LA MENTIRA …

Chapter Three

JESSE'S P. O. V.

Susannah's presence was intoxicating. I couldn't avoid it no matter how hard I tried. She was still every bit the charming young woman I had fallen in love with. Even throwing bread to my face was the kind of thing she would do. It hadn't even bothered me when she did it and that got me to be angry, but not at her, I was angry with myself. So, so angry because each time I saw her bite her upper lip –something she always did when she was reading – I felt the urge to walk over her, sweep her into my arms and kiss her as if there was no tomorrow.

I miss her.

But kissing Susannah's soft rosy-red lips has one before been my downfall. It had taken all my energy for months just to stop thinking about her every waking hour. And even at that I still thought of her very often; it could really be just about anything what would remind me of her: certain sent, a song, her favorite flowers growing in the field, the sound of the ocean breaking against the beach. Now she was back in my life, and in my thoughts 24/7.

I couldn't hate her, I tried. I really did and I truly couldn't.

She was so good to my sisters. Since her arrival, for the first time in months, the house felt with some life. Mapi was laughing and talking again. And Julia was playing around like any other normal girl instead of just burring her nose in big, dusty books. Even Abuela likes her, and she doesn't like everybody. I think that if the first time hadn't hurt so much, I would fall in love with her again.

Suze's P. O. V.

I never thought it would be this hard to have Jesse back in my life. He is still so sexy that it hurts. Though he avoids me most of the time now. I really thought I was going to lose my job over The Bread Incident. But I didn't. I have been almost a week here and – though I always thought of myself as a city girl – I quite like the Ranch.

"Do all the clothes you have are black?" I asked Mapi the morning after The Bread Incident while I was helping her to get dress. Julia answered me from across the room.

"Yeah, is the appropriate since our parent's died."

"But… I mean, I understand my grandma died last month, but even I stopped wearing black already."

"Well, we just haven't got new dresses," Mapi admitted, "Jesse said he would take care of it, but I think the whole girl-stuff makes him nervous. Like he wouldn't know what's a petticoat."

"Yeah," Julia agreed with a laugh, "Could you talk to him, Suze?"

"I'm not sure, I'm supposed to stay out of his way…" I murmured absently.

"Oh," Julia said looking kind of glumly but then she brighten up, "I know, we could use Margarita's and Delia's old dresses. Remember that mom put them away someplace in the attic because she said those dresses were still good and we could use them some day?"

"Yes!" Mapi said. "But, what if they don't fit?"

"I can fix that," I said. "I used to help my friend Gina to fix her clothes. I could make them fit. What do you say if we ditch the afternoon lessons and go looking for them?"

Julia and Mapi agreed. And so we found the dresses. Mrs. De Silva had been right, those dresses were barely used, and with a few touches here and there they looked like new. Abuela helped with the repairs, she said she was happy to see more color around the house.

And on Sunday, both Julia and Mapi were eager to go to church and show their new dresses.

"Do my hair, do my hair," Julia asked jumping all around. I pulled her hair back in a half ponytail and she seamed pleased. I did the same to Mapi's hair.

JESSE'S P. O. V.

The journey to the town and church was uneventful. Both Susannah and I were silent because Abuela made us sit together. May I take this moment to point out that she looked beautiful? When we got to church, I helped everyone, even Susannah, to get off the carriage. I was going to offer my arm to my grandmother but Abuela said: "I can walk perfectly fine on my own, now you go and be an gentleman and walk with Susie."

"But Abuela…"

"I mean it, Hector De Silva," she said holding her cane up quite menacingly.

So I went to Susannah and linked her arm with mine, she looked so surprised. I was too; I was surprised at how warm I had felt when I had grabbed her hand. "I would do anything no to get smacked with that cane," I said trying to explain myself.

Susannah smiled. I was smiling back, but then both our attentions fell on Paul Slater, who was standing by and looking at Susannah. She turned and buried her face in my arm and we started to walk faster into the church. I threw a very nasty look at Slater. It wasn't jealousy, all right? It was just that no man should look at a woman the way Slater was looking at queri- I mean at Susannah. No woman deserves to be looked at like a piece of meat. Besides, Susannah works for me, so technically she is my responsibility. Ok? So it wasn't jealousy.

The fact that I hate the guy's guts had nothing to do with it either.

SUZE'S P. O. V.

Yes, trust Spawn of Satan to ruin everything. Jesse had smiled at me. Ok? He had smiled at me, and we were walking together like we used to do and, true, it was only because Abuela had ordered him to do so. But the smile was sincere. I know it was. And then Paul Slater had ruined it.

I hated the way he looked at me, as if he was picturing me naked in his head or something. He terrified me. There was something so animal-like in his gaze when it fell upon me. Something that I couldn't quite place. Raw lust, I suppose. I hated that feral grin of his. I hated the terror it made me feel.

Because that was the truth: Paul Slater scared me. The way he wanted me, it scared me.

Jesse never scared me.

Not even with his hot, most passionate kisses did Jesse ever make me feel uncomfortable. He never looked at me the way Slater did. No, Jesse never made me feel like a dirty piece of meat. Oh, no. The way Jesse used to kiss me - and cares my face and say all that stuff in Spanish I never understood – made me feel beautiful and special. Sacred even.

I buried my face against his arm to avoid Slater's gaze. Jesse seamed to get the message since he started to walk faster and I caught his pace.

Later, as I was hanging with Adam and Cee Cee, catching up with the gossip in town, and even chatting with my stepbrother David, I was glad Paul did not approached. I could feel Jesse's gaze following me and I was sure that if Slater came around, Jesse would kick his butt. Funny how, though the guy didn't seem to have a problem breaking my little heart, he had all sorts of problems with Spawn of Stan looking at me.

End of Chapter Three.

Notes:

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys rock! I want to make some things clear: No Jesse didn't married Maria. She is married to Felix Diego. Yes, I'm going to keep Suze's ability to see ghosts out of the story. The reason why they haven't asked the question "Why didn't you marry Paul/Maria?" is that they are still very convinced the other lied.

But the question shall be asked soon. Next chapter is going to be fun.

Thanks again for reading!!!

Much Love,

Alex. (a. k. a. Clavel, a. k. a. AurynFaith, a. k. a. whatnot.)

P.S. Sorry about the bad grammar and stuff.

P.S.2 PEACE, LOVE, FRUIT AND JESSE!!!

P.S.3 Yeah, Johnny Deep is on our side