Captive Heart by Patti Beckman Page A

showered her with flowers and his Latin style flattery, thinking that the poor little naive American girl would be an easy conquest. Then she would fall all over herself saying "yes" when he proposed just to get an American wife! When he saw his fatal Del Toro charm wouldn't melt her bitterness toward him, he had been stymied. But now she had given him the key to his problem when she told him of her father's desperate business plight.
    "Marry you?" JoNell stormed. "Absolutely not. Never—never—never—!"
    Gone were the flowery Latin phrases, the flattery, the macho charm. He spoke coldly and directly. "Don't be too hasty. I need you and you need me. It's strictly business. Surely, you have seen enough transactions in your father's business to know a good deal when you see one. You cannot deny that I am offering you a financial proposition that you can hardly refuse. Think what it will mean to your father… to your family. You must not foolishly let your angry feelings for me stand in the way. I am offering to buy a year of your time in exchange for assuring your father's financial future."
    "I notice you're talking in English now," she said bitterly. "What happened to all that pretty Spanish you were using when you were trying to seduce me?"
    They glared at each other. He looked as if he were on the point of slapping her and barely able to contain himself. She instinctively took a step backward, frightened by the rage in his eyes. He seemed taller, his powerful shoulders even broader.
    But he got himself under control. "Bickering at each other will not help matters at this point. Is a year out of your young life such a dreadful price to pay for saving your father's business?"
    "A year?"
    "Yes. Of course I don't expect you to commit your entire life to me. I just need time to set up my business in the States. I want the marriage to look authentic. I think about a year would do it. Once I'm settled in your country and have my business operating, a divorce can be easily arranged."
    "Or an annulment?"
    "No, it should be a divorce. The marriage must appear in all respects to be a valid one. I cannot risk being deported for entering your country fraudulently. It will have to be a divorce."
    Her eyes narrowed. A raw, ugly taste crept into her mouth. "Then you expect it to be a real marriage?"
    He shook his head. "I told you, it's strictly a business arrangement. But no one must know. Gustamente has spies everywhere. If any of them suspected my plans, my assassination might be undertaken before I have an opportunity to leave Peru. Even my best friends, my family must not know. I trust no one. You must swear to me that you will tell no one, no matter what the circumstances. Otherwise my blood will be on your hands."
    JoNell shivered, what had she gotten herself into? A few weeks ago, she had been an average twenty-one-year-old American college girl. She had been looking forward to an uncomplicated life of teaching school and eventually marrying a nice, steady guy and raising a family. And now here she was in the middle of South American political intrigue—a volatile situation she really didn't understand.
    She raged inwardly at Del Toro for putting her in this position. Damn him, she thought—he is a demon. What a mockery they would make of the marriage vows. She would be tied for a year to a man who had created in her uncertain and conflicting feelings. It would thrust her into a rich element of Peruvian society that she had only read about in the gossip magazines. She realized with a start that it would transform her from an unknown private citizen into an instant celebrity whose picture was sure to make those same gossip magazines.
    No, she thought wildly, I can't do it. Never in a million years.
    But at the same time, her conscience nagged her— what about her father? Del Toro was offering her the one way she could really help her family. It would get her parents out of debt, give her father something to live for and save