She almost laughed at her last thought and had to cover her mouth to stifle it in the hushed atmosphere of the chapel. That was Luke… a traveling salesman for a source without a name… And then she stopped and stared at his handiwork.
The source had a name.
It was love.
"Casey, hon, we can come back, but we've got to get going if we're not going to be late for Dr. Woolery."
"Right." She blinked a few times, telling herself she would definitely be back. "Isn't it beautiful, Amy? Do you believe the legend?"
Her sister shrugged. "I don't know. This city challenges all my beliefs. Ya know Santa Fe means Holy Faith in Spanish?"
Smiling, she rose from the pew. "Yes. I was told that once before."
"Okay, Casey, you seem to be in perfect health," Dr. Woolery pronounced. "Can't find a thing wrong with you, but just to make sure, I would like you to wait until the results of your blood test come back. It should only be a few more minutes." He gave her a friendly wink. "One of the advantages of having your office in a hospital. Less waiting."
"Well, Doc," Casey said with a grin as she buttoned her blouse, "I don't care what your tests show, I feel great."
"Good. Stay that way."
"I intend to do just that."
A nurse knocked and then came into the examining room. "Excuse me, Doctor. Here are the results."
Casey continued dressing as Dr. Woolery perused the sheet of paper while leaning against a counter. Casey was so excited as her mind filled with possibilities. Now that she had a clean bill of health, her entire future was before her. She could do whatever she wanted, even—
All thoughts ceased as the doctor cleared his throat and asked, "Is there any possibility of you being pregnant?"
She stood frozen in shock as she turned her face to him. "Why?"
"Your hormone levels are way up. Maybe we should take another test to make sure there wasn't a mistake at the lab."
Casey felt a surge of pleasure rush through her body and she gripped the edge of the examining table to steady herself. "There's no mistake," she whispered as it all slammed into her with such clarity that she almost hugged the doctor.
It was real! It was all real! And now she had proof!
"You knew you were pregnant? You should have told me.
"I didn't know until right now. It can only be weeks. I was expecting my period any day."
"When you get back home, I want your doctor to call me and I'll send him a copy of your records. He should know all the tests that have been performed." Dr. Woolery looked at her and smiled kindly. "I take it you're all right with this?"
Casey could barely contain her grin. "Better than all right, Doc. I'm thrilled!"
Hours later, Casey closed the door to Sara's bedroom after putting her niece to sleep with a story. Sighing deeply, she walked through the rambling ranch-style house to find her sister. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She had played with it in her mind for hours and she knew what she wanted to do. It was the only thing that made sense.
Amy was snuggled in the corner of the sofa, holding the phone to her chest.
"How's Jim?"
Her sister smiled. "He said he's sorry he's missed all the excitement and hopes he gets a chance to visit before you leave. This new job as VP of sales and marketing keeps him away on business trips, and this trade show in Seattle has been grueling for him." Placing the phone on an end table, she asked, "How's Sara? Did she give you any trouble?"
"I must have bored the kid with my storytelling. She fell fast asleep." Casey sat down in an overstuffed chair and curled her legs up under her. "I need to talk to you, Amy."
"What's wrong? The doctor released you and—"
"I'm fine, Amy," she interrupted. "Better than fine. I'm pregnant."
Her younger sister just stared at her. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Casey answered. "I'm pregnant."
"My God! Did you know this? Is this why you were coming out here? I know you've wanted to have a baby, but… who's the father? Where is he? Does he know? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. When did—"
"Hold on," Casey interrupted with a smile. "I know it's a shock. Was for me too. I just found out today at the doctor's and—"
"And you waited until now to tell me? That was hours ago!"
"I know, I know," Casey answered, trying to placate her sister. "Believe me, I've thought of little else. I've had some decisions to make."
"So answer some of my questions. Who's the father?"
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Casey said, "His name is Luke d'Séraphin." It felt good to say his name, to speak the truth.
"What kind of name is that? Where's he from?"
"I don't really know," she answered truthfully. "We met and spent some time together and… and I fell in love, Amy, like I never knew love could be, and now I'm having his child."
Amy got up and sat on the edge of Casey's chair. She wrapped her arms around her and whispered into her hair, "You've really had a tough time of it, haven't you? Okay, I'm shocked, but I'll get over it. Now, what do you want to do?"
Casey looked up into her sister's eyes and smiled. "I knew I could count on you. I've been thinking… if it's all right with you and Jim, I'd like to move to Santa Fe and have the baby here. There's something about this place that calls to me."
Amy looked doubly shocked, yet pleased. "All right with us? Are you kidding? You know how much I've missed you. Oh, to have you here with me and… and a new baby too! When are we going to meet this Luke d'Séraphin character?"
"That, I can't tell you," she said, holding her sister's gaze. "I don't know when I'll see him again, but I know I will. He loves me, Amy, like I've never been loved in my whole life."
"Well, let's look him up. The man will want to know he's going to be a father!"
Casey laughed. "I have a feeling he'll show up when the time is right." She became serious. "Thanks, Amy, for accepting this, as bizarre as it sounds. It'll be great to live near you again. I even saw an apartment yesterday in the paper that sounds perfect. It's a large old home that's been turned into a complex, and there's a rental if I seize the moment and take it."
"Oh, take it, Casey," Amy declared. "We'll figure everything out later. So you'll go back east and quit your job and pack up to move here?"
Nodding, Casey whispered, "I'm just following the pattern and watching as it all unfolds, but that's my plan so far. I figure I can do freelance accounting until after the baby is born and then figure it out from there."
"I'll help you, and Jim has all sorts of business contacts in the city. Being in the hotel industry, he knows just about everybody in the city. When are you thinking of doing all this?"
Taking another deep breath, Casey said, "As soon as I return. Day after tomorrow I'll fly back and give my notice. It feels right, Amy."
"Follow your heart on this one, sweetie," Amy whispered, gathering her once more into her arms. "Follow your heart."
It was the only thing she knew how to do now, for she was committed to Luke and to their child. How could she not follow love all the way, wherever it led her?
She had to have faith it would lead to happiness, and she was willing to risk it all to find out.
Twenty
Casey grabbed her coat off a hook by the front door and grinned. Slipping her arms into it, she looked around at her cute apartment and felt a sense of satisfaction that would be hard to define to anyone else. Somehow everything had fallen into place. The apartment she had read about in the newspaper turned out to be perfect, a completely renovated wing in an old, yet very familiar house. Warm colorful rugs over Saltillo tile enhanced her green leather furniture and gave it a genuine southwestern look. She even had an office behind the kitchen, and she was preparing the nursery in the small second bedroom.
Casey felt like a truly blessed woman.
She almost forgot the swatches of material for the curtains in the nursery and she rushed back into the b
right kitchen to grab them off the counter. She was meeting Amy for lunch later, and the two of them could decide together. How wonderful to be close to her sister again, she thought as she dropped the material into her purse, picked up a ledger, and hurried toward the door.
Walking down the street, she couldn't help but grin at everyone who passed as she murmured "Good morning." How she loved this city with its many cultures and creative energy. As always on her daily walk to the plaza, she paused in front of a gallery and stared at the bigger-than-life sculpture of an older Indian woman assisting a younger woman into a shawl. It always made her think of Juana. Right there, right on the street, a masterpiece for all to admire. It was part of why she so appreciated this city. Santa Fe was a city different, as it was now known.
Sighing with a love of life in any time, she walked toward the plaza and her first stop—the coffee shop and her new friends who greeted her every morning.
"Casey… great to see you again."
"You, too, José. I'll have those papers ready for you to sign tomorrow," she called out.
"Casey, you look so happy. Want to share some of whatever you've got?"
"I sure can, Andy," Casey answered with a laugh as she moved past the people sitting at the counter. "It's called happiness."
Andy, standing behind the counter at the old-fashioned coffee shop, wiped his hands on his apron and said, "You want the usual? Herbal tea and a bagel?"
"After four months of me coming in here, Andy, do you think I'm going to change now?"
Still grinning, the man leaned over the counter and muttered, "Hey, it's a heck of a lot easier than shrimp and sherbert. My wife used to send me on hunting trips in the middle of the night!"
Casey giggled as she laid the ledger she was carrying on the end of the counter. "I guess herbal tea and bagels ain't so bad then, huh?"
"Oh, and speaking of wives," Andy said, "mine informed me that we're going to Hawaii with the money you saved us on the state taxes. Thanks again, Casey."
Smiling with happiness, she nodded. "Thank you for referring me to José. I really think I'm going to make it here, Andy."
The man brought her a take-out cup of steaming water and placed a wooden box of neatly lined tea bags on the counter. "Pick your poison."
Laughing again, she refused to egg on this man who seemed to love to tease her. Andy, who looked like an ex-hippie, had quickly become a good friend. "Let's see…" she pondered while looking through the selection. "Yesterday I had chamomile. I think I'll try"—she paused as she picked up a tea bag—"Strawberry kiwi!"
Andy lifted his lips in an expression of distaste. "If you say so."
"I do," she pronounced, tearing open the wrapping. "Now, what about my bagel? Lightly toasted with cream cheese."
"I got it, I got it," Andy said, while walking over to the commercial toaster. "One bagel, coming up!"
Leaning her elbow on the counter, she looked past the friendly faces of the people sitting there to the booths that lined the front window. Casey opened the first three buttons on her coat and watched the steady stream of people on the plaza. She never tired of it, and spent almost every morning sitting on a bench, eating her breakfast, talking to Luke about everything that was going on in her life… the pregnancy, the move, the apartment she had miraculously found in the d'Montoya compound, her work, things she was learning. She told him everything, knowing that somehow their connection could never be broken. She had finally come to peace about it all… realizing that she didn't have to have all the answers, for what was happening was a much bigger picture than she had been used to viewing.
She was content to be a rookie and learn now at her own pace.
"Here ya go," Andy said, interrupting her thoughts and sliding a brown paper bag across the counter.
"Great," she said, grinning as she picked up her ledger, the bag, and the bill. "I'd leave ya a tip, but then you'd just have to declare it, and we're trying to keep your gross down, remember?"
Laughing, Andy said, "That's what I get when a customer does my books!"
"See you tomorrow, Andy," she called out as she walked toward the cash register in the front of the shop.
"See you, Casey. Keep on keepin' on…"
Without turning back, she raised her fingers in a peace sign. "Adiós."
Standing at the cashier's counter, she watched a man walk down the street with his baby strapped to his chest. She smiled at the sight as she handed over her check.
"How are you this morning, Maria?"
"Ay, if it gets any more busy, I'm going to pull out my braids. It's the skiing season and I hear Taos is so crowded this year you can't drive down the streets without stopping for the tourists." The Indian woman took Casey's money and gave her the change. "How are you doing, hon? You look good. No more morning sickness?"
Casey shook her head proudly. "Haven't been sick for over a week. I think I'm finally over it."
Maria pushed up from her stool and leaned closer to her. "Now the best part comes. This is when you start radiating it to everyone else. That must be some baby you're carrying, 'cause you're beamin'!"
Both women giggled together, as though they shared some wondrous secret. Casey realized she did that a lot… giggle. She couldn't help it. She was too happy to contain it and simply had to let it out.
As she walked out of the coffee shop into the brisk morning air, she again wondered about something that always crossed her mind when she was people-watching.
Why weren't there bumper stickers proclaiming the joy of life? It was real. She was living it! Was there such a thing as being too happy? She didn't think so.
Walking to the corner, she sighed deeply with contentment. Despite not having seen or heard from Luke in four months, she was still happier than she had ever been in her life, at least since she was a little girl. She was living in a great community, in a great apartment, exactly where she wanted to wake up every morning. She was gainfully self-employed, had her sister within walking distance, and had more genuine friends than ever, friends who invited her to gallery openings, concerts, plays, festivals, workshops… Her life was full of joy.
She rubbed her palm over her stomach as she waited to cross the street. And a miracle growing within her to boot! Being a time traveler was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she wouldn't have changed a moment. Luke was right, everything was evolving at exactly the right time. Why not enjoy the adventure?
She crossed the street and entered the plaza, happy to see that her familiar bench was unoccupied. Only once had it been taken, and then she'd gone back to the coffee shop. That was when she and Andy had really started to talk. She figured that was meant to be too, and so not much tended to bother her anymore.
As she sat down and arranged her things around her, Casey had to admit that only one thing could bring up any clouds on her horizon. And it was her own lingering desire for Luke to find her. She wondered where he was, what had happened to him when she'd slipped off that horse. She worried that he might need her and then reminded herself he was a seasoned traveler. She didn't have to worry about him, as it certainly didn't help either of them, but she did miss him so much.
At night, in bed, she recalled the sensation of being with him… talking to him, watching him move, listening to him, dancing with him, laughing with him, making love with him. The yearning and desire had only increased.
Although Amy was totally behind her lifestyle change and the pregnancy, she was not too thrilled that the father hadn't shown up. Casey had told her sister about Luke— well, what she could tell her about Luke—and Amy was very protective. Casey couldn't blame her. If the situation were reversed, she probably would feel the same way, yet she knew something her sister didn't. Luke was not an ordinary man.
Luke d'Séraphin was an angel in disguise and he had delivered quite a message into her life!
She opened her teacup and blew away the steam before gently sipping. She had wanted someone special to be the father of her child, an
d she'd certainly gotten her wish. It was actually okay with her to be alone now. The love she shared with Luke could never be diminished by time.
She watched an older couple, dressed in winter clothes, walk hand in hand across the street. The woman stopped at a window to admire the spectacular sculptures being offered for sale. The man put his arm around the woman as the two of them admired the artistry.
That would be nice, she thought, to grow old with Luke… to share adventures and dreams. She should make that her next wish, since all of them seemed to be coming to pass.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she smiled as she centered herself and took a deep breath.
I wish to grow old with Luke… no matter where we are or what we're doing. I just want to share my life with his, my love with his, always.
She opened her eyes and sent it out there into the universe and didn't worry about how much time it would take to fulfill it. Satisfied, she opened her bag and took out her bagel. Chewing happily, she saw the Indians across the street selling their beautiful silver jewelry in front of the Governor's Palace and thought she might reward herself for getting Jose's huge Mexican restaurant as her latest account.
Why not pamper herself?
Making up her mind to do just that, she wrapped the remaining bagel in its wrapper and dropped it into the bag. Taking another sip of tea, she replaced the lid and stood up. She gathered her things and started across the plaza. Something silver… a bracelet maybe, or a ring with a stone to mark this time when everything in her life seemed to be unfolding so beautifully. Some might call it luck, but not her. She could see how one thing led to another now, how at each crossroads she had made a decision, and each time she had called on something within her that had been labeled faith, trust, or love to make the appropriate choice. Somehow it all worked out.
She was filled with happiness, her attention captured by a certain blanket. The sun was glittering on a wide silver cuff which seemed to capture the shining brilliance. She began to cross the street when suddenly everything started to slam into her consciousness…
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