Montana Sky

Chapter 20: Dream a Little Dream (Part 1)

Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
– Doris Day: Dream a Little Dream of Me –

*****

Stefani felt utterly intoxicated with love and relief; finally she was back where she belonged, back on Bradley's side, both unable and unwilling to do anything else than stare at the sleeping man in front of her. Tiredness was tugging at her heavily too, but she didn't want to give in yet, moving her eyes all over his face repeatedly; pleasure from their recent encounter lingered inside her still, an involuntary whimper escaping. She chewed on her lower lip, swallowing as she took a long, leisurely look down along the rest of him; suddenly it really felt quite hot in the room.

To distract herself, she got up, closed the curtains so the bright moonlight wouldn't bother him, covered him with the blanket they had brought in with them. Then she realized no one knew they were here, and their absence might at some stage worry the people at the main house; she needed to head to the bathroom too, looked around for something to leave him a note with, in case he awoke. Peeking into a drawer, she luckily found some paper and pens, quickly scribbled something down, telling him where she was; she didn't want Bradley to worry about her whereabouts for one single second, not when he was still a bit shaky from the events of the past week. Lowering the piece of paper next to him made her a little emotional, reminded her of the note she had written to him last night, about New York; she had felt so sad and nervous at the time, a few tears falling onto the paper, staining the ink. Now there was such lightness in her, such happiness again; after pulling her dress back on and pressing a very tender kiss onto his forehead, she quietly tiptoed down the stairs.

The stable was empty, all horses outside as it was so warm, the yard illuminated beautifully by the massive silver moon that drew her attention for a long moment before she started making her way towards the house; light was still shining in the living room windows, so someone was awake. About halfway through she stalled, groaning, forced to take a sudden detour; this time it wasn't photographers that interrupted her, it was an awful wave of nausea instead and she ended up retching her guts out into a bush, moisture rising into her eyes, beads of sweat onto her forehead.

"Bloody hell. What in the name of God...?"

"Stefani? Sweetheart?" Gloria's restless voice called from somewhere nearby and she glanced over her shoulder, straightened slowly and turned; the older woman was accompanied by another, a younger one, with similar facial features, short dark hair and a worried frown in her brow.

"Hey, are you okay?" The brunette grasped her arm carefully, hazel eyes studying her face. "I'm Holly, I'm Bradley's sister. I'll grab some water for you, and you need to sit down; you're as white as a sheet. Mum, can you help her to the cottage?"

Gloria supported her over to the little house, and Stefani gratefully sank down onto a comfortably padded loveseat on the porch; nausea rippled back and forth inside her in a rather horrible fashion, and by now she was really starting to get worried about her own health. Holly emerged with a large glass of blissfully cold water and she had a careful sip, then another; her stomach seemed to be accepting the liquid and she exhaled deeply, gave the brunette a small smile.

"It's really nice to meet you; I'm sorry about the... circumstances. I'm sure this is not how you expected to encounter me, puking into a bush."

"Oh, don't worry about it at all, seriously; I'm just so glad to finally be here. I'm a big fan of yours, and mum and Bradley have told me a lot about how amazing you are." Holly hugged her gently. "Are you feeling all right? I know this past week was terrible for everyone, and you look really pale still."