by Davis, SJ
“What is it?” she asked, stepping beside him.
Odin ran his fingers lightly over the impressions in the mud. “This is her right forefoot and this is her left. Here are her back feet. This coyote is traveling by herself. She might be hunting for food for her pups, or perhaps she’s searching for a mate.”
Lena shook her head. “When I was a kid, there were no coyotes in these parts, let alone a mate for this one.”
“Times change,” he said. “She’s here now. It’s a good thing, yes?”
Lena shrugged. “I guess so. It’s nice to know mankind hasn’t completely killed off all of the wild things yet.”
He straightened up and resumed walking. “Keep an eye out for more tracks. I’m interested to know if she does have pups.”
“How many would she have, do you think?”
“She could have as many as six, but usually, like humans, coyotes’ families are smaller…three or four is more likely.” He paused and looked back. “Have you and Alex talked about having children?”
Lena felt a flush of heat in her cheeks. She kept her eyes on the ground as she picked her way down the trail. “We wanted children,” she said slowly, “but I’ve been told that I can’t have them.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Have you seen a specialist?”
Lena nodded. “We tried in vitro three times. Twice I miscarried, and once it failed altogether.”
“That’s too bad. It must have been a painful time for you.”
“Yes,” Lena acknowledged. “It still is, as a matter of fact. I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Sometimes it’s good to talk of these things,” he answered. “It’s a way to process your emotions and solve problems.”
“Problem solve?” She laughed bitterly. “Talking about it can’t cure infertility, Odin.”
“There are other ways to have children, Selene. You could adopt, for instance.”
“Not us,” she said. “Alex wants a child of his own. If our baby doesn’t match his DNA, he’s not interested.”
“That seems small-minded in this day and age.”
She shrugged. “It’s just the way Alex is.”
“Where does that leave the two of you?” he asked.
Lena shook her head. She ducked beneath a low-lying limb and continued down the trail. “It leaves Alex without an heir, me feeling cheated, and both of us without a child to love.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. It’s okay. I can’t tell you that it hasn’t been a disappointing ordeal, but we’ve both had a long time to come to terms with the fact. I can’t have children, but I can live with it.”
At the base of the mountain, they stopped for a swim and shared the coffee before walking the last five miles to her camp. The rain had stopped, and the ground was steaming with the emergence of the sun.
“I’m almost sorry it stopped raining,” Lena said as she reached for her water bottle. “I was looking forward to spending the rest of the day on the couch, reading.”
Ahead of her, Odin stopped. He turned and reached for her hand, entwining their fingers. “The couch? Hmmm…I was thinking otherwise. Rainy days should be spent in bed.”
Lena’s gaze shifted from his hands to his face. The lighthearted look was gone from his eyes. She held her breath as he leaned forward. His tongue probed her lips and she froze, unresponsive, until he pulled away.
“Won’t you kiss me back?” he whispered.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I can’t.”
“But you want to.” He smiled ruefully. “It’s a shame that you’re not free to follow your heart, Selene, particularly since your husband doesn’t care about your well-being.”
Lena shook her head. “That’s not true,” she said. “Alex cares about me. He loves me.”
“Does he?” Odin touched her cheek.
Lena closed her eyes as his fingers stroked her skin. She clenched her fists to stop the trembling of her hands. “Of course,” she whispered.
Odin shook his head. “If that were true, he’d be here beside you, Selene. If he really cared, he’d be fighting to keep you.” Turning abruptly he stalked across the meadow. When he reached his kayak, he stopped. “If I had a woman like you, I would never allow her to live here by herself. Never! You will have dinner with me at my cottage tonight. Come at six.”
It wasn’t a question and he didn’t wait for an answer. As Lena stood watching, Odin’s kayak slipped across the water, leaving her alone.
The sun continued to shine as a light breeze stirred the pond. The rainy morning turned into one of the nicest days of the summer. Lena didn’t care; she spent the rest of the day on the couch with her book. Odin’s last words echoed through her mind with every flip of the page. Dinner at six. Would she go? Should she? She tried to push aside the memory of his kiss, but that, too, was impossible. Standing before her cabin at quarter of six, she stared across the water, fists clenched. She should go inside; shut him out and never speak to him again.
“I’m married,” she said to Zephyr. “Tell me what to do.”
The dog wagged his tail. He barked once and darted into the woods after a fleeing squirrel.
Lena sighed. She didn’t need a dog to tell her what she should do, that was obvious. Instead, she climbed into her kayak and paddled across the pond in the dusk of the calm evening to meet Odin Andreassen for dinner.
When she arrived at the opposite bank, he was waiting for her. The smell of baking fish wafted from the cottage accompanied by soft strains of classical music - not Madame Butterfly for once – Mozart…Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
“Welcome to my home,” he said, helping her onto the dock.
Lena had hoped to make a statement by dressing casually, in her usual shorts and a tank top. Her companion, on the other hand, had gone to greater lengths to make the occasion more formal. He wore khaki trousers and a white oxford button-down and his feet were encased in brown leather shoes, burnished and gleaming. She felt horribly underdressed as he placed his hand against the small of her back and propelled her forward. Reaching the porch, he held the door and gestured her inside.
“Please,” he said. “After you.”
On this, her second time in Odin’s cabin, Lena studied the layout more thoroughly. With the exception of the cathedral ceiling and the two bedrooms on the first floor, it was not so different from her own. Even the décor was similar. She too had the twisted wooden camp furniture and deep-cushioned couch, gaslights, and plain white appliances. The dining room table was familiar as well. She ran her hand across the corner plank as her fingers traced the trademark insignia of Bernie Morris.
The music, she discovered as she continued around the room, came from a battery operated CD player propped in the window. Odin had a small selection of disks, mostly opera and classical. She looked through them as he poured her a glass of Chardonnay.
“Dinner will be ready in half an hour,” he said, taking her hand and settling beside her on the couch. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starved,” Lena said. She stared at his fingers. They were smooth and cool against her skin, the nails perfectly manicured.
“I’ve prepared crab-stuffed salmon with hollandaise sauce, asparagus, and new potatoes with butter and parsley. I hope you like fish.”
She nodded. “With everything else you do, I can’t believe you can cook, too.”
“Cooking’s fun,” he said.
“Like tracking animals and studying mythology?”
Odin laughed. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Selene…I was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family. I don’t have to worry about money so I can afford to use my time as I wish. Not having to work for a living allows me a great deal of freedom. I’ve got plenty of time to cook and read. Plenty of time to paint and reflect. But enough of that, there’s something else I wish to share with you.”
He pulled Lena to her feet and led her across the room. “C
ome,” he said, starting up the stairs.
She followed him to the second floor and through the single door at the top.
“What do you think?” he said, stepping aside.
What had once been a large bedroom had been converted into an artist’s studio. With windows on each wall and a skylight overhead it was light and airy, even in the twilight. Canvases lined the walls, some framed, others not. Lena looked them over as she moved about the room. Many of the paintings were landscapes. She recognized the backbone of Breakneck Ridge and what could only be Blackwater Pond. To her untrained eye, Odin had talent. His use of color was bold; his style ranged from abstract to post-impressionism.
She stopped in front of one large canvas and studied it with interest. Uncompleted, it depicted a woman who faced outward with one foot in the water and the other planted solidly on shore. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, held in place by a wreath of greenery. Clothed in a filmy gown that clung to her lush figure, she clutched a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Behind her, the silhouette of a pig stood, bathed in shadow.
“Artemis,” Odin said, joining her before the painting. “She’s the Goddess of the hunt. Do you like her?”
Lena nodded. “Very much.” Something about the stature of the woman was familiar. She bent forward to study her more closely.
“I have many paintings of gods and goddesses, but Artemis, in particular, is special to me. She’s depicted here as though she’s part of the landscape of Blackwater Pond. I’ve been trying to complete her for two weeks, but keep becoming distracted.”
Lena was aware of him behind her, standing so close she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She shivered and clutched her elbows as goosebumps rose along her forearms.
“Did you draw her from imagination, or did you use a model?” she asked.
“Although I regularly use models, I didn’t for this particular painting,” he said. “Perhaps that’s why I’m having such a difficult time completing it.”
Lena remained before the portrait as the glow of the setting sun cast its rays upon the goddess, lighting her up in all of her splendor. “She looks so familiar to me,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s something about the tilt of her head and set of her shoulders.” Suddenly, recognition dawned and she swayed, light-headed. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Annie!”
Odin reached to steady her. “Selene? Are you alright?”
She shook her head and took a step toward the picture as the sun moved past the window. In an instant, the light changed and the similarity between the painted goddess and Annie Janson was gone. “Wow,” she said, running a shaking hand across her forehead. “For a minute there, your Artemis reminded me of someone. Forgive me, I felt a little faint. It must be low blood sugar. I haven’t eaten much today.”
Odin took her hand and guided her across the room. “The painting isn’t yet finished,” he said, sniffing the air. “I should have waited until it was complete to show it off. Speaking of which, the fish smells as though it’s done. Are you okay, or shall I carry you downstairs.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him with a last glance at the painting. In the shadows, the woman on the canvas was just another tall beautiful blonde. Turning her back on it, she followed him down the stairs to the first floor.
Odin dimmed the lights and lit the candles while Lena slipped into her chair at the table. He plated the fish and potatoes, added asparagus and poured a dollop of hollandaise on top. She remained silent as he topped her glass and took the seat opposite hers. The meal and the ambiance had all the qualities of a five-star restaurant. She picked up her fork and took a bite.
As with everything else he did, Odin was an excellent cook; the fish was baked flawlessly and the vegetables were seasoned to perfection. Still, her nerves continued to assault her. Lena barely touched the food before her as Odin finished his meal and rose to load his plate for the second time.
“Alex is a writer,” he said when he returned to his chair.
She nodded, grateful for the familiar territory of conversation.
“What genre of literature?”
“Chick lit, for the most part.”
Odin shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Literature for women,” she explained. “Mostly romance-oriented.”
He took a sip of wine and smiled. “By ‘romance-oriented’, I assume you mean sex.”
“Sometimes,” Lena said, “but mostly, it’s love and longing. He just finished his fourth in what used to be called the “Seasons Trilogy”. Lifetime network’s contracted to turn the books into a series of movies. They’re filming the first one this summer on a cruise ship in Alaska.”
“Alaska? That’s quite a distance from Maine.”
Lena nodded. “Alex has to be on-set for consultation. He’s leaving on the fifteenth for three weeks.”
“I didn’t know you’d planned to travel.”
“I’m not,” she said. “Alex is going on his own.”
Odin raised his eyebrows and refilled his glass. “How exciting for him. Off on a cruise with a bunch of Hollywood starlets. Without his wife. Lucky Alex.”
“It’s not like that,” she protested.
“Like what?” he said, with the hint of a smile.
“I don’t know,” she said. “You make it sound…dirty, somehow.”
“What’s dirty about it? It’s just a job, right?”
“Right.”
“A job filming ‘romance-oriented’ material starring beautiful women.”
“Odin…”
“Come on,” he said. “Won’t you be jealous?”
Lena shook her head.
“Honestly?”
“Maybe a little,” she admitted, rubbing her hands against her temple. “It’s not that I don’t trust him, but you’re right…there’ll be half a dozen eligible women there. Alex and I’ve had our share of issues lately…I wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
“Particularly since you’ve been up here all summer without him, hmmm? Alex is a handsome man. And successful. I’d guess that women find him attractive.”
“Don’t forget married,” she said.
Odin shrugged. “Some women will twist your absence to justify their attention. And Lena? Let me clue you into a man’s point of view…most men don’t like to go without a woman for very long. Alex is a man. He has certain expectations and needs that only a woman can fulfill. You’re his wife. That woman should be you.”
“Yes, I know, but someone had to fix up the camp and I already told you how hard I worked at the academy. Because I chose to spend a couple of months away from him doesn’t mean that Alex is going to throw me over for the first woman to come knocking at the door, does it? I love my husband,” she added, knowing she sounded pathetic. “I trust him.”
“Do you think you should?” he asked.
Lena pushed the potatoes around her plate, speared one and dropped the fork, shaking her head. “Of course. Alex is a strong man…strong enough to say no to any hot young actress that Hollywood throws his way.”
“Who’s talking about Hollywood?” he said. “I hate to point out the obvious, Selene, but you’ve been here for well over a month now. Alex was supposed to come for a visit and he cancelled at the last minute. If he were going to have an affair, what makes you think he’s waiting for an actress and a trip to Alaska?” He picked up his glass and swirled the wine in the light of the candles. “Men have needs and desires that they use to justify their actions. I know it sounds crude, but believe me, it’s true. I’m a man. I know.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. “You know absolutely nothing about my relationship with Alex!”
“Don’t I?”
Lena rose from the table and stepped toward the door. Odin beat her there.
“Wait,” he said. “I apologize. Your relationship with your husband is none of my business. Of course, Alex is not like other men. Of course, h
e’s not like me! Certainly, one month is not too long to ask him to wait for your affection.”
He took her arm and led her back to the table.
“Please,” he said. “Sit down and finish your dinner. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Lena sank into her chair and pushed her plate away. She turned to stare out the window into the darkness beyond. “Six weeks,” she said slowly. “I’ve been here for six weeks and we’ve only seen each other once.”
Odin didn’t reply. He gathered their plates from the table. “Would you like dessert?”
She shook her head, finished her wine, and stood abruptly. “It’s getting late. I should be going.”
“I understand.” He took her glass and placed it in the sink alongside the plates from dinner. “Come…I’ll walk you out.”
Lena stepped onto the dock and untied her kayak. The lights from her cabin looked small and distant in the moonless night.
“Thank you,” she said. “I enjoyed the evening.”
“I’m sorry to have ruined the mood,” he answered. “Forgive me?”
She nodded.
“And you’ll forget what I said about Alex.”
“Yes.”
“But what I said about myself…” His fingers brushed her cheek and he took a step closer leaving only inches between them. “Selene, I need a woman. Not just any woman. The only one I want is you.”
This time she didn’t resist as he pulled her into his embrace. With her head resting against his chest, she listened to his heartbeat through the rich fabric of his shirt. He raised her chin and their eyes met as he kissed her gently. The arm that held her shifted to the curve of her waist; his fingers traced the swell of her hips. She pressed against him as his tongue entered her mouth. Where their bodies touched there was heat.
“What about you, Lena?” he said as his long fingers crept beneath the hem of her shorts. “Do you think Alex trusts you, now that he knows about me?”
She couldn’t think. Her mind was consumed with the feel of his body against hers as his mouth moved to her neck. “It almost happened already,” he continued, lifting her t-shirt. “It could happen tonight. Right now.”