Nobody's Dream Read Online Free PDF Page A

Besides, she loved when he called her darlin’.
    Then whose warm body was pressed against his? Reality slammed into him. Of course it couldn’t be his wife. She had died in the avalanche almost eight years ago.
    Didn’t she? He couldn’t have made that up—not in a million years—unless he’d just awoken from the worst damned nightmare imaginable. He thought he’d come to terms with Maggie’s death during the past year, so why the nightmares now?
    He flashed to the crushing sound of a wall of snow and debris slamming against his truck. What the hell? He and Maggie didn’t own a truck. Besides, the Land Rover her parents had given her when she went off to college had been parked miles away when the avalanche killed Maggie and the rescue worker—Angel Giardano’s father—at the bottom of that scree slope.
    So why did the crush of the snow pack feel so real to him now?
    The body pressed against his moved, bringing him back to the present. He was in a warm bed. Next to a soft, warm body. Luke opened one eye. Dark, straight hair. Definitely not Maggie’s red curls.
    She was built smaller than his wife, too. Who the—?
    “You are awake?”
    This time, the accent clued him in. Cassie López, not Maggie. His head still fuzzy, he glanced around the darkened room, but couldn’t make out many details. One thing was certain. He lay cozied up with the girl in a cramped twin bed. Must be dreaming still.
    Nice imagination, Denton.
    If this was a fantasy, why was he dreaming about her in a bed this size? Then again, being cuddled up with her in the small bed’s tight confines sure worked for him.
    She moved against him. Soft skin warm against his body. Sure seemed real. Not a dream.
    Whoa! How on earth could he have wound up in bed with Cassie? Confusion returned, compounded by the throbbing in his head. He recalled setting out from daVinci’s bar to follow her home after some of them had met for pizza and drinks, including Adam and Karla, Marc and Angel. There had been some kind of threat that made him worry about her ability to get home safely. But if he’d put the moves on her, he’d remember—wouldn’t he? He hadn’t had that much to drink.
    Had she invited him into her bed? No. Any woman who slept in a twin bed didn’t invite men to join her. Hell, this skittish filly would have kicked him in the nuts before she’d allow him into her cabin, much less her bedroom. She didn’t like him much—well, any man from what he’d observed the few times he’d been around her. Adam practically set her jaws on edge, too, and that man wouldn’t hurt her for anything, either.
    When he moved to face her, a splitting pain seared between his temples, worse than any hangover he remembered. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain and nausea to pass. How much did he drink at daVinci’s?
    Keeping his voice to a whisper, he asked, “What the hell happened?”
    “You do not remember?”
    He started shaking his head, but the motion made matters worse. “Not a thing.”
    “Not even the avalanche?”
    So there had been another avalanche. He hadn’t imagined or dreamed it.
    “You probably totaled your truck.” She glared at him. “You could have been killed. What were you doing up here?” Now she sounded pissed—and more like the Cassie he remembered.
    He grinned. “I wanted to see you make it home safely.”
    Her body grew even more rigid. “Obviously, I can take care of myself. You, I am not so sure about.”
    The girl had a point. But he’d had the best of intentions. “Living up here all alone, well, it’s good to make sure someone checks in on you regularly.”
    “I have lived here since soon after graduating from university four years ago. I do not need anyone checking up on me.”
    Her breathing became shallow, agitated. Better drop the subject. “How long have I slept?”
    “Since the night before last.”
    “What time is it now?”
    “Early evening. It has been almost forty-eight hours since the