Someone To Watch Over Me (Harlequin Super Romance) (28 page)

“It’s an inalienable right, Isabella. The right to pursue happiness.”

“I’ve never told anyone, not even my family, Gabe. I live with the fear that I didn’t present enough facts in family court. I divorced Julian over his growing abuse. He never should’ve been awarded joint custody of Toni and Ramon. I should’ve done more to make the judge see that.”

“You aren’t to blame,” Gabe assured her. “James nailed it when he called Julian a chameleon. A clever skunk who hid his stripes. Isabella, I won’t pressure you to set a wedding date. I’ll leave it for you to let me know when you’re ready.” Smiling, he boosted her back into her saddle. “I think we’ve probably stirred up enough ghosts for one night, don’t you? We’d better get back to the cottage before Sylvia calls the cops.”

“She won’t. My family adores you, Gabe.”

M
IDMORNING OF THE NEXT DAY
, the judge called for summations. Meyer went first. He sang the same old song for half an hour. James spoke eloquently and briefly on behalf of Isabella and her children.

“No one could have advocated with greater passion,” Gabe reminded her and Sylvia as they watched the jury file out for the second time.

“What happens now?” Isabella seemed terribly on edge.

“Now we go to the cottage and wait. Hopefully this decision won’t take as long as the first one that found him fit to stand trial. In essence they’ve heard the same evidence twice.”

Still, it was a somber threesome who sat around the cottage trying to pretend interest in television or reading. They all checked their watches frequently.

Sylvia went into the kitchen to fix a lunch no one wanted. She managed to corner Gabe alone. “Angel is coming to get me. He should be here soon. We’ll both go back into court for the reading of the verdict. No matter how it turns out, I think you and Bella need to be alone during the drive home. Oh, and Angel said your garden’s done, Gabe. He said to tell you Mrs. Kent phoned. According to her, the place is even more than you dreamed. I know from Rick that you planned on the family attending a simple dedication. Take my advice, Gabe. Show it to Bella without anyone else there.”

“I think you’re right. I can’t believe they finished it so fast.”

During lunch Isabella didn’t eat a thing. Gabe and Sylvia nibbled.

Angel blew in on a cloud of dust. “I’m hungry enough to eat a horse,” he said two seconds after he stepped out of his pickup. He scarfed up everything they hadn’t touched.

At two-twenty the phone rang. Sylvia, Gabe and Isabella jumped to grab for it. They pulled back and let Isabella pick it up instead.

“That was James,” she said, seemingly unable to
return the receiver to the cradle. “This feels like déjà vu. We’re to be back there at three.”

Gabe took the phone from her fingers. “I think we should go pack our things. I don’t see any need to come back here.”

“What about the sentencing?” Angel asked.

Isabella gave him a hollow-eyed stare. “They’ll only sentence him if we won. If his team won, he’ll go quietly to a private sanitarium and stay there until Javier and Elena can convince some doctor to declare him cured.”

“Here, now. Let’s have some positive thinking, shall we?” Gabe urged everyone again to pack their things.

He’d seen Isabella nervous before, but never like this. No longer caring what Julian’s lawyer might make of it, Gabe slid a bracing arm around her shoulders the moment they sat.

The ritual of seating the court secretary and those in attendance being asked to rise for the judge had become commonplace. Yet the process seemed to drift by in slow motion this time.

Gabe held Isabella tight when the jury filed in. All eyes swung to the rows of jurors.

Weller let the group be seated before he requested the defendant’s team to ready themselves for the verdict. Meyer wheeled Julian to the table and the team rose. The judge asked the foreman of the jury to stand. “How finds the jury in the capital offense case, the state of Oregon vs. Julian Arana in the wrongful death of Antonia Maria Arana?”

“The jury finds Mr. Arana guilty, your honor.”

Isabella slumped against Gabe. He tightened his grip.

“How finds the jury in the capital offense case, the
state of Oregon vs. Julian Arana in the wrongful death of Ramon Benito Arana?”

“The jury finds him guilty, your honor.”

Gabe expected Isabella to burst into tears at the joyous news. She remained dry-eyed as the judge brought order to the buzzing courtroom.

Weller struck his gavel five times, drawing all eyes back to him. “The defendant will be remanded to the Deschutes County Jail until such time as his sentencing will take place. In looking at my calendar, I see thirty days from today is free. All parties will be notified as to time and exact location.”

Gabe congratulated James, while Isabella remained in some kind of a stupor.

They were together in the SUV driving home before she spoke. “I thought I would feel better. More relieved. I feel as empty as ever. What’s wrong with me, Gabe?”

He squeezed her hand, wishing he could stop and take her in his arms. “Give it time to sink in. You’ve lived with this hanging over you for almost a year.”

“I heard James say Judge Weller isn’t known for giving harsh sentences. So it’s not really over. Not until I know Julian’s off the streets for good.”

They sank into silence again, Gabe wondering if Isabella could ever move beyond this day. Even after the sentencing, would she forgive herself?

“I have something I’d like you to see,” Gabe said, rousing himself when they neared the outskirts of Callanton.

She stirred. “Oh, Gabe. I’m exhausted. I just want to go home and sleep for a week. Maybe a month. Until the sentencing, at least.”

“This won’t take long.” He turned onto Main Street
and parked a hundred or so yards from the garden. As they approached the spot, he saw Jamie Kent attaching a pinwheel to what appeared to be the final stake. She glanced up and noticed them at almost the same moment.

“Gabe,” she exclaimed, stripping off a glove to extend her hand. “I—oh, gosh, is this Isabella?”

Gabe made the introductions. The lovely blond landscape architect murmured an excuse and slipped away soon after.

Taking Isabella’s hand, Gabe led her up a cinder path that wound among a fairy garden. A stiff breeze propelled pinwheels of all sizes and colors. “I’m calling it a healing garden,” Gabe said, urging Isabella to sit on a stone bench, where she could read the simple brass plaque embedded in a rock.

“In memory of Antonia and Ramon Navarro,” she whispered. “Oh, Gabriel, it’s exactly the kind of place they would’ve loved.” Falling to her knees to trace a finger over their names, she gazed up at Gabe through a sheen of tears. Tears she couldn’t seem to shut off, even though he lifted her up and sat her on his lap. People walked by on the street and still she sobbed. The sun had begun to sink in the west when Isabella finally mopped away the last of her tears.

“I love you, Gabe. I’ve…been too afraid to admit it.” Sitting up, she took his face gently between her hands, rubbing her thumbs restlessly over his lips. “You understood from the beginning that I haven’t been able to say goodbye to Toni and Ramon. Maybe now… I thank you with all my heart. This truly is a healing garden.”

He kissed her, letting the warmth from his lips slowly absorb the frost that had permanently invaded
hers. “Healing doesn’t happen all at once, Isabella. I’m happy the garden pleases you. I love you. You say you love me. It’s enough for now.” He carried her to the car, not giving a damn about the stares of passersby. He was content thinking they’d spend the next thirty days getting to know each other. Although, even now, when he looked at her huddled in the corner, Gabe felt Julian Arana’s shadow standing between them.

T
HIRTY DAYS WHIZZED PAST
. Neither Isabella nor Gabe could believe it was time for Julian’s sentencing. But Isabella received a letter from the court, naming the date, time and place. The final phase had arrived at last.

The night before the event, they discussed it under a star-studded sky as they relaxed in Gabe’s newly installed hot tub.

“It’s hard to imagine I’ve been able to put Julian completely out of my mind since the trial,” Isabella murmured, nestling her head on Gabe’s bare shoulder. “I hope the sentencing doesn’t end up bringing the whole horrid nightmare back to me.”

Gabe kissed her temple. “You’ve come a long way in thirty days, sweetheart. Ask anyone.”

“I have you to thank. For so many things,” she said hesitantly. “I’m feeling less and less guilty—I’ve almost stopped thinking I played some part in what happened to my children. Now I’m feeling guilt of a different kind. Not a day passes that someone in my family doesn’t bring up weddings. Rick gives me a certain look when he knows I’m sneaking home after leaving your bed. And you, Gabe. You’ve been more patient than I’ve got any right to expect.”

He drew her closer, well aware of how much time Isabella spent wandering through the healing garden. Not that he minded her stopping there after work. It
was, after all, why he’d commissioned Jamie Kent to build it. Besides, studying for the bar kept him occupied.

What bothered Gabe was the idea of Isabella stealing across the road in the dawn hours. But he’d promised that he wouldn’t pressure her to set a wedding date. And he’d keep that promise.

“What time do you want to leave for Bend in the morning?”

“Six o’clock. Are you sure you can afford the time off to take me?” she asked, rising as Gabe reached to shut off the jets. “I know how hard you’re studying.”

“The whole family’s going. Even Trini, our new M.A. Believe it or not, Christina found a baby-sitter she trusts, so she and Manny will be backing you, too.”

“That’s good. I need all the support I can get right now.”

“It’s only eight. Shall we dress and run over to the church to light a couple of candles? Or is that overkill?”

“Oh, Gabe. That’s perfect. I should’ve thought of it myself.”

They went. Gabe almost wished he hadn’t suggested it since Isabella became once again the brooding woman he’d first met. They parted later without kissing. Gabe tried not to attach a whole lot of importance to that fact.

She didn’t look any calmer the next morning when he picked her up, and they led the Navarro caravan on the highway to Bend. His concern deepened.

“Do you mind if we don’t talk, Gabe? I didn’t sleep at all. I’m too edgy to concentrate. I hope the judge gives Julian a hundred years. A hundred years, or life without parole.”

Once they disembarked at the courthouse, they went in search of the courtroom. A different, smaller one than last time. And it was packed. There didn’t seem to be good air flow, and for May, it was hot.

“I almost forgot to tell you, Isabella. Colt phoned last night. He and Summer wanted to come, but she has her ultrasound today. He’s excited about finding out whether they’re going to have a boy or a girl. I think he wants a girl.”

“She’s brave, having another baby. I’ll never go through that again.” Her eyes weren’t on Gabe when she made the announcement, but were locked on Julian, who’d abandoned his wheelchair to sit next to his attorney.

Gabe froze. He wanted a family like the ones her brothers and sisters had. Having kids was something they hadn’t discussed, and now he wondered why.

As before, everyone in the room was asked to stand for Judge Weller’s entry. As before, he got right to it. “I’ve given this case my full attention,” he said, letting his eyes roam from prosecution to defense and back to prosecution. “The prosecution requested life for each child. The defense argues for leniency, given that Mr. Arana’s health has been compromised by his exposure to carbon monoxide.”

Weller adjusted his glasses, and Gabe found himself doing the same with his. “After much consideration,” Weller said, “I’m ready to sentence Mr. Arana. Will the defendant please rise.”

Julian shuffled to his feet, helped by Tom Meyer.

“Mr. Arana, I sentence you to thirty years for the wrongful death of Antonia Arana, and a second thirty years for the wrongful death of Ramon Arana. Both
shall be served without option of parole. Do you understand what I’ve said?”

Julian nodded once.

Isabella turned to Gabe. “A paltry sixty years is all he’s getting?”

“Sweetheart, it’s without parole. He’ll be ninety-six by the time he’s released—assuming he lives that long. He doesn’t appear in the best of health.”

“Right. When you put it that way, it seems long enough….”

The judge spoke directly to the prosecutor. “Mr. Hayden, in accordance with a new protocol, this is the time the children’s mother can address the guilty party if she so desires.”

The last thing Gabe had imagined was that Isabella would be willing—or able—to face her ex-husband. She shocked him and everyone in her family when she stood and walked straight to where Hayden sat. She cleared her throat a few times, but once she began speaking, her voice rang clear enough. “Our innocent children had no idea how evil you were, Julian. Antonia and Ramon loved you. It was your responsibility to protect them from harm. You violated a beautiful and sacred trust. I hope you live every day of those sixty years, and that you begin and end each one seeing their faces in your warped mind.”

Spinning abruptly, she returned and sat beside Gabe. He realized she’d pulled a five-by-seven photo of the two kids out of her purse and now held it crushed against her heart.

That part of the sentencing left Gabe shaken. He had difficulty following the family out of the building.

“Well, it’s over,” Benito exclaimed. They’d all reached the parking lot after shaking hands with Hay
den and his team. “Time to move forward,” the Navarro patriarch said. “Are you two going straight home from here?” He stopped, aiming his query at Gabe and Isabella.

“I ordered flowers,” Gabe muttered, thinking now it was probably a bad idea. “I thought we’d pick them up and drive out to the cemetery. But if Isabella would rather not, she can go with you and I’ll make the trip alone.”

Stepping close, she linked her arm through Gabe’s. “That’s not something anyone should ever do alone.”

Gabe recognized his own words, spoken to her only a few months ago, although it seemed a lifetime.

Midafternoon they arrived at the cemetery. Gabe collected the two vases of flowers, then remembered that the previous time he’d been here, Isabella had preferred to go to the grave site by herself.

“Come with me,” she pleaded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Gabe blinked a few times. His cheeks were wet, he noticed as he set the vases between the pinwheels. There were already fresh roses lying on the ground in front of each small mound.

“I drove out here before dawn,” Isabella said, kneeling to set the picture of two smiling children between Gabe’s bouquets. One was tied with a pink satin ribbon, the other with blue. Taking off the angel pin she always wore, Isabella crossed the ribbon tails. “Someone to watch over Toni and Ramon,” she whispered as she pinned the filigree angel to the ribbons.

Raising a hand, she let Gabe help her to her feet. She automatically slipped an arm around his waist. “There’s no wind today. No turbulence at all. I think, as Papa said, it’s over. Justice has been served. For
them and for me.” Pressing her left hand against Gabe’s chest, she raised her face for his kiss. His heart beat firm and strong beneath her fingers, although his cheeks were as damp as hers.

Once the kiss came to a natural end, they stood for several moments with just their heads touching. “In a way, we’re both wounded souls, you and I,” she murmured.

“I’d rather think we’re broken souls who have become whole over time.”

“Yes. Me, too. But I’m not sure I’m ready to say we’ll never face any struggles in the future. For instance…if we decided to have—or adopt—a baby. Or babies.”

Turning slightly, Isabella gazed directly into Gabe’s blue eyes. “But I
am
ready to travel down the road of life with you. If you still want me,” she said shyly.

What struck Gabe most as he scooped Isabella into his arms and swung her around was her eyes. Because there was life there now. Life and happiness and hope. And love.