so unstable, maybe he was having seconds thoughts about her, and she couldn't blame him.
He sat beside her. He'd taken the basket and blanket inside and come outside looking for her. "First I'll have to find a woman who'd want to marry me; then I'll think about it."
"So you don't have an opinion?" Fox replied.
"Not at this moment, no." He stretched out his legs and closed his eyes. "Isn't that an odd subject to interest a kid your age?"
"No, you've got to plan ahead, or life will run over you."
"Good advice," Maggie agreed. "I've been run over a time or two."
"Hell, I've got tire tracks on my heart. That would work for a country western song, wouldn't it?"
Maggie laughed in spite of herself. "We'll have to check and make certain it hasn't already been used."
Fox stood. "You want some ice cream?"
"No, thank you, I'm fine," she answered.
"I'm fine too," Rafael added. As soon as the door shut behind Fox, he leaned close to her. "I did let you go, but I think your father's death has hit you much harder than you realize, and you ought to make an appointment with Dr. Moreno."
Miguel's death had affected her, but not for the reason he assumed. He had just given her an excellent excuse to speak with the physician, but she couldn't appear grateful and feigned reluctance. "I don't know; maybe I do have some sort of post-traumatic stress, but he'd probably just prescribe tranquilizers."
"Maybe that's what you need. As for us, I can't stop you from worrying about me, but I wish you had more faith in me. If I thought I'd be killed on Sunday, I'd retire today."
"If anyone could terrify a bull, it's you," she assured him. "But I doubt any matador expects to die in the ring."
He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "Let's think about dancing. You can't go home until we've had a chance to dance again. We should go back to Bailaora now that you have your dress and shoes."
They were both good at pursuing distractions, but the elephant still remained in the room, or on the porch. "Yes, let's go tomorrow night. Would it be easier if I moved into Santos's condo?"
He answered her question with a narrowed look, one of his most fearsome expressions, but he'd shown himself to be protective, not violent, and he didn't frighten her. Her chest still felt tight, but that he thought her suffering from stress rather than being just plain crazy was an enormous plus.
The next morning, Rafael wandered around Zaragoza while Maggie and Santos met with Mr. Calderon. He found a bench with a good view of Augustin's memorial. He seldom turned his back on a bull in Augustin's pose, and with good reason. Jose Cubero, called Yiyo, had died at twenty-one when he'd turned his back on the bull he thought he'd slain. Even with the sword plunged deep, the bull had made a final lunge and sent a horn through Cubero's heart.
He couldn't argue with Magdalena. Sometimes the bull did win, and a matador was killed. But she cared for him rather than his growing fame. Perhaps her father's death was too vivid in her mind to dream of love, but he couldn't send her home to grieve with the scant hope she'd return to him. He looked at his watch and stood to go back to meet her. For the first time in his life, he'd met a woman he could love, but he wouldn't make promises he couldn't keep.
Sergio Calderon closed his leather folder and clasped his hands on top. "I think we've covered enough for today. While I didn't want to speak in front of the others, your father was always generous when anyone in his family had an emergency and needed funds. A gambling debt isn't an emergency, of course."
Santos laughed. "Other than gambling with my life in a bullring, I don't bet on anything else."
The attorney glanced at Maggie, and she shook her head. "I work too hard to earn money to risk it for a thrill. What about Enrique? He doesn't seem to have much in the way of ambition."
"Your father was concerned about him and blamed himself for not spending more time with him. I think we should be firm with him and insist he continue his education if he wants the Aragon fund's support."
"That's fine with me," Santos agreed.
Maggie nodded. "With two of you here in Spain, you can make whatever decisions need