It took them most of the morning to finish the back of the roof. Then they moved across to the front. Gustaf placed his tools and nails within easy reach, but they had used most of the shingles they brought up earlier.
“I need more shingles.” Gustaf stood and stretched his muscles. He wasn’t used to all this hammering and crawling on his knees. He rotated his right shoulder while holding it with his left hand. “How about you?”
“Sure.” August laid his hammer down and pulled a bandanna from his back pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “I’ve used most of mine.”
“I’ll go down and get some more.” Gustaf started over the top of the roof, but one of the shingles he stepped on broke, and he lost his balance. Standing on a slope wasn’t easy, and he couldn’t regain his balance. He tried to clutch at anything that would stop him as he tumbled down the few feet to the edge of the roof, then he plunged through the air. A primitive cry forced its way from his throat before he hit the ground two stories below. Then everything went black.
❧
At first, the sound of the pounding had bothered Olina, but soon the rhythm was soothing. One of the men hit a nail, followed immediately by the other man’s pound. It didn’t take Olina long before she knew which pound was which. Although Gustaf hit the nails with power, because of his work at the blacksmith’s, August’s pounds were harder. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. The rhythm continued. It was a comforting sound, much like her mother’s heartbeat when she had held Olina close as a child. The sounds would stop as the men moved to another spot, only to resume again.
Olina tried to keep her thoughts from wandering to Gustaf. She didn’t want to make any mistakes as she cut out the suit. If she was careful, she could make the outfit the way she wanted and still have enough fabric left to make a matching reticule. She could line the purse with the fabric from the blouse she would make to go with the suit.
There was never a minute when Olina wasn’t aware that Gustaf was on the roof above her. She knew when the men moved to the area above the sewing room, even though a bedroom was between the roof and the room where she worked. Once again the pounding stopped. She imagined the men taking a break.
“Aaiiee!”
The primitive scream was followed by a dull thump right outside the sewing room. For a moment Olina was paralyzed. Then she rushed to the window and raised it. What she saw caused her to catch her breath. Gustaf lay motionless on the ground.
Olina quickly leaned out and looked toward the eaves. August leaned over, gazing at his brother with anguish covering his face.
“What happened?” Olina’s question sounded shrill even to her own ears.
August shook his head. “I don’t know for sure. He was going for more shingles. . .and then he was—” August couldn’t continue.
“Come down right now.” Olina turned and hurried toward the front door.
She ran around to the side of the house and crumpled beside the still unmoving body. She doubled over and sobs tore from deep within her.
When August came around the house, he knelt on the other side of his brother. Tears were making their way down his cheeks. “He’s not dead, Olina.”
Olina looked up.
“See. He’s breathing.” August pointed to Gustaf’s chest, which was moving with each breath.
“Should we move him into the house?” Olina looked toward the structure.
“That might not be a good idea.” August stood. “What if something is broken? We could injure him more. . . . I’m going for the doctor.”
Olina scrambled to her feet. “What can I do?”
“Stay with him.” August strode across the yard toward his horse, but he swerved to head to the wagon, then stopped and turned to look back at Olina and Gustaf. “Maybe you should cover him with something warm.”
Olina ran into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She jerked the quilt from her bed and grabbed her pillow. After hurrying down the stairs and around the house, she gently cradled Gustaf’s head in her arms while she pushed the pillow under it. Then she covered him with the quilt and pushed it in close to his body all around. It became soiled, but she didn’t care. Nothing was important except Gustaf.
As Olina gazed at his face, her heart felt as if it had burst open, and all the love that had been building for Gustaf poured forth. She loved him with her whole heart. Olina didn’t know when this had happened, but she really loved him. More than she had ever loved Lars. More than she had realized was even possible. That love hurt because Gustaf was injured.
“Father God,” Olina wailed. “Please help Gustaf.” She pulled the bottom of her skirt up and wiped the tears from her face, but they continued to pour from her eyes. “I love him, Father God. Please don’t take him away from me just when I’ve discovered that I love him.”
Olina reached and pushed his hair from his forehead. Then her hand continued around his cheek and came to rest on his strong neck. Olina could feel the blood pulsing through the vein there. Surely he wouldn’t die while his pulse was so strong.
“Please, God, I beg You. Let him not be badly hurt. I don’t care if he’ll never be mine. I love him enough to want the best for him. Let him be okay. I want to see him every day.” The last sentence ended on a sob.
The first thing Gustaf became aware of was the cold hard ground beneath him. He fought to open his eyes but was unable to keep from drifting back into the blackness.
The next time he fought his way up out of the dark, he noticed that he felt warmer. Something soft was under his head, something warm had settled over him, and someone was tucking it in around his body. It felt good. He tried to open his eyes, but he still couldn’t. Then he heard the voice.
Olina, sweet Olina, was praying. For him. She said that she loved him. He wanted to try to open his eyes again, but decided against it. He would wait to hear what else she had to say. When her hand touched his head, he almost flinched because it surprised him so much. As it continued down his face, he reveled in the feel of her soft flesh against his. He would remember the way it felt as long as he lived. When her hand rested on his neck, Gustaf knew she could feel his pulse. His heartbeat had quickened so much at her touch. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to look at her.
Olina was studying Gustaf’s face when his eyes fluttered open. She tried to pull back, but one of his arms snaked out from under the quilt and his hand grabbed hers. When she relaxed, his touch became gentle. She was unable to tear her gaze from his eyes. They seemed to hold her captive, and she read an answering love in them. Could it be that he loved her as she loved him?
Before long, August, Gerda, and the doctor hurried around the side of the house.
“I see that he has recovered consciousness.” The doctor’s voice boomed.
Startled, Olina turned and tried to get up, but Gustaf didn’t let her hand go, so she sank back onto the ground beside him.
The doctor set his black bag on the ground beside Gustaf and took out his stethoscope. He listened to Gustaf’s breathing through his chest and took his pulse.
“Do you have any pain, Son?” the fatherly man asked.
Gustaf looked toward the man. “Yes. I kind of hurt all over.”
“Is there any place that it is localized?” The doctor started probing his body, searching for broken bones.
“I don’t think so, Sir.” Gustaf moved first one arm and then the other. “Maybe I’m just sore. I know I had the breath knocked out of me.”
“He was knocked unconscious for several minutes,” Olina informed the doctor.
“Well, can you move everything?” The doctor watched as Gustaf moved his arms, his legs, and his head. “Does anything hurt worse when you move it?”
“Not that I can tell.” Gustaf tried to sit up, and the doctor gave him a hand.
“Are you dizzy?” The doctor looked at Gustaf’s pupils.
“No, Sir. Is it all right if I stand up?”
The doctor helped him to his feet. Then he looked at the ground wher
e Gustaf had been lying. “If you were going to fall off a house, it’s a good thing you picked this place to land.”
Gustaf looked down, too.
“See? There’s enough grass to cushion your fall, and there are no rocks to harm you.” The doctor touched his shoulder. “Come inside, Son. I would like to do a thorough examination, to be on the safe side.”
Olina followed the men into the house. She was glad that nothing seemed to be seriously injured.
Nineteen
After the doctor finished the examination, he and Gustaf came back downstairs. Olina looked up expectantly, waiting for the doctor’s verdict.
“Well, young man, you are lucky.” The doctor nodded his head as he spoke.
“I believe that God protected me,” Gustaf told him. “Maybe my guardian angel caught me and lowered me to the ground.”
The doctor glanced at the others before he answered. “If that’s what you want to think.” He put his bag down on a chair and dug through it. After pulling out a package, he placed it in Gustaf’s hand. “This is Epsom salt. Go home. Take a hot bath and put some of this salt in your bath water. It should take out the soreness. Didn’t I hear that your folks have one of those newfangled water heaters at your house?”
“Yes.” Gustaf took the proffered remedy. “I’m glad we do. It’ll come in handy today.”
After the doctor drove off in his buggy, August looked at Gustaf. “You take my horse and ride home. I’ll bring your wagon later.”
“Why?” Gustaf looked as if he was going to refuse. “What are you going to do?”
August gestured toward the roof. “Go up there and finish what we started.”
Gustaf shook his head. “I’ll do it another day.”
“No need for that. It won’t take me long.” August glanced from Gustaf to Gerda and Olina. “When I’m finished, I’ll bring the girls home for dinner. By that time, you might be feeling better.”
August accompanied Gustaf to the horse. It looked to Olina, who was watching from the window, as though Gustaf was arguing about it, but August must have won, because Gustaf mounted the horse. August loaded more shingles onto his shoulder before he started back up the ladder. While he finished the roof that afternoon, Olina wished for Gustaf’s part in the hammering rhythm.
When August, Gerda, and Olina arrived at the Nilsson farm for dinner, Olina was glad to see Gustaf sitting in the parlor. She stopped in the doorway and watched him. He was engrossed in reading his Bible. It allowed her a few undisturbed moments to study him. As if someone had told him that she was there, Gustaf glanced up. He smiled, then rose slowly.
“Come in, Olina,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.
Olina caught her breath. “P–perhaps I should see if your mother needs any help with dinner.” She turned to go.
“Come in, Olina. We are alone, and we need to talk.”
Olina’s right hand fluttered to her throat. “Right now?” Her question sounded breathless, even to her own ears.
Gustaf looked around. “Now would be a good time.”
Olina took one step into the room. It seemed to be filled with the presence of Gustaf, leaving little space for her. She took a hesitant breath. There wasn’t even enough air for both of them to breathe comfortably.
Gustaf walked toward her. “Are you suddenly afraid of me, Olina?”
She shook her head in denial. Gustaf stopped right in front of her, but he didn’t reach out to her. Olina didn’t know what to say to him. All afternoon she had wondered if he had heard any of the words of her prayer. He was standing so close that the heat of his body reached out and enveloped her.
“You weren’t afraid of me this morning, dear Olina.” The soft words were for her ears alone, and the endearment touched her heart.
Olina dropped her gaze to his muscled chest, but that didn’t help her breathe any easier. “Why do you say that, Gustaf?”
A gentle chuckle rumbled from him, causing his chest to rise and fall. “Do you love me, Olina?”
Her wary gaze flew to his. Once again, she saw the loving expression from that morning. “Why do you ask?”
Gustaf reached out and pulled her into his arms. With her nestled against his chest, he rested his chin on top of her head. Olina was glad she had worn her hair in a simple chignon at the nape of her neck. Nothing was in the way of his chin. Its touch felt like a caress. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“I heard a voice calling me out of the darkness this morning.”
Olina’s eyes flew open. That startling statement answered the questions she had wrestled with all day. He had heard her. But how much had he heard?
As if she had spoken the question aloud, Gustaf answered. “I heard you praying for God to heal me. You told Him that you love me.” He leaned back a little and placed one finger under her chin, raising it until her gaze met his. “You wouldn’t lie to God, would you? Do you love me?”
A large lump in her throat kept Olina from voicing her answer, so she nodded.
“Enough to marry me, Olina?”
Olina’s heart almost burst with happiness.
Before she could answer, Gerda came from the kitchen. “Olina, Gustaf—” She stopped short. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Gustaf and Olina answered at the same time. Then they burst out laughing, but Gustaf didn’t release Olina from the shelter of his arms.
“Is there something you would like to tell me?” Gerda looked from one to the other.
“Yes.”
“No.”
Once again, they answered in unison.
Now Gerda was laughing with them. “Well, Gustaf keeps telling me ‘yes,’ and Olina keeps telling me ‘no.’ Which is it?”
Olina could feel a blush creep up over her neck and face while Gustaf answered. “Yes, we’ll have something to tell you but not right now. You’ll know what’s going on soon enough.”
Gerda rolled her eyes and went back into the kitchen. “Mother, is it time to ring the dinner bell?” Gustaf and Olina could hear her elevated tone. “Father and August are in the barn, but Gustaf and Olina are in the parlor.”
The next thing Olina heard was the dinner bell. Although it was the most wonderful place she had ever been, Olina pulled herself from Gustaf’s embrace and put her hands on her cheeks to try to cool them.
“That won’t take away your becoming blush.” Gustaf touched his forefinger to the tip of her nose, then turned toward the kitchen, but he whispered into her ear as he went by. “I will get an answer to my question before the evening is over.”
The meal Mrs. Nilsson had prepared was a veritable feast. A succulent ham was accompanied by roasted potatoes, green beans, and the last tomatoes from the garden. Fresh churned butter melted into the hot rolls. Some of the butter dripped down Olina’s chin when she took her first bite. She patted her chin with her napkin and glanced toward Gustaf once again. His face held a secret smile that touched her heart.
Although everything tasted wonderful, Olina couldn’t eat more than a few bites. Her stomach did flip-flops every time she glanced up at Gustaf to find his intent gaze trained on her face. Soon she was moving the food around her plate instead of putting it in her mouth. Gustaf wanted to marry her.
Father God, is this Your plan for me? When Olina asked the question in her heart, she felt a peace there, but the turmoil in the rest of her body continued. What was the matter with her? Was this jumpy feeling in the pit of her stomach a prelude to some illness?
Olina was drawing circles in the gravy on her plate with her fork when she felt Gerda’s foot nudge hers. She looked up to find every eye in the room trained on her. The blush that had died down once more stained her cheeks.
“I asked you, Dear, if you were feeling all right.” Mrs. Nilsson looked concerned. “You’ve hardly eaten any of your dinner. I hope you’re not getting sick.”
“No.” Olina smiled at her hostess. “I guess I have had too mu
ch excitement for one day.” Olina didn’t look directly at Gustaf, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see his smile widen.
“Yes, well.” Mr. Nilsson harrumphed to clear his throat. “I wanted to tell you girls how proud I am of you.”
Everyone’s attention turned toward the head of the table.
“Why is that, Father?” Gerda asked.
“I can’t help but worry about you.” He looked toward Gustaf. “Of course your brother keeps me informed about how you’re doing, but I wondered if you needed any monetary help.” Olina started to comment, but before she could, Mr. Nilsson continued. “When I was at the bank this afternoon, I asked Mr. Finley if I needed to put some money into your account. He informed me that you each had a very healthy account indeed.”
“It helps that Gustaf isn’t charging us any rent.” Gerda smiled at her brother.
He laughed in return. “No rent, except several hot meals each week.”
“Which you don’t need, since your mother feeds you quite well.” Olina looked him full in the face for the first time during the meal.
His gaze was so intent that she couldn’t look away. “It’s a good time to make sure you are safe and don’t need anything.”
Everything around them seemed to fade away, leaving only Gustaf and Olina, with an invisible, mysterious connection—even across the table.
Finally, Mrs. Nilsson arose from her chair and began cleaning off the table. Gerda quickly assisted her. When Olina also started to help, Gustaf asked her if she would take a walk with him.
“I need to keep the stiffness worked out of my body.” His eyes compelled her more than his words. “Please accompany me.”
They strolled halfway down the long drive in companionable silence before Gustaf brought up the subject that was on both of their minds.
“Are you ready to give me your answer, Olina?”
At his words, Olina stopped and turned toward him. Before she could answer, he laughed. Gustaf took her hands in both of his. “Are you going to make me kneel and ask you again? It might be hard for me to get up afterward.”
Other Brother Page 14
