A futon waited in the corner for those nights when she didn’t want to abandon her work for too long. He sometimes slept in his workshop/studio, too tired to make it back to the house. Lying there next to whatever he was working on often gave him further inspiration.
They were two peas in a pod in that way.
In a corner to his right, he saw what looked like a prayer mat on the floor in front of a low table or stool decorated with plants—bay leaf and fennel, for sure—as well as stones and some type of pagan statue. Probably Peruvian. He smiled at the sense of joy and abandon in the figure.
But the art pieces covering the three walls soon captured his attention, especially one of a native woman with arms upstretched to the moon that hung just beyond the altar area. The vibrancy absent from her house and studio, except in her Indian blankets, reminded him of the underlying passion in the woman he had first noticed at her gallery opening in Denver several months ago. At that exhibition, her work reminded him of Georgia O’Keeffe, but this one had a Lee Bogle feel in some ways, perhaps because the subject appeared to be Native American.
He pointed to what looked to be a depiction of a moon goddess near an altar in the corner. “Did you paint that early in your career?”
She nodded. “I am sure it shows, but she has been with me such a long time that I cannot bear to part with her. Not that anyone would buy that one.”
“Oh, I wasn’t knocking the skill. Just thought perhaps you were emulating someone else’s style on your way to developing your own. I did that a lot, too.”
His gaze strayed once more to the oil painting of her parents. “You’ve matured as an artist with this one.”
She followed his gaze before glancing away. “Thank you.”
Her style had changed with this one, though. He felt a tension not obvious in the others.
Dutiful.
The word rattled around his mind, and he wondered about it a moment before he realized that word described the feeling the picture exuded perfectly. Had she created the portrait out of a sense of duty rather than because her artistic heart had been moved to do so? Had she done it to please and honor her parents than from inspiration?
Guarded.
The painting didn’t express the exuberant emotion he felt in some of her other art such as her moon goddess. True, most of her other pieces showed glimpses of nature, rarely human subjects. Yet the emotion in her flowers and trees was much more evident than in the faces of her parents in this one.
Closed off.
Was it their personalities—or Cassie’s distancing herself from them? “When’s the last time you visited Peru?”
“Five years ago.”
“Do you miss it?”
“No. This is my home now.”
He understood what she meant. “I like it much more here in Colorado, too, than at my old home in Texas. If not for my parents, I’d probably never go back there, either.” But wouldn’t she suffer through a visit to Peru again to see her parents? What kept her away from them?
“So you came to the States to study art at Columbia. Bet there was a great deal of culture shock between Peru and New York City.”
Cassie shrugged. “I enjoyed my time in the city. That is where I met Kitty. I felt…safe there.”
Luke didn’t think he’d ever heard New York described as being safe before, but she didn’t elaborate.
“I invited you here to show you this.” She removed the cloth from the canvas, and Luke positioned himself so he could see what she wanted to reveal.
Wow.
“Me and Millie?”
She nodded and cleared her throat. “I was moved very much by your actions and inspired to create this piece to remember what you did.”
Luke drew closer to the pastel of the newborn cria cradled in his arms. He’d never seen himself depicted in a painting before. The muted pastels cast him in the shadows while a beam of sunlight bathed Millie in brighter, warmer colors.
“It is not much, but I want you to have it, along with my eternal gratitude.”
Luke’s eyes burned. He turned toward her. “You sure you don’t want to keep it? I know I regretted not having a camera to take photos for you to have.”
“No. The image will never leave my mind. I just thought…you might like to see…I mean, well…” She turned away.
“It’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever given me. Thank you, Cassie.”
“No es nada.” She started toward the door, dismissing him. “I should check on Milagrosa and Graciela before I start supper.”
Not so fast, baby girl.
Luke placed his hand on her shoulder, but didn’t grab or force her to stop and turn toward him. When she halted her retreat, he spoke. “Thank you, Cassie. I’ll cherish this forever, just as I will the memory of our delivering our first cria together.”
Cassie stared at him a moment and blinked before she retrieved her poncho from a hook by the door. She turned to him, quirking a brow but not smiling. “Would you like to join me in the shed?”
Luke grinned. “Love to. I feel like a proud godparent. I want to check on Millie, too, and make sure she hasn’t had any setbacks.”
Cassie nodded curtly, covering her head with a wool hat and opening the door to a blast of wind. He pulled his coat closed and turned the collar up to cover his ears as he followed. They ran down the path to the shed, and he helped her close the door behind them, fighting another strong gust.
The alpacas began clicking and bleating as soon as they heard Cassie enter. He smiled, watching the pure joy erupt on her face as she nuzzled Gracie and accepted her adoration.
Surprising him, Gracie broke away from her mistress and moseyed toward him, baby Millie in her wake. The new momma met his gaze, and he could have sworn she conveyed her appreciation to him. If he hadn’t been around his horses so much and seen similar looks in their eyes after months of working hard to give them a sense of peace and security, he might have scoffed at his musings. Instead, he reached out and patted her slim neck.
“’Tweren’t nothin’, little momma. All in a day’s work. Gotta earn my keep with the boss lady.”
“I am not your boss.”
Luke raised his head and met Cassie’s gaze over the backs of the two alpacas. He’d hit a nerve, but she needed to understand his boundaries, too. “Listen, I know it’s hard for you to have me around, but while I’m here, I need to feel useful. Think of me as a temporary hired hand until someone can clear the road and get me off the mountain. It might decrease some of the tension.”
“I am sorry. I will try.”
Gracie nudged his hand, reminding him he was in the middle of petting her. After a few minutes of appeasing the momma alpaca, he returned his gaze to Cassie, who had started the nighttime ritual they’d shared the past few nights. As if she hadn’t had it wrested from her hand every night, she lifted the huge bucket to fill it with fresh water.
“Here, let me do that!”
He rushed over to take the heavy bucket from her, but she glared at him, daring him to try. “I can do this, Lucas Denton. I have been taking care of my animals alone for months. Go back inside before you have a relapse.”
Back off, Denton.
Something else was going on with her tonight. Was it sharing the drawing and her studio with him? Did that make her feel vulnerable and exposed? One thing’s for sure, he wouldn’t endear himself to her by charging in like a stallion. This girl had a serious problem with men. Hell, she didn’t even have any male alpacas.
He let go, and she hefted the bucket until the contents had been emptied into the trough.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t handle it, darlin’. Just that I want to pull my weight around here. After all, you saved my life.”
She didn’t make eye contact, but took the rake and tossed some more straw bedding into Killa’s stall. “You do not owe me anything, Lucas. You saved Milagrosa’s life. We are even. Why do men always think they have to take care of women, as if we cannot survive witho
ut them?”
Clearly, she wasn’t too keen on any member of his gender. He’d seen her response to Adam at daVinci’s and at Adam’s house while he was recovering, too. That man raised Cassie’s hackles every time. Was it just resentment toward him for taking her friend away? He didn’t think so.
Suddenly, he realized where he’d seen her father’s eyes before—in Adam Montague’s.
“What’s your father like?” Was he the reason she couldn’t stand men? The man’s eyes in the portrait of her parents were much colder than her momma’s. Some despicable men abused their daughters horribly. Luke always suspected Maggie’s father had molested her, but she never wanted to talk about it.
She spun around to face him. “What?”
“Your father. Did he… Did you get along with him?”
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears before she glanced away and began petting Killa. Damn. If the man had hurt her, Luke would—
“He was hard working, but is retired now. Honest. Fair. A man of integrity. He is much older than my mother. He does not understand the way the world has changed. He did not understand me. We…became estranged while I was in college.”
It didn’t sound like she was angry at him for abusing her. Was it the age difference between Karla and Adam that set her off around the Marine?
But she wasn’t too fond of men in general. Take Luke. He’d never done anything to hurt her. He’d been extremely careful not to come on too strong, either. After nearly two weeks here, Luke had seen only a few moments when she’d let down her guard and become, well, civil.
Sharing the birth and rescue of the cria should have softened her more. Tonight, though, he was clearly wearing on her nerves. Again. Her mood swings left him dizzy.
Even so, the lady hadn’t taken her Tahoe’s plow blade to the snow mass yet in an effort to try and clear the road faster. Maybe she wasn’t as sick of him as she pretended to be.
He grinned. Could he be wearing down her defenses a little?
After Cassie said goodnight to her alpacas—just short of tucking them into their straw beds—Luke followed her out of the shed, and they hightailed it back to the cabin as the wind bombarded them. How’d she stand living on a mountain pass like this? Luke couldn’t wait to return to his cozy, warm house in the basin below.
He might as well admit he would have nothing more than friendship with Cassie. Even that might be a long shot. The woman preferred isolation. Solitude. Why was it he always chose the ones who didn’t need him?
Luke sighed. He longed for some time with his horses. They loved him unconditionally, needed him to see to their needs, and were learning to trust him. At least he had made some progress with some of them. Unlike Cassie, they liked spending time with him.
God, he hoped his horses wouldn’t fall too far behind in their training and rehabilitation. He’d worked with them day in and day out for months, beginning as soon as each one had arrived at his place. He had no clue what Matt was doing other than meeting their physical needs, but what about their emotional ones?
He needed to go home.
Chapter Four
Luke came out of the alpaca shed late the next morning after hearing the sound of wood being split. Stubborn girl. He charged across the yard and around the side of the cabin to find Cassie with an ax raised with both hands over her head before she brought it down on the wood chisel to split another log.
“Why didn’t you tell me we needed more wood?” Hell, why hadn’t he noticed himself? Wait, he’d checked yesterday, and there was plenty in the mudroom.
Cassie stacked the two new pieces on the sizeable log pile. Had she been at this all morning while mucked out stalls? “I thought we decided that I’d chop the firewood.”
She didn’t make eye contact with him, simply placed another log on the block and set the chisel. She didn’t appear to be in a good mood, so he approached her cautiously—after all, she was armed with an ax. Her eyes were hidden behind her safety glasses.
“Here, you’ve done enough. My turn.” He held out his hand for the ax. She lifted the glasses to the top of her head but only stepped away, glaring at him.
He stood his ground. After a few rapid breaths, she turned it over to him along with the glasses and went to work picking up the wood she’d already chopped, placing it in a cart. The woman didn’t seem to know how to let anyone help. But at least that job was less strenuous. Now that he was feeling stronger, he wanted to step up to the plate and help out more around here.
They worked side by side for a while. He wouldn’t admit how exhausted this chore left him, not after making such a big deal that it was man’s work. He’d worked up a good sweat, his arms and back screaming from overexertion when Cassie screamed, “Milagrosa! What are you doing out here?”
Luke turned to see the baby cria slipping in the snow near the Tahoe. Damn it. Hadn’t he shut the door? A moment later, Gracie came into view in search of her little one. Luke buried the ax in the log he’d been about to split, grabbed Gracie’s halter, and ran to the shed to stem the flow of alpacas before any more escaped. Cassie led the baby inside right behind him and Gracie.
He breathed a sigh of relief until her heard the worried tone in Cassie’s voice. “Where is Tika?”
Luke glanced around counting heads and saw only three adults and Millie. Sonuva… “I’ll find her.”
He headed outside the shed, checking to make sure he had his flashlight in his coat pocket, when a blast of frigid air hit him in the face. He followed one set of larger hooves, but quickly realized those were Gracie’s. Going back to the doorway, he spotted another set of tracks heading to the left and followed them around the shed where it disappeared into a stand of aspens. No Tika in sight. How far could an alpaca go? Hell, they were pack animals that loved the mountains. Shit.
He increased his pace, slipping a few times but managing to stay upright as he made his way through the trees. When the wind picked up again, he buttoned his sheepskin collar around his neck. How long ago had Tika left the outbuilding? They’d been splitting and stacking wood for at least half an hour. He’d never seen her alpacas outside once. Maybe Cassie should have given them some time to wander around outdoors so they wouldn’t bolt at the first opportunity. Did she have a pen for them? Maybe he could build her one while he was here if she had any supplies. If not, he could come back and do so this summer.
Right now, though, he needed to find her missing baby.
“Tika!” Did they know their names enough to come when he called? He continued to follow the tracks down the steep mountain, sliding onto his ass on the cold, wet ground at one point. The sun was about to set. He didn’t think the animal had wandered that far away when he started off, but she must have bolted the minute he went outside. Or she was managing to stay upright a lot better than he was.
He began shivering from his wet jeans. Would the animal be able to handle nighttime temperatures out here if he couldn’t follow the tracks with his flashlight? Cassie hadn’t shorn the animals yet, so the fleece should be thick enough to keep Tika warm. But how pampered were her alpacas? Heated shed and water troughs. He had no clue if their instincts for survival were still intact.
He switched on the flashlight and kept going another half hour. Almost impossible to follow the tracks now. Just when he was ready to turn back, he heard a familiar humming. “Tika!” He muttered under his breath at first then yelled louder. He couldn’t make her out in the twilight, but followed the sound until he rounded a stand of spruce trees. There she stood, tangled in some briars. He expelled a pent-up breath and ran over to her.
He set down the light and, with his suede-gloved hands, worked to clear away the brambles from the animal’s now-matted fleece. It was hard to see anything because the moon hadn’t risen yet. He wasn’t even sure there would be enough of a moon tonight to provide any light.
“Hang on, baby girl. I’ll have you out of here in no time.”
The animal’s cries tore at his heart. She’d need so
me first-aid to salve her cuts once they made it back to the outbuilding. Another bout of shivers tore through him. Damn, it was cold. Finally, he managed to free her, grabbed her rope halter, and started to lead her back home to her worried momma.
At least he’d found her before a bear, puma, or some other predator had. He’d never forgive himself if…
Luke lost his footing on another icy patch in the dark. In no time flat, his feet went out from under him, and he hit the ground with a grunt, banging the back of his head as he knocked his Stetson over his face. Dazed, he climbed to all fours and tried to shake off a wave of dizziness, but the movement only made him feel worse. His stomach roiled and convulsed in dry heaves.
Damn it all. Fighting the shivers even worse, he struggled to his feet. Holding onto the alpaca’s halter again, he leaned over to pick up his hat. He idly wondered if the alpaca could carry him on her back, but couldn’t trust Tika to go straight home without being led. She hadn’t seemed able to find her way back earlier.
The ground dipped and swayed as he tried to remain upright. Maybe if he hadn’t been showing off his he-man skills for half an hour chopping wood, he wouldn’t be so damned weak right now.
What choice did he have? He’d never ridden an alpaca before, but he didn’t have the strength to make it back up this mountain under his own steam.
Luke searched for a rock or boulder to act as a mounting stool. He clicked his tongue, led the alpaca to one nearby, and stood on it while lining up Tika. Almost there. He swung his leg over the animal’s back, but apparently, Cassie’s alpacas weren’t used to being ridden. The skittish beast bolted, and Luke lost his balance. Once more, the ground rushed toward him, and he impacted it with a grunt.
The night grew blacker as he closed his eyes.
* * *
Cassie settled the rest of the alpacas into their stalls as best she could, but they were agitated and knew something was wrong. What was taking Lucas so long? How far could Tika have strayed?
Nobody's Dream (Rescue Me Saga #6) Page 10