“No, not at all. I find passion very appealing.”
“Just any man’s passion?” he asked.
A night in bed with him had left her so relaxed she responded easily to his teasing. “Excuse me, dearest, of course I was referring to you, not the general male population. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
He laughed in spite of his effort to remain serious. “I’m sorry. I was just worried about you.”
“If you’d been too rough, I would have said so. It was a wonderful night, and I have no complaints.”
“We should have hung up your dress.”
“The wrinkles will fall out today.” She’d hung it in the bathroom so the steam from the shower would melt them. The dress also blocked the sight of his black-as-evil traje de luces. It was still there though, a dark, lingering reminder of the danger he took on so willingly. Every day she cared for him more. Delaying their inevitable parting wouldn’t change things. She couldn’t stay in Spain. She ought to make her reservation to fly home the day after the funeral. But what she ought to do, had to do, just didn’t register today.
It was one o’clock in the afternoon when they took the elevator up to Santos’s apartment. They’d brought coffee, soft drinks, and half a dozen roast beef sandwiches on thick rolls.
Fox opened the door. “Food, perfect. Come on in.”
Santos came up behind him to welcome them to his spacious apartment. “Thanks for bringing something to eat. Fox has eaten his way through everything edible here. Let’s eat before we look through Augustín’s papers.” He directed them into the dining room that opened off the starkly furnished living room. There was a view of the sea from the wide windows. The glass tabletop rested on a steel frame. The chairs were metal with mesh backs and seats but surprisingly comfortable.
Maggie noted her brother’s slight limp. “How’s your leg today?”
“It hurts, and I’m supposed to stay off of it, but Fox is an insolent servant.”
“Where’s Ana?” Rafael asked.
Santos shrugged. “History. She’ll not rate more than a single paragraph in my memoir, if I write one.”
“You should,” Maggie encouraged. “You’ll have an entirely different view of the family than someone outside would.”
“Before you leave, I’ll show you the books written about our father. They cover what he did in the ring but printed only rumors about his private life.”
“I’d still love to see them.” Maggie hadn’t reconciled her part in yesterday’s tragedy and nibbled her sandwich while her male companions ate with unabashed gusto. She didn’t understand how they could be hungry when Miguel had been such an important part of their lives. Craig would point out how adept men were at hiding their feelings, and maybe that was all her companions were doing. “We should have brought more.”
“No, this is fine,” Santos assured her. “Later, we can order in if we want to. We ought to think about Wednesday and plan to go together to the funeral. I’ll have limos from Zaragoza come to the ranch for us.”
Maggie quickly saw a problem. “I doubt Carmen will ride with me.”
“That’s why I’ll hire more than one.”
“We should take the Hispano-Suiza,” Fox offered.
“Have you seen it?” Maggie asked Rafael.
He nodded. “Once, when it was being washed. It’s a magnificent car. Nothing today comes close to it.”
“We can’t use it,” Santos said. “There’s too great a risk it’ll be damaged by the crowd. They’d break off the crane emblem and everything else they could pry off as souvenirs.”
“While we’re talking about the funeral,” Rafael began, “I appreciated all Miguel did for me, and I’d like to speak if your grandmother will allow it.”
Fox laughed. “He said your death would be no great loss to the world.”
Santos swore, put down his sandwich and wiped his hands on his napkin. “That was cruel, and there’s no excuse for it. Go eat in the kitchen before I wring your neck.”
“It’s the truth,” Fox swore, but he got up as ordered and ambled into the kitchen.
Disbelief clouded Rafael’s expression as he sat back in his chair. “Miguel actually said that my death would be no great loss?”
Santos sent Maggie a desperate glance. “He was annoyed with me for insisting you weren’t ready. He just wanted me out of his room. He didn’t mean it.”