Nobody's Dream (14 page)

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

L
uke 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 some 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?

Sensing he was in trouble, she made her way back to the cabin to gather supplies. She’d have to take a lantern to be able to follow their tracks. She did not think he had a flashlight with him. How would he be able to see in the new moon’s darkness? What if he was injured? He was barely recovered from the avalanche. Why had she not gone with him? But he had taken off so quickly. She had been trying to get Graciela and Milagrosa back into their stall when she turned and watched him sprint out the door of the shed.

In the mudroom, she grabbed rope and a wool blanket, and stuffed them into a backpack. The last rays of sunlight had long since faded by the time she started across the yard and around the shed, the glow from the lantern showing her the direction in which the hooves and boots were headed. She saw a spot where the man’s boots had slipped, but he didn’t seem to have fallen.

Thirty minutes later and still no sign of either of them. Were they together or was Lucas still tracking her wayward baby?

Her legs ached, and weariness set in as she trudged through the snow. She hadn’t been sleeping more than a couple of hours a night out in her studio. Why she let Lucas’s presence affect her like this, she did not know. Just having him on her mountain had left her feeling…unsettled.

Frustration set in. “Tika! Lucas! Where are you?”

The wind whistled through the spruce trees, but she heard no response. What if she could not find them or became lost herself? No, she knew these mountains like the back of her hand. All she had to do was continue to follow their tracks in the snow.

Rounding the curve of the mountain, a large shape loomed. Her heart stopped a moment until she saw the animal’s long neck, and she relaxed. “Tika! You are okay, you naughty girl!”

She nearly giggled as she ran toward the alpaca, surprised when the animal did not come to meet her. As Cassie grew closer, she saw another dark form, this one lying in the snow at the alpaca’s hooves.

“Lucas!” Her heart jumped into her throat as she bent down to his still form.

Please don’t let him be dead.

She felt for a pulse in his neck and was relieved to feel a steady, but weak, one. His head must have hit that rock when he fell. His Stetson was lying upturned nearby on the ground. How long had he been exposed to the elements here?

“Lucas, look at me. Please, open your eyes.”

No response. She did not know if she should move him, but letting him lie here in the snow was not going to keep hypothermia—or death—at bay. Pulling the blanket from her backpack, she lifted his head and placed it between the back of his head and the ground. How was she going to carry him up the mountain? He was dead weight.

His body began shivering.

Not again.

She had her cell phone with her, but waiting for help, assuming anyone could find them, would only increase the chance of him dying on the mountainside. Taking the rope, she worked a lasso around his chest, under his armpits, and faced Tika.

“Girl, you need to help me. Down on your belly.”

The alpaca stared blankly at her until she tapped the backs of the animal’s knees. Tika lowered herself to the ground, tucking her front legs underneath her, awaiting her precious cargo. Despite a burst of adrenaline, Cassie tugged at the rope, but he still didn’t budge.

Tears of frustration wet her eyes. “Lucas, you have to help me. I cannot do this alone.”

She tugged again, and he grunted. The shivering grew worse, but he seemed to become semi-conscious. “I want you to crawl onto Tika’s back. Please, Lucas. Help me here.”

“…throw…me.”

“Come. Tika is waiting for you.” She placed the blanket that had been under his head over the alpaca’s matted coat and then wrapped her arms underneath Lucas’s chest and pulled upward, surprised that he seemed to help by crawling partway onto Tika’s back. She shoved his backside, and he plopped belly side down onto the alpaca with a grunt. Tika stood and waited for further instructions. Between the blanket and Tika’s body, he should warm up quickly.

“Good girl.” Cassie snatched the ends of the rope from around him and tied them under the patient animal’s belly. Satisfied that he was secured, she tugged at the halter. Soon they were headed back toward the cabin.

“Please let him be okay, Goddess.” She hoped the Universe would hear and answer her plea.

Earlier, she had been so angry at his carelessness for leaving the shed door open, but that he would sacrifice himself to save one of her alpacas warmed a cold place in her heart. The man had done nothing but try to help her as soon as he was strong enough, but she had shown very little gratitude for all he had tried to do.

Guilt over snapping at him the night she had shown him the painting of him washed over her. She had painted the picture from the depths of her soul, gratitude for a man—a
man
—who had saved her cria’s life when Cassie would have failed Gracie.