Chapter Fourteen
Josephine sat beside Martin on the cottage’s front porch, tucked into his side with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He’d had more time to spend with her lately, as his big investigation had gone quiet. It was always so peaceful being with him, even with the chaos of everything else going on in her life.
Throughout the past six weeks she had been spending time learning more about her long-lost father, who was considering putting down roots in Miami. He’d said he didn’t want to miss a moment more of his daughter’s life and not a second of his granddaughter’s.
Rake was a constant in her life, dropping by often to see how she was doing and leaving little gifts. At times his presence stirred up emotions that made her feel like she was being unfaithful to Martin all over again. Especially when he turned that dark gaze on her and heat flared to life inside her.
The baby kicked her, dragging an oomph from her at the force of the blow, as if the baby was upset by Josephine’s thoughts.
She laid her hand over her belly and rubbed gently until the movements ceased. “Easy girl,” she said.
“Are you okay?” Martin said and went to lay his hand over hers, but hesitated.
“It’s okay to touch her,” she said, and he relented and covered her hand, but she reversed their positions so he could feel the movement of the baby beneath his palm.
An astonished look passed over his face, but then it became tinged with a hint of sadness. “I used to picture this in my mind. How you would look when you were carrying my baby. After we…you know…”
She cradled his cheek and urged him to look at her. “I did too. I’m sorry it happened this way.”
“I still want that, my darling. I want it so much,” he said.
Her heart skipped a beat, and as her gaze met his, the need there mirrored her own. She took hold of his hand and drew it upward, over her breast. “I’ve been dreaming of this. Of you touching me.”
He sucked in a breath and his body tensed beside her, but he caressed her and leaned closer to whisper, “You don’t know how hard it is not to do more with you.”
“You want to do more? Even now?” she said with surprise. How could any man want someone who looked like her, all round and swollen?
“I do, Josephine. So much, but we had always talked about waiting until we were married. That it would be the right thing to do. I want to honor that promise, no matter how much I want to be with you.”
She sighed at his words, wishing for once that Martin wasn’t always so honorable and patient. Images from her night with Rake flickered quickly through her mind, fueling her growing need as Martin tenderly caressed her and kissed her temple. She forced the thoughts of another man away, turned her face and covered her mouth with his, wanting to show Martin just how much she wanted him.
The baby kicked again, dampening her passion. “She’s so active,” she said.
Martin laughed and placed his hand over the baby, this time without hesitation. “Be gentle, little one. You’ll be here soon enough.”
She would, which made Josephine think about something else. “I thought we might be married right after the baby is born. I don’t want to wait too long.” Josephine was tired of her life being so dramatic. The sooner she could get back on track with her plans, the better.
“I don’t either, my darling. If we could, I’d say let’s do it now, but I know how much you wanted to wear your grandmother’s wedding gown.”
“I always dreamed of walking down the aisle in her dress; it’s so beautiful. And I want the wedding to be all about us starting our lives together and the baby…” Her voice trailed off, but she knew he understood. The baby was Rake’s, and her belly was not something she wanted front and center at her wedding to Martin.
“You are going to look lovely, and I’m counting the minutes until then, my darling.”
She smiled and kissed him, her caring, gentle, and patient Martin. He was truly the kind of man worthy of being her husband and a father to the daughter who would be here shortly. And Rake could only be a friend and nothing more.
She had to believe that and stick to it because anything else…
Anything else? Anything else, what? You can’t leave us hanging, Josephine! Josephine?
With a final yank of the wrapping paper, Rake unveiled the brand-new crib that he’d ordered. The wrought-iron crib had been handmade in Paris with decorative scrollwork that was painted in an emerald green and gilded with gold. Casters made it easy to move the crib around. Not that there is much room, he thought as he looked around Josephine’s tiny bedroom.
He had ordered two of the cribs, as well as the horsehair-stuffed mattresses and down pillows, so that he could also have the same crib in the Regal Sol. He wanted his daughter to be comfortable no matter where she stayed.
“It’s so…extravagant. You really didn’t have to do this,” Josephine said, obviously uneasy.
“It is not a bother. I want my daughter to be at home wherever she is, although, I confess,” he said, gathering his courage to speak plainly, “I wish she didn’t need two sets of everything. Or two homes.”
“Rake, we discussed this—” she began, and he hated the conciliatory tone in her voice, so he cut her off.
“It’s just hard not to think about it, Josephine. About us being together. After all, you’re having my baby.”
He cleared his throat and went on, feeling apprehensive. This wasn’t going the way he’d expected, but he intended to show Josephine he was serious about a future with her and their child. Rake reached into his suit pocket and pulled out the papers he’d had his attorney prepare days earlier. He laid them on the table and scooted them in her direction.
At her puzzled look, he said, “For you. Read it.”
She hesitated, but he shifted the paper ever closer. “Please, Josephine. For the baby.”
She picked up the papers and unfolded them. As she read, her eyes opened wide and the color slowly drained from her face. “You’ve made me and the baby part owners of the hotel?” she finally said in a shaky voice.
He nodded, and puzzled by her reaction, he said, “I had hoped this might prove to you that I’m serious about our future together.”
“Rake,” she said hesitantly, clearly searching for the right words. “This is incredibly generous…too generous. It’s—It’s too much. Far too much.”
He frowned, disappointed and confused by her reaction. Maybe he was just too used to people who thought money was the most important thing in their lives. “I just wanted you to know that I can provide for you and the baby.”
She looked at him strangely, shaking her head. “I can provide for the baby, Rake.”
“But I want to give you and our daughter the best that money can buy,” he urged, and as bright color erupted on her cheeks, he realized he was making a mess of this.
“So you think you can buy me and our baby?” she gestured to the crib, anger clearly evident in her voice now. She shoved the paperwork over to him. “Do you think we’re just like another piece of property that will go to the highest bidder?”
“What? No.” Alarm flooded through Rake. He’d never expected this kind of reaction or just how upset she would be. “Not at all, Josephine. I just wanted you to see that we can make a beautiful future for our family. Our daughter can have all the things you never had growing up.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned into a sharp slash. Her next words cut him to the core. “Having a lot of money doesn’t make you a family. You of all people should know that, Rake.”
He did, and he was beginning to realize how badly he’d mishandled the situation. “I do know that, Josephine, and I want better for my child. Our child,” he hastily corrected.
She tilted her chin up defiantly. “And I do too. I want our child to work hard and learn right from wrong. And I don’t want her growing up thinking that being wealthy will solve all her problems in life!”
“She won’t!” He crossed the room to take hold of her shoulders gently. “We will teach her that. We’ll teach her all those things. Together,” he said, pleading with her to understand.
She shook her head, moving away from him and wrapping her arms around her belly. “How, when I don’t think you really understand that yourself, Rake? Just look at this.” She gestured to the room full of expensive baby gifts. “From everything I can see, you think that money can solve any problem.”
“That’s not true,” he said, but hated that there was some truth to her accusation. From his relationship with his father to the problems with the hotel, and yes, even to Josephine and the baby, he had sometimes thought that with enough money, all those problems would vanish.
She must have sensed that he finally understood, since her stance softened a little. “I know you only want what’s best for me and the baby, Rake. I truly do, but the kind of man I need in my life is one who puts his family first. One who is honorable and will be there for us when we need him. Can you be that kind of man, Rake?”
A sick feeling came over him since there was no doubting the sincerity of her conviction.
“I can try,” he said, but sadly, he knew he wasn’t that kind of man. Not yet anyway.
With all joy gone, he gave Josephine the remaining gifts he’d purchased. She accepted each one with a forced smile and a dutiful thank you.
At the door to the cottage he hesitated, not knowing how to end their day together. She likewise stood there awkwardly until, without another word, he left the Valencia cottage, crushed and heartbroken. For the first time in his entire life, Rake Solvino felt incredibly, utterly helpless.
Well, it’s a horse race, my friends! Rake and Martin have left the post, and it looks like Martin is ahead by a length going into the far turn. Rake will have to use some muscle to take the lead. Bets, anyone? Does baby make the odds two to one in Rake’s favor? We shall see.
Martin stared at the whiskey as if it would have the answers to all the questions rattling around in his head. More than a month had passed since he’d returned from Palm Beach, and so much had happened with Josephine during that time. Little by little, they’d started to rekindle the friendship and trust that they’d shared during the two years that he’d courted her. Little by little, they’d shared what passion they could before breaking apart because they’d decided to wait. But as soon as the baby came, they could be married and then he’d finally get to be with the woman who had filled his dreams for so long.
Although it seemed like forever until the birth of the baby, every day that he saw Josephine and her growing belly reminded him that he only had to wait another few months for his dreams to be fulfilled.
He’d soon be her husband, but also a father, though not in the way that he’d once imagined. It was impossible not to remember that when every day some token of Rake’s impending fatherhood stared him in the face, like the fancy new crib that was now sitting in Josephine’s bedroom.
His hand shook as he picked up the glass and took a sip, thinking about the real father and how Rake intended to be a part of their lives after the birth. Even though he’d told Josephine that he could handle that, he worried about how he would. This situation wasn’t like the family he’d grown up in. A loving and faithful mother and father.
He always enjoyed when they would come down for their yearly visit closer to the Christmas holidays. The workload on their Ohio farm was usually lighter then, and a farmhand could be trusted to manage it. He knew his parents had wanted him to stay on the farm, but the Pinkertons had drawn him away because they hadn’t been able to place him in the area.
The allure of the big city had called away his older brother, not that they had much in common. Where he normally toed the line, his brother delighted in dashing past it, frustrating his parents with his errant ways. Come to think of it, his brother was a lot like Rake.
Rake, he thought with a grimace as the liquor’s bite and heat slid down his throat.
He had hoped that they would have made a break in the case by now. A break that would have proved that Rake Solvino was Sin Sombra, but so far no luck. The only luck they had was that Ernesto Solvino, who was suspect number two, was still in Miami. If either of them made a mistake, Martin intended to be there to make him pay for that error.
A strong clap on his back drew him from his dark thoughts.
“Detective Cadden. So good to see you,” said Ronaldo de la Sera as he sat on the empty stool beside him.
“Mr. de la Sera,” Martin said respectfully.
With a flourish of his hand like a magician’s reveal, and a broad welcoming smile, the older man said, “Ronaldo, please. You are family.”
“Not yet, but hopefully soon, Ronaldo,” he said and motioned for the bartender to come over.
“What can I get you?” the young man asked.
“Another whiskey for me. Ronaldo, what would you like?” Martin asked.
“Champagne. Chilled, of course. But not too cold. It damages the bubbles,” the older man said, earning an annoyed look from the server.
“You heard the man,” Martin instructed, and the bartender hurried off to fill the order.
Martin tossed back the last of his whiskey and grimaced once again at the sting of the alcohol.
“You drink like a man with demons,” Ronaldo said and arched an inquiring brow.
Martin shrugged, and as the bartender placed the round of drinks before them, he picked up his glass and held it up for a toast. “To our lovely Josephine.”
“To my wonderful daughter, Josephine,” Ronaldo said and clicked his glass against Martin’s.
“She is wonderful, isn’t she?” he said, almost as if he was reassuring himself, and took a smaller sip of the whiskey. He wasn’t normally a drinker and didn’t want to overdo.
“You of all people should know. You’re going to marry her, are you not? I must say I was both surprised and pleased by that,” Ronaldo said.
He hadn’t known Ronaldo long, but in the last month or so, he’d spent some time with Josephine’s father. In that short time, he’d come to like the man. He’d also sensed that beneath that colorful and seemingly self-centered persona was a very caring man. For that reason, he felt free enough to share his concerns.
“I never thought she would…you know,” he confessed.
“It takes a strong man to forgive something like that and to raise another man’s child,” Ronaldo said and glanced his way. “I think that you, Detective Martin, are a very strong man.”
Martin laughed harshly and sipped his whiskey again. “I hope I am strong enough, Ronaldo. I never pictured myself in such an unusual family. Mine was rather…normal. It may take some explaining to them when they come down for the wedding.”
Ronaldo shrugged and tsk-tsked his denial. “I’ve always thought normal was boring. You’ll never be bored with my Josephine.”
Martin laughed again, but this time with humor. “Yes, I won’t be bored, and while I thought I knew her, she surprised me.”
“Women are often filled with surprises,” Ronaldo said and smiled after a sip of his champagne. “Bubbly, just like my Zara and your Josephine.”
He smiled at that description of his fiancée, because she was spunky and filled with spirit. Those were just two of the many things he loved about Josephine and yet…
“How did you deal with your surprise?”
The older man smiled indulgently, sipped his drink again, and then laid a hand on Martin’s shoulder. “I was shocked at first, but we were out in public, and I have an image to maintain.”
“You couldn’t make a scene,” he said, understanding.
“Of course not, but when I went to see Zara later, it was quite a scene. I was angry. I’d missed so much of my daughter’s life and Zara’s. She had always stayed in my mind over the years. These Valencia women are potent.”
“Yes, they are,” Martin said with a smile.
“But it was not easy to suddenly find out I was a father. Just as I imagine it was not easy for you to find out you’re going to be one.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Martin agreed. It was a lot to handle, and he hadn’t handled it well at first. Of course, most men who were going to be fathers had lain with their wives, so by all accounts, he had reason to be out of sorts. And then there was Rake and Josephine’s “friendship” with the man and his concerns that Rake would not be content to leave it at that.
Ronaldo squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “You have doubts, but that doesn’t make you a bad man, Martin.”
Martin laughed harshly. “I wonder about that sometimes,” he said, recalling his earlier wishes about removing Rake from the father equation. What kind of man would want a child’s father to be a criminal so that he could get him out of the way?
“I don’t, Martin. I may seem a little focused on myself at times—I’m often misunderstood that way, you know—but I can see you care a great deal about my daughter. You want her to be happy—”
“I do, only…sometimes I wonder if she’d be happier with someone else.”
Ronaldo released Martin with a dramatic push and a loud scoffing laugh. “Do not play with me, Martin. It is obvious who has Josephine’s heart and who would make her the happiest.”
As long as Ronaldo was being so understanding, Martin let himself wallow for a little bit longer. “It is not obvious to me.”
With a wave of his hand, Ronaldo challenged him again. “Because you are too focused on the future instead of the present. You need to be more like me and not worry about the future.”
Martin could not have been more confused, since he always worried about planning for the future. He shook his head and picked up his glass. He stared at it, wondering if maybe he’d had too much to drink, because that last statement hadn’t made sense, but Ronaldo urged his hand down.
“I am not crazy, despite what some may say, Martin. Josephine needs a strong man beside her now to show her what’s truly in her heart. If you stand by her, show her how much you love her, the present will take care of the future you are worrying about so much. For example, I wished I had told Zara that I cared about her. Maybe if I had, she would have asked me to stay and I would have known I had a daughter. Been a part of their lives.”
Surprisingly, his words made sense in a crazy kind of way. “So what about you and Zara now?”
A little of Ronaldo’s bluster dimmed at the mention of Josephine’s mother. “I was so worried about becoming a star that I didn’t see the precious gift that I had been given. I didn’t appreciate Zara and her beauty. Her spirit. I do not intend to make that mistake again.”
Martin considered all that Ronaldo had said and how it applied to him and Josephine. Like Ronaldo, he didn’t intend to make that mistake again either. “I appreciate you talking with me, Ronaldo.”
“Well, of course, Martin. We are family now, so I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a very important question,” the man said.
“No, sir—”
“Ronaldo, please,” he reminded and swigged down some more champagne.
“Ronaldo, I truly love your daughter more than anything. You do not have to worry about that,” he said, assuming what Ronaldo was about to ask.
The man laughed and clapped a strong hand onto Martin’s shoulder. “Of course, you do, Martin. Only a man who truly loves a woman would forgive her the way you have my Josephine.”
Confused, Martin peered at the other man. “Then what important question were you going to ask me?”
“You are ready for your first wedding dance, are you not? Latin families love to dance, and it’s very important that you’re ready for that big moment,” Ronaldo said.
Martin was about to laugh again, but as he met Ronaldo’s gaze, it was clear he was totally serious. That suddenly made him very nervous, because he had the proverbial two left feet. “I’m really not ready for that,” he confessed.
“Then we must teach you!” Ronaldo slipped off the stool and held his hand out, but when Martin hesitated, Ronaldo looked around. “Ah, I understand. A Pinkerton has an image to uphold much like I do.”
He flagged down the bartender. “Please send bottles of your best whiskey and champagne to my room.”
The bartender eyed him dubiously.
With a twinkle of amusement in his own eyes, Martin stood and laid a hand on the server’s shoulder. “Please don’t tell me that you don’t know who this is! It’s the one and only Ronaldo de la Sera. Be sure to remember that.”
The bartender rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Detective Cadden. I’ll have the bottles sent up.”
“Thank you so much,” Ronaldo said, and the two of them walked out of the Regal Sol saloon and over to the elevators. Once inside, the operator expertly worked the gate and engaged the lever to move them to their floor. The ride was smooth, the operator skilled as he perfectly aligned the elevator with the doorway.
In no time they were in Ronaldo’s room, and he hurried over to a small piecrust table and the Victor phonograph that sat on it. The phonograph had a large brass horn and a record was already sitting on the turntable. Ronaldo turned the crank slowly and gently until the mechanism stopped. He glanced over his shoulder at Martin and said, “Are you ready?”
He wasn’t, but he also didn’t want to embarrass himself, Ronaldo, or the Valencia family at the wedding. After his nod, Ronaldo placed the needle on the phonograph and immediately the sounds of Ronaldo singing to what Martin had come to learn was a very Latin beat filtered out of the large brass horn.
Josephine’s father walked to stand before him and held up one hand. “Come now, Martin. It is just a simple one-two-three.”
He wiped suddenly sweaty palms on his pants and grasped Ronaldo’s hand as the other man counted out the beat and instructed Martin on the steps to follow. More than once, he stepped on Ronaldo’s toes, but the other man didn’t complain. He kept up his patient count of the beat until Martin was easily following him.
Martin smiled. “I can do this,” he said eagerly.
“Yes, you can, my friend. Just one more thing to learn,” Ronaldo said, and suddenly Martin felt himself falling backward before Ronaldo held him suspended just inches from the floor.
“The dip, Martin. It is very important to learn the dip,” Ronaldo said with a grin.
With a quick jerk of his hand, he pulled Martin back up, and after a few tries, Martin was able to execute the all-important dip. Smiling, he said, “Am I ready now, Ronaldo?”
The other man grinned and tossed his arm over Martin’s shoulders. “You most certainly are, my friend.”
Friends, it looks like we now have even odds in this horse race with the start of this wonderful friendship! Look for Ronaldo to be rooting for Martin in the homestretch.