“And the rest—in your husband’s bed?”
Lillian looked away, her eyes gazing out across the fields. “It’s fine once you get used to it. Even if you’d rather not do it, it’s what men need—and of course it’s how you get children.”
“But you and Stefan don’t have children.”
“No . . . sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”
Hanna knew better than to probe deeper. Lillian was young and healthy, but Stefan was past his prime. Maybe he wasn’t able to become a father.
“Ulli has children.” Lillian seemed to read Hanna’s thoughts. “You should be able to have more of your own.”
“But I don’t love him, Lillian!” The words burst out of her, accompanied by a sob. “I can’t stand the thought of being touched by him!”
Lillian squeezed her hand. As she spoke, a deep sadness shone in her eyes like the moon’s reflection in a dark lake. “Then you don’t have to accept him. But for people like us, the kind of love you’re talking about is a luxury—like a fine carriage, a necklace of pearls, or a grand house. We might dream of it. We might want it. But in real life, we have to settle for what will allow us to survive—and what will be best for others.”
“Do you love Stefan?”
“Stefan is a good man. He is kind. He works hard and takes care of me. When my parents died, I would’ve had no place to go if he hadn’t taken me in. So yes. I am his wife, and in my own way, I do love him.”
In my own way.
An image flickered in Hanna’s memory—Lillian in Webb Calder’s arms, smiling up at him as he whirled her around the dance floor. Was she thinking about Webb now, as she spoke?
Webb Calder was handsome and powerful. But was he a good man? Or was he just a man who felt entitled to claim what he wanted, even if what he wanted was another man’s wife?
She’d known other powerful men, Hanna reminded herself, thinking of the two intriguing Dollarhide brothers. With Blake she’d felt safe and protected. But it was Mason who’d made her pulse race. When he’d bent to kiss her, she’d felt deliciously wicked and alive in every part of her body. If she were to marry Ulli, she would never feel that way again, and the thought made her want to weep.
Was that the way Lillian had felt with Webb?
“Look, someone’s coming!” Lillian’s voice broke into Hanna’s thoughts. Shading her eyes, Hanna gazed in the direction her friend was pointing. Through the blur of heat waves, a distant horse and rider took shape.
“It’s Alvar.” Hanna recognized the horse. “But he wasn’t planning to be back this soon.”
“He’s riding fast.” Lillian was on her feet. “Something must have happened.”
Braced for bad news, the two women waited in the yard. Lillian’s hands twisted the hem of her apron. Hanna’s stomach churned as Alvar rode into the yard, reined the horse to a stop, and slipped to the ground, balancing the shotgun in one hand.
“There were two men out there, past the fields.” He spoke between breaths. “They started riding toward me. Then they turned and galloped away, probably because they saw the gun.”
“What did they look like?” Hanna had gone cold inside, as if she already knew. “Was one of them big, with a beard?”
Alvar nodded. “The other man—he was small. We need to let somebody know.”
“But we can’t leave Lillian. They could come here.”
“Stefan should be home soon.” Lillian glanced at the sky to gauge the angle of the sun. “He went to Franz Kreuger’s. But he said he wouldn’t be late.”
“Well, we’re staying until he gets here.”
“Will your family be all right?” Lillian asked.
“Papa’s home, and he’s got the rifle,” Alvar said. “We’ll stay.”
They didn’t have long to wait. Stefan came home, riding one of the two chestnut Belgians that the Reisners used to pull their plow and their wagon. When Alvar told him about the two men, he was incensed.
“This cannot go on! Ve have to protect our farms and our families from these animals. Tell me where you saw them, Alvar. I will go now and get the men together.”
“Please, Stefan.” Lillian touched his sleeve. “If you go, I will be left alone. Alvar and Hanna can’t stay and protect me. They need to go home.”
“But those men—”
“They were riding away when I last saw them,” Alvar said. “Going after them will waste time and leave your families unprotected. If those men want to make trouble, they will come back. You can make plans to be ready for them.”
Stefan’s shoulders sagged. To Hanna, he looked old and tired. “All right. I vill stay with my vife for now. Tell your father I vill see him tomorrow.”
“I will tell him everything,” Alvar said. “Come on, Hanna. we need to go.”
Hanna ran to Lillian and hugged her. “I’ll come back again soon,” she said.
Lillian returned her embrace. “Come anytime you need to talk.”
Alvar sprang onto the tall horse. Hanna held the shotgun and passed it up to him before he pulled her up behind. She straddled the broad back, her skirt and petticoat bunched around her knees. Back in New York City, she’d seen elegant ladies riding sidesaddle in the park. But she knew better than to think she would ever have what they had. Lillian was right. Some things were out of reach for people from poor families like hers. But did one of those things have to be love?
The sunset streaked ribbons of flame across the sky as they headed for home, the colors fading to purple and indigo when they rode into the yard. To Hanna’s surprise, there were two saddle horses outside the house. Her pulse skipped as she recognized Blake Dollarhide’s rangy buckskin and saw Blake talking to her father. They both turned as Alvar reined up and helped Hanna slide to the ground.
“I saw those two men out on the range, the ones you’re looking for,” Alvar said, dismounting. “They rode toward me, like they were up to no good. But when I made sure they saw the gun, they headed away.”
“Does Stefan know?” Lars asked.
“He knows, and he’s hot to go after them. But we talked him out of leaving his wife alone.”
“Then he’ll need to hear this,” Blake Dollarhide said. “Those two bastards aren’t working alone, and they didn’t just come across Hanna by accident. There’s a gang of them out there, at least five men, including the ones who set the fire. Somebody’s paying them to stir up trouble, so you and your neighbors will pull up stakes and leave.”
“Somebody’s paying them?” Alvar stared at his father and the other man. “But who?”
“Somebody with money,” Blake Dollarhide said. “I’ve got my suspicions, but no proof, so I’ll leave it at that. But anybody who goes after that pair will be up against a band of armed thugs who won’t care how much blood they shed. Until they’re stopped, my advice to you, and to men like Stefan, would be to stay home, protect your families, and have a plan in place for when they make more trouble, because they will.”
“I understand,” Lars said. “I can’t promise we’ll follow your advice, but I will spread the word among our families. Then we will decide what to do.”