by Katy Paige
SWEET HEARTS
The Lindstroms #3
New York Times Bestselling Author
Katy Regnery
writing as
Katy Paige
SWEET HEARTS
Copyright © 2020 by Katharine Gilliam Regnery
Sale of the electronic edition of this book is wholly unauthorized. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part, by any means, is forbidden without written permission from the author/publisher.
Katharine Gilliam Regnery, publisher
This book is a work of fiction. Most names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any references to real people or places are used fictitiously.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Please visit my website at www.katyregnery.com
Cover Designer: Marianne Nowicki
Formatting: CookieLynn Publishing Services
First Edition: March 2020
Sweet Hearts: a novel / by Katy Paige—1st Ed.
ISBN: 978-1-944810-58-0
Contents
Copyright
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
ENTR’ACT
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
ENTR’ACT
Chapter 9
ENTR’ACT
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
ENTR’ACT
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
EPILOGUE
Also by Katy Regnery
About the Author
For GMR, my sweetheart, who, when I ask:
“How much do you love me?”
responds,
“All the much.”
***
And to JoDeen, in thanks for helping me get Gabrielle right!
I appreciate you!
xoxoxo
PROLOGUE
Oh, God, please hurry. Please hurry! Please!
The words were a terrified litany in Katrin Svenson’s head as she crouched on the floor in the corner of her kitchen. She cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, and held her largest butcher knife in a white-knuckled grip.
“You still with me, Katrin?” The 911 operator’s voice was soothing and urgent at once.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “Can they hurry? God, please, can they hurry? He’s never been like this before!”
“They’re coming. They should be there in another…two minutes.”
The banging and yelling intensified outside her apartment door. “OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR, KAT!”
She swallowed painfully, adjusting and readjusting her grip on the knife. It wasn’t unusual for Wade to come by after a bender, but he’d never been like this. He’d awakened her by shattering a bottle against the garage door below her apartment.
“Katrin? Don’t try to reason with him or anything. Just sit tight. Tell me about yourself.”
“I’m a nurse at the, um—”
She turned her head a little to peek at the curtained window that separated her from her drunk, furious ex-fiancé.
“I know you’re in there, Kitty Kat,” he said, his low, menacing voice sending a shiver down her spine. “And I will…”
She trembled as a hot tear escaped from her eye, burning down her face.
“…KILL YOU WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!” he exploded.
“Katrin? Stay calm.” The operator’s voice was muffled, as though she placed her hand over the mouthpiece, and Kat heard her demand, “Why aren’t they there yet? Tell them to hurry. He’s threatening to kill her!”
Katrin felt the knife handle slipping through her slick hands and scrambled to readjust her grip.
“K-Katrin, you’re a nurse, right? Tell me about that.”
Before she could answer, the upper panes of glass in the door were shattered and she heard him reach inside, fumbling for the lock.
“I’M COMING FOR YOU, KITTY K—” His voice broke off abruptly as a police car siren came louder and closer. “Did you call the cops on me? YOU GODDAMNED BITCH!”
Wade had always had a healthy respect for the police. Like most bullies, he was also a coward. She could practically feel his indecision. Should he unlock the door or run?
A car screeched to a stop on the gravel of the driveway below her over-garage apartment and a loud voice on a megaphone cut through the night outside.
“Wade Doyle! Hands in the air!”
She held her breath, frightened she’d hear Wade’s fast footsteps crunching over the broken glass to get to her. Crouching into the smallest ball she possibly could, her trembling hands still held the knife just in case.
Pounding footsteps ascended the stairs to her apartment.
“Down on your knees, Wade! Kneel! Now!” She heard a scuffle and then the click of handcuffs. “Wade Doyle, you have the right to remain silent…”
“KAT! I LOVE YOU, KAT! I’M SORRY! I’d never hurt you! I love you…” Wade’s voice faded as he was hauled away.
Even though a part of her brain told her she was now out of harm’s way, she was frozen in place, her whole body still shaking. The door lock clicked open and the hinges creaked lightly.
“Kat? You in here? Kat? It’s J.R. Capocci. Officer Capocci. Kat?” She knew J.R. and his wife from church. “They’re taking Wade away. It’s all over. You’re safe now. Kat?”
J.R.’s gentle voice finally cut through the haze of fear that surrounded Katrin and her shoulders rolled forward, her body wracked with silent sobs as the knife clattered to the floor. She leaned forward to rest her throbbing, exhausted head on bent knees as hot tears poured down her face.
Wade’s gone. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. It’s all over.
For now.
Chapter 1
Erik Lindstrom taped up the last box and carried it out to his car, setting it in the back seat and slamming the door shut.
He looked up to see his younger sister, Jenny, walking down the flagstone steps from her front door with her husband, Sam, their fingers laced together. Erik appreciated that his sister and her husband were devoted to one another, but at the same time it made him uncomfortable.
Erik didn’t have much faith in love.
He liked a pretty girl just as much as the next guy and had no problem with short-lived flings and mutual pleasure. It was love he didn’t trust. He didn’t want any part of it. No, sir. No how.
“You’re going to drive carefully, Minste?” Jenny’s feet crunched over the gravel driveway as she approached her brother, dropping Sam’s hand to wrap her arms around Erik.
He was grateful for the warmth of her embrace. He might not believe in romantic love, but he had plenty of space in his heart for his family. In fact, he’d do anything for them.
“Of course, Jen.” Erik glanced down at her still-flat belly with brotherly concern. “I don’t want you worrying about me.”
“Kalispell feels like a long way away after having you around all year. We’ll miss you, Erik,” said Sam.
Erik nodded at his brother-in-law with an easy smile. “I’ll miss you, too, but you know I’ll be back, Sam. Lots. At Midsommardagen, for sure.”
“And thanks, again, for giving my cousin Katrin a ride north, Erik,” said Sam, his forehead momentarily creased with worry. “I know that Choteau isn’t exactly on your way, but I appreciate you making th
e detour to pick her up. She’s had a rough time.”
“I’m glad to help get her somewhere safe.”
Erik didn’t know Katrin Svenson that well, though he’d seen her a couple of times: once at his childhood friend Ingrid’s wedding and again at Jenny’s wedding. Beyond a vague impression of her being a small, blonde woman, his memories of her weren’t very sharp. He probably hadn’t paid her much attention since she was with her boyfriend and therefore unavailable for the obligatory no-strings-attached wedding fling he always sought at such occasions.
But when Sam explained that Katrin’s ex-fiancé had been stalking her, and asked if Erik would be willing to give her a ride north to a new job, he couldn’t say no. Protecting people was in Erik’s DNA. It was part of why he wanted to be a cop in the first place.
“It’s just luck that you’re headed to Kalispell the same day she needs to be dropped off in Skidoo Bay.” Jenny smiled at her brother gently then her eyes opened wide. “Say hi to Ing and Kris for us, but don’t tell them our news, Erik. I mean it. We’re saving the big reveal for June, when we spend our first Midsommardagen with both families.”
“Geez, Jenny-girl, you think I’d steal your thunder?” He smiled at his little sister, flicking his glance to her hands placed protectively over her tummy.
“Erik! I mean it! Not a word!”
“Not a word. I promise.” He chuckled lightly and kissed Jenny on the cheek before shaking Sam’s hand goodbye. “Take care of her, Sam.”
“You know I will, Minste,” said Sam, winking at his brother-in-law.
“Jeg elsker deg, Erik.” I love you. Jenny stepped back from her brother into Sam’s arms, swiping at one teary eye. “Drive safe.”
Jenny had always been terrible at goodbyes. “Elsker deg også, Jen,” he said softly in their mother’s Norwegian, smiling at her tenderly. I love you, too. “I will.”
As he pulled out of their driveway, he looked back in time to catch them kissing before they turned to head back into the house, Sam’s strong arm around his wife’s shoulders. Erik rolled his eyes, but a quiet voice in the back of his mind wondered:
What would it be like to love someone as much as Sam loves Jenny?
He grimaced, annoyed with the direction of his thoughts. There was no doubt as to the answer. He knew it as surely as he knew he was a man, the sky was blue and his last name was Lindstrom:
Like hell. That’s how.
Turning up the music, he steered his car north and smiled at the long stretch of open road ahead.
Half an hour later Erik passed a sign on the way out of Augusta: twenty-five more miles to Choteau. After dropping off Kat Svenson in Skidoo Bay, he’d continue farther north to the Kalispell County Sheriff’s Department to pick up his new ID badge and attend a brief introductory meeting with his new supervisor. He was reporting bright and early tomorrow morning to begin three months of special training in Applied Technology and Drug Recognition training. Working in law enforcement had been a lifelong dream for Erik, and it was finally coming true.
Fresh May air rushed into his car as he rolled down the window and pushed up the sleeves of his long-sleeved, light blue button-down shirt, savoring the warmth of the midday sun on his pale skin. The Rocky Mountains up ahead offered a contrast in landscapes: the jagged Rockies rose up dramatically out of the placid, grassy prairie, proving that even mountains had to start somewhere. Cattle grazed out on the green prairie in the foothills, their spring calves interspersed between them liberally. New growth. New life. Just like Sam and Jenny.
Sam looked at Jenny like the sun rose and set in her eyes, like life just wouldn’t be worth living without her, like God put Jenny on the Earth solely to know and choose Sam. While he was glad his sister was happy, it was almost impossible for Erik to understand. In spite of the many trysts and one-night stands he’d enjoyed throughout his adulthood, he’d never looked at anyone like that. He wondered, vaguely and with a discomfort made up of equal parts longing and fear, if he was missing out on something.
He shook his head, wondering at his thoughts. He wasn’t missing out on a damn thing. He wasn’t looking to settle down. The notion had zero appeal. He’d seen his friends fall victim to it, get all tangled up in some girl they thought they couldn’t live without. Well, not Erik Lindstrom. No girl was putting a leash on his johnson. No way.
A soft voice whispered in his head, You can only get your heart broken if you give it to someone in the first place. Erik winced, pushing back on old memories. He’d rather be alone than ever risk that kind of heartbreak.
***
Katrin sipped coffee as her brother, Kristian, washed and rinsed the Sunday morning dishes. She’d packed a bag and headed to her brother’s house after they carted Wade away on Friday night.
Because Wade had been so drunk, they were holding him for three days until they booked and processed him. Plus, because of his crimes—public intoxication, disturbing the peace, destruction of property and harassment—there was a possibility his bail would be set high enough that it would take his parents an extra day to arrange the money. Still, Wade would almost certainly be free by Tuesday.
Kristian and his wife, Ingrid, had insisted that Katrin stay the rest of the weekend with them. They were both ex-military, and though Katrin was grateful for their protection and care, she also knew she couldn’t live with them forever. Her chest felt tight every time she flashbacked to Friday. She had to figure out what to do, but without a clear plan, she felt overwhelmed and frightened.
“More coffee?”
Katrin nodded as Ingrid measured out the grounds to make a fresh pot. Kristian sat down beside his sister without a word and Ingrid sat down across from Katrin, eyeing her. Katrin’s fingers tapping nervously on the table added the only sound in the room until Ingrid spoke.
“Kat.”
“Ing.”
“I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just gonna go for it...we’re worried about you. Really worried. You need to leave Choteau.”
Tears sprang to Katrin’s eyes from the sheer boldness of the statement. She looked down, hiding her eyes, relieved for—and yet dreading—this conversation. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ingrid reached across the table, putting her hand gently over Katrin’s trembling fingers.
“Listen, you can’t go on like this. Wade’s not going anywhere, which makes Choteau no good for you. He’s escalating, Kat. He’s getting more dangerous.”
Katrin nodded miserably as Kristian interjected. “Kat, it was brave of you to break up with him back in December when he didn’t show up at your wedding. But that was almost six months ago and he’s not giving up on you. He’s trouble, Kat. Big trouble. You need to file a restraining order this time and leave Choteau.”
Katrin looked up at her older brother, who’d stood in for their father who’d passed away three years ago.
She’d never lived anywhere except Choteau.
Her voice broke as she asked, “You mean, quit my job and leave? Just leave? Where am I supposed to go?”
Her brother reached forward to squeeze her other hand. “We have a plan. Ingrid’s been on the phone for two days arranging things. She has a good friend from the service, a doctor friend, who’s setting up a small-town clinic in Skidoo Bay, and he has openings for two RNs.”
“Skidoo Bay! Up on Flathead Lake? That’s half a day from here!”
“It’s real pretty up there, Kat,” said her brother.
Her heart fell and the lump in her throat doubled. They weren’t talking about her going thirty minutes south to Great Falls. They were talking about her going away—far away.
“It’s practically in Canada!”
“It’s really beautiful, Kat,” said Ingrid. “Lake. Mountains. The town is adorable. Galleries. Cafés. Upscale. They call it ‘The Pearl on the Bay.’ Doesn’t that sound like an ideal place to start over?”
“I don’t want to start over,” she said, panicked at the thought of moving so far away from home entirely on her
own. She scrambled to reassure her family. “Wade’s going to give up eventually. He will. I’m never going back to him. Eventually he’ll see that.”
Ingrid’s face softened with compassion. “Will he? When? He still comes around at all hours whooping and hollering and leaving flowers in the morning. Now this new episode with him smashing bottles against the garage and breaking the window of your door. How many times have you called the police at this point? You had a lot of dreams tied up in a bow around Wade Doyle, and he’s—Katrin, he’s not letting go. Wade is dangerous. This whole mess is changing you. You barely go anywhere anymore. You hole up in that little apartment, only leaving to go to work. You’re living your whole life avoiding him. This isn’t you, hiding out, scared.”
Katrin wasn’t just scared. After Friday night, she was downright terrified. But still: Choteau was home. Leaving felt almost more terrifying than staying.
“But you’re all here,” she moaned, unable to hold back more tears. “Mamma’s here. A-Anna’s here.” Her voice broke. How could she leave her beloved baby niece who was napping upstairs?
“And we’ll still be here, Kat,” said Ingrid tenderly. “Us? Your mom? Anna, for heaven’s sake? We’re not going anywhere. Maybe this will be the wake-up call to get Wade the help he needs. Then you can come home. Besides, Skidoo Bay’s only a few hours from here.”
“A few hours!” Katrin exclaimed. “It’s not like you can drive right through Flathead, Ing!”
If you could drive through Flathead National Forest, the distance between Choteau and Skidoo Bay would be a quick eighty miles, a straight shot northwest. But, with the forest between and the only passable road considerably north of both towns, you had to drive around the park, adding another hundred miles to the drive, and making it, at best, a four-hour journey, depending on the weather.
Ingrid spoke brightly. “It’s not forever, Kat. Just a little while to get you away from Wade. It’s a two- to three-month assignment to help Joe get the clinic up and running, and then you’re free to stay permanently or, if things have gotten better with Wade, come home.”