Willow Smoke (103 page)

Nick
tipped
back
his
head
and
laughed.
“I
thought
he
might
slow
you
down
a
bit.
Bear
doesn’t seem to do that at all.”

Daisy
blushed.
“So
is
that
what
you
want
to
do?
Slow
me
down?”

“Damn
right.”
His
eyes
gleamed
brightly.
“How
else
are
we
going
to
make
a
batch
of
little
Underwoods?”

Chuckling,
Daisy
allowed
herself
to
be
pulled
into
his
arms.
“It’s
a
batch
of
Underwoods now, huh. You may be right. If the process of making them
doesn’t
slow
me
down,
tending
them
certainly
will.”

“You
won’t
be
alone.
I’ll
be
there
in
the
making
process
and
the
tending
as
well.”

“Oh, I’m counting on
that, Mr. Underwood.
If
we’re
going
to
create
a
family,
then
we’re
going
to
be
a family.”

“Okay kid, I’ve got a
deal for you.
Maybe
we
should
get
you
home
to
that
chicken
noodle
soup,
a
hot
bath,
and
some
rest.
And
then
we
can
think
about
beginning
that making process.”

“Sounds
like
my
kind
of
deal,
old
man,” Daisy
replied,
grinning
broadly
and
carrying
Bear
and
Turtle
toward
the
clerk.
“As soon as I get my strength back,
which
may
be
any
minute
now,
we’ll
see
what
kind
of
stamina
you
really
have.”

“Let’s
at
least
wait
till we
get
home,”
Nick
cautioned.

Daisy
put
her
arm
around
Nick’s
waist
and
pulled
his
hip
to
hers.
“Maybe,
maybe
not.”

Daisy
Matthews
Underwood
stretched
carefully
to
reach
the
overhead
light,
not
wanting
to
disturb
her
sleeping
husband.
She
settled back into the comfort of her
first
class seat. They were flying to
Melbourne.
The
next
three
weeks
would
be
spent
playing
in
Australia
and
New
Zealand.
While
there, they’d check out
Australian
racing,
which
was
emerging
as
a
force
in
the
thoroughbred
world.

Otherwise,
little
attention
would
be
devoted
to
Underwood
business
interests.
Nick
had
been
quite
insistent
that
a
honeymoon
should
be
devoid
of
business
matters,
other than horses.

Crossing
her
legs
at
the
ankles
and
rotating
her neck, Daisy tried to
work out the
excess
tension
that
had
been
building
for
weeks.
She
chuckled
to
herself.

Tension.
Good
tension.
Not
the
kind
that
built
because of fear for safety, or
fear
of secrets revealed.

Good
tension,
resulting
from
planning
such
frivolous
things
as
a
wedding,
reception
and
honeymoon.
Each
had
been
perfect.
At
least
the
wedding
and
reception
had
been,
and
she
had
no
doubts
about
the
honeymoon.
At
last
she
and
Nick
were
alone
together.

She
closed
her
eyes
and
a
smile
spread
across
her lips. Everyone that
mattered
had
been
at
the
wedding:
Cassie
and
Clint,
Mrs.
B.,
Tom
and
Thelma,
Sam,
all
the
Underwoods,
and
there
were
lots
of
them.
Even
Claire
Donaldson
had
come,
not
that she mattered. But her presence had
given
Daisy
a
perverse
kind
of
pleasure
she’d
seldom
experienced.
Rarely
had
she
possessed
something
anyone
else
wanted.

She
placed
a
hand
on
Nick’s
thigh.
Now
she
did.

And
it
still
didn’t
seem
quite
real.
She
glanced
down
at
the
simple
but
stunning
wedding
band
resting
next
to
the
diamond.
It was real, all right. She was
Mrs.
Daisy
Underwood.
The
prince
had
found
his
princess,
and
neither
was
disappointed.

The
wedding
had
been
much
more
thrilling
than
she’d
imagined.
Angie
had
convinced
her
to
go
with
the
wedding
dress
that had a miniskirt cut in front with a
long
sweep-away
trail.
Enough
cleavage
showed
to
be
sexy
without
being
gaudy.
A
hair stylist worked on her hair for
three
hours.
She
hardly
recognized
herself
when
she
looked
in
the
mirror.

For
one
brief
moment,
she
could
have
been
a
Victoria’s
Secret
model.
Daisy’s
eyes popped open. “In your dreams, girl,”
she murmured.

Apart
from
the
exchange
of
vows
and
watching
Nick’s
eyes
swell
with
pride
when
she
came
down
the
aisle,
the
highpoint
of
the
day
had
been
having
Maxine
stand up
as
her
maid
of
honor.
Daisy
had
never been
more
proud
of
anyone
than
of
her
sister.
She’d
made
the
choice
to
dry
out and
change
the
direction
of
her
life.
Daisy
hoped
that
with
Reggie
gone,
Maxine
would
be
able
to
conquer
her
fears
and
remain
sober
and
drug
free.
It
would
be
the
hardest
challenge
Maxine
would
likely
ever
face.
And
Daisy
planned
on
providing
whatever
support
she
could.

Her
sister
was
back
at
the
residential
program
now.
Thankfully,
she’d
been
able
to
come
to
the
wedding.
She
still
looked
pale
and
shaky,
but
was
able
to
flash
a
genuine
smile
and
at
her
own
request
left
the
reception
early.
“No
need
for
me
to
stand
by
all
of
this
temptation,
baby,”
she’d
said.
“You
go
off
and
have
a
fantastic
honeymoon.
And
when
you’re
back
I’ll
be
three
weeks
further
into
this
program.
It
may
be
two
steps
forward
and
one
back.
I
may
want
to
cry
on
your
shoulder,
but
I’m
gonna
beat
this
thing.
It
started
when
I
reached
for
the
phone
in
your
apartment
to
call
nine-one-one.”
Daisy
remembered
her sister’s shaky, but broad
smile.
“We’re family, Daisy. We’re gonna make it.”

Daisy
rested
her
chin
on
her
chest.
They’d
make it, all right. So much
had
happened in such a short time.
So many doubts, so many fears. It seemed odd
now
those
fears
had
wielded
so
much
power
for
so
long.
Nick
had
helped
her
see
through some of them. Others had too:
Cassie,
Mrs. B., Angie, Thelma. Still, she’d
been
the
one
who
had
to
stand
up
and
battle
her
own
demons.
But
not
alone.

Never
again
would
she
have
to
feel
totally
alone.

Daisy
rested
her
head
on
Nick’s
shoulder
and
grinned.
He
had
such
big
plans
for
them
on
this
trip
to
continue
working on
making
a
little
Underwood.
Although
not
certain,
she
expected
they
might
have
already
achieved
that
goal.
But
then—she
kissed
Nick’s
shoulder—one
shouldn’t
take
such
matters
for
granted.

A
batch
of
Underwoods,
he’d
said.
Maybe,
maybe
not.
But
she’d
sure
enjoy
the
process.
Those
videos
had
been
helpful,
but
they’d
never
come
close
to
capturing
the
magic
of
lovemaking.