“You’re going to drive carefully, Minste?” Jenny’s feet crunched over the gravel driveway as she approached her brother, dropping Sam’s hand to wrap her arms around Erik.
He was grateful for the warmth of her embrace. He might not believe in romantic love, but he had plenty of space in his heart for his family. In fact, he’d do anything for them.
“Of course, Jen.” Erik glanced down at her still-flat belly with brotherly concern. “I don’t want you worrying about me.”
“Kalispell feels like a long way away after having you around all year. We’ll miss you, Erik,” said Sam.
Erik nodded at his brother-in-law with an easy smile. “I’ll miss you, too, but you know I’ll be back, Sam. Lots. At Midsommardagen, for sure.”
“And thanks, again, for giving my cousin Katrin a ride north, Erik,” said Sam, his forehead momentarily creased with worry. “I know that Choteau isn’t exactly on your way, but I appreciate you making the detour to pick her up. She’s had a rough time.”
“I’m glad to help get her somewhere safe.”
Erik didn’t know Katrin Svenson that well, though he’d seen her a couple of times: once at his childhood friend Ingrid’s wedding and again at Jenny’s wedding. Beyond a vague impression of her being a small, blonde woman, his memories of her weren’t very sharp. He probably hadn’t paid her much attention since she was with her boyfriend and therefore unavailable for the obligatory no-strings-attached wedding fling he always sought at such occasions.
But when Sam explained that Katrin’s ex-fiancé had been stalking her, and asked if Erik would be willing to give her a ride north to a new job, he couldn’t say no. Protecting people was in Erik’s DNA. It was part of why he wanted to be a cop in the first place.
“It’s just luck that you’re headed to Kalispell the same day she needs to be dropped off in Skidoo Bay.” Jenny smiled at her brother gently then her eyes opened wide. “Say hi to Ing and Kris for us, but don’t tell them our news, Erik. I mean it. We’re saving the big reveal for June, when we spend our first Midsommardagen with both families.”
“Geez, Jenny-girl, you think I’d steal your thunder?” He smiled at his little sister, flicking his glance to her hands placed protectively over her tummy.
“Erik! I mean it! Not a word!”
“Not a word. I promise.” He chuckled lightly and kissed Jenny on the cheek before shaking Sam’s hand goodbye. “Take care of her, Sam.”
“You know I will, Minste,” said Sam, winking at his brother-in-law.
“Jeg elsker deg, Erik.” I love you. Jenny stepped back from her brother into Sam’s arms, swiping at one teary eye. “Drive safe.”
Jenny had always been terrible at goodbyes. “Elsker deg også, Jen,” he said softly in their mother’s Norwegian, smiling at her tenderly. I love you, too. “I will.”
As he pulled out of their driveway, he looked back in time to catch them kissing before they turned to head back into the house, Sam’s strong arm around his wife’s shoulders. Erik rolled his eyes, but a quiet voice in the back of his mind wondered:
What would it be like to love someone as much as Sam loves Jenny?
He grimaced, annoyed with the direction of his thoughts. There was no doubt as to the answer. He knew it as surely as he knew he was a man, the sky was blue and his last name was Lindstrom:
Like hell. That’s how.
Turning up the music, he steered his car north and smiled at the long stretch of open road ahead.
Half an hour later Erik passed a sign on the way out of Augusta: twenty-five more miles to Choteau. After dropping off Kat Svenson in Skidoo Bay, he’d continue farther north to the Kalispell County Sheriff’s Department to pick up his new ID badge and attend a brief introductory meeting with his new supervisor. He was reporting bright and early tomorrow morning to begin three months of special training in Applied Technology and Drug Recognition training. Working in law enforcement had been a lifelong dream for Erik, and it was finally coming true.
Fresh May air rushed into his car as he rolled down the window and pushed up the sleeves of his long-sleeved, light blue button-down shirt, savoring the warmth of the midday sun on his pale skin. The Rocky Mountains up ahead offered a contrast in landscapes: the jagged Rockies rose up dramatically out of the placid, grassy prairie, proving that even mountains had to start somewhere. Cattle grazed out on the green prairie in the foothills, their spring calves interspersed between them liberally. New growth. New life. Just like Sam and Jenny.
Sam looked at Jenny like the sun rose and set in her eyes, like life just wouldn’t be worth living without her, like God put Jenny on the Earth solely to know and choose Sam. While he was glad his sister was happy, it was almost impossible for Erik to understand. In spite of the many trysts and one-night stands he’d enjoyed throughout his adulthood, he’d never looked at anyone like that. He wondered, vaguely and with a discomfort made up of equal parts longing and fear, if he was missing out on something.
He shook his head, wondering at his thoughts. He wasn’t missing out on a damn thing. He wasn’t looking to settle down. The notion had zero appeal. He’d seen his friends fall victim to it, get all tangled up in some girl they thought they couldn’t live without. Well, not Erik Lindstrom. No girl was putting a leash on his johnson. No way.
A soft voice whispered in his head, You can only get your heart broken if you give it to someone in the first place. Erik winced, pushing back on old memories. He’d rather be alone than ever risk
