The Texas Renegade Returns

She deserved an explanation. And he had her curious now. What kind of excuses could make up for breaking her heart and destroying their love? “Send the musicians away. There’ll be no serenading and dancing tonight.”

His breath rushed out. “So, you’ll stay?”

“Only for dinner. I’ll hear you out and then you’ll take me back home.”

A beam of hope entered his eyes. He nodded. “I promise.”

A promise from Alex del Toro?

Maybe someone had some swampland in Florida to sell her, too.

* * *

Cara’s eyes closed as she took her first bite of shrimp scampi. The shrimp and the linguini were perfectly cooked. Garlic and olive oil made everything better. The evening was perfect, right down to the best pairing of wine to accompany the meal and the pink-gold blaze of light setting over the river.

Leave it to Alex to make it all so memorable...even the second time around. But there wouldn’t be any offering of engagement rings or talk of happily-ever-afters tonight.

“It’s delicious,” she said.

She waited for Alex to say something pertinent. He had explaining to do. But instead, his gaze flowed over her like warm honey, shifting from her hair to her mouth. Cara squirmed in her chair, aware of his eyes on her. If only she hadn’t agreed to come here with him.

Was he remembering the last time they’d made love? Was he remembering how she’d seduced him, practically in his sickbed, the day after he was released from hospital? Fools in love do stupid things. She’d actually thought getting naked with him in his home would rocket from his groin to his brain and he’d remember her.

She closed her eyes and banished the memory.

“What is it, Cara?”

“Nothing.” Everything. “Alex, you brought me here to explain. I haven’t heard any explaining yet.”

He set his wineglass down. “Where should I begin?”

“You lied to everyone in Maverick County. That’s a start.”

He began nodding. “Okay, okay. You’re right. It all started with my father.”

“The king of Del Toro Oil.”

“Yes, he’s the president and owner. He built his company from the ground up. When we were children, he worked long hours and there were days my sister and I never saw him. He’s a man who wanted greatness, but he always wanted to protect his family. When Gabriella and I were kids, my mother...my m-mother was kidnapped as a result of his huge success and wealth. She was held for ransom. It all went badly and she was killed.”

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry.” How awful. Her heart ached for the little boy who’d lost his mother in such a violent way. “How old were you when it happened?”

“Eight, and Gabriella was just four.”

As harsh as it was, it only cemented her feelings about Alex. A fiancée should’ve known about her future husband’s hardships as a child. She should’ve known about his family, but Alex had hidden his past from her. He wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with. She didn’t know this Alex at all.

“My father was obviously distraught over my mother’s death. After that incident, he hired bodyguards for my sister and me. We went nowhere without protection. Mexico City can be a dangerous place, especially if you’re the child of a wealthy, powerful man. Finally, when I was older and working exclusively for Del Toro Oil, I convinced my father to let me keep an apartment in Mexico City. I always felt like I was being watched, though my father would deny it. Then one day, he approached me about his plan to gather information about Windsor Energy. I would live in Maverick County and become an entirely different person. To come to America and pose as Alex Santiago, a business tycoon. I saw it as an adventure and my chance to rid myself of the danger in Mexico and finally be free. No one here in the U.S. would know I was Alejandro del Toro, Rodrigo’s son.

“To my father, loyalty is everything. He was giving me this chance to prove myself in his eyes. He was pleased when I agreed.”

“And over two years ago, you came and settled here.”

“Yes, I became Alex Santiago.”

“You ingratiated yourself into West Texas society. You were embraced by your neighbors. You were invited to join the Texas Cattleman’s Club.”

“I made friends, yes. Good friends. I made money here, on my own, and then...then I met you, Cara. And everything changed.”

Her heart wanted to hear what he had to say, but her brain scolded her for listening.

“How? How did it change? You knew I worked for my father. I’m the director of marketing for Windsor. The only change that I could see is that I gave you the outlet to find out more information. You dated me for months and pretended to care about me.”

It was love at first sight. She’d never believed it possible, but the moment she’d laid eyes on this tall, brown and handsome man—the second she heard the deep, rich timbre of his voice at a function at the Texas Cattleman’s Club—Cara was done for. She’d been seeing Chance McDaniel at the time, and she broke it off instantly to be with Alex.

“I do care about you. I always have. When I met you, yes, I’ll admit I thought it would make my task easier to get close to you. But if you think back and remember, I didn’t ask anything of you, my love. I never questioned you about the company.”

“You didn’t have to. I was pretty good at coughing up information. I’d tell you all about my day, the ups and downs. How the company was faring against our competition and what I was doing about it. I’d tell you my strategies for marketing and get your opinion.”

Bile rose in her throat. She hated that she’d been so naive with him. She hated that she’d been played for a sucker. Rehashing it all put a sour taste in her mouth. She pushed her plate away, fighting the burn behind her eyes. Her pride kept her tears well hidden. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do in front of Alex. His betrayal crushed her like a tiny ant under his Italian loafers.

“I can’t make up for the past, for the decisions I’ve made. But Cara, once I realized how important you were to me, I was through with the charade. Right after we were engaged, I’d planned on convincing my father not to go after Windsor Energy.”

Her shoulders stiffened. “Am I really supposed to believe that?”

“Yes, you are. Because the truth comes straight from my heart.”

Cara glanced away, over the candlelight and past the roses, out into the dusky night sky. Gurgling waters lapping over jutting rocks filled the silence. It was so peaceful here. At any other time, she’d be happy to be here. This was her favorite spot on earth.

“Cara, look at me.”

Her gaze shifted to his face. Alex by candlelight was something to see. Her life could’ve been so perfect.

“Soon after we got engaged, I was driving home late one night. I had a surprise for you waiting at my house. It had just been delivered and I was going to pick it up and bring it to you.”

She swallowed. Under the table, her hand went to her tummy.

“But I never made it to your house. While I was driving I noticed someone tailgating me. I drove faster to lose him. But he sped up, too, and continued to hug my tail. From what I could tell, there were three big men in the car. The next thing I know, they’re pulling up beside me and ramming my car. I was jolted from the sideswipe and realized these guys meant business. My car skidded off the road. I hung on to the steering wheel and tried to maneuver the car back onto the highway, but the driver never let up. Their SUV swiped my car again, staying neck and neck with me, until finally I couldn’t outmaneuver them. I remember the crash. My car almost hit a tree and then I went spiraling down an embankment. The air bag deployed and protected me. A second later, I was yanked out of the car and beaten until I passed out.”

The scene played out in her mind. She didn’t need to hear all the details to know it must’ve been horrendous for him. “Alex?”

He began nodding. “It’s all true, Cara. I must’ve been drugged, because when I woke up I was in an abandoned house. There was nothing around, no furniture, no food. I was groggy and disoriented, but I remember the stench of that place as if it was yesterday. I didn’t know exactly where I was, but I knew I wasn’t in America. My attackers left me there. I don’t know if they planned on coming back to kill me or not, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. I couldn’t figure out why I’d been abducted but it seemed as though somebody paid them to rough me up and get me out of town.”

Cara let that information sink in. Nothing was as it seemed with Alex, but he’d gone through a horrible ordeal. She believed that much. He wasn’t that good an actor. Something in his eyes spoke of genuine fear. “This is all so bizarre, Alex. You could have been killed.”

He nodded. “I didn’t know who to trust. I got out of there pronto. I found out I was in Tijuana. I used my gold watch to buy my way on a truck smuggling immigrant workers into the U.S. They packed a bunch of us inside and I tried my best to blend in with them. I’m Mexican, after all. I didn’t look like a millionaire, and though some workers eyed me with suspicion, I kept my head down and pretended not to notice.”

“You took a big chance with your life.”

“I had no choice. I had to get outta there.”

The truck Alex had been traveling in was sideswiped by a car and had careened onto its side. A dozen migrant workers had spilled out onto the road, Alex included. She’d heard it was an awful scene and there was a lot of confusion. A paramedic who’d showed up at the wreck recognized Alex, which was a good thing because the blows to his head during the accident stole his memory.

Alex took a few bites of his food while Cara sat silently, picturing what he’d gone through and wondering about this man who at one point she’d thought she’d known so well.

“When you left town, people started speculating about your disappearance. Chance was suspected of having something to do with it. I left him for you. Dropped him like a hot potato, and some believed Chance was insanely jealous. I never believed that for a second, but it looked suspicious to those who knew us.”

“Chance’s name needs to be cleared. I plan to get to the bottom of it. Chance is in love with my sister and they deserve a clean start. Someone had me shanghaied and I’m going to find out who it was.”

Cara sighed as her guard came down a little. She never wished Alex any harm. She still didn’t, but his abduction had little to do with her. It didn’t make up for the fact that he’d betrayed her. “After all you’ve told me, it’s a miracle that you made it home in one piece.”

“I almost didn’t. It was a stroke of luck that Piper was the paramedic on the scene and recognized me. I didn’t know who she was. Hell, I didn’t know who anyone was, but I’m grateful that she took charge and made sure I got the medical care I needed.”

“And now you know who you are. So what’s next?”

“I try to make amends with everyone I hurt. I try to pick up the pieces.”

A waiter in tuxedo tails and white gloves took their plates away. Another waiter came by to scrape crumbs off the table and replace the cutlery.

“I want to move past this, Cara.”

Easy for him to say.

“I’m asking only one thing from you.”

Coffee was poured from a silver pot and domed dessert dishes were placed on the table, one for her, one for Alex. On Alex’s nod, the waiter walked away, leaving them alone. Cara didn’t want dessert. She didn’t want to be here with Alex. Memories rushed in and carved out another slice of her heart.

Alex leaned over the table to pick up the dome and reveal her dessert. Her eyes lowered to a square wedge of rich chocolate brownie garnished with fresh whole raspberry mounds.

My favorite.

This time white frosting written on the dessert didn’t ask, Marry Me? like before. But at this point in her life, the question scribed on the brownie meant almost as much: Another Chance?

Her lips quivered. She put her head down.

Alex reached over the table to take her hand, and the melting force of his warmth wasn’t something she could fend off right now. “Before you say anything, remember how much we loved each other. Remember the happiness. And laughter. Cara, do you remember how we celebrated our engagement after I put the ring on your finger?”

Cara’s lips lifted as her gaze shifted toward the river. How could she forget? It was one of those memories that would stay with her until her days on earth were numbered. It was a memory she wouldn’t share with another soul. A snapshot moment she would always cherish.

With moonlight guiding them and hands entwined, they’d christened the quiet waters with their naked bodies, diving into the river and coming up with big grins, the heat of their love cloaking them from frigid temperatures. They’d splashed around, silly with joy, and laughed until their bellies ached.

“I remember,” Cara said, her voice sounding whimsical to her ears. “It was the best.”

“Yes, it was.”

Their eyes locked and they stared at each other. But Cara wasn’t going to be a fool again. Sweet memories only made the loss of their love harder to bear. It only reminded her of what could have been if Alex hadn’t been deceitful. His little plan had backfired. She couldn’t eat the brownie or stay here another second. She wasn’t in the mood for decadence. She wasn’t in the mood for forgiveness. Cara released his hand and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Alex. I can’t give you what you want tonight.”

His mouth puckered as he nodded. “I understand.”

Do you really? She doubted he knew how much pain he’d caused.

“Will you take me home now?”

“Of course.”

He rounded the table and pulled out her chair. As she stood, he took her hand. Steady on her feet, she looked into his eyes. They could be cold at times, like when Alex was determined to close a big deal, and she’d always wondered about his drive and determination. Now she knew exactly where those traits had come from. He was his father’s son. Any man who’d send his only son to another country to assume a false persona and spy on a rival had to be ruthless. But in Alex’s eyes tonight, she found only warmth and apology. He wasn’t happy with her decision to leave so early, but true to his promise, he agreed to take her home.

Kudos to Alex.

She’d give him that much. But the one thing she wouldn’t give him, the one thing she wasn’t ready to share with him, could very well change everything between them.

Cara carried his child.

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