Nobody's Dream (92 page)

Cassie’s face was on fire. “I do not wish to talk about this any further. I think I have made everyone uncomfortable and that does not make me a very good hostess.”

Kitty shook her head and smiled. “Oh, trust me, Marc and Angelina as well as Luke and Adam all know about Shibari. And judging from the looks on Megan and Ryder’s faces as they look at that book, they are going to want to learn more about it soon, too. I’m just not sure if Adam is going to be comfortable teaching it to his brother-in-law.”

*     *     *

Ryder became turned on looking at some of the images and picturing Megan in the ropes. Damn, he needed to get some training on how to do this. He looked up from the book and found Adam scrutinizing him too closely. Ryder took the book from Megan and closed it. Her breathing told him she was equally excited, though.

At least she kept her voice to a whisper around her brother. “Ryder, that looks so hot. We need to try that.”

“We’ll talk about it later, Red. Sounds like Luke may know someone in the area—Gunnar, did he say?—who may be able to instruct us.”

“Thank God, but let’s be discreet. I’d die if my brother—either of them—found out what we enjoy doing in the bedroom. He’s kind of a straight arrow.”

Ryder would have to check into this man’s dungeon, although he wouldn’t have a minute to spare until next month. He and Luke had been working harder than ever to finish their project. As soon as that was done, he and Megan would be moving out of his master sergeant’s house.

As it was, he and Megan had spent time camping out on the mountain near Iron Horse Pass while the weather was still mild. Being on site helped him get more work done. Should be finished with the crucial parts in a few weeks.

He loved it out here, away from the city. Up on the mountain or here at the ranch, nothing worse than a screeching hawk made him jump.

Sure was better working there than at that clinic in Denver. Being in the inner city those two weeks of renovations had been like being in a combat zone. Every car that backfired or door that slammed had him thinking they were under attack.

He willed himself to breathe. Just thinking about it set his heart to racing. A cold, wet tongue licked his fingers and he looked down to find a beautiful dog—one blue eye, one half blue, half brown—staring soulfully up at him. He smiled and crouched down beside it.

“Hey, beautiful! Where’d you come from?” The markings on the dog looked like a patchwork of browns around the eyes and silver and white throughout her body. A few black spots, to boot.

Luke answered. “We rescued her up in the old shed at Cassie’s old place after the fire—her and five puppies. Her name is Chance.”

“Hi there, Chance, you pretty girl.” He felt a peace come over him as he stroked the dog’s fur. Chance kept staring at him, as if trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay.

He hadn’t been around pets much in a long time.

Megan joined him in loving on her. “What kind of dog is she?”

“Blue merle Australian shepherd, predominantly,” Luke answered. “Who knows what else, but she’s got the classic coloring and markings of an Aussie. They’re good herding dogs. She’s been helping us round up the alpacas at night. Good for companionship, too. When you guys move down…”

He stopped himself and glanced over at the sofa where Karla and Cassie were seated and lowered his voice. “Well, you can have pick of the litter if you’d like to keep one. I don’t think we need to keep all five of them.”

Angelina, who had been stirring a pot on the stove, must have overheard him. “Luke, can Marc and I take a look at the puppies? We’ve wanted to get a dog. Do you think these would enjoy hiking?”

“Sure. They love being outside. It’s all we can do to keep this one in the house,” he said pointing to Chance. “But Cassie had a talk with her and they reached some kind of agreement.” Luke glanced over at his wife again. “I know Cassie’s become attached to them all, but we already agreed that, as long as they go to the homes of our friends—and are spayed or neutered—we’re okay with adopting them out. You just have to give us generous visitation rights.” He grinned.

A dog. Ryder hadn’t thought about having one before, but the way this one put him at ease when he had been headed toward a mild panic attack just now made him wonder if having one might be a good companion for him.

Megan seemed to be on the same wavelength. “Where are the puppies?”

“In the bedroom. We’re trying to wean them from Chance, so be sure to keep the door closed.”

She took Ryder’s hand. “Come on. Let’s see if one speaks to us as strongly as this one has. I’m sure Chance is already taken.”

“Better believe it,” Luke said.

They walked into the bedroom and found two of the five puppies chewing on Luke’s boot. Those two might be more than they could handle. The other three were curled up together in a large dog bed lined with fleece. When he and Megan drew closer, one with mostly chocolate brown and white coloring poked its head up. With a distinctive brown mask around its eyes along with a streak down its nose, it reminded him of a bird kachina doll’s mask.

Seeing them, he or she stretched, yawned, and then gamboled over to them. Ryder picked it up, checked quickly underneath, and determined its sex.

“Female.”

“Oh, Ryder, she wants us to adopt her!” Megan scratched the puppy on the back of her neck. “She’s so soft.” The dog looked from one to the other and began licking Megan’s hand. She giggled. “I think she likes me.”

Ryder handed the puppy to her. “What’s not to love about you? Obviously she has good taste in mommies.”

Megan met his gaze as she nuzzled her chin back and forth against the puppy’s fur. Her eyes welled with tears. “Our own little furbaby.”

Ryder was struck by how peaceful this dog also made him feel, but clearly having a tiny creature to look after would be good for Megan, too. “We’re going to have to keep her out here until we move, though.”

“It won’t be long now. Can you believe how everything is working out for us here in Colorado?”

He really couldn’t. “I think it’s where we’re supposed to be. And helping Luke with his woodworking projects will keep me busy enough I won’t have time to worry about anything.”

“I’m so proud of you. Even when you were stuck in downtown Denver, you didn’t back down. But you shouldn’t have to go through any more projects like that.”

“Savannah helped a lot. She talked me down a few times.”

“She really is amazing. I wonder when they’ll get here.” When the puppy yawned and curled against Megan’s breast, he knew they had made the right decision about this one.

Megan’s face broke into a grin, and she leaned forward to kiss him. “Congratulations, Daddy, it’s a girl!” He couldn’t help but smile back seeing his girl so happy. “What should we name her?”

Ryder looked at her face again. “How about Kachina?”

“I love that! Distinctive and exotic, just like her.” She pressed her face against the sleeping baby and closed her eyes, like a madonna. Too bad his camera skills were nil, because that would have made an awesome photo. But he pulled his phone out anyway and snapped a few pics. Good thing the ringer was off and he didn’t disturb the moment.

“Can we have one,
Maman
?”

Damián answered. “You sure Boots will want to share you with a puppy?”

Ryder looked up as the three Orlandos came into the bedroom. Marisol dove straight for one of the puppies chewing on a boot.
Good luck with that one, Damián
. The man probably prized his biker boots as much as Ryder did his.

The mostly silver puppy quickly lost interest in the boot and jumped into the kneeling little girl’s lap. There were black spots on the back of that one. Marisol’s giggles were contagious.

“Is it a boy or girl, Daddy?”

Damián checked. “Looks like a girl. Runt of the litter, too, from what I can see, but she’s feisty enough.”

Marisol let the puppy play with the strands of her hair, teasing her. “I’m going to name her Chiquita. Isn’t that the perfect name,
Maman
, for my little girl?”

Savannah didn’t seem too thrilled with the name as she exchanged a horrified glance with Damián, but he just shrugged and grinned. Relaxing, she smiled and turned to her daughter. “Chiquita would be a fine name.”

“Come on, Marc. They’re going fast.”

*     *     *

“
Tesoro mio
, don’t worry. I’m sure there are still plenty to choose from.”

Angelina dragged him into the bedroom in her exuberance to see the puppies. She hadn’t been this excited since they had closed on a restaurant property in Breckenridge last month. He and Angelina had mentioned how it might be nice to have a dog—one that could watch over her when he was on a call or something—but he’d been thinking more along the lines of a full-grown, combat-trained Doberman or German shepherd. Not this little ball of fluff. Chance, the mother dog, seemed pretty laid back to him. Not exactly watchdog material.

One of the puppies bounded across the room to greet Angelina and she was soon on her knees scooping it into her arms. He pretty much figured that would be the one they’d be taking home to Aspen Corners.

Cute little thing. Had the markings of a wolf with its silver-gray and white. He joined them on the floor and the puppy fought to get to him for a little more loving. It probably didn’t weigh four pounds. Its eyes were blue like a husky’s.

When he held it to his face, it licked him. Not wanting to keep calling it “it,” Marc sexed it and found it to be male. Maybe that would bring out the dog’s protective nature.

Ah, shit.
Nothing wrong with having a dog just for companionship. One like this that had been abandoned and nearly died would surely appreciate a good, loving home.

Did dogs have abandonment issues the way Marc did? At least he and Angelina were working things out when they came up. No more secrets. No more shutting her out. Sometimes he fought the urge to run to the mountains to be alone, but he only had to remember that day ice climbing last February when he’d nearly gotten himself killed to know he didn’t need that kind of reckless behavior in his life. Sure, he’d still go ice climbing, but not alone.

Angelina had nurtured his soul back to life. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her.

Angelina smiled at him and cupped the puppy’s face. “He looks like a wolf.” He remembered the mask he had worn the night he met her and thought she was probably thinking the same thing.

Marisol interrupted their thoughts. “We read a book at school about a wolf named Lobo. That would be a good name.”

Marc smiled and nodded. Angelina turned to the little girl. “That would be a fine name. Thank you for helping us find the perfect one,
bambolina
.”

“I like helping find baby names.
Maman
, are you going to let me name the new babies when they come?”

The wistful expression on Angelina’s face told him he’d better be careful or she’d be walking down the aisle with a baby carriage at their wedding next June. He wasn’t ready to share her yet, well, with anything but this puppy. He’d almost lost her because of his insecurities. Obviously, he still had work to do in that area, but at least she was willing to put up with him.

Angelina glanced at Savannah and then Damián. “Are these wish-list babies, Savannah, or is there another reason to celebrate today?” Marc followed her gaze. He had assumed the little girl was talking about babies in a wishful way, but the couple exchanged a look that gave him the answer, even without saying a word.

Savannah turned to Angelina and smiled. “We’re due in late January. But there is only one anyone can find. Mari has it in her head she can just order up triplets like Grandpa’s and Gramm’s.”

Angelina abandoned the puppy and ran squealing across the room to give Savannah a hug. “I knew it! You’ve had a glow about you for weeks. Congratulations!”

Marc went over and picked up the lonely little Lobo as Luke and Cassie entered, hand in hand. He’d never seen his SAR partner happier. About time. The man deserved some happiness—and a second chance at love.

“What did we miss?” Luke asked.

Marc filled him in. “Three of your puppies have found new parents, and it looks like Damián and Savannah are going to add more than a new puppy to their family come January.”

Cassie followed Angelina in hugging Savannah while Luke patted Damián on the back. Cassie would probably be the next one pregnant judging by the way she had let down her defenses.

Adam carried two of the baby car seats into the room. “Time for some diaper changes. Whose turn in the barrel?”

“Oh, Adam, no one is going to volunteer to change our babies’ dirty diapers.” Karla followed him with the diaper bag and the third baby, this one wearing the Navy-blue sailor outfit he and Angelina had given them. Paxton. Good thing they color coordinated these kids or Marc would never be able to tell them apart.

“Nonsense,” Angelina said. “Let me have that precious little boy.” She took Paxton and laid him on the bed, going to work on the diaper like a pro. She was going to be a wonderful mother—when they were ready to start a family.

In a few years maybe. They had a lot going on in the next year. She’d soon be top chef in her own restaurant. Fortunately, she already had lined up two sous chefs from the culinary school she graduated from in Boulder. The three had been busy creating menus, testing recipes, and preparing for an opening early this fall, in time for the beginning of the busy ski season.

Knowing he wasn’t going to be seeing much of her anyway, he’d enrolled in a paramedic school. Being there to provide medical assistant to Savannah when she’d been kidnapped and taking care of her made him realize how badly he missed his Corpsman days. He’d start classes in a few weeks, both online and on-campus ones. Angelina’s brother, Rafe, said he could work with his department in an EMT capacity, too.

He seemed to be winning her oldest brother over incrementally. Man, he couldn’t screw up again with Angelina.

They were on the road to rebuilding trust and embarking on a life together. By the time their wedding rolled around, they would be more settled into their new lives and have time for each other again. Still, they were making the most of every moment they had tucked away in her cozy bungalow in Aspen Corners.