Wooed by You

by Sophia Knightly

  Isabel had a lot of explaining to do. Dishonesty was a deal breaker, but most unacceptable was her disregard for his baby. Their baby.

  He’d never felt so grossly betrayed in his life.

  Chapter 20

  When Linc returned to Isabel’s bedside, she had already fallen asleep. He left her room and strode outside, his mind raging with unanswered questions. As he did with police work, he shoved his personal issues aside to focus on the job ahead. Good thing he had researched the techniques necessary for combatting freeze damage on fruit trees. It wasn't as basic as he had originally imagined.

  When he joined Clay and Jake in the field, they had already wrapped a lot of trees. Noticing their barely contained grins, Linc growled, "What's so damn funny?"

  "You've got a handful there, Steel. That little girl is half your size, but she’s a real spitfire," Clay observed with a caustic bark of laughter. He and Jake burst into good-natured guffaws. They were used to seeing Linc as their leader, instantly obeyed by fellow officers.

  "Haha, you’ve had your fun. Now let's get crackin’," Linc said gruffly. "We have a lot to do."

  They labored until nightfall, and when they got back to the house, Tío Pepe doled out large portions of his tasty beef stew, which they ate on the patio. After dinner, Clay and Jake left at Linc's insistence. All the trees had been wrapped and banked and now it would just be a question of regulating the micro sprinkler system.

  After dinner, Olga joined Linc on the patio. She had just come back from checking on Isabel, and she looked ready to drop. Standing before him, she rolled her shoulders and rubbed her lower back with her hands.

  “How are you holding up?” Linc asked, noting how she winced when she rubbed her back.

  “I’m tired, but I’ll be fine. I’m grateful you talked some sense into Isabelita and made her get into bed,” she said with a weary shake of her head.

  "How is she?" Linc asked.

  "She’s sleeping deeply," Olga replied. "Didn't even wake up when I felt her forehead to see if she was hot. She's not running a fever, so that’s good.”

  "I hope she doesn't wake up until the morning. Why don't you go home and get some rest? Javier and I will handle what needs to be done tonight."

  Olga hesitated. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes, I insist."

  "All right. I'll come first thing tomorrow morning.” Olga touched Linc's arm, her eyes warm and grateful. "Thank you for everything. Isabel and I appreciate your hard work very much. It was so thoughtful of you to bring your fellow officers to help us. I don’t know how we can repay you."

  "You don't have to thank me or repay us. I’m glad to do it and so were Clay and Jake."

  Olga squeezed his hand, then gathered her purse and left.

  Linc and Javier worked non-stop throughout the night. Isabel had told Linc her father had planned on installing a new irrigation system, but he had died before he was able to buy it. Linc was determined this freeze wouldn't be a repetition of the last one that had devastated Isabel and Olga’s assets.

  All through the night, he made certain ample water was delivered to the trees. Ice had formed and heat needed to be released continually to protect the crops. Once he was sure the worst was over, he sent Javier home to rest up for tomorrow.

  Weary, but satisfied with all they’d accomplished, Linc walked through the groves, surveying the crops as he thought about Isabel and how much she had changed his life. He’d never loved anyone so completely and mindlessly. The recent revelation of the pregnancy kit and her lie made him doubt she loved him. If she did, she wouldn’t have lied to him about something so important, and she wouldn’t have risked a possible pregnancy. The realization made him sick inside.

  It was near dawn when he walked toward her house. He breathed deeply, filling his tired lungs with the scent of damp, fertile earth and aromatic citrus trees. He had enjoyed working outdoors, his hands stained dark with soil, his body bone tired, but triumphant. Isabel and Olga would be immensely relieved when they realized their crops had survived the freeze.

  When Linc arrived at Isabel’s house, he knocked on the kitchen back door. "Pepe, it’s Linc," he called, “let me in."

  But instead of Pepe, Olga opened the door and ushered him inside. "Pepe went home last night after dinner. I was just going out to look for you." She was dressed warmly in a sweater, jeans and parka jacket, looking rested and ready for another day’s work though it was very early in the morning. She motioned to the table and smiled kindly. "Sit down please. I'll make you breakfast."

  Linc rubbed his face, his hand scraping against his whiskered jaw. He was exhausted and eager for a hot shower and some shuteye, but he was famished too. "Thanks. I admit I'm hungry.” He smiled, glad to be in Olga’s kind company and in his favorite room. Isabel’s kitchen was homey and welcoming even in the worse of circumstances. “There’s no way I’ll turn down your fine cooking.”

  Olga smiled happily. “You can freshen up in the guest bathroom while I make your breakfast.

  When Linc returned from washing his face and hands, Olga had already made scrambled eggs and fried a rasher of thickly cut bacon. "Do you think the crops will survive?" she asked as she placed a heaping plateful along with buttered toast and café con leche before him.

  “The micro sprinkler system worked great, and I’m pretty sure the trees survived," Linc replied, taking a sip of the creamy, sweet café con leche.

  "Oh, thank God!” Olga made the sign of the cross and kissed her thumb. “And thank you, Linc."

  He nodded. "Happy to do it. Is Isabel awake yet?"

  "I'll go see." Olga hesitated and glanced at him with worried eyes. "There's another cold front coming in on the tail of this one."

  "I'll make sure Javier and the crew place the containers that were laid on their sides upright this morning. Then tonight they can turn them over again," he said.

  “Yes, that's the best course of action," Olga agreed. "How did you learn so much about freeze control?"

  "Sheer motivation.” He paused. “I had the strongest of all."

  Olga beamed at him. "Isabel loves you too," she said, before rushing out of the kitchen.

  Isabel opened her bleary eyes and glanced at the alarm clock. Seven o'clock—too early to call Tía Elena to check on Suzie. She closed her eyes again as fatigue overtook her. For some reason she didn't feel rested, even after so much sleep.

  During the night, she had gotten up a few times to use the bathroom, wincing at the pain in her stomach and lower back. Turning on her side, she allowed herself an indulgent ten-minute snooze before forcing her eyes open again. She sat up and reached for her robe at the foot of the bed.

  She wrapped the warm robe tightly around her and reached under the bed for the box with Linc’s gifts inside. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she slipped her cold feet into the soft bunny slippers, not daring to glance at the beautiful charm bracelet he’d given her. It would hurt too much. When Linc came in this morning, he would notice the slippers and see how much they meant to her.

  His concern for her nursery had touched her deeply. Even though he had been highhanded, carrying her inside and putting her to bed, she appreciated the time and effort he had pledged to save her trees, and she was anxious to thank him properly.

  Stretching, Isabel glanced in the vanity mirror and was shocked to see the purplish circles under her bloodshot eyes in her pallid face. Hastening to the bathroom, she took care of her needs, then washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she opened her bedroom door, she was surprised to find her mother there.

  "What happened with the freeze?" Isabel asked Olga. She held her breath, wondering what had happened in the past twelve hours and where Linc was.

  Olga smiled, her face alight with gladness. "Everything was spared…thanks to Linc.”

  Isabel exhaled her pent up breath. "Oh, thank God! Have you seen him?”

  "Yes, he supervised the whole operation last night.”

  ''I am so grateful to him, but I’
m kind of embarrassed to face him," Isabel said, mortified by the slap she’d delivered to his unsuspecting face.

  Olga gave her a puzzled look. "Why?”

  "I was furious when he carried me in from the field and forced me to go to bed.”

  “Someone had to do it.” Olga’s blunt tone matched the one Isabel used when she tried to reason with Suzie.

  "Yeah, well I got fed up with him bossing me around, and I slapped him,” Isabel said, cringing at the memory.

  Olga’s brows snapped together as she stared at her incredulously. "That’s not like you, Isabelita."

  "I know. I can't believe I did it. I need to apologize again and thank him for saving our trees." He had succeeded in saving her crops. She felt so indebted to him, she didn’t know how she could ever repay him. “Where is he?”

  "In the kitchen. I’m going outside so you can have a little privacy,” Olga said.

  “Okay, bye.” Isabel passed her mother, eager to make amends with Linc. Her chest swelled close to bursting with love when she saw him seated at the kitchen table, his broad shoulders hunched in exhaustion. She remained rooted to the spot staring at him and wishing he were her husband.

  She walked toward him, intent on thanking him for saving her trees, but a stomach cramp stopped her. She bent forward and rubbed her lower belly. "Ohhh," she panted as the pain intensified.

  Linc was at her side immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyeing her stomach.

  Isabel squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain to diminish. When it did, she straightened and smoothed her robe. "My stomach hurts. I’ll be right back.” She staggered to her bathroom and closed the door behind her.

  Leaning against the edge of the sink, she turned the left handle and waited for the water to heat up. Another cramp seized her lower belly. She shut off the water and gripped the counter, breathing in and out deeply.

  When the pain passed, she popped two painkillers and searched under the sink for the hot water bottle. She filled it and pressed it against her cramping belly.

  This didn’t feel like a normal menstrual period. The blood flow was heavier and clotty, and she felt a sudden urge to vomit. Her skin was clammy with a light sheen of perspiration as she began to have dry heaves.

  Linc banged on the door. "Isabel, are you all right?"

  “Please go away,” she said, mortified he could hear her heaving. “I’m not vomiting, just nauseated.” The nausea finally subsided enough for her to rinse her mouth with mouthwash to rid it of the bile that had risen from her throat.

  When she came out of the bathroom, Linc was waiting for her. "What's wrong with you?” His eyes searched hers with uncompromising directness.

  "I have the flu,” she said lamely. What a dilemma. She didn’t want to tell him about her weird menstrual cramps because then he’d know she had lied about getting her period last week. But she didn’t want to lie to him either. He didn’t deserve it.

  “Is that all? It seems like more than the flu. Let’s get you back in bed." He took her by the hand and led her to bed, his hand callused and strong, yet gentle.

  In bed, she laid the hot water bottle on her stomach and drew in several calming breaths before she could muster the courage to meet his gaze. “It is more than the flu,” she admitted, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her for what she was about to say. “I’m having a bad period.”

  Linc’s eyes were blue lasers as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched her with keen eyes. Her heart sank. He wasn’t going to give an inch. The inflexible look on his face was similar to when he’d first interrogated her about Frank. “Do you have something to tell me?” he asked.

  Holding her breath, she said a silent prayer he’d understand. “Yes, and you’ll probably end up hating me,” she whispered wretchedly. “I lied when I told you I’d already gotten my period last week.”

  “Why did you do that, Isabel?”

  She gripped the sheet in her fists and twisted the fabric, profound regret twisting inside her. “I was trying to buy time, but it was reckless of me…and terribly unwise. I was trying to protect Suzie from you, and perhaps our future child. I was also protecting my heart.”

  “From me?” His eyes blazed. “My God, Isabel. You make me sound like a monster. What have I done to hurt you or scare you?”

  She touched his rigid jaw. “Oh no, I don’t think you’re a monster! Never a monster. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me…and also the hardest to accept, but not of your own fault,” she said quickly when she saw him flinch. “Linc, mi amor, you’ve given me your protection and your unconditional love. You’ve given me the moon,” she said brokenly, “but I’ve been paralyzed with fear of the future…of us… of the unknown.” She took his big, warm hands in hers, trying to draw from his strength. “I don’t want to be like this anymore. I want to be strong and stand by you. I want to believe our love will survive this.”

  He disengaged his hands from hers, his face shuttered. “You must have suspected you were pregnant. I saw the test kit in your bathroom closet.”

  She swallowed a gasp. No wonder he looked so incensed. “I never got around to doing it. Suzie got bronchitis from the flu, and I was too busy caring for her and running the nursery. I got my period this morning,” she added, frantic to come clean and hoping he’d find it in his heart to trust her again.

  “How do you know you have your period? You might be miscarrying. Did that ever occur to you?” he demanded. “If you even suspected you might be pregnant, why would you work outdoors with the flu and risk it?”

  Isabel shook her head, fiercely fighting the urge to cry. Her chest constricted, and she could barely breathe from his accusatory tone. “I’m not miscarrying, Linc. It’s just a bad period,” she said, hoping with all her heart that was the case. She couldn’t bear to think she had lost his child. She had no idea what a miscarriage felt like, but it was too late to speculate on it now…and too tragic to consider.

  "I can't believe you lied to me." His eyes were shards of blue ice as he regarded her with chilling censure.

  Isabel's eyes burned with hot tears. Her heart felt as if it was scraped raw inside as she searched for something to say. Anything to stop the condemnation in his eyes.

  Linc got up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm beat," he muttered. "I haven't slept in twenty-four hours. We'll talk later."

  "Please take the guest bedroom. There are fresh sheets on the bed," Isabel said, hoping he’d agree to stay overnight.

  Linc lumbered to the bedroom and fell facedown across the bed, sleeping like a dead man for four hours. When he awoke, he walked into Isabel's room and found her resting in bed, her eyes half closed. The TV was on, but no sound came from it.

  "How do you feel?" he asked, hardening his heart to the vulnerable hope in her eyes when she looked up at him.

  "A bit better.”

  “Good,” he grunted. Deep inside, he wanted to bend her to his will and make her realize they belonged together forever, but he would never force her. She needed to learn a lesson in trust and honesty, and he meant to leave her alone so she’d get there on her own. It was the only way it would work for them.

  “Linc, we need to talk. Please—” she said between coughs.

  He raised a hand. "Not now, Isabel. There's another cold front coming in tonight. I'll stay and man the irrigation system."

  "Will you come to see me after you've taken care of the crops?" She looked so dejected, he couldn’t say no. He had to distance himself from her until she recuperated, physically and emotionally. If he stayed there, Isabel's sad, dark eyes would soften his resolve. He couldn't let that happen until she fully realized how her lies had shattered his trust.

  He nodded. "We'll talk tomorrow," he said and left the room without looking back.

  The following morning, Isabel was sitting up in bed sipping a glass of orange juice when Linc walked in, his features grim beneath the concerned look.

  "How do you feel?" he asked.

 
"Depressed," she answered honestly. She’d never know if she had miscarried, and if she had, she couldn’t do anything but mourn it now. She was better off not knowing, especially after her mother had told her about her history of miscarriages.

  "That makes two of us." Linc regarded her stone-faced. "I have to go to the precinct. Clay just paged me. I'll be back tonight."

  "Wait. Please.” Isabel got out of bed and approached him hesitantly, feeling broken by the closed, distant look in his eyes when he turned his gaze on her. She took his hands in hers. His skin burned beneath her cool touch, painfully reminding her of the soul-stirring passion that had once heated his hands. "My mother told me you saved the trees. How can I ever repay you?"

  He removed his hands from hers, the simple action speaking volumes, confirming he was so disappointed in her, he didn’t even want her to touch him. "No need to repay me. I don't want anything from you,” he said in a flat, cold tone.

  All Isabel could do was watch him leave, her heart burdened with remorse.

  The following morning, she awoke feeling dejected. Though he’d told her he would, Linc never came in to check on her. She should have been celebrating the nursery's triumph over the freeze, but it was a hollow victory. Linc no longer loved her, and she was utterly devastated. It was obvious he didn't want to see her again. He hadn't even come by like he’d said he would.

  Chapter 21

  A week later at three o’clock in the morning, reality struck Isabel like a brutal axe. The painful awareness was enough to make her break out in a cold sweat as she stared at the ceiling, her heart pounding and her stomach twisting. She’d been a hopeless optimist thinking Linc would soften his stance and reach out to her, but as the long days and nights passed and his absence became glaringly obvious, she’d begun to lose hope. The stubborn man wasn’t going to budge and this widening rift between them was killing her.