by Alix Labelle
Chapter 9
He grasped her shoulders tenderly. He was going to push her away. She knew it, and she hated the thought. She wanted to feel his body against hers.
“Actually,” he whispered, “I love the game.”
And he pulled her to him. Her arms were pinned between them, her hands resting on his collarbones. His face closed in on hers, and when his lips met hers, his kiss was soft yet passionate. She didn’t know how it could be both, but she loved the feel of it.
She melted against him, unable to resist feeling his hard body against hers. His denim-covered organ danced against her hip. At that moment, she knew she would have him that night, and she couldn’t wait to see what kind of lover he was.
His tongue taunted her lips until she opened them enough to allow him entrance only a moment later. While their tongues clashed with a heat so strong she couldn’t describe it, he slipped his hands around her and moved her backwards until her right hip bumped against the kitchen table. It scraped on the floor as it moved against their weight. Only then did Mike break the embrace.
Without a word, he lifted himself onto the table. Stina delighted in seeing his biceps tighten as he supported his weight for that moment. Then he pulled her onto his lap so both of her legs were draped over his left leg. With one arm wrapped around her legs from above and the other holding her buttocks, he nestled her against his groin, where she could feel the movement of his manhood.
Finally, he slid his fingers into her hair and his large hand caressed the back of her head, gently pushing it toward his face. Their lips met again, and she threw her arms around his neck.
At her show of acceptance, his hand entered her robe and slid across her naked breast. Despite the warmth of him, her nipple hardened on contact. Then, to Stina’s dismay, he jerked his hand from her robe and broke their kiss.
Her heart felt as though it was breaking. She didn’t want him to stop; she wanted to see this through to the end. He stared at her exposed mound and caressed it once more before he closed her robe.
“I’m very sorry, Stina,” he said. “I didn’t realize you didn’t have a nightgown on.”
“Did you hear me complain?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter. That was our first real kiss, and I nearly took it too far.”
Between them, his organ moved against Stina’s hip.
“You want to go further, though,” she replied. “I know you do. Is it because I’m not a virgin anymore?”
Shaking his head, he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his hands on his lap. “I had no idea, but it makes no difference to me. The timing is terrible. I should have kissed you before this. I should have let you know my intentions.”
“What are your intentions?” she asked, more for his verbalization of them than because she didn’t know what he meant.
“I intend to court you, Stina. I intend to escort you to the monthly barn dances and to visit you daily. I intend to let every man in town know that you’re taken—if you’ll let me after what just happened.”
“I’ll not only let you, I look forward to it.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Now I really should leave.”
“No, stay. It’s still raining hard. You can sleep in Karin’s room. In the morning, I’ll make you a nice, hot breakfast.”
“Will there be any hot tea?”
Stina grimaced and replied, “I’m Swedish, Mike. I don’t drink tea, but I’ll have hot coffee.”
“Coffee will do. Now as much as I hate to say this,” he announced as he pushed her off his lap. “You should get to bed, and I should get out of these wet dungarees.”
Stina glanced at his crotch, lifted one eyebrow and grinned impishly. “Ja?”
“And no peeking, young lady.”
Giggling, she headed off toward her bedroom. “God natt, Mike.”
“I’m assuming that’s Swedish for good night. Good night to you, too.”
***
Standing in the doorway of her business, Lars crossed his arms over his chest. Stina was intimidated by his action, but she wasn’t about to show him.
“What do you want, Lars?” she asked as she struggled to casually scrub the nightgown on the washboard before her.
“I saw you last night.”
“I don’t care. You haven’t told me that you want to court me, so I can be with whoever I want.”
“You let O’Riley into your house.”
“Of course, I did. He was soaked to the bone. I let him sleep in Karin’s room.” Hopefully, Lars hadn’t seen what happened between Mike and her. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard Mike’s declaration of his intentions. Trying to keep calm, she added, “You’re too svartsjuk.”
“Jealous? Me? I have no reason to be jealous of anybody. I know you want to be with me.”
Stina cringed. Lars knew the word. She’d carefully used the Swedish version of jealous, but he already knew it.
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind. Maybe you haven’t shown me enough attention to hold my interest.”
“Well, I’m going to show you attention if you don’t stay away from O’Riley. In fact, I’ll show both of you attention, and you won’t like the kind I show him.”
Stina glared over at Lars. “Are you …” She was so angry she couldn’t think of the English word. “… hotar him?”
“I don’t know what that word means, but I’m warning you that I won’t hesitate to persuade him to leave you alone.”
Words spun in her head—English, Swedish, English, Swedish. She had no idea what to say because rage consumed her. How dare he threaten Mike! That was the word. Hotar … threaten. Lars was svartsjuk, so he hotade Mike. No, English. Lars was jealous, so he threatened Mike. Finally, Swedish words burst forth from deep in her chest.
“Du någonsin hotar inte Mike igen, eller jag ska säga sheriffen Douglas vad du gjorde!”
“What the hell was that?” Lars demanded.
Grabbing an iron from the cold stove behind her, she hurled it across the room at him, screeching, “Get out! Get out, get out, get out!”
Lars dodged the flat iron and raced away as she listened to his footsteps on the boardwalk. Muttering to herself in Swedish, she went outside to pick up the iron. Had he not ducked, she probably would have hit him, and she wished she had. Unfortunately, her threat had fallen on deaf ears, or at least ears that hadn’t understood. Don’t you ever threaten Mike again, or I'll tell the Sheriff Douglas what you did! She could only hope that he would connect Mike and Douglas and understand what she meant.
She had to collect herself because Gloria would be there any minute to begin her first day. After putting the iron back on the stove, she returned to washing the nightgown. When she picked it up to remind herself where she’d ended, she noticed that she’d torn a seam.
“Skiten!” she exclaimed in frustration.
“That sounded bad,” a woman said as she entered the room.
Lowering the nightgown, Stina saw Gloria entering the washhouse. Her face heated in embarrassment, and she said, “It means shit in English. I’m sorry I swore in front of you. It’s not polite.”
Gloria laughed. “I’ve heard a lot worse in the saloon. May I ask what happened?”
“I tore this nightgown. I was talking to … Never mind. You don’t want to know my problems.”
“Does it have something to do with Lars Olson? I saw him stomping away from here and saw you pick up an iron on the boardwalk. I hope you gave him a piece of your mind, because I can’t stand that man.”
“I’m beginning to understand why,” Stina said. “Grab a bag of laundry from the corner, and I’ll show you what I do.”
Chapter 10
By the end of the month, Stina and Gloria had become quite good friends. Stina found Gloria entertaining, and the workdays seemed shorter with somebody to talk to.
Mike came to see her either at home or work daily, but Stina couldn’t tell him that Lars had threatened him. Always charming, Mike impressed Gloria to the point
that Gloria was pushing for them to get together as a couple. As much as Stina wanted to tell her that she and Mike were courting in their own way, she couldn’t. She was afraid that word would get to Lars and cause more friction.
On his weekly day off, Lars visited Stina at her house or at the washhouse, but they had no more cross words. Stina assumed that Lars was finally accepting her friendship with Mike. If he knew, though, that Mike always kissed her hello and good-bye, he would be furious. And he would be even angrier if he knew that she and Mike did more than kiss on occasion. They never actually consummated their relationship, but they came close a few times.
Then came the day when Mike didn’t show up at her work or at home, and she worried that Lars had carried out his threat against Mike.
About 10:15 p.m. by the clock on the fireplace mantle, Stina still paced the house. Karin had gone to bed earlier, but Stina knew she wouldn’t sleep until she was sure that Mike was safe. Finally, a knock on the door startled her, and she raced to answer it.
“What are you doing here?” she asked Lars, who stood on the porch.
“Did you hear that there’s been an accident at the lumberyard?”
Her heart seemed to stop for a moment. Had Mike been there and been injured? Is that why she hadn’t heard from him? She questioned Lars in a voice that she wasn’t sure how she controlled.
“What happened?” she asked as calmly as she could.
“A large plank fell on Rollie Parker. He was lucky he didn’t get hit in the head.”
“Is he all right?”
“Not really. Doc said he has a couple broken ribs, and he thinks Parker might have a broken back, too.”
“Oh, no!” she said. “That’s terrible. He won’t be able to work with those injuries.”
“I don’t know, but somebody will help him.” Lars paused to let his gaze run up and down her nightgown-clad body before asking, “Aren’t you going to let me come in?”
“It’s late, Lars, and I want to go back to bed.” She hadn’t been to bed, but she wasn’t about to tell him that she’d been up worrying about Mike.
“Can you believe,” Lars said, “that I found Moya after having been hit by a limb, and I found Parker today? What are the chances?”
Stina froze. Was Lars insinuating something? Or was it just a coincidence that he found Rollie Parker today? Or was Lars sending her a message to keep away from Mike? Either way, she didn’t see how she could dismiss this matter. If he’d actually come upon Rollie today, he could be using the information to remind her that he had hurt Moya, and he could just as easily hurt Mike. Her mind was swimming with concern, but she wasn’t about to ask Lars what he meant.
“That is odd,” she finally agreed. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to go back to bed. It’s late, and I have to be up early in the morning. Good night.”
Shutting the door, she slid the bolt over to lock it from the inside. She definitely didn’t want Lars to force his way in. As his footsteps faded down the walk from the house to the street, Stina went to the window to make sure he left. Finally, she went to the couch and lay down to get some rest. She left the lamp burning, however, in case Mike stopped by later.
All she could do was assume that he was covering Rollie’s injuries and accident for the newspaper. Why else would he not have visited her? It wasn’t because he’d been injured himself, that was for sure. But she did wonder why he hadn’t sent somebody to tell her that he had to work. He’d done so other times. Then again, this wasn’t the same as him working to finish the next edition. This could be an extra edition that he wanted to print. If only he would come by or send someone so she knew why was happening.
She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind so she could get some sleep. At least, she knew that he was safe and unharmed.
A knock on the door woke her with a start. She scrambled to answer it. After a glance out the window to make sure it wasn’t Lars, she unbolted the lock, flung open the door, and flew into Mike’s arms.
“Tack, Gud!” she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. “Where have you been?”
“Working. I know it’s after midnight, and I’m sorry I’m so late getting here,” he replied, returning her embrace and gently pushing her into the house and closing the door. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
With his arm around her shoulders, he escorted her to the sofa, where they sat down before she replied. “I was worried about you. The next time you need to work this late, you should send someone to tell me.”
He pulled her closer, and she laid her head on his shoulder. It felt so good to be back in his arms. Even though she knew she was worried, she hadn’t realized the extent of her concern until she was in his arms again.
“I’m sorry, my dear,” he said before he kissed the top of her head. “I thought Karin would tell you what happened.”
“I don’t think she knew.”
“Well, the next time something like this happens, I’ll definitely make sure you know what’s going on. Rollie Parker was seriously injured today.”
“I know. Lars told me.”
“Olson, huh? That doesn’t surprise me. The man hates that I’m courting you. He probably wanted you to think that I abandoned you so he can make you distrust me. Who knows? Maybe he even wanted to use the incident to his advantage and threaten me.”
How had Mike known that? Actually, though, Lars hadn’t made any threats. Maybe now was the time to tell Mike that Lars had threatened him a while back.
Chapter 11
Before Stina could say anything, though, Mike explained why he’d come by so late. “I was at the office with Dr. Frey for quite a while, getting information and just talking to the man. Parker hadn’t regained consciousness while I was there, and Dr. Frey felt free to explain the injuries.”
“Which were?” she prodded when he paused.
“Extensive. Broken ribs and a broken back, and Dr. Frey thinks he might have a collapsed lung, whatever that is. Palmer is going to need a lot of care. Anyway, after that, I went to the office to start the story. Moya, Jared and I sat there waiting for a reply from Frank Harris on how to proceed with the story and investigation.”
“Investigation?”
“That means …”
“I know what it means. I meant what kind of investigation?”
Mike went on to explain how Frank Harris owns the town, and how Jared needed to know how to handle investigating a second injury in just a couple of months.
“Jared thinks it’s too much of a coincidence that Lars Olson found both men,” Mike said, “and I agree. I was trying to get permission to do an investigative story on what’s happening?”
Stina listened in disbelief when Mike told her that the doctor believed that Rollie had been attacked, not injured in an accident—just as Moya had been and just as that poor prostitute had been. Then Mike admitted that they thought Lars was behind the injuries since he found both men.
Unable to speak, Stina thought back to the night when Gloria had come to her looking for a job. She wanted to get out of the business of prostitution because it was too dangerous. She’d already been beaten up once, and she didn’t want it to happen again. Should she mention this to Mike? Should she mention that she had seen Lars come out of the alley where Gloria had been found the next day? No, not yet, Stina decided. First, she needed to see if Gloria would tell her who had beaten her.
“Does the doctor think Lars did these things?” she asked.
“The doctor doesn’t know. All he knows is what he told us—that Lars Olson was at both sites when the accident occurred or shortly after. We know that much because he found both men before anybody else got there.”
“I don’t know what to say, Mike,” she replied. “You know that Lars was a friend in Bishop Hill, but I can’t say whether he’s involved with these accidents or not.”
“Right now, it doesn’t matter, Stina. Harris has told me that I can’t write any stories on this, anyway. I’m supposed to let it go.”
“Oh, I will because I don’t want to lose the newspaper. Harris owns fifty-one percent of it, so I have to follow his orders.”
With his hand under her chin, Mike lifted her head slightly, and his lips met hers. As much as Stina wanted to give herself over to the moment, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Lars had said. Can you believe that first I found Moya after having been hit by a limb, and then I found Parker today? What are the chances? The chances were very good if he had attacked Rollie like he had Moya.
After only a few moments, Mike pulled back and broke the kiss. “I should leave. I know you have to work tomorrow, and I’ll have a lot to do at the newspaper.”
Stina followed suit when he stood and walked him to the door. “I’m sorry about the kiss, Mike.”
“Don’t be silly,” he replied with a smile. “None of us can enjoy it every time. You’re obviously tired, and I didn’t let you know that I was working late so you were worried about me. That won’t happen again. I promise.”
He opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “Bolt that door again—and do your best not to be alone around Olson. I don’t trust him. If I could do a story about the coincidences of his being around those two men, I would in a heartbeat. I know there’s more behind this than just the coincidences. I just can’t prove it.”
As she bolted the door shut, she considered his words. If he knew that she hadn’t trusted Lars for quite a while now, would he ban her from seeing Lars? The only reason she let Lars come around at all was because she was terrified that he would hurt Mike. But she was also afraid to tell the sheriff about what she heard Moya and Elise talking about.
At first she’d wanted to be with him, wanted him to court her, wanted to lie in his arms. Now, though, she truly wanted nothing to do with him other than having a secret that he didn’t want revealed to the sheriff. He kept coming around to make sure that she didn’t tell, and she kept letting him to make sure he didn’t bother Mike. The situation was out of control now, and she didn’t know how to stop it.