Dream Keeper by Gail McFarland Page A

definitely designed for comfort.
    Yvette has a point. The baby’s not even here, and I’m already going for the comfort—Dench will just have to forgive me this time. Climbing into bed, she heard him coming with the tray. Even as her stomach grumbled, she yawned and knew that sleep was going to win.
    From the bed, the bag of books was just in reach and she pulled it closer. Getting a good grip, she levered it up on the blue and brown comforter and spilled the books across her lap just as Dench rounded the corner.
    Holding the bed tray, Dench looked from her face to her lap and back again. “Is that my surprise?”
    She held Daddy for Dummies aloft. “Is that my dinner? If it is, Big Poppa, then this book is for you.”
    One-handed, Dench planted the loaded tray in the center of the bed and sat next to Rissa. Taking the book from her hands, he flipped pages, studied a picture and flipped more pages. “So do you think this book is good?”
    “I bought it, didn’t I? I wouldn’t buy you a book that wasn’t good.” Snagging a roll, she bit into it, chewed, and slid a little lower in the bed.
    He swung his legs up on the bed and rolled to his side, reading. “Did you know that right now, the baby weighs about three ounces? Damn, baby, that’s about the size of a hotdog.”
    Stuffing the last of the roll into her mouth, Rissa chewed. Dench turned another page, read and then looked at his hand.
    “What?”
    “Six and three-tenths inches,” he said reverently, his eyes alive with swirling flecks of green and gold. “That’s how big the baby is right now.” He turned more pages, reading along the way. “And teeth, it says that all the teeth have formed.” Rissa nodded sleepily and curled on her side as he continued reading. “This book is cool. Now I don’t have to listen to AJ’s nonstop commentary on the mysteries of childbirth. I’ve got my own reference tool.”
    When Rissa didn’t answer, he looked over at her. Sprawled at an impossible angle, her head was thrown back and one foot dangled from beneath the covers. Her chest rose and fell with her breathing and an insolently sudden snore. Moving carefully, trying not to wake her, Dench eased from the bed. Sliding the tray away from her body, he stood and watched her sleep. When she started to drool, he set the tray on the floor and reached for a tissue—for better or for worse went a long way.
    It’s a good thing I love you, girl. He dabbed at the corners of her mouth and she smacked her lips in return. And I love you like a shoe loves a sock.
    Her hearty snore was answer enough for him.
    Rissa spent most of the night snoring and slept so deeply that she didn’t hear Dench rise before daylight. His stealthy movements were so quiet that she never heard him dress or leave the house for Flowery Branch. Surfacing from sleep, she caught a trace of sweetness on the air, and it made her think of him. Refusing to open her eyes, sensing the stillness of her home, she knew that she was alone. I didn’t hear the alarm clock go off. Where’s Dench?
    Oh, yeah , she recalled, liking the teasing floral whisper. He said something about team assessment and medical reviews. Yawning, still tangled in sleep, she managed to open her eyes. A glance at the clock told her that she could afford to sleep longer, but the delicate fragrance persisted. Turning her head, she found the source of the scent, soft, pink and velvety, in the center of his pillow. A rose, he left a rose for me. And when did he get it? She reached out, touching the bloom with a single finger and smiled. Wonder what I did right to deserve a man like him?
    She stroked the rose tenderly. Cathi, she remembered sleepily. I haven’t thought of Cathi Jennings in forever. Wonder what she’s doing now? Rissa sighed and drew the rose across the pillow, closer to her face. That girl was crazy about AJ. She was the reason I noticed Dench in the first place. We were twelve years old and she said he was fine, but AJ