Part 32 (2/2)
”I'm realsorry, Moll,” he said, not sounding sorry at all, ”but you're the one who got all n.o.ble, not me.”
”n.o.ble? There's a lot involved here, but n.o.bility isn't really a big part of it.”
Josh sighed. ”Moll, don't take this wrong, but maybe you do like him. Maybe you really want somebody in your life. I can understand that. But did you ever consider that he might be using you?”
”No. He wouldn't do that.”
”Cripes, Molly! Listen to yourself! D'youthink all those confidence men out there bilking old ladies of their savings are uglyswines who can't string a sentence together? You think that would work?” His blue eyes threw sparks. ”This Sosa is real smooth. You should hear the women, all over town, who've seen him. It's like we have some big-time movie star in town. He could have love slaves from here toMexico Citywith the snap of a finger.”
Molly made a sound of exasperation. ”So if a man is charming and good-looking, he's automatically running a con?”
”No! But look at it from his side. Here's this lonely widow, with all that land, no man. How hard would it be?”
”It would be easy,” she said, surprisingly calm. ”Except that's just not his style.”
He rolled his eyes. ”Whatever. You aren't going to listen to me, but I'm not going to sit idly by and let you make a fool of yourself with this guy. What happens in six months or a year down the line when he starts sampling the wares of all the women in town?”
”Listen to yourself! You're acting like I'm a sixteen-year-old girl in heat! Like I have no judgment, like I can't make decisions for myself!” She narrowed her eyes. ”I don't want to be protected, Josh. I want to live my life on my own terms and I'll take my chances on making mistakes.”
”Fine, but do you have to start by falling in love with some-”
”What, Josh?”
His mouth hardened. ”With a guy whose got nothing to lose by taking you for all you have.”
”No, d.a.m.n it! Don't you get it? It might not be a mistake at all! Any more than buying that old house I wanted when I married Tim. I would have been happy in that house, and you know what? If you'd stayed out of my way and let me buy it when Tim died, I would never have met Alejandro.”
”What the h.e.l.l does that have to do with anything? You're not even rational!”
She flung up her hands. ”You know what, Josh? You are not hearing one word I'm saying.
I love you. You're my brother and I don't want us to be estranged, but if you insist on meddling in my life this way, I'm finished with you. I'm a grown woman. I raised my little brother when our parents died, and saw him safely married. I've been to college and buried a husband. I've lived alone and managed to thrive in spite of everything.”
She shook her head. ”Stay out of my affairs.”
He didn't stop her when she left.
Chapter 12.
Alejandro went back to Josefina's room to wait for Molly. When his niece stirred, he played her a soft lullaby, singing softly as he strummed the gentle chords. She was soothed into sleep.
He set the guitar aside and stared out the window, watching dark fall and the wind whip into a fierceness that would bring winter with it. Leaves and dirt spun into whirlwinds, and somewhere out of sight, an empty can clanged over the blacktop. The sound was lonely.
His thoughts whirled like the leaves outside, and he felt dizzy, thinking of how much had changed in such a short time. It was as disorienting as when his sister died, two years ago. One day, he'd been bargaining with a food exporter about the price of his cauliflower. The next, he'd been bargaining with a coyote to shuffle him across the border to take care of Josefina.
Since then, his life had taken ona certain sameness. He'd hated it, all of it the shacks that pa.s.sed for living quarters in many places. The haphazard way Josefina went to school. Until his sister died, he'd been very rooted to one place, one lifestyle.
Ever since, he'd been as rootless asa tumbleweed .
And now, his situation had become very complicated. This wedding had seemed like an answered prayer. But he could not bear to make life so hard for Molly.
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