Mate of Her Heart by R. E. Butler Read Free Book Online Page A

gasoline that she had brought along in two ten-gallon containers, she turned it on and then unlocked the back door.  There was no central air conditioning in the cabin, but it was cool enough in the evenings to not need it, and there were several ceiling fans, plus rectangular fans to be placed in the windows.  And if she needed it, there was a small window air conditioner that she could use.
    It was lunchtime, and her stomach rumbled, but she wanted to get settled first before she ate.  The cabin was one large room; a small bathroom and closet lined the back wall, next to a door which led out onto a small back porch.  The generator ran the water heater, and the running water in the cabin was collected with a cistern, so she would have fresh drinking water and hot water for her baths.  The main room of the cabin was separated into three areas:  eating, sleeping, and sitting.  A worn-out couch faced a picture window that overlooked one section of the woods.  Her father always said that nature was the best television show ever invented.  When they’d come to stay when she was younger, he would drink his coffee on the couch and watch out the window for hours.  A wood-burning stove sat in the corner, and she had many fond memories of watching her dad fill up the stove and warm up the house when they came during the winter holidays.
    The kitchen was compact and efficient, furnished with a butcher block table and three chairs, a long counter with a sink, a small refrigerator, and a two-burner stove.  There was a charcoal grill in the small storage shed out back, but she didn’t plan to go to that much trouble to cook.
    The sleeping area held an unmade king-sized bed with a frame made of twisted branches that had been stripped and sanded smooth so that the white of the trunk showed through in places where the bark had been scratched away.  A matching table stood next to the bed and held a battery-operated alarm clock which appeared to be dead.  She didn’t need the clock.  Her body would tell her when the heat was over and the time of day didn’t really matter when she could look outside and judge whether it was morning or afternoon or evening.  Turning in a slow circle, she looked at the four walls that were going to be her home for the duration of her heat, and took in a deep breath.  This was part of her family’s heritage, a place of safety where she’d made many wonderful memories with her family.
    She remembered her mother standing in the kitchen in one of her father’s oversized shirts, making eggs and bacon.  Eveny and Acksel had slept on air mattresses on the floor and she always fell asleep to the sound of her parents’ muffled conversations.  She realized she didn’t talk about her mom with anyone but Luke.  He’d understood the devastation of losing a parent, because he’d lost both.  He had been there for her, let her cry, and listened to anything she wanted to say while she’d grieved.  He’d been her rock.  And he still was.
    Pressing her hand to her abdomen, she decided that when she and Luke had a girl, she’d like to name her after her mother - Miriam.  She knew that Luke would like that.  And she’d want to name two more of their kids after his parents, Rebecca and Paul.  And his grandma, Louise.  And her dad, Dade.  Chuckling to herself, she wondered if Luke would mind having that many kids.
    Thinking about her dad made her heart ache in a bad way.  She didn’t want to lose him.  But she wouldn’t lose him yet .  Until she and Luke mated officially, she would still be able to spend time with him, and she’d just make the most of it.
    If Luke wanted to be her mate.
    She smiled.  She couldn’t think of a scenario in which Luke would say no to her.
    After checking out the small bathroom, with its tub, sink, and toilet, she returned to the car and brought in the cooler and the box.  Leaving a steak out on the counter to thaw, she closed the lid on the cooler and