‘For me?’ Tiago couldn’t have looked more surprised. ‘Why have you bought something for me?’
Was she the first woman ever to buy him a gift?
‘Why shouldn’t I buy something for you?’ She was genuinely bewildered. ‘I wanted to thank you.’
‘Thank me?’ Tiago’s lips pressed down in puzzlement as he stared at her. ‘For what?’
‘For the chance to work alongside you—the chance to live here on your ranch for a year.’
Danny’s heart filled as she spoke. There were so many reasons to thank Tiago, starting with right back at the stables in Scotland, when he had saved her from Carlos Pintos. And now he had understood why waiting until they were married before having sex mattered so much to her.
Even further back, in Brazil the first time, when she had still been raw from her disillusionment with Pintos the first time around, it had been Tiago she’d always looked for—and not just because he was the most attractive man on the ranch...though that fact had been hard to ignore. He’d always been able to lift her spirits. He had made her feel relevant again when Pintos had called her a waste of space, and she had believed him. Tiago had never seemed less than pleased to see her, and he had made her feel like someone worth seeking out for a chat.
‘Watching you work has been a revelation for me,’ she said honestly. ‘Having this chance to meet the people you work with, to learn how they live, will be a privilege.’ She shook her head as she struggled to find the right words. ‘I’d work here for nothing for the chance to learn from you.’
‘You haven’t mentioned money once,’ he said—more as an observation than a criticism.
‘Why would I?’ Her elation dwindled as she remembered that this had always been about money for her. No wonder he was cynical. They both had a long way to go to build any trust between them.
‘So what did you buy me?’ he wanted to know.
She was glad of the change of focus, but embarrassed that her gift was small in comparison to the riches Tiago was used to. ‘I think you can safely call it a job-appropriate gift.’
‘What?’ he demanded. ‘A tin of hoof oil?’
Danny smiled. ‘Not exactly.’ Leaving his side, she went to collect the bulky parcel he’d taken out of her hands. ‘I just hope it’s okay.’
The gaucho who had made the special coin belt for her had explained that in the olden days these traditional belts decorated with silver coins had been used almost as portable bank accounts for gauchos, as they moved from place to place in search of work.
‘Now I’m curious,’ Tiago admitted as she pressed the package into his hands.
‘So open it.’ She stood back, relieved that the tension between them had eased—at least for now.
‘Deus, Danny, this is really special.’ Tiago handled the belt reverently, the silver coins chinking in a smooth riff as they passed through his fingers. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’
‘Do you really like it? It’s not too much?’
‘I love it. It’s perfect,’ he insisted. ‘And I love you for thinking of it.’
He loved her.
No. Tiago didn’t love her, Danny reasoned, losing patience with her romantic self for allowing that thought to slip through. He loved her for thinking of him and for choosing the belt.
‘Manuelo said you’d like it.’
‘Manuelo helped you with your choice?’ He seemed impressed by this. ‘Manuelo must like you. He and his family have been making these belts for generations, but he won’t make them for just anyone. These traditions are another reason why this ranch is so special to me.’
‘You don’t have to tell me how much this ranch means to you.’
Catching her close, Tiago kissed her—first on each cheek and then, after a pause, on her mouth. He had never kissed her like that before. It was a tender, lingering kiss that made her eyes sting with tears, and when he pulled back there was a look in his eyes that thrilled her. It was warm and assessing and thoughtful.
‘What?’ she prompted when he didn’t speak.
He slanted her a smile. It planted that attractive crease in his cheek. ‘I bought something for you,’ he revealed. ‘I hope you like it. I went shopping in town.’
She smiled back at him as she imagined Tiago battling with the crowds. ‘Now, that I would like to have seen.’
‘I bought you this...’ Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he brought out the most astonishing diamond ring. ‘Do you like it?’
She was too stupefied to speak. And when she did find her voice she could only blurt, ‘You kept that in your back pocket?’
‘The boxes were boring,’ Tiago said, frowning. ‘They were all the same. What’s the point of them? Everyone has them. I’m not everyone—and neither are you. If you don’t like it I’ll change it.’
She turned the fabulous ring over in her hand, hypnotised by the prisms of light flashing from it.
‘What?’ he said. ‘You don’t seem keen. Is it too big? Too small? Too sparkly?’
Relaxing at last, she laughed. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t seem very grateful, do I? It’s absolutely beautiful, Tiago, but I can’t accept it.’
‘Rubbish,’ he flashed. ‘But just in case...’ He reached into his jeans again. ‘I bought a few more, in case you didn’t like that one.’
She gasped as he tipped a selection of rings into her hand to join the first. Each was a fabulous jewel in its own right, and there was every possible style, colour of stone and variety of cut.
‘Take your time,’ he said with a shrug, as if he had given her a selection of candy to choose from. ‘Or keep them all, if you prefer.’
Wealth on this scale was incomprehensible to Danny. ‘But I don’t understand...’
‘What’s to understand?’ Tiago demanded. ‘We’re getting married. I want my wife to have the best.’
‘Yes, but...’ She hesitated, knowing she would rather have a tender word from him, or a teasing look like those they’d used to share in Brazil. This felt like another payment—a bonus to secure the deal.
‘This is a gift,’ Tiago said, as if reading her mind. ‘My gift to you.’
She still wasn’t convinced. Had all his mistresses received similar gifts? Suddenly the rings felt cold and heavy in her hand.
‘I can’t keep them.’
‘Of course you can.’ Tiago closed her hand around them. ‘Keep them all. Swap them round from day to day, and then you’ll never be tired of them.’
