Someone To Watch Over Me (Harlequin Super Romance) (21 page)

James Hayden had a so-so handshake. Gabe didn’t have a lot of experience with state prosecutors, except to know that many of them aspired to eventually end up in politics. He hoped this guy was tougher than he looked, hoped he could argue and argue well. Too early to say. He’d reserve judgment for the moment.

They were seated at a round table. Hayden—as he quickly discovered—knew more about him than Gabe had told the secretary, which indicated the prosecutor had done at least a brief background check. Hayden went up a notch in Gabe’s estimation.

“Okay, Isabella. Let’s get down to brass tacks. I apologize for not getting to this sooner. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in a case we just wrapped up.” Hayden opened her file and turned the page on a legal tablet. He removed three pens from his shirt pocket and lined them up in front of him. “There’s one area we haven’t covered. I wanted to wait until we were closer to jury selection. Give me a rundown on Julian’s weaknesses. All of them.”

Isabella had been digging through her purse. She’d pulled out the notes she’d taken at Larkin Crosley’s law library. Glancing up with a start, she fumbled
and dropped the whole packet. Papers slid every which way.

Gabe knelt to retrieve the pages. He heard her groping for words to respond.

“Take your time,” Hayden instructed.

“Is this necessary?” she asked, grinding her teeth. “I’ve worked hard to put that man out of my mind.”

“I know. But if I know specific flaws in his character, I can salt carefully worded questions in with a general list we ask potential jurors. The more people we can seat who are biased against his flaws, the better jurors they’ll make for us.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be difficult. His flaws are too numerous to count.”

Hayden rolled his eyes, appealing to Gabe for help.

Gabe set the stack of notes aside and took Isabella’s hand. She gripped his tightly. He noticed her palm was wet and that her fingers trembled. He hoped Hayden wouldn’t have to put her on the stand; she was already a mass of nerves and the trial hadn’t begun.

“James needs you to be less vague, Isabella. Start with easy stuff. For instance, did Julian have a temper?”

“That depends on who you ask.”

“I’m asking you.” Hayden gnashed his teeth.

“Friends, coworkers and acquaintances saw a different face than the one Julian showed me.”

James snapped forward in his chair. “So, this guy’s a chameleon?”

“That’s putting it nicely, but…yes. He had a vicious temper. Only at home, and only after the kids were in bed asleep.”

Hayden scribbled on his pad. “No guy can be that controlled all the time. I’ll put a team out in the com
munity. We’ll trace all the way to his preschool years if we have to. What other endearing habits should we investigate?”

“Gabe helped me extract precedent-setting cases out of old transcripts. Unless Oregon law has changed, some of these winning arguments may be useful to you.” She handed him the notes.

He read them over, clipped them to her folder, then returned to his former line of questioning. All in all, Hayden grilled Isabella for an hour. Toward the end, her responses were only a few words, and those he had to pry out of her. She nearly wrung Gabe’s hand from his wrist. At times her body shook so hard he worried she’d break.

James flipped to a clean sheet on his tablet and picked up the last of his pens. Gabe removed his glasses, stood and tugged her to her feet. “Enough, James. I know you have a job to do. But if you don’t let up, she’s not going to make it to the trial.”

The attorney had been intent on his work. He blinked red-rimmed eyes and let his shoulders sag as if seeing the result of his probing for the first time. “I’m trying to get a profile on this guy.”

“What have you been doing for ten months?” Gabe snapped. And there went his plan not to interfere, to quietly observe.

“Juggling two hundred open cases with two assistants, five investigators and me to accomplish what law firms like the one Arana hired assign to twenty associates. So don’t waltz into my office and give me flak.”

Gabe shook his head. “Sorry. But you can see that Isabella needs a break.”

She’d been staring wide-eyed at the two men. “Gabe, thanks, but I’m okay. I’ve pledged to help con
vict Julian. I’m just worried about how the answers I gave will play to a jury. In effect, I said Julian has a split personality.” She clutched Gabe’s hand. “God, I can’t let jurors think he’s crazy. He’s not.”

Hayden and Gabe exchanged a glance. Gabe knew then that they both thought Julian Arana was as crazy as a loon. But for Isabella’s sake, Gabe hoped James could get a Murder One conviction.

James assumed his prosecutorial smile. “Right off the bat, I’ll attempt to seat more women than men.” Faced with Isabella’s puzzled expression, James explained, “I’m reviewing the sequence this trial will take. In phase one, the jury we seat will determine if Julian’s mentally competent to stand for capital charges. This may take a while. Both teams will unload their big guns. If the jury finds Julian able, we’ll proceed to determining his guilt or innocence. Almost all the evidence will already be out. Often that part goes fast.”

“If he’s not found competent,” Gabe said, “a judge will determine how many years he spends in a mental institution.”

“No,” Isabella cried, at the same time James bobbed his head. She grabbed his arm. “He killed my babies to punish me for leaving him. You can’t let him get away with murder. You
can’t.
” Her voice rose.

Hayden wrested free of her. “Take her out the back way, Poston. Get a grip, Isabella. An outburst like this in court and I won’t bet two cents on our chances of winning. If there’s any hint of a replay of this scene, I’ll bar you from proceedings.”

Her face turned ashen. “I promise I’ll keep it together,” she whispered.

Gabe moved her to the door. Seconds before they
exited, he turned back to James. “Is there a number we can reach you at if Isabella changes her mind about sitting in?”

“I won’t,” she quickly interjected. “I’ll be there. Tomorrow, in Bend, at ten o’clock, correct?”

“Cecilia has a folder with all the information you’ll need. Oh, do you know where you’ll be staying?”

Isabella deferred to Gabe. He patted his pockets and eventually pulled out a scrap of paper with an address and phone number. “I booked a cottage in a gated resort. It’s roomy enough to accommodate Isabella’s family if they’re able to get away. Plus, security there is tight enough to discourage reporters.”

“Good.” James straightened his rumpled tie while studying Gabe from a new angle. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch what you’re doing now, Poston. Those transcripts you identified are impressive. I don’t suppose I could entice you into interviewing for one of the openings on our staff?”

Gabe laughed. “I’m not licensed to practice law in Oregon. At the moment I’m considering raising sheep.”

“Sheep? Isn’t that a waste of your talent?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. If I should decide differently, I’ll more than likely buy out Larkin Crosley’s general practice. He’s in Callanton.”

“I know Crosley. He’s hung on ten years past his prime. It’s probably a smart move. But if you change your mind, let me know.”

Isabella arrived back, having picked up the information from Cecilia. She listened intently to the men’s conversation. Once they’d cleared the hall and had started down the back stairs, she frowned at Gabe. “I can’t afford to stay at a resort.”

“Sure you can. It’s off-season.” He named a figure well below what he’d put on his credit card.

“I suppose I can swing that. Gabe, Papa will be disappointed to learn you’re giving up running sheep so soon. Are you really thinking about buying Mr. Crosley’s practice? Or were you feeding James a line, too?”

“What do you mean,
too?
I haven’t fed anyone a line. This morning your father didn’t seem too disappointed when I offered to lease my pastures to him for the purpose of expanding his angora goat herd.”

“You talked to Papa?”

“While you were getting in your beauty sleep.”

She blushed profusely. “That would take more hours than there are in any given day, I’m afraid. Everyone knows I’m the least pretty of the Navarro sisters.”

“Then everyone is blind,” Gabe said flatly. “Wait here while I go around and get the car. James seemed to think that with the trial getting under way, there might be newshounds hanging around out front.”

“Won’t they know the trial’s been moved to Bend?”

“My guess is they’ll stake out your bakery, Hayden’s office, your house and the grocery store where you shop.”

What little color she had drained from her face. “I’m catering Estrella Aguirre’s wedding this evening. Surely they won’t disrupt that.”

“Can you let Trini, Sylvia and Ruby handle it?”

“No. It’s my responsibility. Our families have been friends for years. She’s their youngest daughter. It takes weeks to prepare a Basque wedding.”

“They’re different from other weddings?”

“Your education is deficient. They last for three days or more. The party moves from the church to the
bride’s home, to the groom’s home to the homes of friends. Why don’t you come with me and see firsthand?”

“Uh, I’ll think about it. I have a tendency to get claustrophobic at weddings. Gotta go get the car. Be right back.”

Her eyebrows spiked upward. But he’d disappeared out the door before she had an opportunity to tease him about his phobia. Maybe he’d been dumped at the altar. Frankly, she found that hard to comprehend. However, she didn’t know a lot about his background; she didn’t even know if he’d ever been married.

The question bothered her so much, it was the first thing she asked after he’d pulled up and she’d hopped in the SUV.

“Where did that question come from?” He seemed amused. “I haven’t been married. Why would you think I had?”

“Usually a person who systematically avoids family events has a psychological dread of them, based on experience. You know, events like weddings, holidays…funerals.” She whispered the last.

Boy, howdy, had she nailed him square.
Gabe wasn’t ready to bare his soul to her. Mostly because he made a habit of keeping his quirks to himself. Always, in the back of his mind, Gabe worried that if a woman he liked knew all about his family background, she’d be scared right off. An addict mother, a loser father…

“No big deal,” he said suddenly. “Hell, I’ll go. You’ve intrigued me now. It’s too bad we can’t stay for the whole thing. Really? A three-day wedding? Hey, does that mean no honeymoon?”

Color rushed up Isabella’s neck again as she sud
denly pictured what it’d be like to spend a magical first night in bed with Gabe Poston.

“Well,” he drawled, his Texas boyhood accent coming to the fore. “It’s a logical question if I’m to be educated in your traditions.”

“We…uh…call it
luna de miel.
”

“Ah, a night of honey. I like the sound of a one-night special. American honeymoons are so commercial they’re like…vacations.”

“I agree,” she blurted, then thought about what she’d said and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Gabe only grinned. “Now don’t be saying you’re sorry for speaking your mind. By the way, changing the subject, Trini’s wrong about Hayden. The guy’s overworked, but he has a fire in the belly for his job.”

“I’m glad. I thought so, too. Honestly, I’ve never heard him speak with the passion he showed today.”

“Maybe I should rile him every day.” Gabe’s smile spread.

“Are you really planning to sit in on the trial?”

“Guaranteed. I wish your family could all be there for you. Since they can’t, I’ve appointed myself their surrogate.”

“How can I thank you? I’ve been counting on them being in my corner. I was sick when the storm brought lambing on early.”

“Relax. Use this wedding tonight to unwind. Sample some of Louis’s wine and just kick back.”

“And have Julian’s parents report to his lawyers? I don’t think so, Gabe. Besides, I’m going as the caterer, not as a family friend.”

“You have to deal with his parents the night before they start picking a jury? Who in God’s name would
invite them, knowing you were catering the reception?”

“Ours is a small intimate community. Javier and Elena Arana grew up with Estrella’s parents, the same as mine. I’ll have to avoid them if at all possible.”

“Point them out and I’ll run interference.”

“I need you to stay out of this, Gabe. The Aranas are doing their damnedest to ruin my name in the valley. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m the only Basque caterer on this side of the Idaho border, I think Estrella’s parents would’ve canceled their order. I know you and I are just friends. I also know Elena’s propensity for—how do you say it—making mountains out of mole holes.”

“Molehills. All right, I’ll try and abide by your wishes, Isabella. But I’m not making promises. I won’t stand idly by and let someone attack your character.”

Isabella’s heart sped up, and she felt an odd warmth she hadn’t experienced in such a long time. Had she
ever
had a man, other than her brothers, so unquestionably behind her? Certainly back when they were dating, Julian had warned his friends to watch their mouths around her. Who knew what else he’d said to them in private? In light of what she knew about him now, his warnings probably had been more about staking his territory than about her.

“If I begged you not to engage the Aranas in any confrontation, Gabe, would you respect my request?”

He stopped outside her bakery. Judging by the tension filling the SUV, Gabe felt the question had more significance than any of the others she’d asked him. Needing to touch her, he bent and brushed his lips over hers.

Feeling no response, he slowly withdrew until he sat
upright, facing her again. “If something means that much to you, Isabella, of course I give you my word. It’s not my wish to make your life harder. In fact, what I had in mind is the opposite.”

For the first time in their brief relationship, she voluntarily touched him. Isabella laid a hand alongside Gabe’s cheek, and she actually smiled at him.

He basked in the brilliance of that smile for hours after she’d left his vehicle.