these years, I’ve made it my reason to get up in the morning. That championship was the only thing that mattered to me. I thought people would respect me. People I didn’t even know, as if that mattered. Then I found out there was something even more important to me than winning that title.” He tightened his hand against hers. “You told me you love me. Did you mean it?”
“Yes!” she said, grasping his hand with both of hers. “Of course I meant it! I love you! Why in the world won’t you believe me?”
The most profound look of sadness crossed his face, and his voice was a near whisper. “Because no one’s ever said that to me before.”
Shannon couldn’t believe it. It broke her heart to think of a man getting to age thirty without ever once hearing those words. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the hollow of his neck, vowing to tell him she loved him a hundred times a day from now on.
“And after the championship,” Luke said, “I want to stay here.”
Shannon was stunned. “Here? In Rainbow Valley?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? So much has happened. I was afraid you’d never want to live here again.”
“This is your home. I’d never take you away from it. I don’t know what I’ll do here, but wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”
Shannon couldn’t believe it. It was as if every dream she’d ever had was coming true.
“I don’t know if I can give you anything,” Luke said. “I honestly don’t know if I have it in me. But I’ll try, Shannon. I’ll try so hard to make you happy.”
“Luke,” she whispered, “you’ve been doing nothing but give since the moment you showed up.”
Another hour passed. Luke and Shannon huddled together in front of the television, and eventually word came. The evacuation order for Rainbow Valley had been lifted.
Luke let out a breath of relief. “It’s official. The town’s safe.”
“But we don’t know if the fire reached the shelter. I can’t stand not knowing.”
“This storm is still too strong. The wind. The lightning. We need to stay put.” He looked down at himself. “But I do need to get cleaned up. I’ll go to my truck for a change of clothes.”
Shannon ran her hand along his shoulder, then placed it against his neck, her thumb stroking his jaw back and forth. Then she leaned in and kissed him.
“Don’t bother right now,” she said. “You won’t need them.”
Shannon rose from the sofa, took his hand, and led him to the bathroom. They took a shower together, kissing, caressing, and occasionally even washing. They stepped out and dried off. Luke went to Shannon’s bed, turned the lamp on low, and lay down. The effort he’d expended getting Manny away from that fire had made every muscle in his body ache, and his eyes were heavy with exhaustion. In the bathroom, he heard the whir of a blow dryer. A few minutes after that, Shannon came into the bedroom wearing a short black robe. Her feet were bare, and her dark hair hung in glossy sheets over her shoulders.
She sat down on the bed beside him. “You look tired.”
“Just a little.”
“How’s the knee?”
“A little sore. But no more so than any other place.”
She stroked her hand up and down his arm. “Tell me where it hurts and I’ll kiss it.”
Luke sighed with contentment. He’d taken care of himself for so long that he didn’t know how to act when somebody was taking care of him. To feel her soft, gentle hands wanting nothing more than to ease his discomfort and soothe his pain was a dream he never could have imagined living.
“Everywhere,” he said.
Shannon smiled. “That might take all night.”
The tie of her robe had loosened, allowing the front of it to fall open slightly. A droplet of water still clung to the swell of one breast, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. At the same time, he slid his hand beneath her robe to caress her bare thigh.
“The robe,” he whispered.
“Yes?”
“Take it off.”
Chapter 23
With no hesitation, Shannon stood up. She unwrapped the sash, then pushed the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor behind her. For a moment she stood naked in the dim lamplight, and Luke truly believed he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
She stepped back to the bed, and Luke’s heart beat wildly with anticipation. She sat down beside him, stroking her hand over