Nobody's Perfect (65 page)

Cassie looked up at Adam. He had his arm around Kitty, who seemed to melt into his body.

Their friendship was going to be further strained when Kitty became a mother and her interests and focus changed.

A deep sadness came over her. Cassie would never know the life of wife and mother. But maybe she could live vicariously through Kitty, who was glowing at the prospect of motherhood in just over two months.

Cassie wasn't jealous. She loved the solitary life she'd chosen to live up on her mountain, well, most of the time. The four alpacas had helped her get through this past winter with a little less loneliness, though. She couldn't wait to get home to see how her babies were doing. Graciela seemed nearly ready to drop her cria, although the owner she'd bought her from had said she wasn't due until early June. Cassie knew she wouldn't have to offer much assistance, but she didn't want to miss the happy event, either.

She waved at Marc and Angelina, who probably didn't notice because they were deep in conversation.

Cassie stepped out into the wind and took a deep breath. Then another.

Freedom.

She relaxed for the first time since Luke had mentioned playing pool and walked to her SUV parked on a side street. A glance up at the mountain helped relax her further.

Home
.

Soon she'd be in her haven. Nothing evil could invade her sanctuary. She sent positive energy and vibrations out every morning and every evening to prevent it.

The sun was setting as she made it through the pass and turned onto her rutted road. The huge chasms in the dirt road kept sightseers and interlopers away. She knew her four-wheel drive would manage fine. She glanced up at Iron Horse Peak and noticed a particularly dangerous-looking ledge of snow hanging near the crest of the mountaintop. Careful to take it slow, not wanting to make a noise that might send it tumbling toward her, she maneuvered around the mountainside. When she'd gotten beyond where an avalanche could impede her getting home, she relaxed her grip on the steering wheel. At least, if the snowpack gave way in early May like this, she wouldn't be stranded for months like she had been the second year she'd lived up here.

As she came around the last bend in the road, her cabin loomed in front of her. She'd left the porch light on. Inviting.

The vintage log structure had been modified to accommodate her art studio, providing more light than the old cabin had offered originally, while remaining authentic.

Home.

She opened the door and got out. The slamming of the door resulted in a cacophony of welcoming hums and clucks from her precious babies in the barn. She smiled. They'd made life up here much less lonely—

The thundering roar of tumbling snow invaded her thoughts, and she looked up in time to watch the snowpack hurtle toward the roadway and the valley below. There weren't any cabins in its path, and it would be extremely unlikely anyone would hike or camp here, given all of the recent warnings

So, Cassie watched in awe, appreciating the raw power of nature. Someday, she was going to capture the beauty of an avalanche on canvas.

When the air grew silent again, she trudged through last night's snowfall toward the front door. Good thing she'd stocked up. It would take a couple weeks for that amount of snow to melt. She had a small plow for her SUV, but she wasn't in any hurry to visit civilization again. She preferred to be with her alpacas and her art, far removed from regular human contact, which was…stressful.

Dusk had fallen by the time she'd gotten her supplies inside, fed the alpacas, and got back to work on the sketch for the fiber piece she planned to make from the first harvesting of their fleece. The wind had begun to pick up; it felt like more snow.

Her cell phone jarred her from her work some time later. Glancing at the clock, she saw that nearly an hour had passed. Caller ID showed Kitty's name. What could she want so soon?

"Hey, Kitty. What's up?"

"Are you okay? Marc said there was an avalanche up there."

"Obviously, I'm fine. I just made it through before the snowpack came down."

There was an awkward pause before Kitty continued. "Um, is Luke with you?"

"Luke? Why on earth would Luke be with
me
? I left him there with you"

"Oh, God, no!"

Cassie was bombarded by the impact of a wave of negative energy in the universe's aether. She knew with disturbing certainty her safe world was about to be invaded.

"Cassie, he followed you."

"Why? I told him I didn't
need
anyone."

"He just wanted to make sure you made it home safely. Adam agreed. You know how Doms are."

She couldn't suppress the aggravation in her voice. "No, Kitty, I don't." And she didn't want to know. What little Kitty had told her about the kinky stuff she and Adam were into only reinforced for Cassie that
machismo
men would always try to subjugate women.

Although Karla didn't
seem
subjugated. She seemed very happy and fulfilled.

"But I didn't see anyone following me." Not that she'd looked. "He had to see the conditions were ripe for an avalanche before venturing that far around the mountain. The man works in search-and-rescue, for heaven's sake."

Kitty's muffled voice was speaking with someone else now. "He's not there."

Adam's voice came through loud and clear next. "Marc, let's go!"

"Kitty. Kitty?"

"Sorry. Adam and Marc are going to go search for him."

"Why don't you just call his phone? He's probably beyond Fairplay by now on his way home."

"We tried that first. He's not answering."

Kitty sounded really worried. "Look, if it'll make you feel better, I'll go out, too, and see if I can see any sign of him."

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah, the ledge was gone after the snowpack broke loose."

"Would you? I'd feel better."

Only for you, Kitty, would I go out on a night like this looking for a man.

But, if she could put her friend's mind at rest, she could do this. "I'll call you back in a few." She ended the call and sat on the cedar chest, pulling on her boots. She grabbed her parka and a flashlight from the hook in the mudroom as she went out the door.

The flashlight illuminated the tracks she'd made to and from where she parked her SUV. She started the engine and turned the vehicle around to head back the quarter-mile, or however far she could get before the road became blocked.

What if she found him? What would she do with him? No one was going to get out of here anytime soon. The thought of being trapped here with him sent her heart jumping into her throat, and she swallowed to try and relieve the sensation of obstruction.

What if she
didn't
find him? If he really had followed her home, he could have been right in the middle of the treacherous snow's path. She shuddered, but not from the cold. Luke seemed like a nice man, even if he did look at her the wrong way. She didn't want to see him hurt—or worse.

Fear caused her to drive a little faster until she reached the place where the snow had settled too deeply across the road. There weren't any trees above the roadway because of the altitude, so the snow was absent any debris. She didn't see any vehicles or people, either.

Casting the beam of the light down the side of the mountain, she looked for anything out of the ordinary, other than a mountain of snow.

"Luke! Can you hear me?"

The wind howled, carrying her words into the valley, but there was no other sound.

She panned the light slowly down the mound of snow. White and more white. Surely she'd see if something out of the ordinary—

The beam flashed against something shiny, not a natural feature. She moved the light back until she saw it again—something gray amidst the white snow. Her heart stuttered once, twice, then thudded to life again. A truck's hood was embedded in the snow, the side of the truck, near the extended-cab passenger door, was wrapped around a spruce tree, which had withstood the force of the avalanche. Apparently, the snowslide had clipped the back of the vehicle, because there hadn't been time for him to turn around.

She needed to get down there and make sure he was okay.

Cassie sent positive vibrations out into the universe, attaching Luke's name to them.
Please let Luke Denton be all right
. She slid down the slope, coming to a thud against the back panel of the truck, then crawled her way to the door. She peered in and saw Luke slumped toward the passenger seat, still wearing his seatbelt.

She sent out healing vibrations this time, as she tried to pry open the door, but the snow was wedged against the lower third of the door, and the wheel wells were completely covered with snow. She set the flashlight down on a nearby mound of snow to light the area. He'd been here over an hour. The night wasn't frigid, but if he'd gone into shock…

Cassie frantically clawed at the snow, thankful it hadn't settled to a sheet of ice yet, as it would overnight. Her arms ached and the tips of her fingers were numb by the time she'd cleared enough snow to open the door. She picked up the flashlight and light illuminated the cab of the truck.

Reaching in, she touched his denim shirt sleeve. Still warm.
Please don't let him be dead
. "Luke! Can you hear me?"

He moaned and, in a whoosh, she let out the breath she'd been holding. She whispered, "Thank you, goddess."

Cassie raised her voice again. "Luke, open your eyes. It's Cassie."

He groaned. "Hell, woman. Let me sleep. No more dreams, damn it."

At least he was talking, although he wasn't making any sense. This was no dream; it was a freaking nightmare.

* * *

Damián rolled the throttle, and the rented Harley roared to life as they pulled out of the gate at Camp Pendleton. He'd proudly introduced Savannah to some of his old buddies who'd just returned from their umpteenth deployment. Showing off his beautiful girl had been great, but the day wasn't over yet.

They'd flown in to San Diego yesterday with Marisol, primarily to meet with Father Martine for premarital counseling. Because of the distance issues, and the fact that the priest had known Damián and Savannah for so long, he had agreed to a single session. He said he was more than satisfied with their obvious commitment to each other.

Damián would have been happy with a simple wedding in Denver, because the sooner she made an honest man of him, the better. But Savannah wanted a Nuptial Mass at San Miguel's. No, she probably needed it. That church had done a lot toward helping her heal, until she'd come to him last December.

Rosa had taken her kids and Marisol to San Diego for the day, giving Savannah and him the day and evening to themselves. He'd only told her they'd be going up to Pendleton, in case he chickened out. But if she could face as many demons as she had, he sure as hell wasn't going to be a pussy about his own.

When he turned north on the 5, rather than head back to Solana Beach, Savannah yelled in his ear, "Hey, where are we headed now?"

"You'll see,
bebé
! Anticipation is good for you."

She pinched his thigh, but wrapped her arms around him and laid her helmeted head against his shoulder. He grinned. If she was his submissive, he'd have to work on discipline a little more. She'd never brought up the subject again after their date two weeks ago, but he'd give her time. Maybe they'd talk again after the wedding.

The closer they got to Laguna Beach, the more nervous he became. What if he made a fool of himself? He wanted today to be perfect, just like the last time they were here.

Don’t think about that now. You have a beautiful woman plastered against your body, man. Focus.

The sense of
déjà vu
threatened to overwhelm him. Eight and a half years had passed. Sometimes it seemed like fifty, given all that had happened in his life since he'd met Savannah, but today he felt like a fucking teenager again.

All too soon, Damián pulled into a residential parking spot across the highway from the beach-access steps.

Savannah screamed, "Damián! You brought me back to Thousand Steps! Our special place!" She squeezed him around the waist and made him so glad he hadn't chickened out. Her excitement alone were worth any discomfort he might experience.

She removed her helmet at the same time he did his. The smell of the salt air made him realize how much he'd missed coming to the beach. But Rosa had told him she and the kids were moving to Denver after the school year ended, so Damián's ties to Southern California would pretty much be over soon. He'd better enjoy the beach while he could.

Damián retrieved a beach blanket, bottled waters, and some snacks from the rack bag. He was better prepared this time than he had been the last.

They crossed the busy highway, his anxiety and excitement building. What's the worst that could happen? He might stumble and fall on his ass. Hell, she'd
knocked
him on his ass before herself. Big deal. At the top of the long staircase, he turned to Savannah. The sparkle in her big blue eyes pushed aside some of his anxiety.

"I carried you down these stairs last time."

Damián glanced down the stairway knowing he'd never be able to do it now.

She touched his cheek, bringing his attention back to her. He looked back at her. " Damián, that was only because the soles of my feet had been beaten by the sadists. You were being my knight in shining armor. This time, we'll walk the stairs side-by-side."

Savannah took his hand and squeezed it. "You're even more my hero now. You rescued me again. Not just from my father, but from the demons that had been ruling my life." She smiled. "Enough stalling. Let's get down to our cave."

She took the first step and pulled on his hand until he followed. Together, they started their journey, one step at a time. About halfway down, she said, "One of these days I'm going to count these steps."

"About two-hundred-and-thirty."

She stopped and looked at him. "That's like a skyscraper."