Episode 4

Eda had turned as red as a tomato at what had happened, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I ask you to please try to respect me," she said, ready to turn around and leave, but just then Max approached her and grabbed her arm tightly.

"You're crossing the line," he blurted out. "You made a mistake by hitting me and by wasting this outing I'm giving you," he assured.

"You crossed them before me by insulting me like this, Max. Your father will be very ashamed of you," Eda said with certainty.

"I won't care if it helps him save himself from a..." he said, but he didn't finish the sentence because Eda fixed her eyes on his, a current seemed to run down his spine, distracting Max completely.

"Don't keep doing it, Max," she whispered in a lower voice, as she seemed to have lowered her guard a little.

"I'll make you leave here on your own two feet, Eda," he said suddenly, breaking that moment of intense gazes.

"Why do you hate me so much if you don't know me?" she asked in a fragile voice.

Max stared at her, and although he wanted to shout some hurtful things at her, he couldn't do much because that deep look moved something in him.

"I simply can't swallow the idea that you want to marry a man who is twice your age for love," he explained with determination, "and I will do everything in my power to keep people like you away from our family," he declared.

"I don't know what you base those conclusions on me without knowing me, Max, but I can assure you that I have no bad intentions with you," she said in her soft, light voice.

"I've told you before, Eda," he began to say, "I know your type very well," he repeated calmly.

Eda began to feel a slight pain in her arm, and it wasn't until she looked down at it that she realized that Max was still holding her arm and had applied a little more force.

"I will not allow your insults, Maximiliano," she blurted out. Eda let go of him, and before he could say anything else, she left. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, tears began to flood her eyes as the rain flooded the fields.

Max stared at Eda without understanding her reaction, he was so surprised that she had rejected his offer if that was what he was sure she was looking for in his home. The blow to his cheek was also another surprise for him, that was the first time someone had hit him or that a woman had stood up to him.

Frustrated at not being able to effectively finish his plans, Max left the house and went to the fields in the rain. From the windows of the house, Max could be seen running in the rain, for him, running was the best way to release stress and anger, which is exactly what he felt at that moment.

When Eda arrived at the room, she looked among her things for the small photograph of her brother and hugged it to her chest before lying down on the bed and falling slightly asleep.

Joseph had seen his brother when he returned to the house and asked him why he was like that, he didn't tell him anything because continuing to talk about what had happened in the office irritated him.

"Have you seen Eda?" Joseph asked his brother when they were sitting in the middle of the living room after Max went to change his clothes and returned to have a drink with him.

Hearing that name, Max shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm not her babysitter, Joseph," he blurted out without further ado. "I have no idea where she is and I don't care either," he assured, taking the glass to his lips.

"Why don't you like her, Max? She seems like a good girl," my brother said, looking at me curiously.

"That's what she pretends to be, Joseph, I'm sure she just wants our father's money," he assured. "If not, then what would be the reason for their union?"

"I don't know, Max," he said, downplaying it for Max. "Just avoid messing with her, do it for Dad," he said, getting to his feet and leaving.

Max stared at the floor, until he raised it to pass it over the picture of his mother that rested on the fireplace in the living room.

"He couldn't forget you, Mother," he then whispered as he finished his drink.

Sadness quickly appeared in his eyes but vanished in the same way, Max let out a long sigh before getting to his feet.

At lunchtime, Max went to the dining room but was surprised to see only his brother.

"The young lady apologizes, young Joseph," Claudia began to say, interrupting. "She told me that she is unwell and will not eat yet," she explained.

"I understand," he began to say, "take something to eat to the room in a while, it's cold and it will do her good to have something hot," he said with a smile when he saw the chicken soup that the woman had prepared for the meal.

"Okay," Claudia nodded and left, leaving only the two boys alone.

As the rain continued to fall in torrents and the air was still cold, they were both in house clothes, the animals were already in their corrals and protected from the heavy rain.

After finishing eating, they went to the office to talk about ranch matters, Max explaining in more detail to his brother about the operation of the plant they would place.

Joseph admired his brother very much, he had always seen him as an example to follow and Max always tried to protect him from everything he considered a danger, well in general he was over protective with everyone, hence the misgiving he felt towards Eda and the lack of trust that the girl provided him, the restlessness she caused in him was different to the point of disturbing him.

It could be said that it was the first time that the stubborn Maximiliano Santos felt that way about a woman.

Even Eda has been the only one who has faced him and even hit him...

It was six in the afternoon when Eda came out of the shower, as she did so, she realized that the place where Max had grabbed her before had a small mark from his strong grip, she put some ointment on it and dressed in long-sleeved pajamas.

Her hair was still wet and loose over her shoulders, Eda went to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk, the house was silent as if there was no one else there but that calm was good for her because she knew that after that no one would come and mistreat her as her father did in the past, when Eda entered the kitchen she jumped in fright.

A tall and burly figure was standing with his back to the door.

When Max turned around at hearing the scream that seemed like that of a child, his eyes met hers.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked as he finished pouring himself coffee.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I saw you suddenly and I got scared," she clarified. "I just came for something to drink."

Max didn't answer anything, he just finished doing what he was doing and sat at the table and although he had his cell phone in his free hand he looked up to see Eda move through the shelves.

When Eda got what she was looking for she sat at the other end facing him.

Max raised his gaze and saw her with her gaze lost through the window while she saw the rain falling Eda seemed to be on another planet and Max confirmed it when he called her and she didn't flinch.

"Is Joseph at home?" she asked suddenly.

"There's no one here but you and me," he said casually.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked a little surprised.

"I don't know," he replied dryly, while keeping his eyes fixed on his cell phone.

Eda remained silent for the next few minutes because if it was just the two of them in the house the last thing she would want would be to anger the man who seemed to hate her.

When they both left the kitchen being already in the living room the front door opened quickly and a young man with a hat and wet from the rain appeared agitated.

"Good evening Mr. Max," he said with a broken voice as if he had just run a marathon. "Is young Joseph here?" he asked with a hint of anguish in his voice.

"He's in town, what happened?" Max asked alarmed.

"One of our best mares is about to give birth but there is no veterinarian at the ranch right now, he is also in town," he began to explain. "Apparently there are complications and if we continue without being able to give birth on her own we could lose both her and the offspring sir," he explained to Max. Max's expression changed quickly because he understood that and felt frustrated because he could not help them.

"Go get the veterinarian," he then ordered but the boy began to deny.

"I already did sir but the entrance to the ranch is blocked, the rains have caused some trees to fall blocking the exit and the entrance," Max tensed quickly. "And removing all that will take us until morning or mid-dawn."

"I can try to help," the two men turned quickly to see who had said that.

Eda shrugged while looking at them.

"What does she say?" the young man asked.

"I've done it before," she assured. "I'll do my best."

The young man looked at Max as if waiting for his approval and he nodded without knowing what else to say or do.

"Very well miss," said the young man. "Are you going like that or do I wait for you to change?" he asked seeing her in pajamas.

"You said it's urgent, take me at once," she said, placing her hair over one shoulder.

The boy turned around leaving the house and she followed him, Max did the same, he was dying of curiosity to see what she would do.

Upon leaving the house, the cold air enveloped her immediately seeping into her fragile bones, the wind was strong and neither Max nor she were surprised that the trees had fallen.

Max remained behind them but his gaze was only on her, he looked at every movement of that slender body very carefully.

Arriving at the stables Eda held her breath that was huge and very beautiful she thought they only existed in novels but at that moment she realized that it was not so, even that stable was twice the size of her old house, full of horses, with beautiful and shiny skins and coats without a doubt of the best breeds that there were.

But quickly the groan of an animal distracted her.

She walked behind the boy a little more until he stopped where that animal was lying on the hay.

Eda looked into her eyes and saw fear reflected in them, she was a beautiful female very large with gray fur like the moon, before doing anything she began to caress the animal with tenderness and to whisper things that the two men who were at the door could not hear.

"I'm going to help you beautiful," she whispered while caressing the big belly.

Eda asked for a couple of things while holding her hair high on her head with a lock of it, Max couldn't help but notice the delicacy of her hands and the movements she made with them, the boy took Eda what she had asked for.

Max and the boy watched from the door, Eda was attending that like an expert and as she did so she spoke with the animal.

After two hours or so the offspring had been born and both were fine, a smile of relief was drawn on the face of the boy who looked at Max who was surprised as well as him.

"She is very good at this sir," he commented but Max didn't say anything just nodded.

"So it seems," Max said under his breath.

"You are very strong and brave," she exclaimed giving a soft pat to the mare who was looking at her without pain in her eyes.

Max motioned to the boy next to him to leave and he could not disobey his order and left leaving them alone.

Eda stood up and began to pick up the things she had used.

"You've done a lot already," Max interrupted her with a deep voice. "Someone else will take care of this," leave that like that," he said pointing to the things that were on the ground to one side.

Without objecting Eda left the things again in the place and before leaving she caressed the animal again.

When they both left the stable Max realized how dirty the girl's clothes were and how ruffled her hair was but she didn't seem to care at all, and he couldn't help but realize that he had never been in front of a woman who didn't care if she was seen without makeup and without fashionable clothes or with her hair disheveled, just as he didn't overlook how attractive she seemed.

The white skin shone a little with the drops of water that fell on her, the hair was gathered in the shape of a nest on her head, her lips and cheeks seemed painted with strawberry syrup, a tremendous innocence that awakened in Max a carnal desire like never before, Max pushed those thoughts away quickly and forced himself to think of her only as the woman who had entered his life to marry his father and only that.

When they arrived back at the house both were soaked by the rain, Eda realized that he was very distant despite being a short distance from her, she had been surprised that during that time he had not said anything about what he thought of her and her supposed intentions, but she could not help but realize how striking that man was, Eda felt like a helpless mouse next to him because of how tall he was, the cold expression in his eyes made him seem like pieces of ice and a face without any emotion at that moment.

"Have a good night Maximiliano," she said entering the house and heading to the stairs.

Max didn't answer anything, he just limited himself to looking at her.

He turned around to go to the office and then to change his wet clothes, but something made him stop before entering the office.

"Thank you for today," he said in a neutral voice towards Eda who had turned around wondering if she had heard correctly what he had just said.

Their gazes met before she answered, Eda felt that current run through her body again when she felt his eyes on her, her breathing skyrocketed and she tried to control it but the truth was that she didn't know how.

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