Twilight's Serenade (8 page)

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Britta retook her seat. “Look, I’m not trying to be a pest about things, but we do need to think about the girls.”

“I know,” he replied. “I just feel overwhelmed.”

“I’m happy to continue caring for them as long as you need me to. I enjoy the task.” She looked away and settled her gaze on the lawn. “I needed the diversion, you might say.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I was feeling rather uncertain about my future.” She looked at him and smiled. “At least, that’s the easiest way to explain it. The children give me something positive with which to keep my mind and hands busy.”

“Laura definitely seems to love you. Then again, she probably didn’t get much attention or affection from Marsha.”

“Perhaps Marsha didn’t know how to show her love. Then again, maybe she truly didn’t know how to properly care for her child.”

“Britta, not everyone is like you. You have so much love to give. I’m surprised you haven’t settled down to marry with a family of your own.” He startled to realize that maybe she had and just hadn’t brought them to Sitka with her. “You haven’t, have you?”

Her brows knit together. “Haven’t what?”

“Married and had a family.”

“No. I haven’t.” She got up and walked to the porch rail.

“I didn’t mean to pry. I just wondered. You’ve been gone from Sitka for a long time.”

Britta raised her hand to her mouth and chewed on her thumb for a moment. It was an old nervous habit Yuri remembered from when she was a child. Britta, however, was definitely not a child any longer. She had grown into a startlingly beautiful woman. How old was she now?

The thought surprised him, and he quickly brushed it aside. “So how long will you be here?” he asked, hoping to put her at ease again.

“I have no plans to leave,” she told him.

It seemed she was waiting for his reaction, but Yuri honestly didn’t know what to say. His mind was swimming with the news of his wife’s death and the appearance of a child he knew for a fact could not be his.

“Yuri, about the children . . .”

“Maybe I should find a home for them—give them up to someone else. After all, I’m hardly equipped to take care of a baby.”

“No!”

He looked up, surprised at the force of her response. “I’m not saying I don’t want to be responsible for them. I just don’t have the ability to work a job and care for them.”

“I’m happy to go on caring for them, Yuri. I want to help you.”

“But it’s hardly fair to you. Soon you’ll meet someone and no doubt marry. You can hardly take on the responsibility of another man’s children.”

“I have no plans to marry anyone,” she declared. “I didn’t come home to find a husband.”

“I’m sure you didn’t come home with the plan to be a mother, either,” he countered.

“No, perhaps I didn’t.” She sat down and looked at him hard. “Yuri, your children have just lost their mother. Don’t take away their father, as well.”

“They’re closer to you than they are to me,” he replied. “I’d worry more about taking them away from you, truth be told. Laura obviously has replaced her mother with you.” Britta started to protest, but he held up his hand. “Don’t think that I’m chiding you for that. I’m glad you were there to comfort her.”

She smiled. “She looks just like you.”

He nodded. “I was never quite sure she was mine until I saw her today.”

“But why, Yuri? Surely Marsha would have said otherwise. Besides, you were married.”

“Ah, Britta, you’re so innocent. I shouldn’t be this open with you, but we’ve been friends for a long while. You’re like a sister to me.”

She frowned and turned away. “You know you can say anything to me. I’m not naïve. I know all about the talk that was going around town—the stories about you being tricked into marriage.”

He sighed. “It’s all true. I was drunk when Marsha talked a family member into marrying us. She told me she was pregnant with my baby, but I knew she couldn’t be sure it was mine. She was a hateful, bitter woman. I’ve never understood why she picked me. I certainly wasn’t prosperous or even useful. I spent most of my time gambling and drinking, I’m ashamed to say.”

“Yuri, it doesn’t matter. God can forgive all of that.”

“I know. Morris really helped me to see that.” He shook his head. “I’m thirty-six years old, and I’ve wasted most all of my life. Seems a little late to be starting over.”

Britta shook her head. “It’s never too late.”

The porch door opened, and Lydia Lindquist stepped out. She fixed him with a kind and motherly look. “Yuri, I’ve seen the cabin. It’s hardly livable. Since Britta is caring for the children, why don’t you stay here with us? We could even fix up Zee’s old cabin for you and the girls.”

“I need to find work,” he replied.

“Well, at least stay the night,” Lydia said. “You look like you could use a good meal, and we’ll have plenty.”

He considered her offer. “I suppose I really have no place else to go. If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive. Kjell and Dalton are in California. They won’t be back for another week or two. It would be nice to have a man around the house.”

With that, she took her leave and Yuri sat back down to finish off the cookies. The Lindquists had always been so kind to him. Even Dalton—after everything he’d done to hurt his friend, Dalton had never failed to forgive Yuri. Maybe he would even allow him to come back to work for him.

“I’m glad you’ll stay,” Britta said, flashing him a smile. “I’d love to hear all about your exploits and where life has taken you. You surely must have met some interesting people.”

“I could say the same about you. Last I knew, you had gone abroad. Dalton told me it was almost like someone had lit a fire under you, and you couldn’t leave Sitka fast enough.” He chuckled. “But you were always going full speed ahead, weren’t you, Britta?”

She seemed strangely upset by his words and got to her feet. “I should probably check on the children.”

She left without another word, and Yuri could only wonder what he’d said to cause such a rapid departure. Britta Lindquist was definitely a different sort of woman. She seemed all open and smiles one minute, then mystery and refrain the next.

He shook his head. “Females. What do I know about them?”

Chapter 6

T
ime to get up,” Kjell told his son. Dalton moaned and yawned. He stared through groggy eyes at the ceiling. He felt as if they’d only just gone to bed.

“What time is it?”

Kjell checked his pocket watch. “Five. If we’re going to get things finalized and get a telegram off to your mother, we need to be on our way.”

Dalton slowly sat up. “Too bad we planned to leave the day after the opera. Staying up so late sure doesn’t make for an easy early morning.”

“I know that well enough. I didn’t want to get up, either. Having a bed this soft and comfortable is dangerous.” Kjell gave a chuckle as he tossed Dalton his clothes. “If I had this at home, I might never get any work done.”

Dalton nodded in agreement and started pulling on his clothes. “This is a grand place. I don’t think I’ve stayed anywhere as nice as this since being in Kansas City with Evie.”

“It is very fine,” Kjell said, securing a latch on his bag. “Still, I do prefer the quiet comforts of home. The city is much too noisy for my desires.”

“I agree,” Dalton admitted. “Ma and Phoebe might have enjoyed it, though. Think of all the things they could find to do and buy.” He thought of Phoebe and how good it would be to see her again. They’d barely been gone a month, but he missed her terribly.

“That’s exactly why we left them home,” Kjell replied with a chuckle. “We would still be here another month if we’d brought them along.”

“But they would have enjoyed—” Dalton felt the room begin to shake. He glanced up at his father to ascertain whether the movement was just his imagination. The tremor didn’t last long, however, and Dalton threw Kjell a smile. “Well, that was a surprise.”

“I’ll bet it woke folks up,” his father replied. “I guess they get these earthquakes all the time here.”

“Probably no worse than at home,” Dalton said. “So, do you have everything?”

Dalton glanced around the room to see if he’d forgotten anything. He spied the book he’d been reading on the bedside table. “Guess I can pack this. I won’t have time for reading until we’re well on our way home.”

He picked up the copy of Jules Verne’s
20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea
. “This is intriguing; you really should read it some—”

The room began to shake again. Dalton lost his footing and fell as the ceiling rained plaster and the windows shattered not far from where he lay.

“Father?” he called against the roar of the earthquake.

“Looks bad,” Kjell called out.

Dalton eased up on all fours and crawled away from the broken glass. “We ought to get out of here.”

“I agree,” Kjell said, grabbing his bag.

Dalton reached for his suitcase as a huge piece of the ceiling separated. “Watch out!” he cried, hoping his father would somehow heed the warning fast enough. But then time ceased to matter.

Yuri sat on the Lindquist porch contemplating the future. He’d awakened early, hearing the baby cry. From the hallway, he could hear Britta singing a lullaby to soothe the infant. Her presence comforted him, but he couldn’t really say why. Perhaps because Britta, like Kjerstin and Dalton, were as much siblings to him as his own brother and sisters had been. Now, watching the morning dawn, Yuri wondered about his family in Russia. He hadn’t heard from them in years. If they were there now, he knew they would offer him help with Laura and Darya. His sister Natasha might even want to take them on to raise with her own children.

“I thought I heard you up and about,” Lydia said as she stepped onto the front porch. “How did you sleep?”

“To be honest, I was pretty restless. I couldn’t seem to sort through all my thoughts,” Yuri replied.

“I can well imagine. You’ve been given a great deal to consider.” She took the seat beside him. “I hope you know how much it pleases me to see you here. You look so much better than the last time I saw you.”

“I was in a bad way,” Yuri said, remembering when he’d left Sitka. “To be honest, I didn’t figure to live long after I left. Liquor had such a hold on me, and I couldn’t think of anything but that next drink.” He rubbed sleep from his eyes and eased back in the chair. “So much is different now.”

“Indeed, it is. However, I hope a place to stay won’t be one of your worries. You are more than welcome to remain here with us. My aunt Zee passed on about five years ago, and her cabin has been empty ever since. We could fix it up for you and the girls. It might give you a chance to get to know them and figure out what you want to do.”

“Whether I keep them or find a home for them,” Yuri began, “I have to find a job. Do you suppose Dalton would hire me again?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, especially in light of your reformation.” Lydia smiled. “It’s really all he’s ever wanted for you. He loves you quite dearly.”

Yuri nodded. “No brother could have been closer. I miss that—I miss him.”

“He’ll soon be home,” Lydia told him. “He and Kjell were anxious to return once they sold the boat. They were planning to bring many supplies back with them. Dalton has a new order for the local cannery, and I know they wanted the boats delivered by the end of June. He has some good help with the boys he’s hired from Sheldon Jackson’s school, but I think he would always have a place for you.”

“He told me that he would, long ago when he bought the place from me—well, really, in a sense, from my father.” Yuri shook his head. “What a disappointment I have been to my folks.”

“But, Yuri, you can write your father and let him know how God has changed you.”

“I haven’t heard from any of them since Mother died. Of course, I didn’t really try to stay in touch—not even with my brother.” He sighed. “I don’t think any of them would have wanted to talk to me. I broke their hearts.”

“So let them know that things are different now. Let them know God has turned your life around and that you’re a new man.”

He sighed. “How can you be so sure my change is permanent?”

She laughed. “You are the proof I need. You’re enjoying this new life, I can tell. Of course, you’ve had the shock of losing your wife and acquiring responsibility for two little girls, but even that can’t deter the joy of being free from the demons that once held you captive.”