Jules took the cookie and bit into it. “Val makes the best cookies.” She broke the remainder of her half into small bits and left them on the plate. “Santa always leaves crumbs.”
Dane drank most of the glass of milk and placed the glass beside the plate. “We’re done.”
“Carrots?” Jules pointed to the reindeer’s treat.
Dane scooped up the bunch of carrots and carried them to the kitchen where he returned them to the refrigerator’s vegetable crisper.
“Ready for bed?” he asked Jules when he returned to the living room.
“Just one more thing to do,” Jules answered. Her hands were behind her back.
“What’s that?”
She smiled then lifted one hand above her head. Mistletoe. “Give me my Christmas kiss, Gary.”
Dane took her in his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss full of longing, one that let her know how much he had missed her. She kissed him back, letting him know that she had missed him, too.
They walked to their bedroom holding hands. The click of Lucky’s toenails on the wood floor reminded Jules that they weren’t alone.
“He’ll always be in the bedroom with us?”
“Always. Don’t worry love. He’ll keep our secrets.”
“It’s not our secrets that I’m worried about. I’ve never shared a bedroom with a dog. What if he watches us?”
Dane smiled. “I’m sure he’ll have better things to do like dreaming about chasing lions.”
Dane opened the door to the master bedroom, then closed it behind them once they were inside. Soft lighting gave off a warm glow. Jules made her way to the bathroom, while Dane sat down on the bed, taking in the view of the room. So much had changed in a few days. His bedroom, decorated for a man, now showed evidence of a woman sharing it with him. The table beside the armchair by the fireplace now had a vase with a fresh Christmas bouquet. The throw blanket and pillows on the sofa displayed Christmas scenes hand-knit by Val. Antique Christmas decorations filled in the empty spaces on the mantle over the fireplace. Most important of all, his bedside table now had a framed photograph of Jules and Becca.
Jules stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching him. At first, she had wondered if it was too much—adding some of her things to Dane’s room. She had returned to her home to pick up a few items for her and Becca, including Becca’s Christmas presents, and ended up coming back with a few boxes of Christmas decorations, as well. Dane didn’t complain. Instead, he helped her unpack and watched her make herself at home. There was no containing his excitement, knowing that they would be spending Christmas together as a family.
She didn’t realize how much family meant to Dane. She cried when he told her that his parents abandoned him when he was a child, and although his grandparents raised him and loved him, he could never forget that feeling of being unwanted and unloved. That was the reason behind his rescue missions—every child needs to know they matter.
He caught her watching him. He didn’t know how long she’d been standing there. Jules was ready for bed. Her long hair was now in a messy bun, and she’d changed from jeans and sweater into a tank top and boy shorts. Dane gave Jules an approving nod before making his way to her. She blushed under his gaze, no longer embarrassed by her reaction to him.
“Where’d you go? Is everything all right?”
“Just thinking about this room’s new decorating. Something missing.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“You, naked in my bed.” In one swift move, Dane picked Jules up and carried her caveman style over his shoulder to his bed.
Jules laughed. “What’s gotten into you?”
Dane let her down gently onto the bed. “Arms up.”
She obeyed, lifting her arms for Dane to pull off her top.
“Shorts.” Jules lifted her hips, allowing Dane to pull the underwear off her.
“You’re still dressed. No fair.”
Dane grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, dropping it to the floor. Within seconds his pants and underwear were on the floor. “Fast enough for you?” He then joined her, lying on his side to face her.
His expression became serious. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever known, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life.”
“It goes both ways. If you hadn’t been in your bar that night, we wouldn’t be here. Our Becca wouldn’t be here.” Jules reached for Dane and clasped her hands around his neck. “I have a confession to make. I haven’t been with anyone since our night together. I may be a bit rusty at this.”
Dane kissed her softly on the lips. “Focus on us. Let yourself go. I know you can do it.”
“What if your memories of me are overrated?”
“What about me? What if I’m not up to your expectations? Besides, I’m the one with the head injury.”
“Don’t joke about that.”
“Jules, we’ll be fine. We love each other. That’s all that matters.” His hand tilted her chin up, bringing her mouth closer to his. “All we need is that kiss. You know the one, the one that curls your toes.”
Jules gasped. “She told you?”
“I heard you tell Doc. Be careful what you say when you think I’m out cold, love. I still hear you.” For a moment, he gazed at her. He adored her mouth. No matter what barbs she threw at him, he could never take his eyes off the fullness of her lips. Then he kissed her and tasted champagne mixed with her unique flavor that reminded him of spicy cinnamon. A soft moan escaped from him when she accepted his kiss and opened her mouth to him, tasting him.
Jules felt her body melting into his. She ached for more, memories of his touch rousing her body from a five years’ long hibernation. “More,” she gasped against his lips. “I need more.”
Dane answered her with a lusty smile. His brown eyes had changed, darkened by the raw emotions flowing through him. He had never been aroused by a woman the way that Red affected him. Their one night together had branded him, forever marking his heart claimed by the redheaded beauty. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
“Show me, Gary. Show me.”
Dane’s fingers traced slowly over Jules’ alabaster skin from her shoulder down to the curve of her hip, then made their way back up her body. Her skin tingled under his touch. His mouth joined his fingers in rediscovering Red’s body. He remembered everything about her. The taste and smell of her filled his senses. Dane took a nipple into his mouth, sucking on the rosy bud then flicked it with his tongue until it stood erect.
“Dane.”
“Hmm,” he murmured.
“I need you inside me. Please. We can have foreplay later.”
He released her nipple from his mouth and gazed into her eyes. “It won’t be foreplay then. Unless we make love again.”
Jules moved to her back, giving him complete access to her. She wanted him between her legs. She needed to have him inside her, filling the emptiness she had felt the moment she had left his bed what felt like a lifetime ago.
“Don’t play games with me. Just do it.”
“Hold on.” He moved to get off the bed.
“What?”
“I have to get a condom. It may not be from Las Vegas and covered in glitter, but I can almost guarantee it won’t break.” He hadn’t forgotten when they first slept together. He didn’t have a condom to use, and all Red could offer was a souvenir condom from a girls’ weekend in Las Vegas. The glitter from the package seemed to land everywhere. For months afterward, Dane would find glitter throughout his condo. The condom also broke.
“I don’t want you to use one.”
“Mind telling me why?” He settled back onto the bed.
Jules relaxed under his gaze. “I don’t know if I can get pregnant again. The odds of conceiving Becca were almost nonexistent.”
“If we did conceive again, how would you feel?”
“Like the luckiest woman in the world.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Dane moved onto Jules, careful to support his weight with his arms. Her legs opened to him, instantly wrapping around his waist. He entered her slowly, giving her body time to adjust to him. Jules rolled her hips under his weight, rubbing against his shaft.
“You’re going to make me come if you keep that up.”
“I don’t care. It feels good.”
“Let’s do this together, love. Take our time.”
“I’ve waited too long for you, Gary. You can have me your way next time.”
“Playing by your rules, are we?”
“This time.”
Dane bent down to her, his lips soft against her ear, his voice gruff with desire. “Is this what you want, Red?” His thrusts were hard and deep.
“Yes.” Jules reached for his hair and pulled. His groan fueled her fire. “More.” She held on tight with her legs, pulling him into her. Intense pleasure coursed through her body. Toe-curling pleasure.
“Let yourself go, love. I’ll catch you.”
Jules cried out her release and heard the rough groan of Dane’s orgasm in her ear. She felt herself floating, only to realize it was Dane pulling her onto him. Jules nestled into Dane’s firm and sweaty chest and listened to his racing heart while his arms held her to him.
“Is that what you wanted?”
Jules answered with a nod of her head. “What about you?”
Dane kissed the top of her head. “Perfect. I couldn’t have wished for more.”
“He’s going to be fine, Jules. We’ve removed the tumor, and the test confirms that it’s benign. He’s going to be okay.”
Jules squeezed Doc Burns’ hand. “Thank you. That’s great news. What about Dane’s seizures? Do you think the tumor caused them?”
“We don’t know for sure. Only time will tell. You can go in and sit with him if you’d like. He’s going to be out for quite a while. Or go home, and we’ll call you when he wakes up.”
“I’ll stay. I promised Becca I would stay with Dane since he doesn’t have Lucky to protect him.”
Doc Burns smiled. “That damned dog. Best thing I ever did for that man was insisting that he get that dog.”
“My aunt calls him Dane’s lifesaver.”
“That’s true, and Dane saved Lucky’s life, too. He’s a rescue dog.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. Fortunately for Lucky, he was spotted by a woman who trains service dogs. There was something about him that made her think he could do the job.”
“He does it quite well.”
“Yes, he does.”
Jules thanked Doc Burns then left to sit by Dane’s bedside. As a doctor, she was used to the monitors and intravenous lines. Jules reached for Dane’s hand. It was cold—nothing to cause alarm. As Dane’s lover, she wanted him to feel warm. Spotting a blanket on the empty bed next to his, Jules retrieved the blanket and covered Dane.
She sat down again and took Dane’s hand in hers. She felt conflicted, knowing the importance of recovery time, and yet impatient for Dane to awaken. Jules wanted to hear his voice, to hear that he was fine. She wanted him to open his eyes and give her that boyish wink she’d become used to and found sexy as sin. Dane had told her that he could hear her when he was coming out of a seizure. Although this wasn’t the same, it wouldn’t hurt to start talking to him.
“Dane, can you hear me? It’s Jules. You’re out of surgery. The tumor’s gone. You’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Jules waited for a response. When none came, she continued their one-sided conversation.
“You’re still not out of the doghouse, mister. As Becca’s parents, we are supposed to discuss and agree on what presents we give our child. I know that we aren’t married. But still, giving Becca a puppy for Christmas and a pony! You don’t have to give a child everything she has on her wish list all in one day.” Jules sighed then smiled. “Although I have to admit that they are two of the cutest animals I have ever seen. Popsy’s adorable. Her ears are so long that she’s tripping over them. Now that she’s got the paper training mastered, Val won’t give me grief over her peeing on the floor. Why she won’t tell you off, I don’t know. It’s not because you’re her boss. I’ve heard her tell you off when you deserved it. I wonder if it’s because of your tumor. . .well, if she was taking pity on you, those days are over. No one pities my man.”
Jules straightened, feeling the heat in her cheeks. “Look at me. I’m getting mad over nothing.” She sighed. “It’s true. I am a hot-headed redhead. Heaven help us if Becca has my temper. We’ve been lucky. She’s perfect. She gets that from you.”
She got to her feet and made her way to the window. The view it offered was of the blue, grey and white of the mountains. “I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the Rockies until I returned home. Maybe if you can ride again, we can take Becca with us and go on a trail ride. I’d love to do that. I’ve heard terrible things about how ornery ponies can be. You’ll have to convince me that Peanuts won’t hurt our girl. You’re probably a pony whisperer just like you are with dogs and horses.”
Jules returned to her chair. Taking hold of Dane’s hand, she brought it to her lips and kissed it. “You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. I love you, Dane Andrews.”
“My name’s Gary,” his voice croaked. The words stuck to his tongue. His mouth dry from the anesthetic.
Jules offered Dane a glass of water. “Here, take a sip.”
Dane raised his head from the pillow, sipped from the straw, then let his head fall back onto the pillow. He closed his eyes.
“Sometimes, I call you Gary, but your name is Dane. Can you tell me where you are?”
“I’m in the hospital. With you. Red. Gary.”
“Yes, that’s true. But tell me your real name and mine. Please do that for me.”
“Let me go back to sleep. I’m tired.”
“Dane, wake up. Please. You can do it.”
“Red.”
“I’m here.”
“There’s something you should know.”
Jules felt a tightness in her chest. “What is it?”
“The ring. Your ring. Do you have it?”
“Yes, I have it on. I’ve never taken it off.”
“Read the inscription.”
“Why?”
“Just read it. Please.”
Jules slipped the ring off her finger, and read aloud the inscription engraved on the inside, “To Margaret Gary. Yours forever, Daniel.”
“Your grandmother’s name was Gary?”
Dane nodded. “My middle name, too.”
“So all this time—”
“I’ve always been your Gary.”
They decided on a February wedding. Valentine’s Day to be exact. Although many thought the couple had chosen this day because of it being one of the most romantic days of the year, Jules and Dane knew the truth. Valentine’s Day was the day of Gary and Red’s first make believe date. It would be too hard to explain, and no one needed to know the games Dane and Jules liked to play as Gary and Red. Only Lucky, and he didn’t tell a soul.
Jules stood in the master bedroom, gazing at her reflection in the dressing mirror.
“You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” Val gushed as she dabbed at her tears. “I wish your Mom and Dad were here to see you today.”
Jules hugged her aunt. “I do, too. I’ve got you, and you mean the world to me. I know I haven’t been the easiest to live with, and yet you’ve always been there for me.”
“When you were a teenager, there were times when Ned and I wondered if we’d survive you, and then we’d think of your mother, and we knew we’
d make it work.” Val stepped back from her niece. “I have something for you. It was your mother’s. She asked me to give it to you on your wedding day.”
Val opened her clutch purse and took out a green velvet bag. She offered it to Jules. Jules took the bag and looked at Val.
“Open it, sweetheart.”
Jules loosened the satin strings of the bag. She gasped when she looked at its contents.
“Your father gave her the pearl necklace on their wedding day. He gave her the earrings on the day you were born.”
Jules struggled with the clasp. “Will you help me put them on? My hands are shaking.”
“Of course.” Val took the necklace and stood behind Jules, placing the pearls around her neck and fastening the clasp. Her nimble fingers then put each perfect pearl drop in Jules’ ears.
“How do I look?”
Val stood beside Jules and joined her in admiring the reflection of the beautiful bride. Jules wore a modest mermaid wedding dress in white with long lace sleeves that tapered up to the elbow from her wrist. The scalloped neckline was the perfect frame for the single strand of pearls. The dress fit perfectly, showing off her feminine curves. Jules wore her hair long, her red hair falling in thick waves to her shoulders, the way Dane liked it. It was the only request he made of his bride to be.
“You are stunning.”
“And so are you, Aunt Val. I wish Uncle Ned could see you.” Val wore a soft mauve brocade dress with a chiffon jacket. It was a perfect match with her silver hair.
A light rap at the bedroom door interrupted them.
“Come in,” Jules called out.
Doc Burns opened the door peering around it before opening the door fully. “I have a little girl here who wants to see her mommy.”
“It’s all right. I’m ready.”
Doc Burns opened the door wide, and Becca came running into the room. She wore a floor-length white lace dress that matched the lace in Jules’ sleeves. In her hair, she had a white bow that matched the bow at her waist.
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