CHAPTER 14

Just as everyone had made themselves comfortable in the living room there was a rapid knock on the door. Glancing to Dara in puzzlement, Lucas rose to answer the urgent knocking. Opening the portal he found Ben, embarrassed at the idea that he had intruded on a family evening; looking apologetic, he pleaded;

"Lucas, could I talk to you for a second? I think that it's important."

Motioning to the kitchen, Lucas led the way to the room and once the swinging door had closed behind them, turned and leaned against a cabinet as he crossed his arms over his chest to demand;

"What is it, Ben?"

Deciding to just launch in and get it over with, Ben advised;

"Look, Lucas, her brother has been at it again. I got a report a little while ago that he had been seen down at Clancy's with Selena Coombs and that, after a few drinks, he got to running his mouth. Mind you with a lot of prodding from Selena; he's made it clear that he intends to, as he put it, 'teach his baby sister a lesson'."

Sighing in frustration as he shook his head, Lucas ordered;

"Alright, Ben, here's what I want you to do; you might go and drop a friendly hint to Selena and remind her that meant every word of what I said to her. If she values her neck, she won't stretch it into other people's business. As far as her brother goes; I'll take care of that. By the way, how about giving Caleb and Mama Lucy a ride back to my house?"

Agreeing, Ben offered;

"Alright, Lucas, I'll drop by Selena's after I take them home."

Joining everyone else in the living room, Lucas turned to Lucilla and Caleb as he advised;

"Ben is going to take you two home, alright?"

Lucas couldn't help but find himself impressed when Dara's family embraced both Caleb and Lucilla as they said their farewells for the evening. Although he could have cared less about facing any animosity from the Chambers family, especially on the subject of his marrying Dara, he knew that her fervent hope was that her family would accept and become fond of Lucas, Lucilla and Caleb; something that he was gratified to realize was indeed the case.

Following Ben, Lucilla and Caleb out to the car, after closing the door for his grandmother, Lucas turned to Ben and ordered;

"Don't forget to pay our friend a visit, Ben."

Ben nodded his agreement silently before sliding behind the wheel. Watching a moment as they drove out of sight, Lucas wasn't surprised when he felt Dara's small arms wrap around his waist from behind before asking;

"Now, do you want to tell me what you and Ben were discussing with such seriousness?"

Turning in her embrace, Lucas placed his arms around her and pulled her close to him before shaking his head;

"Nothing, darlin, just some police business, that's all."

Tilting her head to the side for a moment as she studied him closely, Dara shook her head before advising him;

"I don't quite believe you, but, you gave me the time I needed so I'll let it go and when you're ready, you'll tell me."

With that she laid her head against his chest to feel the steady and reassuring rise and fall of his chest. Both were so content in each other's arms that they failed to realize they were no longer alone until they heard the discreet sound of Brittany clearing her throat. When they turned and found the girl standing there, realizing that she had obviously interrupted something, her face mirroring her chagrin she apologized profusely;

"Aunt Dara, I'm sorry, but Mom says that they're ready to go to bed and could you please show us where the blankets and everything are."

Following the girl back inside the house, both couldn't help but notice the flurry of activity as everyone was gathering their belongings to take to their respective rooms. Noticing her sister, Kara offered;

"Dara, I hope that you don't mind but we changed the sleeping arrangements a little. Me, Brittany and Jacob are going to share a room. Mara and Mikey are going to take the other room so you can have the sofa to yourself, I hope that's okay."

Shrugging, Dara agreed;

"That's fine by me, whatever makes you guys more comfortable."

Glancing about the room, she noticed their father's absence;

"Where did Daddy go?"

Motioning to Dara's bedroom door, Kara offered;

"He said something about going ahead and getting settled."

Crossing the space, Dara rapped on the door lightly before opening the portal as she heard;

"Come in."

Seeing that her father was sitting in the rocking chair she apologized;

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I just needed to get my night clothes; I didn't meant to disturb you."

Offering his youngest child a loving smile, Alex shook his head;

"You're not bothering me, Little Bit. Come here and sit a second and talk to me."

Dara gathered her gown and robe before settling herself on the edge of the bed close to her father, knowing what the 'something' was he was about to open for discussion. Sure enough she realized she was correct in her assumption as he looked her in the eyes and asked directly;

"Now, since your sisters aren't here to butt into our conversation, would you like to tell me how you and Lucas came to the decision to get married?"

Dara had known that when Lucas had announced his intentions and, despite offering his blessings, her father was going to ask her for more details. Biting at her bottom lip, a habit that Alex recognized as an indication of her nervousness, Dara explained;

"Well, I have an office that's across form the Sheriff's office and when I was moving in he helped me with some heavy boxes. Then, I started counseling Caleb and I guess you could say that we just hit it off. It seems that every time I've needed him he's been there."

Seeing the look in her father's eyes, she shook her head as she stated emphatically;

"And I know what you're thinking, Daddy; but that's not why I want to marry him. I want to marry him because I love him. I think you, of all people other than Mama, know that I'm sufficiently capable of taking care of myself."

Pondering his daughter's explanation for a moment, Alex began;

"You know, even when you were a baby, you had this way about you of being able to bring out the best in everyone around you. I've always believed that you were a blessing our lives for that gift, just as, to a point, I've always believed that your brother and his actions were a sort of curse. More so when we realized how vicious he was, especially how he would direct that viciousness towards you. I've always believed that he's jealous of the way that you can reach into a person and bring out their goodness."

Her face mirroring her puzzlement, Dara asked;

"Daddy, what are you getting at?"

Taking his daughter's hand in his, Alex offered;

"Little Bit, what I'm getting at is this; I can see just how much that man loves you, there's no faking that, but I also get the feeling that he can be a very dangerous man when he chooses to be."

Accepting her silence as her acknowledgment of his statement, he asked Dara;

"Baby girl, are you sure that you want to marry this man?"

It took Dara only a moment of consideration before she nodded solemnly;

"Yes, Daddy, I'm very sure. I know that he can be dangerous, cold and hard; but I also know the kindness that he's capable of. And I know, without a doubt, that he loves me and I love him. I want to spend my life with him, Daddy."

Seeing the sincerity in his daughter's eyes, Alex nodded;

"Alright , Little Bit; I just had to ask you, after all it isn't everyday that my baby girl gets married."

Touched by her father's concern as well as his obvious love for her, Dara reached over and hugged her father tightly;

"I love you, Daddy and please don't worry, it's all going to be alright, you'll see."

Any other discussion was suspended as a knock sounded at the door before Lucas opened it cautiously before inquiring;

"Honey, everyone else has gone to bed already; would you mind if I turn the TV on?"

Shaking her head, Dara offered;

"No, go ahead."

Deciding that now was as good a time as any and realizing that, with the flurry of activity that would occur over the next few days, there may well not be another opportunity, Alex motioned for Lucas to enter the room as he turned to his daughter to suggest;

"Little Bit, why don't you go and put your gown on; I'd like to talk to Lucas for a second."

Glancing worriedly from her father to Lucas, Dara took a deep breath of concern before shrugging her shoulders and leaving the room. Once he heard the door shut, Lucas crossed his arms over his chest as he addressed his future father in law;

"Alright, I knew that this was going to be coming sooner or later."

Noticing the look of challenge in the younger man's eyes, Alex quickly realized that, when it came to Dara, Lucas was more than willing to fight for her. Motioning for Lucas to take a seat on the bed, Alex began hesitantly;

"You don't have to look like I'm about to call you out for a duel; I'm not, I just want to talk to you about my daughter, fair enough?"

Realizing that added tension wasn't going to make the conversation any easier, not to mention the realization of how precarious Alex's health was, Lucas sought to ease the tension as he relaxed considerably before nodding;

"Alright, fair enough."

Mulling over how he wanted to begin the conversation that he felt he needed to have with the man sitting across from him, especially given the fact that man was planning on marrying his youngest child, Alex asked;

"You know that Dara is the youngest, don't you?"

Remaining silent, Lucas nodded as he waited for the man to continue.

"There are a number of years difference between Dara and the rest of the children and I know that it may not seem like it, and although I can't say that we planned for her to be born, Dara wasn't an accident either."

Lucas couldn't help but stare at the man; shocked. Although he would never consider Dara to be unwanted, he had assumed that, given the age difference between she and the other children, that she had not been planned for. Seeing the shock on Lucas' face, as well as the unasked question in his eyes, Alex shook his head as he explained;

"She wasn't exactly unplanned for either. You see, Gwenna's doctor decided that she could no longer use birth control pills and when she told me, well, I figured that if she got pregnant again then it would be because it was God's will. Obviously, Gwenna did get pregnant again, and in November of that year, Dara was born."

Noticing the look of nostalgia that was so evident in the man's eyes as he recalled his child's birth, Lucas remained silent, anxious to hear more of the man's recollections as his face broke into a loving smile before offering;

"You should have seen her; she was the prettiest baby, even when she was born. Her eyes were the color that they are now and when she would smile at you, if just melted your heart. You see, the gift that you see in her, that ability she has to bring out the best in those around her; she's had that since the day she was born. I suppose that's part of why she's able to do her job so well; that gift is even stronger with those that she cares enough about to give a part of herself to."

Sighing in agitation as he shook his head, Alex speculated;

"I've always thought that was a big reason why Seth is so jealous and cruel to her, because he's never been able to to like that. Mara and Kara, they seem to have that quality, but nothing like what Dara does"

Turning to Lucas and pinning him with his eyes, Alex observed;

"You're lucky enough to fall into the category of being a person that she cares about; I would have to be blind not to see just how much you love my daughter and I know that she loves you too. I don't believe that you would ever hurt her, intentionally, but I can also see that when you choose to be that you can be a very cold, cruel and dangerous man. I never want my daughter to suffer because of those qualities"

Deciding that lying was counterproductive, Lucas nodded his agreement of the man's statement as he waited for what he knew was coming when the man stated;

"You're getting a very rare and precious gift in my daughter; she's the strongest person that you would ever want to meet. But, she can also be the most fragile and vulnerable, especially with someone that she loves. All I'm asking is that you never hurt her; in ANY way, and that you love her the way she deserves to be loved. And please, never give her any reason to regret loving you as much as she does; that would devastate her."

Meeting the man's eyes with a look of pure sincerity and honesty, Lucas took a deep steadying breath before speaking;

"Everything that you have just said about your assumption of me is the absolute gospel. But there's something else that you said that's just as true; I love your daughter more than my own life and I can promise you this, I would slit my own throat before I ever intentionally hurt her or let anyone else hurt her either. When I realized that I wanted to spend my life with Dara, I also found myself wanting to be a better man so that she would never have a reason to be ashamed of being my wife. I understand your apprehension; you don't know me, but I swear to you on my son's life, I love her more than I can ever explain."

Alex searched the man's eyes and knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that his daughter would be in good hands. Feeling the need to ask, he ventured softly;

"Did Gwenna know how you felt about Little Bit?"

After Lucas' silent nod, Alex chuckled as he offered an assumption;

"I'm sure that, knowing my ex wife as I did, she was rather blunt in her inquiry into your and Dara's relationship."

Leaning forward as he braced his arms on his knees, Lucas surmised;

"You want to know how she felt about all of this, don't you?"

Nodding, Alex waited patiently as Lucas spoke;

"She point blank asked me if I cared about Dara; I told her that care wasn't the right word and quite frankly I wasn't and, for that matter, I'm still not certain as to whether or not love is a strong enough term for what I feel for her. I also told her, then, that I planned on making Dara my wife, but that, at the time, I knew that she was coming to terms with how she felt for me and I wasn't going to push her because I didn't want to lose her. On her death bed, she asked me, again, point blank, if I had proposed to Dara. When I told her that I had and that she had accepted she just told me that she was glad, even though Dara was more than what I deserved, she had no doubt that I loved her and would take good care of her. Then she passed away."

Alex turned his head as he wiped a tear from his eye before offering;

"I just wanted us to understand each other; I hope that there are no hard feelings."

Shaking his head, Lucas stood before extending his hand as he vowed;

"No sir; I would be the same way if she were my daughter."

Choosing that moment to timidly knock on the door, Dara opened it hesitantly, the concern over her father and Lucas' conversation obvious on her face as she inquired;

"Is everything alright in here?"

Smiling lovingly at his daughter, Alex nodded;

"It's just fine, Little Bit, I was just having a talk with your husband to be. Honey, I'm feeling tired so I think that I'm going to head to bed."

Coming around the bed after helping her father turn the covers back, Dara embraced him as she kissed his cheek before offering;

"Goodnight, Daddy. See you in the morning"

Returning the hug, Alex replied;

"Good night, baby girl, sweet dreams."

Then, he leaned closer to her ear so that only she could hear his statement;

"I think that you've made the right decision, baby; he's a good man."

Giving her father one last hug she and Lucas left the room.

Lucas had decided that he was thirsty and to that end had ventured to the kitchen in search of a glass of tea. Returning to the living room he could see that Dara had settled herself on the sofa with a blanket to watch an old black and white movie. Standing over her he couldn't resist reaching down to twirl a curl of her, now, loose hair. Smiling when she looked up, he leaned down and kissed her as he asked;

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

The corners of her mouth curling upwards she shifted as she offered;

"I'd be hurt if you didn't."

Taking his place, as the night before, in the corner of the sofa, Lucas raised his arm as Dara curled against him to venture;

"You know, I really think that I could get used to this."

Kissing the top of her head, Lucas nodded;

"I'm hoping that you do."

As the thought occurred to her, Dara glanced up at him as she suggested;

"By the way, sweetheart, I turned your bed down. If you'd like to you can go and put your pajamas on so that you can get comfortable, I don't mind."

Chuckling as he grinned at her mischievously, Lucas shook his head;

"I don't wear pajamas, darlin."

Puzzled, Dara stared at him as she demanded;

"Well then what do you sleep..oh, never mind; forget I asked."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as the proof of her embarrassment crept into her cheeks as she turned her attention back to the movie. Having found himself caught up in the story on the screen, he didn't realize, until he glanced down as he noticed that her breathing had changed, that she had fallen asleep. Careful not to wake her, he simply eased his boots off and stretched his legs out on the coffee table to get more comfortable before hitting the button on the remote to silence the TV.

Being accustomed to waking early, Kara wasn't surprised to realize that she was the first one up the next morning. Realizing that everyone would be hungry, especially with everything that they were going to need to accomplish for both Dara's wedding and their mother's funeral, she decided to head to the kitchen to begin breakfast for everyone. After making her way downstairs, she was about to pass by the living room doorway on her way to the kitchen when she found herself stopping short at the sight of her sister curled up against Lucas' side, both sound asleep on the sofa. She couldn't help but smile at the sight as she realized just how much love Lucas had for her sister, something that she had prayed her youngest sibling would find. Turning, she entered the kitchen and began breakfast preparations, starting with coffee.

Having heard someone in the kitchen, Dara woke before Lucas. Seeing that he was still sleeping soundly she got up, careful not to disturb him as she put on her rube to ease into the kitchen where she found Kara busily whipping eggs in a bowl. Glancing up as her sister entered the room, Kara offered a smile as she greeted brightly;

"Good morning."

Returning the smile as she poured herself a glass of juice, Dara took a sip as she asked;

"How did you sleep?"

Kara raised her head from her task, grinning, to quip;

"Well apparently, not as well as you did."

Blushing furiously at her sister's remark, Dara explained;

"Well, we fell asleep watching TV."

Shaking her head, Kara offered;

"No need to apologize, I haven't been married so long that I've forgotten how it is."

Before either could say anything else, Mara entered the kitchen, still half asleep, to mumble;

"I don't know which one of you did it, but whoever made the coffee, God bless you."

Handing her sister a fresh cup of coffee the way she remembered her liking it, Dara shook her head as she observed;

"Well, I guess we know which one of us took after Mama's coffee habit; don't we?"

Glancing at each other, all three began giggling, trying to be as quiet as possible in their attempts not to wake the rest of the occupants, still sleeping, in the house. Although he had dimly heard the giggling coming from the kitchen, the true motivation that found Lucas waking was the realization that Dara wasn't next to him. Standing to stretch, he couldn't help but shake his head as he sat to put his boots on as he mumbled to himself;

"Damn, she's only slept next to me twice and I'm already used to the feel of her."

With that he made his way to the kitchen where he found the three sisters preparing breakfast for everyone. Catching sight of him, Dara offered him a loving smile as she poured him a cup of coffee before handing it to him as she asked;

"Good morning, darling, did you sleep well?"

Taking the cup from her hand and setting it on the counter top, Lucas ignored the presence of the other two women as he pulled her against him and kissed her deeply before stating;

"I do as long as you're next to me."

Blushing furiously as he released her, Dara went back to mixing the pancake batter as she tried to ignore the shocked looks on the faces of her sisters. When she began gathering the dishes and utensils to set the table, Lucas followed her to the dining room to offer his help. Once the door had closed behind the couple, Kara, noticing the look on her older sister's face, demanded;

"Okay, so what's your problem?"

Shaking her head, Mara ventured;

"Do you know what's so bad? The fact that he looks better after having slept all night in those clothes then what our husbands do all dressed up."

Noticing the shocked looks on each other's faces, both women began laughing. Hearing the sound of the laughter coming from the kitchen, Lucas turned to Dara;

"I wonder what that's all about."

Shaking her head, as she rolled her eyes, Dara observed;

"With those two, it's no telling."

Once the table had been set and everyone had been rooted out of their beds to begin the day, everyone sat down to enjoy the morning meal. Lucas finished his quickly so that he would be able to grab a quick shower before heading in to his office. Having finished with his morning routine, he sought out Dara. Finding her in the kitchen finishing with the cleanup from breakfast, he motioned for her to join him in the hallway.

"What time do we need to be at the funeral home tonight?"

Sighing as she leaned her head back against the wall, Dara couldn't help but feel guilty as she realized that, in her happiness over the prospect of marrying Lucas, she had almost forgotten the pain over the loss of her mother. Shrugging her shoulders she reminded him;

"He said that we should be there about five and it should be over with by seven. Since we don't know that many people here it shouldn't last any longer than that."

Seeing the look of frustration and guilt in her eyes before she turned her head to look away from him, Lucas gently placed his hand on her cheek to turn her face to look into her eyes as he chastised lightly;

"You have nothing to feel guilty about because you're not crying your eyes out every second of every day. Your mother wanted you to be happy so stop kicking yourself just because you let yourself feel happiness over our wedding."

Biting at her bottom lip, she asked quietly;

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

With that she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him soundly. Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the gesture before pulling back to question;

"Are you going to go shopping today for your wedding dress?"

Pursing her lips as she considered, she nodded;

"Yes, I guess that I had better since there really isn't going to be time to do so after tonight. Why do you ask?"

Reaching into his hip pocket to produce his wallet, Lucas reached in to pull out a plastic card before handing it to Dara before sternly instructing her;

"I want you to pick out whatever you want and I don't care how much it costs. And before you protest; this is my wedding present to you, not to mention that it makes me happy to do it. As far as the flowers and cake go; I'll take care of that so you just worry about your dress, okay?"

He wasn't surprised at her response when he saw the stubborn look cross her face

"Lucas, I'm not destitute you know? I can buy my own dress."

Placing his arms over her shoulders to pull her closer, he affirmed his position;

"I WANT to do this for you, darlin. You get whatever you want; they shouldn't give you any problems about the card, especially since I'm pretty sure that words gotten around by now that we're getting married."

Sighing in resignation she nodded;

"Alright, if it will make you happy then I'll do it."

Kissing her deeply, he offered;

"I have to go into the office for a a little while, darlin. I'll make sure that I'm back in time to leave tonight; and remember something,"

Wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer as he kissed her forehead, he continued;

"I happen to love you very, VERY much and I can promise you that I'll definitely miss you."

Tilting her face up to offer him a tender smile, she demanded;

"As long as you remember that very same thing."

With that he dropped a kiss on her upturned mouth before leaving to begin his day. Once he was settled in the car, he considered a moment before making his decision as he snatched the CB mic;

"Ben, are you there?"

After a brief moment of crackling static, he heard;

"Yeah, Lucas, what's up?"

Resigning himself to what he needed to do, Lucas advised;

"Ben, I want you to go pick up Ms. Coombs and escort her to my office; I'll meet you there shortly; out."

Lucas knew that he was about to face a battle but he was also more than prepared for the onslaught, especially given that Selena seemed to think that she could sidestep his warning by using Seth Chambers to get at Dara. Aside from that aspect; he knew, without a doubt, that Selena could be a real bitch when she chose to be, as her recent actions were proving.

Sitting behind his desk, filling out paperwork, Lucas wasn't surprised when heard and irate feminine voice from the outer office;

"Ben, I told you, take your damn hands off of me!"

Rapping on Lucas' office door, Ben opened it to advise;

"Lucas, here she is. Call me if you need me."

With that he ushered Selena into the middle of the room before stepping back out and pulling the door shut behind him. Although she stood glaring at him once Ben pulled the door to, Selena could see by the dangerous tint in Lucas' eyes that she had definitely overstepped the line between danger and stupidity. Leaning back in his chair as he folded his arms across his chest, Lucas shook his head before demanding;

"Selena, honey, would you care to explain to me exactly why you're trying to push Seth Chambers down a VERY dangerous path; not only for him but for yourself as well?"

Selena thought for a moment, realizing that she must look like a frightened rabbit given that was exactly how she felt. Although she had seen for herself that Lucas definitely loved Dara, she had seriously underestimated just how strong that feeling was between the two. Realizing just how huge the mistake that she had made truly was, all Selena could do was hang her head in silence. Interpreting her silence as her acceptance of the situation, Lucas sighed in frustration;

"Selena, you are most definitely a stubborn woman, that's for certain. Now, I'm only going to tell you this one time and one time only so I want you to make sure that you listen close because I won't extend the courtesy of a warning next time; I'll just pay you a visit myself and save my words. Do I make myself clear?"

Remaining silent, Selena simply nodded, her eyes wide with fear at the knowledge of just what his promise meant as he vowed;

"Now, I am definitely going to marry Dara; whatever we had, and believe me it wasn't much, is over. Don't force me to make our ending a more permanent one. And I strongly suggest that you steer clear of Seth Chambers; I'm certain that he won't mean anything to you but trouble. Now, if you don't mind, I have things that I've got to take care of today."

Pushing his desk chair back to stand, Lucas grabbed his jacket before opening his office door to approach Ben's desk to advise him that he was leaving before glancing over his shoulder at a, still, wide eyed Selena to advise;

"Ben is going to take you home, Ms. Coombs. I hope that we won't have to meet each other again like this."

With that, Lucas left the building as Selena turned to look into Ben's sympathetic eyes as he offered;

"Selena, I warned you; I'm telling you for your own good, you need to let it go because, where that lady is concerned, he's not playing."

Nodding her agreement of his admonishment, Selena realized that there would be no more games played or schemes without Lucas knowing EXACTLY where they had originated. Turning a sultry smile tinged with sadness on Ben, she nodded;

"You were right, Ben; I think that I'll do exactly that."