The Spanish Merchant’s Kiss (Book 4)

Chapter 1

Ines

Mother and I sat on some large rocks near the beach. Our legs dangled and our boots barley grazed the surface of the water beneath us. I peeled an orange and the scent of the sea breeze and the citrus combined was heavenly.

“When did Pa say he was arriving?” I asked Ma as I ate the fruit.

She sighed and looked out at the sea. “This afternoon, however I’ve seen no ships since the last one from an hour ago.”

She frowned and looked at her hands. I knew she always worried about Pa when he left out to sea. Pa was a sailor and he boarded ships to help with cargo, merchandise, trade and travels. That was how he met Ma 25 years ago.

He was in one of the Caribbean islands when he met her. She was young and beautiful and intrigued by the young man with curly brown hair and blue eyes.

And of course, Pa was entranced with Ma’s brown skin, almond eyes and head full of curls. In a month Pa and her fell in love and married, a ceremony that combines both of their cultures. In little to no time they realized they couldn’t live without eachother and wanted to start a family. And on the sail back to Pa’s home in Spain, Ma realized she was pregnant.

Her pregnancy was horrendous at sea and Pa hated that she was in pain. He tried his best to care for her but at the end, I was born early on the ship itself. Ma had gone through such painful labor and when her and Pa arrived to the Spanish port of Costa Brava, they swore they’d never board another ship. That was until Pa had no money and his only experience at sea was what gave him a job.

Ma hated it when Pa left. He’d be gone for months and she’d always look out the window morning and night, waiting for him. And when he was to arrive she was so anxious as well.

I looked out to the sea, hoping I could conjure Pa’s ship so we’d all be together again. A horn blew from the nearby deck, alerting that a ship was coming in. Ma jumped to her feet and pulled me up.

“Let’s go Ines ! That’s probably him!” She said.

She held my hand as we ran. I smiled at the people we passed and they smiled back and laughed. They had seen Ma react like this for over 20 years. They knew to expect a young wife running through the streets to greet her husband as soon as he stepped off the ship.

“I see him!” She shrieked and ran faster.

“Ma! Wait you’re running too fast!” I shouted at her. She didn’t seem to hear me because she only ran faster and to my luck I tripped over some crates and rope.

I let go of Ma’s hand and she kept running, not even noticing that I had fallen. I took a deep breath but groaned when I looked at my hands. I had scraped them on the gravel beneath me.

“I’m definitely holding this against her,” I muttered under my breath as I got up.

“As you should,” a deep voice behind me said and I felt a large strong hand grab my arm to help me up. I didn’t have to turn to look who had spoken or who had helped me. I already knew.

But reluctantly, I turned and Vicente Hernández was smiling at me.

His light brown hair was damp and falling over his face and almost covering his hazel eyes. The sun beamed off his tan skin and his deep dimples were showing. “My mother lost my favorite toy when I was 5 and I haven’t let her forget it to this day.” He said laughing.

I laughed too but looked down at my feet. I felt my face burn hot and my hands sweat. I always reacted this way when I saw Vicente, talked to him or was even around him. The first time I realized I liked him was when I was a little girl.

He was older than me, 8 years my senior being a man of 32 and I of 24 but I didn’t care. He was kind, funny, charming, hard working and extremely good looking. I heard women constantly talk about his broad shoulders, stature, muscles and smile. And whenever I was around him I smelled the ocean breeze, wine and soap off his skin.

The scent drove me insane.

“Let me guess, Señor Hector is back from a trip and Benita wants to be the first to greet him,” Vicente said as he gave me his handkerchief to clean my hands. I took it and nodded.

“As always, and I don’t think she’ll ever stop. It’s been over 20 years and she’s kept at it. Sometimes I think she’s going insane.”

Vicente laughed loudly and it sent goosebumps all over my body. He playfully nudged me and feeling him against me made me lose my breath.

“She’s in love Ines. There is no reasoning with someone who is in love. Nothing else matters and no one else exists.”

My stomach dropped and I bit my lip. “Seems like you would know the feeling.”

Vicente smiled and looked at his feet. I counted the seconds for his response and I felt like I waited for hours. But in less than a minute he shook his head.

“No I do not. I’m only repeating what others have told me.”

I took a deep breath trying to hide my smile. Vicente was never seen with one woman before. Everyone would see him flirting around or teasing young ladies, but it was never anything serious. A part of me was glad that he wasn’t serious about anyone or ever was, but then again I’d have to be realistic and remind myself that I didn’t stand a chance either.

“What about you Ines? Would you happen to know what it is like to be in love? To only have eyes for one person?” Vicente asked me.

I looked over at him and he was grinning and wiggling his eyebrows as he did when he was teasing someone.

Vicente had never known that I liked him. I had never told anyone. I hadn’t even written it down in a journal or confessed it to Ma. It was something I carried with me in silence- I knew the moment I said it out loud I’d be doomed to hurt over him forever.

So I shook my head and looked away from his face and broke contact with his beautiful hazel eyes.

“No, I can’t say I have.”