The Forgiving Heart (The Heart of Minnesota Book 1)

by Riker, Becky

  “I've got to go, Melba,” Sara barely turned to the girl. “I'll talk to you later.”

  She ran and joined her family just as Michael was drawing back to look at Karlijna.

  “We need to talk,” he whispered to his bride.

  She nodded.

  Michael walked to Sara and gave her a hug, “It’s so good to see you.”

  Karlijna knew she would need to be patient. The whole family had to have time with Michael. They would have plenty of time to talk later. At midnight, Karlijna slipped into the girls' room with a quilt and lay down on the floor. She had told Sig she was going to do this, so the older woman would know Michael could have his own bed.

  Michael was ready to sleep shortly after. He was unaware, however, of Karlijna's decision to sleep with the girls.

  “I'll sleep on the couch, Mom,” he spoke softly.

  Sig shook her head, “No, you can sleep in your bed.”

  He was a little embarrassed to have to explain the situation to his mom, but it was a necessity, “I think I'd better not. Karlijna and I aren't. . .um. . .she isn't quite ready for . . .that.”

  Sig chuckled softly, “I'm aware of that, honey. She's in the girls' room with them.”

  Michael reddened, “You know about it?”

  “I do,” Sig tapped her own husband who had fallen asleep in the middle of a sentence. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Michael scrubbed at the back of his neck, “I have no idea. Am I supposed to wait? Should we court? How am I going to do that with her living here?”

  Sig laughed loudly enough to accomplish what her tapping could not. Will woke up and blinked at his wife.

  “I don't think it is funny, Mom. I'm all tied up in knots.”

  “Here is what you should do,” she was showing a little compassion. “Tomorrow morning you take that girl and ask her to marry you. Then tomorrow afternoon you find the pastor and ask him to perform the ceremony. Your sisters and Lou and John will put aside everything they have to come over and watch you two get married.”

  Michael hardly dared believe it was that easy, “Are you serious?”

  “She wants to be married in front of God and her family.”

  Michael's grinned threatened to split his face, “Goodnight, Mom.”

  He started to walk away, but turned back, “Thank you.”

  Michael had plans to sleep well back in his own bed, but found it was difficult with the scent of his wife on his sheets – especially since she was just across the hall.

  Despite a rough night, he was watching the sunrise when Karlijna came into the kitchen.

  “Michael,” she was dressed for the day, but her face still bore the pink of sleep – or she was blushing, “I didn't realize anyone else was awake.”

  He turned to watch her as she busied herself around the kitchen, “Are you always up this early?”

  She smiled, “Ever since I was on the farm, I have been. Milking must be done when the cows demand it.”

  Michael laughed, “I'm looking forward to it.”

  Karlijna pulled some ham from the refrigerator and began slicing it.

  “Why are you up so early?” she asked without looking up.

  “I had trouble sleeping.”

  She lay down her knife and looked at him, “Why? Does your leg bother you at night? Did you find your bed uncomfortable?”

  Michael laughed and went to stand next to her, “I was having trouble sleeping because I couldn't stop thinking of you,” he put his hands on her shoulders. “I wanted to be sleeping next to you.”

  Karlijna felt her cheeks flame, “I wrote to you about that.”

  “I know,” he smiled down at her. “I got the letter.”

  She chewed her lip, “You were upset by it.”

  Michael pulled her to his chest and sighed, “I was, but you were right.”

  “I was?” she drew back slightly to look up at him.

  “You are right.”

  She cocked her head slightly in question.

  “So,” he continued as he stepped away, “I'm going to fix the problem now.”

  He knelt down and looked up at her, “Karlijna Gunderson,” he took her hand in his, “I love you. Will you marry me?”

  She laughed as she nodded, “I will.”

  Michael got back to his feet with an alacrity that belied his injury.

  He slid his arms around her waist and leaned toward her, “I'm going to kiss you now.”

  Karlijna slid her arms around his neck as their lips met for the first time.

  The world disappeared around Karlijna. She had been married to this man for a year and a half, she had known his love for six months, but she could never have imagined what it would be to be held by him like this.

  He drew back, “Today?”

  “Today?” she was confused.

  “You'll marry me today?”

  Karlijna put her hands to her face, “I don't know if that is possible.”

  Michael slid an arm around her and led her to the table, “I'll call the pastor as soon as you say yes. I'll call Lou and John right after that.”

  Karlijna took a deep breath, “Okay,” she put a hand on his as he started to rise,” but wait an hour or two.”

  His look questioned her request.

  “It is only six o'clock,” she laughed.

  He picked up the phone anyway, “I'll call John and Lou first.”

  She laughed as he dialed and went back to slicing the ham. Twenty minutes later Sig and Will came down.

  “Karlijna,” she laughed, “you will spoil me by making breakfast for us every morning. I’ll forget how to do it.”

  Michael handed his mother a cup of coffee, “You won't have much longer to get spoiled, I'm afraid.”

  Sig raised her eyebrows at him over the rim of her cup.

  “Karlijna and I have been talking. We're going to move out to the farm while our house is being built.”

  Sig nodded. Will cleared his throat.

  “And,” Michael continued, “we'd like to invite you to see us renew our vows later today.”

  Sig reached an arm around Karlijna and pulled her close, “This time in a language your wife can understand?”

  Michael laughed a little sheepishly, “I think it would be tough to find a language she doesn’t understand.”

  The pastor was called and the girls informed.

  “I don't really understand it,” Ellie shook her head. “If you are already married why do it again?”

  Karlijna left Sara and Sig to respond to that while she went to answer the door. Michael called out to her on the way, “Lou said to tell you she would bring you some flowers.”

  Karlijna smiled at him as she opened the door. The young man standing on the other side was tall and broad. His dark eyes pierced through her. She covered her mouth with her hands and began to sob as he stepped forward and encircled her in his arms.

  “Aufhören zu weinen,

  meine Liebe,” he spoke as he stroked her hair, crying himself.

  Ellie and Sara came out to stare with their parents.

  “What did he say?” Ellie looked to her father.

  “Don't cry, my love,” Will was confused as he answered.

  Michael was trying not to jump to conclusions, but watching his wife cling to another man just hours before they were to repeat their vows was almost more than he could take. He stepped forward.

  Karlijna felt his arm on her shoulder and turned toward him, a look of such confusion on her face that he didn't know what to expect.

  “Michael,” she still held the arm of the man beside her, “this is Benard.”

  Michael's jaw dropped. He turned toward his family. Sig and Ellie – having recognized the name – were in the same state. Will frowned deeply. Sara was seething mad.

  “Benard,” she spoke to the stranger while retreating to Michael. “Das ist mein mann.”

  Ellie looked up at her father.

  He interpreted, “She just told
him that Michael is her husband.”

  Ellie stepped forward and took the man's hand and introduced herself.

  “Sig,” Will couldn't stop staring, “who is that man?”

  “Her brother,” Sig took a hankie from her sleeve and handed it to Karlijna.

  “I thought he was. . . .”

  Sig looked up and laughed through the gathering tears, “So did she.”

  Benard narrowed his eyes at Michael. The older man's face remained open as he held out his hand. Benard took it and said something.

  Will translated again, “He said he would like to know more about you.”

  Michael responded with a nod. He understood how her brother felt. Karlijna was a treasure who deserved to be treated well.

  The family welcomed him into the living room. Sara relaxed a little after she realized this was not a man come to steal her brother's wife.

  Karlijna and Benard were speaking so quickly to each other that even Will had trouble following them.

  “I think they may be speaking Dutch,” he admitted.

  “It's Flemish,” Ellie offered, “a Belgian Dutch.”

  Sara looked at her sister in wonder, “Just how many languages does Karlijna speak?”

  Ellie counted on her fingers, “Five, I think. Unless you count Polish, which she doesn't.”

  Michael laughed, “I don't know what they are saying but it sounds good coming from her.”

  They were talking about Michael.

  “How did you meet this man?”

  “He is the nephew of my employers in Sweden.”

  “The man whose sister treated you so badly? I think the family is not good.”

  “No,” she waved her hands, “not him. Leif and Ingrid.”

  Benard took a breath of relief and sat back in his chair a little.

  “If you thought me dead I wonder that you did not faint at the sight of me.”

  She smiled, “You would have thought that was fun, I am sure. But from my friend Regina's description I had learned to hope that you may still be alive though I had been thinking different.”

  Benard took his sister's hand in his own, “I thought you were dead as well.”

  “Mother is dead,” she did not ease into it.

  Benard looked away and struggled to hide his tears.

  “And Veronike.”

  The man's tears could not be held.

  “You were forced to witness this?”

  “Veronike was taken to be shot with the other children,” Karlijna could hardly bear to repeat it. “They beat Mama to death when the children were taken.”

  “Papa will be grieved. He had hoped against hope.”

  Karlijna opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

  Sig looked at Will.

  “I think he just said his father will be sad. I must be mistaken, he must have said his father was sad.”

  “No,” Karlijna looked at Will and Sig, wide-eyed, “he said he will be sad.”

  “I did not tell you?” Benard caught enough of the conversation to clear the confusion.

  “Papa is alive?”

  “He is in France. He has been there since the liberation of Dachau. We had nowhere else to go, so we went to his cousin's house.”

  Karlijna could not absorb the information. As she was trying to figure out how to communicate the last two years to her brother, a voice sounded in the hall.

  “We're here,” it was Louisa and John. “When is the wedding?”

  Karlijna stood up and made introductions. She spoke in German so Will could interpret.

  “Louisa and John, this is my brother, Benard.”

  She went around the room, naming each person and telling her relationship to them.

  “Michael and I are going to say our vows in front of his family and the pastor.”

  “Were they not present at your wedding?”

  Karlijna shook her head. It would be better to wait until he knew Michael to tell him the whole story, “We were in Scotland at the time.”

  Benard turned to the family, “This iss great kindness,” he spoke in English, but his accent was so thick they had trouble understanding him. “My sister says you haf luf of Jesus und luf for her. Ve are blest you take goot care for her.”

  He turned back to his sister, “I vill be blest now to see you marry your . . .ehemann.”

  She nodded, “My husband.”

  “Hoosbant. Yes.”

  The pastor arrived shortly, and Karlijna made more introductions before he began.

  “Dearly beloved,” the pastor began and Karlijna could hardly contain her joy.

  Grammy had not felt up to the ceremony, but she wanted to see her grandson, so Karlijna and Michael had gone over there. While they were there, Sig had called and said she wanted to get a portrait of the family on the wedding day. Michael and Karlijna returned to his parents’ house. Sara managed to put together a lunch with a wedding cake of sorts.

  “You have to have a cake for your wedding,” she handed out the dessert.

  Benard was as interested in grilling his new brother-in-law as he was in catching up with his sister. Karlijna spent two hours translating, and a good portion of that time was spent frowning at her brother and chastising him for his impertinence.

  Before his family could insist they have supper there as well, Michael surprised Karlijna by telling her he had booked a room at the St. James for two nights.

  “You are welcome to stay here,” Will spoke to Benard in German as the young couple were preparing to leave.

  The young man turned with a smile that resembled his sister's, “I vould be much pleest.”

  Karlijna hardly noticed her husband dragging her away from the house. She turned in a circle once they were alone in their room.

  “This is more beautiful than I imagined.”

  Michael sat on the edge of the bed watching her, “You are more beautiful than I remembered.”

  Karlijna turned toward him, a blush creeping up her neck, “I think you tease, Mr. Michael.”

  He laughed and took her hand, “I do not tease.”

  She perched lightly on his good knee.

  His voice sounded husky as he spoke to her, “It is has been a tiring day for you.”

  “Yes, it has. And wonderful.”

  “Do you need to go to sleep?” he pressed his face into her shoulder.

  “Eventually,” she stood and turned back the bed.

  Michael smiled at her.

  She faced him, “I feel like David.”

  Michael's face registered his surprise, “David?”

  “I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but God has brought me out.”

  Michael stood up and drew her into his arms, “And now?”

  She ran her hands up his arms and rested them on his shoulders, “He has caused my cup to run over, Michael. My cup runneth over.”

  THE END

  Coming in the Spring: the sequel to The Forgiving Heart.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Benard hated to go home. For the past two weeks, the young man had looked for work but had gone back to his gracious hosts only to tell them he had found nothing. It wasn't laziness on his part. He had gotten started every morning with the sun and come home late in the afternoon. Benard dropped heavily to the park bench.

  “Mind if I sit beside you?” a familiar voice startled him.

  Benard scooted over to make room for Sig Gunderson, his sister's mother-in-law.

  “I take it,” she handed him a sandwich wrapped in a napkin, “you did not find a job today?”

  “Men are come home from var now. Der iss no reason to hire mann vit German assent.”

  Sig took a bite of her own sandwich and chewed for a while.

  “Did you try the hardware store?” she sat, looking off into the distance.

  “Ja. They haf son uf neighbor.”

  “Will said he heard of an opening at the mill.”

  “I vill go now,” he stood up, “vere is this mil
l?”

  Sig didn't rise, “Will would like to take you in the morning.”

  “Is far away?”

  “Not really,” she patted the seat beside herself. “You’ll be able to ride a bike to work, but Will would like to talk to you about the owner before you go in.”

  Benard sat back down, “Is a problem vis ze man?”

  Sig smiled up at him and took a bite, not answering.

  Will Gunderson came into the kitchen several hours later to find his guest repairing a kitchen drawer, “How did your job search go today?”

  Benard continued to work, “I vas much sorry for I am still vis no job.”

  Will sat down on the opposite side of the table, “You have to realize, Ben, that Sig and I are not concerned about you finding a job immediately.”

  Benard looked up, “You are kind to say, but a man must haf work.”

  “This is true,” Will could not disagree, “and I do not mean to say you should stop trying, but you must not feel we are upset about it.”

  “You are kind to me,” Benard stood and slid the drawer into its spot, “I vill not vish to. . .how is it you say to get more than you are given?”

  “Take advantage?”

  “Yes,” Benard began cleaning the table of the mess he had made, “I vill not vish to take advantage.”

  Will scooted back in his chair, “I heard of a job opening.”

  “Yes,” Benard looked serious, “at a mill.”

  “Yes, but there are some things you should know about Mr. Kluge before you go into it.”

  “Is telling tales?” Benard frowned at the older man.

  Will was pleased Ben was concerned about it, “It is not gossip,” he paused to think, “at least not about Mr. Kluge.”

  Benard still looked skeptical.

  “You're going to have to trust me on this, Ben. If it strays to gossip, you can stop me.”

  Benard remained silent.

  “Mr. Kluge is a German, but he has lived in the United States most of his life.”

  Benard looked relieved that this was all Will was talking about.

  “Do you fear I vill haf trouble vorking for German man?”

  Will shook his head, “No, Ben. I know you will judge the man for himself. The problem is that Kluge's workers – men who had been working for him for ten and fifteen years – quit when the war began.”