Page 107 of Where Dreams Begin

“They’re in the freezer. Do you feel well enough to sit out on the patio while I set up the grill?”

In truth, Luke felt sore all over from the fight, but unwilling to appear an invalid, he rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. “Sure, I don’t feel nearly as bad as I look,” he lied. But after Catherine had showered and dressed, he entered the bathroom and swore when he discovered another black eye.

He made it out to the patio under his own power, while Catherine was busy lighting the charcoal. “I hope you won’t mind my coming to dinner without a shirt, but even if I had one, I don’t think it would fit over the bandages.”

Catherine kissed him rather than complain. “Even if you may look as though you were hit by a train, you still look awfully good to me. Besides, we’re outdoors rather than in the dining room, so we needn’t worry about maintaining the proper decorum.”

“That’s a relief.” Luke felt right at home in her backyard, but after watching Smoky chase butterflies through the colorful flower beds for a moment, he pulled her note from his pocket. “The last time I was here, there was something you wanted to tell me. You wanted to talk last night too. We’ve got plenty of time now.”

Satisfied the charcoal was burning nicely, Catherine sat beside him. “Maybe you ought to eat first.”

“Is it that bad?”

Catherine had been too frightened in the last twenty-four hours to think of the baby, but now she was resigned to telling him the truth. “It’s all in your point of view.”

Luke nodded to concede the fact. “Well, I’ve already acknowledged being an idiot where you’re concerned; but maybe you’ll overlook it. You want to get married?”

Shocked, she sat back in her chair. “You’ve asked me some startling questions in the past, but that takes the prize. You’re still running on adrenalin. You need to wait a few days and then decide if you really want to propose.”

“You see what I mean about a dance? If I move forward, then you move back. You said you’d never turn me away.”

That he recalled her promise made her smile. But when he’d given her such an off-hand proposal with no mention of love, she was reluctant to accept. She loved him dearly, but a one-sided marriage would never last.

Luke pushed his chair away from the table and patted his thighs. “You’re too far away. Come here.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. Just come here and sit,” he coaxed.

Willing to at least give it a try, she left her chair, carefully eased down into his lap and smoothed out her skirt. “Let me know if this gets uncomfortable.”

Luke hugged her with his good arm. “No, it feels great. I’ve really missed you. I’m sorry for getting so lost in my own misery that I wasn’t there for you. It won’t happen again.”

“Is that a promise?” she murmured wistfully.

“Absolutely. No matter what you need, I’m your man.”

“Thank you.” Catherine took a deep breath to force out the words. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Luke would have leapt to his feet had her weight not held him down. “Are you sure?”

“Sure about being pregnant, or sure the baby’s yours? Yes on both counts.”

Stunned, Luke felt as though the breath had been knocked out of him. He braced himself, but the thought of having a child with her brought only a curious warmth rather than the expected agony. His lengthy silence prompted Catherine to leave his embrace, but he pulled her right back down again.

“No, stay with me. I was careful, so it’s no wonder I’m surprised.” In truth, he was completely overwhelmed by the prospect of fatherhood. “Give me a minute to get used to the idea; then tell me what you want to do.”

Catherine combed his hair softly with her fingertips. “If you loved me, my first choice would be to marry you and raise a family. But if you can’t—”

“Of course I love you,” Luke cried. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind from the first maddening day you walked into my office and gave me such a hard time. If I’d had any sense, I would have known you were the woman for me right then.”

She rested her cheek against his silvered hair. “I love you too, but a man really ought to mention love when he proposes.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

“I hope you won’t need it, but Luke, if our having a baby together is going to be too much for you, please say so now.”

He could still feel how Marcy had felt in his arms when they’d brought her home from the hospital; refusing to allow her tragic death to spoil their future, he choked back the poignant memory.

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