“Since I was a child. We own a cattle ranch near Zaragoza, and the calves were as eager to give it a try as I was.”
“They didn’t know what was coming, though, did they?”
“No, but I didn’t kill any. It was just good sport. Most bullfighters start young. Rafael has a different story. Ask him to tell it.”
Rafael and Maggie had already walked up the steps to the front door. “Does he live here too?”
“No, he has his own apartment, but he’s here more often than I’d like to see him.”
Libby turned her back to her sister and Rafael. She touched Santos’s sleeve and whispered, “If you know something about Rafael he’d rather I didn’t know, please tell me.”
He responded with a knowing smile. “It could take days.”
With a dark tan and blinding white teeth, the man had an absolutely killer smile. Libby struggled to discount it. Encouraged he might provide inflammatory information for her cause in addition to inspiring lurid thoughts for her imagination, she followed Maggie and her fiancé into the house. The large entryway had a polished tile floor; rooms with arched doorways branched off to the right and left, and a wide, curved stairway rose from the center. Rafael waited as Santos led the way upstairs, toting Libby’s carry-on bag.
“Do you want your own room, or would you rather stay with Maggie?” Santos asked.
“We haven’t shared rooms since we were children,” Maggie answered. She led Libby into the bedroom next to hers. “This is a pretty room. It has its own bath, and the balcony overlooks the sea.”
Libby walked out onto the balcony and surveyed the beach. There were a few umbrellas set out, some children playing at the shore, but not the crowds she’d expected. “Is this a private beach?”
Santos set her bag on the bed. “No, but it has limited access. Do you like to sail? I have a small boat I take out most mornings.”
She was more tempted than she cared to admit, but, justifying it as an opportunity to speak with him in private, she turned and smiled. “I’d love to go sailing with you.”
Maggie took a step toward the door, ushering Santos along with her. “Would you like to rest, Libby? We don’t eat until late, so you’ve plenty of time.”
“I slept on the plane,” Libby answered. “I’d rather go for a run on the beach.”
“I’ll change my clothes and go with you,” Santos offered.
Maggie let him go and closed the door behind him to assure their privacy. She whispered, “Santos is a great guy, but he’s a player, not your type at all.”
Libby doubted she actually had a type, but Santos was incredibly appealing. She’d just have to view him as a distraction and deal with it. “He’s just being friendly,” she replied. “Do you want to come with us?”
“Not today, I’d rather stay out on the patio with Rafael.” She paused at the door. “Santos has a thing for blondes. Make him behave like a brother.”
“Will do,” Libby promised. Maggie was the one with the hot Spanish blood, while hers was usually as cool as a Stockholm winter. She pulled on white shorts, a blue tank top and her running shoes. She cast a brief glance toward the mirror in the bathroom and thought her wispy braid would do. She left her room and found Santos waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He looked as good in shorts and a T-shirt with Barcelona’s football club, or soccer team’s, crest as he had in the tailored chauffeur’s uniform. She forced herself to think of him as a brother and returned his smile.
They jogged along the shore until they were well past the house. She turned toward him and jogged backward. “Why don’t you like Rafael?”
He stopped, but she jogged in place. “Can’t you stand still?”
She came to an abrupt halt. “If I have to, but don’t stall. I need ammunition to save my sister from a disastrous marriage.”
“I thought you’d come to help with the wedding.”
“I did, but not in the way Maggie expects. Look, our mother stayed married to Miguel Aragon just long enough to get pregnant. I don’t want Maggie to make the same mistake.”
His expression turned dark, and his voice held a threatening depth. “Have you forgotten Miguel was also my father? He had a half-dozen kids we know of, so let’s leave him and his multiple marriages and affairs out of this.”
Surprised by the sudden shift in his mood, she took a cautious backward step. “I’m sorry. I just caught your dislike for Rafael and thought you’d be an ally.”
“I will be, but I won’t break my promise to Maggie.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “Are things so bad she had to swear you to secrecy?”
“Yes. Now let’s run.”