“I’m sure we can get you most of this tomorrow in town. Stan will be so pleased.”
“What will I be pleased about?” Stan came through the door smiling.
“Amos is going to repair the roof and—“
Stan’s face fell as soon as he saw the other man and he shot her a scathing stare. “Who’s this Amos and what’s his business in my house?”
It took Agnieska one glance into the darkness in Stan’s eyes and the way he balled his hands into fists to know he was about to explode. Not wanting to make a scene in front of Amos, she walked past him and hissed, “Not here.”
Stan trembled with suppressed rage and trailed after her into the vegetable garden. “Are you going to answer me?” he asked when she stopped and turned toward him.
“I am. Amos—“
“So you’re on a first name basis already,” Stan stared at her with blatant fury.
“He’s a survivor of the camps. Another Jew.” She sighed and his glare softened a bit. “He came asking for water and then offered to work. Turns out he’s a carpenter, and just what we needed.”
“You had no right,” Stan said, his jaw clenched. “Besides, we cannot afford to pay him. Or why do you think I haven’t contracted with a carpenter in Lodz?”
“We don’t need to pay him. He’ll work for food and shelter.”
“What kind of crazy woman are you? Inviting a stranger into the house? Where shall he sleep? With you under the staircase to keep you warm? Over my dead body!” Stan raised his voice with every word he said, but she wasn’t afraid of him like she had been a decade earlier.
Despite being a grumpy, close-mouthed, savage man, she knew with certainty that no matter what kind of mood he was in, Stan would never lift a hand toward her. Emboldened by this knowledge she stepped up to him, rising to her full height of 5’5’’.
“Are you even listening to what you’re saying? I won’t tolerate such disrespect.”
“I’m sorry,” Stan deflated in front of her, seemingly shrinking down to her size, despite being half a foot taller than her. “But he cannot stay in the house. He has to leave.”
“Look. This man is the answer to our prayers.”
“I don’t pray,” Stan growled.
“But I do. And I believe Amos passed here for a reason. He could have stopped at any other farm to ask for water. Why here? Don’t you think it’s a coincidence that he’s a qualified carpenter? And a fellow Jew? He’ll help us out fixing the roof we couldn’t otherwise afford and we’ll help him out with food and shelter.”
Stan glared at her, but didn’t utter a single word.
“This way you can work in the fields and the roof will still get repaired,” she said, inhaling his musky scent. Even now, more furious than a bull in the arena, he was incredibly attractive and it took all her self-control not to reach out to touch his rough, calloused hand.
“Fine. But he won’t sleep in the house, or anywhere near where he could hurt you,” Stan finally said.
Agnieska nodded, thinking Stan was being ridiculous, but careful not to push him any more than she already had.
“Where do you suggest he sleeps, if not in the house?” she asked, holding Stan’s gaze.
“In the shed.”
She raised a brow. “Then where will you sleep?”
“I’ll bed down in the kitchen. That way he has to get past me if he does have any bad intentions.”
“As you wish,” she said, biting back the sharp response. While a part of her liked his protectiveness, she wanted to tell him that she’d been successfully fending off unwanted advances for the last six years. “Dinner will be ready in a short while, so maybe you could go over the list of materials with Amos in the meanwhile.”
Stan glared at her, but nodded and walked inside the house.
She stayed in the garden, picking tomatoes, bell peppers and a salad for dinner and then returned to the house. On the porch she listened for a moment, but the two men seemed to be civil to each other, because she didn’t hear fighting or shouting.
Chapter 13
Stan entered the house, eyeing his possible rival with suspicion. This ruffian wasn’t nearly good enough for Agnieska. She deserved so much better.
“So, you’re Amos the carpenter? I’m Stan and this is my house.”
“Your sister-in-law already told me so and I’m grateful for the opportunity the two of you are giving me,” Amos said, eying Stan with equal suspicion.
“Agnieska is a decent woman and I promise you, you’ll wish yourself back into a Nazi camp if you ever lay a hand on her.” Stan had no intention of beating around the bush. This intruder had to know exactly where he stood regarding the beautiful woman in this house. “Understood?”
“I hear you loud and clear.”
“Then let me show you where you can sleep,” Stan said and led Amos from the house, just as Agnieska returned from the garden. She’d taken on a healthy color from being outside a lot and had gained at least ten pounds since she’d arrived at his doorstep all skin and bones. The roundness of her hips, shoulders, and face made her all the more attractive. Even her wonderful breasts looked fuller and the slightest glance at them made his blood rush south. She smiled at both of the men, sending a stabbing pain of jealousy deep into Stan’s heart.
“Here’s the shed. I hope this is good enough for you.” Stan pointed at the mattress and blanket lying on the plain floor.
“Thank you. I’ve had worse.” Amos put down his small bundle of things.
For a short moment, guilt filled Stan’s mind. This man had endured so much at the hands of the Nazis. But that didn’t justify letting down his guard against the stranger. Not where Agnieska was concerned.
“If you need anything, let me know,” he said, half appeased. “You can wash over there at the well. We have a wooden barrel, but only cold water.”
“That’ll do. I don’t need much. And thank you again for your kindness.”
I’m not kind. I wish you’d leave sooner rather than later, because I don’t want you anywhere near her. “Dinner is almost ready. Don’t be late.” After the orders, Stan turned and left the shed. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that Amos was a living, breathing example of everything Stan was not. He had two functional legs and was much more suited to providing for her in the long term. Given the fact that Amos was also a Jew just like her, he was the obvious choice.
Dinner was an awkward affair, with Agnieska trying to make small talk and both men avoiding talking to each other. Stan fled the table as soon as he finished eating, glad he had the excuse to visit Tadzio’s house and ask them to borrow a blanket.
When he returned, Amos had retreated to the shed and Agnieska was fast asleep in her alcove. He looked at her, so tiny and yet so strong. A smile spread across his face as he remembered how the fearless woman had put him in his place earlier today. Not that he would ever tell her, but that kind of behavior aroused him like crazy.
His dick twitched and he turned away. Sadly, she’d never be his. But she wouldn’t be Amos’ either – not if he had a say.
Sleeping on the kitchen floor with nothing but the blanket Malgorzata had loaned him was uncomfortable to say the least, but he slept with a smile on his face, knowing the first thing he’d see in the morning would be Agnieska’s sweet face.
Throughout the next days, he went out of his way to find little jobs that needed to be done right away. Jobs that kept him close to the house where he could not only watch over Agnieska, but also make sure Amos didn’t step out of line.
On the third day, Agnieska grew tired of his behavior and confronted him.
“What are you doing?” She was standing at the side of the garden, her hands on her hips and a hard look in her eyes.
He set the piece of wood down and stared back at her. “What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m getting the wood prepared for the fence you want put up around the house.”
Stan wasn’t quite sure what to do with Agnieska when she was confront
ing him. No girl or woman apart from his mother and younger sister had ever dared. Usually one intimidating look and a raise of his voice was enough to end an argument. But not with her. Her courage exasperated as well as aroused him. God, she’s gorgeous when she’s pissed off! I wonder how she’ll behave when making love. Will she make breathless demands, or just lay there and accept whatever comes her way?
The thought of her sexy voice, heavy with passion as it commanded him to pleasure her sent hot waves down south and all he could do was pray she didn’t notice the growing bulge in his worker’s blues. So far most of his interactions of the sexual variety had been hushed encounters behind his grandparents’ barn as a youth, and later in the woods with the harlots traveling with the partisans.
But that had been before the amputation of his leg. Before he’d sworn off sex, women, and love for the remainder of his miserable life. And long before he’d fallen in love with Agnieska. With her it would be a celebration of love, passion and life itself. With her, he’d take all the time in the world to make it an outstanding experience for both of them.
If only…
“Are you listening to me?” Agnieska asked loudly.
Obviously he had no idea what she’d been saying. “I’m listening all right, but the real question should be what gives you the right to challenge what I do?”
“If you’re wasting precious time with unimportant work—“
“Unimportant? And since when do you get to decide what is important around here? This is my house. I give the orders, not you.”
Agnieska looked at him and folded her arms across her chest, drawing his eyes to her pushed up breasts. “You want to say that again? Let me make one thing clear: I don’t take orders from you.”
The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. “This is my farm. I’m the boss. And you better do as I say.” One glimpse into her eyes where a hard glint took up residence, told him he’d made a mistake.
“If you truly feel that way, it probably is time for me to leave.” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “For six long years I’ve been forced to obey every rule, carry out every cruel order the Nazis demanded me to. I’m done with obeying. I’m not letting anyone do this to me again.”
“Please, you don’t have to leave,” Stan begged her, realizing she was serious about her threat.
“Well, that’s not what I’m hearing. Either I get to have a say in things around here or I’m gone.”
Fear gripped him, and he swallowed his anger and his pride. “I’m sorry.” He paused for a long moment and finally admitted, “Maybe I’ve overreacted.”
“You’ve been overreacting from the minute Amos arrived at the farm.” Her voice softened but her eyes still showed her determination not to give in.
“Look, I admit, his arrival sent me off kilter. But only because I’m trying to protect you. I’ve sworn an oath to myself that nobody will ever harm you again. Not on my watch.” The small smile lighting up her face spurred him on. “I apologize for being an ass and promise not to do it again. But please, don’t leave. Please.”
She stared at him for a moment longer and then nodded. “Good.” Then she spun on her heel and stalked off.
Stan watched her go, feeling like the biggest brute in the world. He hated that Agnieska kept seeing him at his worst, but there was no way he could sit by and allow someone else to swoop in and take her away.
Chapter 14
Agnieska briskly walked down the road for close to an hour. Away. Away. Away from the man who made her livid with his antics. What on earth had caused him to behave like a loose cannon since the day Amos arrived at the farm?
She’d believed he would be as pleased as she was to finally have found someone who could repair the roof. A carpenter, no less. And they didn’t even have to pay him.
Didn’t Stan see that the house would be permanently damaged if it had to withstand another winter without its roof? Didn’t he know that they couldn’t live there with the cold Eastern winds sweeping inside night and day? Had he any idea how uninhabitable it would get once the heavy autumn storms brought rain and snow? Did he really want to stay in the flimsy shed throughout winter?
Despite his words that he wasn’t attracted to her, he behaved very much like he owned her. She wrinkled her nose. His possessiveness had been cute, but since Amos arrived at the farm, Stan had gone too far. After being reduced to a spineless subhuman puppet for such a long time, she’d be damned before she allowed anyone to dominate her ever again.
Even well-meaning Stan.
It was his house, all right. But it was her work, sweat and efforts that had turned it into a home again. So far he’d left her to do as she pleased with everything concerning the house and the garden.
Why did he now pester her trying to control her every step? Inventing excuses to stick around the house all day? Had she done something wrong? Was he really still furious that she’d taken the liberty of hiring a carpenter for the roof?
I thought he’d be delighted. I thought he wanted us to have a cozy home this winter.
She shook her head; there was nothing transparent or comprehensible about his behavior. After another fifteen minutes of brisk walking she turned onto another road leading in a circle back to the farm. Her anger slowly dissolved, but what stayed was a deep sadness.
Without noticing it, she’d walked all the way back and was approaching Tadzio’s house just when Malgorzata came outside to take down the dry laundry.
“Hello, Agnieska, have you been to town?”
“No, just taking a walk,” she said.
“A walk?” Malgorzata laughed. Talking a walk wasn’t something a farmwoman did, because where should she find the time to indulge in leisure? “If you’re taking a walk, something must be awfully wrong. Come inside and have a tea with me.”
Agnieska glanced at Tadzio’s mother and then into the distance at Stan’s farm. It was tempting to talk to a more experienced woman. Maybe she had an explanation for Stan’s unnerving behavior.
“Tadzio told me you found someone to fix the roof.”
“Yes, he’s a survivor from the camps and offered to work in exchange for food and shelter.” Agnieska sipped the hot, aromatic sage infusion.
“It was about time. Not long before the autumn storms arrive,” Malgorzata said with a frown.
“I know there’s so much to do still. And Stan keeps saying that we need at least two more weeks of sunshine for the harvest….”
Malgorzata gave her a scrutinizing stare, but didn’t say a word.
“Where are your children?”
“Tadzio has taken Lola into the woods to collect mushrooms. We’re alone,” Malgorzata said, sipping her tea. “Now, tell me what has you so upset.”
“It’s just… Stan is behaving so unreasonably. He keeps doing tasks near the house instead of staying in the fields like he used to. I’m worried we won’t have enough food for the winter.”
“What else are you worried about?” Malgorzata’s blue eyes seemed to know the truth already and somehow this gave Agnieska the courage to speak out loud.
“Stan. He’s changed. He’s become brooding, tight-lipped and short-tempered.”
“Isn’t that the Stanislaw we all know and fear?”
Agnieska sighed. “When he was younger, yes. But since I arrived on the farm, he’s been different. Considerate, kind, protective.”
“Protective? Of you?”
“Yes.”
Malgorzata laughed out loud. “That explains everything!”
Agnieska stared at the other woman with wide eyes without the slightest idea what she was talking about.
“He’s jealous.”
“Jealous? Stan? But why?” Agnieska was even more confused.
“Because this carpenter watches you with interest no matter where you go. Stan is afraid he’ll make a move on you.”
“On me?” Agnieska was perplexed. Amos had never shown any attention toward her apart from the n
ecessary interactions, and even then he always maintained his distance. He wasn’t even friendly with her, merely business-like. And Stan being jealous? Hadn’t he made it clear that there could never be more than friendship between them?
“Oh, yes. This carpenter, he’s watching you like a hawk, with that yearning in his eyes when a man watches the woman he wants.”
“I had no idea…” Agnieska shook her head. She was in this way over her head.
Malgorzata patted her arm. “No need to worry. It’s better to have two admirers than one.”
“Two?” Agnieska’s brain had gone numb, with all the new information Malgorzata presented. Could this be true?
“I told you before that Stanislaw fancied you—“
“That was Jarek,” Agnieska interrupted her.
For a moment the other woman looked confused, but then shrugged her shoulders. “Never could tell them apart. But what I see now is that our Stan has it bad for you. And that makes a man act without thought or reason. Now it’s up to you to decide which of the men you wish to encourage.”
Agnieska’s heart raced and a heated blush rose to her cheeks. The answer was easy. “I find Stan quite attractive.” The heat intensified as the image of his bare back came to her mind. Slim hips. Broad shoulders. Strong muscles. Tan skin. Even the scars on his back enhanced his gorgeousness. As if to dispel suspicion about her train of thoughts, she added, “I mean his personality as much as his physique.”
Malgorzata laughed. “He definitely is a handsome man, even with his missing leg. And I can tell you, more than one woman in town would be licking her fingers if she could have a roll in the hay with him.”
Tingling heat attacked all Agnieska’s senses. It was such a scandalous, yet strangely exciting, image to have a naked roll in the hay with Stan.
“I see, you like to entertain this idea,” Malgorzata giggled.
“He told me there can never be anything but friendship between us.”
“Oh, did he?” Malgorzata raised a brow. “And why would that be?”
Only Love Heals A Heart: Steamy Historical Romance Page 7
