Shadow of My Heart

chapter Eleven



Cara lay draped across Raven’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart. The storm had finally blown itself out, and the sun was rising, the sky turning a bright orange. Raven had made love to her after scooping her up from the couch and carrying her upstairs. She loved the way he made her feel cherished. Even with the storm raging outside, his touch pulled her into a space where only the two of them existed.

She loved him. Her life would be barren and empty without him. But his life was full of danger. He explained that his friend, the general, had been shot, and that’s why he hadn’t been here to greet her after the shopping trip. Luckily, the general was still alive. What if that had been Raven? How could she live in his world?

But then, how could she not? To walk away now would destroy her. She was beginning to feel she was part of a family again. Shopping with his sisters had been so much fun. She remembered Quiet Thunder’s nurturing care with her injuries. She had even enjoyed being with Derek with his flirty personality. She didn’t want to give any of them up.

Banging on the front door echoed through the house. Cara sat up, and just as fast, Raven was awake and reaching for his jeans.

“I’ll get it. You look tired, Cara. Go back to sleep, tehila,” Raven said, slipping his jeans on before heading to the door.

“I won’t sleep without you.”

“I will be right back. Perhaps I can find a way to make you sleepy,” he said winking.

The pounding continued, then Cara heard a woman’s frantic voice. Not able to stay away, she slipped on a robe and headed down the stairs. Gwen and Lindy were already on the landing and heading for the front door.

“The bus swerved and turned over into a ditch full of water. The girls are trapped. I saw the road with your sign and came for help. You’ve got to help me get them out.”

“Of course we’ll help,” Raven said. “Gwen, call the sheriff’s office. Lindy, find Isanti and any other ranch hands working today and have them meet me at the road. Cara, honey, after you get dressed, gather all the blankets you can find and make something warm for the girls to drink. Hot chocolate would be good.”

“Thank you, thank you so much,” the woman said, wringing her hands.

“I didn’t catch your name?” Raven asked.

“Louise Sheppard. Call me Lou.”

“Lou, come in a minute. Let me get some more clothes on,” Raven said, ushering the woman inside.

Everyone jumped to do their assigned tasks, as Raven ran back up the stairs. Cara followed him into the bedroom.

“Cara, I am going to Shadow-walk up to the road. Get the keys to the truck and drive Lou up after you find those blankets,” Raven said, pushing his feet into a pair of cowboy boots and grabbing a cotton shirt.

“Where are the keys?” Cara asked, grabbing her jeans and yanking them on.

“On a hook by the front door. I’ll see you there,” Raven said, giving her a quick kiss before walking into the shadows behind the door.

Cara finished getting dressed and went into the hall closet. She grabbed several blankets off the shelves and rushed downstairs. Gwen was just getting off the phone, and Lou stood near the door.

“Here, Cara, take these lap quilts,” Gwen said, handing her the three small quilts that sat on the couch and chairs in the living room. “I’ll make the hot chocolate. You go ahead and take Lou back up to the road.”

“Thanks, Gwen.” Cara said. “Come on, Lou. Raven is already heading up there.” Cara grabbed the keys off the hook by the front door and went outside.

It had been a long time since Cara had used a stick shift. But she got the truck started and put it into gear without killing the engine. Sighing in relief, she turned the truck toward the end of the drive.

“How many girls are in the bus?” Cara asked.

“Sixteen, and the bus driver, Mary, is the other girl scout leader,” Lou said. “Mary said her arm was hurting her. It might be broken.”

“I’m sure the sheriff will send an ambulance. The paramedics can check your friend’s arm.”

“Thank you so much for helping us. I hated to leave the girls, but one of us needed to find help.”

“You did the right thing. Don’t worry. Everything will be all right,” Cara said, trying to reassure Lou.

When Cara reached the road, she followed Lou’s directions to the scene of the accident. Raven, Isanti, and another man she didn’t recognize were helping the girls climb out of the bus window to freedom.

“Wow. They sure got here fast,” Lou commented.

“As they get the girls out of the bus, let’s bring them over here to the truck. We can put them in the back so they are off the road,” Cara suggested.

“That sounds good,” Lou said, climbing out of the truck as soon as Cara parked it.

They both hurried up to three little girls, wet and shivering, by the side of the bus. One of the little girls was crying while the other two tried to console their friend. Lou directed the girls to go with Cara, while she stayed to help the other girls out.

Cara took the little girls by the hand and brought them over to the truck, before wrapping them in a blanket and getting them settled in the back.

“Are you girls okay? Do you have any cuts or bruises?”

“I have a cut, here on my arm,” said one of the girls.

Cara grabbed a first aid kit out of the truck glove compartment and cleaned and bandaged the little girl’s cut. She comforted the little girls, trying to keep their minds off their ordeal. As soon as several more were out of the bus, she led them over and started again. Gwen showed up with the hot chocolate just as the sheriff and ambulance arrived. Through it all, Cara was impressed with how Raven took charge and directed the evacuation of the bus. He carried the bus driver, the last to be saved, out of the bus and lowered her into the hands of the paramedics. The girls in the truck bed cheered.

Cara’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at Raven, standing on the overturned bus, his black hair blowing in the breeze. He looked around, then his eyes locked with hers. He smiled and climbed down. Life was full of danger, but Raven took everything in stride and worked to make it better. Could she do any less? Whatever the future brought, she wanted to face it with Raven at her side.



§



Raven tried to make his way to Cara and the little girls. This was not how he planned to spend the morning with Cara.

“Thank you, thank you. You are our hero,” Lou cried, flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

“Anyone would have done the same, Ma’am,” Raven said, embarrassed at the embrace.

“But you moved so quickly and took care of everything. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No thanks necessary. Just trying to help,” Raven said, stepping back from Lou as his cheeks heated.

She seemed to recognize his embarrassment and smiled, before turning to see her friend being put in the ambulance. She hurried off, and Raven ran his fingers through his hair. Looking down, he realized he was wet and covered in mud from climbing into the water-filled bus. He needed a shower, and he knew just who he wanted to join him.

As he tried again to reach Cara, the sheriff’s officer stopped him to ask some questions. Was he ever going to get to Cara? Her eyes locked with his and seemed to twinkle in amusement. She knew he just wanted to get to her. As the sheriff kept talking, Cara approached and put her arms around Raven’s waist. Raven couldn’t resist pulling her close and tucking her under his shoulder.

“All right. Thank you for your help, Mr. Darkwood. If I need anything else, I’ll give you a call,” the officer said, before turning to walk away.

Raven put both arms around Cara as she looked up at him. He needed to hold her just for a minute, while all around him people ran to and fro. Life was precarious, and his life was wrapped up in the woman in his arms. He buried his face in her hair, loving the silky softness and the scent of her lavender shampoo. When he had her in his arms, his world shrank to just the two of them. He needed that reprieve, needed her more than she would ever know.

“You were wonderful with the girls, getting them into the truck bed and calmed down,” he said, rubbing a finger across the dirt stain on her cheek.

“You were the hero, pulling the girls out of the bus,” Cara said, squeezing his waist.

“Well, this hero wants to take his woman home and get into a hot shower.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

“You two, go ahead,” Gwen said, walking up to them. “Lindy, Dad, and I will hang around until transportation for the girls is arranged. You’ve done so much. Go on and get out of here.”

“Are you sure, little sister? I can wait until everything is done,” Raven said.

“Go. You aren’t the only one who can handle this,” Gwen said, her voice tinged with irritation.

“Okay, we’ll go,” Raven said, chuckling and taking Cara’s hand. “Come on, tehila. We need to run while we can when Gwen sounds like that.”

Laughing, they ran up the road and into the shade of a tree before slipping into Shadow.



§



Cara frowned as she sat up in bed the following Saturday morning. Where had the time gone? Tomorrow, they would return to New Mexico and the headquarters of Isanti, Inc. Raven would be going back to work. She glanced at the sleeping man lying next to her. She would miss having him with her all the time.

Then, there was her condo in Redondo Beach. It unnerved her to think of going back to the scene of her attack. Could she do it? Even if she agreed to move in with Raven as he requested, she would need to get her things. Maybe going back wouldn’t be too bad. The tonic Quiet Thunder gave her seemed to remove most of her fear. But she could still feel a tightening in her stomach when she thought about the men who had forced their way into her home.

She needed to deal with this. Pushing it out of her mind wasn’t going to work much longer. When they went back to New Mexico, she would tell Raven she needed to go back to California to take care of getting her condo ready to sell. He’d be working anyway. She could Shadow-walk over for visits, and he could come out on weekends. It seemed like the perfect plan. So why did her stomach ache and her heart feel so heavy?

Raven mumbled something and reached for her. She smiled. When finding her pillow empty, his eyes blinked open. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her.

“Hey, how come you’re awake so early? The sun is barely up,” he said, yawning. “Come back down here and let me hold you. We can go back to sleep for a little while.”

Cara sighed and let Raven pull her back down. She didn’t mind really. The last six days had been wonderful. She and his sisters had gone shopping in Paris for items for her trousseau, and Raven had taken her to New York City to see a play on Broadway.

Quiet Thunder had taught her the recipe to make a healing potion and helped her strengthen her telepathy by doing exercises. If she concentrated really hard, she could pick up the thoughts of the person she was practicing with. Sending thoughts wasn’t as difficult, and everyone she practiced with could hear her when she tried. Raven was the only person whose thoughts she could pick up easily. She and Raven seemed to be linked somehow.

Quiet Thunder had also talked to her about seeing Derek and Katherine’s auras mix. He agreed with Cara that it was a sign of a possible mating. When she got back to New Mexico, she would try and get the two of them together.

Last night she had overcome her shyness and asked Quiet Thunder to design a wedding ring for Raven. The ring he had made for Derek was beautiful. She had noticed it right away, and Cara wanted something special to give to Raven as a wedding band. Quiet Thunder seemed surprised, but Cara knew he was pleased that she had asked him. He promised to work on a design and contact her as soon as he could, without letting Raven know.

Raven’s breathing deepened as he slipped back to sleep. But he held her close, both arms wrapped around her. She wouldn’t be getting out of bed without his knowing. Smiling, she caressed his arm with her fingertips. He was so possessive at times. But she had to admit she liked it. She never had to guess where she stood with this man. He didn’t play games. He knew what he wanted, and he held onto it.

Her dad had been like that. Her mom used to love to tell the story of how they met and how one look had been enough for Dad to pursue her. Dad would always laugh and say that he wore her out until she gave in and married him. Cara blinked back tears with the happy memories. She was sorry her parents were gone and would never know Raven. They would have liked their future son-in-law.

When the phone rang downstairs, Cara moaned silently. Why did everything seem to happen when she and Raven were snuggled in bed? The murmur of Gwen’s voice could be heard as she answered the phone, and for a moment Cara hoped that the call was for Quiet Thunder. But when she heard Gwen’s footsteps coming back up the stairs and stopping outside their bedroom door, she knew they weren’t that lucky.

Turning, Cara kissed Raven on the nose as Gwen knocked on the door.

“Raven? Joe is on the phone. He says he needs to talk to you.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Raven said sleepily as his eyes blinked open. “Wherever we go on our honeymoon, there needs to be a no-phone policy,” he grumbled, while getting out of bed and tugging his jeans on. “Maybe a cabin in the woods or a deserted island. Be right back, tehila. Keep my side of the bed warm.”

Cara laughed as Raven went out the door. That man did not like his sleep interrupted. What was it this time that couldn’t wait until they got back to New Mexico?