Guardian of the Fountain (12 page)

      
“Something
that mimics the water, or we can make him think that this new concoction is
what everyone thinks is the fountain of youth. Shoot, women spend millions on
cosmetics that promise them the look of youth. Maybe the drug cartel is just as
vain.” Chrissie wiggled her brows playfully.

      
“Good idea.
I just have the feeling that there are too many ways it could go wrong.” Brant
threw his apple core into the bushes. “Come on. Let’s go back to the house and
get dressed before Arturo and María come back.”

      
“Scandalous!”
Chrissie gasped. With a sudden turn of mock seriousness, she said, “Really, I
do need some scandal in my life—the passionate kissing hidden in the
bottom of a tropical haven kind of scandal. I wouldn’t mind in the least! Every
girl needs to have moments when she is thoroughly kissed, and I’m long overdue.
I just don’t have enough drama in my life.”

      
Brant
pulled Chrissie up to him with his face inches away from hers. She could feel
his warm breath on her face. “Don’t tempt me, unless you mean it.” The corner
of his mouth tilted up on a wry grin.

Chrissie
felt the blood rush up to her face and she nervously giggled. “I’m afraid I’m a
little bit of a chicken.” She turned her face away from him.

 
“Still the same old Chrissie. I’m going
to have to catch you off your guard, I guess.” Brant smiled as he led the way
back to the mansion barefoot, carrying his jeans over his arm. A corner of
Brant’s boxers dipped down, revealing a stark contrast of skin tones.

      
“Hey!”
Chrissie shielded her eyes. She pretended to be offended, but actually, she was
quite the opposite.

Brant
roared with laughter. “What’s the matter? Did I blind you?” He tugged up his
boxers to sit on his hips.

      
“Well, at
least I know you keep your shorts on when you work out here. Your bum is whiter
than my bed sheets.”

      
“Well maybe
I should work absolutely starkers.” Brant smirked. She wondered if he just
might do that. That would be a sight to see. A welcome sight, but he didn’t
need to know that.

* * *

Arturo
and María met Chrissie and Brant at the top of the stairs in the library.

      
Brant
confidently walked in with his jeans in his arms instead of on his legs.
Chrissie was fully clothed in her pajamas, but still a little damp. María eyed
them suspiciously.

      
Arturo
didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “Margarita tipped off the cartel.”

      
“How do you
know for sure?” Brant draped his pants over the back of the office chair.

      
“Maribelle,
Margarita’s madre, marched her down to our stand today to confess. Maribelle
found a stack of
dinero stuffed in
Margarita’s underwear drawer and confronted her about it.” Arturo slid his
hands in his pockets.

      
“Margarita
has been saving to move to Caracas and get her own apartment. She phoned the
cartel when you came into the café in exchange for one year’s worth of rent.” María’s
face told no lies in the way her face wrinkled in displeasure. “I would take
her over my knee and swat her if I could!” She went off in a tirade of Spanish
mixed in with a few ancient Indian words.

      
Chrissie
didn’t want to know what María was saying about Margarita. It would probably burn
her ears.

      
“Well,
Margarita just forfeited her protection from the water.” Brant’s firm tone
meant he was serious. “The young ones have a hard time believing in magical
water. She did a young and foolish thing.” Brant opened the drapes to the large
windows behind his office desk, let light into the dark library, and looked out
over the outside courtyard as the eastern sun shone in. “Arturo, we need to add
another symptom to Chrissie’s list.”

      
“What else
could there possibly be? She’s had them all.” Arturo scratched his head.

      
“Vomiting.”
Brant’s words seemed to echo in the room.

      
“Oh. Except
that one,” Arturo said.

      
María
instantly stopped in her tracks and silenced her tirade. She started laughing
hysterically.

      
“She’s
completely barmy,” Brant whispered to Arturo.

      
Chrissie
stared curiously at María. “She’s acting insane.”

      
“Oh!” She
clapped, and then she started singing. Her eyes lit up, and the corners of her
mouth tilted up into a full grin—she looked happy, very happy. María
swayed and danced to her happy mood right out of the room.

      
“I’m
calling Dr. Wilson at once.” Brant picked up the phone and began dialing.

      
“For
Chrissie or María?” Arturo stared out the doorway.

Chapter
15

      
Dr. Wilson
came in through the front door of the mansion. Chrissie hadn’t seen that door used
much. The formality of the front door struck her as odd.

      
“What a
peculiar ride. Blindfolded in a car is a new one. Where’s is Chrissie?” Dr.
Wilson’s eyes scanned the foyer and spotted Chrissie sitting on the edge of the
fountain.

      
“Hello, Dr.
Wilson.” Her cheery greeting contradicted her inner turmoil, which was on the
verge of giving her true, nervous feelings away. She wanted to be happy to see
him, but he was here because she had thrown up earlier this morning, adding to
Brant’s overprotective mode.

      
“Well, Arturo
said you have some new symptoms. Let’s get you checked out thoroughly.” Dr.
Wilson acted nonchalant, like he made house calls to mysterious mansions all
the time.

      
“I’ll show
you to my room.” Chrissie headed for the stairs.

      
“Lead the
way.” Dr. Wilson carried his black leather bag and trailed a few steps behind Chrissie
to her room. Brant and María began to follow them. Dr. Wilson turned around to
face them. “It would be best if you waited down here,” he instructed. “Patient
confidentiality is of utmost importance, even in the mansion.”

“Fine,”
Brant said as he folded his arms across his chest unhappily.

María
looked like she was about to protest until Arturo put his arm around her. “The
doctor is right, María.”

      
 
Dr. Wilson closed the heavy wooden door
to Chrissie’s room, and it echoed ominously through the mansion. He began a head
to toe examination of her. “Arturo tells me you began vomiting today. We
already know that you’ve been sleeping and eating abnormal amounts. My suspicions
point to something, but I won’t know for sure until I do a vaginal exam. Is
that okay?”

“I
suppose, but why?”

“I
have a hunch that your condition might be very curable with a little time.” He
smiled reassuringly.

“Alright,
let’s get this over with.” She lay down tensely on the bed and awaited his
diagnosis.

“Well,
isn’t this an interesting development?” he said as he finished the vaginal
exam. “You are pregnant, but I need to check to see how far along you are until
we can get you an ultrasound, since you have no recollection of your last
period.”

      
“Impossible!”
she gasped. Her stomach clenched. This couldn’t be? I can’t even remember not
being a virgin.
 
“What about the
poison I took?” Chrissie said as she stared at the ceiling. The revelation
overwhelmed her and she began to cry. If Brant found out he would certainly
send her back to the States.

      
“Time will
tell. I can’t say for certain if you took the poison what kind of affect it had
on you and the baby. I will need to run a full run up of tests. . Have you been
bathing in the water?” Dr. Wilson threw his latex gloves into the wastebasket
and helped Chrissie sit up.

“Yes,
whenever I feel ill. How much do you know about the water?”

“Brant
frequently brings me water to care for the villagers. They are under his
protection as long as they keep the secret, and I have an opportunity to
research it as long as
I
keep the
secret. In fact, you were the one who had the brilliant idea to use it in an
infant’s breathing treatment when he came down with pneumonia. After two
treatments, the infant’s oxygen levels were back to normal, and he didn’t have
labored breathing.”

      
“I used it
in the clinic?”

      
“All the
time.” Dr. Wilson snapped his black leather bag shut. “I will let you tell the
others the news. It’s yours to share. I’ll be back in very soon to check you
again and do an ultrasound. You have just begun the waiting game. Good luck.”
Dr. Wilson turned before he left the room. “Word of advice—don’t drink
the water while you’re pregnant. It might slow down the growth of the fetus.”

      
Chrissie
finished dressing and went down to be with the others. She didn’t want to take
those steps down the stairs. All of them were waiting impatiently for news of
some kind, and she wasn’t ready to share any of it. Eyes looked up at her and
followed her down from the plaza. They continued to watch her all the way down
to the bottom step. María seemed to be jumping out of her skin to hear the
news. Brant was standing in the back of the group, silent and still.

      
“Está bien?”
María exclaimed.

      
“Come on, María.
Let’s take Dr. Wilson home.” Arturo guided María to the door.

      
“Arturo,
why do you always do this to me?” María complained.

      
“Because it
is none of our business. If she wants to share any information, she will,” Arturo
chided.
 
“Don’t be tan curiosa.”

      
Dr. Wilson
followed María and Arturo out the front door, laughing. The front door shut,
leaving the grand plaza in silence.

      
“Well?”
Brant’s brow was wrinkled and he looked like he was about to jump out of his
skin.
    

“Oh,
it’s nothing that going for a swim can’t fix. Just the same ol’, same ol’.” She
brushed aside the uneasiness that filled the room. “Dr. Wilson said I’m doing
much better than the last time he saw me.” She had been worried about holding
hands with Brant. That seemed to dull in comparison to the fact that she had
more than held hands with someone. She had turned down Trey numerous times—why
would she allow it with Brant? Or maybe it wasn’t Brant. She couldn’t say for
sure … she didn’t remember. Dang Swiss cheese brains weren’t helping her any.

 
“Well, that is enough stress for one
afternoon. How about we do something to get our minds off the new symptoms.”
Brant’s face relaxed.

“It’s
an idea.” Chrissie smoothed down her disheveled blouse. Really, there wasn’t
anything that could take her mind off being pregnant. Now she not only had to
worry about her own health, but her unborn baby’s. What if she had caused
irreparable harm?

      
Brant knelt
on one knee before Chrissie and took her hand into his.

      
“Please
don’t propose. I don’t think I could handle it.” Chrissie tried to pull her
hand back, but Brant didn’t let go.

 
     
“Chrysanthemum
Love Stevens,” he paused for dramatic flare, “would you do me the honor of
going on a date with me tonight?”

      
“Brant . .
. whatever . . . Winston, it would be my pleasure.” Chrissie deeply curtsied. “Phew!
I’m so glad you didn’t propose.” She put her hand to her chest to calm her
pounding heart.

      
“I’m
offended. Would it be so bad to marry me?” He smiled mischievously at her,
causing her heartstrings to ping. “Brant Liam Winston will pick you up promptly
at seven. Formal attire tonight, darling.” He kissed the back of her hand. Then
he ran up the stairs, taking two at a time.

It
left Chrissie to wonder where in the world Brant thought she was going to pick
up an evening gown. She had a few summer dresses, denim pants, and shorts. She
owned nothing close to an evening gown unless one counted the outdated bubble-gum
pink prom dress back in her closet in Dallas. She felt like she would be a
disappointment to Brant. She couldn’t even dress appropriately for a date, not
to mention that she was mysteriously pregnant.

Oh,
gosh. I hope he’s the father.

Although
a date tonight did sound fun, she doubted it would take her mind off the shock
of being pregnant.

Chapter
16

Chrissie
took time curling her hair into soft waves. Some of the hair she lost was
beginning to grow back. Two-inch strands poked out all over her head, making it
nearly impossible to camouflage the new baby hairs. The last time she could
remember taking this much care getting ready for an event was the night of the
carnival, when Marla played makeover. Tonight she didn’t have Marla, so she
decided to put on her prettiest sundress and hope for the best. Marla had to be
back in Jersey by now. Chrissie wondered what her best friend would think of
the mess she was in.

María
knocked on the door just as Chrissie finished curling the last section of
blonde hair. “Can I come in?”

“Yes,
come in.”

“Are
you going to tell me the news?” María asked hopefully.

“Nope.”
Chrissie shut María down before she could go any further.

“I
yelled at Brant for telling you elegant attire, and you don’t have a single
dress. I assumed you were worried about it. But have no fear—he has had
presents made for you since he first began dating you. Now you are here, and he
can give them to you!”

“What
presents?” Curiosity burned within her.

“I
only know about this first set of gifts. He has them stashed all over the
mansion, mostly in the locked rooms. Follow me, and I will show you. He gave me
permission to unlock one of the doors.” In María’s hand was a large iron ring,
dangling enormous skeleton keys. They walked down several halls to get to a
door next to Brant’s room. María unlocked the door, and they entered a room that
was three times the size of her tiny bedroom, elaborately decorated mostly in
white, soft gold, and pale blue.

Two
large white doors cracked open just off the room, and María went in to the
adjoining room and turned on the light. “Come in here, chica. I’ll show it to
you.”

Chrissie
gasped at the sight in that very large walk-in closet. Shoes and clothes lined
the closet walls. A large center table contained accessories that she only
dreamed of buying from the finest stores. María went over to a section of zippered
clothes bags and unzipped them all, pulling out evening gowns. Four dresses in
total hung uncovered.

”Brant
noticed that you didn’t own a lot and wanted you to be dressed in the finest.
He wanted to spoil you. He is not much of a spender, but when it comes to you,
no expense was too great. The sad thing is that they came the same day your
parents arrived to take you home. Es lleno de ironía. He had me put them in
this closet and lock them away. It was too painful for him to see.” María wiped
a tear dripping down her cheek. “Now you are here and can try on any of these
clothes and enjoy this gift he has for you!” Her tone brightened. “Next, we can
plan on a layette for the bebé.”

“How
did you know?”

“Call
it instinct. I am a woman after all and I’ve seen many pregnant women in my
lifetime.”

The realization
of María knowing that she was pregnant stunned her. “Oh, please don’t say
anything,” Chrissie pled. Her nerves began to bubble up to the back of her
throat.

“You
haven’t said anything to him?” María stepped back in shock.

“I
don’t even remember how I got this way. That didn’t sound right…I know the
biological mechanics of what happens…what I mean to say is that I can’t recall
when. How can I tell him?” she said in a low whisper. “What would he think of
me?”

María
looked like she had something to say, but swallowed it back down. “Well, I
won’t say anything to him. I’ll let you do it when you are ready. But sooner or
later, the secret will come out.”

“I
hope it turns out as well as you think it will. María, did you and Arturo have
any children?”

“Yes,
we had one hijo. We wanted more, but couldn’t. So through the years, we took in
over thirty children and raised them as our own. I love each of them dearly.
Some have long since passed, all living to a ripe old age. The youngest is
forty years old, living in New York. He is a successful businessman. He calls
me every Sunday to check on us. Most of the others lived in the village or
nearby.”

Chrissie
looked at a long black sparkly number, a short champagne-gold cocktail dress, a
deep plum flowing dress, and finally a soft pink tea-length dress. Tonight she
was going all out, so she picked the black dress. Chrissie found all the
appropriate lingerie in labeled drawers and dressed herself for the night. In
the full-length mirror, she studied her reflection. It would soon be changing
slightly, but tonight she looked like a blonde version of Jessica Rabbit in
black. Nothing about her appearance looked like Chrysanthemum Love Stevens from
Dallas, who grew up middle-class and had a job as a nurse. The Louis Vuitton
heels she wore were worth more than her broken-down Toyota.

“You
look spectacular!” María fastened the last eyehook at the top of Chrissie’s
dress.

“This
will probably be the only time I’ll ever be able to wear this dress.”

“Never
say never.” María fastened a necklace so it dripped down Chrissie’s neck.
 
Rows and rows of large black pearls and
crystals lay across her chest.

“Are
you ladies done yet?” Arturo called through the door. “Women always take forever
getting ready.”

“Yeah,
yeah, yeah,” María hollered back. “Keep your pantelones on!”

“You
two are always fighting. Sometimes I wonder if you’re serious.” Chrissie walked
into a cloud of freshly sprayed perfume.

“We
play. We are never serious. The more loud and rude means the more I love him.
You have to think of new ways to keep the love alive after a couple hundred
years.” María started to tidy up the closet.

“Okay,
I think I’m ready.” Chrissie’s heartbeat quickened as she stepped out into the
hall. Arturo stood ready, dressed in a shirt and tie. “Why, Arturo, you clean
up nicely.”

“It’s
silly. María made me do it. I’m to escort you to dinner.” Arturo presented his
elbow, and Chrissie linked her arm in his. “My María, she is something.” He
shook his head, a small smile peeking through.

Arturo
took Chrissie as far as the last door at the end of the tunnel. He opened the
door and stood back as she passed him. “Thank you, Arturo.” Chrissie kissed him
on the cheek.

Chrissie
took two steps into the garden. Tiny white lights twinkled, illuminating the
garden and turning blossoms into colored enchantments. Arturo departed, leaving
her alone to follow a path of rose petals winding down to the fountain.
Chrissie took great care not to trip and fall in her heels and tight black
dress. Her breath was taken away as she found that Brant had set up a candlelit
dinner at the water’s edge. He stood with his back to her, wearing a white
cocktail coat, looking over the moonlight dancing on the water. His shoulders
looked so broad in the suit coat, her heart pounded faster.

Brant
turned to look at her, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. He walked over
to her and slipped a small corsage on her wrist. “You are making it awfully
hard to be good,” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath caressed her neck,
causing shivers to travel down her body.

Inside
her head, she screamed,
Don’t touch me!
I’m a fallen woman. You don’t want me!

      
Brant led
her to the table and pulled out a chair for her to sit in. He sat down and took
off the silver covers over their plates. The food looked more like art than
something edible. It was a small steak bedded down in fancy piped-out mashed
potatoes. A vegetable arch added flare to the plate.

      
Chrissie
leaned forward and whispered, “Are you sure I’m allowed to eat this? It’s
really fancy.”

      
Brant
deeply laughed. “Of course! María would be offended if you didn’t. She doesn’t
get to show off her culinary skills very often.”

      
“María did
this?”

      
“Don’t be too
astonished. She studied in Paris for a year.”

      
“I guess
she’s had a lot of time to do whatever she wants.”

      
“Arturo
studied painting that same year. They came back like honeymooners. Best
Christmas present I ever gave. I love giving presents. I particularly love that
one on you.”

      
Chrissie’s
cheeks warmed, and she quickly glanced away. “What girl doesn’t like to walk
into a stocked closet and go shopping?” She turned her attention to the food.
“This is so good.”

      
“I have to
admit,” Brant said between bites, “I cheated a little bit. I know all your
favorite nosh, and even some you discovered while you were here.”

      
“I guess I
get to rediscover them all over again,” she said a bit sourly. “Glass-half-full
moment.”

      
“Just think
about it this way—we get the chance to do all the best parts over again,
and I know what not to do to make you mad.”

      
“How could
I ever get mad at you?”

      
“Oh, you
did, and I paid for it. We got in a huge fight. You didn’t talk to me for three
days.”

      
“Wow, you
must’ve really messed up.”

      
“I was late
two hours picking you up for a date.”

      
“Yeah,
that’s pretty bad.”

      
“I called
to tell you I was going to pick you up. I made one last trip to the garden to
check on a compost pile, vacuumed out the truck, and Arturo and I got to
talking about something and I lost track of time.” Brant cut a piece of asparagus
with his fork. “I learned that night that you have a huge pet peeve.”

      
“Oh, I
finally know the answer to this one!” Chrissie brightened. “You should be where
you said you were going to be—on time.”

      
“Right. I
looked at it as getting things done. I knew you would be there when I got there,
but you saw it as being disrespectful. When I got to your apartment, the lights
were off, and you wouldn’t answer the door. When I tried to look in the front
window, you closed the blinds. That’s how I knew I was in trouble.” Brant wiped
his mouth with his white linen napkin. “I got mad because you were angry, and I
didn’t think I did anything wrong. Time doesn’t matter much to me—I’ve got
tons of it, so it seemed like a frivolous squabble. You, on the other hand, as
opinionated as you are, like to be prompt. I began yelling through the window
the list of things I got done, and that you were being irrational. As soon as
the word ‘irrational’ came out of my mouth, I knew I’d blown it.”

      
“In a big
way.” Chrissie agreed. “‘Irrational’ would be a very poor word choice, in my
book.” She knew she would’ve made him pay with the silent treatment until he
came and apologized in a big way.

      
“What I
should have said was ‘I’m sorry,’ but instead, I stormed off. I didn’t hear
from you for three days. You gave no indication that you were going to ring me,
either.”

      
“I probably
never would have.” Chrissie put her knife and fork down over the top of the
plate, indicating that she was done and was ready for the next course.

      
“I found
out that you are incredibly stubborn, and I was a big tosser.”

      
“I’m
assuming we made up.” She was hoping that it was an epic make-up, and the
details would soon follow.

      
“After I flooded
the clinic with flowers and waited on your doorstep for you to come home so you
would have to talk to me to get in to your apartment.” Brant texted a message
on his phone and put it back in his pocket. “You didn’t even look at me as you walked
up to your door. Marla finally convinced you to let me in, saying, ‘You’re not
going to find anything like him in all the world, and that includes Jersey!’”

      
Arturo came
down the path, carrying a tray with a white towel over his arm. He set down two
small white dessert plates and said, “Señorita.” A small chocolate cake with
strawberries and a warm vanilla sauce drizzled over the top teased Chrissie’s
senses. As soon as the plates were on the table, Arturo was gone.

      
Brant
expectantly watched Chrissie as she cut her spoon into the cake. Dark chocolate
oozed out of the center. “Ooh,” she said with delight.

      
“It’s a
chocolate melting cake. Hurry. Try it.”
 

      
Chrissie
took one bite and was addicted to the warm dark chocolate confection. “Wow.
This is amazing. This is my new favorite.”

      
Brant
touched his forehead with his index finger. “Somehow I knew it would be.”

      
Chrissie
sat in silence as she enjoyed every morsel of her melting cake. Brant ate his
in silence. Music in the distance began to play. The acoustics inside the
mountain made Chrissie feel like she was in the middle of an orchestra pit.
Brant escorted her to a clear, level spot and began dancing with her under the
stars and twinkling garden lights. She was falling in love. Hard.