wish he would take things seriously.”
“He does. He just doesn’t show it like you do. You need to stop considering him your little brother and see him for the man he has become.”
“You are a good friend to both of us, Joe. Thank you,” Raven said, walking over to the window and looking down at the catering trucks lined up below.
“Hey, let’s get ready for your wedding.”
“Joe, come here,” Raven said, when he caught sight of a platinum-blond-haired women sticking a baseball cap on and then tucking her hair in. “Does she look familiar to you? It kind of looks like that woman from accounting, Amanda Patterson.”
Joe walked over and looked down, but the woman had gone back behind one of the trucks and was no longer visible. “It couldn’t possibly be Amanda. Her court date is any day now. She wasn’t released on bail.”
“I could have sworn that was her.”
“You’re four stories up, my friend. Come on, you can have the shower first,” Joe said, turning away.
Chapter Fourteen
Cara and Katherine Shadow-walked into Raven’s apartment followed closely by Gwen and Lindy.
“See, you’re getting the hang of it,” Cara said. She’d just given Katherine her first lesson in Shadow-walking.
By the time Derek and Katherine get together, Cara thought, Katherine would be well versed in the Shadow Dimension. The women didn’t need to wait to learn from the men. Quiet Thunder had assured Cara that before the tribe got so small, women taught each other a lot of things. Cara hoped to continue that tradition.
If Raven had taught her Shadow-walking before the attack, she would have escaped her captors. Of course, at the time if Raven had started talking about different dimensions, she might have thought he was crazy. Katherine had known for years about the men in the office who appeared and disappeared. So she was taking the new experience in stride.
“Katherine, just don’t try it without a spotter for a while,” Cara said. “Raven says you can get lost in Shadow and even die.”
“I’ll be careful. Thanks for the lesson.”
“You’re a member of the tribe now. We need to stick together,” Cara said.
There was a knock at the door, and Lindy ran to answer it. When she opened the door wide, Cara couldn’t believe there were so many people lined up in the hall. She was amazed to see the apartment start to fill with people. She was introduced to the hairdresser, the assistant hairdresser, the shampoo specialist, the facial artist, the make-up artist, two manicurists and a nail polish artist. There was even someone to give the young women a massage. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, but the hairdresser was in charge.
“When Raven does something, he does it big,” Gwen said, smiling.
“I’ll go get your dress from your office,” Lindy said, slipping out the door.
“Go ahead, Cara. Start with the massage, and the rest of us will be right behind you,” Gwen said, motioning Cara forward.
Cara hesitated a moment. She’d never visited a spa. This must be what it was like. Leave it to Raven to provide the experience. Smiling, she decided to enjoy the moment. You got married only once.
Several hours later, a knock at the door prompted Cara to glance at her watch. The wedding was only twenty minutes away. She was running behind schedule. Sighing, she leaned down to tie the laces on her moccasin boots, before standing and picking up the eagle feather Derek had lent her.
“Here, let me,” Derek’s voice said from behind her. He tied the feather to some of the fringe on the headband. “You look beautiful, little sister,” he said, kissing her cheek. “You all look beautiful,” he said, looking at his foster sisters and Katherine as she came out of the bedroom in her dress.
“We’re running a little behind schedule,” Cara confessed.
“Not to worry. I know Raven isn’t going anywhere,” Derek said. “He has his hands full with the guests. But we do need to get a move on. I think the photographer wanted to take a couple of shots before the start of the ceremony.”
“Is everyone ready,” Gwen asked. “Did you remember the garter?”
“Yes, I have it,” Cara said, patting her thigh.
“Well, let’s go then, ladies. We still have to pick up the horse,” Derek said.
Cara had forgotten that part of the ceremony. She hurried over to the flower arrangements on the table and picked up the bouquet of flowers she was supposed to carry. Derek took her arm while the others picked up their bouquets.
“Breathe, Cara.