“Izzy!” Xavier screamed as all the boys rushed around him and sprinted away.
Xavier ran to the edge, watching in horror as her body bounced off a boulder then went under the water. His reaction was probably the stupidest one possible as he scrambled over the lip and leapt into the river. Luckily he cleared the boulder she’d hit, but he hit the bottom of the fast-moving river and jarred his legs. Pushing off, he surfaced and searched everywhere for Izzy. Could he get to her in time? Was she still under the water?
He swam down the current, trying to avoid the boulders but slammed against a few. He spotted her dark hair floating in the water and swam as quickly as he could toward her. She was still under. No, oh, no!
Xavier’s arms and legs beat at the cool water and within seconds he’d caught her. He grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over. Her eyes were closed, and his every fear was confirmed.
“No!” He screamed out.
Dragging her to the side, he lifted her up onto the bank and pulled himself out of the water. He rolled her onto her back and tried to remember his first aid training. He heard shouts above him. Horsetail Falls was a popular spot. Maybe some tourist with better training than him would come help, but it was doubtful. He put his cheek against her nose and waited impatiently, but there was no soft exhalation. Despair blanketed him, and the bright sun seemed to be hiding behind clouds. He uttered a silent prayer, simply, Please help. Then he pushed his fingers against her neck. Her pulse thrummed against his fingertips, and the cloud parted for a few rays of sunshine.
As quickly as relief hit him, his mind scrambled for what to do now. Izzy would know exactly what to do. Why hadn’t he begged her to teach him? Why couldn’t he remember the best reaction from the few classes he’d taken in the military on emergency situations? She had a pulse, but she wasn’t getting oxygen, and her brain could already be damaged from the lack of air. Oh, somebody help.
Rescue breathing? That was the answer, right? He remembered somebody had told him that was outdated now and the first responders should always just do chest compressions. But the rescue breathing just felt right. She needed oxygen. He tilted her head back and plugged her nose, taking a deep breath then exhaling fully into her mouth. He repeated it five times and then stopped to evaluate.
His heart was thumping out of control, and his body was encased in sweat. Why didn’t someone come? He glanced up and could see two men working their way down the bank to get to them, but it was precarious, so they had to move slowly.
He checked her pulse again, and thankfully, it was still strong. He put his cheek against her nose, and his stomach plummeted. Still nothing! One of the men finally reached them.
“She’s not breathing,” Xavier said frantically.
The man didn’t reply. He knelt behind Izzy and pushed her over to her side. Izzy immediately vomited river water all over the place. Xavier jumped out of the way, but immediately rushed back to be close to her.
Izzy curled into a ball and moaned. She looked miserable and beat up, but she was breathing.
“Gracias,” Xavier said to the man then immediately told the Lord, Thank you.
He didn’t know if he dared touch her or hold her, but that was all he wanted to do.
The man muttered, “De nada” and stepped back to give them some space.
Izzy sucked in a breath and pushed it out, struggling to sit up. Xavier held onto her arms and helped her into a seated position. She stared up at him, her eyes wide and panicked. “The boys. The river.” Her voice was raspy.
Xavier couldn’t resist any longer. He sat back against a boulder and lifted her onto his lap, cradling her close. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
She leaned against him, and her entire body trembled.
He cupped her face with his palm. “Are you all right? Do I need to do something medically for you?” Maybe holding her wasn’t the best course of action right now. He’d made the wrong choice with rescue breathing, and now, he might be hurting her worse.
She blinked as if debating but nodded. “I think I’m okay. I’m going to have some bruises, but nothing’s broken.”
“Thank heavens,” Xavier whispered against her forehead, pulling her in close again. He glanced up at the two men watching them. “Gracias,” he said again.
The men nodded to them and faded away. Xavier wished he was in America as someone would have the EMTs on their way who could make sure Izzy was okay. She’d said she was all right though. He was just going to have to trust her self-assessment. Right now, he simply wanted to hold her until his mind caught up and fully registered that she didn’t have brain damage or a broken body.
Her shoulders shook harder, and he glanced down. Tears streaked her cheeks, mixing with the wetness from the river. He gently rocked her. “You’re okay.” He kept repeating, willing it to be true.
After a few minutes, she seemed to calm and glanced up at him with those liquid, dark eyes. “How did you get to me?”
“I jumped in.” He looked back at the waterfall above them with the twenty-foot drop from the bridge and realized it had been a stupid move, but at the time, there hadn’t been a choice. He’d do anything to protect her.
Izzy took a long breath and wiped the moisture from her face. “I always knew Xavier was a superhero, but that’s pushing it a little bit.”
Xavier grunted out a surprised laugh. “I just reacted.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes sought the ground. Then she muttered, “I was so certain I was going to die. You know those stories you hear about people who are dying?”
He nodded. How close had she come to dying? He shuddered, imagining her thrashing in the water, trying to get to the surface. She must have inhaled water as she fought to breathe and tried to break the surface of the water. Stop, he commanded his brain.
“Everything was growing darker. I wanted to suck in air so badly. Then I saw my mom walking toward me. She was so beautiful. I wanted to be with her.” She sighed and stopped.
Xavier simply held her. He couldn’t imagine how much she missed her mother and what it would be like to see her. He’d often wished he could see his dad, but he probably would’ve slugged him in the gut, not thought how beautiful he was.
“I did want to be with her,” she said. “But I didn’t want to die.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He kissed her warm forehead, resting his lips there. His body shuddered. “Thank you, Lord, for protecting Izzy,” he murmured.
Izzy glanced up at him. “I should’ve known you’d be a prayer.” She traced her hand over his cheek. “I like everything I learn about you X.”
He smiled. “I feel the same.”
Resting her head against his chest, she cuddled into him. Xavier held her until his body started to feel stiff, and he realized Mama would probably be worrying about them. “We’d better get back to the orphanage and let Mama fuss over you. Do you think you can stand?”
“I’m okay, X.” She smiled up at him so sweetly he wanted to protect her from every wrong for the rest of their lives. Whew. He was getting a little sappy, but they’d gone through something horrific, she finally seemed to trust him, and he cared for her far too much.
Xavier gently lifted her to her feet, standing up next to her. Izzy gingerly stepped over the uneven ground. Xavier wrapped his arm around her waist and assisted her. Relief was so strong he wanted to drop to his knees and praise the Lord. Izzy was all right. Nothing else seemed to matter but that.
14
Mama made a huge fuss over Izzy when they made it back to the orphanage. She forced her to drink chamomile tea, take a bath, and take a nap. But Izzy couldn’t sleep. She lay on the bed watching the fan rotate and hearing the children’s laughter outside her window. Her mind switched between her mother’s face and Xavier’s. She had wanted her mother so badly, but what she hadn’t told Xavier was she had chosen to walk away from her mother and toward him. She’d felt his presence, his arms, even though she wasn’t really conscious
. When she’d opened her eyes to his handsome face, she knew she’d made the right choice, even though it ripped her apart to not have chosen her mom.
She wanted to tell Xavier exactly what had happened and the choice she’d made, but it seemed too personal, too much too soon. They’d only known each other a week. Was it truly only eight days ago that she’d purchased him at that auction and he’d been irresistible, exhilarating, and terrifying to her? Now, she didn’t know where they stood, or if he would even be around next year. Not that she was opposed to a long-distance relationship, but they didn’t even have a relationship yet. At least, they hadn’t talked about where they stood, and she didn’t want to push him. She hadn’t even been certain she could trust him, but after this week, how could she not? There was too much to think about, and her mind whirred faster than the ceiling fan.
The afternoon dragged by, but the time did pass. Before she knew it, she’d packed up her suitcase and said goodbye to the children. Then they were on the plane headed home.
As soon as the plane gained altitude and leveled off, Xavier turned to her. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Can I get you anything?” Mama asked.
Izzy smiled. “I’m really fine.” If only she could get Xavier alone and talk to him. Tell him that she trusted him and wanted him to stay in Texas. It would be brave of her, but she could do it.
Xavier studied her with that smoldering stare that made her stomach tumble with anticipation. She shivered and wished, again, that they were alone. Not that she didn’t love Mama being around, but she had interrupted their kiss last night and Izzy needed much, much more of Xavier’s lips on hers.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
Izzy laughed. “You two, stop worrying. I’m fine.”
“You almost died this morning, love.” Mama reminded her.
The shiver turned to a tremble.
“Mama,” Xavier said quietly.
“Sorry.” Mama shook her head. “I’m still trying to process it all.”
Izzy squeezed Mama’s hand. “It was scary, but X was there for me.” She smiled at him.
He grinned in return, and those dimples were beckoning to her. The moment would’ve been amazing, but it became a little awkward with Mama smiling back and forth between the two of them as if she’d arranged the entire relationship.
“Don’t mind me,” she said. “I think I’ll just take a little nap.” She leaned back and closed her eyes.
“Do you believe she’s going to sleep?” Xavier asked.
“Not for a minute,” Izzy said.
Mama grinned but kept her eyes closed.
Xavier studied Izzy, and she flushed with warmth. His eyes strayed to his mama, and he gave a small laugh. “I think I’ll check my emails and texts while Mama takes her nap.” He winked at Izzy.
Mama’s smile widened.
Izzy tucked her hair behind her ear. If Mama truly fell asleep, she might get the alone time with Xavier she was craving. Oh, to admit that she wanted a relationship with him and then to kiss those full lips and explore those dimples and the muscles in his chest and shoulders. My, oh my, it was warm in this airplane.
Xavier gave her another smile then turned to the phone that he’d plugged into an outlet. She hadn’t seen him with his phone all week, and she hadn’t bothered with hers. It had been a nice break from reality, but now, they were headed back to the real world. Could their budding relationship withstand the media, her father, and whatever else was awaiting them?
Mama’s face relaxed, and her breathing evened out. She was truly asleep. Izzy studied Xavier’s handsome face, willing him to glance up and maybe gesture with his chin to the rear of the plane. They could sit side-by-side, hold hands, talk about the children from the orphanage and their adventures, especially the scare this morning. Maybe she’d get daring enough to talk about the trust she felt for him, or maybe they could watch part of Dirty Dancing and plan when they could practice the moves. She felt warm all over remembering dancing with him last night.
Xavier’s jaw tightened as he read something on his phone. His eyes jerked up to hers, but they were full of concern instead of desire. His phone buzzed, and he checked the screen then glanced up at her again. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
“Of course, no worries.” She watched him stand and walk toward the rear of the plane, speaking in hushed tones she couldn’t overhear. He kept glancing up at her from time to time.
Something was going on, and from the sinking feeling in the pit of her gut, it wasn’t a good something.
He finally ended the call, but he didn’t come back for her. Izzy waited several long minutes until she couldn’t take it any longer. She stood. His eyes snapped to hers. He shoved a hand over his short hair and gave her a weak smile. She walked to him and stopped right in front of him.
“Everything okay?” Her voice was too quiet, and she felt scared and small. They’d had a powerful week together, why wasn’t it enough? Why did it feel like he was pulling away before they had the chance to really come together?
“No, not really.” He pushed out a breath. “My agent is a control freak and a complete worry wart. Truthfully I don’t like the guy at all, but maybe he’s right this time.”
“Right?” Izzy squeaked out. “Right about what?”
“Mr. Newton,”—the flight attendant interrupted them—“we’re beginning our descent into Dallas. Can you please take your seats?”
Xavier nodded shortly and gestured for her to go first. Izzy’s heart was beating almost as hard as when the boy had grabbed her by the waterfall, and she didn’t even understand why. What was his agent telling him? What was going on? There were bound to be pictures circulating of her and Xavier from Ace’s family’s restaurant and their date last Saturday, but she wasn’t sure why his agent would care or what he could be right about. Xavier had a different woman on his arm every other day. That was something she hoped was about to change, but she needed to find a way to shrink this distance between them first.
They both took their seats and buckled up.
“What’s going on?” Izzy asked.
“My agent is very concerned—”
“Oh, good morning, my loves.” Mama stretched and smiled sleepily. “Are we there already?”
“Yep, it’s a quick flight.” Xavier smiled at his mama, but Izzy could see the tension in his eyes.
Mama looked back and forth between the two of them, seeming jolted by the change in atmosphere from when she’d fallen asleep. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah, of course.”
The plane decelerated sharply. Izzy caught a breath from the lack of altitude, or Xavier’s outright lie to his mama, she wasn’t sure which.
Mama focused on Izzy. “Are you coming back to the house with us? Xavier always has his kitchen stocked. I’ll make you some delicious hometown food. I’m craving chicken, shrimp, and veggies after eating beans and rice all week.”
“Um, Mama, I have to go meet with my agent and Mr. Knight when we land.”
Izzy’s stomach swooped. Whatever had upset Xavier involved her father. No! Wasn’t it enough her father had betrayed her mom and deserted Izzy when she needed him most? Did he have to ruin the first real relationship she’d had too? She was jumping to conclusions. Xavier had to meet over contract negotiations. It surely had nothing to do with the two of them, and there she went thinking she and Xavier were a couple when that wasn’t really true.
“Oh, okay. Izzy and I will get dinner started and hang out.” Mama patted her hand.
Izzy stared at Xavier, willing him to reveal something, give her a bit of encouragement about them, anything.
He gave her a look that was filled with longing but then he said, “Can we can take a rain check for tomorrow night? I don’t know how late I’ll be.”
Izzy didn’t know what the proper response would be. Xavier didn’t want to be with her.
Mama’s mouth opened, but it closed quick
ly. She held onto Izzy’s hand as if she sensed Izzy was going to get ripped out of their lives. “Okay, that will be real fine. We’ll plan on that.”
The plane bumped slightly as it landed and the pilot braked. The plane stopped, and the attendants gathered their luggage and transferred it to the waiting car. Thank heavens it was a private airport, so there was little risk of paparazzi. Izzy wanted so many questions answered, but how did she push Xavier to engage in a deep conversation with her when he’d suddenly become so distant? This cavern between them hurt worse than the bruises from being pushed off the bridge this morning.
She wished she knew what he thought his agent was right about and why he was meeting with her father. The dread in her stomach wouldn’t let up. Especially when they got to her apartment and Xavier and his mama both walked her to the door. They each gave her a hug and a lot of thank yous, but nothing more. It definitely felt like goodbye, and she didn’t even know what she’d done wrong. As she walked inside, the musk and lime of his cologne seemed to linger. Longing for Xavier filled her, and she wondered if she’d finally given her trust away … to the wrong man.
15
Xavier’s gut churned as he walked back to the car with his mama. Izzy had seemed so confused when he’d asked if they could take a rain check, and he wished he could reassure her that everything was fine, but everything wasn’t fine. He hated coming back to reality, and reality had slugged him hard when he got on the plane and checked his phone for the first time in almost a week. It was going to be fine, he kept telling himself. He’d get it all figured out with his agent and Mr. Knight. Then he’d go find Izzy and apologize for not being with her tonight. Tomorrow they’d spend the entire day together. Tomorrow everything would be better.
He and Mama got in the back seat of the car. After he gave the driver his address, he turned, ready for the cuss-out.
The Fearless Groom (Texas Titan Romances) Page 11