Molly leaned her head back and gazed into the fire. She found herself obsessed with the memory of Adam's face— the narrowed dark eyes that carried such varied emotions when they looked at her. She had seen those eyes in so many different moods. They had laughed, teased, smiled, grown fierce with anger. She found she could not bear to think of them looking into hers with icy coolness in their depths. She wondered if she would be able to bear the loneliness when he went away for good. It's lonely now, knowing he's coming back, she told herself, but how will it be when I know he'll never … she shook herself. She didn't want to think about it.
Adam's voice came in on the radio, calling from the helicopter.
"How about it, Molly. Got a copy?"
She picked up the mike and pressed the button. Her heart was pounding.
"Ten-four, Adam," she said breathlessly. "I have a good copy."
"I'll be back in a few hours with the ski plane. Stay tuned in and I'll call as soon as I'm in range. Ten-four?"
"Ten-four, Adam. I'll be listening."
The day went rather fast. Molly had several calls on the radio from neighbors going over in their planes. She would chat easily with them until they were out of range. Tim-Two came in to check on the stoves. Later in the afternoon she became tired of knitting and made a chocolate cake. She decided to divide it this time and she iced one-half on two separate plates and sent a plate back with Tim-Two when he came again to check the stoves.
It was getting dusk when Adam's voice boomed into the quiet house.
"Break, break, Molly. Do you have a copy?" He repeated the call anxiously before she could pick up the mike.
"I'm here, Adam. How far out are you?"
"So you finally answered." He had a chill in his voice. Molly's heart sank, then lurched when he added, "I was getting worried." Her throat was so tight she could hardly answer.
"I just picked up your call. Do you have us in view?"
"I can see you down there." Then with a teasing note in his voice, "Is my dinner ready?"
"Now I hear the plane," Molly said. "And, no, I don't have your dinner ready, I thought you were taking me out tonight." There was a faint giggle in her voice.
"I'll take you out all right. I'll take you out to the woodshed."
Then before she could answer he cleared off the channel.
Molly was happy. He was back again! He came into the house stamping fresh snow from his boots, his arms full of packages, his eyes sweeping the house as if he was glad to be back.
"Come, wife, and kiss me."
Molly's face reddened. She looked at his black eyes that were dancing merrily at her discomfort.
"Come," he repeated, and she went to him and placed warm lips on his cold ones for a brief instant.
"Hum…" he said. "I got a better kiss from Dog when he came to meet me."
Her eyes twinkled up at him. She took his packages and put them on the chair beside the door, so he could take off his coat.
"You're getting snow all over," she fussed to hide her happiness at having him home again.
"Did you miss me?" he persisted.
"Of course, it was nice and quiet all day!"
He hung up his coat, put away his boots, then in his stocking feet brought his bundles to the table. Opening one, he produced several bottles of liquor.
"If I'd had this the other night, I would have made you a hot toddy," he said. "And in way of a celebration, I've brought home some barbequed ribs!"
Molly wondered if he realized he had said, "brought home." Could a man like Adam ever consider this small cabin his home?
"I baked a chocolate cake!" she announced.
"… and I brought you a present."
"You didn't… ?"
"I did."
He handed her the largest of his packages and stood with a grin on his face while she opened it.
Her hands were shaking and her fingers felt all thumbs, but she managed to tear away the paper and remove the lid from the box. She lifted out a soft, fluffy, violet-colored robe, and under the robe, were matching woolly slippers.
She looked up and met his eyes; her own were enormous in her flushed face. She couldn't move or speak.
"I knew it," he was saying. "I knew the minute I saw this robe it was the color of your eyes." He took it from her and held it open. "Try it on."
"Thank… you," Molly stammered. "I… don't know what to say."
"Well, just don't say: 'oh, Adam, you shouldn't!' " His voice was high and funny and she giggled.
"Well?" She turned so he could see her from all angles.
"Just fits," he said. "I knew it would. I told the girl you came up to here on me." He held his hand up to under his chin. "And I told her you were about this big around." He made a small circle with his hands.
She grinned broadly, her eyes bright, her face radiant.
"I love it," she told him.
It was a meal to remember. Adam heated the ribs in the hot oven and Molly made a salad. In the warm, cozy atmosphere of the kitchen they ate the ribs with their fingers before finishing off the cake. Afterward Adam helped with cleaning up, but told her he wasn't making a habit of doing so. Later, they sat before the fireplace and planned next week's trip to Anchorage.
"We should leave early," Adam said, "and spend about four hours there."
"How was your father?" Molly asked.
"Doing well, considering. He always asks about you." He was sitting on the floor, his back to the couch. Dog had come to him and placed his head on his thigh to be petted. Adam scratched his big ears.
Molly bowed her head over the sweater she had started for Adam. She had bought the Australian wool last year on an impulse, not really knowing what she was going to make out of it. Just this afternoon it had occurred to her that the off-white color would go well with Adam's dark good looks. She hadn't told him what she was working on and he hadn't asked.
Now that the weather had turned cold all the doors inside the cabin were left open because they needed the extra heat in the bedrooms. The bathroom doors were left open at night when the room wasn't in use. Adam, being the last each night to use the room, opened both the door to Molly's room and his own before he went to bed.
Molly, now, lay in her bed and listened to the sounds coming from the other bedroom. She thought of the two nights he had spent in her bed. How sweet and gentle he had been! Would it be so wrong, she thought, to let him make love to me? We're married! Could I bear for him to leave me after knowing what it feels like to be possessed by him?
She lay on her back, eyes closed, remembering how he had rubbed her back, caressed her, and folded her in his arms to keep her warm. She could feel the stubble on his chin that morning as he slept with it resting against her forehead. Her heart began to beat rapidly and a hunger for him like a pain went through her; through her lips, her breasts, and into her loins. The pain grew and the blood rushed to her face. Disgusted at her thoughts she flopped over on her stomach and buried her head in the pillow. What's the matter with me? she thought. I'm like a bitch in heat. Of one thing she was almost sure: Adam would keep their relationship on the present level. If it should ever change, she would have to be the one to make the first move.
Molly kept herself busy during the days that followed. The weather was cold, always hovering around the zero mark. She spent an hour each day out of the house. Tim-Two brought out the sled and harness. She hitched up Dog, who loved every minute of pulling the sled. They went with Tim-Two on short runs to his trap lines. This wasn't Molly's favorite thing to do, and she was always relieved when they found them empty.
The moose were coming down out of the hills and into the timber now. Soon the hunting season would be here and Tim-Two would shoot one for the meat it would supply. Molly never stayed around to watch the slaughter or the butchering of the meat. When Tim-Two brought in the neatly wrapped packages from the woodshed, where they were frozen, she would pretend they had come from the meat market in town.
One afternoon
she took the snowmobile out alone and enjoyed a ride down the path to the lake and through the timber to the clearing where the helicopter landed. Believing that she had been gone only an hour she was surprised when she returned to find Adam preparing to go look for her.
"Where in the hell have you been?" he demanded, with the thundercloud look on his face.
"Only down through…the timber," she stammered, surprised at his anger. "Why?"
"Why?" he repeated. "You've been gone an hour, that's why!"
She couldn't understand why he was so angry, and the questioning look in her violet eyes told him she didn't understand.
"I saw fresh wolf tracks around the lake yesterday. You're not to go out of sight of this house without me or Tim-Two. Is that understood?"
"This is the first time I've been out by myself." Her eyes looked squarely into his.
"And it will be the last time, my girl!" he said firmly. "Tim-Two thinks there's a wolverine about. He saw the sign in his trap lines."
"But—" she started to explain she had lived here for five years and wasn't exactly a greenhorn, but he wouldn't let her say it.
"Don't argue, Molly. I've told you what you cannot do and that's the end of it." He took off his parka. As far as he was concerned the matter was closed.
At first Molly was angry at his high-handed method of telling her about the danger, but after thinking about it she understood his concern. Although it was early winter and there was still plenty of small game for the wolves, they were a dangerous lot and not to be trusted. The unpredictable wolverine was another matter altogether. They attacked when and where they wanted, if they were hungry or not, just for the sheer pleasure of the kill. Molly had seen the results of a wolverine kill and it was not a pleasant sight.
The next day Molly hitched Dog to the sled for a ride around the yard. Adam came out to go with her and they headed for the frozen lake. She rode on the sled and Adam on the runners behind. Dog was in rare form. He had two playmates and for more than an hour they played like two children on the ice. When they came back to the house, they sat before the fire and drank hot cocoa. It felt as though they'd been together forever, there was such ease and companionship between them.
The day before the trip to Anchorage Adam asked if there was any reason why they couldn't stay overnight in the apartment. He would like to stay two nights, he said, as he had some business he should attend to. They were eating their evening meal at the trestle table and Molly looked across at him in her questioning way.
"It's perfectly legal as far as the will is concerned, Molly. Charlie didn't mean for us to spend every day here. And I'm sure your aunt would think twice before she tackled me and my father."
"I wasn't thinking of that," she said. "I was thinking I wouldn't go this time and you could take care of your business. I'll go with you when you go again for the day."
"No, for two reasons. First and foremost, I'll not leave you here alone overnight, and second, I promised Dad I'd bring you the next time I came in."
"Then it's settled," she conceded.
"I'll take you out to dinner," he promised. "We'll do a night on the town."
"No," she said quickly, "that won't be necessary. I'm not taking suitable evening clothes." Not that she had suitable clothes to take, she thought dryly.
"That's no problem. We'll buy something."
"No… no, I'd rather not."
"Is that all you can say—'no, no!' " He laughed at her. "Well, we'll see." He was in one of his teasing moods and Molly couldn't help but laugh with him.
That night she looked over her simple wardrobe. She didn't have much to choose from. Finally, she picked out two simple dresses to wear during the day, and a pair of wool slacks with matching sweater to wear to and from the city. She laid out toilet articles, a nightie, and the robe and slippers Adam had given her. As an afterthought she tucked in the diamond earrings, the gift from his father.
CHAPTER TEN
They walked down the snow-packed path to the plane. Adam tucked her in the seat and wrapped her with a blanket before fastening her seat belt. She never tired of watching him. He was so confident, so capable. She had dreaded the trip to town, but now that she was actually on her way, she felt a little thrill of excitement and looked forward to seeing Adam's father and his Aunt Flo again. The one thing she was sure of was a welcome there. She felt none of the apprehension of the first visit.
Once the plane was in the air Adam told her something about Anchorage. She and her father did all their business in Fairbanks and she admitted she knew little about Alaska's largest city. Nearly every second Alaskan lives in Anchorage, he told her. It was a sprawling modern city of almost' two hundred thousand, located between Cook Inlet and the Chugach mountains. There was considerable damage done to the city during the 1964 earthquake, but the rebuilding had been completed, and the city had become a headquarters for large corporations and government agencies. Adam's father's company was headquartered there. He said he had little to do with the company, but owned voting stock and attended board meetings.
Adam expressed regret that his native state was fast becoming a "get-rich-quick" oil boom state. Being a strict conservationist, he'd rather the state stayed poor and they kept what they had. He was "between the devil and the deep blue sea," he explained, wanting to keep Alaska as it was and owning stock in a company manufacturing pipe to lay it to waste.
Adam set the plane down on a runway set aside for the landing of ski planes and they were towed into the hangar by a small vehicle. Adam's car was in a nearby garage and they were soon on the way to his apartment building. They passed the famous Captain Cook Hotel, and he teasingly told her if she was a "good" girl, he would take her there for dinner.
Molly said nothing, but the thought of going out with him brought terror to her heart. Her confidence was fast leaving her. In the city he appeared different from what he was with her in the cabin. She was frightened that she would do something ridiculous and embarrass him.
As they were going up in the elevator of the apartment building Adam suggested they stop at his apartment and freshen up before going up to see his father. He opened the door and Molly went in and looked around. She was not as astonished at his collection of things as she had been the first time she visited here. Somehow after knowing him better she understood his desire to keep these pleasant mementos of his travels.
He carried her case to the bedroom she had used before.
"Shall we have a good bath and use all the hot water we want to?" Amusement brightened his dark eyes.
"Why, not," she answered. "What time does your father expect us?"
"I'll call and tell Ganson we'll be up in about an hour. Okay?"
"Okay," she echoed. "Are you glad to be back in civilization?"
"I don't know if you would call this civilization. It's pretty much of a jungle, but I'll admit I enjoy the hot shower!"
Molly hung her two dresses and the robe in the closet, and opened .the drawer of the dressing table to put away her toilet articles. A lipstick rolled to the front of the drawer when she opened it. She picked it up and looked at it. It wasn't one of hers and she was sure it hadn't been in the drawer when she was here before. A queer, tight little feeling closed in around her heart. Had Adam brought a girl here on one of his visits to see his father? He said he was accustomed to being with a woman. No! She wouldn't think about it! She had no right to feel disappointed. He was perfectly free to do as he pleased as long as he abided by the terms of her father's will. She put the offending tube out of her sight in another drawer and went into the bathroom to take her bath.
Wallowing in the deep tub filled with the sweet-scented water, Molly forced her mind to dwell on how she could dress her hair. Not being used to the shorter length, she had been letting it hang, held back by a band, but that wouldn't do here. She didn't want to look like a teen-ager. She decided to try and roll it into a flat bun on top of her head, somewhat as she used to coil her braids. If that wouldn't do, s
he would try a bun at the nape of her neck. Either way would make her look a little more sophisticated.
She chose to wear the plum-colored wool dress. It had simple lines and a flared skirt that swayed gently as she walked. She slipped her feet into the black pumps and sat for a long while brushing her hair, trying to decide on a style. After several attempts to make a bun on top of her head she had to settle for one at the nape of her neck. She was applying plum-colored lipstick to match her dress when Adam knocked on the door, then opened it and came in. She looked at him through the dressing table mirror. A lump rose up in her throat so that she could hardly swallow.
He had just come from his shower. His hair was damp and curling. He had on a light tan knit shirt tucked snugly into navy blue trousers. The long-sleeve shirt was opened at the neck and she caught a glimpse of the curly black hair on his chest where she had once laid her cheek. His eyes held hers for a long moment. The pulse at the base of her throat beat madly, and she saw him lower his eyes to look at it. She remembered the spot his mouth had made on her neck and she desperately wanted to look to see if it was still there, but she didn't dare take her eyes from his. He broke the silence.
"Why did you pin up your hair for God's sake?" He came to where she sat facing the mirror. "What's the matter with the way you wear it at home?"
"Because this makes me look my age," she replied, her voice quite matter-of-fact.
"It makes you look ridiculous!" His fingers went to her neck and he started to remove the pins.
"Adam!" She tried to twist away from him. "It took me a long time to get it pinned up."
"I like it the other way," he insisted. "Beautiful things should not be pinned up or tied down." He continued taking out the pins. "Now give me the brush." He held out his hand.
She slapped the brush down into his hand with emphasis. He stood behind her and brushed her hair with long, even strokes. He brushed it straight back over her forehead and behind her ears. He brushed it from under the nape of her neck. At last he was satisfied and handed the brush back to her.
Marriage to a Stranger Page 10