“Oh, I doubt that. A Fortune doesn’t fall in love easily, or foolishly,” she added sagely.
Link whirled to glare at her. “Well, she was a fool if she fell in love with me.” He tossed out a hand, gesturing wildly at the sparsely decorated room. “Look around you, Mrs. Fortune. Is this the kind of life you would want for Isabelle?” He sliced his hand through the air, cutting off her response before she could offer it. “Marrying me wouldn’t be a step down the social ladder. It would be a nosedive all the way to the bottom. Hell,” he said, tossing his hand high. “She’d be crying to Daddy to let her come back home before the ink was even dry on the marriage certificate.”
Kate rose, her face flushed with anger, her lips pinched tightly together. “How dare you insult Isabelle in such a way! If she has a shortcoming, it is her innocence. And that is the fault of her family,” she added, “not her own.”
“Yes, she’s innocent. But I’m not,” he added, stabbing a thumb against his chest. “I know what it’s like to go hungry. To lie in bed shivering with cold because the electricity has been turned off. To have people look at me with pity because my shoes were worn out and my pants full of holes. And I’d never subject Isabelle to that kind of life. Never,” he repeated emphatically.
“Would you love Isabelle if she were poor?”
He stared at her in stupefaction, then slapped a hand against the back of his neck and spun away. “Doesn’t matter. She’s rich as sin.”
“Oh, I think it does matter,” she insisted. “If it didn’t, you would answer my question. Would you love her if she were poor?”
“Of course I would love her!” he shouted, turning to glare at her. “I will always love her.”
“Yet, you think that Isabelle’s feelings for you would dissipate if you suddenly lost your ability to support her, that she would go running home to her daddy.” She arched a brow. “And you suggested that Isabelle was prejudiced?” She made a tsking sound with her tongue. “You’re the one with prejudices,” she scolded, “refusing to give her your heart just because she happens to come from a wealthy family.”
She stood. “Don’t let stubbornness stand between you and happiness,” she warned sternly, then sighed and shook her head sadly. “It can,” she told him. “I know, because I allowed it to stand between my husband and me for too many years.” Her lips curved in a soft smile as she crossed to him. “Isabelle loves with her heart.” She tapped a manicured nail against his chest. “It’s what’s inside a man that’s important to her. Not the size of his bank account.”
That same afternoon, Isabelle stood at the window, her gaze fixed on her mother’s rose garden, trying her best to shut out the conversation going on behind her.
“Well, something has to be done,” she heard her father shout. “Templeton saved Isabelle’s life and that act alone demands some sort of response from this family.”
“I’m as indebted to the man as you,” Riley replied tersely. “I merely suggested that offering him the job of head of security for Fortune Construction might not be the best way to show our gratitude.”
Weary of hearing Link’s name bandied about by her family, sure that she’d scream at even one more reminder of the man who had broken her heart, Isabelle turned away from the window to face her family. “He won’t accept the job, even if you offer it to him.”
Her father looked at her in surprise. “And why not?” he demanded, insulted.
“Because he considers what he did a part of his job. Nothing more.” She shifted her gaze to her brother Riley and tried to keep the bitterness from her voice when she added, “So there’s no need for you to worry about employing a man you obviously despise.”
“I don’t despise him,” Riley said defensively. “It was you I was thinking of. I’m sure that it would be difficult for you to be around the man, considering what all transpired between the two of you.”
Isabelle curled her hands into fists at her sides and drew in a breath. “What transpired between Link and me is none of your business,” she told her brother furiously. “And I’m weary of this family trying to shield me from any unpleasantries,” she added, whirling to glare at each member of her family in turn. “I’m a grown woman and fully capable of taking care of myself.”
“Isabelle’s right.”
Every head in the room turned to peer at Kate Fortune, who, up until that point, had remained unusually quiet throughout the discussion. As the matriarch of the family, her opinions were respected, as well as valued, but the fact that she had sided with Isabelle on this issue took them all by surprise.
Kate gave her chin an imperious lift. “You’ve protected her long enough. She’s no longer your responsibility. She’s grown and fully capable of caring for herself.”
Stunned by Kate’s pronouncement, Isabelle took a moment to recover. When she did, she crossed to the woman and dropped to a knee in front of her, taking her hand in hers. “Thank you, Kate.”
Kate smiled fondly and patted Isabelle’s hand. “No thanks needed, dear. You’ve earned your independence. And your actions in the cave proved that you’re more than capable of handling anything that comes your way.”
“I still believe we owe Templeton some expression of our gratitude,” Hunter Fortune grumbled.
Kate turned her gaze to her stepson. “Then why not give him his due?” she asked him. “Something he can accept, without offending his pride, or his conscience?”
A week after Kate Fortune’s visit to his house, Link returned to work, relieved to have something to focus on besides his loss of Isabelle.
“Templeton!”
Link lifted his head from the lab report on his desk to find Chief Luben standing in his office doorway. “Yeah, boss?”
“The mayor wants you in his office at ten.”
“But this is my first day back on the job,” Link argued.
“I’ve got appointments scheduled all morning.”
Luben turned back to his office. “Cancel ’em,” he ordered, and slammed his door behind him.
Link glanced over at Hank. “What the hell was that all about?”
Hank lifted a shoulder. “Beats me.” He grinned and reached behind him, tugging a tie from the hat rack. “The city’s probably gonna give you some kind of award for bravery or something. More than likely, reporters will be there from the paper, taking pictures. Maybe a news crew from the TV station.” He tossed Link the tie, his grin widening. “I’m sure you’ll want to look your best.”
Link scowled and wadded up the tie and threw it back at Hank. “Like I give a damn how I look,” he muttered disagreeably as he walked out the door and headed for the mayor’s office.
Still wearing a scowl, Link stepped into the mayor’s office at precisely ten o’clock.
The mayor’s secretary looked up from her computer monitor and smiled when she saw him. “Hi, Link. How are you feeling?”
He lifted the arm still bound inside the sling, his scowl deepening. “I’ll feel better when they cut me loose from this thing.”
She laughed as she rose. “I’ll bet it’s difficult to dress when you’ve only got the use of one hand.”
“I get by,” he muttered, then jerked his head toward the mayor’s closed office door. “Is he in?”
“Yes,” she replied, and led the way to the door. She pushed it open, then smiled up at Link as she held it for him. “Everyone else has already arrived.”
“Everyone?” he repeated, tensing.
She laughed softly and gave him a nudge inside. “Yes, everyone,” she whispered, and closed the door behind him.
Link glanced uneasily around the crowded room, his stomach tightening when Hunter Fortune stepped from the group of men gathered near the door, blocking his view of the rest of the room’s occupants.
“Hello, Link,” Hunter said, smiling warmly as he extended a hand in welcome. “It’s good to see you again.”
Link clasped the man’s hand in his and shook. “Mr. Fortune,” he mumbled by way of gre
eting.
“How’s that arm?” Hunter asked, nodding toward Link’s sling.
Link lifted a shoulder as he peered around Hunter and met Riley’s intense gaze. “It’s okay,” he said as he slid his gaze to meet that of Shane. Unlike their father, neither of Fortune’s sons appeared very happy to see Link. “Is this meeting going to take long?” Link asked, anxious to get whatever business needed tending out of the way so that he could leave. Being trapped inside a room full of Fortunes was making him more than a little uncomfortable.
Hunter stepped aside and swung his arm wide, gesturing for Link to precede him. “Not long at all,” he assured him. “Just have a seat here next to Isabelle.”
Link stopped short when Isabelle turned in her chair to look up at him. He’d told himself that he’d forget her. That whatever feelings he’d thought he’d had for her would dim over time. But the sudden kick of his pulse as their gazes met, the sudden dryness in his mouth, the heat that raced through his veins, let him know that four weeks hadn’t been long enough. As he stared into her violet eyes, he wasn’t sure that a lifetime would be long enough to forget her.
He heard the mayor clear his throat and tore his gaze from hers, then dropped down into the chair next to hers. He slouched down and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “What’s up, Mayor?” he asked with a nonchalance that defied the thundering of his pulse, the tremble in the hand he fisted on the chair’s arm.
The mayor beamed a smile. “Hunter has a little presentation he’d like to make.”
Link was on his feet before the mayor could say anything more. He planted his hand on the mayor’s desk and leaned across it to glare at the man. “If this is some kind of award or something,” he said angrily, “I don’t want it. What I did in that cave, I did because it was my job. And the bullet I took is a risk I take every day on the street while I’m doing that job.”
A hand closed over his shoulder and he whirled, shrugging off the hand to glare at Riley, who’d made the mistake of placing it there. Riley lifted his hands in surrender and backed away, saying, “If you’ll give us time to explain.”
Link rolled his shoulders defensively. “All right,” he said reluctantly, and sat back down. “But make it fast. I’ve got work to do.”
Hunter stepped forward. “We have some old business to tend to.” He slipped a hand inside his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope. He stared at it, frowning as he tapped it against his hand. “Eighteen years ago,” he began slowly, “I offered a reward for information that would lead to the safe return of my daughter. Though I received the information I needed, the man who offered it never stepped forward to claim the reward.” He flipped open the envelope and pulled out a check. “A million dollars,” he said, and glanced down at Link. “That was the reward I offered. You earned it, son,” he said, and pushed the check onto the palm of Link’s injured hand, forcing him to take it.
Link stared at the check, the long line of zeroes following the number one. A million dollars. More money than he’d seen in his whole life. Probably more than he’d hold in his hands at any one time, no matter how hard he worked, or how long he lived.
And Hunter Fortune was giving it to him for making a damn phone call.
He shook his head slowly at the irony in that, then jerked his head up to peer at Hunter as the man pressed another check into his hand.
“And this check,” Hunter explained, “represents the bonus offered by Fortune Construction Company for the capture of Mike Dodd’s murderer.”
Link stared down at the check, the zeroes dancing before his eyes. A million dollars. His gut constricted in denial. He’d done nothing to earn the money. He’d merely done his job. And he hadn’t captured Brad Rowan. Rowan had died in that cave, a result of his own greed and stupidity, not by any effort on Link’s part to subdue him.
Two million dollars, he thought as he continued to stare at the slips of paper resting on his upturned palm. The money would go a long way in shortening the gap that stretched between him and Isabelle. With it, he could offer her a semblance of the life she’d always known.
He glanced up and met the gaze of Kate Fortune, who stood slightly behind the mayor and to his left. Kate shifted her gaze discreetly to Isabelle, then back to Link’s, arching a brow as if asking him what he was going to do about Isabelle now that he was a multimillionaire. He stared at Kate a moment longer…and a smile began to grow inside him, working its way to his lips.
He turned to look at Isabelle, who was staring straight ahead, her back rigid, her face void of any emotion. The smile slowly melted from his face. He’d hurt her, he reminded himself when she stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. She’d offered him her love and he’d tossed it back in her face, just as she’d accused him of doing.
“You said you loved me.”
She whipped her head around to meet his gaze, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Did you mean it?” he asked quietly.
“Now, listen here,” Riley began to say angrily from behind him.
Link held up a hand, silencing her brother, but kept his gaze locked on Isabelle’s. “Did you?” he asked again. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”
A frown pleated her forehead and she swallowed, then slowly nodded her head. “Yes. I meant it.”
“Do you still?”
Tears filled her eyes and she nodded again. “Yes.”
He twisted around in his chair to fully face her. “And would you still love me if I was broke?”
“Yes,” she said tearfully. “I’d love you even then.”
He rose to stand facing her. With his gaze on hers, he took the checks her father had given him and tore them in two, rearranged the pieces, then tore them again. He tossed the shredded paper into the air, then dropped to a knee in front of her as the pieces rained down around him like confetti.
“I love you, Isabelle Fortune,” he said, taking her hand in his. “And I promise to love you through thick and thin, to protect you and keep you safe until the day I die.” He tightened his fingers around hers, looking deeply into her eyes. “I want you to marry me. Be my wife. I don’t have much, but what I have is mine. I worked hard for it, and I want to share it with you.”
Link watched her lips tremble, the tears spill over her lower lids, and had never known a fear like the one that held him in its grip while he waited for her answer.
“Well, say something!” Kate cried.
Isabelle glanced at Kate, took a deep breath, then slowly brought her gaze back to Link’s. “And I love you,” she said, her voice trembling. She dipped her chin and drew in a long breath, swallowed, then lifted her head and squared her shoulders as she met his gaze. “I promise to love you through thick and thin,” she said, offering back to him the same assurances he’d offered her. “And I promise to protect you,” she told him, her voice growing stronger as did her conviction, “and keep you safe until the day I die.”
Link stared at her, absorbing her words, the strength behind them, the determination, and mentally compared the confident woman who sat opposite him to the meek and seemingly helpless woman he’d rescued from a car in the desert little more than a month before. As he searched her eyes, he saw the truth there, and he knew without a doubt that she meant what she said, that she loved him, would stand with him, beside him, no matter what.
“Marry me,” he whispered, gripping her hand more tightly in his. “Please say you’ll marry me.”
“Yes.” She flung herself against Link’s chest and her arms around his neck, forcing him to brace a hand against the floor to keep them both from tumbling over backward, while she cried, laughing, “Yes, yes, yes!”
Link strained to support their weight with the strength of the one arm he held braced against the floor. “Hold on a second,” he mumbled, and eased Isabelle back onto her chair. He slowly heaved himself to his feet and blew out a long breath, then smiled down at her.
“Let’s try that again,” he said as he slipped his
arm from the sling and ripped the encumbrance over his head. He winced only slightly as he flexed his arm, easing the stiffness from it, then tossed the sling aside and opened his arms wide.
“Say it again,” he instructed.
“What?” she said in confusion.
“Say it again,” he repeated impatiently. “When you say yes this time, I want to be able to hold you with both my arms.”
“Yes,” she said, rising to her feet to face him. “Yes,” she said again as she stepped within the circle of his embrace. “Yes,” she murmured one last time before lifting her hands and drawing his face down to hers.
Kate chuckled as she looked on the tender scene. “Hunter, looks as if you’ll be paying for another wedding before long.”
Hunter smiled, his chest swelling a bit. “Yes, it seems as if I will.”
Epilogue
Radiant in a simple gown of ivory satin that billowed around her legs, stirred by the soft wind that blew across the plateau, Isabelle gazed up at Link as he repeated his vows to her. They stood facing each other, hands joined between them, before the entrance to the cave on Lightfoot’s Plateau, just as Isabelle’s great-grandmother Fiona had pledged her love to her beloved Joseph Fortune.
A century of history and love, Kate Fortune acknowledged silently, pleased by the thought as she stood to the left of Isabelle, honored that she’d asked her to serve as her matron of honor. Though others in the family had offered their concerns about Isabelle and Link repeating their vows at the cave, Kate had pooh-poohed their skepticism, which had surprised everyone…but no one more than Kate, herself. Lightfoot’s Plateau stood as a bold reminder of her husband’s infidelity and the twin sons that resulted from his affair with Natasha Lightfoot. But Kate was a realist, a strong and confident woman, she liked to think, who refused to allow a situation or a piece of property to threaten her happiness. And she was happy, she thought smugly, having made her peace with her husband over his disloyalty, and eventually recognizing his sons, Devlin and Hunter, before her husband’s death.
Groom 0f Fortune (Fortune's Children: The Grooms Book 5) Page 14
