by Amanda Boone
Moya visibly stiffened as they strolled down the street that would take them the back way to Elise’s house. That concerned her, because she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If he didn’t think they were doing something wrong, why did he react that way?
When they reached the end of her street, Moya turned to face Elise and took both of her hands in his. “Tank. I had fun on our valk.”
“I did, too,” she replied with a smile. Would he kiss her good night? She discovered that she desperately wanted him to, but she wasn’t sure it was wise if he was that worried about Lars.
“Can I visit you sometime?” he asked.
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll see ven Lars works and I don’t. I’ll come see you then.”
“All right.”
After a quick kiss on her cheek, Moya hurried away in the opposite direction of her home. Elise wandered down the street toward her house. When she was close enough, she realized that Lars was on the porch talking with Stina. Wondering what they were saying, she carefully approached the house as she stayed in the shadows of the moonlit trees. Finally, she was close enough to hear them.
“Why are you so concerned about Moya and Elise?” Stina asked.
“I don’t like the way he looks at her,” Lars explained. “I get the feeling that he’s interested in courting her. I can’t have that. I brought her here for me, not another man. I’m going to marry her, and then she won’t have to work. She can stay home and care for the house.”
Infuriated by his attitude, Elise stepped out of the shadows.
Chapter 8
“So I was right!” she exclaimed angrily. “You had only one reason to bring me here. You only want a wife to take care of you. You don’t want a wife you love.”
“Elise!” Stina and Lars chorused.
“Stina, if you don’t mind, I need to speak with Lars alone.”
Without a word, Stina scurried into the house. Elise mounted the steps and sat down on the rocking chair she’d bought, while Lars leaned against a railing across from her.
“I thought you came because you loved me,” he said. “I thought you wanted to marry me.”
“I came,” Elise returned, “because I saw an opportunity to earn some money. I brought Stina and Karin with me because they wanted to come. If they hadn’t, I would have come alone. They’re the ones who came looking for husbands.”
“But in Bishop Hill, we courted for years. I was sure you came to marry me.”
Elise felt a tug at her heart, not because she felt guilty but because she felt bad that Lars had put so much emotion into their life together. They had never even discussed marriage. How could he think that she would come to Forestville with that in mind? Other than because he had mentioned the men here wanted wives in one letter, that is.
“I’m sorry if you got that impression, Lars. I certainly hadn’t meant to lead you to believe it would be that way.”
“Are you looking for another man?”
“Actually, Lars, I’m not looking for any man. Like I said, I came looking for opportunities, for financial independence. I suppose you could say I came for the suffragist movement. I’ve been alone for seven years now, Lars. I’m used to it. So far, I’ve lived in an orphanage, in a single room in a boarding house, with an Irish family who took me in for rent, and with the Bengtsons. It’s time for me to learn to fend for myself in case I never have a husband. I think I would like to do it at least a year before I make any decisions to marry.”
“A year?”
“Yes, Lars. I would like to be responsible for myself for at least that long. I believe I need to do it that way.”
Lars pushed himself off the railing and stood before her. “Then I’ll give you that time. We can continue to court while you fend for yourself. When you feel you’re ready, we’ll marry.” He paused then said, “By the way, why are you home so early?”
“Only two men came for lessons, so I made it quick.” Remembering what Moya said about his concern that Lars would see them, she decided to eliminate him from her explanation. “I decided to come home a different direction tonight to get an idea of how the city is laid out.”
“That makes sense.” Leaning over, Lars turned her face upward with his fingers under her chin. “I’ll say good night now.” He bent over and gave her a peck on the lips. “Night.”
“Good night, Lars,” she replied absently.
During that entire conversation, Lars hadn’t mentioned love once. On one hand, she could understand what her father had meant by not marrying somebody who couldn’t tell her that he loved her. On the other hand, didn’t a man’s actions mean just as much? Anybody could say the words “I love you,” but if that person didn’t show her that was the case, how could it truly be love? Maybe this was something she needed to take into consideration.
***
Two days later, Elise was home alone, sitting on the sofa and reading a book she’d bought on the trip from Illinois. A knock on the door startled her. Folding over the corner of the page so she didn’t lose her place, she set the book on the end table she’d purchased from a local woodworker.
When she opened the front door, there stood Moya. Her heart again seemed to skip a beat. This was an entirely new feeling, one that she didn’t know how to categorize. She knew one thing, though. She was thrilled to see him.
“Moya, what a pleasant surprise!” she exclaimed. “Please, come in.”
“Are you alone?”
“I am.”
“Good,” he said with a grin as he entered the house. “I vouldn’t vant somebody to tink ve vere meeting behind Lars’ back.”
“You don’t have to worry about him, Moya,” she replied, closing the door behind him. “I told him that I’m not interested in marriage for at least a year.”
The smile dropped from Moya’s lips, and his eyes sagged at the outer corners. Elise motioned for him to have a seat on the sofa, and after he sank onto one end, she sat down on the opposite end. She moved so she could face him with her leg resting on the cushion between them.
“Does it bother you that you don’t need to worry about Lars?”
“I’m not sure I shouldn’t worry,” he admitted. “I don’t trust him.”
“Why not?”
“Tings I’ve heard. Let’s not talk about him.”
When he also shifted on the couch, bending his let under him so he could face her directly, their knees bumped. Excitement raced through Elise again. Why did this keep happening? This time it was an innocent, unintentional contact, but it still sent flames raging through her.
“Vat brings you to Forestville?” he asked, seemingly unaffected by their touch.
“You already know. Lars asked me to come and bring some young women with me. He said that the men working on logging needed a translator and a teacher. It’s obvious that you speak English very well, though, so I’m not sure he was being honest with me. I’m just glad I was able to get a job. Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been in America?”
“I came over vit my fader and my five brothers ven I was sixteen. Dat vould be seven years ago.”
So Moya was twenty-three years old, and he had a come to this country with his father and brothers. Why not his mother or sisters? Before she could ask, however, he answered her unvoiced question.
“My mother died, and Pa vanted to start a new life here.”
“I see,” she said. “Why are you here in Forestville? Is this where your father wanted to be?”
“No, I came on my own. I vanted to see more of America. I liked it here, so I stayed.”
“It is a beautiful place with all the trees and the river.”
“Vat about you? Vy vere you villing to come here to earn a living? Could you not earn von in Bishop Hill?”
Elise explained her life up until that point to him. They spent a long time talking about themselves and getting to know each other. Occasionally, he would touch her arm or twist a lock of her long, straight hair around h
is finger. Each time he touched her, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. She could hardly bare the sensations inside her.
After a couple of hours, he announced that he should leave before her roommates returned for the night. With his hand behind her neck, he pulled her toward him. She steeled herself for what was to come as her face neared his.
His lips met hers tenderly. When she didn’t resist, he embraced her, crushing her upper body against him. She felt as though she would float away, and she grabbed his upper arms. His muscles were so hard! She ran her hands lightly up and down them from his elbows to his shoulders.
Oh, how she loved the feel of him! How she wanted him to lay her back on the sofa and …
He broke the kiss and stared directly into her eyes, his own pale blue eyes capturing her complete attention.
“I vill come again, min kära. I promise.”
Unable to speak or move, she sat on the blue velvet sofa while he strode to the door. Min kära, she thought. My dear. Lars had never called her anything other than her name, never a single term of endearment like Moya. Was he falling in love with her? Was she falling in love with him? Is that what all these new feelings meant?
Chapter 9
Moya and Elise met secretly for several weeks before Stina walked in on them talking at the kitchen table one day.
“What are you doing here, Moya?” Stina asked as she came in early from one of her jobs.
“Yust visiting vit Elise.”
“What would Lars say if he knew about this, Elise?”
“He probably wouldn’t like it,” Elise replied flatly, “but I don’t care, because I’m my own woman. I don’t need his permission. Why would you even ask? You know how he is. He’s over-protective, and he certainly doesn’t own me. I can speak with whomever I want.”
“Nuting in happening, Stina,” Moya told her. “Ve yust like to talk. I came from Småland yust like her parents, so ve have someting in common. I vas telling her vat it’s like dere.”
“And look,” Elise said, spreading her arms wide, “we’re sitting at a table talking over coffee. It’s all very harmless.”
Despite Stina’s suspicious expression, Elise hoped Stina believed her. Really, all she could do was hope because if it got out to Lars that she and Moya were visiting regularly, Elise wasn’t sure what he would do. She had a feeling that he could get very angry.
Besides, it was only today, the first very cool day of autumn, they had enjoyed coffee while chatting. Otherwise, they sat on the couch, and before Moya left, he kissed her, each time getting a little more passionate.
Elise looked forward to those kisses, too. Yes, Lars kissed her good night after his visits, but she felt nothing when he did. Moya made her want for more every time. She was starting to wonder if they would do more than kissing, too. Oh, how she longed to go further.
Every time he kissed her, her body quivered with anticipation of something more. Her mind went to places she’d only heard about from other young women she’d known in Bishop Hill. Her friends who were married all said that sex was a wonderful thing, despite what their mothers had told them. They claimed that their mothers probably just told them it was terrible to keep them from wanting to have sex before marriage.
Elise frowned. She hadn’t had a mother to tell her how bad it was, and her father had never even mentioned it to her. Of course, that was only natural. A father shouldn’t tell his daughter things like that. That was a conversation that only a mother should have with her daughter. She did wonder, though, what her mother would have told her if she had been alive when Elise reached puberty.
“Are you okay?” Moya asked.
Coming out of her daydream, Elise glanced around the room and saw that Stina was gone.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Where did Stina go?”
“To her room. I should go now. Next veek, could ve go for a picnic by de river? Before it gets too cold.”
“I would like that,” she agreed. “I’ll even make the food.”
“I’ll bring de vine. I make my own.”
Elise had only tasted wine a few times, but she wasn’t about to tell Moya that. If he wanted to bring wine, let him. She didn’t have to drink it if she didn’t want to.
With Stina in the house, Moya rose, wandered to the door, and left without a backward glance. That day he hadn’t gifted Elise with a kiss like she’d come to love. She wondered if he was as upset about that as she was.
When the front door closed behind him, Stina poked her head out the door of the bedroom she shared with her sister. “He didn’t leave because of me, did he?”
“I doubt it,” Elise said. It was most likely a lie, but Elise didn’t care. She wasn’t going to let Stina think that there was anything more between her and Moya than a friendship.
“Do you like him?” Stina asked as she joined Elise at the table.
Elise nodded. “He’s a nice man.”
“No, do you like him? Do you want him to be your suitor?”
“I don’t think so,” Elise said. Again, she lied. She liked Moya a lot, much more than Lars.
Stina gave Elise an exaggerated pout. “That’s too bad. You could have a wonderful husband if you did.”
Stunned, Elise stared at her roommate. “What are you saying? That I should tell Lars to leave and let Moya court me?”
“Why not? You seem to like Moya more than you do Lars, so it would make more sense.”
Shaking her head, Elise wandered to the living area and sat on the Victorian chair with blue velvet covering the cushions. “I can’t. I told Lars that I wanted to make my own living for at least a year. I need to keep to my word.”
Stina joined her and sat on the sofa. “Didn’t you come here to find a husband? And wasn’t that husband supposed to be Lars?”
“Like I told Lars, no, I didn’t come here for that. I came to see more of the country, to be an interpreter, and to teach English to Swedes.”
Stina sighed. “I wish I could find a nice man like the two you have. Back in Bishop Hill, I had several beaus, and you had one. Here, I don’t have any, but you have two. It isn’t fair. I did come here to find a husband, Elise, and I haven’t met a single one that I like. None of them seem to like me, either.”
“Would you like me to ask some of the men from my classes? We’ll be starting on Saturdays soon because it’s getting dark so much earlier. I could see if any of my students might be interested.”
Her blue eyes widening with excitement, Stina exclaimed, “I would love that. I just want to be a wife. If I could, I would take …” She stopped, and her face reddened in embarrassment. “Never mind. I’m just excited.”
“That’s okay,” Elise urged. “You can tell me.”
“I was just going to say that, if you ever get tired of one of your men, I would be happy to take him.” She paused again then added quickly, “They’re both very nice and quite handsome. I could be happy with them.”
Elise laughed. “I’m sure you could be. Either one of them would make a good spouse.”
Chapter 10
Elise prepared roast chicken with stuffing for the picnic. She also made a salad out of various types of apples for them. As he’d promised, Moya brought wine that he said he’d prepared from the last crop of concord grapes.
After spreading out a blanket that Moya had brought, they sat on the Eel River bank in a remote location so they could be away from prying eyes from the townspeople or the loggers.
The weather was balmy, with a few wispy, white clouds in the bright blue sky. Here on the bank, those big redwood trees the lumberjacks worked on only blocked part of the view.
“Have you ever seen such tall trees?” Elise asked as she lay back on the blanket after lunch.
“Never. Some of dem are enormous, too,” he said. “Ve have six saws dat are twelve-feet long—some longer. Dey are de only vons dat will cut through the trees.”
“Do you like being a lumberjack, Moya?”
“It’s a yob.
I vould prefer vorking vit the wood dat’s already been cut, dough.”
“You mean you’d rather be a woodworker? You mean making furniture and the like?”
“Ja. Dat is really vat I like. But being a lumber yack …” Elise noticed that he pronounced it as two words. “… pays my bills.” He lay down beside her and propped his head up with his hand as he gazed down at her. “Do you like teaching?”
“Very much,” she replied as he twisted a lock of her hair around his finger.
“Your hair is very soft. I like touching it.”
Elise inhaled sharply, desperate to keep her emotions under control. “I like having you touch it.”
“Do you realize I didn’t get to kiss you good-bye last veek?”
This was it! He was going to kiss her while they were lying down. It would be the first time for her—ever. When she replied, her voice came out in a deep, shaky tone. “I do.”
“I must fix dat.”
His lips caught hers, his passion there from the moment they met. His hand slid across her clothed stomach, causing her to shudder with delight. He rolled toward her and put his leg between hers, his thigh resting at her covered womanhood.
Unable to resist, she wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him to her. Oh, how she wished she could feel his naked body against hers! To demonstrate it, she unbuttoned his blue plaid shirt. After doing so, she grasped each of his wrists gently and slid them up over his bare, hair-covered arms to the rolled up sleeves of his shirt. He had such muscular forearms that she could hardly contain the thrill they gave her.
Releasing a groan into his mouth, she slipped her hands into his open shirt and let her hands feel his hard, rippled stomach then wander up to his well-defined chest. The heat in his kiss increased, and he cupped her breast in return. He massaged it for several seconds before he undid the top button of her dress bodice.
When he pulled back from the kiss, she stared up at the manly lines of his torso. Her fingers certainly hadn’t captured that he was this well defined. His body was amazing, and when he stripped off his shirt to toss it aside, she couldn’t believe how muscular his shoulders and upper arms were.