’

He turned, his eyes on her face. ‘Does that bother you? Are you nervous?’

She swallowed. ‘Maybe. Just a little.’

‘You were alone with me on the pampas on that first day,’ he said softly, strolling back towards her and taking her face in his hands. ‘And you weren’t nervous then.’

‘That was an accidental meeting.’ The skilled brush of his fingers set her pulse racing and nerves fluttered like butterflies in her stomach. ‘I don’t do this sort of thing, Raul. I shouldn’t have come.’

‘Stop panicking. You haven’t done anything yet,’ he pointed out gently. ‘And you won’t be doing anything you don’t want to. All I ask is that you allow yourself to be spoiled. This is a thank-you for having saved my favourite horse. Treat it like a spa day.’

‘A spa day?’

His mouth hovered tantalisingly close to hers and then he stepped away and smiled. ‘I want to spoil you. And we’re not alone here. You can shout for help any time you feel the need and a hoard of staff will come running and beat me away with sticks.’

He led her up a few steps, onto a wooden deck that was suspended over the water and into a large bedroom filled with natural light. ‘This is your room. Have a rest, you deserve it. When you’re ready for a massage or whatever takes your fancy, just pick up the phone and dial zero.’

Faith blinked. Her head was full of questions but she had no chance to ask any of them because he’d left the room.

It was like being dropped into paradise.

She slept in the enormous, comfortable bed and then lay in the shade on the deck while a girl rubbed scented oils into her skin, the skilful stroke of her fingers removing all the last strands of tension from Faith’s body.

After the massage, she sat and gazed across the tranquil water of the lake while someone tended to her nails and another did her hair.

There was no sign of Raul and when she eventually walked back into her room, she wondered how she was supposed to contact him.

A splash of colour drew her eye and she glanced towards the bed, her eyes widening as she saw the beautiful silk dress laid carefully on the cover. The exquisite fabric shimmered in the late-evening light and Faith stepped towards it, puzzled. Had Raul left this for her? And then she saw the diamond necklace, draped almost casually across the bodice, the stones sparkling and glittering like shards of ice.

She was so stunned that it took her a few moments to notice the card. Her fingers shaking, she opened the envelope and read the dark, bold scrawl: Every woman deserves to be given a silk dress and diamonds at least once in her life. Enjoy. R.

Completely out of her depth, Faith stared at the dress and the necklace. It was an enormously generous gift. Obviously she couldn’t possibly accept it.