She glanced at Leif, his warm smile smoothing over her feelings of loss and discontent as he held open the door, and with a steady gaze he watched as she walked inside. Chip and Dale pushed themselves between them and partially blocked the way, sniffing the air fragrant with cedar and salmon.
“Move it, guys.” The dogs obeyed their master, hopefulness in their eyes about what might be in store for them for being good.
“You gonna want ice cream with dessert?” she asked, putting the dessert into the oven.
“Is there any other way to eat apple crumble?” He served a portion of salmon to each of the awaiting plates on the counter.
She opened the refrigerator. “What kind of salad dressing do you want?”
“I like that yogurt avocado stuff.”
“Me, too.”
Yeah, it felt like home—the kind her momma would have loved for her.
*
Later, they took a bath together. Leif was already in the tub and Marta slipped into the extrawarm water and settled between his legs. She leaned back against his solid chest, resting her head on his shoulder.
“This feels wonderful,” she sighed.
His hands circled her in the sudsy water, finding her breasts and exploring. “You feel great.” He nuzzled her neck, steam raising her temperature to match the vapor from the tub.
“Who would have guessed when you picked me up from the airport that we’d become lovers.”
He let go a light laugh. “I thought you hated me.”
“I didn’t know you. I wasn’t sure about staying at your house.” I was pregnant!
His hands wandered to the insides of her thighs, then up and over her belly and onward to lift her breasts again. She felt him harden behind her. “I’m really glad you did.”
She sighed on an inhale as one hand found her folds and cupped her firmly. “It took a lot of convincing to get you here.” She arched her back as his hand pressed tighter.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you how grateful I am.” His hot breath over her ear added to the pleasure building inside. “But then, actions always speak louder than words.”
“Do you want me?” she whispered.
“More and more each day.” He didn’t hesitate to answer.
Now his hand worked quickly, and her muscles tightened with the building anticipation and excitement.
“Aah.” She sucked in air, soon rigid with need.
“Do you want me?”
“Yes. You.” The word gasped from her lips as he brought her to release. “Only you.”
He turned her to face him, and she straddled his lap as he proved again why she wanted and needed him. Only him.
Later, they lay wrapped together under the moonlight.
“You haven’t said anything about my job tomorrow,” he said.
He’d broached the topic she’d tabled since they realized they were on opposite sides. He was going to dig up sacred ground and she thought it was a horrible idea.
“You know how I feel about it. Nothing good can come from it.”
“Okay. We won’t rehash the situation. Why ruin a beautiful moment? I just want you to know I’m doing what the town voted to do.”
“I understand.”
Yeah, they’d drop the subject. Life wasn’t always perfect, and this proved it. But in the dark, upset with what tomorrow would bring, Marta smiled toward the ceiling anyway. Remembering the beautifully simple and enlightening story about the dogs Leif had told while barbecuing, she rolled toward him and kissed his cheek. He’d proved with his Chip and Dale story to be a package-deal kind of guy. And why was she not surprised?
“You’re an honorable man, Leif Andersen, and I respect that.”
“Does that mean you understand about tomorrow?”
“Nope.”
There were many more complications to their relationship beyond the great sex. But the biggest question remained—where to go from here? And, being a pregnant lady from out of town who’d talked him into having a just-for-now fling, that topic seemed nearly impossible to bring up.
He’d yet to come to her bed, his deceased wife still cutting a divide between them. She understood the significance, yet tonight they’d been together in the master-bath soaking tub. She’d take that as a step closer in the right direction.
The old, nagging thought of never being able to achieve what her parents had, that once-in-a lifetime love, kept her wondering in what “right” direction exactly did she want Leif to go. To be her prince, marry her, accept her baby as his? Dreams. All dreams. Foolish notions a mother had once tried to plant in a rebellious girl. Dreams she’d turned her back on all those years ago. Things she should never hope for now.
And yet…
Draped in Leif’s embrace, Marta eventually slipped from a fitful state into near sleep, with one last thought before conking out—if only he could see the package deal waiting in his arms.
Chapter Nine
Monday morning, bright and early, Leif left for the burial ground. The small work crew was meeting him there with the special equipment. Under the first light of day, a surprise awaited him.
“Did they camp out overnight? All weekend?” he muttered as he pulled his truck into the parking lot. No less than two dozen protestors waited at the Ringmuren. He recognized the lawyer from the meeting the other day—what was his name, William Maquinna? Plus several college-aged students he didn’t know. Fortunately, Elke and Ben weren’t among the group. It would have gotten really weird otherwise.
His guys waited in their trucks for him to take the lead. He didn’t blame them—they were here to work, not to answer for their boss. May as well face it head-on.
Leif strode toward Mr. Maquinna. “Good morning, sir. I understand your concern, and I want you to know that I plan to do as minimal disruption of this land as possible. I explained everything in the newspaper interview and I hope you’ve all read about my process.” He glanced around at stoic faces; only Maquinna nodded.
“One teaspoon of earth is the same as digging up everything,” said Mr. Maquinna.
“I hope you don’t plan to disrupt the city-approved dig because, if I need to, I’ll invite the police up here.” Leif, speaking quiet yet firm, making his point as clear as possible, looked deep into the man’s eyes, sizing him up. He understood Maquinna’s sincerity in representing people long gone.
“And we hope our presence and the spirits of past generations will persuade you to stop.” The lawyer stood his ground.
Point taken, but that wasn’t going to happen. Nope. Leif needed to get this job done and put it in the past for the sake of everyone in Heartlandia.
After a few moments of silent standoff Maquinna spoke. “We mean you no harm, even though you are the one doing the damage.”
Leif realized there was no appeasing the man or his group, and he had work to do, with expensive industrial equipment on loan and a mystery to solve for once and for always. But in his heart he hoped he wouldn’t find a buried trunk since that would cause a much bigger excavation than he wanted or planned to do today, or, if he could help it, any other day.
“I don’t see it that way, but we’ll have to leave it at that.” Leif considered offering his hand for a shake, but what if Maquinna didn’t take it? The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth, so he walked off.
Last night, in semisleeplessness he’d thought he’d devised a solution that could put the whole damn thing to rest.
Gravel popped and crunched on broken-down blacktop from tires behind him as another car drove into the parking lot. He turned, and his optimism for getting through this task without incident sunk to his gut. Ben, Elke and Marta got out of the car.
He and Marta had avoided this conversation like the apocalypse ever since the town meeting, distracting themselves with more pleasurable things. Like sex. They’d shared a few uneasy words last night but had quickly dropped the subject. Even now he hoped she’d come to support him.
He watched her. She s
tudied him, and he thought he saw empathy in her expression, yet she followed Elke and Ben toward the group of protestors without uttering a word. Last night she’d seemed resigned about him doing this dig and in no uncertain terms made it known she didn’t agree. He’d thought the topic had been settled. Hoped it had. They’d agreed to disagree. Now here she was supporting the opposite side, making him feel like crap. Her being here both stung and angered him.
He ground his teeth. So that’s how it was going to be. Then he whistled to his team to bring the equipment. So much for loyalty. “Let’s get this set up.”
An eerie sound drew his attention as he continued on. William Maquinna had started to chant. Another man played a simple skin drum and another a wooden flute that looked and sounded like a recorder, sad and primitive. He kept walking, aware that gourd rattles mimicked his every step. Eerie.
He didn’t believe in spirits and wasn’t going to let the group freak him out. Not right now anyway; he had business to take care of. Still, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he couldn’t wait to wrap things up.
As he concentrated on the task at hand, what hurt most was knowing Marta was on the other side of the wall disapproving of his every move.
Well, so be it. He had a job to do.
*
Marta hadn’t felt this queasy since her first trimester. Facing Leif had been gut-wrenching, his disappointment in seeing her obvious. But she had to stand up for what she believed in, even if it drove a wedge between her and the man she was falling in love with.
The similarities between her standoff with her mother popped into her mind. It had ruined their relationship. Did she want to risk that with Leif?
Lilly had arrived not long after she had and was snapping pictures and interviewing the protestors. Then she went around to the other side of the wall to talk to the crew, who promptly asked her to step back from the area. She took pictures anyway.
Marta inhaled a deep breath and removed herself from the group as the tribal music escalated to cries and squeals when Leif’s crew made their first dig. The hydraulic device sounded like a giant dentist’s drill and overpowered the protestors’ wails. She knew Leif was using special equipment, something he called an earth auger, to contain the damage—she’d read the interview in the paper rather than bringing it up and risking another argument at home—and that he planned to dig straight down like they did for water wells. Then they’d check things out with the industrial fiber-optic scope before doing anything else.
The sound of the machinery was far worse than the actual hole they dug. Logically she understood he didn’t want to damage the sacred ground, but the thought of disrespecting the land for potential profit didn’t sit well with her sense of justice.
She spent the morning sketching faces, being there more as a spectator than a participant, but after a while the intense machinery noise and the high, whining chanting got to her. She needed to get away and remembered that special bench Leif had built for his mother. She walked the length of the park and outward to the shaded area in the woods and pine trees he’d taken her to the first time he’d brought her up here. A shard of light cut straight through the center of some trees and came to rest on the bench. She followed the light to the rugged wooden bench, made from natural planks with small tree branches for armrests and bench legs. The workmanship was distinct and familiar.
As she walked closer, she saw the words carved into the top plank on the backrest of the bench. “In loving memory of Hannah Anika Andersen, who loved her family and these beautiful trees. May her soul rest in peace.”
Marta sat on the bench, which seemed to hug her. Leif had wished his mother’s soul peace.
Her own mother’s face came to mind, as clear as if she were standing right there. I’ve got a secret to share, Momma. It took something you’d never approve of to figure it out, too. I’m going to be a mother, and, well, I hope you’ll understand that I needed to take this path—the one you never approved of—to finally understand what you wanted for me. The baby has changed every aspect of my life. Turns out I want what you wanted for me all along. A good man. Love. Marriage. A family.
But like you always said, when we go about things in the wrong way life gets more complicated than it should be. I hated when you told me that, thought all you wanted to do was hold me back, and my desire for independence drove me away from you. I was so determined to prove you and your traditional living wrong that I settled for things I never should have. I tricked myself into believing a modern, sophisticated relationship with Lawrence was everything I wanted, when in my heart I suspected it was only because he wouldn’t offer more. I thought high living and jet-setting was good enough. Yet there was emptiness deep down, and I was too proud to admit it. You were right. Lawrence and I used each other. There, I’ve said it. Are you happy now?
I should have listened to you.
But if I had, my journey may never have brought me here…to meet Leif.
I think you’d like him, Momma. He even built this bench in honor of his mother.
And I never would have come here if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. So you see…I wish you peace, just like Leif wishes his mother. I hope I find it, too.
The tribal music got louder, breaking into her thoughts. The carefully molded wood of the bench comforted her, yet desecration of sacred burial ground was occurring. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes from thinking about her mother and their unresolved, estranged relationship. Then her thoughts turned back to Leif and the reason she’d come here today.
She knew Leif understood the importance of letting those who have died before us rest. He’d probably go nuts if someone tried to cut down these trees or remove this bench; of course he wouldn’t tear up the burial site unnecessarily. She completely trusted his judgment. And him.
In the distance, the drilling stopped, and she assumed it was time to insert the PVC piping and then the industrial fiber-optic scope. She wanted to be near if Leif found anything, even though she dreaded it happening.
After paying respect to a woman she’d never met but one who’d raised a wonderful son and sending special loving thoughts to her own mother, she jogged back to the Ringmuren, wondering where in Heartlandia Ellen’s bench was located.
Once back with the group, an announcement from Leif and his crew wasn’t forthcoming, though everyone waited silently.
The protest group had thinned out as the morning had worn on and turned to afternoon. Ben was set to work the evening shift, and Elke had an afternoon class to teach, but Marta opted to stay on for Leif’s sake. She needed to let him know she was more on his side than he thought. She honored his sense of duty to the city and understood his need for answers. She’d stay here all day if need be and wait for him to finish the job, then she’d ask him for a ride home—that was, if he wasn’t furious with her. Again, having a strong sense of the man, she trusted he wouldn’t be.
William Maquinna seemed almost in a trance from chanting and singing for so many hours. The drummer and flutist had stopped when the machinery had gone silent. The remaining group stood facing the wall, watching and waiting. Practically holding their breath.
An hour later, Leif emerged from the other side of the Ringmuren covered in dirt, his expression completely impossible to read.
“Our expedition is complete. We’ve sealed up the three-inch hole we drilled today and replaced every last spoonful of dirt, and we will immediately be removing our equipment. Thank you for your patience. We’ve answered our question and will report our findings to the township committee. There won’t be any need for further digging.”
The Native American leader began to chant again and the drum, rattles and flute joined in with a lilting sacred melody. From what Marta could tell, the man seemed to be giving praise and asking forgiveness. The insult to the land hadn’t been as bad as anyone had expected, and that was at least a small victory for everyone.
A little for this side, a little for the committee, no majo
r harm nor foul, and best of all, the whole messy thing was over. Finally. Hopefully the spirits could forgive.
“I ask for healing of the earth and forgiveness from our ancestors,” William Maquinna announced as the last of Leif’s equipment was removed and his crew packed up and prepared to leave.
One last quick thought of her mother and whether she had forgiven Marta for stepping out of her life came to mind, followed by a swell of peace. Giving silent thanks, she looked to the treetops, then back at the small crowd.
Many of the gathered group stayed with Maquinna, but Marta set off to catch up to Leif.
So did Lilly. “What’d you find?”
“I have to report to the committee first, then we’ll release the findings to the newspaper.”
“I understand. Any thoughts?” She looked hopeful.
“I enjoyed the music all day.” He gave a closed-lip, noncommittal smile and Marta knew Lilly would have to back off for now.
Once he got to the truck, Leif turned, as if waiting, and watched cautiously as Marta peeled off from Lilly and approached him. With dirt on his face, dark smudges under his eyes and the dust turning his light hair brown, his blue eyes were more pronounced than ever. Without his saying a word, she understood he didn’t hold a grudge about her being here today. She appreciated his tolerant attitude, wished she could be half as accepting of others as Leif was. He opened the cab door for her and she got in, their eyes meeting and melding an instant before he shut her in.
Minutes later, when they’d cleared the park and were halfway down the mountain Leif glanced at her, then back to the road. “It really crushed me to see you there today, you know.”
“I’m sorry, but in my own way I was being supportive.” She knew he wouldn’t like seeing her there, yet she’d gone anyway, couldn’t stay away.
“By standing with the other side?”
“Wouldn’t I need a hard hat to be on your side?”
Falling for the Mom-to-Be Page 13
