Someone To Watch Over Me (Harlequin Super Romance)

by Fox, Roz Denny

  Closing her eyes, Isabella savored the human touch, the warmth emanating from his very masculine hand. She leaned into his palm, even as some shadowy fear warned her to pull away.

  Drawn by her fragility as well as her unexpected compliance, Gabe was shaken by how badly he longed to kiss her lips. Lips that were full, slightly parted and naked of lipstick. His naked lips covering hers…

  He rose out of his chair and braced his free hand on the table. He didn’t want to frighten Isabella into bolting, so he spoke quietly before she could react. “I’m going to kiss you, Isabella.” Gabe knew her eyes flew wide open. He closed the narrow gap, not giving her time to think or draw back.

  He kept it light when he would’ve liked to deepen the kiss. His hand slid from her jaw to the back of her head, and he curled his fingers around her nape. What he wanted to do was thrust them under the silky knot of her thick braid.

  The connection lasted longer than he’d thought she would allow. But not nearly long enough to put out the fire deep within his belly. Despite his reluctance, Gabe released her the moment he felt the slightest pressure of her head against his hand.

  He stared directly into her eyes, trying to gauge her mood as he eased away. She made no move to slap him. That was good. And her breath was unsteady, and that, too, he took as a positive sign.

  “It’s been half a lifetime since I’ve shared a kiss as sweet as that,” she whispered in a voice as strained as her breathing.

  Sweet? Gabe sank heavily into the chair, forgetting all about the bruises he’d sustained from herding stubborn sheep. But something loomed larger than his pain—the belief that there wasn’t a man alive who’d want the word sweet attached to the first kiss he gave a woman he’d been lusting after in his dreams. Fantastic, maybe. Sexy, definitely. But…sweet? Not on your life.

  “You groaned. Was I that rusty?”

  Gabe, who’d shut his eyes and flopped against the back of his chair, muttered, “I sat down too hard. I forgot my behind’s black and blue thanks to your father’s cantankerous sheep.”

  “Did you do something to provoke the rams?”

  “They take exception to my cutting out the ewes I’m trying to match with the newborn lambs.”

  “Gabe, I think you’re supposed to pen the rams first. A ram’s role is to protect his ewes. Didn’t whoever assigned you the task warn how the rams might act? Surely it wasn’t Papa.”

  “No. He and Louis are working one pasture. Joe and Angel are with the dogs in another. Rick!” Gabe shot bolt upright. “Why, that sneaky, low-down, no good bast—” He bit off the expletive the moment Isabella’s eyebrows shot up.

  “I swear it’s not my imagination. Rick volunteered. He promised Benito he and Manny would give me a lift to the upper pasture and show me what I needed to know to cut out the proper ewes. Boy, I’ve been had.”

  “Papa will skin Rick alive.”

  “Don’t tell him. Rick’s waiting for me to bitch. Why else would he leave his orchard and drop by when we broke for lunch? I’ll bet he’s laughing his head off.”

  “I don’t understand why he’d pick on you.”

  “A guess?” Gabe drawled. “I’d say he sees it as protecting his flock.”

  “His flo…? Oh? Me? Or Trini do you think?”

  Gabe closed the pizza boxes and got up to store them in the fridge. “I haven’t kissed Trini. Haven’t shown any signs of wanting to, either.” His declaration came out muffled because his head was in the fridge.

  “You only kissed me tonight. Rick can’t know that.”

  “Right. But it’s been on my mind for a while. Guys sense these things in one another.”

  Isabella stood up and put their beer bottles on the counter near the sink. “Rick’s not my keeper.” She stalked toward the back door.

  “Wait a minute. It’s pitch dark out. I’ll walk you home.” Gabe grabbed a jacket off a hook nailed inside the laundry room.

  “It’s barely a thousand yards. And it was dark when I brought myself over here.”

  “Humor me.”

  “Gabe,” she said in an unmistakably cautious tone. “I hope I’m not being presumptuous saying this—but don’t waste your time pursuing me. If you are, I mean. If that’s what your invitations and your kiss were all about, you need to give it up.”

  “Mind telling me why?” he inquired mildly.

  Isabella buried her hands deep in the pockets of the jacket she’d never removed while in Gabe’s house. “I should think that’s evident. I’ve got nothing to offer. Not to friends or family. I’ve got nothing to give to anyone. I’m empty. In here.” She placed a hand over her heart.

  “You’re young,” Gabe reminded her. “You have two-thirds of your life ahead of you.” He took her elbow and steered her around a pothole in the gravel road.

  “Listen to me, Gabe. I’m trying to do you a favor. You’re wasting your time on something that can never be. I’m dead inside.”

  As she said this, they reached the steps leading to the porch that surrounded the Navarros’ rambling farmhouse. A border collie trotted out to bark but soon returned to the sheep pen.

  Gabe wasn’t in the habit of kissing any woman without warning. But he folded his arms around Isabella and leaned against the huge old mountain laurel that shaded the front steps. He felt the crunch of bark between his shoulder blades and noted Isabella’s gasp with satisfaction as her body touched his. While he had her off guard, Gabe kissed her in a way that could by no means be described as sweet. He devoured her lips until she grasped his face between her hands and kissed him back with equal passion.

  They were both panting when they finally broke apart. In the light from the porch that filtered through the leaves, Gabe could see he’d left her lips rosy and damp. Isabella’s eyes, partially hidden by half-closed lids were less revealing. But he caught enough of a glimpse to know he’d evoked at least a glimmer of desire.

  Tracing her bottom lip with the work-roughened pad of his thumb, Gabe waited until Isabella met his eyes. “No. You’re definitely not dead inside.” Dropping his hand, he turned and walked away and was soon swallowed in darkness.

  Isabella wavered. She fought against the hunger welling inside her. She shivered from the cold wind, which had suddenly sprung up, rattling the branches above her head.

  Behind her, the door opened. Trini stepped onto the porch. “Bella, so you’re home. Mama thought she heard noises out here. It must’ve been you driving in. If my brakes are squeaking again, I’ll have Joe take a look at them this weekend.”

  Steadying herself, Isabella clutched the railing. “Your brakes are fine. A wind’s come up. Someone needs to cut a few branches away from the house before they rub the paint off.” She walked up the steps and hurried past her sister, determined not to show any reaction to Gabe’s kiss that could be questioned by her family. He’d been mistaken. He might have aroused a physical longing in her, but her heart remained as lifeless as ever. It’d be best if she forgot about the idea of looking at old court cases with him. Yes, that would definitely be best.

  Trini followed Isabella inside and before they reached the stairs, leaned over to murmur conspiratorially, “Did you have a good time with Gabe tonight? Is he a good kisser?”

  “What?” Isabella tripped over the sleeve of the jacket she’d just removed.

  Trini poked her. “Only kidding, Bella. I wanted to shake you up. You seem so…distracted tonight. Wasn’t he able to get permission for you to see those court cases?”

  “He did, but—”

  “Good,” Trini said, talking right over her sister. “Hayden phoned an hour ago. They’ve assigned a trial date. Jury selection starts Tuesday of next week. You need to phone him back. He’d like to get together with you on Monday for a last look at your deposition and his notes. So if you and Gabe find anything new, I guess you’ll want to show him then.”

  Isabella sagged against the wall. “It’s really going to happen. I’ve waited so long.”

  “Yeah, well s
ince Hayden phoned, the family’s been arguing over what to do.”

  “Arguing? Why? Aren’t they pleased it’ll finally be decided?”

  “It’s the timing, Bella. But go on into the living room, they’ll tell you.”

  She did go inside, unsure what problems awaited her. “Mama. Papa. Rick. Ruby. Joe.” One by one Isabella named them. Only the sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law were missing. “Trini tells me this meeting concerns Julian’s trial. I don’t understand. We’ve all been waiting…praying for this call.”

  Benito got up and dragged a chair in front of the fireplace. “We all want to be there for you, caro. But we prayed…since they waited this long, they’d hold off till summer.” Gathering Isabella’s hand in his gnarled one, he sat her gently in the chair.

  “Yeah,” Joe grumbled. He paused in his whittling to scowl. Whittling was Joe’s way of calming an attack of nerves. “Their timing couldn’t be worse, Bella. For any of us. We’re smack in the middle of a bumper lamb crop. Within two weeks, there’ll be more dropping all across the hills. Rick’s leased equipment to fertilize all his orchards, otherwise his apples won’t be worth marketing. And if Manny and Louis want a grape crop, they’ve gotta do whatever it is they do to the vines this time of year.”

  “Cluster thinning,” Manny supplied from the corner.

  Isabella fought a surge of panic. She’d counted on the support of her family during a time that was sure to be the roughest ordeal she’d faced since the funerals. Her turbulent eyes sought those of her mother and her three sisters.

  Trini glanced guiltily away. “I have tests in all my classes coming up, and no break until Easter.”

  Ruby wrung work-worn hands. “Either Sylvia or I should stick close to home in case Christina goes into labor. We promised Manny. Not only that, I’m drowning in berries I have to turn into jam before they rot. I picked everything at once after the storm. So, Sylvia, I’ll stay home for Christina. You and Mama go with Isabella.”

  Benito roused himself. “I need your mama to help with the sick or premature lambs. Trying to run back and forth to Bend every day is out of the question.”

  “I thought I’d book a motel, Papa. I’m not sure I’m up to driving that route every day, either.” Isabella twisted a button on her blouse.

  Sylvia went to hug her. “Bella, Angel won’t want me staying in Bend for…how long will the trial run? Our kids have games and band practice after school. I’m in a car pool. I can try and trade one or two days, but… Oh, why did they move the trial anyway?”

  “There’s no guessing how long it’ll be,” Luisa said. “I asked that when Mr. Hayden phoned. He said jury selection alone could take a week or more.”

  Isabella rubbed her hands along her skirt. “Look, I don’t want any of you making sacrifices. I can handle the jury selection process on my own. After the trial starts, maybe some of you will be able to spare a day here and there.”

  “We should all be lined up with you,” Benito insisted. “Did the prosecutor tell the judge it’d cause a hardship on you to move the trial, Bella?”

  “He did, Papa. He filed three different motions. They all failed.”

  “Why?” Manny demanded.

  “A number of reasons,” Isabella said bitterly. “Too much local media coverage. Overwhelming sentiment in the valley. Hayden said a change of venue isn’t uncommon in high-profile cases—they think it’s easier to select jurors that way. Fair jurors.”

  “As if anyone who sees the facts won’t think Julian’s nuts,” Rick snapped.

  Isabella jumped up. “Take care where you say that, Rick. Half of Julian’s defense hinges on his copping an insanity plea. I want him convicted of murder.”

  Joe closed his knife and pocketed the whistle he was carving. “What else does he have as a defense?”

  “Read the papers, Joe. The creep Julian’s folks hired to defend him leaked suggestions to the press that Julian’s been maligned. He’s saying Bella drove Julian to commit what they’re terming a crime of passion.” Manny’s dark eyes flashed malevolently.

  “Ah, to hell with the flock,” Benito exclaimed. “I won’t allow Bella to sit in that courtroom alone if that’s how they’re going to treat her.”

  “Papa, the trial itself will be civilized. Those are just words Julian’s lawyer will throw around. Compared to what I’ve already faced, what can mere words do to hurt me?”

  “I don’t like it,” Benito insisted. His scowl cowed everyone in the room. All at once he snapped his fingers. “What about Gabe? Joe, can he learn enough in a week to take my place? That’ll free me up to go with Bella.”

  Joe snorted. “Three months maybe, Papa. No way could he be ready in one week. Especially during the most frantic lambing season yet.”

  Luisa Navarro clasped her husband’s arm. “Benito, perhaps a better solution would be to ask Gabe to attend the trial instead of me.”

  Rick catapulted from his chair, knocking it over with a bang. “What kind of damn fool idea is that, Mama? The man’s a maketo,” he spat. An outsider.

  “No, Papa.” Isabella picked up her brother’s chair. “Much as it pains me to agree with Rick when he’s acting like a billy goat, I have to say he’s right. Gabe has no stake in this.”

  Manny stood. “It’s getting late. I’ve gotta go home.”

  “Me, too.” Joe retrieved a pile of jackets. As he handed them around, he said, “I recall a conversation with Gabe where he mentioned that Summer Marsh…er…Quinn had clued him in on Bella’s situation. I think he’s sympathetic.”

  Trini straightened from where she bent to stoke the fire. “Gabe knows as much as anyone who isn’t family. Not only did he accompany Bella to the cemetery, he’s wangled access to Larkin Crosley’s law library for her to read about similar cases. And he knows his way around a courthouse.”

  That information slowly seeped through to the family members still pondering Isabella’s fate.

  “I said I’ll handle this on my own,” Isabella snapped, even though she felt a niggle of guilt. After all, she’d asked Gabe to do her a favor; she’d agreed to help him choose furniture in return. And tonight, she’d run off without even looking at his brochures. Still, that deal was between her and Gabe. It had nothing to do with tonight’s family summit.

  To stave off another clan discussion, Isabella made a point of kissing everyone and pointedly saying goodnight. As fast as her feet would carry her, she ran up to her room. Her family might not approve of her taking matters into her own hands, but in the past they’d abided by her wishes. She had no reason to doubt the same would be true in this instance.

  THE NEXT EVENING, when she met Gabe outside Larkin Crosley’s office, she discovered how wrong she’d been.

  He greeted her, saying, “Why didn’t you tell me last night that they’re going to begin jury selection? No wonder you had a rotten day. That news alone would jangle your nerves, let alone finding out most of your family can’t be there for you.”

  Unlocking the main building door, Gabe moved aside to let Isabella precede him into a foyer lit only by the exit sign.

  “My day fell apart before any of that. I didn’t learn the trial updates until after I arrived home last night.”

  “I’m glad, because I hope you know I’d never have waited for your dad to ask me to go with you. I’d have volunteered on my own.”

  Gabe had trailed her up one flight of warped oak steps. She stopped on the landing. “Why? Why would Papa ask, and why would you agree? Curiosity? You can read about it in the newspaper or watch highlights on TV. We’re the best sideshow in the valley,” she said bitterly, letting her frustration from last night emerge. Her lack of sleep didn’t help, either.

  Ignoring her anger, Gabe calmly sorted through the keys on the ring. When he found the one he wanted, he fit it in the door emblazoned with Crosley’s name. “You could’ve slapped me last night. Then your irritation over my kissing you would all be out of your system by now.”

  Pausing inside the o
ffice, which smelled of musty books and lemon furniture polish, Isabella flinched when Gabe turned on the bright overhead lights. “This isn’t about a kiss.”

  “No?” He slid home the dead bolt and tucked the keys back in his pocket.

  “It’s about my father’s arrogance. And yours.”

  “Your father’s anything but arrogant, Isabella. He approached me with hat in hand because he loves you. I agreed out of respect for him, and because I’ve been in lonely spots myself. I know what a difference it makes to have a friend standing by your side.”

  The low murmur of Gabe’s voice, coupled with his sincerity, pierced the armor she thought she had solidly in place. “You humble me, Gabe.”

  He shrugged offhandedly, suddenly embarrassed. “Forget it. Let’s get to work. Larkin gave me the general layout of his library, and showed me how to use his card catalogue. I wish he had his index computerized. But he doesn’t, so we’ll have to work around that. Why don’t you have a seat at that long table? I’ll start pulling books.”

  “I brought some yellow tablets to take notes.” She pulled them out of a straw handbag.

  “I’d like to say there’s no way we’ll find that many of these awful cases. I know better. Unfortunately there are a lot of sick people in this world.”

  “Julian’s not sick. He’s perfectly healthy. And he was fine the morning he came and got Antonia and Ramon for their visitation.”

  “I know that’s what you believe, Isabella. But something must have snapped after you saw him. Spite doesn’t seem enough of a motive for murder-suicide.”

  She pressed her lips in a thin line and clapped her hands over her ears, spinning away from Gabe.

  He dropped his chin to his chest and massaged the back of his neck. He noticed her shoulders shaking and moved in behind her, looping his arms around her. “The last thing I’d ever do is hurt you, Isabella,” he declared. “Either way, the state is going to put Julian away for a long, long time, whether they incarcerate or institutionalize him. Won’t you be better served devoting your time and energy to healing yourself?”