CHAPTER 12
Pulling into his driveway ten minutes later, Lucas motioned towards the front door as he asked;
"Are you ready, darlin?"
Glancing at the large house, she silently nodded as Lucas came around and opened her door for her before leading her up the steps of the porch to the front door. He had just reached his hand out to turn the knob when the portal suddenly swung open as Caleb greeted brightly;
"I thought that I heard someone; Mama Lucy and me have been baking cookies."
Seeing Dara he offered her a smile as he threw his arms around her and offered;
"I sure am sorry about your mama, but I'm glad that you don't look so sick anymore."
Returning the embrace, Dara offered him a tender smile of her own;
"Thank you, Caleb; and I promise that just as soon as things get back to normal that we'll spend some time together."
Deciding that now was as good a time to talk to his son as any, Lucas advised the boy;
"Son, I need to talk to you in a minute, just let me introduce Dara and Mama first though."
Taking her hand, he pulled her through the house as he made his way to the kitchen to find Mama Lucy. Dara couldn't help but realize that there was a definite resemblance between the woman, who appeared to be, in her seventies and Lucas as they found her lifting cookies off of a baking sheet. She could see the obvious affection between grandmother and grandson as he approached her and placed a kiss on her aged cheek before greeting;
"Morning, Mama."
Turning to study her grandson, Lucilla placed her hands on her hips as she admonished;
"Boy, I thought that you would have been here sooner."
Noticing the petite young woman standing behind her grandson, she fussed;
"Well, move so that I can at least see what she looks like."
Shaking his head as he chuckled at the old woman, Lucas took Dara's hand in his and pulled her to stand in front of him as he offered;
"Mama, this is Dara Chambers, the lady that I told you about."
Lucilla looked her up and down as she thought to herself; 'She sure is little, but just as beautiful as can be'. Casting a glance at her grandson and making certain that Caleb wasn't within hearing distance, she stated;
"Boy, if you let her get away, you're a fool."
Shaking his head, Lucas stated emphatically;
"Not a chance, Mama."
Noticing Caleb's approach, Lucas excused himself;
"Excuse me, ladies, but I need to talk to Caleb a minute."
Approaching Caleb, he walked past him and motioned for the boy to follow him as he led the way to the living room. Deciding to set the girl's expectations of her directness, Lucilla offered;
"Dara, Lucas told me about your mama, I am surely sorry for your loss."
Choking back the tears that were threatening to fall at the mention of her mother, Dara swallowed hard as she spoke softly;
"Thank you, Mrs. Buck."
Smiling at the girl, Lucilla couldn't help but like her; she had good upbringing and it showed all over her. Shaking her head, she suggested;
"No need to call me 'Mrs. Buck'; Mama Lucy or Lucilla is fine, whichever you like better."
Once Dara had nodded her acceptance of the dictate, Lucilla continued as she glanced slyly sideways at her;
"Besides, I have the feeling that, judging by his behavior, my grandson is planning on giving that title to somebody else pretty soon."
She couldn't help but feel slight amusement as she noticed how Dara turned her head away slightly as she blushed. Meanwhile, in the living room, Lucas sat, uncertain as to how to broach the subject he wanted to discuss with his son. Finally, noticing Caleb's looks of curiosity, he bluntly asked;
"Son, how do you like Dara?"
Staring at his father, dumbfounded as if he had just asked the most ridiculous question he could think of, Caleb considered;
"I like her a lot, but not as much as you do I bet."
Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he held his head down before locking eyes with Caleb;
"What would you say if I told you that I asked her to marry me and that she said 'yes'?"
Studying the changing emotions on Caleb's face, Lucas could see the sincerity on the boy's face as he smiled;
"I'd say, when's the wedding and who gets to be the best man?"
Releasing a long, pent up sigh of relief, Lucas explained;
"Well, you're the best man and just as soon as everything with her mother's funeral is behind her and she's ready then I guess that's when."
His look changing to one of admonishment, Caleb suggested;
"Well don't you think that she needs a ring?"
Unable to help himself from laughing at the boy's concern, Lucas nodded as he ruffled his hair;
"Yeah, we'll take care of that just as soon as possible."
With that he rose and made his way to the kitchen. Standing behind Dara he wrapped his arms around her waist as he advised her;
"He loves the idea."
Turning to his grandmother with Dara still firmly in his arms, Lucas offered;
"By the way, mama, this is your granddaughter in law to be."
Shaking her head as she smiled benevolently at her grandson, Lucilla gave her grandson a strange look as she replied sarcastically;
"Well I knew that. Now, I assume that as soon as everything else is behind you that the two of you will be getting married."
Turning to Caleb as both Dara and Lucas nodded their head in agreement of her observation, Lucilla stated firmly;
"Well, Caleb, it looks like we're finally getting some new blood in the family."
Grinning openly, Caleb nodded;
"Yes, ma'am, we sure are."
Dara couldn't help but feel joy in the moment. However, when she glanced at her watch and noticed the time she realized that she had to hurry if she was going to have everything situated before her family arrived that evening. Extending her hand to Mama Lucy she offered;
"It's been nice meeting you, Mrs…I mean Mama Lucy, and Caleb, you can come over later with your father if you'd like to. I need to go; I have to grocery shop before my family arrives this evening."
Following her to her car, Lucas dug in his hip pocket and dropped the keys in her hand as he vowed;
"See, I told you that they would love you and the fact that we're getting married."
Although she couldn't help but nod her agreement with his statement, she also couldn't overlook another aspect that he seemed to be overlooking.
"Yes, and I'm very glad that they do, but now we have to tell my family. Considering that they are coming in to attend Mama's funeral I don't see the news of our impending marriage going over particularly well."
Once he had pushed the car door closed for her, Lucas leaned against the window as he promised;
"Darlin, don't worry about it; I'll handle it, okay? It's going to be alright, I promise."
Despite her concern over what her family's reaction might be, Dara couldn't help but smile as she turned her face up to receive a departing kiss before wishing;
"I hope that you're right."
Watching as she left, Lucas made his way back inside to the kitchen where his grandmother was waiting for him to demand;
"Boy, did you get that girl a ring yet?"
Shaking his head, he explained;
"No, I thought that I would go and pick it out here in a minute and when I go back tonight that I'd give it to her then."
Nodding her approval, Lucilla ordered;
"Well just see that you do."
Turning to the oven she asked;
"Caleb, are those cookies ready yet?"
Lucas couldn't help but shake his head in amusement at the woman before turning to his son;
"Caleb, do you want to go with me and help me pick out Dara's ring?"
Considering his father's request for a moment Caleb shook his head;
"No, sir; I think you already have a pretty good idea what you want to get for her, so you don't really need me. I'll just stay here with Mama Lucy. But, can I go with you to her mama's wake?"
Lucas couldn't help but be amazed at his son's willingness to volunteer his support for Dara. Nodding his approval, he praised;
"I think that Dara would like for you to be there, it might make her feel better to know that she has all of our support."
With that, he stood to leave and made his way to the door, then, thinking about it, he threw over his shoulder;
"I probably won't be home tonight, Mama, so don't cook for me."
With that he set out to find just the right ring for Dara.
Having finished with her shopping, Dara pulled into her driveway and noticed a car that she didn't recognize. Considering that her sister must have made better time than what she had thought possible, she shrugged as she rationalized aloud;
"Kara must have gotten a new car."
With that she began carrying the bags of groceries into the house; she had just finished retrieving the last bag when she heard the sound of someone moving around upstairs and, assuming that it was a member of her family, she called;
"I'm in the kitchen; how about someone helping me with the groceries please."
At that moment, the phone began ringing, grabbing it quickly, her face immediately reflected her shock as she heard the voice at the other end of the line;
"Hello? Kara! Where are you; what do you mean you haven't left yet? Well if you're there then just who is upstairs? No, I don't know, I thought that it was you, no, let me call you back. I promise, I'll be careful, I promise."
Placing the receiver back on the hook, Dara wondered quietly;
"Just who is upstairs?"
Glancing around the room her eyes fell on a crow bar that had been left leaning against the back door, taking it in her hands she quietly made her way through the rest of the house towards the staircase, careful to be as quiet as possible.
Ben was going over a batch of reports, since it was his turn to man the desk, when the phone began ringing. Grabbing the receiver he greeted;
"Fulton County Sheriff's Office, how can I help you?"
Listening to the female at the other end he realized that this was no ordinary call as he responded;
"Oh, yes, Mrs. Tanner, I know that address, it's where Dara Chambers lives. Oh, you're her sister; what do you mean that there's someone in the house with her? How do you know that? She thought that it was you until you called to let her know when you would be arriving; what do you mean that she said she was going to check it out? No, hold on."
Hitting the hold button, Ben snatched the mic from the CB;
"Lucas, are you out there?"
Ben felt reserved relief when he heard a break of static;
"I'm right here, Ben; what do you need?"
Unable to restrain the worry in his voice, Ben advised;
"How far are you from Dara's house, right now?"
He could hear the perplexity in Lucas' voice as he responded;
"I'm almost there, why."
Hurriedly, Ben explained;
"Proceed with caution, her sister is on the phone and, apparently, there's someone in the house with her. She thought that it was her sister until she called to let her know when to expect her, she's apparently handling it herself."
Ben wasn't shocked when Lucas issued;
"Ben, if you don't hear from me in the next five to ten minutes then get a car here; do you understand?"
Glancing at the wall clock to mark the time, Ben confirmed;
"Yeah, Lucas, I got you, out."
With that he picked up the receiver and hit the hold button as he explained;
"Mrs. Tanner, yes it's okay, the sheriff is on his way to your sister's house to check it out now. I'm sure that everything will be just fine; yes, I will, you too."
Disconnecting the call, Ben silently prayed that he hadn't made Dara's sister an empty promise.
Throwing the CB mic to the floor, Lucas swore aloud, his worry and fear spurring his temper on;
"Damned, that woman is the most stubborn, willful person that I've ever seen."
Pulling his car to a stop further up the driveway to maintain the element of surprise, Lucas cautiously made his way onto the porch, deciding to use the kitchen door to enter the house rather than the front door. Opening it softly, he made his way quietly into the house; searching for Dara he sucked in his breath sharply as he thought to himself; 'has she lost her mind?' Dara was on the staircase, a crowbar in her hand. Quickly, he made his way up the staircase and had just reached her when the door at the top of the stairs was thrown open.
Finding herself surprised by, not only, Lucas taking the crowbar from her grip but the person standing at the top of the staircase, Dara almost lost her balance and would have fallen backwards. However, realizing that she was about to fall, Lucas threw the crowbar down and caught her to prevent her fall. Glancing from the man holding her to the man at the top of the staircase, she screamed before she swore;
"Damned why don't the two of you just give me a heart attack next time."
With that she turned abruptly and stalked back down the stairs to make her way to the kitchen. Picking up the crowbar, Lucas followed in her wake to enter the kitchen;
"Dara, baby, I'm sorry. I got a call from Ben; apparently your sister called, concerned about you. I didn't mean to scare you honey."
Turning to face him, she released a sigh of frustration as she shook her head before apologizing;
"It's alright, sweetheart, I'm not angry with you."
Turning to face the man now lounging against the doorframe who was smiling insolently, Lucas could see the fire flashing in her eyes as she demanded;
"You, on the other hand, yes I do mind. Would you care to tell me, brother dear, exactly how you got into my house?"
Realizing that this was her brother, Seth, Lucas studied the man closely; although he wasn't tall, he couldn't exactly be considered short either. He was heavy set and rugged looking; Lucas could see some slight similarity between Dara and this man, but not much. After having assessed the man, Lucas ventured;
"Yeah, I'd like to know that one myself."
Casting a glance at the man, Seth Chambers demanded in an arrogant tone;
"Just who the hell are you, mister; and what business is it of yours' if I got into MY mother's house?"
Before Lucas could reply, Dara interjected;
"He, unlike you, is someone who is welcome here and has a hell of a lot more right then what you do to enter MY house."
Turning to his sister, Seth's eyes held nothing but contempt as he offered a thinly veiled threat;
"Well, we'll just see, after everything with the will, just whose house this is, baby sister. Speaking of which, when do we bury the old girl?"
Gasping in shock at his statement Dara couldn't help but stare at him in a look that could only be described as a cross between disgust, anger and shock;
"For God's sake, Seth! She was our mother, how about a little grief or sorrow or anything for that matter that shows you thought of her as something more than an ATM when the mood struck you. And as far as the will goes, feel free; the house is solely in my name as is the insurance. So by all means, sue to your heart's content, I'm sure that when I show proof of all the debts that I've paid that you'll end up owing me."
Dara's eyes widened in fright as she saw the anger and hatred raging in her brother's eyes as he closed the space between them and raised his hand as he threatened venomously;
"You little bitch; I'll make you regret the day that you were born."
Closing her eyes and mentally preparing herself for the blow, Dara opened her eyes when it never came to find Lucas holding her brother's fist in a grip of iron. Lucas had stood silent, fuming with rage at the audacity that this man possessed. Who did he think he was to threaten her like that? Seeing Seth's intentions, Lucas had quickly closed the distance between them to place himself between Dara and her brother to catch his fist before he could strike her. His own eyes reflecting his hatred and disgust with the man, Lucas stated in a dangerous voice;
"Now, let ME tell YOU something; if you ever so much as think about laying another hand on MY wife to be, I'm gong to make you regret the day that both she and I were born. Now, do WE understand each other?"
The fear evident in his eyes, Seth nodded his agreement; he quickly realized that this man meant serious business where his sister was concerned. He had no doubts that he would follow through with his promise of retribution if he dared to mistreat Dara any further. Seeing that he had imparted just how serious the man needed to take his promise, Lucas released the other man's hand as he turned to Dara;
"Is he staying here?"
Shaking her head before turning to address her brother, she stated;
"You can stay in town, but you're not staying here. I don't want you in this house, other than for Mama's funeral; I'm sorry but I'm not changing my mind."
Deciding to try and play his behavior off, Seth tried appealing to his sister's strong sense of family;
"Dara, look I'm really sorry. It's just that I'm upset with Mom's passing and everything else. We need to pull together and be a family now."
Placing what appeared to be a look of sorrow on his face, he offered a sad smile to his sister. Standing next to Dara, Lucas was hoping that she wouldn't let her brother's words influence her good judgment. He didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until he sighed in relief when she turned to face her brother:
"You're absolutely right, Seth, we are family. It's just really too bad that you didn't choose to remember that when Mama was so sick; you know, after you conned her out of her life savings? Then, you have the audacity to show up here, break into my house, tell me how you're here to grab your share and then, to top it off, you try and slap me around. Now, you want me to just say; 'oh, it's okay', and turn my back to you so that you can stick another knife in?"
Shaking her head vehemently, she vowed;
"I don't think so; oh, and let me inform you, the will leaves everything and I do mean EVERYTHING at my discretion. And let me assure you, that by the time I pay the hospital, in home care, doctors and funeral expenses; we'll be lucky if they don't take our Social Security to help pay for it all."
Watching as her brother began turning crimson at her words, Lucas moved closer to Dara, just in case the man didn't take his earlier warning as seriously as if his life depended on it, which it most certainly did. Seething the man ground out;
"Well don't you must have it all taken care of, Little Sister? I'm willing to bet that you socked away a tidy sum for yourself; didn't you?"
The fire of controlled anger glaring in her eyes, Dara reached over and opened a drawer to pull out a ledger before tossing it on the center isle as she ordered;
"Open it! That's every bill that I paid that was in Mama's name that YOU ran up; all of the credit cards, finance companies, all of the scams and cons that you pulled on your own mother. I paid for every one of them and let me assure you that I have no intention of paying for one more thing for you. Now, get whatever you have in my house and get out, and believe me I know this house backwards and forwards so I suggest that whatever you've helped yourself to that you leave it on the bed. Do you understand me?"
Glaring daggers at his sister, Seth stated simply;
"Fine."
He turned towards the door when Dara halted his progress;
"And Seth,"
When he turned to face her, Dara offered;
"before you get it in your head that the only reason I've said any of this is because of Lucas' presence, let me assure you, my mind was made up from the moment Mama got sick and we decided to move to get away from you, that I was NEVER going to put up with either your schemes or your abuse again. But I can assure you of this; either way, you would have met Lucas because, THIS time, I would have had you arrested and most definitely pressed charges and since he's the sheriff here, you would have made his acquaintance."
With that she motioned to the door just before turning her back to him as she ordered;
"Now get out."
Storming through the doorway, Seth made his way upstairs as he realized that his sister had found a backbone, never considering the idea that the only reason she had dealt with his abuse before was to keep peace in their family. He knew that there wouldn't be any taking whatever savings that she had managed to accumulate and that she wasn't about to budge an inch in her determination. Add to his knowledge of his sister's determination once her mind was set, the fact that she was about to marry, what he considered to be, a very dangerous man, and Seth knew that any thoughts of physical or mental intimidation were out of the question.
Having excused himself to call Ben and let him know that everything was fine, Lucas made his way up the staircase to the bedroom that Seth had assumed would be his. Opening the door and venturing into the room, he glared at the other man;
"I want to talk to you."
Holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture, Seth stated;
"Don't worry, I'm leaving. I'll stay in town until the funeral and then I'll go, so we have no room for any discussion here."
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he turned to the open door, which swung shut and locked on its own accord. Lucas wasn't shocked when he saw a wild look of panic in Seth's eyes as he turned to stare at him in fright. He had to shake his head in silent amusement as the man stated in disbelief;
"I didn't just see that."
Motioning to the bag slung over the man's shoulder, Lucas sent it flying across the room as he issued;
"Why don't you set your bag down?"
Turning to the man, Lucas stated;
"Now let me explain something to you; your sister and I are getting married. I never intended to marry anyone, but when I met Dara, well I have to say that I fell head over heels in love with her. Needless to say, I don't particularly care to see her hurt or upset, not to mention abused in any way. Now, do we understand each other?"
Seth, his eyes wide with fright, quickly nodded his head as Lucas ventured;
"Good and you know I really think that once Gwenna's funeral is behind all of us that there just isn't any need for you to ever return to Trinity; don't you agree?"
Crossing to where the other man's bag had landed, Lucas grabbed the bag and approached Seth as he handed the bag to him just before opening the door. Placing his hand on the man's shoulder, Lucas offered;
"I'm glad that we had this conversation, now we TOTALLY understand each other. By the way, I'm sure that the boarding house in town has a room available."
Lucas couldn't help but smile as he watched Seth run down the staircase and out the front door just as Dara entered the living room. Seeing her brother bolting from the house in such a manner, she turned to Lucas, shock evident on her face as she demanded;
"What did you say to him to make him leave in such a hurry?"
Descending the steps, Lucas approached her before taking her in his arms and shaking his head;
"I told him that I take great exception to anyone mistreating you, in any way. I think that he got the hint."
Laying her head against his chest as she burrowed closer, Dara looked into his eyes;
"Thank you, at least I know that he won't cause a scene now, not to mention I won't have to make a trip to the emergency room this time."
Although the last of her statement had been said in a joking manner, Lucas couldn't help but sense the relief from the fear that she felt. Holding her closer, he vowed;
"You will never have to worry about anyone ever hurting you again; EVER, they'll have to go through me first."
Taking her hand, he led her to the sofa and, gently, pushed her to sit on the end of it as he chastised himself;
"I should have done this sooner, and I'm sorry that I haven't, darlin."
With that he bent down on one knee, noting the tenderness in Dara's eyes as he reached into his pocket to produce a small velvet box. As he flipped the lid open, Dara couldn't help but gasp at, what she considered, was the most beautiful ring that she had ever seen. There was a large, marquis shaped diamond in the center which was surrounded at the base by smaller stones, reminding Dara of a bright star. Taking her left hand in his, Lucas slid the ring onto her finger, which fit perfectly as he vowed;
"Dara, you know that I love you and I want you beside me for the rest of my life and for eternity. I asked you before, but I'm asking you again, will you marry me?"
Looking down at the ring, as if studying it for a moment, Dara brought her eyes up to meet Lucas', the tears glistening in them as she cupped his face before offering a tender smile before nodding;
"I love you, more than I ever thought it possible to love anybody; yes, I will marry you."
Lucas couldn't resist taking her in his arms to kiss her; it was a kiss that held neither demand of passion, but simply conveyed how deeply he loved her. Both were so involved in their contact with each other that they failed to notice Mrs. Adams until they heard her clear her throat from the doorway, announcing her presence. Overlooking their slight embarrassment as they mumbled their hellos, she took in the scene and smiled as she ordered;
"Well, let me see it; there's only one reason that I know of for a man to be on bended knee."
Rising from the sofa, Dara extended her hand as she approached the woman. Taking the girl's hand in her own to inspect the ring that now graced her finger, Mrs. Adams nodded her approval as she speculated;
"I take it then that you've settled on a date?"
Lucas rose to stand behind Dara and wrap his arms around her waist as he shook his head;
"No, Mrs. A, but we did get our marriage license so at least we're heading in the right direction."
Unable to stop the smile that came to her face at the sight of love that the pair made, Mrs. Adams hoped, with all of her heart, that Dara was making the right decision and would find happiness with the man now holding her. Following Dara to the kitchen, she asked;
"Have any of your family arrived yet, dear?"
Turning to cast a strange look at the woman, Dara asked, shocked;
"You mean that you didn't let Seth in, Mrs. Adams?"
Although Dara didn't think that Mrs. Adams would have done such a thing, any doubts that she had to the contrary were quickly squelched by the horrified look as she shook her head vehemently;
"Goodness no! Why has he already arrived?"
Sighing with the frustration of her brother's actions, Dara relayed the earlier events that had transpired with her brother. When she had finished her description, Mrs. Adams considered a moment as she shook her head in apology;
"Well I supposed that it could be possible that I forgot to lock one of the back doors before I left; I'm very sorry, Dara."
Placing her hand on the woman's arm in a comforting gesture, Dara sighed in resignation;
"It's all right, Mrs. Adams, whether or not you locked the doors, if he wanted to get in bad enough, he was going to make sure that he did. So please, don't worry over it, it's finished with. Now, all that we have to worry about it is getting through Mama's funeral without there being a family brawl."
Sensing her agitation at the prospect of the situation, Lucas pulled her to him as she promised;
"Sweetheart, don't worry about it; I'll be there every step of the way and I'm sure that no one would start a brawl with the sheriff there."
Turning to the elder, Lucas asked;
"Do you, Mrs. Adams?"
Realizing that he did truly have a good side when he chose to show it, Mrs. Adams couldn't help but like this aspect of his personality, she only hoped that, for Dara's sake, he would continue showing that side. Tilting her head up to offer a smile of amusement, Dara offered;
"Well that's something that I hadn't considered, one of the advantages of marrying you I guess, huh?"
Placing a kiss on her forehead as he grinned openly at her humor;
"Oh I'm sure that you'll find many more advantages than that before much longer, darlin."
Clearing her throat discreetly to remind them of her presence, Mrs. Adams asked gently;
"Dara, dear, when is the funeral?"
Dara couldn't help but sigh heavily; she had almost succeeded and forgetting that she still had to get through one of the hardest things that she would ever have to face, but she couldn't help but feel infinitely grateful that she would have Lucas and his love to lean on. Turning to the woman, she explained;
"The wake is going to be tomorrow night and the funeral with be held the morning after at eleven a.m., Kara called earlier, they had to wait for Mara so they had a bit of a late start, but they, plus their children and Daddy should be arriving this evening. After that, we can start putting our lives back in order again, or so I hope."
Nodding her understanding of the girl's statement, Mrs. Adams offered;
"Well, I need to go, but if there's anything else that you can think of you call me. Otherwise, I'll see you at the wake tomorrow night."
Waiting until she let herself out the front door Lucas glanced about the room as he considered;
"Is there anything else that we need to do before everyone gets here?"
Biting at her bottom lip in consideration of his question, she glanced around before shrugging;
"Well, I thought that I would cook a big supper, I know that they'll be hungry when they arrive. Otherwise, I think that everything is done."
Lucas had been trying to find a tactful way to propose what he had been contemplating and to that end he asked;
"I have to ask you, where are you going to put everyone?"
Pondering the equation of the number of bedrooms as opposed to the number of people, Dara ventured;
"Well, my sisters can take one of the rooms upstairs; Mara only has one child so I thought that my nephews could take the other bedroom upstairs. I can put Daddy in my bedroom and my niece and I can sleep on the sofa bed. Why do you ask?"
Carefully, Lucas offered;
"You know that there's plenty of room at my house, if you need it."
Shaking her head, Dara offered him an apologetic look as she explained;
"I appreciate the offer, darling, but trust me, I don't think that they would do very well staying in a relatively complete stranger's house; especially the kids."
Gazing deep into her eyes as he placed his hand on her shoulder, he ventured;
"Well, you're not a stranger and it's going to be your house too. You could stay and let them have the run of this house."
Dragging her gaze away she shook her head as she reasoned;
"Lucas, I appreciate that you want me to be comfortable, but you know that I can't just leave them at a time like this. Surely you can understand that."
Rising abruptly from his chair as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration, Lucas offered harshly;
"No, damned; what I understand is that I don't want to leave your side for even a second. Is THAT so difficult for you to understand?"
Shocked by his outburst, Dara's face reflected her surprise before the realization behind his frustration dawned on her as she reached out to grasp his hand before offering apologetically;
"Darling, I'm sorry, but please understand something; I'm not really used to anyone being concerned about my comfort. I guess that I've been the one being worried about everyone else's comfort for so long that I've just stopped caring about my own."
Pulling her from the chair, Lucas pulled her close to him as he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek before shaking his head;
"Well, love, I have news for you; I'm going to spend the rest of my life making certain that you're always comfortable, happy, and safe and most of all loved."
Clearing her throat in an attempt to stave off the tears that were threatening to fall at his declaration, Dara placed her hands on his shirt front as she looked down to blink the tears away before bringing her eyes up to meet his as she theorized;
"You know that, if you treat me that way, you're going to spoil me, don't you?"
Nodding eagerly, Lucas brushed a stray tear from her cheek before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead as he confirmed;
"That's my plan, darlin."
A thought occurring to her, she patted his chest a moment as she suggested;
"I'll tell you what, come with me for a second, please."
Crossing the kitchen to a door at the back of the room, she flipped a switch before opening the portal and descending a set of stairs. Once they reached the bottom she flipped another switch and moved to a covered object against the back wall as she requested;
"Please help me get this upstairs."
Half and hour later after they had brought, what turned out to be, a set of mattresses, bed frame and headboard and footboard that Lucas guessed must have been a family heirloom up from the cellar to be set up in Gwenna's room, he turned to Dara to inquire;
"Not that I minded helping, but, sweetheart, why did we do this?"
Offering a small, sad smile, Dara turned to him, a look of nostalgia shining in her eyes as she explained;
"This is the bed that belongs in this room; I had it put in the cellar when Mama needed a hospital bed and since the hospital bed isn't here any longer I'm putting this one back where it's supposed to be. Would you mind helping me make it up?"
Fifteen minutes later, once the bed had been reassembled as well as made with fresh linens, he noticed how Dara stood, hugging one of the large posts as her face took on a far away look as she touched the bed reverently. Placing his arm around her shoulders, he asked softly;
"What is it, more memories?"
Sighing as she allowed her memories to flood her, she nodded;
"Yes, I was just remembering all of the nights that I would beg to crawl into the bed with Mama after having a nightmare and waking up afraid."
Lucas couldn't help but cast a look of shock at her at the confession as she continued;
"I remember spending many a stormy night in this bed next to Mama, when Daddy was working nights."
Thinking of her as a little girl, Lucas found himself smiling gently as he asked;
"Are you afraid of the thunder or the lightening?"
A look of wistfulness came to her face as she chuckled slightly as she admitted;
"I was afraid of the thunder, but I loved the sound of the rain, I still do. But the thunder, that was different. I remember hearing the wind howling and the thunder crashing and I would jump out of my bed and run into Mama's room and beg her to let me sleep with her. She never fussed at me for being silly either; she would just scoot over and then tuck me in and tell me how thunder was just how God shook the ground so that the rain could seep in deeper and keep everything growing; that if wouldn't hurt me."
Lucas couldn't help but remember how Gwenna had demanded to know his intentions regarding her daughter or how straightforward she was in voicing her opinion of those intentions, even when she was at the brink of death. Turning to Dara he pushed her hair over her shoulder as he expressed his opinion of her mother's character;
"Your mother was a very special lady; something that it seems she passed on to, at least, one of her daughters."
Sighing as she nodded her agreement, Dara ventured;
"I just hope that our children can feel the same about me when it's my time, as I do about my mother."
Wrapping his arms around her, Lucas kissed the top of her head as he laid his cheek against it before offering;
"I promise, darlin, they will."
Turning her to face him he reminded her;
"You never did answer my question, why did we bring the bed up here now?"
Placing a kiss on his cheek as she turned to leave the room, she turned to look over her shoulder as she offered him a coy smile;
"Why I would have thought that would have been obvious, so that you'll have a place to sleep. Just because I can't stay with you at your house right now, doesn't mean that you can't stay with me here; even if there will be others here as well."
Shaking his head at her playfulness, he couldn't help but chuckle;
"I should have known. Are you sure, what will your family say?"
Biting at her bottom lip in momentary indecision, Dara shrugged her shoulders as she offered;
"Quite frankly I don't particularly care what they say. Besides, this is my house after all."