Finally, she ran a brush through her hair. Just a dash to that little room tucked away in the trees and she’d be ready. She grabbed her swimsuit, a towel, and the last essential oil she’d yet to try and shoved them in a carry bag. She’d use it this morning, if Niklas said it was all right.
By the time Sarah trudged back from the outhouse, Niklas sat waiting on the porch.
“Why didn’t you go inside?”
He smiled. “Not my house.”
“Actually, it is.”
“Not for another nine days.”
She opened the door. “Are we leaving Risto here?”
“Not unless you want to clean up when you get home.”
“We’ll be that long?”
“Longer...Pupu.”
All right.
The snowmobile streaked across the indigo-bathed snow toward Niklas’s house. Sarah held tight around his waist. Lagging behind, Risto’s barking grew softer. An impossible task for him to keep up, but he knew his way home, and it wasn’t far.
Niklas parked the snowmobile next to the sauna. “You go ahead. I’ll meet you inside in a few minutes. I must first check on Mila and the puppies and put Risto in my bedroom.”
“OK.” Hand on the sauna door, Sarah glanced over her shoulder. “Niklas?”
He stopped, pivoting to face her.
“Do you mind if I put one of the oils in the water? It’s the last one, and I’d planned to try it this morning.”
“No problem. Which one?”
“Hyssop.”
“Good.” With a smile he turned and continued on his way.
Sarah stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Changing into her swimsuit, she entered the sauna. So this is what happens when you leave a sauna to heat. Clearly she’d not waited long enough with hers. She checked the temperature before heading for the top seat. 185 F. 85 C. Placing her towel on the wooden slats, she sat down on its softness. Soon her skin glistened with perspiration, and yet she shivered. Anticipation of Niklas sharing this small space with her? At the thought, fear mingled with her excitement. What was she doing here? Was she crazy? This could be Andrew all over again. Hadn’t she learnt? Niklas could do what he wanted with her inside here and not a soul would hear.
The door to the dressing area banged shut and Sarah jumped. Too late to make a dash for it. She pressed up against the wall, trying to blend into the wood. As if that would help.
Cooler air followed Niklas inside. Not that it would make a difference to the temperature. He shut the door behind him fast.
“Hei.” Scooping up a ladle of water, he emptied it onto the sauna rocks. Repeating the action, twice, he followed the steam to the top, sitting down on the opposite side to Sarah. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
Grateful for his lack of vision, Sarah stared. More like gawked. Another reason this was not a good idea. Those muscles, shaping his arms and legs in mountains and valleys she’d love to trail her fingers over, were disconcerting.
“H—hi,” she croaked, swallowing hard.
Niklas opened one eye then closed it again, inhaling deep. Was she as much of a distraction to him? Or was this the way he took his saunas—eyes shut?
“The hyssop smells good. Sweet and warm.”
Sarah took a deep breath, too. “It does.” Focused on him, and on her fear, she hadn’t noticed the scent until he mentioned it.
Words banished, silence descended like the oppressive steam, the intense heat all that remained. And their own thoughts.
Finally, Sarah broke the quiet.
“It’s really hot in here.” She fanned herself with her hand. Pulling the towel out from under her, Sarah leaned forward and wiped the sweat from her face with it. She pushed to her feet and took the two steps down to the floor. “I need fresh air.” Except it was freezing outside. And she was dressed in a swimsuit.
“I know exactly what you need, Sarah.”
She glanced up at him. Eyes still shut, her announcement hadn’t made him budge. If he’d remained silent, she would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep.
“And that is?”
He opened his eyes, and his mouth swept into a grin. “Jump into the avanto with me.”
Would she say yes? Niklas held his breath, waiting. If Sarah could conquer this, she could conquer anything. She’d understand how exhilarating the cold water was, how there’s nothing to fear. And if she understood that, he could explain that forgiveness brings the same breathtaking rush. Only it lasted much longer. If she could forgive Andrew, she’d be able to forgive him. But more than the selfish thought of receiving respite, he wanted Sarah to be free. And she’d only find that freedom in leaving all her hurt at the foot of the cross.
“Are you crazy? I can’t jump into freezing water, no matter how hot I am.”
“Trust me, Sarah. It’s not as bad as you think.” Niklas heaved himself up and onto the floor in a single movement, ignoring the fact there were two steps in that space and coming to a stop in front of her. He reached out and brushed his fingers up her arm. “Trust me,” he whispered.
“All right. But I’m going first, because if it’s bad I’m holding you under the water on your turn.”
“Sarah, would it make you feel better if I promise to do something equally unpleasant today?”
“Yes,” she said, pouting. “And one more thing—we have breakfast afterward. I’m famished.”
“Deal.”
“Plus, you never ask me to jump into the ice hole again.”
“Avanto. And I won’t have to ask—you’ll want to do it again all on your own.”
She wrapped the towel around her, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Hardly likely.”
Oh you will, but I won’t argue the fact.
Niklas opened the sauna door. Inside the dressing room, he grabbed a pair of plastic shoes and handed them to Sarah. “Here, put these on.” He slid his feet into his own pair then opened the door.
Outside, the dark blue hue had lightened a shade. He grasped Sarah’s hand, unwilling for her to back out. “Follow me.”
Just as he thought, she squealed all the way to the frozen lake, chanting some African war cry in between, turning up the volume as her body submerged into the icy water. “It’s cold, it’s cold, it’s cold,” she managed between gasps. Sarah’s shoulders were barely wet when she pulled herself out, losing her footing on the last step. Her hands skidded down the ladder’s railings as she sank back into the water. Poor Sarah. Double dunk.
Bending down, Niklas grasped her hand, helping her out. He handed her a towel.
“Your turn now,” she said, teeth chattering.
Niklas obliged, immersing himself totally, and praying Sarah’s foot didn’t hold his head under. Several moments later he broke the surface of the water. Relieved. She couldn’t have found the experience too bad after all.
Sarah screamed as they hurried back to the sauna. “I can’t believe I jumped into an ice hole!”
Would she do it again, and again, as was customary?
Near the sauna, Niklas dove into the snow. “You should try this, too. It’s fun.”
“You’re certifiably insane. But, why not?”
Their laughter filled the air as Sarah rolled in the cold powder beside Niklas. When she tumbled into him, he didn’t waste the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, warming her lips with a kiss. As much as he wanted to stay there like that, if they didn’t get up, they’d suffer frostbite.
He pulled Sarah to her feet. “Let’s head back inside, warm ourselves up.”
“And have breakfast?”
“Of course.”
As Sarah scurried to her seat, Niklas splashed two ladles of water over the rocks. Instant heat. Not that it wasn’t already hot in there. He placed six makkara, wrapped in foil, on the steaming stones.
“You’re cooking breakfast? Here?”
Niklas raised his gaze to Sarah peering down at him.
“Yes. Makkara. Have you tasted our Finn
ish sausages yet?”
“No. An interesting way to cook them...in the bathroom.”
“Sauna, Sarah. Big difference to a bathroom.” Niklas headed back to his spot opposite Sarah, leaving the makkara to cook. He’d flip them over in a little while.
Clasping his hands together, he leaned forward and turned to her. “So what did you think of the avanto?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...it was pretty awesome. Totally invigorating.”
“Would you do it again? You do remember it’s tradition to sauna then avanto several times in succession?”
She nodded. “I think I would.”
“See, didn’t I tell you it’s not so bad—that you’d be surprised how liberating and exhilarating it could be?”
“You did.”
He reached for her hand. “It’s the same with forgiveness, Sarah. The thought of it is most times terrifying, something people usually vow they’d never do. But once you take that step and dive into the waters of grace...like the avanto, it’ll make you feel alive again.” Running his fingers through her hair, Niklas tucked the damp strands behind her ear. “I know you might think that you can’t forgive Andrew, but you didn’t think you could jump into the avanto either. And you did. Don’t you want to feel that kind of liberation in your soul?”
Sarah opened her mouth, but no words formed. She moved her head up and down. Were those tears glistening on her skin? Or merely perspiration?
She swiped a hand across one cheek, then the other, blinking her eyes.
Definitely tears.
Niklas moved closer and folded her into his embrace. She melted into his arms, releasing her cries as she sought to forgive the one who had wronged her so. Niklas helped her through the process—a bittersweet experience. Wonderful to see Sarah turn her heart back to God, and say aloud that she forgave Andrew. Regretful it was his turn to do something hard. Confession was never easy, but he had to do it and trust God to do the rest.
Not now, though.
Later, at Korvatunturi, everything would be revealed.
Chapter 12
The Range Rover’s engine preheated—a necessity in these extreme climates—Niklas bent down and with one hand unplugged the power cable from the front bumper that fed from the main utility supply of his house. He held the cell phone to his ear with the other hand.
“Thanks for agreeing to puppy-sit, Alexis. I know this is short notice, and it’s Christmas Eve. If this wasn’t important, I wouldn’t take this trip.” With each word, tiny white clouds puffed into the morning air.
“My friend, it’s fine. But you do know you owe me twice now?” Alexis’s laugh boomed through the earpiece.
Niklas eased the cell phone away from his ear until it was safe to talk again as he scraped the ice from the windows, and then brushed the snow from the car. “I know. Just relax and make yourself at home. You don’t need to do much—make sure the room is constantly warm, keep your eye on the puppies, and take Mila out a few times, that’s all.
“There’s a pot of good soup in the fridge you can heat for lunch. As always, help yourself to anything. The front door will be unlocked, and we’ll be back around six.”
“We?”
“I’ll explain—”
“Later… I know. When are you leaving?”
“In a few minutes, so you’ll need to be around within the hour. The fire’s roaring and should last until you get here.”
Niklas said goodbye to his friend then returned his phone to his jacket pocket as he stepped back inside.
Sarah sat on the floor beside the whelping box, cuddling a puppy in her arms. She looked up as Niklas entered and smiled. “I love puppy breath.”
“You look so cute, Pupu. You will be a wonderful mother one day.” Hopefully sooner rather than later.
“You think so?”
Going down on his haunches, he bent forward and kissed her. “I know so.”
“I often used to think God was punishing me when He took away my baby—that He didn’t think I’d be a fit mother.”
Niklas’s hand slid around her back and he drew her close. “Sarah, God would never think or do that. He loves you...passionately.” And so do I.
Taking Sarah’s hand, he rose, pulling her up with him. He took the sleeping puppy from her arms and placed it back with Mila. “Come, we need to go, or we’ll run out of time.”
“We’re going somewhere?”
“Yes, but it’s a secret. I promise you’ll love it. Trust me.”
Her gaze settled on him. “You say that a lot.”
“What?”
“Trust me.” She stepped closer and reached up. Her hand brushed his cheek as her gaze oscillated between his mouth and eyes. “I do trust you, Niklas. You’ve given me no reason not to.”
Will she still think that when we get to Korvatunturi? If only he could tell her now. But there was only one way, one place, to break the oath he’d taken.
He pressed his lips to her head. “I’m glad, Pupu.”
Niklas threw one last log on the fire before they walked out the door toward the car, Risto following close behind. He opened the passenger door and Sarah eased inside. The moment Niklas opened the back door, Risto hopped up onto the seat, his face instantly at the window as the door shut closed.
“We’re taking him with?” Sarah asked as Niklas slid behind the wheel. “What about Mila and the puppies?”
He started the car and reversed. “I’ve a friend coming to look after them until we’re back. And yes, we’re taking Risto with. No sense in over-burdening Alexis with another dog. Besides, Risto will enjoy the ride.”
“Will it take long to get there?”
“About three hours straight driving. But it’ll take us a little longer as we’ll stop first for lunch when we’re close by.”
“That’s quite a distance. Must be something spectacular you want to show me to drive that far.”
Niklas smiled. No amount of prying or prodding would get him to reveal their destination. Korvatunturi revealed its own secrets. He had no idea how—it just did.
Sarah stared out of the window at the passing landscape for a moment before turning back to him. “Have you thought of names for the puppies?”
His low chuckle filled the cab. “No, I haven’t. Do you want to help me? It’ll keep us busy—like a road game. It could take some time to come up with twelve suitable names.”
“I’d love to. Certainly beats playing ‘I Spy’.”
Retrieving her handbag from the floor, Sarah pulled out her journal. Removing the pen tucked inside, she tapped it against the paper, clearly thinking hard. He’d leave it up to her. Women had to be better at this sort of thing than men.
Eyes wide, she grabbed his arm. “I’ve got it. There are twelve pups. What about naming them after the twelve days of Christmas? Of course, it would sound ridiculous doing that in English, but it could be really cool in Finnish.”
“Ha, and you don’t think that what sounds ridiculous to you in English will sound just as ridiculous to Finnish people?”
Clutching the pen, she waved her hand in the air. “Don’t let’s worry about that right now. Let’s just try it.”
Niklas shrugged, laughing. “All right.”
“On the first day of Christmas the singer’s true love brought her a partridge in a pear tree. What’s the Finnish word for partridge?”
“Peltopyy.”
Sarah wrote it down. “Pel-top-ewe. That’s not so bad. You could always call him Pelty for short.”
This would be amusing. He’d humor her. “I could.”
“Day two is two turtle doves.”
“Turturikyyhky.”
“OK, that one’s a tad complicated. I think you’ll need to spell all these words for me.” A half-laugh slipped from her mouth and Niklas had to wonder if she wasn’t already regretting her idea. “I can’t even repeat that word. But then, I’m not the one who has to say it. What about just a plain dove?”
“Tha
t would be jossa.”
Her eyes brightened. “I like that.” She wrote the word in her journal.
“Next—three French hens.”
“Ranskan kanat.”
“Hmm, we can’t have two words for a dog’s name. Maybe just a hen?”
“Kana.”
“Works for me.” The pen touched the paper again. Black flowed onto the white, following the movement of Sarah’s hand.
The word written, she lifted the pen. Niklas glanced at her list. She had beautiful handwriting. How he’d love to see Sarah Toivonen in her script. Dare he even hope?
“Four calling birds?”
“Jossa lintuja, so you might want to only go for bird which will be lintu.”
“That’s pretty nice. Right?”
With a nod and a smile, Niklas gave Sarah the reassurance she sought. “Five golden rings is next, is it not?” Wouldn’t that be an amazing gift for Sarah—one for each finger of her hand? Although, only one ring mattered. If he offered that gift, would she accept?
“Yes, it is.” Sarah tipped her head, her smile following the movement. “You do seem to know your Christmas songs.”
“How could I not? I live in the land of Christmas.”
Leaning closer, she whispered, “Actually, the land of Christmas is Israel, more specifically the town of Bethlehem.”
“It is. I’m so glad you remembered.”
She kissed his cheek. “So am I. Thank you for what you did this morning. You set me free.”
“No, Sarah. Jesus did that. I merely helped you remember what He’d done for you.”
Her hand covered his. She squeezed. “I’m so glad I met you, Niklas Toivonen. Can we always be friends?”
He wanted far more than that. But he had to wait to see the outcome of Korvatunturi before asking her.
“Sormukset.”
“What?”
“Golden rings...the Finnish word.”
Sarah raised her hands in the air, giving her fingers a little jiggle. “Hallelujah. At last, one word for two. And a good one at that.”
Poles Apart Page 11