by T. J. Kline
Anna bit her lip and stared at the crystal goblet in front of her. Light refracted through it, making rainbows over the table. Suddenly she realized Gabe’s feelings for her were mere illusions. He’d plied her the way the crystal refracted the light, painting dazzling colors over the mess of her life. And she’d completely believed him.
“My dear, I’m sorry to sound vulgar, but you were nothing more than a bit of a conquest for him. One last bit of fun, as I warned you would be, before his engagement was announced and he settled down. And now, you see why the engagement must be announced immediately.”
Wilhelmina couldn’t have driven her point home more deftly if she’d used a sledgehammer. She crushed every hope Anna might have had for her future, both in her relationship with Gabe and in her career. “I think it would be best for you to leave the employ before you do anything more to embarrass yourself. And I’m willing to help you. I have a lovely commercial lot in Santa Barbara, right near the ocean. Out of the goodness of my heart, I’d like to help you start your own shop there.”
Chapter 24
Anna’s cell phone rang, overly loud in the stillness of the botanical garden. She’d come here to decide whether to accept Mrs. Radcliffe’s offer to help her start her own shop. After digging the phone out from the bottom of her purse and seeing Gabe’s number on the screen, she swiped her finger over it, sending his call to voice mail yet again. He’d already called at least six times in the past two hours. She thought he would have gotten the hint by now.
“You don’t want to talk to me?”
She spun at the sound of Gabe’s voice, shocked to see him walking toward her. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Tessa called and told me you’d left in the middle of lunch with my grandmother. I went to the flower market and two other parks before I came here.”
“How did you find me on this bench? The park’s fifty-five acres.”
“I asked a docent where I could find the most colorful flowers in season right now.” Anna was taken aback, surprised that he knew she would seek out color and life. She came to see the bright flowers in the exhibit to renew her spirit. “Anna, what happened at lunch?”
She turned away from him, unable to refuse the earnest appeal in his hazel eyes. “I had to. This can’t work. There’s you and Stephanie—”
“We’re over,” he finished. “I told you that.”
She twisted around to face him. “No, not when the two of you are having a…”
Gabe frowned, his brows pinching together. “A what?”
“Your grandmother told me about the baby.”
“What baby?” He closed the distance between them and reached for her cheek. “She told you Stephanie was pregnant?”
Anna bit her lower lip, nodding dumbly.
“There is no baby. Stephanie and I have never slept together.”
Anna sighed as his grandmother’s words slid like poison through her mind. A conquest. One last bit of fun. “I’m not just some fling. I deserve better than that.”
“What are you talking about, Anna?”
She wasn’t sure who she could believe anymore. She shook her head, walking away from him. “I don’t like being toyed with, Gabe. I have feelings.”
He reached out, grasping her wrist, and tugged her back into his arms. Anna’s hands landed against the hard wall of his chest. Her heart pounded frantically as her body instantly responded to his touch, craving more. She caught her breath as the scent of him surrounded her, more intoxicating than the fragrance of the flowers in the garden. A shiver of desire trickled down her spine, almost making her knees buckle.
“Why would you think I lied to you?” Gabe stared into her face but she couldn’t answer him, or tell him about his grandmother’s accusations. “Whatever she said, it isn’t true.”
“How can I believe that?” she whispered, her heart breaking.
“I’ve never felt the way I do when I’m with you. Anna, I’ll sell the winery if it means I get to be with you.”
“You can’t.” She’d seen firsthand how much the vineyard meant to him, how alive it made him feel. She couldn’t let him give it up.
His finger brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, caressing the line of her jaw, sending heat bursting through her core. A smile tugged at one side of his lips. “I was going to marry someone I didn’t love because I’d given up hope of finding a woman like you. I’d gladly give up one hundred vineyards for you. Don’t tell me you’re willing to turn your back on what we have because of an old woman’s crazy lies.”
She was torn. Anna wanted to believe Gabe, to fall headfirst into the longing that threatened to drown her. Logic warned her to turn her back on him, walk away and protect herself from being used, but her heart couldn’t deny the waves of desire washing over her at his nearness. His hand fell to her waist, pulling her toward him slightly, and she couldn’t convince herself not to be swept away.
She didn’t want to deny her heart. She had been ready to give up based on the words of a bitter woman trying to maintain a grasp on her own agenda. But Gabe was sacrificing everything he loved to prove himself to her.
“Please,” he said. “I love you, Anna.”
Anna wouldn’t look at him. Gabe slid his fingers along the side of her neck, his thumb tracing her jaw, tipping her face up so he could look into her eyes. She lifted her gaze to his and he could see the confusion and hesitation there. But he could also see the longing for what they could have.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“There’s no baby?”
Gabe jerked his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Stephanie right now and you can ask her yourself. I swear to you, Anna, there is no baby and there will be no wedding.” A half-smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “Except, one day, ours.” Her gaze leapt to his and she rolled her lips inward. He could see the moment she decided to believe him, when her eyes reflected every emotion he was feeling for her. “I love—”
Gabe couldn’t wait any longer. His mouth covered hers, and immediately, her fingers traced a path into his hair as shock waves reverberated from her very touch. Every part of him seemed electrified, pulsing with need. Winding his arms around her back, he dragged her against him, pressing their bodies into full contact. This was what he’d been looking for. Anna filled a void in him that no other woman could.
“Hey.” Anna pulled back from his kiss. “You don’t get to steal this moment from me. You’re going to be patient and wait for me to tell you that I love you, Gabriel Radcliffe. I love your dirt-stained hands, the kind way you treat the people who work for you, and, most of all, I love the passion you have.”
He couldn’t help the goofy grin that he was sure must be on his face. He bent down to kiss her again, his lips brushing hers briefly. “You’re incredible. And now, we have to go.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
A smile spread over her face, lighting her eyes with emerald fire, making his heart ache with the beauty of it. This woman had changed his life, helped him find his true desires and had opened up a new world for him. Anna’s palms cupped his stubble-covered jaw and he felt his body tighten at the desire coiling tight in his loins.
“Okay,” Anna said as she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his, her tongue sneaking into his mouth to seal her promise. And Gabe knew he was never letting this woman go.
Chapter 25
Anna looked around the posh suite of the Palace Hotel in amazement. Every inch of the room exuded wealth and luxury. She heard the door to the main room close and turned away from the massive canopy bed and plush comforter, trying to ignore the butterflies taking flight in anticipation of sharing that bed with Gabe soon.
His hands slid up her arms, settling over her shoulders to coax the tense muscles. Anna dropped her head back against his shoulder, relaxing into his touch as sparks ignited, her body aching for his caress.
His lips found the curve of her ear. “Room se
rvice will deliver anything we want tonight. We’ll face tomorrow and whatever it brings in the morning.”
She spun in his arms at the worry she could hear in his voice. “What does that mean?”
“It means that tomorrow, we’ll tell my family the truth. There’s a good chance my grandmother will disown me. I won’t be rich tomorrow, but tonight, I can offer you this.” He waved a hand at the gaudy room.
Anna cupped his face in her palms, the rasp of his five-o’clock shadow tickling her palms deliciously. “I don’t want this. I just want you.”
His phone rang in his pocket, vibrating against her hip. She smiled playfully.
“Is that a phone in your pocket?” she teased.
He tugged it out and looked at the screen. “It’s Stephanie. I’ll call her later.” He slid the phone onto the nightstand. “Where were we?”
“Right here.”
Anna tugged her shirt over her head and cast it aside, stepping closer to unbutton his. Her fingers ached to touch him again while other parts of her burned for his caress. She slid his shirt over his shoulders and pressed kisses to his bare chest, loving the way she could feel his pulse beneath her lips. Gabe unbuttoned the shirt at the wrists and spread his hands over her tiny waist, sliding his palms up her back and igniting the fire in her into an inferno.
He cupped her breast, his thumb brushing the taut peak through the material, and she gasped. Gabe smiled. “Let’s see if we can last a little longer this time.”
His tongue found her breast, toying with her over the lace, before he removed the garment slowly, teasing her body into a response. When his mouth covered her, she cried out, her body arching into his touch.
“Don’t you dare,” she pleaded. “Please.”
“I’ll give you everything I can.”
“Gabe, will you pick up? This is important. Call me back.” Stephanie’s tone was firm in her voice mail. Anna was asleep and Gabe didn’t want to disturb her, so he tugged on his pants and went into the hall.
Stephanie answered on the first ring. “Where have you been?”
“Busy.”
“Too busy to find out that we are off the hook?”
“What are you talking about?” Gabe couldn’t help but feel leery at Stephanie’s sudden pronouncement.
“I went to surprise my dad for lunch today and didn’t realize he was meeting with the accountant. I heard them talking. Gabe, he’s not broke.” Her voice pitched up two octaves as she got more animated. “When I confronted him about it, he finally told me that your grandmother was the one with nothing. She needs our money. That’s why she’s pushing this marriage.”
Gabe was floored, but he trusted Stephanie implicitly. She wouldn’t lie to him. Plus, her news gave him the reason why his grandmother would stoop so low as to try to convince Anna that he was having a baby with Stephanie. But why would Stephanie’s father go along with it?
“Do you realize what this means?” Stephanie screeched, excitedly. “We’re free, Gabe. You need to go, find Anna, and tell her you love her.”
Gabe chuckled into the phone. “Too late. I already have.” He hadn’t felt this unbelievably happy in a long time. Since they could cancel the wedding, he didn’t have to sell the vineyard.
“Oh, Gabe. I’m so glad.” Stephanie paused for a moment as if the full impact was just hitting her as well. “What are we going to do? We have to say something to your grandmother.”
“I think it’s better if I do this alone.” There was another long pause on the other end of the line. “Stephanie?”
“Yeah?”
“Why would your father agree to this?”
“I was wondering the same thing, so I confronted him about it. He said that your grandmother threatened him—well, threatened me. Because even when she’s broke, my father recognized that your grandmother is very influential in our social circles. She said she’d spread a rumor that I wasn’t ‘marriage material’ and said it’d ruin me in a heartbeat. But my father knew she’d never tarnish my reputation if we were married.”
“It feels medieval, like he was selling you off with a dowry.”
Stephanie laughed quietly. “I guess he figured it was the lesser of two evils. He knew we were friends, and that you would never hurt me.”
“And he knew you’d no longer be vulnerable to my grandmother’s barbs. Sounds like your father had good intentions. I’m sorry my grandmother’s weren’t quite there,” Gabe said with a sigh.
“Pssh. I’ve always known how she is and I could never fault you for it. It was really an ingenious form of blackmail on her part. There was absolutely no trail of evidence that would allow my father to go to the police. But, Gabe, do you really think she’s as broke as my father says?” Stephanie sounded worried for him. Even after all his grandmother had done, she didn’t hold it against Gabe.
“Broke for her and my parents? Probably. I’ll have to look into it but I know they had a lot of money tied up in real estate, and with the market crashing a few years ago…”
Gabe had a sneaking suspicion it might be worse than Stephanie or her father thought. His grandmother had pushed this union hard. The loss had to be for at least several million dollars. Wilhelmina Radcliffe didn’t do anything on a small scale and Gabe was afraid that this included her screw-ups. If they’d ignored Mr. Maurier’s advice to diversify, they were likely bankrupt.
Gabe had never been more grateful for trusting the man. He’d done all he could to protect Gabe and his sisters’ investments, making sure each was kept in their own names rather than the family’s parent company. No one could touch the vineyard or winery any more than they could the gyms, Alexandra’s investment company, or Fallon’s horses. It seemed they were all free of their grandmother’s machinations.
“I’m sorry you got caught up in this mess, Stephanie.”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” she said, sounding outraged at the thought. “I’m just glad we’re not stuck sharing breakfast for the next fifty years, especially while you’re mooning over someone else.”
“Ouch. I never should’ve talked to you about Anna. Up until a couple of days ago, we were engaged.”
“Please.” He could almost hear Stephanie’s eye roll. “I’m happy for both of you. If you hadn’t run into her car when you did, we’d have both ended up miserable. We’re lucky it worked out this way.”
“Thanks.” He appreciated that Stephanie could see the humor in their situation now that everything had worked out. Gabe reached a hand to the back of his neck, nervous but unable to deny the truth. “I can’t explain it, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that she’s the one,” he said, confiding in his best friend.
Chapter 26
Gabe opened the door and kissed his grandmother’s cheek. She wrinkled her nose as she passed the potted plants. It had taken him three days to plan this surprise. Arranging everyone’s schedules had been a pain, but it would be worth it to see the looks on their faces.
“Quaint.”
“Why, thank you. I was hoping you’d enjoy it.” Gabe wasn’t about to let her displeasure dampen his excitement for what he had planned for today. He turned to the woman behind her and said, “I’m glad you could come, Mother. Father.”
Both of his parents followed his grandmother inside his house.
“This cabin is so small,” his grandmother complained, looking around herself in disbelief. “Where are we all going to sleep?” She spun toward him, her purse swinging from the crook of her elbow. “And why all this secrecy? Why are we here, Gabriel?”
“Grandmother, this house is almost four thousand square feet. I’m sure I can comfortably sleep guests in any of the five bedrooms.” He reached for two suitcases from the mountain piled at the door of the tiled entry. “And you are here to celebrate my surprise engagement party.”
“What?” His grandmother pressed a hand to her chest, turning to look back at his father. “Did you know?”
He shook his head. “I had no clue. We would have t
hrown a party at home, son.” His father’s rich voice sounded almost as confused as his grandmother’s.
“This is my home.” Gabe carried the suitcases down the hall and left them in one of the guest suites, his parents following behind. “Grandmother, is this room big enough for you?”
The room was one of his favorite rooms, with a massive sleigh bed and oak furniture; it gave way to a window seat and the best view of the rolling hills covered in vines.
“I suppose it will do since we are only here for the weekend,” she said with a haughty sniff. “Why aren’t you holding this party in San Francisco? So many people will be irate to have missed it. Not to mention that the media will not be happy that they weren’t afforded the opportunity to cover the Maurier–Radcliffe announcement.”
Gabe settled the larger of the bags near the closet and the smaller on the bed before turning to face his family. “About that. That’s not the engagement I’m announcing, although Stephanie will be here for the party.”
“I’m sure I don’t understand.” His grandmother’s ice-blue eyes searched her grandson for an explanation.
“I’m not marrying Stephanie,” Gabe said. “I’m proposing to Anna.”
His grandmother’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open in uncustomary silent shock. However, it didn’t take her long to regain her composure. “No, I won’t allow it. Don’t make me have to remind you that I can change my will at any time, Gabriel.”
A slow, patronizing smile slipped over his lips. “I know.”
“You must not. You honestly think that I won’t, but I’ll change it, and you’ll be left—”
“Bankrupt?” he filled in. “Because that’s what you are, right? Or almost. You still own the mansion outright, but you invested too heavily in the central California housing market. When the bottom fell out, you couldn’t recoup the losses. The only profitable thing you have is the shipping business, but that’s not what it used to be, either, is it, Father?”
