forget a great deal. Then again, he wasn't a man a woman would shrug off like an old coat either.
"My image? To say I'm a Gypsy is enough to strike fear in many hearts, unfortunately, not the bull's."
"I'd rather think of you as a dancer. Who taught you to dance?"
"My mother. I've no idea where she is or if she's still alive. She'd often form liaisons with wealthy men and leave my sister and me with our grandmother. The last time, she didn't come back. I don't want your sympathy for that either. My life has been nothing like yours. Let's leave it at that."
She had often felt like an outsider in her own family, but she'd had a pampered childhood and had always been loved. She could easily imagine him running through the streets barefoot, his hair too long, and in need of a bath. They were back on the freeway before she relaxed. "Barcelona is a beautiful city. The air here sparkles with energy. Except for the water, the terrain closely resembles Arizona. It's easy to see why the Conquistadores were at home in America's southwest."
"You live in Arizona?"
"Yes, in Tucson."
"It's close to the border with Mexico, isn't it? I could come visit you when I fight there."
Her first thought was to invite him to speak on her high school's career day. She was certain no matador had ever been part of the program. "Yes, I suppose you could. Do you have a crew who travels with you?"
"No, I have to carry my own luggage and hire men to work in the ring."
"Are they difficult to find?"
"No, but good ones are. Have you ever been to a bullfight?"
"No, I've read a lot about them, but I've never wanted to go."
"Your father has films he could show you. He was among the very best."
"So I've heard, but bullfighting is too violent for my tastes."
"But it's a very beautiful violence," he argued. "You might learn to appreciate it."
"I'd be more likely to sprout wings and fly home."
He dropped his voice to a more sympathetic tone. "You should be more open to new experiences."
"Does that line work on other women?"
"With me as the experience? I'm too busy to chase women. I want to know you; that's a different thing."
If her father weren't Miguel Aragon, they'd never have met, and she couldn't help but feel her father was a huge factor in his interest. "Thank you."
When they reached her father's home, he walked her up to the front door and leaned down to kiss her. It was another mere token of a kiss, as brief as the one when they'd danced. She knew he could do better, but turned away to reach for the doorknob and found the door locked.
"Oh no, I didn't think to ask for a key and I hate to wake Mrs. Lopez."
"Do you have a cell phone to call Santos or the twins?"
"I didn't bring it with me, and I don't know their numbers. Let's go around to the back. Maybe they left the kitchen door open for me."
He took her hand in a soft clasp. "I'll stay with you if you can't get in. We could sleep on the beach, and you'd be able to sneak back into the house when the kitchen help arrives in the morning. No one would have to know you'd been out all night."
The evening was pleasantly warm, but sleeping on the beach with him for company couldn't possibly be as innocent as he made it sound. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
He tried the back door. "It's locked too." He stepped back to look up at the second floor, but no lights were showing. "Maybe Santos isn't home yet. We could wait for him here."
She moved farther back to also search the dark balconies. The shutters that closed them off from the sea at night were all shut. "The twins said they'd wait up for me. Maybe they're watching a movie downstairs. I've not been through the whole house, so I'm not sure where to look. There should be a nurse on duty. Maybe she'll come into the kitchen."
"So the house is full of people?" he asked.
She swallowed hard but still felt as though she'd been deliberately shut out. It brought a familiar ache, and she shook it off. "It could be, but I'd rather not wake my grandmother or Cirilda."
"Or Santos?" he added softly.
"Are matadors ever friends?"
He looked out toward the sea. "We must take care of ourselves first.