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‘Chico?’ He had just spotted his friend in a rare moment away from his bride. It was time to put his plan into action.
‘Yes, my friend...’
Chico Fernandez was another powerful polo player, with the dark flashing looks of South America.
Chico placed his arm around Tiago’s shoulders. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Danny works for you, doesn’t she?’
‘Danny?’ Chico raised a brow. ‘You’re interested in Danny? She’s a pretty little thing. I don’t blame you. I’m glad you were able to help her today and, yes, she works here. Why do you ask?’
‘I’d like to take Danny back to Brazil with me—if that’s okay with you?’ he asked dryly.
‘Do I have any option?’
‘No,’ he said flatly, ignoring Chico’s black look.
‘So you want Danny to come work for you.’ Chico’s eyes narrowed. ‘She’s a great rider, and a promising trainer, but you don’t need any more staff. What’s going on, Tiago?’
‘Danny wants her own place, and I think I can help her with that plan.’
‘Really?’ Chico stared at him suspiciously. ‘Danny’s had her problems—as you know. Are you going to add to them?’
‘That is not my intention.’
‘Don’t hurt her, Tiago. Please remember that Danny Cameron is my wife’s best friend.’
‘I want to give her a hand up—that’s all. I feel bad for her after what happened today.’
Chico frowned. ‘I’ll have a word with Lizzie—smooth the way for you.’
‘That’s all I ask, my friend.’
* * *
Danny collapsed with relief on the bed. It was one thing holding it together in public, but now she was here on her own...
Putting her arms over her head, she tried to pretend she didn’t want to feel Tiago’s arms around her—and a lot more besides. Could she really go through all that heartbreak again, with another polo player? Hadn’t she learned her lesson?
Not that Tiago was anything like Carlos Pintos, but he was well out of her league. And how was she supposed to forget how it had felt to be in Tiago’s arms on the dance floor? Or how she’d thrilled with pleasure when they’d moved together so effortlessly? How was she supposed to forget that?
She had to forget. She had to file it away with all the other good memories to pull out and reflect on whenever she needed a boost. Tiago was going back to Brazil soon. He would probably be gone by the time she got up in the morning.
While she’d stay here and nothing would change. She would still be working at Rottingdean when she was an old woman—still sending what money she could to her mother. It was never enough. Her mother had no idea about saving, or making do, or even working for a living. But if Danny stayed here she would never have the chance to build a nest egg. She would never own her own place—
So it was time to get moving—get on with life and make as much of a success of it as she could. She had more sense than to waste her time daydreaming about Tiago Santos.
* * *
She woke to a chilly grey dawn. Grimacing, she pulled the covers up to her chin. Chico and Lizzie had started improvements on the house Lizzie had inherited from her grandmother, but nothing had been spent on Rottingdean for years, and replacing the entire central heating system in the big old house was still a work in progress. The ancient radiators clanked noisily but gave off little heat—though Danny suspected she was shivering because she was tired as well as cold, having only dozed on and off through the night.
The reason for that was Tiago Santos.
So much for banishing the man from her thoughts! Tiago’s touch on her body was as vivid now as it had been when he’d held her on the dance floor. She’d been warm in his arms.
She was a hopeless case, Danny concluded, swinging out of bed. Her only excuse was that Tiago Santos was the type of distraction that could make an arrow swerve from its course.
She showered, and grabbed a towel to rub herself down until her skin glowed red. Clearing a space on the steamed-up mirror, she examined her face. The bruise under her eye had turned an ugly yellow-green. Attractive! But at least the swelling had gone down, thanks to Tiago’s horse liniment.
She laughed, remembering the look on his face when she had mentioned the stink. She knew that ointment well. They all used it. It had been a kind thought, but the sort of thing any man would do, she concluded wryly, throwing on as many layers of clothing as she had brought with her. She would have to put on everything she possessed to keep the bitter cold at bay.
It would be warm in Brazil.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ she exclaimed out loud.
Glancing out of the window, she jumped back fast, seeing Tiago in the yard. So he hadn’t gone back to Brazil yet...
With her heart beating like a drum, she took a second look. Tiago had stopped on his way across the yard to speak to a fellow guest, and was being his usual charming self. He made time for everyone, and even from this distance his smile made her smile.
It was such an attractive flash of strong white teeth in that stern, swarthy face. It was a smile that made her stomach clench and her limbs melt as she wondered, for the umpteenth time, what it would feel like to have a man like Tiago Santos do more than just hold her in his arms. She had experienced his concern and his friendship, and now she wanted more—she couldn’t help herself.
Safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t see her looking, she surveyed the well-packed jeans, the calf-gripping riding boots and the heavy sweater he was wearing today—which she found sexy, for some reason—under a jacket that moulded his powerful shoulders to perfection. The collar was turned up against the wind, and with his thick, wavy black hair blowing about he was an arresting sight.
And she should be arrested for what she was thinking.
She stood back quickly when he stared up, as if he could sense her looking at him.
Leaning back against the wall—out of sight, she hoped—she swallowed convulsively and closed her eyes, wondering if she had been too late and he had seen her.
What if he had? There was no law against looking out of the window.
She stole another look. Tiago had quite a crowd around him by this time. Even Lizzie’s sophisticated wedding guests were thrilled to chat to a polo player of Tiago’s standing, and particularly one whose success on the field of play was almost as legendary as his success with women.
To be fair to him, though, Tiago was also famous for turning his grandfather’s failing ranch into a world-class concern. And his relationship with women was none of her business. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t enough to stop her thinking about Tiago’s women—all wearing outfits composed of cobweb-fine lace, or nothing at all, and smelling of anything other than horse liniment...
She should be going down to breakfast—not staring at one of the wedding guests, Danny reminded herself firmly. She was a home bird—not an adventuress on the hunt for a barbarian mate. She should be outside by now, exercising Lizzie’s horse as she had promised Lizzie she would. There was nothing like a ride across the heather to blow the cobwebs from her mind.
* * *
Where was Danny? He was waiting to speak to her about his plan. Why hadn’t she come down to breakfast?
He glanced at his watch impatiently. Had she made other arrangements? Had he missed her? Had she slipped away without him noticing?
Pushing his chair back, Tiago began to pace the room. Was he wasting his time in Scotland? His manager at the ranch had reported a group of trustees sniffing around Fazenda Santos. In its current condition the ranch was worth a fortune, but if men who didn’t know what they were doing took it over it was doomed to fail. He wouldn’t risk it—couldn’t risk it.
Danny was his best hope if he was to comply with the terms of his grandfather’s will, and she had mentioned her frustration at still being here at Rottingdean, where she had worked all her life. Surely she would accept his offer of a scholarship to train in Brazil? But what about the other part of his deal?
‘Good morning, Tiago.’
He swung round with relief. ‘So, there you are,’ he said as she walked into the room
She seemed surprised. ‘Were you waiting for me?’
‘Yes, I was.’
‘Well, here I am,’ she said brightly.
A freshly showered Danny, with tendrils of honey-soft hair still damp around her temples, was an arousing sight that forced him to remember that what he needed was a short-term wife. His freedom meant too much to him to consider anything else.
‘You seem recovered.’
‘I am,’ she said, frowning. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Good.’ That suited him perfectly. ‘I trust you slept well?’
Wrong question. His groin tightened immediately at the thought of Danny naked, stretched out in bed. It was important to keep this confined to business. He didn’t have much time. But it wasn’t easy when she leaned over him to scan the delicious-looking breakfast the housekeeper had laid out.
‘I just came to say goodbye to you,’ she said, grabbing a piece of toast. ‘Annie said you had to get back today. I thought you might have left for Brazil last night.’
She was fishing. He took that as a good sign. ‘Sit down?’ he suggested. ‘Eat breakfast with me. Why are you in such a hurry to get away?’
‘Because I’m going riding in a minute. I don’t have time to sit down and eat.’
‘You’ll need something to keep the cold out.’
Her glance flashed over his warm sweater. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m wearing Arctic layers,’ she explained.
She wasn’t joking. She wore a thick-knit sweater with a fancy pattern, heavy winter breeches, and soft tan leather riding boots, which clung tenaciously to her shapely legs, hiding almost all the outline he had delighted in when he had danced with her last night. The thought of unpeeling her ‘Arctic layers’, as she’d called them, occupied all his thoughts for a moment.
‘Why don’t we ride out together?’
She stilled, with the toast hovering close to her parted lips. ‘Do you have time?’
‘I’ll make time.’
‘In that case...’
He caught her frowning as she headed for the door, as if she suspected there was more to this than a morning ride, but he didn’t care what she thought now he had what he wanted.
His spirits lifted. He felt like a hunter with his prey in sight. And why feel guilty when he was about to make Danny an offer she’d be crazy to refuse? There was just one problem. Trying to appeal to Danny Cameron’s calculating business brain might be difficult if she didn’t have one.
She was quite likely to dismiss his plan out of hand. She would almost certainly consider a marriage of convenience to be selling out, as well as a serious betrayal of the marriage vows—and she’d have no hesitation in telling him. Unfortunately he didn’t have the luxury of time to indulge in finer feelings. The thought of trying to do this deal with one of the women he customarily dated frankly appalled him. Even a night in their company could be too long. And where would he find another potential wife at such short notice?
‘Riding out will give us chance to chat about your future plans,’ he said casually as he held the door for her.
‘Advice always welcome,’ she said blandly, smiling up. ‘But ride first, chat later,’ she insisted.
Nothing about this was going to be straightforward, he deduced.
* * *
She hadn’t planned on riding with Tiago. When Annie had told her he was eating breakfast she had considered going straight out, and then decided that would look cowardly. In keeping with her decision to toughen up, she had decided to face the hard man of the pampas to show him she was over yesterday, and not susceptible in any way to his undeniable charm.
‘You’re riding Lizzie’s horse this morning?’ he commented when they reached the stable yard.
‘That’s right,’ she confirmed as they crossed the yard.
The horses were in adjoining stalls. She couldn’t pretend that riding out with Tiago Santos wasn’t a thrill. And it would look amazing on her CV, she conceded wryly. As if she needed an excuse to ride out with him!
They tacked up together. She tried not to notice how deftly Tiago’s lean fingers worked, or how soothing and gentle he was with his horse.
‘Are you ready?’ he said, turning around.
Her heart-rate soared, and all she could think about was being held in those arms, how it had felt to be pressed up close against his body.
‘Ready,’ she confirmed, lifting her chin.
She had barely led Lizzie’s horse out of the stable when her phone rang. She looked down at the screen and shook her head. ‘Sorry, but I’ve got to take this.’
‘Go right ahead.’
She walked quickly away from Tiago, concerned that her mother’s torrent of words would alert him to her problem. It was always the same problem. Her mother was short of money again. It was the only time she ever called.
Taking a deep breath, she launched in. ‘Did you get my messages? I was worried about you. It seems so long since I’ve heard from you. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not okay?’ Danny frowned with concern. ‘Why? What’s happened?’
She dreaded what her mother would say. It was never good news. The type of men Danny’s mother liked to go out with generally needed a loan. She held the phone tight to her ear as her mother repeated the familiar plea.
‘It’s just to tide him over, Danny. I told him you’d understand...’
Told whom? Oh, never mind. She wouldn’t know the man, anyway.
‘I knew I could rely on you. Thank you...thank you,’ her mother was exclaiming.
‘But I don’t have that kind of money,’ Danny said, horrified when her mother mentioned a figure.
Her mother ignored this comment entirely. ‘Just do what you can,’ she said. ‘You’re so generous, Danny. I knew we could rely on you.’
I’m such a mug, don’t you mean? Danny thought.
‘It’s only a short-term loan. He’s got money coming in soon.’
How often had she heard that? Danny wondered. ‘I’ll send you what I can,’ she promised.
‘I hear there’s going to be a lot of money sloshing around Rottingdean now Chico Fernandez has taken control?’
She recognised her mother’s wheedling voice and immediately sprang to her friend’s defence. ‘Chico hasn’t taken control,’ she argued, feeling affronted on Lizzie’s behalf. ‘Lizzie and Chico work in partnership, and their money has got nothing whatsoever to do with me. I’ll send you what money I can when I’ve earned it.’
‘Make sure you get your hands on some of their money,’ her mother insisted, as if she hadn’t spoken, and as if Danny were entitled to a share. ‘You’ve got it good now, Danny. It’s only fair to share your good fortune with others—with me—when things can only get better for you.’
Her mother’s voice had grown petulant and childlike. An all too familiar feeling swept over Danny as she was tugged this way and that by a sense of duty to her mother and a longing to get on with her own life.
‘Just one more thing before I go,’ her mother said. ‘I heard in the village that the repair work at Rottingdean is going to mean evacuating the house soon?’
‘That’s right,’ Danny confirmed. ‘It’s great news that the old house is going to be given new life, isn’t it?’
‘I suppose so,’ her mother agreed. ‘But—and it’s really hard for me to say this, Danny—I’m afraid you can’t come back here to the cottage while the renovation work is being carried out.’
‘Oh?’
‘My new fella wouldn’t like it, you see. You do understand, don’t you?’
‘Of course,’ she said faintly, taking this in.
‘I really think he’s the one, Danny.’
Another one who was ‘the one’, Danny mused wearily. ‘Just take care of yourself, Mum,’ she said softly. She would pick up the pieces of her mother’s life when it all fell apart again, somehow. And as for her own—
‘You won’t forget to send that money, will you?’ her mother pressed.
‘I promise,’ Danny said.
‘You’re such a good girl.’
Danny shook her head at the irony of her penniless self, bailing out some unknown man, and then the sound of horses’ hooves clattering across the cobblestones distracted her. ‘Mum—I’ve got to go. I promised to exercise Lizzie’s horse.’
‘Just don’t forget to send that money, will you, Danny?’
‘I won’t,’ she said again as Tiago rode round the corner, leading her horse.
She cut the line and focused on him. He took her breath away. He looked so good on a horse. He was so at home, so at ease in the saddle, that just watching him was a treat. But she felt anything but at ease, and was already beginning to doubt her sanity at agreeing to ride out with him.
‘Important call?’ he asked.
‘My mother.’
‘Nothing more important than that.’
She murmured in agreement, thinking that Tiago looked like a visitor from another, more vigorous planet, with his deep tan, thick black stubble and his wild jet-black hair secured by a bandana for riding. And that gold earring was glittering in the grudging light of the early-morning sun. More marauding pirate, than wealthy and respectable rampaging barbarian...
‘Something has amused you?’ he asked as he handed over the reins of her horse.
‘Just happy at the thought of riding out.’ She concentrated on mounting up and curbed her smile.
Just riding out with Tiago would be an adventure—but he didn’t need to know that. He made her feel things she had never felt before. Maybe she was a little bit in love with him? Ha! Much good that would do her.
He gave her an assessing look, but made no further comment as he led the way out of the courtyard.
* * *
He was feeling confident as they rode out together. He always felt confident, but Chico had filled him in on Danny’s family background, which had led Tiago to believe that if Danny thought she could keep her mother secure and have a real chance of starting her own training centre one day her answer to his proposition would be yes.
Urging his horse forward, he headed for the open countryside.
He raised the issue a short time later, when they’d reined in. ‘Would you be prepared to leave the country for a good job? Would you be able to leave your mother, for instance?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she said at once. ‘I think she’d be relieved if I left her alone for a while.’
And just sent her money, he thought, remembering what Chico had told him about Danny’s mother’s constant demands for cash.
‘And you? What would you like to do—ideally?’
‘Me? I’m still considering my options.’
He ground his jaw as Danny turned her horse, shifted her weight, and took off again. What options was she talking about? Had someone else offered her a job?
He would not pursue her like some desperate adolescent.
Reining in again, he watched her ride. She rode like a gaucho with one hand on the reins, leaning back in the saddle, working her hips, looking as relaxed as if she were sitting in an armchair. She’d learned that in Brazil. She was fearless, he thought as she sped across the brow of a hill. He liked that. He liked Danny. A lot.
He couldn’t believe how fate was smiling on him. If he played this right he could have a very enjoyable year with Danny Cameron. Once that year was over she would be free to do as she liked, with all the money she could possibly need, and in the meantime he would enjoy her in his bed.
The only fly in this almost perfect ointment was Danny Cameron herself. He couldn’t imagine Danny following meekly where he led. Getting her to agree to a contract of marriage might be tricky, and would certainly require the utmost diplomacy on his part. She might not agree to marry him for cash, but she would agree to marry him. He would find a way.
Collecting his reins, he rode after her. The prospect of catching her heated his blood. He needed a result fast. He needed a wife fast. And here she was, perfect in every way: great with horses, and useful on a ranch. What more could he ask of a woman?
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