Read Online Speak to the Wind by Mary Tate Engels - Free Book Online

thoughts to the back of her mind. Until now.
    Today he was devastatingly informal in pleated white trousers and a textured white cotton sweater. He wore leather huaraches —Mexican sandals—on bare feet, and his copper skin contrasted with his entire outfit. He'd let his dark hair grow a little so that it edged his collar. His expression was serious, almost brooding, and his eyes were like onyx, shiny but intense. In one large hand he toyed with a single yellow rose. There was only one word for him today—sexy—and Maria couldn't avoid thinking it, try as she might.
    When Maria finally wal ked through the customs gate to ward him, Joe felt a strong impulse to wrap his arms around her and greet her with a kiss. A long, meaningful kiss. But he was too reserved and felt that now wasn't the time or the place, so he handed her the rose with a smile. "Welcome to sunny Mexico, Maria. I'm afraid the sun's ta king a siesta to day."
    Maria took the flower, touched by the romantic gesture. "Why, thank you, Joe. What a nice, but wet, welcome."
    "All day I kept telling my self they must have rain to pro duce such beautiful flowers this time of year." His sweeping gaze took in her hair and the rain-spotted shoulders of her raincoat. "But why did it have to pour today ? "
    They moved out of the stream of traffic and stood facing each other. She tucked a damp strand of hair back into place, but it returned to droop b eside her ear in a loose curl. “ I’ m soaked. I must be a mess."
    He breathed in her faintly floral fragrance and found her wildly alluring, especially in her slightly disheveled state. Decent conversation beca me a struggle. "You're lovely.. . er, you're just fine. Did you have a rough flight ? "
    "Wasn't the smoothest. Did you have to wait long?"
    "Couple of hours."
    "I'm sorry, Joe. Wish there had been some way to warn you about the delay."
    "No trouble. Seeing you is worth the wait." He quickly amended his statement. "Seeing you down safely. Although I'm sure everything was under control. It's just that when you're waiting here in Mexico, you sometimes don't kno w what's happening . I t's nerve racking."
    " We were tossed around quite a bit up there," she said with a little chuckle. "Not fun."
    He gave her a little smile. "Well, now that you're here, we can both breathe easier. Do you have luggage ? "
    "Lots, I'm afraid." She smiled apologetically. "I try to travel light, but I had to pack more clothes than usual because I'm staying so long. And, of course, the video equipment."
    "Video equipment? Just for me?"
    "It's part of the Speechcraft training, whether there's one or fifty-one," she explained. "After we've been through some of the strategies and I've taught you a thing or two, I'll make a video of you and well see how much you've learned. And, of course, my computer ."
    " I hope we don’t have electronic problems . Even TV reception is poor." With his hand lightly on her back Joe guided her to the edge of the crowd awaiting luggage. "The whole thing sounds compli cated."
    "Not really. We’ll use electronics as one of several learning tools. It helps both of us decide quickly what improvements you may need to make. And what’s satisfactory. We work on them together. It's a process that I'll explain more fully later."
    "I'm impressed already."
    "Joe, I want you to know that I'm honored to be chosen to work with the Apache candidate." She smiled genuinely. "This is one of the most important assignments I've had, and I've either put things on ho ld or turned them over to my as sistant in order to give you my best effort."
    "I rank that high, huh ? " His dark eyes twinkled with a touch of light.
    "You bet. And I appreciate your recommendation to the election committee."
    "You understand, I hope, that I really want... no, I really need your help, Maria." He grew serious again. "I don't have any experience in the areas of communications, especially the public kind. In my business t here was no need for it. The in