Free Pearls by Lisa Mills Page B

vise.
    “I could have seduced you, Isabel, or taken what I wanted at any time. You were putty in my hands. But I chose to respect your wishes, to honor you by waiting.”
    “Let go of me!” She jerked and flailed, trying to free herself.
    “I didn’t mind. It seems right that I should wait for the one I want to marry.” He hooked one hand behind her head and tried to kiss her while Isabel struggled against his advances. But she was losing the fight. He was so much stronger than she.
    “Is there a problem here?”
    Raúl’s grip loosened at the sound of the deep masculine voice in the doorway. Isabel leapt from his lap and backed away from him as a wounded animal might shrink from a fight. Raúl’s gaze shifted from her to the doorway, his soft, brown eyes turning hard in anger. “Mr. Santiago, your timing leaves something to be desired.”
    Manuel crossed his arms over his chest, glaring. “I’d say I have perfect timing, Raúl.”
    Isabel felt a surge of gratitude as Manuel stood his ground, playing her protector.
    Doña Montez appeared in the arched doorway beside Manuel, her back straight, black eyes flashing with outrage. “How dare you treat my granddaughter this way in my house?” For a seventy-eight-year-old woman, her grandmother proved to be very intimidating when angered.
    For the first time, Raúl lost a little of his bravado. “I uh … forgive me, Doña Montez.” He looked to Isabel, as if to ask for her help.
    Isabel lifted her chin and met his pleading look with a defiant one of her own. “Leave. Now.”
    He glanced about the room as if looking for an ally. Finding none, he walked toward the door, his back still rigid with pride.
    No one spoke until the front door clicked shut and the roar of his engine had faded from their hearing. Only then did her grandmother break the silence, her voice soft with compassion. “The blinders are off and you see with your own eyes now, Nieta . But not all men are like Raúl.” The old woman turned to stare at Manuel, a slow smile spreading across her aristocratic features. Isabel watched the color creep past Manuel’s collar and spread upward over his face.
    “I’ll leave you two to sort this out.” Manuel turned and hurried away.
    Tears burned Isabel’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks, bringing her abuela to her side. When warm, motherly arms pulled Isabel into a comforting embrace, she allowed all the pain of the last week to bubble to the surface and spill out.

 
 
 
Seven
    Manuel glanced into the office. Finding it empty, he headed for the living room in search of Isabel. After the scene with Raúl, she had retreated to her bedroom to nurse her wounded heart. Though he hated to burden her with another concern, he needed to make some decisions regarding his future. As much as he would like to, he couldn’t live on hopes and dreams. He needed an income. Living off the generosity of an old woman left him feeling emasculated, and he knew he couldn’t stay at Casa Grande much longer.
    The living room sat empty, leaving Manuel to wonder where she could have gone. Since he’d looked in every room of the house, he decided to continue his search outdoors. He let himself out the front door and found her standing a short distance away. She leaned against a split-rail fence on the other side of the gravel driveway, facing the neatly spaced rows of avocado trees. The wind toyed with the hem of her skirt, causing it to flutter around her knees. The movement drew his attention to her shapely calves, and he studied their smooth, firm lines. His reaction unsettled him, and hoping to avoid further temptation, he forced his gaze to her face.
    Gravel crunched beneath his feet as he walked, but if she heard his approach, she didn’t acknowledge him.
    “Hey, Isabel. Do you have a minute?”
    She blinked a few times and glanced his direction. The afternoon sun warmed her features and outlined her full lips when she offered him a faint smile.
    “Want to go for a