Nobody's Dream (89 page)

He swatted her backside and walked away. The sting surprised her and lingered.

Before he reached the front door he turned around. His gaze swept over her body, not missing an inch, and her entire body grew warm under his slow appraisal. That he approved of what he saw was evident by his erection.

“I guess that will have to last me until our chores are done. Let’s get dressed.”

Oh, this was going to be a long night as she waited to see what else Luke had in mind for her.

*     *     *

Luke and Cassie worked alongside each other to complete their chores double time. His lady was anxious to get back to bed—and so was he.

“Excuse me.” Cassie left Cassatt’s stall in a hurry.

Was she okay? The slamming of the screen door told him she’d gone in the house. He grabbed the brushes and stored them in the tack room before following her. Inside, he found no sign of her in the living room or kitchen and went to the bedroom.

The bathroom door was closed. Ah, she just needed a nature break. He relaxed and went to the kitchen to pour them each a glass of fresh-brewed sweet tea. His was half gone when he realized she’d been in there an awfully long time.

Returning to the bedroom, he knocked gently on the door. “You okay, Sweet Pea?”

Silence.

Dread ripped through him. “Cassie, open the door.”

“I need a few minutes,
por favor
.” Her voice was thick from crying.

“I’ll give you one. Then I’m coming in to check on you if you don’t come out.”

What the hell happened? They’d had a good day, hell, the best of days. He waited for what seemed forever, but probably barely a minute, and the door opened. A red-eyed Cassie greeted him, and he opened his arms.

She walked into them, thank God. At least she wasn’t shutting him out again.

“What’s the matter, baby girl?”

“I do not wish to say.”

He stroked her back, hoping to calm her concerns. “Why don’t we go sit on the bed?”

She sniffled loudly, and he stepped back, taking her hand as he led her across the room. After he sat on the bed, he pulled her onto his lap. She didn’t resist.

“Tell me what’s going on.” Maybe if he made it a statement rather than a question, he’d get a response. “Did something trigger you?”

She shook her head and laid it against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and waited. Sure enough, the silence prompted her to fill the space.

“I cannot make love with you tonight.”

“That’s okay. But I need you to tell me what happened between the time we were enjoying each other’s bodies here in bed this afternoon and when you ran out of the barn a little while ago.”

“Must I? I am not comfortable talking about such matters with you.”

“I’m your husband. If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”

“Not this time. Please understand.”

He was more curious than ever and sensed he needed to push her on this, even if he had no clue what
this
was.

“Why don’t we get out of these clothes and take a shower together? That might relax you before we go to bed.”

She vehemently shook her head. He wasn’t sure if she was opposing the idea of the shower—or of going to bed with him.

“Are you hungry?”

“No, thank you.”

“How about a glass of wine? Might make you feel better?”

She shook her head again. He sighed. This conversation was going nowhere fast.

“If I did or said something that upset you—”

Cassie sat up straight and pulled away. “No! It was not you, Luke! I just…hate disappointing you because of my traitorous body.”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Just what did your body do, darlin’?”

Her face grew ruddy and she glanced away.

Oh, no, Sweet Pea. You aren’t shutting me out that easily.
“Look at me.”

“Oh!” Her hand went to her belly.

“What’s wrong? You feelin’ sick?”

“No.” She met his gaze. “My stomach did that weird thing again that Kitty said… Never mind. It is nothing.”

“Well, something’s going on. We aren’t going to bed until you tell me what it is.”

She crinkled her brow. “I am sorry. I cannot make love with you after all.”

“Because…?” he prompted.

“Because…it is my time of the month.”

“You got your period?” When she would have turned away, he cupped her chin and held her gaze.

“Please, Lucas.
Luke.
This is not something men and women should discuss with one another.”

“Why not? It’s a normal function of a woman’s body. Besides, I want to know what’s going on with your body. If we decide to try for babies, it’ll be good for me to know when you’re having your period.”

“You want children?”

“Someday. God—and you—willing, of course. But if we aren’t blessed with kids, we have our furbabies and our friends’ kids to dote over.”

She nodded. “I have never given any thought to being a mother. Except…”

“Except?”

“There was that one time while we were in Peru when
Mamá
was hinting at wanting grandchildren that I imagined a little brown-skinned Luke.”

Damn
. He’d never given kids much thought after Maggie died. “Making babies with you is something I look forward to someday. But getting your period tonight could be God’s way of reminding us that, if we don’t take precautions, there’s a chance we’ll have little Dentons running round sooner than expected.”

“In my culture, the use of contraception is not accepted unless it is with traditional family planning.”

He reached up and tweaked her nose. “You’re living in the United States now, Sweet Pea. No one controls decisions about your body but you.”

“I suppose we can try to use the calendar to postpone the unexpected arrival of babies, but once we are settled into our lives together, we could try for babies.”

Luke grinned. “My guess is that Eduardo and Susana are using that method. With four kids in about five or six years, I think we’d better be prepared.” She smiled, but he grew more serious since this was something they needed to agree upon. “How do you feel about being a momma?” She tended to blend her beliefs based on what worked for her.

“I would rather not inhibit what is meant to be if a child chose us as his or her parents, but I also do not think I would want to have that many children that quickly. Susana has chosen motherhood for her career and that is the right choice for her. But I will always need to pursue my art. It is what sets my spirit free and helps me to process things.” She smiled again. “Until I met you, anyway. You have a way of forcing me—in the nicest of ways—to face things I might otherwise avoid. Such as talking about menstruation.” She blushed again, and he allowed her to break eye contact.

Jeezus, she was cute when she blushed.

Suddenly, she faced him again. The smile spread slowly and he couldn’t help but see the mischief in her expression. “At least you have shown me that full intercourse is not always necessary in order to enjoy each other’s bodies.”

Lordy mercy. I’m a rich man
.

“Damned right. But we are going to take a break while your body is preparing itself for whatever God and the universe have in store for us.”

“Thank you. I would not be comfortable having you touch me at this time.”

“Oh, darlin’. I intend to touch you, all right. In any number of ways. We just won’t be having intercourse during your period. Not my kink.”

“Kink? People actually do that as a kink?”

“People can do pretty much anything as a kink. Maybe I’d try it in the shower, but I—”

She reached up and cut off his words with her hand. “I think we will agree that this is not our kink—or desire—and move on. As you said, there are other things we can do. I might even learn to find ways of pleasing you more during those times.”

“Now that’s something I’d be open to trying.”

*     *     *

A week later, Cassie pulled into the lane and drove to the house. She did not know how to break the news to Luke that the mama dog and her puppies they had rescued up on her mountain had been claimed by their owner. She had hoped to surprise him today by bringing them to their new home, only to find every one of them gone. After all the visits she and Luke had made over the past two weeks since returning from Peru, when the new receptionist told her the owner had taken them this morning, she wanted to cry. She hoped they would keep a better eye on them than they had before. Of course, the mama dog might have been one of the many pets that wondered away from their homes during the wildfires.

Cassie blinked away the tears, feeling the loss as keenly as if she had just lost someone she loved. Now she had to tell Luke. Her phone buzzed seconds later.

Luke.
“Meet me in the barn, Sweet Pea.”

She sighed as she opened the door and left the vehicle, a heavy weight on her shoulders. He would have to be told, but what a lousy birthday present for her today. When everything else in their lives had been going so well, too.

“We’re in the stall after Pic’s.”

We? She hadn’t noticed any other vehicles. Luke enjoyed surprising her—shocking her sometimes. No doubt he had something sexual planned for her now, but her heart was so distraught about the dogs that she did not think even her handsome husband would be able to coax her body to respond today.

The blood rushed through her ears as she thought about how to tell Luke. When she walked into the dark barn, it took her eyes a moment to adjust from the bright sunlight. Wanting to get it over with—and perhaps have Luke console her as he so often did when she was sad and hurting—she rushed down the barn alley to the last stall, slid the bolt, and shoved the door aside.

“Happy Birthday, darlin’.” He was not naked, so lovemaking was not to be her surprise—yet, anyway. Then he stepped aside to reveal the mama dog. She had a big green bow around her neck and five plump puppies vying for position to nurse.

“It was you!” Tears coursed down her face by the time she crossed the stall. She punched him. “I thought someone else had stolen them from us!”

“Hey, I asked Doctor Lewis to keep it on the down-low so I could surprise you. No need to go beating on me for that.”

She knelt down and ran her fingers through the scruff of the mama’s neck as she petted her. “We truly will be keeping them?”

“Yep. Doctor Lewis said most likely someone abandoned her because she was pregnant.”

“How could anyone do such a thing?” The mama dog stared back with such soul-filled eyes. “You poor thing. No one here would ever dream of doing that to you. You are safe now. Home.”

“Unfortunately, happens all too often. But this time, their loss is our gain.”

Luke hunkered down next to Cassie and placed an arm around her, enveloping her in love. “I couldn’t believe it when she called this morning to tell me they were ready to be discharged.”

“You told me your squad had a meeting when you left.”

“Well, we did, but then I ran over to the clinic to pick up this crew and snuck them inside the barn, hoping you wouldn’t peek.”

She turned to Luke and launched herself fully into his arms, burying her face in his neck. Soap and leather. Her favorite combination of scents.

“Thank you. It is the best birthday present I have ever received.”

He ruffled the mama dog’s hair. “Actually, this is just part of your present. The rest is waiting inside.”

Cassie smiled and picked up one of the puppies. As if the mama understood her puppies were safe with Cassie, the dog relaxed and closed her eyes and she petted her again. “Rest now, little mama.”

Each of the five puppies had gained at least another pound or two each since they had rescued them. “I feel like a new mama myself.” She picked up another one that had fallen asleep and nuzzled her nose in its fur. “New puppy—my second favorite smell.”

“What’s first?”

She met his gaze and felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She still felt shy about telling him some of her musings. She smiled. “Luke.” Let him draw his own conclusions.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, yes. Very much so!”

As the puppies she held began squirming and looking for their mama, she placed them inside the padded bed and watched them latch on again. “What on earth will we do with all of them?”

“Love ’em, I suppose.”

She met Luke’s gaze over the puppy’s back. “I think we can manage that.” She walked over to him and he wrapped her in his embrace. “You have such a big heart.”

“Hate to see anything suffer.” He broke away. “Next job will be naming them all.”

“Do you have any suggestions?”

“Only one. Since we live here at Fairchance and this is a place for second chances, I think Chance would be a good name for the momma.”

“Chance. Yes, I think that is perfect!”

“Great. Now we just have five more to come up with.”

She glanced down at them. “Let us wait and get to know them better. Perhaps their personalities will suggest the perfect names.” She could stay here and watch them all day. “How long before they are weaned?”

“Any time in the next couple weeks, Doctor Lewis said. I bought some puppy chow to start them on. Think we can coax Chance to come inside the house?”

“You have tried already?”

“Yeah, she wanted nothing to do with it.”

“Let her rest now. I will have a talk with her later.”

Luke wrapped his arm around her back and started out of the stall. “What if some of our friends want a dog?”

“I would not want to give them to anyone we did not know, but if someone we know wants to raise one of the puppies, I think it would be a good idea to share the love. We should wait and see how they are around them first and whether they bond.”

*     *     *

At dinner, Luke tamped down his anxiety. He’d tried to prepare a vegetarian meal for her, but between the dried out baked potatoes and putting too much vinegar in the cucumber and onion salad, he was embarrassed to serve it to her. At least the penne pasta bake and corn on the cob came out unscathed. In retrospect, this meal was a little heavy on the starches.