Free A Candle in the Dark by Megan Chance

fear she has not been well.”
    She heard the longing in his voice, and she knew he was waiting for her to ask the questions. Ana said nothing. Questions only led to questions, and she didn’t want to see the hurt on his face when she refused to answer his.
    He sighed, then went on as if she had asked. “Though I do not miss Chagres. It is a place to be missed, a—how do you say?—a pig hole?”
    “Sty,” Ana corrected, smiling a little. “A pigsty.”
    “A pigsty, then,” he said. “But my house—
mi madras
house—is far away from there, in a small
valle
near Panama City.”
    She nodded, not taking her eyes from the shore, wishing Jiméne would simply shut up and enjoy the view.
    He shook his head sorrowfully. “You do not care, do you,
mi amiga. hermosa
? Ah, how heartless you are.” He took a deep breath. “Nothing I say impresses you, Ana. Tell me how much harder I should try.”
    Ana didn’t answer.
    He bent closer, touching her arm. “Why are you with D’Alessandro,
cariña
? Leave him. Come with me.”
    “No, Jiméne.” She withdrew her arm gently, suddenly feeling sorry for him. He
was
gallant and impulsive. It wasn’t his fault he’d become enamoured of a whore.
    Besides, it was true that, every day, she came a little closer to accepting his offer and leaving with him. It would be easy, so easy. D’Alessandro confused her and made her uncomfortable—good enough reasons in themselves to leave. But even more than that, D’Alessandro had become a liability. She was afraid he was going to gamble all her hard-won money away—if he didn’t squander it on drink—before they even reached Panama City.
    Yes, Jiméne’s offer was certainly tempting. If it wasn’t for the promise she’d made… A self-deprecating smile touched Ana’s lips. A stupid promise, but a promise nonetheless. Besides, it would be too much trouble to get rid of D’Alessandro now. No, she’d wait and hope he wouldn’t slow her down once they were on the trail.
    But if he did… Ana frowned slightly. If he did, she would have to take matters into her own hands. She couldn’t abide the thought that he might delay her trip. San Francisco beckoned, her new life waited…
    “Please,
cariña
?”
    She looked up at Jiméne and shook her head. “I can’t leave him.”
    “But why? What is it he holds over you?” His hand tightened on her arm, he leaned closer until she could read the pleading in his brown eyes. “I can offer you so much more…”
    Ana looked past him, barely hearing his words as she saw D’Alessandro stagger onto the deck. He barely spared her a glance, but she knew by his sudden stiffness that he’d spotted her. It was what she expected after yesterday, what she intended—to keep him at a distance. If he hated her, so much the better. At least then she wouldn’t always be on the defensive, or feel the disconcerting intimacy of his gaze.
    But again she felt an uncomfortable wave of guilt. Guilt that only increased when he looked straight at her and shook his head with a disapproving frown, and she realized that even after her dismissal of him yesterday, he was still concerned about the way her friendship with Jiméne appeared.
    That surprised and confused her. Ana felt a deep, slow warmth that had nothing to do with the heat, and she looked away quickly, summoning indifference, pretending she didn’t care.
    But he was right, and she knew it. There was too much gossip on the ship.
    “Please, Jiméne,” she said, pulling away. “People will talk.”
    “Let them talk,” he protested passionately. “I do not care.”
    “But I do.” Ana moved so they weren’t touching. “Not here.”
    “I see.” Jiméne’s eyes were dark. “Very well then,
cariña
, I will do as you wish. Today I will go. Tomorrow it will not be so easy.”
    Ana watched Jiméne march away with a relieved regret. By tomorrow it wouldn’t matter. The ship’s gossip wouldn’t matter once they reached Chagres. Chagres, the