How to Marry a Matador (Exclusive Sneak Preview) by Ginny Baird

cinched the large cotton robe more
tightly around her waist. It had been supplied by Fernando on their
wedding night and was luxurious in its comfort.
    She surveyed the silver coffee service and
accompanying basket brimming with homemade pastries, thinking there
was enough here to feed a family.
    “You’re eating for two,” Consuelo quipped as
if reading her mind. “And don’t worry” she said heading for the
door. The coffee is decaffeinated.”
    Jess poured herself a cup of coffee with
steamed milk and carried it to the seat by the window, its heavenly
aroma wafting upwards. The morning sun spread its warmth across the
landscape surrounding Casa de la Vega, encompassing its stark
beauty. Jess felt as if she’d been transported into a dream or
catapulted somehow back in time, to a place where life was simpler.
There couldn’t be any greater contrast to her busy life in New York
than the serenity of La Esperanza del Corazón.
    She couldn’t help but wonder how things might
have played out if she and Fernando had had an actual courtship.
The chemistry between them as business colleagues had been brewing
beneath the surface for months. What might have happened if they’d
acted upon it sooner? Had even started dating and developed a
transatlantic relationship? There might have been ups and downs,
but ultimately, one of two things would have occurred. Either
things would have ended between them, which would have been the
most likely outcome, given Jess’s track record. Or, there was an
outside chance they might have fallen in love and
decided—thoughtfully and intelligently—to make the bond between
them permanent.
    Given more time to get to know him and
consider the prospect of their life together, what choice would
Jess have made? There were so many things to take into account,
like their separate commitments to their jobs and where they might
eventually live as a couple. And then there was the prospect of
children to consider.
    Jess brought a palm to her belly; her face
flushed at the thought of carrying Fernando’s child. While she felt
awful about deceiving his mother, she had to admit that the notion
of making a baby with Fernando wasn’t completely abhorrent. In
fact, she probably wouldn’t have gone so far as to imagine it had
he not invented that little story about her being in a maternal
way. In any case, she hoped Fernando would tell his mother the
truth soon. Everyone here was starting to treat Jess with deference
due to her pregnancy, and that simply wasn’t fair. It was bad
enough to be thought of as married, but expecting a baby added a
whole new layer to this blanket of deception. Perhaps Fernando was
waiting until all was resolved in Seville before coming clean with
his mother. Or perhaps, Jess thought with a hopeful start, he’d
talked to her already!
    Jess recalled Consuelo’s morning words,
realizing that was unlikely. And that was terrible too. The longer
this ruse went on with Fernando’s family, the harder it would be to
reveal the truth. And the more awful she’d feel about herself, for
having let Fernando get away with it. Something had to be done, and
soon.
     
     
    Fernando approached his mother as she tended
the roses in her garden. “Mamá,” he began tentatively. “I have
something to discuss with you.”
    Ana María adjusted the brim of her wide straw
hat. “And I with you, my son.” She carefully set down her pruning
shears and cleaned her hands on her apron. “I’m afraid I haven’t
been quite fair to you and your new wife.”
    “Precisely what we need to talk about.”
    “Yes,” she answered, a sincere apology in her
eyes. “It’s true. I know I’ve failed you.”
    “Failed me?” Fernando said, taken aback. If
anyone was the let-down party in this twosome, it was him, and he
knew it. “I don’t see how—”
    “Yesterday at lunch, I was less than
hospitable,” she said, cutting him off. “It’s just that it all came
as such a surprise.”
    “I know. I