After washing, drying, and folding two loads of laundry—she’d left ironing for another day, if she got to it at all—Catarina had gone to her bedroom to lie down and rest.
But sleep hadn’t come.
Her mind kept going to lunch with Afonso.
He hadn’t minded her questions about his past, and almost seemed to welcome them.
He’d worked on a ship with her cousin Matias. No wonder Matias had recommended Afonso to Filipe.
What had Afonso done aboard? That hadn’t come up. Maybe she’d ask him some other time.
She couldn’t believe she’d asked Afonso for a tour of the grounds.
It must be loneliness and boredom. There was no one else around the house to talk to, and today she’d enjoyed the time she’d spent with Afonso.
There, she’d admitted it to herself.
Afonso Cortez was good company and an excellent cook.
She lay in bed for over two hours, then sat against the headboard and turned on the cell phone. What with being sick and the hospital stay, she’d forgotten to check the daily alerts. Before she gave in to the old habit, Catarina pressed the button and deleted the alert.
Nobody would come looking for Dulce Vega in this part of the country. The gossip rags believed her to be in southern Spain, and that was fine by her.
Juan-Carlos had nicknamed her Dulce when they met, the word for sweet in Spanish, and the name had stuck in his circle of friends and acquaintances. By the time they married, it was the only name the media knew her by, and Catarina hadn’t minded the change. After all, she’d started a new life as the wife of a jet-setter, and a new name went along with it. So naïve. Though she kept the name, she soon learned she wasn’t the only one he called sweet.
Castelo Branco was far away from all that, and Sunset Manor was even farther. Besides, she didn’t look like the same woman who’d been married to Juan-Carlos de Aragón y Vega. She’d lost some weight due to the morning sickness, her hair had returned to its natural brown without the regular blonde highlights, and her hands looked plain, void of fake red nails and gold rings. The only jewelry she had left was a pair of diamond stud earrings and her wedding band— pieces she’d been wearing when she’d left Lisbon in a hurry carrying only a suitcase.
She was so far from the woman she’d been before Juan-Carlos’ death, she hardly recognized herself.
And she was beginning to like it.
Instead of waiting for Afonso to cook dinner, she could get one of the frozen dinners Dona Madalena had prepared and put it in the oven. Catarina supposed it was easy enough that even she couldn’t mess it up.
She rummaged in the deep freezer until she found a dish she thought Afonso would like. She’d noticed he cooked healthy, balanced food. The instructions on the front were straightforward: turn the oven on to 160°C, leave it in for forty five minutes, cool for ten minutes before serving. It looked to be some potato and codfish dish; it should be okay for him.
While she waited for the oven to warm up, Catarina stepped outside into the rear courtyard. She walked to the railing overlooking the lawn. She hadn’t seen this area for a while, but it looked like Afonso had mowed it recently too. To the other side of the path that led to the garage, a forgotten garden patch had a corner of revolved dirt where someone had started to pull the weeds.
How much work did Afonso have on his to-do list every day? No wonder Filipe had hired him to work for five months. There was so much to do.
She returned to the kitchen to find the oven ready. The tray went in, and she set the timer. As Catarina turned from the wall oven, she found Afonso entering the room wearing nothing but a bath towel low on his hips.
She stilled, and her mouth dropped open.
Afonso froze. “I thought you were napping.” His dark hair was wet from the shower, and water droplets covered his shoulders, torso, and arms.
“I thought you were still outside.” Her eyes strayed to his body, and she reluctantly brought them back up to his face.
Was that amusement in his expression? There was no mistake: she was caught openly admiring him. Could he tell the flush in her cheeks? Her internal temperature had suddenly risen, and she wished for a fan. Darn pregnancy hormones, inflating reactions out of proportion.
“I fell in a bog,” Afonso said.
His voice brought Catarina back. “You fell in what?”
“A muddy pit. It was deeper than I thought, and it got me all dirty.” He gestured to the next room. “I was on my way to the laundry room.”
“The laundry room?” Why was she repeating everything he said? Where were the words that didn’t make her sound stupid? She’d read about pregnancy brain, but this was ridiculous.
His hand went to the tucked-in towel on his hip.
She held her breath.
“To get my clothes. I’m going to the laundry room to get my clothes.” He passed a hand through his hair and walked away. “I’ll be right back.”
“That’s good. I’ll just—I’ll stay here.”
Once Afonso cleared the doorway, Catarina ran her hands under cold water and pressed them to her cheeks.
What an idiot. As if she’d never seen a seminaked man. In her defense, it had been a while—between Juan-Carlos’ absence and his preoccupation with impressing other women—and Afonso was in good shape. He didn’t look bulked up like some guys did who went to the gym every day. Juan-Carlos even had a personal trainer for a while. But Afonso was taller and leaner than Juan-Carlos. So different from Juan-Carlos.
Stop. She had to stop comparing her late husband with her cousin’s hired hand. No matter how nice Afonso was and how respected he made her feel. She had to.
“You okay?” Afonso’s voice sounded behind her, and Catarina jumped. He was dressed in jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that fit him all too well. How had she not noticed before how attractive he was?
“Yes, I’m fine. Just checking the alarm on the oven to see if it’s ready.”
He raised an eyebrow. “All the way back from the sink?”
She fanned herself with her hand. “It’s cooler over here.” Could her reply have sounded any more ridiculous? She looked away to hide her embarrassment.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, it is kind of hot in here.”
If only the kitchen was the only hot thing.
How was she going to get through the rest of the evening without making a bigger fool of herself?
* * *
After the awkwardness of being caught in a towel, Afonso enjoyed dinner with Catarina. She was more relaxed tonight, despite not sharing any personal details from her past. He wouldn’t force her to satisfy his curiosity. All in due time.
Afonso brought the four-wheeler from the barn and parked it in front of the back porch. She was waiting for him on the first step, hair pulled back into a ponytail.
It was just a ride around the property. Nothing more. He’d do well to remember that.
He hopped off and came around the ATV. “You ready?”
Catarina approached him. “It’s bigger than I thought.”
“It’s safe. We won’t be doing any off-roading. I’ll stick to the paths, and we won’t be gone too long, if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s fine,” she replied quickly. “I’d like to see the property so I can tell Filipe I’ve finally done it.” She turned her attention to the vehicle. “Are there any rules on how to ride it?”
“Just center yourself on the seat and don’t lean to the sides. I’ll do the rest.” He wasn’t an expert, but he’d been riding it on the grounds since the first week he’d arrived. He climbed on and showed her where to place her foot so she could swing the other leg over the seat.
She watched him. “Where do I hold on?”
“You can grip the seat, like this.” He scooted back and placed his fingers under the edge of the seat, then slid to the front again.
She still didn’t get on. “But I could still fall backward if I lose my balance.” She inspected the seat on the ATV once more.
“Yes, some people have a hard time keeping their balance while riding, so they just hold on to the driver.”
Her eyes lifted to his. “You mean I hold on to you?”
The corner of his mouth rose. “I won’t bite. I promise.”
Her cheeks flushed. She glanced from him to the ATV once more, hesitation written all over her expression.
“Do you want to leave it for another day?” He wouldn’t pressure her.
“No. Let’s go.” With resolve, she placed a hand on his shoulder and hopped on behind him. Her right hand came loosely around his hip and, when he peeked back at her, she gripped the seat with the other.
Afonso shifted the four-wheeler into gear, keeping his hand on the brake lever, then glanced over his shoulder. “Ready?”
Catarina nodded, and he released the brake and eased slowly into first gear to give her time to get used to the machine.
As they left the flatness of the rear lawn and started the gradual ascent toward the back of the property, he felt her slipping back in her seat, and he covered her hand with his over his middle for a brief moment. Catarina’s other arm snaked around him with a firmer grip.
When the path opened up into two, Afonso turned over his shoulder so she could hear him over the rattling of the ATV. “I’m taking you to the back of the property first, where it borders with the forest. We’ll loop around to the main gate and then end up at the house.”
“Sounds good.” Her breath brushed his ear, and the small hairs on his neck raised immediately. Afonso expelled a quick breath and concentrated on the ride instead of Catarina’s soft body against his back.
It had been a while since he’d been this close to a woman. It wasn’t an embrace, but it felt like one. Her earlier hesitancy was gone, replaced with a kind of trust that he knew what he was doing.
He had no clue. Other than driving the ATV and showing her cousin’s property, Afonso didn’t know what he was doing sitting close to this woman who was hiding from something she didn’t want to talk about. That much he’d guessed.
Catarina touched his shoulder, and he slowed down.
She gestured toward the fence ahead. “The fence is down over there.”
“Hold on,” he said to her. He sped up a bit until they reached the spot she’d indicated.
He turned off the engine and got off. Catarina followed him.
On closer look, the fence wasn’t down, but the wires had been cut clean through. This was a job done with wire cutters, not wires snapped by a large animal or some other natural force.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ll just have to come back tomorrow and restring it.” He didn’t want to alarm her until he found out how it had happened.
They returned to the ATV. He revved up and rode along the fence for a few meters before returning to the path on the east. After, they crossed to the west, and he showed her the other side of the property, ending at the main gate. He stopped to view the village from the road.
“I’ve been mostly in the house since I arrived,” she said after looking on for a few minutes. “I didn’t realize the property was like this.”
Had she been sick the entire time or not in the mood to go out? He held off the questions, not wanting to pry, but still wondering about her.
He took the ATV up the main drive and parked by the large linden tree, the one bordering the old rose garden. He helped Catarina dismount, and she sat on the grass in the shade cast by the smaller trees around them. Afonso joined her.
Before them, the sun set lazily, casting orange rays along the golden shadows, and the breeze ruffled the leaves on the tree above. He’d arrived nearly two weeks ago, on a similar evening with just as stunning a sunset. Catarina was the first one he met here, and it had not been a good meeting. There was a tentative truce between them now, one that could easily progress into friendship. But did he really want a friendship with a woman? The last one had not ended so well. And to complicate matters, this woman was a recent widow, still recovering from her husband’s death, still walking in a cloud of melancholy.
Already so much had changed. That terrible weight he’d been carrying for way too long had lifted, and he’d been too busy to notice how much lighter his heart had become. It was gradual, but it was happening, and maybe by the time he left Sunset Manor he’d be ready to try a new life without a vestige of the old one.
“This is a great tree,” Catarina said after a stretch of silence.
He looked up in the same direction she did, under the wide canopy. “It has the perfect shape.”
“When I was little, we spent summers at my grandparents’ farm. My Romano grandparents.” Catarina pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.” There was an oak tree in the backyard, and one summer Avô António hung a swing from the lowest branch.” She looked to the branches with a pensive expression. “It became my favorite spot.”
He could almost see a little girl swinging on the wooden seat, hair flying and carefree, unburdened from the worries of life. She wore those worries too much, in stern frowns and guarded expressions. This was the most relaxed he’d seen her yet. What would she look like with a genuine smile on her face?
As she lost herself in her memories, Afonso watched her. Her cheeks had a rosy tone to them, and her eyes shone in the warm evening light. She looked different today.
“Are you feeling better?”
Her expression turned serious, and her eyebrows knit together. “Feeling better about what?”
Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. “From your sickness. You were in bad shape.” It had been scary to find her like that.
She looked straight ahead. “I am feeling better. I’ve been careful to eat and drink regularly so I don’t go through that again.” After a pause, she added, “Thank you for what you did for me that day. How did you know I had to go to the hospital?”
This time Afonso broke the eye contact. “I have training as an emergency first responder.”
“Is that what you did aboard the ship?”
He nodded. “Among other things. On a small river cruise ship, the only one who doesn’t have double duty is the captain. Everyone else has more than just one responsibility.” He’d enjoyed having different things to do every day.
“What kind of a captain is Matias?”
“He’s just and honest, and the passengers love him. He also knows how to keep his crew working with a smile, even amid problems. Not an easy feat.”
“Did you like working on a river cruise ship? Are you going back to it?”
She’d turned the conversation back to him.
“I liked it, but I’m done with that life. I was fired from the Gold River Company and no other river cruise company will ever hire me with my record.”
“What will you be doing then?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet.” Did it matter what he did as long as it was honest work? “Something will come up.”
“How long are you staying for?”
“Until the end of October. That will give me the time to finish all the projects before the winter comes. I’ll have to ask Filipe when he’s planning to return.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t think he knows. He’s talked about keeping the house, then he changed his mind and said he was selling it, then he changed his mind again.”
“Where will you go if he sells the manor?”
She turned to look away from him. “I—I haven’t thought about it.”
Her expression closed off again. Her tolerance for questions of a more private nature was as low as before. Maybe he should wait to ask her another time, but his curiosity wouldn’t let go. “Who’s Juan-Carlos?”
Her face paled. “Juan-Carlos?”
Her Spanish accent was impeccable. She was back to repeating what he said, which she did when she got nervous. Maybe she did it to buy herself some time.
“You mentioned that name when you were sick. Was that your husband?”
Catarina sucked in a breath and pressed her fingers to her lips.
What kind of fool was he? “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” She was still very much affected by her husband’s passing. “You don’t have to say anything.”
She nodded and looked away to compose herself, and he gave her a few minutes.
Afonso stood and extended his hand to her. They watched each other for a long moment before she finally placed her fingers in his.
Such a small hand she had. A need came over him to cradle her hand and protect her from the grief. But it was not up to him to console her.
They mounted the ATV without saying anything else, and Afonso drove it around the house to the back. She didn’t put her arms around him this time, and he maneuvered slowly so she could keep her balance.
At the kitchen door, she hesitated before entering, then turned to him. “Thanks for showing me the grounds.”
“You’re welcome.”
She stood silent but didn’t rush inside either.
“I’m going to return the ATV to the barn, and then I’ll be a while. I need to make a list for my shopping trip on Friday.”
She straightened her posture. “Where are you going shopping?”
“Some supply stores in Castelo Branco. Do you need anything?”
“I need to run some errands in the city. Can I get a ride?”
“Sure.”
After she entered the manor, Afonso had second thoughts about her coming along, but it would be rude to take back the offer.
He’d have to keep the questions to himself and the conversation to neutral themes. As long as he remembered to stay away from getting too personal, it would be okay.