“Nor I you. I have to admit that you’ve been on my mind a lot lately. I guess realizing that a family could be like this has made me reconsider how I feel about a lot of things.”
“Like getting married again? Not just being friends?” He leaned in, and Susanna was certain he would kiss her. She closed her eyes and raised her lips.
“Owen! Susanna!” John called from the arched walkway that led into the house.
Susanna didn’t think he could see them, but she pulled away all the same.
Owen answered. “We’re here.” His tone was irritated.
“We’re having dessert. Mama says to come or you’ll miss out.”
The magic of the moment was gone, and Susanna knew the kiss would have to come another time. She started walking toward the house as Owen called back to John.
“We’re coming. Tell her we’re coming.”
The next day Susanna enjoyed a long leisurely ride with Owen. Of course, young Emilio had to come along to show them where it was safe to ride and to point out all of his favorite places. They spied the large herd Lia’s father had cultivated. The horses were beautiful.
She thought of her and Owen’s impending departure and felt sadness wash over her. She wanted to stay here forever. She loved these people. How could it be that she could spend a lifetime with some people and not feel as much affection for them as she did for these in just a few days?
She and Owen had very little time alone. The men seemed eager to take him and LeRoy off to do things that only the men were invited to do. When they were able to steal a few moments, there were always dozens of people around, and slipping away was impossible. Before Susanna knew it, it was evening, and people were talking about them leaving in the morning. She pushed those thoughts aside, however. She didn’t want to go.
After supper, the family once again brought out their guitars, violins, and other instruments and played. Several of the men, including Lia’s brother, Javier, helped move the furniture back so that they could dance. Javier and his wife did a particularly attractive dance that Susanna had never witnessed.
Lia joined her as they watched. “It’s a dance of courtship and love,” she told Susanna.
“I could guess that for myself. It’s beautiful. I always wished I could dance better than I do. I’m all right with a reel or slow waltz but not very graceful.”
Lia laughed. “I love to dance. LeRoy, however, has two left feet. Big left feet. He is always stepping on me. So I dance with the girls. You’ll see. We dance very well.”
And they did, wearing beautiful dresses from their Mexican heritage. Susanna marveled at the skirt of the gowns, which were cut so full that the girls could raise them from side to side up over their heads to make a full circle.
It was a wonderful party, and Susanna found herself wishing it might never end. She thought briefly of what awaited her back in San Marcial. Her parents and Gary had probably been fighting the whole time with Uncle Harrison. If he was still there. Susanna wouldn’t blame him if he’d left them to face their problems alone. They had asked for it in their bad attitudes and unwillingness to cooperate.
She could imagine the welcome she had waiting. Mother would whine and probably give Susanna a good dressing down. She would accuse her of deserting them and selfishly considering her own needs over theirs. Father would probably make himself absent again, and the hotel and all of its work would once again fall on her shoulders.
She sighed as the ladies concluded their dance, and she gave serious thought to volunteering to be a maid on the Mendoza ranch.
Owen sat beside Susanna, and all he could think about was asking her to marry him. He’d thought about it the entire time he was in Albuquerque, and his time on the ranch only increased that desire. He couldn’t stop thinking about it and knew he had to ask her tonight, no matter what interferences or interruptions popped up.
A couple of Lia’s cousins continued to play guitars and even sang a little from time to time. Others finished their dessert and cleaned away the remnants of the evening. One by one they left the house, and the number of people dwindled down to just LeRoy and his family, Lia’s parents, and Owen and Susanna. With a romantic fire burning in the fireplace and a gentle rain falling outside, Owen thought there would never be a better time to propose.
He waited until everyone else had gone to bed, then drew Susanna to the sofa in front of the fire. “I thought we’d never have another moment alone. I know we won’t tomorrow.”
“No, that’s almost certain.” She sighed. “I wish I could stay here forever. I love it here. I loved it before you came and even more now that you’re here.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. “I can’t give you a hacienda like this or the big extended family, but I want . . . I want to give you myself.”
She looked at him and smiled. “And I want to give myself to you. I never thought I would want to love again, but I really have no say over it. My heart has chosen to love, and it has chosen you.”
He smiled and lifted her chin ever so slightly. “And my heart has chosen you. Marry me?”
Her smile widened. “Of course.”
Their lips touched ever so lightly in a brief kiss. Owen wanted more than that, but he knew it was important for them not to get carried away.
“I love you, Susanna. I think I have since we were bound together by a jump rope at church.”
She laughed and put her head on his shoulder. “There was something very special about that moment.”
They gazed into the fire for a while. Owen wondered what she was thinking. He knew she was as content for the moment as he was, but both of them knew trouble and problems awaited them in San Marcial. This time he was the one to sigh.
Susanna pulled away and looked at him. She touched his cheek and smiled. “I love you, Owen. No matter what we have to endure, I know I can face it with you by my side.”
He smiled. “I was just thinking that very thing. As long as we have each other and God, I believe we can manage anything that comes along.”
18
Susanna’s absence proved one thing to her father. He couldn’t run the hotel without her. She was the one who kept it all together. Despite his brother’s presence and ever-watchful eye, Herbert knew he would never be able to make do without help. Gladys certainly couldn’t be counted on. She’d never worked a day in her life and wasn’t about to start now. No, Susanna was key, and unfortunately, Harrison knew this too.
That night after eating supper at the Harvey House with Harrison, Herbert decided he would have to approach the matter. As they walked in the darkness back to the hotel, Herbert tried to work up his gumption, but Harrison started talking first.
“That girl who cooks for you certainly does a better job than the Harvey House. Although I will say their food is without a doubt the best in restaurant quality.”
“I agree. I’ve often thought about approaching Mr. Harvey and discussing the idea of expansion. I could help him to take his restaurants to other railroad companies.”
Harrison huffed. “And what makes you think you’re the first one to think of this? Don’t you know he’s been approached by every railroad in the country? He has some of the best people working with him and for him. Honestly, Herbert, I sometimes wonder about your ability to reason.”