Nobody's Dream (73 page)

Luke had never smoked, but taking a few puffs of a cigar in celebration of his coming wedding wouldn’t kill him. He pulled one of the fat cigars from the dark container before the lid closed with a snap and was placed on the desk. Before Luke could sit down, Mr. López gestured toward the corner. “Help yourself to a beer first.”

That might just do the trick to relieve these pre-wedding jitters. He wasn’t worried so much about embarking on this redefined lifelong journey with Cassie. Hell, he wanted Cassie in his life more than anything.

No, what worried him most was that she would change her mind. Maybe not tomorrow, but somewhere down the line. After all, she had gone from “No way” to “I do” awfully quickly. He wasn’t sure she knew
what
she wanted yet. Had she just become caught up in all the hoopla over her parents renewing their vows or did she truly want to marry and make him a major part of the rest of her life?

Mr. López drew in and exhaled a massive amount of smoke. “Any brothers or sisters?”

“No, sir. Only child.” Luke inhaled and nearly choked. Better stick to the beer.

“What do your parents do?”

“They’re retired now, but worked the crude oil pipeline when I was growing up.”

“Hard workers.”

“Absolutely. Lots of moving around, too.”

“Are you a wanderer, too?”

Somehow Luke didn’t think he just meant someone who relocated a lot for a job. “I’ve established roots in Colorado on a one-hundred-and-sixty-two-acre spread and have no intention of going anywhere for a long time.” Might as well address the underlying question. “I also am a one-woman man. I lost my first wife in an accident eight years ago and was true to her every day of our two short years together. I can assure you my eye won’t stray to anyone else as long as I have Cassie.”

The old man grew silent a while. “Women are mysterious creatures. I never understood why Casandra left, but thank you for bringing her back. Her
mamá
is beyond joyous.”

“Cassie seems happier since coming back here, too.”
Happy enough to agree to a real marriage with me
.

“She has always danced to the beat of a different drummer,
mi hija
.” He narrowed his gaze at Luke as he took a long draw on his cigar and let out another stream of smoke. “Give her a long lead, but don’t be afraid to rein her in from time to time. She needs both roots and wings.”

Luke certainly aimed to try to give her both. He smiled. “I’ll do my best, Mr. López.”

He waved the hand holding the cigar in the air dismissively. “Call me
Papá
. We are family now.”

“I’m honored. Thank you.” Luke took a tentative puff, but tried not to inhale too deeply. These things could kill you. “Sir, I love Cassie more than anything or anyone.”

“Love is not always enough.”

“No, sir, but sometimes it’s the thing that’s needed the most. The only thing that helps.”

The door opened and Luke turned as Eduardo entered. Luke stood to shake his hand.

“I hear congratulations are in order—again.”

“Thanks. I’m a lucky man.”

Papá
asked, “How is my newest grandson?”

“Growing as fast as a peppertree. Keeping us up at night. Susana is going to stay home today, but we’ll all be at the ceremony tomorrow.”

Papá
nodded and took another puff before he turned his focus to Luke. “Do you plan to have a large family like Eduardo’s?”

The man had four kids. That was a lot of mouths to feed and put through college. Luke wanted nothing more than to have babies with Cassie, but the timing and size of their family was no one’s business but their own. “Cassie and I will gladly raise any babies we’re blessed with.”

The man nodded, and grinned. “We stopped at two. I’m too old, but at least I lived to see both of them through university and now married.” He inhaled and exhaled another puff of smoke. “Life has been good for my family.”

Not for everyone. Luke wasn’t sure how to broach the subject, but didn’t want Cassie to suffer any stress on their big day. Might as well come right out and ask. “Will Pedro be at the ceremony or party afterward tomorrow?”

Papá
remained silent. Eduardo reached for a cigar before responding. A sense of dread curled up inside Luke’s gut. Finally, his brother-in-law met his gaze. “Everyone in the village is invited. It is customary. But I do not expect him to cause any trouble. He is a quiet man. A loner. Not one to make a scene.”

No, but he
was
one to fucking rape his fiancée. “If you see him, point him out to me so I can keep an eye on him.”
And pummel his brains out if he comes anywhere near my girl.

Eduardo’s gaze narrowed. “Are you expecting trouble?”

Luke wished Cassie had informed her family about what had happened so they would be equally concerned about her safety. He wasn’t the one who should be telling them, but he needed to protect her as best he could.

“Pedro’s a low-life snake from what Cassie tells me. If he comes anywhere near her, I will make sure he never does so again. So if you know how to reach him, I’d suggest you make sure he doesn’t show up at the wedding tomorrow.”

Papá
leaned forward and narrowed his gaze. “What did he do to my daughter?”

“That’s for Cassie to tell you. But I know her safety is important to both of you, too. Take my word for it and keep him the hell away from her.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

C
assie’s nerves jangled on edge all morning as she prepared for the big day. She and Lucas had been going nonstop since they agreed to exchange vows. Last night, she had fallen into bed too exhausted to barely say good night.

Today, they would remain separated until they met at the altar, as was the tradition between brides and grooms. He and
Papá
had prepared for the ceremony at Eduardo’s house. She and
Mamá
would dress at the church, although her cousin Evita, one of the
madrinas
for her special day, had braided her hair earlier. Cassie’s black
pollera
had horizontal bands of colorful strips of cloth in many geometric designs along with rows and rows of rickrack. Except for designs at the hems of the other two skirts, only the outer one would show, so she chose the most beautiful one.

The decorations on the sleeves of her red blouse matched the outer skirt she would wear. Her ensemble laid flat on the bed. In less than two hours, she would stand before Lucas in these clothes and
Mamá’s
shoulder cloth to speak her vows. Her heart fluttered strangely at the thought, with excitement rather than anxiety.

She missed Lucas already. Amazing how her affections for him had deepened so quickly.

I know this is the right thing for me. Please,
Mama Quilla
, watch over my wedding day, my parents, Eduardo’s family, and most especially my marriage to Lucas—as you have done for countless couples since time began.

Like a mantra, she repeated the words many times as she applied makeup to her eyes. Of course, she chose a goddess figure who is the patron of marriage as well as the protector of women. Little did Cassie know she could not separate one from the other. She smiled.
Mama Quilla
knew what she needed, even if it was not what she wanted.

A knock at the bedroom door pulled her from her work, and she opened it to find
Mamá
already dressed.

“¡Mamá! ¡Te ves hermosa!”
And beautiful she was. Not many girls were fortunate enough to share the exchanging of wedding vows with their parents. She continued in Spanish, “I thought we were dressing at the church,
Mamá
.”

“You are, but the room there is too small for both of us.”

“I hope I am not stealing from your special day with
Papá
.”

“No, no! This is the happiest day of my life. I have waited to see the last of my children happily married. Now I can grow old and let someone else worry about you.”

Cassie smiled at her mother’s half-teasing remark.

“Let me help you cover up your ensemble so we can start for the church.”

Mamá
placed the red wedding
lliclla
on the bed over her skirts and blouse. Over her arm was draped a folded rectangular blanket matching her village’s colors. “I want you to have this
k’eperina
, as well. I carried you on my back in this blanket when you were a baby. Perhaps one day you will carry your own infant son or daughter in it.”

Tears burned her eyes. Having a child of her own would be too much to even hope for, but she reached out to accept the blanket with its vivid primary and secondary colors woven into intricate designs. There had been too many secrets between them.

“
Mamá
, there is something I have kept from you. A few weeks ago, the cabin I have lived in since leaving New York burned in a wildfire.”

Her mother gasped and placed her hand against her heart. “Were you and Lucas in danger?”

She did not wish to explain that Lucas was not living with his so-called wife. “I was able to escape in time and Lucas came after me and my alpacas to take us to safety at his ranch. But—I lost all but one of
Abuela’s
blankets in the fire, including the one in which she carried you and
Tía
Sofia as babies. I also neglected to save the shoulder cloth she wore on her wedding day.”

Mamá
enfolded her in her arms. “Material possessions are only of sentimental importance. We always carry the memories in our hearts, just like the essence of the people who once possessed those items, even if we lose the actual articles. You and your alpacas are irreplaceable. Thank God Lucas rescued you.”

In more ways than one.

She remembered the song he sang to O’Keeffe about how they had rescued one another, just as Lucas and Cassie had done.

Mamá
pulled away and lifted Cassie’s chin until she met her gaze. “Now, explain how it is that a husband and wife were not living in the same house.”

Putting anything over on
Mamá
was impossible. “We had a shaky start, mostly because of my fears and stubbornness. Pedro betrayed me, and I did not trust any man after him.”

Mamá
searched her eyes. “I wondered what happened between you and Pedro, but he did not deserve you if he would do something to hurt you. But Lucas…” She smiled. “I think you have chosen wisely,
mi hija
. He has shown his love for you, but now I know he will also be your protector.”

The two best parts of
machismo
were embodied in Lucas—love and protection—but he did so without smothering her.

“Now, we must not keep him waiting for his bride. I see why agreeing to take these vows was not an easy decision for you if you did not enter into your first wedding with a true commitment. Today, the fourteenth of July, will be the date we will now share as our mutual anniversary.”

Cassie nodded, agreeing that today’s ceremony would be so much more heartfelt and real than her earlier one. That could be viewed as more an engagement, perhaps. Cassie smiled and turned around. She spread the blanket out on Lucas’s side of the bed, then she and her mother gently laid her ensemble on top of it before rolling everything into a loose bundle. Cassie would carry this on her back to the church as many Peruvian brides had done over the centuries. The blanket would protect the clothing from any dust that might kick up from the wind, but perhaps Kitty would allow Cassie to carry one of the babies inside. To carry Aurora Casandra this traditional way would be such an honor.

In the living room moments later, they joined the
madrinas
in the den. These godmothers who had come forward joyfully but on such short notice to make her day special and steeped in tradition would sponsor the cake and many other necessary components of the wedding and reception. At least she and Lucas already had their wedding rings. She hugged her three cousins,
Tía
Sofia, and Cassie’s friend from secondary school, Maria.