Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel) (7 page)

“Okay,” she mumbled sadly and
looked down at her hands.

“No one like me here,” she
whispered, and a tear ran down her cheek.

“Yes they do, sweetheart. They
all enjoyed meeting you.” He wiped the tear away with his thumb and kissed her
cheek. “Please don’t cry. He told us to visit them on Saturday. Then you’ll
meet Mariah, and Zak will meet little Nicky.”

“Okay,” she mumbled sadly. When
she raised her eyes to Jake’s, she smiled.

“Nick said we’d be very busy at
work because Art had an accident. I have to go to work tomorrow.  I called a
teacher and she said she would come to stay with you, to teach you how to speak
English. Do you understand me? She said she would stay with you all day to
teach you. She’ll be with you until I come home from work.”

“Yes. English,” she answered and
nodded her head quickly.

“Zak, you must remain here at
home for a while too, until you learn to understand your teacher when you go to
school. You need to study hard, to catch up. Okay?”

“Yes. English,” Zak said.

It sounded as though he only
copied what his mother said and didn’t understand anything Jake told him.

“Now, what would you like for
supper? Should we go out for a pizza to celebrate your new home? Do you like
pizza?”

“I cook for you,” Anya said with
a smile. “I cook you surprise.”

“Okay, sweetheart. If you can’t
find something you need, let me know.”

Anya smiled at him and nodded her
head. “I cook.”

“If you need me, I’ll be in the
living room with Zak.”

Jake turned the television on and
showed him how to use the remote. Zak sat on the couch quietly and watched Star
Wars. Jake knew he didn’t understand what they were saying, but Zak sat and
watched it carefully. He paid close attention to what the people were doing.

“Food ready now,” Anya called out
from the kitchen.

“Okay, honey. Come, Zak. Let’s go
see what your mother made for our dinner.”

They entered the kitchen and
found that Anya made hamburgers and fried potatoes. Jake tried to act
surprised, although he had smelled the sizzling beef throughout the house when
she prepared it.

Anya smiled at him. “You like
burgers, yes?” she asked.

“Yes, this is one of my favorite
dinners, Anya. Thank you very much.” He smiled as he pulled out a chair for
Anya.

Jake sat at the end of the table
with Anya to the left of him and Zak to his right.

“I hope you like. Zak like burgers,”
she said.

Jake took a bite. He smiled at
her, and then he tried the fried potatoes. “These are very good, Anya. You know
how to cook well. Thank you. You made a delicious dinner.”

Anya smiled and watched him eat.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” He pointed
at Anya and then at her plate of food. She only smiled. She watched him for a
few minutes, then finally picked up her burger and began to dig in.

Jake watched as Anya and Zak
chewed their food with their mouths open and ate very quickly. He would have to
teach them table manners before taking them out to a restaurant to eat, he
thought. Evidently, they had no table manners where they came from.

When they finished their dinner,
Anya cleared the table and stacked the dishes in the sink. Zak went to his room
to read his book that he brought from Russia.

“I do dishes later, Jake. We go
to bed now?”

“Yes, I have to get some sleep. I
have to get up very early in the morning.”

“We go now?”

“Okay sweetheart. We go now.” He
smiled and put an arm around her. “You get ready and I’ll be right in.” She
nodded with a mischievous smile and hurried into the master bedroom.

Jake checked the locks on the
doors and turned the lights off on his way down the hallway. He stepped into
the room and closed the door behind him. He looked over at the bed, where Anya
waited. She was lying across the bed sheets, dressed in a white and very sexy
see-thru negligee.

He smiled at her. “Let me jump in
the shower, honey. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” He threw her a sweet smile,
then hurried into the bathroom and closed the door.

When he returned to the bedroom,
she was waiting with open arms. He stood at the foot of the bed and admired
her.

“You are so beautiful, my sweet
Anya.”

He walked over to the side of the
bed where he removed his robe and slid onto the satin sheets she’d purchased
this morning. He moved closer to her, took her into his arms and snuggled his
face into her baby-soft and silky hair. Her nipples were taut beneath the thin
fabric of her gown and her breasts tingled against his hair-roughened chest. He
undressed her slowly, worshipfully, and she gasped as he lowered his body over
hers. She writhed beneath him, eager to touch his skin, and his tormented groan
was a heady invitation.

She gasped in sweet agony and he
freed in her a burst of sensations. The flames of passion burned within both of
them, and sweetly drained all of her doubts and fears.       

He held her face in his hands and
whispered, “I love you Anya. I love you so much.”

At last, reluctantly, they
parted, and she relaxed, sinking into his cushioning embrace. Her head fit
perfectly in the hollow between his shoulder and neck, and they both fell into
a deep and peaceful sleep.

Chapter
Twelve

Christmas had come and gone too
quickly. Mariah boxed up the decorations for another year of storage. She
looked over at Nicky. He wore his new cowboy hat while he rode on the
extra-large rocking horse, his Christmas present from grandma and grandpa. She
smiled as she watched him.
Such a happy child
,
what a pure blessing
he has been.
She hoped the twins take after him; it appears he’ll set a
good example.

As she closed and taped the final
box, Nick entered the house, bringing the blustery cold wind along with him.

“Hi Daddy, I’m riding my horse.”

“I see that, cowboy, and you’re
handling him just like a pro.”

Mariah placed her hands on her
lower back and sat down on the couch with a sigh.

Nick frowned and looked down at
her. “You look as though you’re overdoing it honey,” he said with concern.

“You worry too much. I’m no different
than any other woman carrying twins.”

“Well don’t move those boxes.
I’ll move them up to the attic. Right now, you put your feet up, and I’ll make
the three of us some soup and sandwiches.”

“Okay, I’ll let you pamper me.
Before long, I won’t have time to sit back and relax.”

When he placed the food on the
table, he went into the living room only to find that Mariah had fallen into a
deep, relaxing sleep. Nicky was sitting on the floor with his new set of trucks
and tractors. He looked up and saw Nick put his forefinger to his lips and
motioned for him to come and eat. “Shhh… we’ll let mommy sleep, cowboy,” and he
held out Nicky’s bib.

It was Saturday, and Nick had
most everything completed outdoors. He thought he’d spend the day with Nicky,
so Mariah would be able to rest.

When they finished eating, he
smiled and looked at Nicky. “Come on, cowboy, let’s go outside and make a
snowman.”

“Goody!” Nicky ran to retrieve
his snowsuit from the chair in the laundry room. Nick finished zipping up the
front, tied a warm scarf around his neck, and Nicky pulled on his boots and
mittens, when Nick noticed a worried look across his face.

“What’s the matter, cowboy?”

“I have to go potty, Daddy.”

“Oh boy, are you sure?”

He nodded with a frown. “Mommy
always asks me first, before we put my snowsuit on.”

“Okay, sport,” he answered and
removed the clothing.
No wonder mothers are so worn out
.
They deserve
a lot more than they’re given credit for.

The fresh white flakes sparkled
like glitter. Father and son had fun tossing snow at one another before
building their snowmen. An hour later, they stood back and admired them, a
daddy, mommy and their little boy, facing the living room window.

“Mommy will wonder who these
people are, won’t she Daddy?”

“Oh, she’ll know who they are.
The little one looks just like you.”

“He does?”

“Sure he does. We’d better get
you in the house before you freeze your nose off.”

“Then I’d look
more
like
him, huh?” he giggled.

“Yes, you certainly would. Now
let’s get inside and check on your momma.”

* * *

Early Sunday afternoon Nick was
in the laundry room, helping Mariah fold clothes when he heard a knock at the
door. He looked out the window and there stood Jake, Anya and Zakhar.

“Mariah, prepare yourself,” he
said softly over his shoulder. “We have company.”

He opened the door with a smile
and motioned them in with the sweep of his arm.

“Hi Nick. We were out for a
Sunday drive and thought we’d stop by to say hello. Anya and Zak would like to
meet Mariah and Nicky, if that’s all right with you. We decided to call Zakhar
by the nickname of Zak,” he added. “It’s a lot easier for people to remember.”

“Hello, Anya… Zak,” Nick said,
and nodded at each of them.

“Hello,” Anya answered politely.
She nudged Zak with her elbow.

“Hello,” Zak said shyly.

Mariah and Nicky came into the
living room. Mariah smiled and held out her hand.

Anya took it in hers. “Hello,”
she said softly.

“I’ve been looking forward to
meeting you,” Mariah said. “Would you like some coffee?”

“That would be nice,” Jake
answered quickly. They removed their coats, and Nick hung them on the coat rack
before they sat down at the kitchen table. Anya was wearing a pair of tight-fit
jeans and a soft angora sweater with a low-cut neckline. She appeared to be one
who loves to pamper herself.

Mariah poured coffee for the
adults and milk for the boys. “Would anyone care for some Christmas cookies?
Nicky helped me bake them this week, didn’t you honey?” She smiled at him, and
he nodded with a grin.

Anya smiled and answered, “Yes,
please.”

Jake looked over at Nick. “She’s
been working very hard on her English and so has Zak.”

“That’s good news. It’ll make it
a lot easier for them to associate with people everywhere they go.” He glanced
over at Anya and noticed that she had been staring at him the entire time
they’d been conversing. When Mariah sat next to him, he placed his arm around
her shoulders.

When they’d finished their coffee
Jake stood and said, “We’d better be going, Anya. We don’t want Mariah to
become too worn out.” Anya smiled and stood from the table.

While the adults were talking,
Nicky had led Zak to his room to show him his toys.

Nick went into the bedroom and
found them playing with Nicky’s trucks, which covered the entire floor. “You’re
going to be leaving now, Zak. I’ll help Nicky put everything away later.”

The boys stood and Zak looked at
Nick with a smile. “Thanks,” he said, and Nick led them to the door.

Nick helped his son clean up his
bedroom, then returned to the kitchen, removed his watch, and assisted Mariah
with the dishes.

“I think Anya is a very sweet
woman, don’t you?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “Could you at least try to
give her a chance, Nick? She seemed as though she’d been making an effort. It’s
probably quite difficult for her, with no one around who speaks her language.”
She looked up at him when he still didn’t respond.

Nick stared out the window over
the sink. He didn’t hear a word she said. He was deeply concerned of the way
Anya had been staring at him.           

Chapter
Thirteen

Seven months into her pregnancy,
Mariah was no longer able to drive. Bess used Mariah’s car to take Nicky to
preschool.

One afternoon, Mariah had been
napping when Bess went to pick Nicky up from school. Anya drove up to the
house. She’d finally passed her driver’s test after her third attempt. To
reward her, Jake purchased a second car, allowing her the freedom to visit
places on her own.

She knocked on the door, and when
no one answered, she assumed Mariah wasn’t home. With a smile, she got back in
her car and headed over to the stable. Jake told her earlier that he’d be out
on a run to Huntington for supplies today.

Anya parked next to the barn and
climbed out, tightened the belt on her black-leather coat and pulled up the
warm hood. The fur lining close to her face protected her delicate skin from
the frigid wind. Her boots covered her legs to her knees and met with the hem of
her long winter coat. She smiled and headed toward the stable. She walked in,
looked both ways, and tried to remember where the office was located. At the
sound of country music coming from the east side, she turned in that direction
and followed the voice of Reba McEntire.