Rio by Georgina Gentry

their bodies almost touching.
    He stared down into her eyes and she saw passion and need there, but he stepped back and bowed low. “After you, Miss Turquoise.”
    They returned inside and settled down in the Durango private car where Trace was already dozing over a ranch magazine. Rio leaned back against the cushions and slept, but she could not sleep. She had had one chance maybe to meet the important people and mingle with them and now she was headed back to her schoolroom.
    Finally, the train stopped at the tiny village station in late night. A buggy driven by the ranch foreman, Pedro, was waiting and they all piled in, Rio putting his hands on her slim waist and helping her up into the buggy where he sat next to her.
    “Hey, Pedro.” Trace shook his hand. “Anything much been happenin’ while we been gone?”
    “Not much, boss.” The two men got in the front of the buggy and they started off.
    “I’ve bought some new blooded cattle,” Trace said. “They’ll be shipped in here soon. Otherwise, it was a pretty dull trip.”
    Dull trip? How could he say that? Turquoise thought as she tried to scoot farther away from Rio, but the seat wasn’t that wide. It had been the most exciting time of her life.
    It was ten miles back to the ranch and sometime in that monotonous buggy ride, Turquoise fell asleep in spite of herself. When the buggy finally pulled up before the big white hacienda with the fountain in the front patio, she was leaning against the big man and he had put his arm around her, cradling her against him.
    She sat bolt upright.
    “I was keeping you from falling,” he explained.
    Trace was already stepping down. “
Gracias,
Pedro. Take Rio over and find him a place in the bunkhouse. He’ll be with us a few weeks shoein’ horses.”
    Pedro’s white teeth gleamed in his dark face. “Ah, good, amigo. You’ll be here for Cinco de Mayo then?”
    “Si.”
Rio nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.” He stepped down and helped Turquoise from the buggy, then stood looking down at her. “Good to see you again, senorita.”
    “Yes,” she said and walked into the house, Trace right behind her with the luggage. She looked back and saw the buggy headed toward the bunkhouse.
    “Ah, good to be home,” Trace said with a sigh as they entered. “Now if Cimarron and the kids were only here. I hope they get enough of Philadelphia to last a lifetime.”
    “I wish now I’d gone with them,” Turquoise said as they entered the front parlor.
    “Well, you were bound and determined to be a debutante,” Trace griped. “Damned foolishness.”
    She’d been humiliated, that was true, but because of it, she’d met Edwin Forester, who was everything she dreamed of in a husband. Problem was, he was now more than fifty miles away and in this isolated ranch country, it might as well have been the distance to the moon.
    She awakened the next morning thinking of all she had to do with her little class today, then realized suddenly itwas Saturday. She dressed in a plain blue denim dress and went downstairs where old Maria was serving steak, eggs, and tortillas, washed down by strong black coffee.
    “Well, good mornin’, sleepyhead. It’s eight o’clock. The day’s half gone.” Trace grinned at her and Pedro jumped to his feet as she entered the big dining room. “We’ve already been layin’ out work for the day.”
    “Buenos dias.”
Pedro grinned at her with his gold front tooth.
    “Buenos dias,”
she said with a yawn.
    Trace pulled her chair out and the men sat back down. Maria entered and poured her some coffee.
    “Ah, little one, you have a good time in the big city,
si?
” Maria patted Turquoise’s head, as she had always done.
    “It was fun.” Turquoise smiled at her. “I’ll give you all the details later, lots of shopping.”
    Trace groaned. “Well, that’s not something I’m eager to hear about again. Come on, Pedro, let’s go over to the bunkhouse and get that new man started.”
    Rio.