Untamed Fire Read Online Free PDF

“Come over here, Gaby.”
    She walked over to him without hesitation,
tilting her head up slightly to look at him with a smile that
challenged.
    “Put the blanket on mother’s lap.”
    “She doesn’t need it. It’s too hot.”
    “She’s ill and feels chilled when others do
not.”
    “Did you ask her if she feels that way, or
did the good doctor tell you?”
    “The doctor told me and I trust his advice.
Now put the blanket on her,” he said raising his voice.
    “I will do it,” Lupe said, reaching for
it.
    “No,” he snapped, stopping the plump woman
in her tracks. “Gaby will do as I say.”
    Gaby nodded, whirled around and did as
directed. She hummed as she carefully tucked the blanket around the
woman’s legs. When she finished she patted Dona Maria’s hand. “All
done.”
    “That wasn’t so hard was it?” Rafael asked
with a glint of satisfaction.
    “No, senor,” she answered obediently.
    “The servants call me Don Rafael.”
    The smile at Gaby’s lips faltered some. She
had never intended to serve anyone. That wasn’t what she wanted.
But at the moment she didn’t have a choice. “Don Rafael.”
    Rafael felt his name glide around him like a
warm caress, whispery soft. He shook the strange feeling away.
“Good, Gaby. You are learning. Lupe, take mother to her room to
rest before supper and then show Gaby to her room.”
    Gaby followed silently behind Lupe.
    Rafael shook his head as he watched them
leave the room, the door closing behind them. He walked over to the
tall, narrow window that looked out onto another courtyard. The
high noon sun had passed over it and the afternoon shadows now
shaded the areas. A large table, benches and several chairs sat
surrounded by numerous terra cotta containers with lush green
plants and bright pink and red flowers.
    He focused on the calming scene, giving
thought to Gaby. Over the years he had learned to rely on his
instinct when it came to judging people. It was a necessary skill
for survival. He had known from their first encounter that she was
different than most women. The way she had dared to question his
authority, her boldness in asking him if he intended to hang her,
her insistence in picking flowers, her odd opinions concerning a
woman’s proper place... yes, she certainly was different.
    He rubbed his chin in concentration. It
would take time for her to accept his authority, but she was at
least beginning to understand it was her duty. She had proven it by
obeying his command about the blanket. He could tell she didn’t
care to follow his order. He had caught her objection in the slight
change of her smile.
    Actually, her whole face intrigued him. Her
features were stunning for a peasant girl; rich dark eyes, thick
even brows, slim nose, high cheekbones, sparkling white teeth. She
appeared almost perfect with the exception of her lips.
    He grinned, recalling the contrast between
the upper and lower ones, slim and plump. He wanted to taste them
and discover their differences.
    The workers’ busy chatter outside the window
interrupted his musings. He watched the way they so easily mingled
together. They smiled and laughed and shared common traits. Gaby
was one of them. She belonged to that fraction of society. He
didn’t.
    He was of higher birth and expected to marry
within the realm of his class. And it wouldn’t be proper to take
his mother’s companion as a mistress.
    He grinned wondering if she would be
obedient in bed, or if her boldness would exert itself. His grin
hastily vanished when he realized he would not be the one to find
out.
    Rafael grabbed his hat and gloves off the
end of the desk and marched out of the room. He would attend to his
duties in the vineyards and set his mind on other more important
matters.
    He closed the study door behind him and
walked down the hall, halting abruptly when he caught sight of the
blanket that had been covering his mother’s lap. It lay on a chair
neatly folded.
    Rafael’s expression grew dark