“Ginny, I’d rather keep you out of this,” he said now and saw her eyes narrow speculatively at him. “I can’t tell you what you want to hear. I have my own details to take care of first, then we’ll be together again in Mexico City. Paco will escort you there from my grandfather’s. It will give you a chance to visit with Renaldo and Missie. Didn’t you say not so long ago that you wanted to see them again?”

“Yes, but I thought it would be with you and the twins at my side.” She took an irritable step across the small cabin to shove at the open porthole hatch. It swung wider, admitting the effluvium of a river port on the breeze that washed inside. “This is not what I expected.”

“As you know better than anyone, plans change. Hell, my plans weren’t to get mixed up in another bloody revolution. Do you think I want to get involved, to be away from you?”

“Yes,” she said frankly, and when he swore at her, said in a rush, “Maybe not be away from me, but you do want to be involved. You might as well admit it.”

“All right, maybe I do want to stop another long, useless war that only profits politicians and not the citizens. Is that so damn wrong? It affects you and our children as well as the rest of Mexico, and even America, if outside interests get involved.”

“Oh, Steve…I know that. I suppose what I’m asking is if you’re already tired of me, already wanting to be gone. If you think about it, we haven’t been together this much in a long time—maybe since we’ve known each other. Not, at least, without some sort of crisis separating us, putting miles and anger between us.”

An impatient reply formed, but then he saw her eyes, the naked honesty gleaming from her face, and held his tongue. He wouldn’t do as he had the last time—hell, every time they parted. It had made it easier to part if he drove her away with cruelty and indifference, but it had torn them apart, too. He shrugged, said lightly, “Hey, green-eyes, you know I never get tired of you. Not even when you’re nagging me like you are now. But there are some things I can’t tell you. You know that. Just be content with knowing that I have no intention of letting anything or anyone ever come between us again.”

In the soft silence that fell, he heard what sounded like a sigh of relief, but her eyes remained fastened on his face with intensity.