The clerk agreed to be a second witness and offered each of them a sheet of popular vows to choose from. Cassie had never attended a wedding outside of a Catholic church where everyone spoke the same vows. Even so, the ones on the sheet did not fit their unique situation.
At least until they could request an annulment. Even though Lucas said he would never want to end their marriage arrangement, he needed to remember this union would never be consummated. While he said he understood, what if one day he met someone with whom he wanted a physical, sexual relationship? She would gladly grant him his freedom when that day came. In Colorado, from what she had read in the clerk’s office, there was no limit on when an annulment could be granted.
The judge picked up a black portfolio and opened it. “Have you had a chance to select your vows?”
Cassie stared at the options in her hand again and shook her head in the negative just as Lucas said, “Yes, ma’am.” He surprised her again by reaching into the pocket of the western-cut suit jacket. He filled out the suit well.
Do not notice how handsome and well-built he is, Cassie.
“You brought your own vows?”
He winked at her and grinned, leaving her a little nonplussed. “Wrote ’em myself. But be warned, I’m no poet.”
He had written his own vows? She assumed they would both mimic whatever standard vows were appropriate. When had he had time to write his own?
“With Mr. Denton’s permission, perhaps you both could repeat the vows he prepared.”
Before she could respond, Lucas said to the judge, “That would be fine by me.” Then he glanced down at Cassie. “Would you like to read them over first?”
Why are you trying to make this like a real wedding, Lucas? She had expected them to repeat vows by rote that held little meaning. Impersonal and detached.
“Why don’t you read them over before you decide, Sweet Pea?” He handed her the folded slip of paper. Her heart thudded erratically as she unfolded it. After blinking several times, the words came into focus. In his very neat printing, he had written words even she could abide by. Tears blurred her focus before she gazed into his eyes.
“They are beautiful. And perfect. Yes, I would be honored to share these vows with you, Lucas.”
The judge held out her hand for the paper, and Cassie extended it to her. She read it over quickly and turned her attention to them once more, smiling. “Now, please face each other holding hands, and repeat after me, inserting your name after ‘I’ and your partner’s name after ‘you.’”
Thankfully, the judge’s routine instructions helped Cassie regain some emotional distance. They took their places. Cassie stared up into Lucas’s gray eyes and slipped her hands into his much larger ones. He brushed his thumbs over her knuckles, sending a strange tingling sensation up both of her arms. She wondered, not for the first time, why Lucas had agreed to make such a commitment. What did he truly expect from this arrangement? How quickly would he come to regret this decision?
And yet he did not seem the least bit hesitant about anything at the moment. He actually seemed happier than she had ever seen him.
Everyone else faded away as she stared into Lucas’s gentle eyes and repeated her vows after the judge’s prompts, despite the lump in her throat.
I, Cassie Beatriz López,
receive you, Stephen Lucas Denton,
as my partner, my friend, my…love,
Okay, the hardest part was over. But there were all forms of love, and she did love many things about Lucas that she had observed during their weeks together at her cabin.
The judge continued.
Focus!
Cassie repeated:
I promise to be your best friend.
Beside me and apart from me,
in laughter and in tears,
in sickness and in health,
in conflict and serenity,
asking that you be no other than yourself.
Cassie paused. He accepts me as I am.
Loving what I know of you and
trusting what I do not yet know,
I bind my life to yours
until death parts us.
Lucas smiled and squeezed her hands. She held on to him for dear life as he repeated the same vows. A hoarseness in Lucas’s voice conveyed how affected he was by the beautiful vows he had written from the heart.
When he had finished, the judge continued. “In all that life may bring, you have vowed your love to each other. Are you now ready to confirm that love by accepting the responsibilities of marriage? If so, answer ‘I am.’”
Lucas spoke the words loudly and surely. These vows had been so nonthreatening, words she could commit to without feeling a fraud. All eyes were on her as she tried to form the two words that would make her Lucas Denton’s partner in life.
Lucas’s smile never wavered. His hands remained steadfast as he infused strength into her shaking ones. She opened her trembling mouth and took a deep breath, still not knowing what would come out of her lips. “I…I am.”
She felt Lucas slip the simple ring, warm from his hand, onto her finger, and blindly, she did the same with the matching silver band they had purchased at the jeweler’s a block from the courthouse. The bands against their brown hands looked beautiful and solid, but again, she had to wonder what kind of union she and Lucas had just entered into.
“Mr. Denton, you may kiss your bride.”
Cassie took a step backward, but Lucas remained in his place, still holding onto her hands. Her heart pounded, and she fought the urge to flee. She could not let him kiss her. If that was part of the deal, she needed to call this sham of a wedding off. Why had she not thought about this eventuality before and mentioned it as a limit?
Just when she thought she would turn and run, he lifted her left hand to his lips and kiss the ring he had placed there moments ago.
Something melted inside her heart.
Tears stung her eyes as she met his gaze. She would need to be very careful of this man. He could break through her defenses with only a smile—and a kiss.
* * *
Luke glanced over at his bride. They had dropped Eduardo off at the Vail/Eagle airport, and she had insisted on driving her Tahoe back to Breckenridge where they had married, what, four hours ago? Her brother was probably halfway to Dallas by now and soon would make his connection to continue on to California.
Too bad Cassie hadn’t relaxed one bit since her brother departed.
“Why don’t we stop for dinner, darlin’, before you drop me off at the ranch?” There would be no wedding night for them, but they could at least have a romantic dinner.
“I am not really hungry.”
“Seems a waste to marry and then go our separate ways. Especially since we’re already dressed up.”
Her hands gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. “This is what we agreed to.”
He ran his hand through his hair before a grin broke out on his face. “Just thought perhaps we could have one of those occasional dates tonight.”
“We have been together for the last two weeks. Consider that one long date.”
“Sure has been a whirlwind romance.” He grinned at her, but she didn’t seem amused.
“Are you not anxious to return to your horses?”
His wife wanted to be rid of him, no doubt about it. He’d known going into this that they would go their separate ways tonight he just didn’t want to. Would he see her again anytime soon? What were the chances? Somewhere between slim and none.
“I guess you’re right. Matt probably has things to do back in Leadville.” They drove on for a few more miles, and she relaxed some. “How about dinner next Saturday? I can pick up a rental until the insurance company settles on my truck.”
“Perhaps.”
“You need to do better than that, Sweet Pea. Your place is right on the way to Breckenridge. How about I pick you up at six next Wednesday and we can celebrate our one-week anniversary?”
> She took her plump lower lip between her teeth and thought a bit before responding. “I suppose. Just dinner.”
He grinned. “No worries.” Slow and easy does it.
Maybe on their next date they could go dancing at a western bar. If she’d let him that close. But on their first date, he wanted candlelight and lots of time to talk. He’d make reservations for a private room at his favorite steakhouse.
He felt like a teenager planning his first date.
Take it slow, Denton. This girl’s a skittish one.
* * *
A week passed by. Cassie’s first date with Lucas—she still found it strange to call him her husband—went well. He had taken her to a Mongolian grill as a second choice after she was less than enthusiastic about going to a steakhouse. Over dinner, he shared some humorous stories about situations he had dealt with while working with the horses this week. She described the progress on the last piece for her art exhibition. They both seemed to enjoy their time together.
Returning home later that night, the cabin had never felt so lonely. Everywhere she turned were reminders of Lucas. During the past week, how many times had Cassie wanted to run inside the cabin to tell him about something Milagrosa had done, only to remember Lucas was gone?
Cassie went to bed early. Sometime in the wee hours, she tossed the blankets off as she came awake with a start. She willed her breathing to slow as the remnants of a night terror threatened to encroach upon her yet again. Tears burned her eyes, only adding to the frustration at her inability to keep these persistent monsters away.
Longing filled her—a yearning for something she could not name. She had been content with her life here on the mountain for years. Suddenly, she did not wish to be here alone any longer.
Lucas.
How had he invaded her sanctuary—and her heart—in such a short time? No, not her heart! She was not destined to love any man. What man deserved a woman who could not return his love?
The wind howled, rattling the windows. She wondered what Lucas might be doing tonight.
Sleeping, of course. It’s three o’clock.
Thoughts of watching him sleep in this very bed set her heart to fluttering in a strange way. Cassie breathed deeply, surrounding herself with white light. The desire to visit Lucas made her heart ache, even though they had been together mere hours ago at dinner. She willed her mind and body to separate. She took two more deep breaths and forced her mind to become uncluttered. Soon she floated above herself, taking a moment to adjust to the weightlessness. She didn’t linger long, hating to see the loneliness in her eyes as she looked down upon her earthly body.
Free.
For so long, her body had been weighing down her spirit. She enjoyed being able to soar and to leave her cares and sorrows behind.
Fly.
Anxious to be on her way, she projected her spirit on the astral plane, through the doorway, and out the picture window in the living room. The wind continued to howl, but she did not feel the coldness of its kiss. Down the mountainside, her metaphysical spirit floated. She had not astral projected since Mamá’s birthday. At least she did not have as far to travel this time. Drifts of snow dotted the mountain, heavier in some places than others. She followed the state highway down from the pass before veering off to float over trees and fields in a shortcut to her destination. She had never been to his place before, but her heart knew exactly where to go.
The ranch-style farmhouse sat dark and lonely beneath the waning moon. Of course, there were no lights on inside. He would be asleep, which was just the way she wished to find him. Cassie’s spirit drifted down toward ground level, and she found an open window, not that she needed it to be open in order to enter the house. She slipped inside and saw her golden-haired husband tangled in the sheets, his chest bare.
Lucas.
Her heart ached to reach out and touch him, to brush the lock of hair off his forehead. Her ethereal hand extended toward him until he grimaced and rolled over. The sheet rode low on his hips, showing her he was naked below the waist, too. Cassie turned away ready to flee, but his cry of anguish drew her back to him.
“Stay, Cassie!”
How did he know she was here? Her mother usually sensed her presence when she visited, but Papá and Eduardo never had a clue. Lucas was not a shaman and did not seem particularly spiritual. So how had he detected her?
She turned back in his direction, but saw his eyes remained closed. He stretched his hand out beside him and then grabbed the pillow in his fist. “Can’t have you, can I?”
Why would he be dreaming about her? Well, they had married recently.
Fearful that he would become fully awake and possibly see her, she pulled away from the bed into a far corner of the ceiling. Soon, his breathing became steady again, and she watched him as he slept. The alarm clock beside the bed showed it was nearing four o’clock. Lucas was an early riser, so she could not linger much longer. She glanced around the sparsely decorated room, but had no interest in the furnishings or décor.
A loud noise pierced the air, and she recoiled. Lucas groaned, and his hand slapped blindly at the clock on the nightstand. He rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his forearm. Cassie’s gaze strayed to his erection tenting the sheet.
Leave. Now!
Even more quickly than she had projected here, she returned to her mountain and reintegrated with her body lying in a bed so much tinier than Lucas’s bed. However, his bed did not seem enormous like ones Adam and other American men liked to sleep in.
Images flashed across her mind’s eye of sharing her twin bed with Lucas those first few nights while she had tried to combat his hypothermia, but she forced them away. Their bodies had filled the small space, forcing them to spoon against each other’s bodies.
Her face grew heated at the memory.
Tamping it back down, she wondered why Lucas set his alarm so early. He did not wake naturally at this hour given how groggy he appeared to be. Perhaps the man had many responsibilities to attend to and needed to start the day early in order to keep up.
Cassie lay in the bed for a long time, wondering if there was anything she could help him with. She knew nothing of horses, but knew how to cook. Perhaps she could prepare him some meals and store them in his freezer so he wouldn’t have to waste time in the kitchen. He didn’t seem fond of cooking.
After a while, her eyelids became heavy. She had no reason to be up this early. Time to sleep and figure out how she was she going to rid herself of this growing fixation on Lucas Denton.
* * *
The alarm blared again, and Luke turned it off this time. He’d spent another restless few hours in bed. Another night filled with dreams of Cassie. Her essence had permeated the room so strongly moments ago he thought she’d been lying beside him when he reached out for her.
How could he be so obsessed with a girl who wanted to have nothing to do with him? She’d sworn off all men in general, not just Luke Denton in particular.
What had happened to make her so distrustful of men? Could he change her opinion of his gender with time and patience?
Hell, he didn’t care what she thought of other men. He wanted her to want to spend time with him. Only him.
Not likely he’d see much of her again. Time to quit obsessing about her and head to the barn. “Make hay while the sun shines,” Momma often said. Well, the sun wouldn’t be shining over the mountain peaks for hours, but he tossed the bedspread off and stumbled toward the bathroom. A cool shower would revive him a bit. He had a lot on his agenda today, including some grueling training sessions with O’Keeffe and SAR exercises with Picasso.
Coming out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom fifteen minutes later, he couldn’t shake the strong presence of Cassie.
He needed coffee. Black and hot.
In the barn half an hour later, he no longer sensed Cassie’s presence. Good. He immersed himself in his chores instead.
Clicking his tongue, he waited to see whic
h mustang would respond. Picasso—Pic—came to his stall door first, as usual. Luke smiled. The gelding had shown great strides in learning to trust him over the past six months. But many long months of neglect had undermined the years of training that had once put this horse at the top of his game nationally. Luke intended to see the horse back on missions doing what he did best soon—saving lives.
Focus on those you can save.
But a voice in the back of his head told him not to give up on Cassie, either.
Chapter Seven
Early evening, Friday, June 1
“I think it’s time, Adam.” Karla had been surreptitiously timing contractions for the last two hours. At first, she thought it couldn’t possibly be time. She wasn’t due until July the eleventh and today was only June the first. Despite a bolster pillow against her lower back in the glider chair, the area had been killing her all day.
He glanced away from the latest baby book and the notebook in which he had been scribbling further plans of attack for how to manage life with twins. “I’m going to stay up a little while. You go on to bed, Kitten. I’ll go downstairs and work on this some more.”
They had been sitting in their new bedroom for the past two hours. Doctor Palmer had warned them to expect the babies anytime. Should they be heading to the hospital? But what if it was a false alarm?
Good grief! What if the babies had wanted to come while they were driving to or from San Diego last week for Damián and Savannah’s wedding! No wonder Doctor Palmer had not been happy about them making the trip.
She didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily. He had enough worries now. At least they no longer had to worry about where they would raise their family. She still couldn’t believe they now owned this amazing place. Closing on Marc’s house this morning with the very jet-lagged Marc and Angelina had been a dream come true.
Even though this was too much house for Marc, if would be a wonderful place to raise their twins. If these babies really were about to be born, she needed to give Marc an extra kiss for making it possible to move from the cramped quarters above the Masters at Arms Club into a real home. While she loved the club—after all, it had brought Adam back into her life almost eleven months ago—a kink club was no place to raise children.
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