The Home & Family Pt. 03

Chapter Ten

Dakota and Luke stayed in the bed for a little longer before getting up to make their return trip back to the bed and breakfast. Dakota dressed first, as Luke laid in bed and watched her every move. Then she threw his clothes at him and laughed as she crossed the room. While packing up their stuff from the kitchen area, Dakota said, "We need to head back. We still have to go to supper with Marshall and Linda Jane."

By the time Dakota finished packing up their various things, Luke had managed to get dressed. Together, they left the cabin. The ride back was completed in silence, both of them lost in their thoughts. Luke was hyperfocused on trying to figure out what his next step was going to be in order to keep Dakota with him. It wasn't until he saw the stable in the distance that he realized that he was letting Dakota down. He had agreed to be her lover and he doubted that she had fantasized about having an emotional, silent basketcase filling that position.

Luke trotted his horse up beside Dakota to ride for the rest of the way. They were in wide open pasture now and the sun was fairly low in the sky. Dakota nodded toward the barn and said, "Marshall will be waiting for us. We can leave the horses with him. He'll brush them down for us. Although I normally would insist that we do it, if we go ahead and shower and get ready, we can return the favor by watching his kids while he showers at his own house." Cutting playful eyes at Luke, she continued, "Between rubbing down these two horses and keeping Marshall's three banchees, I think he's getting the better end of the deal!"

When they got to the stable, Marshall was, indeed, waiting for them. He helped them get their saddles off and then shooed them out of the barn to go get ready. Although they walked in silence, Luke reached out and took Dakota's hand as they went up the hill to the bed and breakfast. He still wasn't feeling 100% back on solid ground, physically or emotionally and he wanted to know that she was there beside him for support. Damn - what was he going to do when the week-end was over?

Dakota dropped the picnic basket off by the kitchen then followed Luke up the stairs. He opened the door and ushered Dakota into the room first. He sensed that the time was right for him to say something, but, damn if he knew what. Luke dropped onto the couch and held out his hands to Dakota. She frowned slightly, but she went to him. He pulled her down into his lap. She put her arms around his neck and Luke buried his face in her breast. With his voice muffled by her shirt, he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so . . . so distant. Sometimes, when I'm thinking about something, I'm not the best company.

I didn't mean to tune you out. If you want to go alone tonight, I will understand."

Dakota laughed softly, then tilted his face up toward her own. "Luke, I don't want to go without you. I would feel kinda silly without you. It's just that you are already a very special person to me. I was afraid that you hadn't enjoyed our afternoon activities."

Once again, Luke dropped his face to her chest. Dakota stroked his hair as he sat and held her quietly for a few minutes. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were clear and happy. With a genuine smile on his face, Luke said, "Let me show you how much I enjoyed those "activities"! You never did find me that lake to swim in today. Want to join me in the shower and pretend it's a waterfall?"

Dakota laughed at Luke and then, much to his surprise, nodded her head. Luke gave her a lusty leer and picked her up in his arms. He carried

her into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Like he was opening a delicate present, Luke took his time removing each article of Dakota's clothing. When he was finished, he slowly took his own clothes off, enjoying watching the heat growing in Dakota's eyes. As his body was revealed to her, she seemed to consume him with those eyes. Dakota's moan of appreciation as the final barrier between them was removed gratified Luke tremendously. He liked the fact that she really wanted his body.

Their shower took a little longer than normal due to having to soap one another, rinse one another and touch one another. Luke used the shower head to show Dakota a whole new aspect of pleasure. Her response was so powerfully arousing to Luke that, with a few deft strokes of Dakota's hand, he too reached a knee shaking release. Then they had to soap and rinse all over again. All in all, the shower was an adventure they both relished!

When they finally managed to make it back downstairs, Marshall was sitting in the dining room, talking to Andrea and Hank. The three of them all looked up when Luke and Dakota walked into the room, then they looked back at one another and shook their heads, laughing.

"What?" Luke demanded in a playfully indignant voice.

Marshall was the first to answer, "Oh, nothing. It's just that I finished brushing down both horses, feed the whole barn full of animals, walked up here to the house and have had two cups of coffee. All in the time that it took the two of you to shower. Now, tell me, why would we be laughing?"

Luke and Dakota both had the decency to look sheepish, but neither one offered any explanation. Dakota just smiled and said, "Well, look who is holding us up now! Aren't you ready to go, Marshall?"

The three left Andrea and Hank, wishing the couple a good evening. Hank just gave them a big wink and assured them that he had a good evening planned if they would all just go on and get out the door!

Luke and Dakota followed Marshall in Luke's truck. As soon as they were parked, three barefooted children came running toward them. Luke figured that the oldest one couldn't be more than five. And they were expecting another one? Luke couldn't even imagine having a family that large.

Two of the kids seemed to grow wings as they flew toward Dakota, because they landed in her arms without her even having to bend over. Luke chuckled to himself as he considered whether it was really that they had grown wings, or was it more likely that they were just part monkey? They certainly seemed monkey-like as they climbed all over Dakota, trying to get her attention.

Dakota kissed them both and headed for the back door, still carrying them. Luke followed behind her, watching her with the children. Even the one that Marshall was carrying kept leaning over to hug Dakota. And Dakota was loving every minute of it. It was obvious to Luke that she was a born mother.

When they got inside, Dakota introduced Luke to Linda Jane. Marshall had been telling the truth about the two women looking alike. Luke was amazed how much they resembled each other. Linda Jane offered him a cold drink, while Marshall went to take a shower.

Dakota and Luke sat in the living room, surrounded by the children and listening to them all trying to talk at once. It had taken about three minutes flat for them to get over being shy around Luke. Dakota held two of the kids on her lap, and Luke held the other. Every few minutes, the kids switched places. In the end, they all managed to sit soberly in "Uncle" Luke's lap and get Aunt Dakota's kisses while sitting with her. It not only amused the kids, but Dakota seemed extraordinarily happy as well.

When Marshall returned, he grabbed the steaks and hotdogs out of the fridge and invited Luke to join him on the patio. They slid open the glass door and out shot three little bullets, right between them. Marshall laughed, "Living up here, one of the advantages is that the kids can run around in a fair amount of safety."

Luke looked around him. The house was nestled in the side of a mountain, surrounded by trees. It was as though it had grown there and was a part of the forest around it. Luke nodded in approval. In typical male bonding patterns, Marshall just grunted out his appreciation as he threw the steaks on the grill.

Luke wanted to ask Marshall about Dakota, but he wasn't sure how to begin. Fortunately for him, Marshall began talking about her all on his own. "Dakota's cabin is something else, ain't it?"

At first, it surprised Luke that Marshall knew where he and Dakota had gone that afternoon, but then he realized that it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out! "Yeah, she's put a lot of work into it."

"It'll be nice when she gets the road smoothed out a little bit. A buddy of mine is supposed to start on that next week for her. She takes a lot of pride in the work she does," Marshall said.

Luke looked over at the man, then said, "I saw your work, as well. That wall hanging is extraordinary. What other forms of art do you do?"

Marshall laughed, "Whatever inspiration the Spirit sends. I work from my heart, and that takes many forms. Right now, with Dakota's help, I am managing to pass some of that art on to the world."

Luke was glad that Marshall had steered the conversation back to Dakota. He asked, "Dakota seems to really enjoy her work here. Do you think Dakota is interested in getting married and staying here forever, or is she just passing through?"

The look that Marshall shot Luke seemed to see right through his soul. Marshall answered, "Dakota will stay here. Her heart is here. But, when she finds the right man, it will be hard for her to accept. She has been alone for so long, she doesn't know why she needs anyone else.

She also doesn't believe any man will love her for who she is. Linda Jane and I try to make her see sense - sometimes she hears and sometimes she doesn't. She can be a stubborn woman."

With his grill fork, Marshall pointed across the deck to a small shed. "Go, look for yourself. See if you can find the one that is Dakota."

Confused, Luke headed to the shed. When he opened the door, he was shocked to find the little room full of carved wooden statues. Most were animals, but a few were human. As Luke looked around, he was struck by the simply beauty that Marshall had captured by allowing the viewer's mind to fill in the details.

As he walked around, Luke came to Marshall's work table. On it sat a statue of a wolf with one of her pups. As soon as Luke saw it, he knew that the mother wolf was Dakota. It was there in the way that she protected and cared for her baby. It was there in the depths of her eyes. It was there in the love that she exuded. He spun on his heel to call to Marshall, but Marshall was standing in the doorway.

"This is Dakota. I can see her," Luke said confidently, pointing to the wolf.

Marshall merely nodded his head in agreement. Luke asked, "But why did you make her with a pup? She doesn't have a child."

Marshall again seemed to look through Luke's soul. He answered, "She is a mother. She needs a child. One day, Dakota will have a child. I carved her as I saw her."

At that moment, Luke and Marshall both heard Dakota calling for them. Luke thought she sounded a little breathless and wondered if she had been running. However, as soon as the two men followed her into the house, Luke saw the reason for Dakota's reaction. Linda Jane was standing on a towel in the middle of the living room. Her pants were wet down the front and she had an apprehensive look on her face.

Marshall didn't look at all perplexed as he took in the situation. "So, the water has broken," he said, stating the obvious. Then he started gathering up the things that they would need. Turning to Dakota, he said, "Dakota, I need you and Luke to take care of the kids until my mama can get here. I'll call her, but it will take about five hours for her to drive down. Are you ok with that? I need to get Linda Jane to the hospital, now!"

Luke realized that his plans for a romantic evening later with Dakota had just turned into a babysitting gig. He was surprised to find that he was really looking forward to the idea of 'playing house' with Dakota!

Luke took the steaks and hotdogs off the grill as Dakota helped Linda Jane into the truck. Marshall brought down the prepacked suitcase. After leaving the food in the kitchen, Luke followed Marshall back outside. Luke heard Linda Jane whisper, "Wish me luck," as he saw a contraction pull across her abdomen.

Luke saw Dakota smile in encouragement. He heard her answer Linda Jane, "I wish you more than luck cousin. May God go with you and deliver this child safely into your hands." Then she kissed Linda Jane on the forehead and closed her door. Marshall kicked up a trail of dust as he sped down their driveway toward the main road.

Dropping his arm around Dakota's shoulders, Luke said, "Well, Ms. Matthews, we have three kids that need to know everything is alright."

Dakota nodded in agreement. "Let's go get them. I'll sit them down now, before supper and tell them what is going on. I doubt that they will be able to eat much, but at least they will feel like they are 'in the know'."

Luke agreed and helped her round up the three grubby little wild ones. As Dakota explained that their mom had gone to the hospital to have their baby, Luke circled the group with a wet washcloth, cleaning up their hands and faces. Then they took the kids to the table and sat them down with their hotdogs and macaroni.

Luke went around the group and cut up their hotdogs, according to their personal request. Dakota followed, adding ketchup and mustard. Luke filled up the sippy cups with milk, while Dakota got out the chocolate pudding for dessert. The meal went smoothly, even though it was the loudest event Luke could remember being a part of since he had left the Home.

When the kids were all in the bathtub, happily splashing and laughing, Dakota cornered Luke. "Just where did you learn to handle kids like that? I have never seen such a pro."

Luke shrugged, then said, "I lived at the Home for a long time, Dakota. Lots of little kids needed help adjusting. I did what I could to make

the transition as easy as possible. Cutting up hotdogs was one of the easier things."

Dakota helped get the kids out of the tub, dried off and dressed for bed. Luke noticed that he was feeling really happy as he sat all of the kids in his lap in order for Dakota to tell them their bedtime story. When the youngest fell asleep, Dakota lifted her out of his lap and took her to her bed. By the time she returned, Luke was finishing the story and both of the other two were struggling to keep their eyes open. When they gave up the fight, Dakota took one and Luke lifted the other. They walked them to their room and tucked them under their covers. Luke sighed in contentment.

Luke and Dakota chose to leave the doors to the children's rooms open, in case the children woke up frightened. Luke felt his chest swell with pride when Dakota told him that she really doubted that they would wake up, though, because he had managed to keep things far too calm for them to get upset.

Luke sat down on the couch and opened his arms to Dakota. She sank into his embrace. "Tired?" he asked.

Dakota nodded and rested her head on his chest. "I'm glad we took that nap this afternoon! I'd be really wasted if we hadn't."

Even with their afternoon nap, they both fell asleep before Marshall's mom arrived. It was almost midnight when she knocked softly on the door. Luke was the first to hear her and he headed to the door to open it. Right as he turned the handle, the phone rang. While he was welcoming Marshall's mother, Dakota grabbed the phone.

Dakota had barely managed to say hello before Marshall started yelling in her ear. As she held it away from her ear, they all three clearly heard Marshall announce, "I've got great news! We have twins! A boy and a girl! We have twins! Can you believe it?"

Dakota, Luke and Marshall's mother all stood staring at the phone with wide open mouths. Dakota was the first to recover. With a look on her face that reminded Luke of sucking lemons, she said, "Marshall, it couldn't have happened to a better couple! How is Linda Jane?"

Marshall gave Dakota all the vital stats for the twins, as well as for Linda Jane, then he said good-bye. As she hung up the phone, Dakota started to laugh. Luke and Marshall's mom joined in. They managed to stay quiet enough to not wake the children, but they just couldn't contain their amusement.

"Well, Grandmother," Luke said through his chuckles, "You are going to have your hands full! Wait till those little ones hear that mom is going to bring home two more babies!"

Marshall's mom was up to the challenge, though. Without beating around the bush, she thanked Luke and Dakota for their help and insisted that they head home. She had things under control and they needed to go rest.

It was after one o'clock before Dakota and Luke stumbled into the bed and breakfast. Trying to be quiet in order to not disturb Hank and Andrea, they tiptoed over to the staircase. They had barely put their feet on the first step when Hank bellowed, "What the hell took you all so long? Where have you been?"

Luke rolled his eyes at Dakota and whispered, "Did we miss curfew?"

Dakota giggled quietly then turned to tell Hank about the babies. Right as she came to the part about Marshall's mom, Hank yawned in her face. "Never mind, Hank! Go to bed!" she said teasingly.

Hank shrugged apologetically and mumbled that he thought that was a good idea. Luke and Dakota watched him go back into his bedroom and shut the door. Then they climbed the stairs and practically fell into their bed. They barely managed to get out of the clothes they had on before their heads hit the pillows and sleep overcame them.

Chapter Eleven

When the sunlight streaming into the room woke Luke up the next morning, he was shocked to see that the clock already read 10:30. This was his last day with Dakota and they had slept half of it away! Of course, that wasn't all bad, seeing as how he had no plans for the day.

He just wanted to bask in every last second he had left with Dakota, and maybe the bed was a good place to start!

Quietly Dakota rolled over and began rubbing Luke's chest. He realized that she must have been awake for some time. Although he was barely awake himself, he moaned in pleasure at her touch. Dakota stroked down his arms and caressed his hands. Luke was enjoying the massage, but he had other things on his mind as well.

Luke leaned in to kiss Dakota, slowly and softly. When he pulled back, he held her face in between his hands as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Good morning," he whispered. Then he silenced her response with his lips. As they touched and teased one another, their passion grew. Neither Dakota nor Luke were in a hurry this time. They made love slowly and sweetly. However, in the end, passion drove them into a mating climax that was neither sweet nor slow - it was hot and dangerous in its intensity.

As they lay together in the aftermath of the storm that had raged between them, Luke held Dakota close to his heart. Although his body was relaxed from the powerful experience he had just participated in, he could feel the tension growing in the back of his neck. Today was the day. Today his week-end would officially be over. Could it really have been only two days ago that he had thought Sunday was a long way away? Now, he wished that he knew how to stop time, so he and Dakota never had to go back to their regular lives.

But Luke didn't know how to hold back time. By the time that the two of them had showered, dressed and packed, it was after noon. They shared a light lunch with Hank and Andrea, then loaded up Luke's truck.

Luke was surprised when Hank and Andrea both hugged him good-bye, just as they did Dakota.

As if he had been their friend forever, both Hank and Andrea managed to whisper messages into Luke's ear as they said their farewells. Hank told him to hold onto Dakota. Andrea was more explicit and said that he was a fool if he let Dakota go. Luke couldn't figure out how to tell them that he didn't want to let her go. So, in the end, he just nodded his head and climbed into his truck.