Caroline's heart grew cold as she recognized the purchase requisition she'd drafted for the new water pump.
"I can explain," she muttered past the lump in her throat.
"I might have known," Jason said, his voice soft and full of loathing. "You forged Senhor Aveiro's signature."
"It—it was the easiest thing...."
Caroline fell silent as Jason's booming laughter filled the room. "God, you amaze me!"
"I knew that the companies in Manaus were accustomed to dealing with Senhor Aveiro," she hurried to explain, though she doubted he was listening to her. "Instead of writing and trying to explain the situation, it made more sense to handle it that way."
"You had no right! What the hell were you thinking?"
"Please do not swear at me, Jason!" She came to her feet, facing his irrational fury with calm poise—on the outside at least. On the inside, her heart quaked and her body trembled with apprehension.
"I should do more than that! I should wring your neck!"
Trying to remain calm in the face of his fury, Caroline said, "The water pump was broken and—"
"It breaks regularly."
"I know. That's my point."
After her talk with Ignacio, Caroline had expected some initial resistance from Jason, but not this unreasonable fury. It was only natural that he be frugal after living in poverty for the first part of his life, but how many times had he repaired a worn-out piece of machinery to keep from spending a little money? "The pump needed replacing months—perhaps years—ago."
"Who gave you the authority to make a decision like that? To spend my money? It breaks and Luis repairs it and it works again. You had no right!" He slammed his fist on the desk again for emphasis.
"Luis was with you!" She took great pride in reminding him and watching the color rise to his throat and the fury flame in his eyes. "Besides, have you ever stopped to think about how much time you waste repairing an old, worn-out pump? Time that you could use more productively?"
"That is none of your concern! I thought I'd made myself clear that I didn't want you sticking your nose into my business!"
"I was only trying to help," she said, forcing the tears from her eyes. "You know, with a new pump, you could harvest the coffee much more quickly. The faster you can wash it and dry it and get it off the patios, the sooner you can harvest more. In fact," she went on, lifting a book from the edge of the desk and riffling through it, "the man who wrote this book says that you can increase the drying time twofold by—"
She released a cry of surprise as the book went flying from her hands and Jason's booming voice shuddered through her.
"Stop it! Stop it!" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the suddenly small room. He took a deep breath and when he spoke again, his voice was more controlled. "I don't want to hear about your theories on coffee cultivation. I don't care that you decided the pump needed replacing. I want you to stop...." He paused, a growl of rage rumbling up from his chest and trembling through his body. "Stop interfering with my life!"
Movement in the hallway behind Jason caught her attention. Glad for the time to gather her composure, she called, "What is it, Vincente?"
Jason released a sigh and moved away, standing in a corner against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him. Vincente entered the room cautiously.
"Are you all right, Senhora?" he asked, darting a warning glare at Jason, despite his apparent unease.
From his corner, Jason snorted and returned the boy's stare with an expression that Vincente evidently understood, though its meaning was lost on Caroline. The boy stiffened, his face and throat reddening as he turned away from Jason and gazed at her sheepishly.
"We have unloaded the water pump," Vincente said, standing before her, twisting his hat in his hand. "What should we do with it?"
Caroline gazed at Jason, wondering what had passed between the two of them. Vincente was just a boy, a boy who felt obligated to protect her because she'd saved his life. Now she was the one who felt protective.
"Senhora," Vincente prompted, drawing Caroline back from her musings, "the pump. What shall we do with it?"
Caroline glared at Jason. "I suppose you should ask the patrao, now that he's back."
"It's your pump," Jason grumbled from the corner.
"Very well," Caroline said stiffly, lifting her chin in defiance. "Have it taken to the beneficio. The patrao will