“Come on, let’s go,” Svend said as he dropped some money on the table and stood. He draped his arm around his older brother’s shoulder, assuming the posture that Jon invariably took with him, and steered the way to the side exit.

  “I was thinking that, since you’re here you could give me a course in the management of the company. I could schedule my office appointments for mornings only or for three days a week and spend the rest of the time with you, learning the business. Hell, the only thing I know about wool is that it comes from sheep and about crude oil is that it’s greasy. I haven’t treated you fairly, Jon, letting you assume the entire burden of the family business. You could work in New York, and when I get into trouble here, I could call you or send you an email. I like being a dentist, but hell, I don’t have to be one.”

  Jon turned to look at his younger brother. “I can’t accept such an offer, Svend, but I’ll always remember that you made it in good faith, and I know what it cost you.” He poked Svend playfully in the shoulder. “Thanks, but, no thanks. I don’t resent my responsibilities, Svend. I resent losing my woman, and if I stay here, I will. I can think of solutions to our situation, solutions that would take a little from each of us and that would make us both richer. But when we last discussed this, she can’t think of any—not one. Until she can envisage even a small compromise, I can’t see a future for us.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I, Svend. So am I.”

  Jon loped down the stirs the next morning to the smell of coffee. At the foot of the stairs, he saw luggage with the airline tags still on them and quickened his steps to the kitchen where he knew he’d find his parents.

  He greeted them in Norwegian. “Did you get here last night or this morning?”

  “Last night,” his mother said, examining him closely. They told him about their vacation, his father’s retirement and their decision to take a lengthier vacation in the spring.

  “It’s good having you here, Jon,” Erik said. “I’d better unpack.”

  “You’re not happy,” Inger said the minute Erik left the kitchen. “Didn’t she respond to you?”

  “Oh, yes. I told her everything, and she didn’t bat an eyelash. She gave me heaven on earth, everything I could want. She is perfect for me.”

  “But what? Is she married?”

  “Good grief, no, but her work is there, and mine is here. I can’t ask her to leave what she’s worked so hard to accomplish.”

  “But there must be an acceptable compromise.”

  “I don’t have much hope that we’ll find one.”

  “Tell me about her.” He told her about the woman he loved, unaware that his face glowed as he spoke of her.

  “She sounds wonderful. I want to meet her.”

  After her talk with Jon, his mother went to her room and quietly telephoned Svend. “Your father and I are going to give Jon a big party for his thirty-fifth birthday, and I want to invite his girlfriend in New York. Please get the address for me, but don’t tell Jon why you want it.”

  “All right, Mom, but do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “Trust me. It’s a perfect idea.”

  Haley lifted the receiver. “Sky! How are things?”

  “Things are great. Looks like you’re catching up with me. That job you did on TV last night will get your institute some powerful backers. Congrats!”

  “Coming from my big-shot journalist brother, that’s a super compliment. Thanks.”

  “I’d have thought you’d be jubilant after that level of success. Uh-oh. You’re not mooning over this guy Mama mentioned, are you?”

  “I’m not mooning over Jon. We’ve got issues, and I can’t figure out how to…he wants me to compromise, and I can’t.”

  “Stubborn as ever, I see. Jon who?”

  “Jon Ecklund. He’s in Europe, and I—”

  “You’re not talking about the Jon Ecklund, the CEO of EIS, are you?”

  “One and the same. I love him, but I can’t give up all I’ve worked for and freeze my butt off in Oslo for the rest of my life.”

  “I hope I’m not hearing straight. There usually has to be some compromise in a relationship. Get your act together, Haley. He’s worth the effort. See you.” He hung up.

  She didn’t let Sky’s mild reprimand bother her. A man would see things a man’s way. She fished through the morning mail and blinked several times when she saw the name Inger Ecklund on the return address of a letter. With trembling fingers, she tore it open, praying that it didn’t contain bad news about Jon. She read it.

  Dear Haley,

  Jon’s father and I are giving him a party to celebrate his thirty-fifth birthday. In his father’s family, it is a tradition to celebrate the thirty-fifth as the midway point between birth and old age. You’ve given Jon so much happiness that I know he won’t enjoy this momentous occasion unless you are with him. Please say you’ll come and spend a few days with us. We want so much to meet you. Please let me know as soon as possible. My phone number and email address are below. Looking forward to meeting you.

  Warmly, Inger Ecklund.

  Haley’s lower lip dropped. She leaned back in her desk chair, speechless—but only for a minute. She opened her computer and sent Jon’s mother an email.

  Dear Mrs. Ecklund,

  Thank you for inviting me to Jon’s birthday party. I’ll be happy to share it with him and his family. I’m looking forward to meeting you and Jon’s father. Please let me know the particulars. Warm regards, Haley

  She telephoned her mother. “Jon’s parents are giving him a birthday party, and I’m invited. It occurred to me that when I’m ready to leave Oslo, you and I could meet and tour Scandinavia together. You always wanted to go to Finland, and this would be a good opportunity.”

  “At least you’re accepting the invitation. I’d love to tour the region with you, but this is a lot to digest, Hessy. Let me know the dates, and I’ll see if it works.”

  Half an hour later, Haley received an email from Inger Ecklund giving her the dates and telling her that Jason DuPree would be in touch with her to arrange her transportation. Should she go there without knowing Jon’s thoughts about her visit? She emailed him saying, among other things, that she hoped he’d come to New York soon.

  “I’ve been trying to manage that, sweetheart,” she read in his answer, “but I’ve been overwhelmed. I can’t wait until I see you again. I love you, Jon.”

  It disappointed Haley not to see Jon waiting for her when she reached the baggage area at Gardermoen Airport, even though she knew he was unaware of her visit. Then to her surprise, she saw Jon walking toward her. When the man got closer, however, she realized that he was too old to be Jon or his brother and had to be their father.

  “Welcome, Haley. I would have recognized you anywhere. Jon has given us a flawless description of you. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” She smiled and extended her hand to him, but he ignored it and hugged her. Feeling the genuine warmth of the embrace, she returned his embrace wholeheartedly.

  “I’m glad to meet you, too, Mr. Ecklund. Jon didn’t tell me that he is the very image of you. I’ve never seen such a likeness in my life. When you were still some distance away, I thought that you were he.”

  Erik Ecklund’s smile suggested a treasured memory. “Wait until you see Svend and my wife together. That’s a shocker, too.”

  As he gathered her bags and they left the airport, Haley wondered how Jon would act when he discovered her surprise visit. She also felt uncomfortable about staying with Jon and his parents for a week when her relationship with Jon was so poorly defined. Besides, she didn’t think it would be in good taste to go to bed with him in his parents’ house.

  Noticing her apparent unease, Jon’s father took her hand gently in his. “You belong with us, my dear.”

  What would it be like to awaken in the same house with Jon, eat breakfast with him, maybe even dinner for the next week and not know the joy of his arms or the sweet ecstasy of holding him within the heat of her body? If she hadn’t been envisaging impending torture, she might have laughed aloud.

  Haley hadn’t pictured Jon’s mother in her mind’s eye, perhaps because he’d said little about her, other than that she was African American. He hadn’t said anything about his family home. When the limousine arrived at the Ecklund home, a large two-story, white stucco building with red shutters set well back from the road in a thicket of spruce and elm trees, she was both surprised and pleased. Looking at it, one didn’t think of wealth but of family and warmth. A large red chimney adjoined either side of the house, and curtains, drapes and old-fashioned shades could be seen at the windows. The grounds were beautifully landscaped, and lovely evergreen shrubs surrounded the house.

  Inger Ecklund opened the front door and walked gracefully down the steps to the driveway. She looked past her husband as he alighted from the car, eager to see the woman who had illumined the life of her firstborn. The two women smiled simultaneously, and Haley walked into the arms of the woman who had given life to the man she loved. After they embraced, they stood back to look at each other, and it shocked Haley to see tears in Inger Ecklund’s eyes.

  Then the woman smiled again. “Welcome to our home, Haley. I’m hoping that you and I will be able to make the most of this short visit and get to know each other. We are very informal, and we don’t dress for dinner except on very special occasions. I’ll show you to your room.” As they walked up the wide stairs, they spoke amiably and without strain.

  As tall as Haley, Inger Ecklund’s rich-brown flawless skin, dark sparkling eyes, fashionably cut short black hair and svelte figure would be the envy of any fifty-six-year-old woman.

  From the window of her room, Haley gazed at the beautiful trees and the river beyond them and thought that Jon could never live in a city like New York. There isn’t enough peace and quiet. Anyone raised in that environment needed tranquility. There was much about Jon that she didn’t know and much that she might never know.

  “Well, what do you think?” Erik Ecklund had draped his arm around his wife’s shoulder.

  “I’m not sure. She’s very warm, and she loves him.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I could tell by the way she greeted me. It was almost as if she were hugging Jon. She greeted me with love, Erik. Maybe they’ll find a way. They have to. He’s out of his mind with the fear of losing her.”

  “Do I detect a reservation?” Erik asked.

  “About her? No. I’m just praying they’re not foolish enough to lose each other.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Are you going to like her?”

  “I already like her,” Inger said. “I couldn’t dislike her if I worked at it. What time is Jon coming home?”

  “He and Svend should be home in about half an hour,” Erik said and laughed.

  “What mischief have you been up to?”

  “Mischief? Me? Woman, surely you jest. I just can’t wait to see my self-possessed elder son’s face when he finds Haley here. Also, I can’t wait to see him cope with sleeping with only a wall between him and the love of his life.” He grinned wickedly. “She seemed a bit uneasy about something, and I suspect she knows that if she’s around him all the time, she’ll be putty in his hands.”

  “Shame on you!”

  Suddenly Erik sobered. “Fun aside, I want my son to have that woman. I like everything about her and, believe me, love, I am not above a little meddling.”

  Jon walked into the house ahead of Svend and walked into the den where he expected to see his parents. After a little small talk about his trip, Inger asked Jon to get something out of the guest room for her.

  Impatient with his mother’s request, he took the stairs two at a time. He was surprised to find the door to the room closed. He opened the door and stood speechless in the doorway.

  Through the slightly cracked door, he saw Haley lying on the bed asleep. His breath shortened. Then he felt a tightening in his groin, and in spite of his willpower, he couldn’t stop what he knew was coming—a full erection and a blinding, all-consuming desire for her right then, right there.

  How could this be? he wondered. After spending about ten minutes in his room, he took a few deep breaths, went back and knocked on her door.

  “Yes?”

  “May I come? I want to look at you, to know that you’re really here.”

  She rolled off the bed, rubbed her eyes with the back of her right hand, kicked a shoe out of the way and padded to the door. “Hi, honey. Your folks wanted to surprise you,” she said. “So far my visit has been wonderful. But I have missed one thing. I haven’t been kissed in ages.”

  Her bold invitation was all the encouragement he needed, and he pulled her to him and parted his lips above hers. She broke the kiss quickly. “Do you think this is a good idea here in your parents’ home?”

  He thought for a minute. “It’ll be very cool toward evening. Put on something warm and comfortable, and let’s go for a walk. I’ll put a thermos of coffee and a couple of sandwiches in my backpack, and we can have a snack somewhere along the riverbank. I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.” He gave her one more quick kiss. “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

  As they stepped out of the back door, he called to his father, who was collecting walnuts from beneath a tree. “We’re going for a walk, but we’ll be back before dark.”

  “It’s a wonderful evening for a walk there, but don’t forget that the bears fish along the river.”

  “Trust me, I won’t.”

  Haley hadn’t experienced an encounter with a wild animal, but with her hand tucked in Jon’s the prospect didn’t bother her. “Do you ever fish here?” she asked him. “It may sound trite, but I want to know everything about you.”

  “Svend and I have spent many hours on these banks with strings and bacon, and we caught plenty of fish.” The wind picked up, and when she bunched her shoulders, he took off his woolen scarf, wrapped it around her neck and zipped her jacket up to her chin.

  “Let’s sit here where we can see the fjord in the distance.”

  He poured a container of coffee and handed it to her along with a salami sandwich. “How long can you stay? I know you’re here until my birthday the day after tomorrow, but after that, what?”

  “My mother is going to join me Friday, and we’re going to tour Scandinavia. She’s always wanted to see Finland, so I suggested we go there together.”

  He put the thermos on the ground and stared at her. “Would you let your mother come here and not give my family and me the opportunity to be gracious to her? I want to meet her. Why can’t she come to my birthday party? What’s her telephone number?”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. What would she think of me? If things go my way, she’ll be my mother-in-law. What’s her name?”

  Haley stared at Jon, her mouth a gaping hole. “Gale, Gale Feldon,” she said.

  “Don’t look so shocked, Haley. We love each other. You’re my whole life, and you must know it. Don’t you expect us to get married?”

  “Uh…a woman can’t take that for granted. I mean—”

  Jon knelt on the ground before her and took her hands in his. “I love you, Haley, and I will until I stop breathing. I’ll be faithful to you and take good care of you and our children. Will you be my wife?”

  “I…uh…I love you, too, but, Jon, there are so many things to iron out. I mean, you have to be here, and I don’t see how I can leave the institute. My backers and my staff are depending on me.”

  “You’re prepared to give up all that we’ve found, and—”

  Her temper surfaced, and she fought to control it. “So it’s up to me. I have to make the compromises and the adjustments. I’ve studied and worked hard, sacrificed to create the institute. What are you suggesting—that I just walk away from it?”

  He looked at her for a long while, stood and then put the thermos in his backpack.

  “Let’s go.” He didn’t reach for her hand to help her to her feet, nor did he touch her as they walked back to his house. “See you at dinner,” he said once they were inside.

  After a nap, Haley awakened to find the afternoon sun filtering through the beige curtains of her room. She stretched luxuriously. Music. Which one of them played a harmonica? she wondered. She didn’t wonder long, however, as the lilting bars of “If I Loved You” floated to her through the open window. Jon! She rushed to the window, not bothering to don a robe. Just as she opened the curtains, the song came to an end, and he looked up, as if sensing her presence.

  They stared hungrily at each other, not moving, not speaking. She forgot her state of undress, and he was powerless to hide the flagrant evidence of his arousal. They remained in that near catatonic state until a shift of the wind sent a cold gust of air through Haley’s window, making her conscious of her near nudity. She turned quickly away.

  He swore savagely. She hadn’t been wearing a thing but those two scraps of pink that she called bra and panties. Suppose somebody else had been out there. He didn’t want any other man looking at her body. He didn’t want other men looking at her period. He frowned. What the hell was he to do? She hadn’t given him the right to be possessive. The hell she hadn’t! In a venomous mood, he stormed into the house, almost knocking his mother off her feet.

  “’Scuse me,” he offered, without stopping to learn what damage he might have done. She only glanced at him, as if acknowledging that it was only the beginning. He met Haley on the stairs and stopped. Thankfully, she had dressed.

 

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