the rear of the El Camino. She let herself out and stood beside the El Camino, not knowing what to expect from this toothless, shriveled little man now glaring openmouthed at her.
"What we got here?" he queried bluntly, looking from one to the other suspiciously. Suddenly, as if a man possessed, Petie's eyes bugged out and he stared at Garrett. "What'd you do, go and get married on us?"
Even as Garrett roared at the little man to keep his ill-mannered mouth shut, Crystal reeled backward in shock. The word "no" formed in the back of her brain, but she never got it out. Garrett was busily and angrily setting the matter straight.
"And where the devil are your teeth?" she heard Garrett exclaim loudly. He turned apologetically to Crystal, and immediately the color flamed to her cheeks.
"Excuse this old coot, ma'am," he said deferentially and a bit formally. "I suppose it's my fault. I didn't take the time to call and let anyone know you were coming with me. But that's no excuse for rudeness." He shot a warning glance in Petie's direction and grimaced, hands coming irritably to belted hips.
Crystal's eyes instinctively followed his, just in time to catch Petie in the act of fishing his dentures out of his jeans pocket and popping them into his mouth. He smiled apologetically, teeth gleaming white where there had been a black, gaping hole before.
The whole ridiculous scene seemed suddenly funny, and she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing outright.
"I go tell the missus," the little man muttered contritely, and took off on his misshapen little legs.
Crystal erupted in giggles, watching the strange creature waddle back up the hill, mumbling to himself with elaborate gestures.
"Well, I'm glad you thought it was funny!" Garrett grumbled, clasping a big hand around her arm just above the elbow and propelling her forward. "I'll send him back down for your things, but right now I think we better get you in the house and properly introduced."
As she obediently allowed herself to be escorted beneath the alameda, she could see that the house was built in two separate wings with a high, wide, enclosed entrance area connecting them. At each end of the entrance hall stood double doors easily eight feet tall and now standing open, allowing her a view of a courtyard in the center of the huge house. The hallway itself she judged to be at least thirty feet deep and perhaps ten feet in width. The courtyard beyond was paved with reddish cobblestones and furnished with several small white wrought-iron divans with yellow vinyl cushions. It was here that Garrett finally loosened his grip on her arm after depositing her safely on one of the little divans.
Crystal took in as much of her surroundings as she could in the few seconds allowed her before the household erupted in gales of babbling Spanish. This appeared to be only one of two courtyards, the inner one. Crystal could see over a low adobe wall at the rear to another where the blue waters of a large rectangular swimming pool glinted in the sunlight. Beneath the archways that bordered the inner courtyard on the three remaining sides, Crystal could see heavily tinted glass walls.
The voices babbling Spanish grew louder, and a brown woman of gigantic proportions suddenly burst through an open doorway of sliding glass and descended upon Crystal as if she were a prodigal daughter returned home. With smothering hugs, Lupe made her enthusiastic welcome known, then turned to Garrett and pounded him affectionately on the back.
"Welcome! Welcome!" she chanted through a thick Spanish accent. "Welcome, little one. I am Lupe. Oh! So thin!" She inspected Crystal's arm through the thin fabric of her blouse and clucked a sweet scolding.
"Good Lord! Has everyone around here forgotten their manners?" Garrett boomed, but Lupe only folded her arms across her great breasts and winked down at Crystal, who perched self-consciously on the edge of the yellow vinyl cushion, hovering
"What we got here?" he queried bluntly, looking from one to the other suspiciously. Suddenly, as if a man possessed, Petie's eyes bugged out and he stared at Garrett. "What'd you do, go and get married on us?"
Even as Garrett roared at the little man to keep his ill-mannered mouth shut, Crystal reeled backward in shock. The word "no" formed in the back of her brain, but she never got it out. Garrett was busily and angrily setting the matter straight.
"And where the devil are your teeth?" she heard Garrett exclaim loudly. He turned apologetically to Crystal, and immediately the color flamed to her cheeks.
"Excuse this old coot, ma'am," he said deferentially and a bit formally. "I suppose it's my fault. I didn't take the time to call and let anyone know you were coming with me. But that's no excuse for rudeness." He shot a warning glance in Petie's direction and grimaced, hands coming irritably to belted hips.
Crystal's eyes instinctively followed his, just in time to catch Petie in the act of fishing his dentures out of his jeans pocket and popping them into his mouth. He smiled apologetically, teeth gleaming white where there had been a black, gaping hole before.
The whole ridiculous scene seemed suddenly funny, and she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing outright.
"I go tell the missus," the little man muttered contritely, and took off on his misshapen little legs.
Crystal erupted in giggles, watching the strange creature waddle back up the hill, mumbling to himself with elaborate gestures.
"Well, I'm glad you thought it was funny!" Garrett grumbled, clasping a big hand around her arm just above the elbow and propelling her forward. "I'll send him back down for your things, but right now I think we better get you in the house and properly introduced."
As she obediently allowed herself to be escorted beneath the alameda, she could see that the house was built in two separate wings with a high, wide, enclosed entrance area connecting them. At each end of the entrance hall stood double doors easily eight feet tall and now standing open, allowing her a view of a courtyard in the center of the huge house. The hallway itself she judged to be at least thirty feet deep and perhaps ten feet in width. The courtyard beyond was paved with reddish cobblestones and furnished with several small white wrought-iron divans with yellow vinyl cushions. It was here that Garrett finally loosened his grip on her arm after depositing her safely on one of the little divans.
Crystal took in as much of her surroundings as she could in the few seconds allowed her before the household erupted in gales of babbling Spanish. This appeared to be only one of two courtyards, the inner one. Crystal could see over a low adobe wall at the rear to another where the blue waters of a large rectangular swimming pool glinted in the sunlight. Beneath the archways that bordered the inner courtyard on the three remaining sides, Crystal could see heavily tinted glass walls.
The voices babbling Spanish grew louder, and a brown woman of gigantic proportions suddenly burst through an open doorway of sliding glass and descended upon Crystal as if she were a prodigal daughter returned home. With smothering hugs, Lupe made her enthusiastic welcome known, then turned to Garrett and pounded him affectionately on the back.
"Welcome! Welcome!" she chanted through a thick Spanish accent. "Welcome, little one. I am Lupe. Oh! So thin!" She inspected Crystal's arm through the thin fabric of her blouse and clucked a sweet scolding.
"Good Lord! Has everyone around here forgotten their manners?" Garrett boomed, but Lupe only folded her arms across her great breasts and winked down at Crystal, who perched self-consciously on the edge of the yellow vinyl cushion, hovering
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