Red Collar (19 page)

Enraged, Victor
Reid placed enormous pressure on his children to pay back their father’s debts and embroiled his son, Constantine into the battle as well. And so even when the older Reid passed away, Constantine continued to demand for the return of the money and used his hold on them to use the island as he pleased.

In 186
7, the Russian government decided to get rid of the now cumbersome territory and sold it to America. Soon after the sale, General Jefferson Davis ordered the Russians out of their homes in Sitka to allow for his troops to occupy the land.

Fearing that now they
would be left out of a home with no money, Vasily’s oldest son, Ivan Pasternack turned once again to the Reids. He was aware of Constantine’s love for the island and took advantage of it. He made him an offer that he knew he would never refuse. Marry off one of his three daughters to one of Constantine’s sons in return for a pardon of his debt and the title of the island to be passed on to his son-in-law. If Constantine dared decline, Ivan would threaten to sell the island to a competing American business man to pay off his debts. Unlike other Russians who were either returning to Russia or settling in other states of America, Pasternack knew how difficult life would be if he decided to leave the island with his large family. On the island, at least, there was some chance of survival and dignity.

As expected, Constantine jumped at the chance and sent over
his hesitant older son, Henry to make his choice from the three young girls. Accompanying Henry, was his younger brother Willem who had only recently turned eighteen years. However upon reaching Sitka, Henry refused to travel further to the island, fearing he would be forced to marry a savage Russian lass who knew nothing of society and manners. Instead, he boarded poor Willem onto a boat and sent him over to the island with a message that he would rather face his father’s lashes than be burdened with one of the Pasternack maids.

Bewildered by the possibility
of a murderous reception at the hands of Ivan Pasternack, Willem bit back the message on reaching the island. Instead Ivan Pasternack warmly welcomed him into his home in the mis-belief that it was Willem who was sent to marry one of his daughters. And there, on his first glance of fifteen year old Anya Pasternack with her long blonde hair and wide blue eyes, he knew he had fallen in love. And the rest is as you say is history.”

Kate blinked her eyes in wonderment. She slowly reverted
her gaze to the rugged landscape beyond her, the entire story unfolding once more in her mind’s eye. She imagined the two young lovers in each other’s arms and under the trees that surrounded the property. Those trees must have bore witness to their kisses, their secret love sessions, and their declaration to remain forever together in love.

“Kate?” Leah shook her arm gently,
pulling her back to the present. “You seem to have gotten lost in your thoughts.”

Kate smiled. “I was just wondering how Anya and Willem could have been here in the exact place we are now, holding each other, in love and…”

“Making love?” Leah teased. She laughed, followed by Olivia and Grandma Connie. “You are such a romantic, Kate. It’s sweet.”

Kate reddened.

Olivia brushed her arms fondly. “She’s in love with my son. I can understand how she feels.”

She sliced into t
he coffee cake and served her with a piece. “Dig in honey,” she said.

“So you have Russian ancestry,” Kate said, hoping to divert her awkward romantic sentiments from the table.

“And Polish,” Olivia replied in short. “Both Grandma Connie and I are of Polish descent. That’s a Polish recipe you have in your hands.”

“Was that a coincidence?” Kate asked.

“Grandpa Thomas found Grandma in California.  They fell in love and married and she moved all the way here to Sitka,” Olivia replied. “I was a distant cousin who had come to visit Aunt Connie during one fortunate Thanksgiving. Frank saw me and he wouldn’t let me leave. Been stuck here since.” She grinned.

“Oh, is that what you call it these days?” asked Frank, slumping into a chair next to his wife. “Living with me?”

Olivia gave him a teasing smile. “Or would you rather have me say stranded?”

“Stranded?” Frank asked amusedly. “Now in what way is that justified? You have all the means to leave the island whenever you want to.”

“Yes, I suppose,” Olivia sighed. “We’ll leave it to Stockholm’s Syndrome then. I’m in love with my abductor.”

Frank laughed. “Darling, we’ve been married almost forty years now and you’re still under the impression I kidnapped you. In actual fact, you woul
dn’t leave.”

He turned to Kate cheekily. “I begged her for my freedom. Instead she stayed put and frightened away any chance I would have had with a pretty girl.”

Olivia slugged him in the arm. “If there was any girl at all! You didn’t even have the nerve to speak to me.”

Frank picked up his coffee, dismissing her claim with a tired shake of his head.

Leah giggled. “But according to legend, the true matchmaker in Mom and Dad’s affair was Grandma. Isn’t it true, Grandma?”

Grandma Connie pretended to be busy with the bubbling baby in the pram beside her. “What? What did you say, dear?”

“Although, she will never admit it,” Leah whispered to Kate. “By the way, how did you and Clayton meet?”

Kate swallowed nervously. “I…,” she tried to think quickly.

“Through work,” said Clayton, as he leant forward to lay a kiss on Kate’s forehead.

Kate froze. She hadn’t seen him come in. And when his lips pressed agains
t her skin, her body tingled, her heart thumping crazily inside her. She dropped her eyes in embarrassment, hoping he had not read how she was feeling about him. She did not want him to be burdened by her emotions.

It’s an act, she reminded herself. It wasn’t real.

But no matter how much she tried convincing herself, her body rebelled against them. Her mouth ran dry, her senses heightened from his musk on his freshly bathed skin.

When he pulled up
a chair beside her, she went lucid from the warmth spreading into her core. She wanted to flee from him, in the fear that she would succumb to her emotions and fall helplessly onto his shoulders like the lovelorn woman she was.

“That can’t be all it, is it Kate?” Leah said, interrupting her thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” Kate returned shakily towards Clayton’s sister.

Grandma Connie’s eyes brushed over her face worriedly. “Kate, dear, you look awfully pale. You really do need some rest.”

Clayton frowned, taking her hand in his. “Are you okay?”

Kate tried pulling her hand away but he tightened his clasp. “I will be
, only if you let go of me once in a while,” she whispered harshly into his ear.

He gave her a side smile and picked up his cup of coffee with his other hand. He was determined to have her suffer as she had made him
suffer all morning.

*****

He had woken up early in the morning with her buttocks tucked into him. He hadn’t realized that his arm had protectively reached over her. Even as he slept, he seemed to have an annoying urge to keep her close to him, always in the fear she would disappear if he wasn’t looking.

His unconscious actions
surprised him because he was never really the possessive sort. Exasperated by his lack of power over his emotions, he rose out of bed and changed into his running gear.

The sun was still rising in the horizon, the sky glowing from its golden amber light.
He sprinted out into the cold morning of Sitka and headed towards Scrawny’s Hill. He passed by the cliff that overlooked Smuggler’s Cove. Even in such early hours, the ocean didn’t ebb in its race to meet the white sandy beaches. He estimated it would take another thirty minutes before he would reach Scrawny’s Hill. But only fifteen minutes into his run, he was already missing Kate’s warm length against him.

He pushed on despite his longing
for her, enduring another ten minutes of heated desire coursing through him as he imagined her splayed on his bed, just as he had last seen her. Her night dress had ridden up to her hips, her legs tucked into her chest and her long brunette hair spread over his pillows. She had uttered a small groan when he released her from his arms and immediately he had grown hard, despairing in the need to take her again.

Succumbing to his unexplainable
frenzy for her, he halted tiredly, his hands on his hips as he tugged in large gulps of breaths. His chest hurt from the clamping in his heart at the mere thought of her. His head swarmed from his faltering decisions. Finally in an effort to rid himself of any emotional dependency on her, he roared out loudly, beating his chest like an ape man.

Nothing moved in the wild about him except for the wind that rustled the leaves and the chirping of birds, probably tweeting out a warning to the others of the crazed man’s presence.

Bereft of any more energy to shout out his frustration, he heaved as he gazed upon the morning sea. He no longer had the urge to run up to Scrawny’s Hill as he always did every morning when he stayed on the island. Kate had certainly interrupted that one routine in his life. Could he afford any further disruptions? He didn’t like the effect she was having on him.

He spent the next hour kicking the dirt under his feet or twiddling a
grass stalk in his fingers. He needed to get back, he decided. He needed to get Kate out of his system. He sprinted back home, a renewed energy powering his limbs.

He had heard their little giggles drift into their air through the kitchen window. He skipped eagerly onto the steps leading to the back door. He stalled momentarily at it, watching Kate, mesmerized by how well she blended into the family. She was sitting patiently, letting Leah tease her as his mother and grandmother hovered protectively over her.

But when he saw the little attempt she made at dispensing the seriousness of their fake engagement, he stiffened. His jaw had tensed, anger rising in the pits of his stomach. He had dragged her out of the kitchen, fearing she would disclose the truth of their relationship. Even in his anger, he had wanted to t
ake her. Drive into her with all his pent-up heat.

With much effort and strength, he had to pull himself away from her, choosing to calm his raging hunger under a cold shower. However
, his efforts to assuage his frustrating desires was short-lived when he emerged from his shivering and self-inflicting torturous shower to discover she wasn’t in the room as he had expected.

A muscle throbbed in his temple in annoyance. Why couldn’t she ever follow instructions? H
e dressed as quickly as he could, praying she wasn’t going to blow their cover of a happy couple.

Promising himself that if she even as let out the slightest hint, he would make certain she would pay heavily for it. And it didn’t matter how addicted he was becoming of her.

That didn’t matter as far as he was concerned. He would make sure of that.

*****

“How are you feeling now, dear?” asked Grandma Connie, worriedly as she peered at the pale color enveloping Kate’s face.

Kate managed a small smile
. Not wanting to gain any further attention, she replied, “A little better.”

Under the table, she struggled to writhe her right hand out of Clayton’s powerful clench.

Clayton calmly sipped his coffee with his free hand. Since it was his right that was free, he even managed to eat Grandma’s delicious coffee cake.

“This is nice, Grandma,” he said through a mouthful. “It’s been a while since you’ve made them.”

She scowled. “If you visited me a little more often, you’d get it a little more too.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’ve been busy.”

“Busy buying off businesses?” his father raised an eyebrow disapprovingly.

Kate felt Clayton tense.

“There is nothing wrong in buying businesses that don’t work.” Clayton released Kate’s hand.

“No,” his father answered grimly. “But there is certainly something wrong with the way you do it.”

Clayton wiped his mouth with napkin. “I really don’t need to talk about this. It’s my business, Dad. How I conduct it is not your concern.”

“But you are,” Frank Reid
persisted. “How your affairs reflect on this family
is
important. Nothing you’ve done has shone a positive light on our family. Your ruthless undertakings, your women… Frankly, I’m surprised that you even brought a fiancée home.”

Clayton’s jaw clenched

“Frank,” Olivia begged. “Do we need to do this now?”

“I’ve had enough,” Clayton said, grating his chair back as he stood up, pulling Kate with him.

“No, sit,” Olivia ordered him. “I said sit down.” She glared angrily at both her husband and her son. “What differences either of you have with your businesses is your problem. But I will not allow you both to bring it to this table, into this family.”

“He’s already brought it into it!
And they’re splashed all over the papers and the media too! How he conducts his affairs reflects us. Perhaps you could talk some sense into your son about that,” Frank growled.