by Kris Tualla
“What’s the third thing?” she whispered.
“I want to wait until after Matilda’s funeral.”
Kyle approved. “That’s very thoughtful, Dahl.”
That’s him, Kyle.
Kyle smiled at Tor’s words this time, certain that soon she would never need to hear them again.
Chapter
Ten
July 21, 1950
Matilda’s funeral service was attended by the majority of the population in Arendal and Kyle realized what a large part of the town the Hansen family actually was. Even Olina made the journey back from Bergen, though Kyle was certain she had more than one purpose in returning to Arendal.
The size of the gathering made her wonder what the impact of Teigen’s planned sale of Hansen Shipping would be. Just because the company was sold didn’t mean it would stop operations here.
But it might. Did that mean dozens of townspeople would lose their jobs?
While Kyle thought the possible sale was confidential information, apparently Nikolai didn’t. She overheard several men discussing it, assuming the American in their midst didn’t understand them. All of a sudden, she grasped Tor’s viewpoint.
It can be helpful if they don’t know.
She made it a point to listen to the conversations around her, gleaning what she could. The concerns expressed about the sale of the company were quite vehement. She’d need to talk to Teigen about that on another day.
Not the day he buried his mother.
Selby stayed by Nikolai’s side as the funeral guests filled the Great Hall. Her father-in-law looked sad, of course, but there was an air of peace in his presence. Watching the woman he loved so dearly fade away from him over the last decade had obviously been extremely hard. To have her suffering come to a peaceful end was a blessing.
Mrs. Nilssen had been cooking for the last five days and the expansive table in the dining room was laden with every traditional Norwegian dish that Kyle was familiar with—and many that she wasn’t.
After the church service and the graveside goodbyes, Thor and Torhild were excused from the somber adult gathering at Hansen Hall. Gjertrud took them back into town for ice cream and to play in the park until suppertime.
Olina stuck to Dahl like a tick on a deer.
Kyle watched him try to extricate himself from her presence without luck. Only when he excused himself to use the lavatory did she wander off to talk to her grieving uncle.
When Dahl returned, he leaned over and whispered help me in Kyle’s ear.
She laughed. “Do you want me to use a choke hold? I’m out of practice but I might be able to manage it.”
Dahl smiled down into her eyes. “I adore you.”
And then he kissed her.
It was a quick but solid kiss on her lips, with just enough hesitation that it couldn’t be called a peck. Dahl was sending Olina a message.
“Can I get you something?” he asked.
“Coffee with cream? And some of those almond cookies?”
“I’ll be right back.” When Dahl walked toward the dining room Kyle risked a glance toward Olina.
If looks were lethal, she’d be joining her mother-in-law in short order.
When the crowd gradually diminished, final condolences were given and accepted, and only the family—including Olina—remained, they rested in the scattered chairs strewn through the Great Hall.
“It was a beautiful day,” Nikolai stated. “Matilda would have been completely embarrassed by such a show.”
“It was what she deserved, Pappa.” Teigen’s smile was sad. “Mamma was a special woman.”
“And strong,” Selby added. “She survived longer than any of the doctors thought she would.”
“She wanted to meet Kyle and Thor.” Nikolai turned to look at Kyle. “You made her so happy, daughter. She was at peace with Tor’s death at last.”
Kyle smiled softly. “I am so glad to have come here. And for so many reasons, I can’t begin to count them.”
Dahl came into the Great Hall with Thor in tow. Her son’s hair was damp from his bath and he had his pajamas on. And he smiled at Kyle like he was about to burst.
Kyle set her coffee aside, glad for Dahl’s thoughtfulness. “Coming to say goodnight, sweetheart?”
Thor ran to her. He climbed into the chair and squeezed himself next to her. Kyle put her arm around him and kissed the top of his head.
Dahl was standing in front of her.
Kyle looked up at him. Her pulse sped up when she saw the loving expression on his face.
“I have a question to ask you, Kyle Solberg Hansen.”
Little gasps bounced through the room as Dahl knelt in front of Kyle and Thor. Kyle was suddenly shaking and tears blurred her vision.
Why do I always cry so easily?
Dahl held up a box with a sparkling diamond ring in it. “Will you marry me, Kyle?” He asked first in Norsk, and then repeated the question in English for Thor’s sake.
Olina let out a little cry.
Thor tapped Kyle’s shoulder. “Say yes, Mamma. Then Dahl can come to America and live with us.”
“Thor already said yes, Kyle.” Dahl reached for her left hand. “Will you?”
Kyle looked around the room. Teigen and Selby were holding hands and grinning. Nikolai gazed at her, clearly not surprised. Judging by his wistful expression he was probably remembering the moment when he proposed to Matilda.
Ben, who had returned from Oslo for the funeral of his adopted grandmother, moved to stand by Olina and slipped a comforting hand around her waist while he winked at Kyle.
“Mamma?” Thor prompted. “Say yes.”
Kyle looked at her son, a carbon copy of his father. “I just want to remember this, Thor. Because I’m so happy.”
She kissed his head again and looked at Dahl. “I never thought I’d find love again, but I was wrong. Yes, Dahl Holter, I will marry you without any hesitation or reservation.”
Thor let out a little whoop.
Dahl slid the ring on her finger and pulled her to her feet. This time his kiss left her breathless.
July 22, 1950
Kyle and Dahl stayed up until the sun rose at four o’clock, dividing the hours between talking about what they needed to do before Kyle left Norway in eleven days, and taking advantage of the privacy of the firelight and empty Hall to physically express their love and attraction.
While they remained fully clothed, their apparel didn’t hamper the sensual exploration that their newly cemented status encouraged. Kyle snuggled into Dahl’s embrace, contentment flooding her veins.
“Let’s go over it one more time,” she murmured. “Tomorrow we get the marriage license and make arrangements with the church.”
“Right. And whatever other details need to be taken care of here in Arendal.” Dahl moaned a happy-sounding sigh. “Photographer, flowers, whatever needs to be ordered.”
“Then you’ll head for Oslo the next morning to take care of theater stuff.” Kyle knew she would miss him, but he was only going to be gone from Arendal one night.
“I think Gunter Salversen will do a great job in my place, and I know he’s eager for the chance to take over.” Dahl kissed her forehead. “I hope you’ll get a chance to meet him.”
“Maybe when we fly out.” Kyle didn’t want to think about that at the moment. “What day will you try to get your ticket for?”
“I think I’ll need at least five days to go back to Bergen, go through my stuff and pack it up, then head back to Oslo for the flight.”
Dahl had suggested, and Kyle agreed, that it made more sense for the two of them to spend as much time as possible together while she and Thor were still here, and then get himself sorted and packed after she left.
“It’s only five days,” she said for her own sake. “And that gives me time to get the house ready—and let Beth know she needs to move into the other half of the duplex.”
“My passport is current, since I renewed it to go t
o Iowa two years ago.”
Another tip-off that Dahl spoke English. Kyle couldn’t believe she’d missed that.
“Which brings me to my next point.” Dahl shifted so he could see her face. “I wrote to Iowa State University a week ago and enquired about the position they offered me. I asked them to reply to me at your address.”
So many parts of that statement surprised Kyle. “How’d you get my address?”
“From Teigen.”
“But why have them reply to me?” she asked. “What if you stayed in Norway?”
Dahl huffed a little laugh. “Then their answer wouldn’t matter, would it?”
“I guess not…” Kyle brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Have we forgotten anything?”
“Just money, but I can’t do anything about that yet.” Dahl wove his fingers between Kyle’s. “Once I set up a bank account in America I’ll have my savings wired there.”
“Ooh. Am I marrying a wealthy man?” Kyle teased.
“Probably not. But I’m far from destitute.” Dahl lifted their entwined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. “And for a professional actor, that’s actually quite an accomplishment.”
“I wonder what will happen when Teigen sells Hansen Shipping,” Kyle mused. “I overheard some men talking about it earlier and they didn’t sound happy.”
Dahl’s brow puckered. “Did you tell Teigen?”
Kyle made a disbelieving face. “No. Not at his mother’s funeral.”
“Oh—right.” Dahl shook his head. “That seems like days ago already.”
“It does.” Kyle reluctantly pushed herself up from the sofa. “And speaking of days, the sun is up.”
Dahl stretched and yawned. “If we go to bed now we might be able to get five hours of sleep before we start working through our list of things to do.”
Kyle held out her hand, Dahl grabbed it, and she pulled him to his feet. “Walk me home?”
“With pleasure.” He engulfed her in his arms for one long, last kiss, ending with a heavy sigh. “How many days until we’re married?”
July 24, 1950
The answer turned out to be four.
I’m getting married tomorrow.
Dahl drove back toward Arendal and waited for the panic prompted by that thought to set in. When it didn’t appear, he pushed harder.
I’m marrying a woman I’ve only known for three weeks.
Still nothing.
True, they’d been together constantly during that time and had talked about every conceivable subject he could think of. Dahl felt like Kyle knew him better than possibly his parents did at this point.
And he knew enough about her and her story to respect her strength, intelligence, and determination. She’d faced heart-breaking loss and triumphed over it with dignity and love.
The fact that she was absolutely gorgeous with her thick blonde hair and intriguing gray-green eyes—which he noticed changed with her moods—only made the prospect of spending his life with her that much more appealing.
Dahl tested the panic one last time.
I’m moving to America in two weeks.
Dahl smiled. Gunter was pretty happy about that.
Sergeant Gunter Salversen was the second male lead and accountant for the Royal Shakespearean Acting Troupe, their cover for Milorg resistance activities during the war. When the war ended and Dahl started directing plays as well as acting in them, he and Gunter reconnected.
Gunter was a talented actor and he had aspirations similar to Dahl’s. So when Dahl told Gunter what he was planning to do, Gunter didn’t seem to know how to react.
“Really? You’re leaving?” Gunter looked stricken. “What about the production in Oslo?”
“It’s all yours if you want it.” Dahl shook Gunter’s shoulder. “And I’m hoping you do.”
“Just like that? I’m the director?” Gunter was clearly trying not to look happy. “And you’re off to America?”
“Please say yes, my friend,” Dahl urged. “I want to leave everything in good hands.”
“And your future contracts?”
“All yours.”
Gunter did smile at that point. “My wife is going to kiss your feet.”
Relief. “Is that a yes?”
It was. And when Dahl took Gunter to the theater and explained that even though he was leaving, the production would be in very good hands, the theater manager finally agreed to accept the change of command and not sue Dahl for breach of contract.
I’ll be in America, anyway.
Still no fear.
Oddly the one thing he wasn’t even slightly worried about was being Thor’s father. Though he believed that responsibility would strike fear in the hearts of most other men, Dahl really liked the boy. And after taking him shooting a few times, Thor decided he liked Dahl.
Kyle’s son needed a strong, kind man in his life to guide him, and Dahl was honored to be that man. And when he and Kyle had children of their own, Thor would be a very helpful big brother.
Dahl glanced at the packet on the car’s passenger seat that held his plane tickets. He visited the ticket agent yesterday and the man called the airlines to make his reservations: Bergen to Oslo, Oslo to New York, New York to Minneapolis.
This morning he’d picked up the handwritten tickets and the typed itinerary. He would board the first flight on August sixth, and land in Minneapolis on the seventh. Dahl sighed happily.
I can’t wait.
*****
Teigen led the four men who asked to meet with him into the office where his father and his father’s father and countless men before that had run Hansen Shipping. He wasn’t sure why they asked for this meeting, but he was pretty sure it had to do with his plan to sell the company.
Teigen heard his father talking about it during the gathering at Hansen Hall following his mother’s funeral. While Teigen believed the possibility was a secret, Nikolai clearly thought that the town needed to know.
“They sounded really angry,” Kyle said the next day when she told him about the conversations she’d overheard. “I thought you should know.”
Teigen thanked her sincerely. He was glad he wouldn’t be blindsided if a protest arose.
It looked like that was exactly what he was facing today.
“Have a seat, gentlemen.” Teigen pulled two additional chairs in front of the massive desk. “Would you like coffee?”
“Yes. Thank you,” one answered for the group.
Teigen asked the office secretary to bring something to nibble on along with the five coffees and then took his place at the desk. “Now, what can I do for you?”
The man who answered the coffee question leaned forward. “We want to buy Hansen Shipping.”
Chapter
Eleven
“They formed a cooperative,” Teigen explained at supper that night. “They gathered some of the supervisors together and they want to buy Hansen Shipping.”
Kyle thought that was brilliant. She just had one question. “How will they pay for it?”
“They put together a decent amount of money to put down—about ten percent of the value of the business,” Teigen said. “They want to pay the rest off over ten years.”
“What did you tell them?” Selby asked.
Teigen looked at his wife. “I said I had to talk it over with Kyle.”
“What?” Kyle looked at Teigen in shock. “Why me?”
That question seemed to surprise her brother-in-law. “Because Thor will receive his father’s portion of the family business if I sell the company, of course.”
Kyle looked at Dahl. “Did you know this?”
Her fiancé nodded. “I did. I’m surprised you didn’t.”
Kyle slid an accusing look at Teigen. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Teigen still looked surprised. “I thought it was obvious.”
And it should have been, Kyle realized. “I guess I just never thought about it.”
“Well think about it now,” Te
igen said gently. “It would mean an income for Thor for the next ten years.”
“Money that could be invested, Kyle,” Dahl added. “So when he’s old enough he could pay for college or maybe a buy a house.”
A terrible, horrible, frightening thought reared up. “Is that why you want to marry me?” she asked Dahl. “So you can manage Thor’s money?”
Dahl looked like she’d punched him. “Of course not.”
“To be honest, Kyle, that was one of the reasons we’re so happy about your marriage,” Teigen offered. “Selby and I trust Dahl to make sure Thor gets every penny that’s due him.”
“As opposed to some random American?” she spat. Why that made her angry she had no idea.
Selby leaned forward. “Surely you can understand that concern, Kyle.”
Selby’s soft tone had the effect of a warm blanket wrapping around her. Kyle leaned back in her chair and tried to make sense of her unexpected emotions.
“Kyle?”
She turned to Dahl, wary of what he might say. “What?”
“I have plenty of money on my own. And I understand how to invest to make that money earn interest.” He laid his hand over hers. “If you don’t want me to touch Thor’s inheritance, I’ll leave the management completely up to you.”
Kyle looked into his beautiful blue eyes. “Thank you.”
Dahl moved his attention to Teigen. “What interest rate will you charge them?”
Teigen shrugged. “I was thinking five percent of the remaining balance per year.”
Dahl seemed to approve. “Would you wire the money to Kyle on a regular basis?”
“I was thinking quarterly.”
Dahl faced Kyle again who was listening carefully to the exchange. She never would have thought to ask any of those questions, and was so glad that Dahl did. “You can set up a special account and keep Thor’s money separate from our income.”
Kyle nodded slowly and wondered why she doubted him. She wanted to slap herself at the moment. She deserved it.