India didn’t miss the emphasis but she wasn’t sure what exactly he was asking.
“I’m not sure I follow you,” she replied.
He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. “I did a lot of reading about Pagoria when I learned that Ridge was mounting an expedition and had enlisted your help. Many say that it houses special powers. Others say it is a holy city. Sacred.”
She nodded. “I suppose there are a lot of theories floating around.”
“But do you believe it holds special powers?”
There was a hint of desperation in his voice. An edge that made her look sharply at him. At the hope shining in his eyes. Suddenly she realized what he was about, and her heart plummeted.
“Oh Robby,” she said sorrowfully. “Is that why you were so determined to come? Because you believe you might find healing there?”
“You think me addled,” Robby muttered.
“No,” she hastened to reassure him. “It’s just that I don’t want you to be disappointed in whatever we find.”
She looked down at her hands and knew she could not dash his hopes. How could she when she had no idea if what he said was right or wrong?
“I don’t know if the city has any special powers,” she said truthfully. “I only know that for a lot of people, people throughout time, Pagoria is regarded as a holy place. A special place. So maybe it is a mystical city. But maybe the important thing, regardless of what powers the city may or may not hold, is that you don’t lose faith. If you believe it strongly, perhaps it is enough.”
He said nothing for a long while and stared straight ahead at Ridge’s and Juan Miguel’s backs. Then he looked at her again. “I think you are very wise. And you are correct. If I am to be handed a miracle, I first have to believe in them.”
Miracles. Yes, she could do with a few miracles of her own. Maybe she should heed her own advice and start to believe.
###
Ridge rode ahead of India, his eyes peeled to the landscape. There was something bothering her. He knew it without a doubt. And it scared him.
Last night they had made love with complete abandon, but there had been sadness in her eyes. Almost as if she were saying goodbye.
He pondered the absurdity of such a notion. Surely he was reading far too much into her mood, but he knew better than to discount his instincts. They hadn’t steered him wrong yet.
How she could look at him with such joy and love and yet with such deep sadness was a puzzle he intended to decipher. One thing he knew for certain was that he wasn’t going to let her go. Not after spending his entire life searching for someone who understood him and his passions.
He glanced back to see India and Robby in conversation. There was such pain in both of their eyes that it made him want to pound something in frustration. What kind of man was he if he could do nothing to ease the burdens of the people he loved?
As soon as this was done with, the city, her father, he was going to resolve things with India. He could not picture his life without her. Every time he gave thought to his future, she was beside him. He could see their children. Boys with her intelligence. Little girls with her courage. Ahh but she would be a good mother. She had already taken to mothering Robby despite there not being much disparity in their ages.
“You looked troubled, Senor,” Juan Miguel spoke up.
Ridge glanced over at the Spaniard. “I have a lot to contemplate.”
Juan Miguel nodded his head. They rode a few more feet and Juan Miguel turned back to Ridge. “Tell me, why do you seek the city?”
Such a question caught him off guard. And it was one that could not be answered with a single reason.
“I feel a kinship with Pagoria,” he finally admitted. “I can’t explain why, but it has called to me since I was but a boy.”
Juan Miguel nodded approvingly. “Many would answer that there is legend of untold wealth among the ruins.”
Ridge looked sharply at him. “But you and India have maintained the city lives.”
Juan Miguel chuckled. “You are a quick one. I merely repeat what is rumored. And I have maintained nothing but that I safeguard the city against those who would do her harm.”
“And there are others like you,” Ridge said.
“Si. Such a task is not well suited to one man. It is an honor bestowed on my family for centuries.”
