Page 29 of His Innocent for One Spanish Night

‘Maybe...’

She felt unacquainted with so many things.

‘I’d like to see the equestrian school in Jerez,’ she told him. ‘I’d never heard about the dancing horses before.’

‘My sister Carmen is into all that.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll set up a meeting with her.’

A few more kilometres passed. He hadn’t driven with such gentle company in as long as he could remember.

‘Do you have brothers or sisters?’ Alejandro asked.

‘No.’ Emily shook her head. ‘But I have a friend, Anna, and I consider her to be a sister. We grew up together...’

‘What about your parents?’

‘They’re both dead.’

He looked over at her and on this occasion he did commiserate. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Recently?’

‘Not really. My mother died during my final year at university—that’s why I dropped out. My father had dementia. He died three years ago...’

‘You dropped out to care for him?’

‘Yes.’

‘That must have been difficult.’ He glanced over again. ‘Or am I saying the wrong thing?’

‘No, itwasvery difficult,’ she admitted. ‘I still don’t know if it was the right thing to do. My mother asked me not to let him go into care, and I felt I had to keep that promise, but...’

‘I get it,’ he said. ‘Well, not exactly. But my father is...’ He stared ahead as he drove. ‘As I told you, he’s not well.’

‘I’m very sorry.’

‘Well, there’s life in him yet, and he too is trying to push for...’ He waved his hand in frustration at the limits of his English. ‘I can talk business in English, but...’ He thought for a moment. ‘He uses emotion.’ Alejandro glanced over at Emily. ‘Did Sophia tell you about the rebranding?’

‘She mentioned something...’ Emily said.

‘Well, you’ll know that my father now wants my mother’s picture to remain on our label.’

‘I’m sure whatever you choose will be right.’

He smiled to himself as she shifted a little in her seat, clearly choosing her words carefully.

God, she was sweet. The least confrontational person he’d ever met. So much so, that she pressed a random button, perhaps in the hope of winding down the window, just for something to do rather than discuss the verboten subject of his mother.

‘Why are you putting the child locks on?’ he teased, and she laughed.

‘Caught!’

She was nervous—he could tell. ‘Sophia told you to stay away from it?’

She nodded. ‘But I don’t see how I can. I want a website that pleases everyone. Your father included...’

‘Let me discuss it with my brother and sister.’

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