Rachel’s movements drew him out of his thoughts. He could tell that she was upset. He hesitated only a moment then reached out to pull her closer to him. She turned toward him and allowed him to hold her against his body. He gently caressed her hair, leaning forward to kiss the crescent moon birthmark at the corner of her eye that he had always found so endearing.
“It’s okay, Rachel,” he whispered to her gently, holding her to him. “We’ll talk this out tomorrow. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Rachel did her best to keep her body away from his, but he wasn’t cooperating. He insisted on holding her close. She didn’t understand why.
“You’re exactly where you’re meant to be, baby,” he whispered against her ear, kissing her neck lightly before settling back and relaxing against his pillow.
She was so confused. It took a long time for her to relax and fall asleep. Sam’s arms surrounded her, and she couldn’t help but feel protected by his strength. She gave in to the feeling of peace that his tenderness offered her.
Sam drew the blankets around them both and held her gently against him. He was only able to unwind when her body relaxed against his and her breathing slowed. He listened to the even rhythm of her breathing and closed his eyes in relief. As she lay against him so relaxed and trusting, he felt a calm peacefulness envelope him that he only felt when Rachel was in his arms.
He no longer felt like the same man who had come to this campground just two weeks before. He was no longer angry and cynical. The short time that he had spent with Rachel back in his life had allowed him to release his pain. She had helped him to accept that his decisions were the right ones. Her logical viewpoint of his situation was the support that he had needed to verify that he was correct in his thoughts and his desires. The dreams that he had experienced had given him a brief glimpse into their future—a future that he wanted to share with the woman in his arms.
Memories of Allison could no longer destroy him. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and his mind free from torment for the first time in such a long time. He turned toward the woman beside him and breathed in the scent of her hair as he drifted off. The way Rachel snuggled against him made him smile. It seemed that she was just as comfortable to lie within his arms and search out his embrace. He sighed in contentment as her softness pressed against him, loving the way she fit so perfectly within his arms. She was made to be with him. He just knew it. Smiling softly against her temple, he kissed her tenderly, unaware that he even did so. Rachel’s presence continued to soothe him as he slept.
* * * *
Rachel rested her head snugly against Sam’s chest, smiling in her sleep as Sam’s arms pulled her closer toward him. He sighed contentedly as she laid her hand across his stomach to gently hold him at his waist. Rachel breathed in deeply, reveling in the scent of him.
She saw herself sitting on an old, worn tartan blanket, the green of the grass spreading out before her. She looked up and saw the back porch of a beautiful white house, and somehow knew that this was her home. She lifted her face to let the warmth of the sun beat down on her and found herself surrounded by the most peaceful feeling. She felt happy and contented.
The back door of the house opened and she saw a tall figure walking toward her carrying a crying baby. She lifted her arms to take the child and gasped as she saw that it was Sam who knelt down beside her and handed her the most incredibly beautiful baby that she had ever seen.
“My daughter is hungry,” she heard him telling her and saw that he was smiling down at her.
She unbuttoned her shirt and placed the baby to her breast, smiling as the tiny bundle of sweetness latched on to her nipple and began to suck hungrily. An incredible feeling of pleasure filled her as she saw herself nursing her own child. Sam’s child.
Sam reached forward and touched the child’s soft black hair tenderly as she nursed at her mother’s breast. His large hand covered the swollen fullness of Rachel’s breast, caressing it gently just above where his daughter suckled.
She looked at him and was amazed by the tenderness and love that was evident on his face. She smiled up at him, love shining in her eyes. The happiness that filled her was something she knew she was experiencing because she was sharing this intimacy with this wonderful man.
He sat down beside them, supporting his weight with his hand on the blanket as he leaned forward and nuzzled her temple. She turned to face him as his head lowered to hers and she found her lips captured by the gentle softness of his. Her heartbeat quickened from the joy of his touch. He leaned back then reached out to gently touch the tiny head of his daughter.
“Thank you for giving me my daughter, Rachel,” he told her sincerely.
“You’re a wonderful father, Sam,” she answered him, kissing his hand tenderly as he caressed her check lightly. She reached up to hold his hand gently, her eyes shining with the love that she had for him. Sam’s hand covered hers, and he turned into it to place a loving kiss on the palm of her hand.
“You make me so happy, honey,” he told her.
Rachel smiled and leaned forward slightly to meet him as his lips claimed hers. “You do the same for me, Sam,” she told him breathlessly against his mouth.
When he pulled back his eyes were dark with desire. “When our daughter is asleep, you’re all mine,” he nearly growled at her.
“Promise?” she teased, her own eyes filled with desire as she looked at him.
He nodded silently, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his mouth so he could kiss her knuckles. She shivered in anticipation. He smiled at her reaction and pulled her closer so he could whisper in her ear.
“You let me know when you’re ready, honey,” he told her quietly. “I’m looking forward to making another baby with you.”
She smiled and reached out to touch his face gently. His crystal blue eyes sparkled with love and desire, and she knew that she had finally found the happiness and love that she had always dreamed of.
Rachel awoke suddenly and lifted her head to look around. The dream had been so real. She looked at the sleeping form beside her and strained her eyes to make out his features. She leaned toward him and gently kissed his lips. Pulling back, she settled herself next to him and found that she wanted to touch him.
She placed her hand on his chest and smiled when he covered her hand with his own without waking. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, wishing that he really did want her to stay and have that loving family with him. The steady rhythm of Sam’s breathing lulled her back to sleep. She smiled as she thought about the little girl that she had seen in her dream who looked exactly like her father. She sighed as she allowed the beauty of that baby to fill her heart with hope.
* * * *
Sam awoke in the early, predawn hours. Rachel still lay trustingly in his arms, peacefully asleep. Her hand rested intimately on his chest and her face was turned toward his shoulder, her breath gently caressing his neck. He leaned toward her and lightly placed a kiss on the top of her head, careful not to wake her.
The camper was slowly illuminated as the sun rose above the mountaintops that concealed them. He studied her features silently and found that he couldn’t help but reach up to gently trace them with his fingertips. She stirred slightly and turned onto her back, placing her hand just below her chest, conforming the blankets to her body.
He lay on his side, facing her, watching her. His eyes slid down the length of her body, and he found himself smiling at the way that she had slept against him all night. Her hand moved suddenly and his attention was drawn to where it rested. His eyes darkened with passion as he saw her hand lightly resting on her breast. How he wished he could replace her hand with his own to caress her, to slowly wake her with his touch.
The memory of his dream suddenly flashed through his mind, and he remembered how she had looked in the white nightgown. He slowly reached his hand toward her and gently touched her flat abdomen. He held it there for a moment, wishing that she really did have his child growing within her body. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes.
“Rachel, you’re consuming my thoughts and my dreams,” he whispered quietly.
He dozed briefly, unable and unwilling to remove his hand from her body or move away from her. Her presence calmed him and he found that he slept better with her curled up next to him and snuggled against his body. He was going to have a talk with her in the morning to make sure that she understood that he wanted her to share every night and every morning with him for the rest of their lives.
“Rachel,” he whispered against her temple, pulling her tighter against him. “You’re going to listen to what I have to say. And you’re going to understand that I don’t want you to sleep anywhere but exactly where you are.”
* * * *
“Sam,” a voice called to him quietly but sternly.
Sam pulled himself out of the comfortable haze that surrounded him. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that Rachel was still asleep within his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.
“Sam,” the voice called to him again.
He growled softly as he struggled to wake up. He turned and saw Roy towering above him, his face not too friendly at the moment. He carefully released Rachel from his embrace and sat up to face her cousin.
“Every time I see you, you have more people sleeping in your camper,” Roy told him sternly. “I’m starting to worry about you.”
Sam quietly stepped down from the bed and pulled on his boots. He lifted the clipboard, his hat, and his jacket, and led the way out of the camper. He was relieved to find that Roy followed close behind him. He walked away from the camper, opened the door to Roy’s truck and waited for Roy to climb in behind the driver’s wheel.
He handed the clipboard to Roy and waited while he looked over the list of campsites and checked off the payments from each of the envelopes he had removed from the pipe at the entrance to the camp. Once the paperwork was settled, he handed the clipboard back to Sam and sighed.
“Okay, explain,” Roy said, looking at his friend and waiting for what he expected to be one hell of an explanation.
His face was cold as stone and Sam knew that he had better talk fast. He didn’t fault Roy for his concern. He was just as overprotective when it came to Rachel’s safety.
“Rachel offered the other bed in my camper to the elderly couple because they pulled in last night in the middle of the storm, and she was concerned that they would have to pitch their tent in the rain,” Sam explained.
“That doesn’t explain why Rachel was in bed with you again this morning,” Roy said quietly, crossing his arms across his wide chest.
“Well, that’s a little more difficult to explain,” Sam told him, hesitating slightly.
“I’ve got all the time in the world,” Roy told him calmly.
Sam watched Roy drive away then turned and headed back to the camper. He greeted the Fletchers as they came out, feeling a little awkward at facing them, but they were warm and friendly and put him at ease immediately.
“We’ll be setting up our gear as soon as a spot opens up,” Stan told him quickly. “We won’t bother you at all.”
“Come back and have breakfast with us. We would enjoy your company,” Sam told them sincerely. “By the time we’re through, someone will have left and you’ll be able to set up your tent.”
Gwen smiled up at him, her hazel eyes twinkling. “Rachel has found a very generous young man to love,” she told him honestly, reaching out and taking her husband’s hand in hers to squeeze it lightly. “Just like I did.”
Stan Fletcher smiled down at his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, loving the way she cuddled into his embrace. She was his destined mate. He thanked the Great Spirit for her every day of his life.
“Hear that, Sam?” Stan said, never looking away from the beauty of his sweet woman’s face. “You and I are prize catches. It’s pretty great that our mates find us sexy.”
“Now, I never said you were sexy, Stan,” Gwen said with a huff. “Really! You need to check your ego.”
“Sweetheart, I know exactly how you feel. Don’t ever think you can hide it from me,” Stan told her gently, leaning down and kissing his wife’s lips tenderly. “You think I’m sexy.”
Gwen couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, I do,” she admitted. She turned to face Sam as she cuddled against the broad strength of her husband’s chest. “Rachel must feel the same way about you, Sam.”
Sam found that he was blushing slightly—something he hadn’t done since he had been a teenager. He thought about Rachel and wondered how she thought about him.
“I sure hope she does,” he said honestly.
He smiled at them then turned and walked toward the camper, opening the door and stepping up inside. He looked at Rachel’s still sleeping form and found himself being drawn to her. He hoped that Rachel thought he was a prize catch and was sexy. He certainly felt that way about her.
He removed his coat and boots and climbed into bed beside her. He smiled as she turned toward him immediately and snuggled against him. He felt warm and alive next to her and found himself wishing that he could gently wake her with his lovemaking.