“What?” all three men said in unison.
She spun to Lalo and narrowed her eyes at him while she was turned away from her father. “Tell them, mi amor,” she said through her false grin.
He gaped at her, and she squeezed his arm.
He forced a smile.
“It is as it seems, Señor Fuentes.” The sediento straightened his coat. “I apologize for being so rash, for disrespecting you in this way, but one look at Carolina and I knew she was meant to be mine forever.”
“You what?” Rafa said, squaring his shoulders. “You’ve only been acquainted for a few moments.”
“And what is a few moments when our souls have known each other since the beginning of time?” Lalo said. When the men’s faces went slack, he stiffened. “It is a line from Don Pío Parra’s sonnet. Have none of you read…” His words trailed off when Rafa cracked his knuckles, the sound like cannon fire in the quiet room. “No, I don’t suppose you have. Well, I for one believe when one finds the person who is their match in both wit and, um…”
He turned to Carolina for help, but she offered him nothing. She was too stunned by him reciting that poem. She had read that very line too many times to count.
“Are you betrothed, then?” Rafa asked.
Papá chuckled, incredulous. “Of course they aren’t. My daughter will only marry a man of my choosing.”
Carolina’s hackles raised. “I am fully capable of deciding my own fate, thank you very much.”
“Your fate has been decided, hija,” Papá said through his clenched jaw. He clapped Rafa’s shoulder. “My godson has already made an offer for your hand. And I have accepted it.”
“An offer?What am I, some prize hog to be bartered for? My answer is no, in case you’re wondering.” Carolina gripped Lalo’s arm tighter. “Besides, Lalo has already asked for my hand, andIhave accepted. Right, Lalo?”
She shot daggers at him with her gaze.
“Yes. Indeed. I…I’d like to…” He shoved out the last two words as if they pained him. “Marry Carolina.”
Carolina hoped Papá was buying this charade, but Lalo’s acting abilities were lackluster.
Papá glared at Lalo like a bull readying to charge. “You would ask for my daughter’s hand without speaking to her family first? To her papá! What type of man are you?”
Lalo blinked rapidly. “I…I suppose I was thinking with my heart, not my head.”
“Yet you are a scholar. And I find you here, in the arms of a betrothed young woman.”
“I never said yes to Rafa’s proposal. I haven’t evenheardhis proposal.” Typical of her parents to assume they knew what was best for her. To lie and deceive and make deals with her “best interests” in mind. As if she couldn’t decide for herself. Why did no one believe in her? Her father so easily dismissed her dreams, and her mother went right along with him. Not even her brothers or uncles stood up for her. The only two people in the world to ever even consider what she wanted out of life were Abuelo and Nena.
She clenched her fingers around Lalo’s forearm. “I will marry whomever I want. When I want.IfI want.”
Papá’s face hardened. “You will do as I say.”
“Perhaps I should leave you two to discuss this family matter in private?” Lalo suggested, now looking physically ill.
“Oh, Lalo,” Carolina said, adding a little break in her voice. She was indeed a magnificent performer. She’d been shedding false tears most of her life to get herself out of chores or trouble. Similar tears filled her eyes now. “Do not let our affection for each other be tarnished by my papá and his antiquated ways.”
She kicked the reata under her skirts beneath the desk before rushing forward and seizing her father’s sleeve. “Please, Apá. You and Mamá were a love match and see how happy you are. Shouldn’t I be able to choose who I desire?”
Papá’s eyes softened. He placed his hand over hers. “Mija, I have already given my permission to Rafa. And he has promised to take you to Los Campos as soon as his father is well.”
“Los Campos!” she screeched. “That’s at least two weeks’ ride away.”
“It’s actually four,” Lalo muttered.
She glared at him before turning back to her papá. “That’s too far from home. No, I won’t do it. I won’t go.” She loved Del Oro. She loved the people and the gentle change in seasons. She loved walking through the pastures and plucking wildflowers with Nena to weave into each other’s hair. She loved her life here. She would not be forced to leave. “Lalo adores me. He said he will do anything to have me as his bride. He will not stand for this.”
Papá’s nostrils flared. “Oh really?”
