Another Dawn (59 page)

      
"You keep that," he said. "It's yours."

      
Uncomfortable again, Sofie shook her head. "I'd like all these things to stay together, if it's all right with you."

      
"Sofie, I..."
 
He sighed and shook his head, obviously as confused as she.

      
"I...I've always wondered what happened to Jenny and Shane and everybody in Redemption."

      
His eyes brightened. "Just a minute."
 
He removed a wooden box from the glass case and opened it, gingerly removing an old, leather bound book. "Look."

      
"Miss Dr. Sofie
?" A new flood of tears blurred her vision and her hands trembled as she traced the words with the tip of her finger. "I can't quite make out the author's name. Who...?"

      
Carefully, he opened the book and showed her the title page. "Jennifer Latimer Hill," he said. "It was published in 1928."

      
"Jenny."
 
She blinked back her tears until her vision cleared. "Have you read it?"

      
"Many times."
 
He smiled. "Read the dedication, Sofie."

      
She cleared her throat as he turned another brittle page.
"For Miss Dr. Sofie and Father Salazar, wherever you are: Thank you."

      
Overcome by tears, Sofie heard but didn't see Luke put the book back in its case for safekeeping.

      
"It really happened," she whispered, drying her eyes with the back of her hand.
 

      
"Yes."

      
The passion in his tone prompted her to look up, and his expression sliced through her tissue thin veneer. He looked at her with hunger, desperation...and love.

      
"Luke," she whispered, "I've dreamed of you for so long."

      
"And I you."
 
He brought his hand to her cheek. "I didn't understand the significance of all this stuff for years, but as I grew older..."

      
"I know. The dreams started."
 
Sofie shivered as he gently stroked her cheek. "It really, really happened, didn't it?"

      
"Yes, I
believe."
 
He nodded and brought his other hand to her face as well. "Sofie, I've waited for you and prayed for this moment."

      
A sob tore from her throat and tears slipped unheeded down her cheeks. "So have I, Luke."

      
"I didn't know your last name," he confessed, still cupping her face gently in his large hands. "Or where to search for you."

      
"Danzano. My last name is Danzano. And I couldn't remember exactly where this building was."
 
If only he'd continue touching her forever. "I'm from Pueblo, so I don't know my way around Denver very well."

      
"How...?"

      
She remembered the magazine article, but when she reached for it, he removed his hands from her face, leaving her bereft and shaken. Summoning her sense of reason, she handed him the article. "When I saw the orange awning and read the address, I had to see for myself."

      
"Thank God you did. I begged Grandpa to add the orange awning about ten years ago, because I hoped it would help you find me."
 
He set the magazine on his desk and put his hands on her cheeks again.

      
Yes
.
 

      
"I know it's crazy, Sofie, but..."
 
He kissed her so gently, she thought at first she'd imagined it. His gaze held hers captive, smoldering just as she remembered. "I love you. I've always loved you. And I've waited for you."

      
"Oh, God, Luke."
 
Dropping her backpack, she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him, absorbing his essence and energy. "I love you, too."

      
He laughed quietly, then tilted her chin and kissed her again, and this time there was no room for doubt. Leaving her breathless, he kept his arms around her. His hooded gaze made it clear he felt everything she did.

      
"We love each other, but we just met," she whispered, still stunned that all this was true. Really true. "I've never been able to...to be with another man, because of my memories of you. I felt as if..."

      
He nodded. "I know."
 
He brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheekbone, then delicately traced the outline of her upper lip. "We'll have to get to know each other again, I suppose, in this time."

      
She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yes, I'd like that."

      
"But I want you to know, I expect us to get married again, and I'm going to ask the real Father Salazar to perform the ceremony."

      
"Yes, definitely yes."
 
God, this was crazy, but she meant every word, and she knew he did, too. "I love all this hair."
 
She reached behind him and tugged his ponytail.

      
"Big improvement, I'm sure."

      
She grinned and he kissed her again, hungrily. Desire stormed through her. This was Luke. Her Luke. Her husband once upon a time.

      
And he would be her husband again.
 

      
After breaking the kiss, he held her in his arms as their hearts thudded in unison. "Do you remember what I said to you just before we brought the letters here, Sofie?"

      
She nodded against his shoulder. "I'll always remember."
 
Leaning back slightly, she looked intently into his eyes. "You said, 'Promise me, that no matter what happens, you'll remember we're meant to be. We belong to each other. Always.'"

      
"Yes, always."
 
His warm breath was a caress against her cheek. "Marry me, Sofie. I don't want to wait any longer."

      
She smiled, the insanity of marrying a virtual stranger was lost in her knowledge that they were meant to be. This was right.
 

      
Fate and destiny.

      
"Yes, Luke," she said. "On our anniversary?"

      
His grin widened. "That's only six weeks away, you know."

      
"I remember."
 
She kissed him softly.
 

      
"But I'm not sure I can wait that long to, uh..."

      
Need, fierce and sure, shot through her. Her body trembled in his embrace, and she nodded. "Now."

      
"As I recall, that's one of your favorite words."
 
His voice sounded husky as he led her into the hallway. "Let's keep it in your vocabulary."

      
"I like the word more, too."

      
He groaned, leading her down the hall to another door. "This is my apartment."

      
"Convenient."
 
His uncompromising acceptance of her–of them–was incredible, and it validated everything she'd carried in her heart for so long. Her insides trembled with longing, her heart swelled with love, and her mind reeled in helpless acceptance.

      
They walked into his apartment. It was clean and sparsely furnished with beautiful antiques.
 

      
He stopped just inside, closing the door behind them. Holding her hand, he gazed intently into her eyes. Perhaps she should feel cheap and brazen, but she didn't. In her heart, she knew she'd been with him before in every sense of the word.

      
With an encouraging smile, he said, "I have one question before..."

      
She wanted him so desperately, she could barely breathe. "Does it involve champagne?"

      
"Mmm, no, but I'll get some."
 
He tilted his head to one side, devouring her with his gaze. "Do you still have the tattoo?"

      
Smiling, she reached for the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head. "See for yourself."

      
And he did.

Dear Readers:

      
While cleaning out an old file cabinet–something I do every couple of decades–I ran across some notes from a speech I made in college for a Political Science project. The topic was the death penalty, and one of the articles I'd saved involved a young man who survived the electric chair. The emotional impact of his story struck me all over again, and before I knew it Luke Nolan introduced himself to my muse and
Another Dawn
was born. Sofie and Luke prove what many of us already know–that love can and does shatter the boundaries of time. With a love as destined as theirs, anything is possible. I hope you enjoy
Another Dawn
. I love to hear from readers. For a complete list of my novels and contributions to anthologies, or to contact me, please visit
 
my website
. May all your days include a bit of magic. ~Deb