Until There Was You Read online

  “Come on down, and we’ll see if we did as good a job on your house as we did on mine,” Morgan called from the ground.

  Luke climbed down the ladder and pulled the remote control out of his pocket. “With all the hammering at your house, it was a good thing Phoenix was busy working in the studio you built for her in back of your house.”

  “When she’s working, she tunes everything out except me,”

  Luke laughed. “We’re two lucky men.”

  “Amen to that.” Morgan nodded toward the control in Luke’s hand. “You’re going to test it?”

  “Nope. Like you, we’re going to turn it on together. We’re creating traditions here.”

  Morgan nodded in understanding. “Phoenix hasn’t had a real Christmas since her mother died. This year has got to be special.”

  Luke clapped his brother on the back. “It already is. She has you.”

  “As you said, I’m a lucky man.”

  “You both are.” Luke glanced at his watch. “I’m meeting Cath in twenty at the tree lot.”

  “We’re having ours delivered,” Morgan said, heading for his BMW Roadster.

  “That’s what you get for being partial to driving a baby car instead of your truck,” Luke told him.

  Morgan patted the fender of the sports car. “Ignore him. Everyone doesn’t want to drive a behemoth.”

  Luke chuckled and opened the door to his Dodge Ram truck. Morgan mostly used his truck to haul his horse trailer with his and Phoenix’s horses. “Hug Phoenix for me.”

  “Do the same with Catherine.” Waving, Morgan climbed into his car and pulled off.

  Luke took one last look at the lights on the cabin before getting into the truck. “I can’t wait to see Cath’s expression.”

  “WHY ARE WE STOPPING? DO YOU THINK THERE’S A problem with the tree?”

  “The tree is fine,” Luke reassured her as he’d done every couple of miles since they’d left her car at his house in the city. They still spent most of their time at the cabin, the place where they’d met, fallen in love, and first made love. “I just want to show you something.” Luke opened his door and got out. Catherine scooted out behind him.

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, he curved his arm around her small waist. “You never cease to amaze me. If it wasn’t for the headlights, it would be pitch dark. Any other woman would be asking questions, instead of getting out of the truck twenty yards from the house.”

  “I trust you. Besides, you didn’t once complain while I was trying to decide on the right tree and the theme.” She looked up at him. “I want everything to be perfect.”

  He dropped a kiss on her lips. “With you it always will be. Now.” He turned her toward the cabin and stepped behind her. “I have a surprise for you.” He pulled the remote control out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Push the button.”

  She looked at him a moment, then did as he’d requested. Her breath caught. The house was outlined in a thousand twinkling white lights. “Oh! It’s beautiful.”

  Luke placed his chin on her head. “I heard your mother mention that you had traditions of your own that you’d miss this year. One of them was outside lights.”

  Catherine turned in his arms. “You also heard her say that she’s never seen me happier, and that she couldn’t have wished for a better son-in-law. We’ll start our own traditions.”

  He grinned, hot and sexy, and full of promise. “I know one.”

  She grinned back. “Let’s get home and start working on it.”

  Laughing, he tugged her to the truck. She eagerly followed.

  THE DAYS WERE GOING TOO FAST, CATHERINE thought as she stepped out of the bath tub. Only seven days remained before Christmas, and she had so many things to do, but at least everything was ready for Luke’s surprise, and the house was decorated. The gold and silver theme had worked beautifully. Garland and white satin ribbon graced the stairwell. At the foot of the stairs were Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in silver-and-white fur robes.

  In front of the immense picture window was a twelve-foot Douglas fir decked with beautiful gold and silver balls, and white doves. Luke had placed the angel, dressed in pure white, on top. Afterwards, they’d made love in front of the tree.

  Catherine paused to reminisce about that magical moment. Each day kept getting better and better.

  There was a brief knock on the door before it opened and Luke stuck his head inside. His hot gaze slid over her body. “A moment too late, I see.”

  She sighed in regret. “If I didn’t have an appointment with your mother and members of the Women’s League, I’d lose the towel.”

  “Maybe my timing will be better in the morning. In the meantime . . .” He stepped inside. “I wanted to give you this.”

  Catherine stared at the beautifully wrapped box in heavy gold paper with a white satin bow. “You want me to open it now?”

  “Yes.” He held the gift out to her. “This is the first Christmas of many we’ll share together. Since I can’t imagine a more complete life, and since seven is special to the family and is supposed to be the perfect number, I wanted to give you a gift each day for the seven days leading up to Christmas to say thank you for being my wife, my love.”

  “Luke.” His name trembled from her lips. “I love you so much.”

  His thumb brushed away the tears on her lashes. “Open it.”

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, Catherine untied the bow and lifted the lid. The sides collapsed to reveal a snow globe with a cabin surrounded by snow. Her heart thumped. Her gaze sought his. “It’s this cabin.”

  He smiled, pleased, and pointed to a side switch. “Push it, and then look closely.”

  Catherine did as requested. Lights illuminated the inside of the cabin, and when she looked closer, she saw a man and a woman inside kissing.

  “It’s musical.”

  Catherine wound up the spring, then upended the globe. As “Silent Night” played, a soft blanket of snow fell on the cabin with the lovers inside. She was touched beyond words. “Luke, thank you.”

  He brushed his lips across hers. “Thank you for loving me, for trusting me with your love.”

  She batted away another tear. “I’m going to give Ruth an extra hug when I see her.”

  “Can I have one now?” he asked.

  Setting the globe on the marble vanity, she went into his arms, kissing him, caressing him. This was going to be the best Christmas imaginable.

  THAT SAME MORNING, PROPPED IN BED ON HIS ELBOW, Morgan stared down at a sleeping Phoenix. It was a sight he’d never tire of. First the soft smile would touch her tempting mouth, then the smile would gradually spread over her beautiful face. Her eyes would slowly open. And in their haunting depths, he’d see a love worth dying for.

  And as now, as she began to rouse, he’d feel an overwhelming love for this woman that made his heart pound and his body want. He knew he always would.

  She was the one and only. No other woman would ever capture his heart.

  “Good morning,” Phoenix said, awakening fully and twining her arms around his neck.

  “Good morning,” he said, brushing his lips across hers, a part of him wishing they could linger in bed. He rolled away before temptation got the better of him. Having his jeans on helped. “Get dressed. I want to show you something. I have your clothes ready.”

  She watched him grab his shirt before she reached for the thick red sweater on the bed. She threw him a teasing look. “No undergarments.”

  He grinned down at her. “This won’t take long.”

  She grinned back. “Then by all means let’s go and hurry back.”

  PHOENIX’S CURIOSITY WAS PIQUED EVEN HIGHER AS Morgan bundled her into his car and pulled out of the garage. It went off the chart when, fifteen minutes later, he turned into a winding driveway that led to a large ranch house. Instead of stopping, he drove around back and braked in front of three greenhouses.

  “We’re here.”

  “And here is .
. . ?”

  Picking up her hand, he kissed it. “You’ll see.”

  Opening his door, he came around and opened hers. She didn’t need to wait on him, but he liked doing small things for her, and since she was crazy in love with him, anything that made him happy was all right by her.

  With his arm curved around her waist, he went to the first greenhouse and opened the door. The pungent smell of rich soil and fertilizer tickled her nose. Flowers in bloom with rich red, yellow, blue, and purple blossoms spread out before her. “It’s beautiful.”

  She loved flowers, but because she became so caught up in her sculptures, they didn’t fare very well with her.

  “I thought you’d like it, but I have something else to show you.” He tugged off her gloves. “It might be in the low forties outside, but it’s easily in the seventies in here.”

  Smiling, she allowed him to lead her further into the enclosure. If anyone would have told her that an incredible, thoughtful man like Morgan would love her, she would have called them crazy. He was everything she had ever dreamed of and so afraid she’d never have.

  He stopped and stepped in front of her, his face serious. “I love you, Phoenix. You give so much in your work, and to all those around you with the joy of your smile, the honesty of your loving touch. I wanted to give you something that mirrored what you so effortlessly give with your quiet strength, your incredible sculptures that speak to everyone who sees them. This is my gift of love.”

  He stepped aside to reveal a lush crimson rose tipped with the red-orange of fire. “The Phoenix Rose.”

  Her gaze snapped from the beautiful flower in full bloom to his. Stunned, she couldn’t speak.

  “A client lives here. His hobby is growing roses and creating hybrid strains,” Morgan told her. “When he mentioned a new rose and described it, I knew your name would be perfect. After he saw your work, he agreed.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes. “Morgan.”

  “You and the Phoenix Rose both toil long hours before showing the world your breath-taking creations, both of your work requires heat—yours the furnace, the rose the sun—to reach full potential, both you and the rose had to go through years of trials before you were ready to emerge.”

  She hugged him, her arms tight, her body trembling with emotions. “I love you. I love you,” she repeated, the only words that she could get out, but also the most important ones.

  “I know. Let’s go home.” Picking her up, he headed for his car.

  LUKE AND MORGAN WERE ON A ROLL. THEIR WIVES loved their second-day gifts of a black cashmere travel blanket and the travel pillow case, the case a perfect fit for airline pillows. On Day Three, Catherine woke up to a charm bracelet with wolf and heart charms on her wrist. Phoenix’s platinum charm bracelet held a rearing horse charm and a snowflake charm.

  On Day Four, both women had to wait until they emerged from their baths that night for their gifts. Both had incorrectly assumed their breakfast in bed with heart-shaped pancakes and freshly sliced strawberries were their gifts for that day. They were both wrong.

  Luke took great pleasure and time in giving Catherine a full body massage. Afterwards, he slipped on her aroused body a seafoam silk halter gown, matching robe, and slippers, and then promptly tossed aside them aside and took her to bed.

  Phoenix’s negligee was a blush-pink, two-piece silk set with a matching robe and slippers. Morgan tossed in the bonus of the massage to the sensual delight of them both.

  Luke and Morgan went to sleep with smiles and thoughts of tomorrow, and the women sleeping peacefully in their arms. They might be giving the gifts, but they were getting pleasure from it in more ways than one. They didn’t have to wait for Christmas; they already had the perfect gift.

  RUTH GRAYSON NEVER STOPPED THANKING GOD AND the Master of Breath for aiding her in bringing her two eldest sons together with two women of quiet strength, intelligence, and artistic talent. Their family was blessed by their presence.

  “Who would have thought Luke and Morgan would be so romantic?” Sierra quipped as she sat in one of the four lounge chairs in La Valva, a boutique in downtown Santa Fe that specialized in couture evening wear. “Seven days of Christmas with a corresponding number of gifts for each day is pretty awesome.” She chuckled. “Even Pierce is impressed.”

  “It only takes the right woman.” Ruth looked at her youngest and most headstrong child. “Or the right man.”

  “I did not hear that.” Sierra eyed the artful display of petits fours, truffles, and chocolate-dipped strawberries on polished silver trays, the bottle of sparkling cider chilling in the silver wine cooler, a stiff-backed waiter standing nearby. “Besides, I’m way down on the list.”

  “But you are on the list,” her mother reminded her.

  Before Sierra could comment, voices could be heard coming from the front of the store, which was just as well, Ruth thought. Sierra believed she was invincible, but her time would come. Ruth came to her feet as did Sierra while her sons and their wives, accompanied by the store owner, approached.

  The surprise on Catherine and Phoenix’s faces was as priceless as it was heartwarming to Ruth. After they’d all had dinner together, the women were told their help was needed to pick out a gift. They didn’t know the gift was for them. The store was closed to provide Catherine and Phoenix with a private showing of evening gowns.

  This was Day Five so they would get five items: an evening gown and accessories, a trip to New York for New Year’s Eve, tickets to the theater, an invitation to the after-party, and a stay at the Plaza Hotel.

  It did Ruth’s heart good that her sons had included her in the surprise, and that they planned to match the amount their wives spent with a donation to the Women’s League. She had done well in choosing. She would do so again.

  CATHERINE WAS IN A HURRY. CHRISTMAS WAS TOMORrow. She had so much to do and the clock was going at warp speed. Shrugging on her short wool coat, she pulled a knit cap over her head, grabbed her gloves, and started from the bedroom just as her cell phone rang. Retracing her steps, she dumped the contents of her purse, grabbed the cell phone, and continued out of the room. “Hello.”

  “Hello, yourself,” her mother greeted. “I thought I’d call since we’re all packed to fly out in the morning. You sound rushed.”

  “A bit.” Catherine picked up a large shopping bag in the kitchen and let herself out of the back door. She shivered, then smiled as a cold blast of air hit her. The temperature was dropping, and if the weather man was right, she’d get her snow tonight. “I’ve decided to use live greenery for the table tomorrow, so I’m going to look for some.”

  “I suppose ordering is out this late.”

  “Exactly.” Catherine stuck the phone between her shoulder and ear, pulled on her gloves, and continued into the forest that surrounded the cabin. “I’ll use whatever I find that strikes my interest. Luke helped me set the table before he left to meet a client, but he’ll be back by six. He thinks some of the faculty is coming tomorrow.”

  “He’ll be surprised when he sees your guests, just as he’s surprised you for the past six days. I wonder what he’ll give you today,” her mother mused. “I think it’s giving your father ideas.” She laughed. “You’ll love the five days you’ll spend at the Cloister resort on Georgia’s Black Banks River.”

  Catherine stopped to consider an odd shaped piece of wood and a small vine. “We plan to fly out when Morgan and Phoenix can get away. It’s going to be a wonderful trip.”

  “Just like your marriage.”

  Catherine paused to look at another vine with red berries, then continued. “I’m the luckiest woman. Although I’m not having much luck finding what I’m looking for. I thought I might find something by the small hidden lake Luke loves, but there is nothing here.”

  “There’s enough ivy on the house for me to bring you bags,” her mother commented.

  “No, thank you, I want—” Catherine paused as she heard something in the bushes.

 
“What is it?”

  Catherine’s hand gripped the phone, then the noise became louder. Out stepped Hero. Relief rushed through her. “You scared me. Mother, it’s Hero.” Smiling, she reached out her hand. “Hello. I didn’t forget you for tomorrow.”

  “Catherine, I’m still uneasy about you and that wolf hybrid,” her mother warned.

  “Hero wouldn’t hurt me,” she said, stepping nearer to the animal.

  The hybrid’s teeth bared. He growled low in his throat. More hurt than afraid, Catherine slowly drew her hand back.

  “What’s that sound? What’s going on?” her mother asked, fear in her voice.

  “Something is wrong with Hero. Perhaps he’s hurt again. I don’t under—” A scream locked in her throat as he lunged at her, then tore free.

  “Catherine! Catherine! What is it! Answer me,” her mother demanded, but there was no answer, only silence.

  LUKE AND MORGAN WERE IN THE PARKING LOT OF THEIR office building, headed toward their vehicles, when a chill chased down Luke’s spine. He stopped in mid-stride. “Cath?”

  Morgan frowned at his brother. “What is it?”

  Shaking his head, Luke reached for his cellphone just as it rang. He intended to get rid of whoever was on the line so he could call Cath. He’d been taught by his maternal grandparents to trust his instincts. Something wasn’t right. “Hello. Can I—”

  “Luke, something happened to Catherine,” her mother blurted, her usual calm voice near hysteria. “I was talking to her as she looked for table decorations in the woods. The hybrid showed up. I heard him growling, then . . . then she screamed. The line went dead.”

  Luke’s gut clenched, his heart thudded, then he was running to his truck with Morgan on his heels. “Hero wouldn’t hurt Catherine,” he told her. What he couldn’t bring himself to say was that another wild animal might have. “Do you have any idea where she was?”

  “She mentioned she was at the small lake you like.”

  “Hold.” He turned to Morgan. “Cath might be in trouble at the lake. Call Dakota and have him clear the way with a squad car, but either way I’m not slowing down until I’m at the cabin.” Knowing Morgan would carry out his orders, Luke jumped into his truck and sped off. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Stewart. I’ll be at the cabin in twelve minutes.”