Читать книгу The Playboy Takes a Wife - Crystal Green, Crystal Green - Страница 8

Chapter Three

When Guillermo Ramos had contacted Alicia last night, requesting that she entertain Lucas Chandler at the orphanage for one more day, her belly had scrambled with excitement.

She told herself it was more because she was that much closer to securing additional money for the orphanage than anything else—like, say, seeing the billionaire again.

Ridiculous, she thought now as they rode horses over the sun-dappled property. He was so far out of her league it wasn’t even funny. Plus, she had more important things than flirting to think about.

She snuck a look at him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. The same wind-ruffled hair. The same piercing eyes.

He seemed at home, sitting expertly in the saddle in his faded jeans, the reins threaded through his hand. Even though Mr. Chandler had told her that he wanted another gander around the place in order to see how additional donations could be utilized, Alicia found herself tongue-tied right now, unable to “sell” her own ideas about what Refugio Salvo could use.

But she would get over it…just as soon as she could overcome this strange shyness enveloping her. Was it because there were no cameras and the lack of them made everything much quieter, more real? Less like she was putting on a show?

“Look west, Mr. Chandler.” She pointed in that direction as they halted their horses. It was an expanse of grassy land, much like what they were on now, but it was cut off by a barbed-wire fence with a sign that said No Trespassing in Spanish.

“Neighbor’s property?” he said, easily controlling his roan gelding, Ackbar, who was dancing around.

“Yes, and possibly more land for the foundation to purchase for the ranch.”

With one last glance at the land, he paused, then prodded Ackbar into motion again. She caught up to him, and they rode side by side. He seemed deep in thought, so she didn’t bother him unnecessarily. She didn’t feel the urgency to.

And that was interesting. Even though she hadn’t spent more than a few hours with him, there was a certain comfort level in place. It was almost as if she’d known him before and they’d slipped right back into a companionable flow upon his return. Alicia had never experienced anything like it. She was naturally good with people, sure, and that’s why Guillermo was using her as a hostess. Yet there was always that invisible shield with strangers—a force you didn’t see but a barrier that was definitely there, all the same.

But not with Lucas Chandler. No, there was a different, unspoken something hanging over them…a humid atmosphere she’d been trying to avoid thinking about.

The sounds of chirping birds and moaning saddle leather accompanied them as he took the lead. He seemed confident in where he wanted to go, so Alicia went with it, ready to correct their course if need be.

“Ms. Sanchez,” he said, his voice blending with the smooth, grass-laced air, “may I ask you a question? And, if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”

She straightened in her saddle, friendly but on alert. “Ask away.”

“I’m just wondering, Ms. Sanchez…or Alicia. May I call you that? Alicia?”

“Of course.”

He smiled to himself. “I love how everyone says it down here. A-lee-see-a. It’s like a song.”

She laughed. “Was that your big question?”

“No. I’m just thinking about yesterday, especially when I asked you about how you came to be a volunteer here. The orphanage doesn’t pay you? Sorry if that’s too personal—”

“Don’t worry. It’s a part of how Refugio Salvo works, and you’d want to know.” Pancho, her mount, nickered, and Alicia absently patted the horse’s neck. “The orphanage can afford salaries for most of the staff—administrators, cooks, groundskeepers. But the sisters consider their work here to be part of their calling, freely given. Just like I do.”

“You should be compensated.”

She flushed, thinking how a paycheck would definitely help in day-to-day living but would also take away some of the significance of what she was doing. Charity. With a salary, her intentions of giving without taking just didn’t seem to count as much.

“Not to seem ungrateful, Mr. Chandler, but—”

“The money’s coming whether you take it or not.”

Alicia didn’t glance at the man next to her, but she didn’t have to. She felt his gaze on her. Her skin heated, flaring to confusion.

What was driving him to stick around to see the details of what the ranch needed? Some of the orphanage staff whispered it had to do with all the cameras that had followed him yesterday, but Alicia didn’t want to believe that.

Maybe he was trying to make up for something he felt badly about, just as she was. Maybe he was attempting to find purpose, too. But there was one thing she could guarantee: his trip to Refugio Salvo hadn’t been designed to allow him to hide from the reality of a life left behind. That was her own cross to bear.

Her father…her mother…her shameful past.

Many times she’d even wondered if the piety she’d been raised with was forcing her to punish herself for how she’d been born. For her parents’ carnal crimes that her abuelo had told her about. There were so many times she thought that the circumstances of her birth made her less of a person….

Mr. Chandler had grown quiet in his own right as he gauged the land with narrowed eyes. He wore an expression that gave her pause—so serious, his brows drawn together, his lips tight.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“I’m just now realizing how much can still be done.” A beat passed, then a mirthless grin settled on his mouth. “Now that the camera flashes have worn off, it’s a clearer view.”

“You’ve been a true supporter,” she repeated. But somehow she doubted it was getting through to him.

“I haven’t contributed half as much as you, and that’s humbling, Alicia.”

For a naked second, she thought she saw a chink in his armor. She’d detected it yesterday, too, but he’d closed it up so fast that it’d almost been subliminal.

“As long as we all do our part,” she said, “the children will flourish, Mr. Chandler.”

“Lucas. Just call me Lucas.”

They resumed their ride, neither of them speaking. He was back to that thinker’s pose, and she wondered what exactly was causing all the seriousness. He seemed to catch on to this, because before she could take her next breath, he sent a sudden, devilish grin to her, encouraging his mount to a trot.

What had that sudden change of mood been about?

Not to be outdone, Alicia urged Pancho ahead, laughing, then hunching over her horse’s neck and signaling him to a gallop.

Almost immediately he did the same, until they were neck and neck, flying over the grass.

A bubble of amusement expanded in Alicia’s chest, then popped. She urged Pancho on and soon she realized that Lucas was veering toward a massive oak tree, its bare branches spread like a canopy, a haven from the mild sun.

When they got closer, she saw that there was a picnic table covered with a red-and-white-checked cloth. Silver bowls and a vase of wildflowers dominated the china.

Flabbergasted, she dismounted, cooling Pancho down. Lucas followed her example, and she couldn’t help glancing at the spread with contained anticipation.

Laughing at her obvious impatience, he came and took Pancho’s reins, allowing her to sprint to the table to finally get a closer look.

When the horses had been taken care of, Lucas sauntered over, having given them freedom in the grass.

“A picnic?” she said, her heart just now returning to a semblance of normal thud, thud, thuds.

Then again, with every step he took closer, her pulse started picking up again.

“It’s snack time.” He went over to a silver bowl on top of a smaller table and washed his hands, drying them off with a fluffy towel. “Come and get cleaned up. I thought you might enjoy something flown in from Bella Sofia. It’s an Italian restaurant I like in San Diego. You enjoy Italian?”

“Who doesn’t?” Still stunned, she moved over to her own silver bowl, the rim delicately etched with flowered patterns. It was filled with water, a lemon wedge floating on the surface. After washing, she used that fluffy towel, sighing at the softness of it. She’d never felt a towel so lovely.

“I also had the restaurant cater the boys’ meals today,” Lucas said. “And the workers will get their fill. Got to share a good thing.”

Touched by his thoughtfulness, she came to the picnic table, where he helped her onto the bench just as if they were in a fancy restaurant and he was pulling out her chair.

What was really going on? Was he kind of flirting, just like yesterday? Or was this just an expression of appreciation for showing him around today? Or maybe he was hoping she’d brag about his kindness to reporters after he’d left?

All these questions she had. Couldn’t he just make a nice gesture without any cameras around and that was that?

She decided that he was treating her out of the goodness of his heart. Just seeing how much he’d enjoyed and been genuinely taken with Gabriel and the other children yesterday told her that his gestures came from a decent place.

Integrity, she thought. Even with Lucas’s reputation, she wanted to believe that he really did have it. In fact, ever since her abuelo had told her the truth about her father and mother—how Alicia was the product of a sleazy one-night stand, how they had both deserted her because neither of them had been responsible enough to even raise a child—she’d searched for it. The possibility of finding some in a person like Lucas Chandler made her want to grab on, allowing it to pull her out from all the layers of mortification she was buried under.

He was taking a bottle of wine out of a basket. “Comte Armand, a wonderful burgundy.”

“I don’t—”

“Drink?” Shooting her a teasing grin, he tugged another bottle out of the ice bucket, deserting the more expensive wine. “Or there’s always sparkling cider. I got it for variety.”

Touched, Alicia fingered the flower vase in the middle of the table. “You think of everything.”

“All your hard work deserves a treat.”

He poured for her, then him, then opened a silver-lined cooler—a heater, really—and presented her with a basket of breads. She took one with cheese melted over the top while he poured oil and vinegar onto a side plate.

The cheese, tinted with garlic and herbs, made her close her eyes in pure pleasure.

Too decadent for her…usually. But why shouldn’t she enjoy it while it lasted?

She opened her eyes to find him watching her. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was taking as much happiness as she was out of her meal. Warmed by his interest, Alicia shivered.

He doled out the salad for her. “Want to know what surprised me yesterday, among other things?”

“I can’t even begin to guess.”

“That mojo you seem to have going with our friend Gabe. He got pretty upset at the end of the day, but you seemed to know just how to handle him.”

At Gabriel’s name, Alicia pepped up. “From the day he came to the orphanage I’ve worked extra hard to win him over. He’s come around, but you should’ve seen him before.”

“Even more hyper?” Lucas hadn’t said it unkindly at all. In fact, she suspected he had a tiny soft spot for Gabriel’s vivacious spark, just as she did.

“He is active.” She tossed her salad with a fork. “He always has been. But, at first he exhibited a mean streak, lashing out at the other children and the workers, throwing tantrums. He feels more comfortable now that he knows there are constant people in his life, thank goodness. And that’s exactly what he needed—security. We don’t know much about him except that he’d been abandoned by his parents so his trust is shaky.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw, and she didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that he was disturbed by the boy’s background.

Welcome to life, she thought.

“You know,” she added, “yesterday was a good day for him, but he still has his moments. We’ve had a part-time counselor who’s seen him, so that helps, but in the long run he’ll need a special family to give him a lot of attention and love.”

A shot of panic seized her at the thought of him ever leaving. She’d become attached to the child and she knew it wasn’t smart, but it’d just happened. He was charming and ultralovable; that was a part of his mercurial personality, though. He was a challenge her heart couldn’t resist, because every time he needed reassurance or extra affection, she felt the responsibility to give it.

“I think,” Lucas said, “we all need special families.”

When he caught her understanding glance, he polished off his salad, not looking at her.

He seemed on the brink of saying something else, so she kept her tongue. A few seconds later, he laid down his fork, appearing so serious that she stopped eating.

“Have you ever thought—maybe one day when you’re ready, I mean—of adopting? That’s if you even want a family…”

He watched her intently.

“Yes.” She hadn’t even hesitated. If she could make sure a child like Gabriel grew up with people who adored him—people like her—she’d do it. Trouble was, everyone at Refugio Salvo thought the boy would be a tougher child to adopt out than most. He might always be passed over for the quieter ones and never even have the chance for a normal life out of the orphanage.

“I’d give anything to have a family again,” she added.

“Your grandparents and parents…you miss them a lot. That’s real obvious.”

A pang of loss hit her square in the chest. He had no idea how much she wanted a group of people to surround her with love.

She blurted out her next heartfelt words before she even realized she’d said them. “Truthfully, all I want is a family. I even have dreams of children, especially the ones who are already born and need parents.”

“That makes sense. I can see you and Gabriel together.”

She had to fight a lump in her throat before she could answer. “Me, too. I can imagine that very clearly. But first, before any children, there’s a husband….”

Silence emphasized the moan of wind through the branches as she concentrated on her food. Admitting her dreams out loud had made them all the more distant. For her, a family would also include a partner, because she believed in raising children the traditional two-parent way.

Too bad she couldn’t adopt a man who would love her and bring back her dignity, too.

Avoiding any further revelations, she glanced at Lucas, who was considering her with a scrutiny that dug into her.

“And how about you?” she asked, returning the conversation to lightness. “Would Lucas Chandler, the big tycoon, ever consider adopting?”

At her question, he became even more intense, leaning on the table, his posture deceptively casual. “Only under the right circumstances.”

Why did that sound as if he could mean so much more?

And why, Alicia asked herself with a growing mixture of trepidation and excitement, was she hoping he was back to flirting with her again?

Alicia took another bite of her salad instead of responding, but Lucas waited her out, using the opportunity to absorb her. She was wearing another prim, neat white blouse with short sleeves and crisp jeans to ride in.

The charms on her silver bracelet sang with her every move.

Anxiety throttled him again and he shifted on the bench. He still hadn’t come to any conclusions about David’s plan, but Lucas couldn’t help feeling out Alicia, anyway. Why not? His desire to gain stature was probably going to force him into some kind of other PR relationship, anyway—he might as well admit it. He wanted the respect badly…so badly he could taste it.

So he filed away the information about her really, really wanting a family. She was a good woman who would make a good mother. Extra PR points for that—

He cut off the thought, disgusted with himself for even musing about it.

When Alicia finished her salad, Lucas brought out the next course, fettuccine slathered with a creamy marinara and topped with honey ricotta. Heaven.

She must’ve thought so, too, because the first bite caused her to do a little wiggly dance in her seat. Damn, it was cute.

“Know something?” he said. “I’m pretty surprised you’re not giving me the hard sell about adopting one of the boys now, like a spokeswoman usually would. I get the feeling you’d normally never let this chance go with anyone else who’d visit the property.”

“It shouldn’t be a pressured decision, Mr…Lucas.” She smiled. “If adopting was in your heart, then you won’t need to be talked into making it happen.”

Ouch. But he recovered because he had to. “I think you just know when to let something lie.”

She took a sip of her sparkling cider, then slowly put it down. “My grandparents taught me how to do that. They were full of good advice and lessons to learn from.”

Lucas thought about his own family. He’d learned by example from them, too, except it was to do the opposite of whatever his dad did.

“We weren’t very well off,” she added, “but my grandparents scraped up enough money to give me a great home and an education. I realized from them what was important in life—the basics. And they showed me it was necessary to be thankful for every one of them.”

“College.” He was genuinely interested to hear more about her. “Where did you go?”

“Oh, just a community school. And it turned out that it wasn’t for me. So I decided to work as a receptionist and contribute to the household, just as I did when I worked waitressing jobs in high school until I knew what I wanted. But eventually my abuelo died.”

A shadow seemed to pass over her face as she returned to eating.

She hadn’t explained anything, really, had she?

“And how did you become the philanthropist you are today?” she asked, clearly changing the subject.

“Oh, you know…” He twirled some noodles onto his fork. “The usual rich-kid tales. The best schools, the best of everything. My mom divorced me and my dad when I was real young. She decided life as a socialite was too empty and she took off for parts unknown to take advantage of her anthropology degree, doing lots of fieldwork, from what I understand.”

“You don’t talk to her?”

“Occasionally.” When Lucas took a bite, the food was suddenly tasteless. “She attempts to make contact from each of her research locations but, more often than not, she’s in a village with no modern technology and bad cell-phone reception.”

“So you don’t know her very well.” Alicia’s soft gaze was sympathetic.

“Right. But that’s okay. I’ve had a lot of stepmoms to take her place. Four, by my last count.”

“Four? Are you close to any of them?”

“Nope. I did get a half brother out of the deal, though. Luckily, he’s the only other child my dad bothered to have. Unleashing two cynical Chandler boys into society is enough.”

“Cynical.” Alicia laughed. “You?”

She wasn’t being sarcastic. Not this straightforward woman who barely knew him. It was a nice change of pace for once.

“I’m afraid so. See, we were raised by a man who values cold, hard success above everything.”

Alicia tipped her glass to her mouth, the rim resting against her bottom lip. Lucas found himself leaning closer, envying the glass.

She finally took another sip, ending his reverie.

“So, am I to think that your father soured you on marriage?”

Her words were a punch to the gut.

He swallowed, nerves screaming. “In the past, I thought I might avoid getting hitched. I didn’t want to be a serial husband like my dad.”

“And that’s why you…” She gently swished around her glass, seeking words, the cider spinning around like a liquid golden web.

“I what?” He wanted to hear her say it.

She smiled sweetly and his heart flipped.

“That’s why you date all those women,” she said. “At least, that’s what they say.”

Yeah, all those women. The ones who didn’t have any interest in families at all. There was a cold comfort in that kind of emptiness. Security. And the more Lucas thought about David’s suggestion that he find an “appropriate” woman, the more he came to believe that it wouldn’t be much of a change from his previous relationships. He wouldn’t have to invest emotion. It was a business deal, pure and simple. A situation that would benefit everyone all around. His girlfriend could spend his money any way she wanted to, especially when it came to taking part in charity work that would generate positive ink in the press. And Lucas would be a better man—at least in the eyes of the world.

Putting down her glass, Alicia then propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. She was just as beautiful as David had said, even more so. Her physical appearance whipped his overused libido into a frenzy, but that’s not what really tore Lucas up about her.

She had soul. A sincerity you had to travel far and wide to find. Something he’d never experienced.

“You want to know the truth?” he asked.

“What?”

Lucas pushed his plate away, appetite for food gone. So many other appetites stoked.

“I wouldn’t mind finding a wife at all. Someday.”

Her eyes had gotten a little wider, probably because his comment clashed with his reputation.

Before he knew it, he found himself laying the groundwork to take the next step in this plan—not that he was going to go further. Hell, no, he was still thinking about all the pros and cons. He wanted to measure the possibilities, that’s all.

Measure her to see if she’d be a fit….

“I know you’re doing your best to save the world in this small corner of the earth,” he said, pulse picking up speed, “but what if you had the chance to make changes on a large scale? How far would you go to get that opportunity?”

She was getting curious about where he was leading. He could tell from her puzzled smile.

“How big of an opportunity are we talking about?” she asked.

“Getting loads of money to spend as you see fit, on any cause that would speak to you.”

Her lips parted, her eyes going hazy, her head tilting.

He fought himself, feeling his inner playboy stir: The guy who loved fine champagne and loud music. The guy who loved a good, dirty, heart-stopping off-road race in expensive mechanical toys.

The guy who’d surprisingly been struck with respect for this woman’s apparent selflessness.

“I would do just about anything to get that kind of chance,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Anything, he thought. Would she even sign on for a fake liaison with a billionaire? Somehow he doubted it. A person with such devotion to others would never hop into such a calculating situation and compromise herself like that.

So why was he even pursuing this subject?

The images overtook him again. A woman who would bring grace and charity to his name.