MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance)

by Claire Branson

  Stina wasn’t that sure. She didn’t want to go to Bishop Hill, and she didn’t want to learn English. She just wanted to go home.

  Before long, the ship docked, and the gangplank lowered. Lennart and Anna herded their five children toward the boat exit and down to the dock. Finally, they were on American soil.

  This place doesn’t seem like such a wonderful place, Stina thought. It was smelly and crowded with all the people around her.

  Clinging to her mother’s skirt so they didn’t get separated, she moved along with the crushing flow of people. Outside the front door, several people stood with signs. One read Sverige. Her parents headed toward the sign held by a young woman.

  “Är du svensk?” the woman asked.

  “Ja,” Lennart replied.

  “Stand behind me, please,” the woman said in Swedish. “We will see if there are any others then go to the registration tables.”

  A few more people joined them by the time the ship emptied, and Stina stood close to the woman.

  Finally, the woman spoke in perfectly accented Swedish, “I am Elise Anderson. I will be helping you today. If you will follow me, I’ll take you where we need to go.”

  Stina was nearly the same height as Elise and glared over at her.

  “You don’t want to be in America?” Elise asked.

  “Nej,” Stina admitted.

  “”What’s your name?”

  “Stina.”

  “Stina? I always liked that name. I had hoped my parents would name a sister that, but I never had a sister.”

  “Only brothers?”

  “No brothers, either.”

  “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have brothers or sisters. Do you live here?”

  “In New York? Yes. Where are you going?”

  “Bishop Hill. Somewhere in Illinois.”

  “I’ve heard of that place before. I understand there is wonderful farmland there. Is your father a farmer?”

  “Ja,” Stina said.

  “He should do well there, then.” Elise stopped by a long table, and spoke to the group. “You will be checking in at this table. I will be right here to help anyone who needs it. If you want help when you’re ready to leave, please wait nearby until I’m done with all the passengers on this ship, and I’ll be happy to be of assistance.”

  As the first family in Elise’s line, Lennart Bengtsson led his brood to the table. The American man behind it spoke just enough Swedish to question the newcomers and tell them that they all needed one name. Since Lennart was the head of the family, they would all have Bengtson as their last name, with only one S. Lennart agreed, but Stina glared at the man. She didn’t want to change her last name; she was sixteen and was used to Lennartsdotter.

  When asked her name, Stina gave it. The man repeated, “Christina?”

  “Ja,” Anna said.

  “Nej!” Stina said. To her mother, she declared, “I don’t want to change my name. I want it just Stina. Christina isn’t my name.”

  “All right, dear,” Anna agreed before she told the man, “Stina, not Christina.”

  The family all gave their names, with the male names being change from Jan to John and Per to Peter. Stina’s sisters got to keep their names, Karin and Ida. When they were done registering, Lennart directed his family to stand near Elise, who smiled over at Stina.

  “I’m glad you got to keep your given name, Stina,” Elise said. “It must be hard for a teenager to come to a new country and immediately get a new name.”

  Impressed that Elise understood, Stina chatted with her while everyone else in their group finished at the table. Stina was glad that someone else spoke Swedish and just wanted to hear a voice other than her family’s. Once in a while, Stina glanced at her father, who watched them while everyone waited.

  When everyone else was done and directed to where they wanted to go, Elise turned to Lennart and asked, “Is there something more I can help you with?”

  “I understand that you don’t know us and that this may sound like an odd request, but I was wondering if you have family in New York.”

  “No, sir. I have no family in the country.”

  “I’ve been watching you, and you seem to have a way with my willful daughter. This is what I’m proposing: I will pay your way to Illinois and all of you expenses when we get there if you will join us. We need a translator and teacher. Would you do that?”

  “An opportunity to see another part of the country? That would be nice, but I would need time to prepare.”

  “Is three days enough? We will be staying at a hotel that long to rest from our journey here. Then we will take the New York Central train to our new home.”

  “Yes,” Elise replied, shaking Lennart’s hand. “That will be sufficient. And thank you for the job. I will meet you at that train station in three days.”

  As Elise walked away to resume her duties, Stina bit her lower lip gently. To her surprise, she was glad that Lennart had hired Elise. That meant she would have somebody she could talk to on the trip to Bishop Hill, as well as someone who understood how she felt about being in America. She could only hope that Elise didn’t change her mind.

  Three days later, the Bengtson family arrived at the train depot, to find Elise waiting outside with a large and a small carpetbag. They bought her a ticket and the party boarded the westbound train. The family found enough seats on one car where they could all sit together. Stina, Karin and Elisa chose one row, with Karin taking the window seat. Stina sat in the middle, and Elisa sat beside the aisle.

  Before this moment, Stina had resented her parents for bringing her so far away from home, but now she was excited. Was it because she had a new friend already? Or did she suddenly realize that this trip was an adventure, as Elise called it? Either way, it didn’t matter. She was thrilled to be headed across the United States of America.

  “Would you start teaching me English?” Stina asked in Swedish.

  With a smile, Elise nodded and replied in English, “Yes.”

  “Yes,” Stina repeated.

  And that began her friendship with Elise. From then on, Stina thought of Elise as the big sister she’d never had. She listened carefully as Elise showed her items and gave the English word for them. Elise obviously kept things simple, especially while they were on the trains that took them to Chicago, across Illinois to Rock Island, and then down to Galesburg.

  Karin began learning, too, as did Peter. The younger children had shorter attention spans, so they learned at times and played or slept at other times. By the time they reached Galesburg several days later, they had already begun their English language education, although Stina found that it was difficult at times.

  Once they reached Galesburg, Illinois, they disembarked from the train, and Lennart and Elise bartered with a man, who eventually agreed to take them the thirty miles to Bishop Hill on his buckboard.

  Upon reaching their destination, Lennart paid for the man to stay at the hotel so he could return to Galesburg the next day. Then the Bengtson party made their way to the large, barn-like structure with stairs on the outside leading up to the second floor. As Anna Bengtson’s friend had explained in a letter, this was the church, which also served as housing. Once colonists had lived there, but now it was set aside for newcomers to the town. Downstairs, the letter that Anna had let Stina read, housed the colonists, and the sanctuary was upstairs. Stina decided they put the newcomers up there to make sure they all attended church, since Bishop Hill had been founded by Erik Jansson, a religious zealot who believed he was a prophet of God.

  Once there, they finally met Anna’s friend, Ingrid, a woman who looked much older than Stina’s mother, although Anna had told Stina that their birthdays were only a week apart. After hugs and introductions, Ingrid showed everyone to their rooms. The boys went into one, and Stina, Karin and Elise had another one. Lennart, Anna and the youngest child entered in a third room.

  Stina looked around their cramped quarters. This was nothing like their home in
Sweden, where she and Karin had a large room to themselves. This room was probably half the size and furnished with three beds, two nightstands, a washbasin, a dresser and an armoir. Two beds shared a nightstand, so the middle bed had a nightstand on each side of it.

  Stina frowned. She did not like this arrangement. As much as she liked Elise, she didn’t want to have to share a room with two other people. It was bad enough that she’d had to share with her younger sister in Sweden.

  “Which bed do you want?” Stina asked Elise in Swedish.

  “It doesn’t matter to me,” Elise responded in the same language. “You two decide, and I’ll take the one left over.”

  Karin claimed the bed next to the window, and Stina reluctantly took the one nearest the door. Elise said that, if Stina wanted the middle one so she could use both nightstands, she would take the bed by the door. Stina didn’t hesitate and moved to the middle bed, offering to trade each week they were there. Elise agreed, and they all got ready for bed.

  The townsmen came together and built a new house for the Bengtsons by the end of the following week. Stina was amazed at how little time it took with so many men working on it. The women worked, too, on things like painting and decorating.

  The house was enormous and had seven bedrooms—one for each child, one for the parents, and one for Elise. Even though the rooms were smaller than she was used to, Stina was excited to have a place to call her own. If she wanted to be alone and have no smaller children disturb her, she could.

  Days of education from Elise turned into months. Stina progressed well with English, even to the point of being able to pronounce her Ws and Js correctly, if she concentrated on it. And she loved the Friday night youth meetings in the church sanctuary. They gathered together for worship, and afterward, they stayed for a social hour, which often lengthened to two or three hours.

  At these socials, she met three suitors. Given that it was a small community, all three knew of the other’s intentions toward Stina, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed the attention. What she really wanted, though, was the attention of Lars Olson. Unfortunately, he was courting Elise, so Stina needed to wait to see if they would remain a couple.

  One day, Nels Osterberg invited her for a walk in the nearby woods, which she accepted without hesitation. She truly liked Nels and was considering telling the other two young men that she wanted him only.

  “Stina,” Nels asked when they were alone, “would you please let just me court you? I know I can make you happier than they can.”

  “Yes, Nels,” she agreed. “I will.”

  The tall, blond with blue eyes grabbed her in a bear hug and spun around with her in his arms several times. Stina laughed with joy. When he stopped turning, he lost his balance before he could put her down, and they both fell to the ground.

  With Stina atop him, he grasped the back of her head and pushed it toward him until their lips met. He kissed her with abandon, and she gladly accepted his embrace. Then he flipped her onto her back and lay atop her with his body between her legs. She knew she shouldn’t allow this, but it felt good to have him there.

  Before she could compose herself, he had removed his shirt and unbuttoned her bodice to release her breasts. Stina wasn’t ashamed, though. In fact, she liked the way he fondled her. She liked the excitement that grew between her legs in response to him. And she most decidedly liked the way he moved his pelvis against hers.

  He lifted her hips and worked her skirts up around her waist. Since she hated undergarments, she usually didn’t wear any and today was no different. With her skirts out of the way, her womanhood lay naked for him to view.

  “Oh, God, Stina,” he whispered as he unbuttoned his trousers.

  His penis released, he collapsed down upon her again. This time, their genitals lay naked against each other as he ground against her. Her body reacted in a way she never expected it could. She was warm all over, but she was shivering with excitement.

  When his organ began a slow trek into her body, she panicked. She couldn’t do this. She had to stop him. He slipped farther into her body, until she felt a ripping pain. She opened her mouth to scream, so he put his hand over it. The muffled sound frightened her, even though the pain went away in only a few moments. Finally, he burrowed into her as he kissed her.

  A few minutes later, he rolled away and said, “Thank you, Stina. I love you.”

  “I can’t see only you now, Nels. Give me more time.”

  Stina scrambled to her feet as she buttoned her bodice. She’d wanted her first time to be with Lars, but she’d gotten carried away with Nels. She couldn’t tell anybody about this. Even though she’d initially wanted to do it, she had changed her mind. Unfortunately, she hadn’t mentioned that to Nels, who had taken her motions as acquiescence. Now she had to live with the consequences.

  Two weeks later, Lars was gone. Now what would she do? Marry Nels? Follow Lars? She had no idea what her response should be, and she could confide in nobody about it because she was now unclean. She could think of only one reaction: Run away.

  Then Elise got a letter from her suitor Lars asking her to come to California, where the men wanted women to marry. Finally, Stina could leave Bishop Hill forever.

  THE END

  Elise and the Lumberjack

  A Mail-Order Bride Western

  Book 1

  (Can be read as a standalone book)

  By: D.D. Boone

  Elise and the Lumberjack

  Chapter 1

  This was the longest wait Elise Anderson had ever had at the Bishop Hill, Illinois, post office. She was expecting a letter from her best friend, Bridget, who lived in New York City. They’d been separated for about three years now, but they’d kept in contact every other week to tell each other about their lives.

  The letter Elise expected today was in regard to Bridget’s wedding plans. Elise’s employers, for whom she translated English into Swedish and taught how to speak and read English, had given her permission to attend the wedding. All she needed to know was when she had to leave.

  At last, Elise saw the mail courier coming from the southwest, as he did twice a week when he picked up the mail at the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad depot in Galesburg, Illinois. For the former Swedish commune established in 1841, no train station was closer than Galesburg.

  Elise pondered how she’d gotten to Bishop Hill. Her parents had immigrated from Småland, Sweden, after their 1848 marriage. Rather than traverse the country to Minnesota, they’d chosen to stay in New York City with their infant daughter, Elise. By the time she was eighteen, they were both deceased, and she needed a job. With her bilingual abilities, she went to Castle Garden, into where many Swedes immigrated. The immigration department didn’t pay a lot there, but they had hired her.

  About a year later, she’d met Bridget O’Riley. They’d become friends almost instantly during the O’Riley family’s immigration processing, and Mrs. O’Riley had invited her to live with them once they were settled so she could save some money. And she did save, for another two years.

  Then she aided the Bengtson family with translating when they arrived from Sweden. They were headed to the commune founded by religious leader Eric Janson, and Mr. Bengtson asked her to join them as their personal translator and teacher. Elise accepted the job immediately when he told her how much he was willing to pay her. She had always wanted an adventure, and moving to Illinois would be just that.

  Unfortunately, that meant she and Bridget had to say good-bye, and both promised to write regularly.

  “Would you come out of that daydream and join the rest of us, Elise?” a young man asked from beside her.

  She startled and gazed up at the tall, blond Swede. Her face heated in embarrassment as she said, “I’m sorry, Lars.”

  Lars Olson’s baby-blue eyes gleamed with merriment, and he grinned down at her. “You always are. Would you like the mail for the Bengtsons?”

  “Is there anything for me?”

  �
�I’m afraid not. Have you and Bridget had a falling out?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Elise replied as she accepted the mail from him. “She’s probably just busy with wedding preparations.”

  “Have you heard that I’m leaving for California next week?”

  “No, I haven’t. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I just decided a few days ago. I’m tired of farming and making mail runs. I’m going out there to be a lumberjack.”

  “A lumberjack,” she repeated in surprise. “Do you have any idea what kind of work that entails? I understand it’s very strenuous.”

  “It is,” he said with a wide grin, “but I’ve been preparing for it. I cut trees here every chance I get—never without reason, though. Trees take a long time to grow back.”

  Her heart sank to know that he would be leaving soon. So far, he’d been her only suitor, and she was going to miss him, especially that smile. “If this is what you want to do, I wish you well.”

  “May I write to you?”

  “You’d better write to me,” she said cheerfully. “I would feel terribly neglected if you didn’t.”

  He winked at her. “I’d better get the rest of the mail into the post office so others can collect theirs. You have a good day. I’ll be by the house to see you tonight. Is that all right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  As Lars went into the post office, Elise strolled toward the general store. Mrs. Bengtson needed some thread for darning, and Elise had promised to pick it up on the way home. After purchasing the thread, she headed back to the house, her mind deep in thought.

  Lars Olson was a nice guy, but she had no real interest in him. No other men wanted to court her, though, so she kept seeing him only to have someone to escort her to parties and dances and such.

  Why didn’t other men want to court her? she wondered. Her hair was a dark blonde, not the light blonde of so many Swedes. Her eyes were a darker blue, too. She didn’t know why she didn’t have the same type of coloring as so many Scandinavians, but she didn’t. Apparently, men weren’t fond of that because her features, although not beautiful, were attractive. She did have a little bit of a big nose, but it wasn’t huge. So why didn’t men want to court her?