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  “They still do.” Linnea stood beside her. “You can put your hand on my shoulder if you need to.”

  Rebecca allowed Gus to lead her to the edge of the ice. Please, Lord, I don’t want to fall and make a fool of myself. She pushed off with one foot and followed with the other. She hadn’t forgotten. Why had they not cleared the river ice at home and had a skating party? One year they let the cattle tank overflow and they had a pond right out in the pasture. Everyone had skated at their house. They’d built a bonfire and had a great time. But after Swen was killed, they’d not had parties at their farm.

  Penny skated even with them. “For someone who says she hasn’t skated for a long time, you sure remembered how quickly.”

  “You never used to get to do this at home except on some Sundays.”

  “I know. That is one of the good things of coming to Bismarck. I have more time to play.”

  “Look out!”

  When Rebecca turned to see what the shout was about, a young boy, waving his arms and skidding out of control, slammed right into her. Her feet went out, and she slammed back on the ice, flat out, her head thunking against the hard surface. She lay there, trying to catch her breath and let the world stop spinning.

  “Rebecca, are you all right?” Penny knelt beside her.

  While Rebecca heard Penny, she opened her eyes to see a most charming pair of male blue eyes looking down at her. Was she dreaming this handsome stranger?

  “Are you all right, miss, or do we need to take you to the doctor?”

  Maybe swooning would be a good idea. If she knew how to swoon, that is. Was that something Maydell had talked about, or had she read it somewhere? Please, let me be dreaming all this. Anything would be better than the mortification heating her from skates to the top of her hat. Was she all right? How could she tell?

  7

  “WHO … WHAT … OH MY.” Rebecca tried to sit up.

  “You fell on the ice,” Penny said as she took her hand. “Are you all right?”

  “I-I think so.” Unless feeling utterly stupid qualified as not all right. She turned her head. Yes, those blue eyes belonged to a real person, a real male person whose smile was as nice as his eyes were. Where had he come from?

  “May I help you up?” His voice joined his other heart-pumping attributes.

  She nodded. Her throat didn’t seem to want to respond.

  He took her hand and rose to his feet, taking her right up with him. “Are you dizzy?”

  She swallowed again and cleared her throat. “I don’t think so.” At least as long as I’m not looking into your eyes. Was this the kind of thing that Maydell was talking about? She racked her mind. What had they all said to do? Nothing came, so she forced her quivering lips to smile. “Thank you.”

  “That boy! He ran right into you!” Linnea’s eyes flashed.

  Gus stayed by her side like a guard dog. “I’m sorry, I—”

  “There was nothing you could do, Little Gus.” Rebecca shook out her skirt and petticoats. “I’m not hurt. Just got the breath knocked out of me for a minute.” She looked up into the deep-pool eyes. They were a deeper blue than the Bjorklund eyes, which were the bluest she’d ever seen, and set wide apart with straight brows. His nose was straight, and his smile made her heart turn over. Commas cut into his cheeks.

  “My name is Kurt von Drehl, and I think we’ve already been introduced, in a way.” He tipped his hat to Penny.

  “This is my cousin, Miss Rebecca Baard, and she is visiting us. Are you by any chance related to Pastor von Drehl?”

  “He is my uncle.” He turned his attention back to Rebecca. “Do you feel like skating some more?”

  She nodded.

  He took her hands. “Ready?”

  Talk, you ninny. Come on, mouth, work. “Yes.” That was brilliant. Didn’t Maydell say to ask him about … oh, fiddlesticks.

  He pushed off slowly, taking her with him.

  “Have you been here long?”

  “No. I came last night on the train.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Blessing, North Dakota. It is a small town north of Grand Forks on the Red River.” At least she could talk now—and make sense.

  “And your cousin. Has she been here long?”

  “No. They moved here last summer. Hjelmer was in the legislature but now is working for Carlson and Sons.”

  “Really? That is another uncle, only on my mother’s side.” He was increasing their stride and glide time.

  “Do you know everyone in town?”

  “Pretty much, I guess. At least the people who’ve been here a long time. Seems I’m related to half of them.”

  She almost stumbled when she looked up to see his smile again, but he gripped her hands more firmly and held her steady.

  “How long will you be here?”

  Were there other people skating on the pond? She felt like they were in an iridescent soap bubble, the rest of the world fading away. Her heart skipped a beat. “Um, what did you say?”

  “How long will you be in Bismarck?”

  Forever? She jerked herself back to reality. “I really don’t know. Maybe two or three weeks.”

  “That’s all?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll be needed at home.” Stroke, glide, lean into the strokes, just like dancing. His hands were warm through their mittens, his shoulder firm against hers. Could they skate forever?

  “Where does your cousin live?”

  “A few blocks from here.” She thought a moment. She had no idea which direction.

  “Perhaps she will allow me to walk back with you. I mean, I would love to show you around Bismarck.”

  “Really?” Just like that. Almost as forward as the cigar man on the train, except so romantic. Don’t look into those eyes again, or who knows what might happen.

  “I’m attending the college here. Do you go to school?”

  She shook her head. “I graduated from high school last May.” Hard to believe it had been that long ago. “What are you studying?”

  “I know this is a forward question, but are you … I mean is there … ?”

  She almost smiled at his stammering and waited.

  He slowed their skating and turned to face her, still holding her hands. “Is there someone at home waiting for you to come back?”

  She almost gasped out loud. He was breaking almost every rule of etiquette she had ever known. And in Blessing they thought she was too forward speaking.

  “My brother is off on a cattle buying trip.”

  “No. I mean …” He rolled his eyes and tipped his head back. He stared down into her eyes. “Are you spoken for?”

  “Spoken for?”

  “Betrothed. In love with, sought after.” He shook his head. “Forgive me, I am handling this badly.”

  Her heartbeat picked up to double time. “This is not proper.” Well, that was a brilliant thing to say.

  “I know. I’ve never done anything like this before. My mother will have a fainting spell. But it’s like you fell right into my life. And you’re leaving almost right away.”

  “No. I fell on the ice. That boy ran right into me.” And no one in Blessing is going to believe this is happening to me. Me, the old maid of Blessing, the one who was asking for help in attracting a man.

  He turned and pulled her into skating beside him again. Their strides matched, and the rhythm took over.

  How can he think he wants to know me better? This is happening so fast. My head is in a whirl. What will Penny say when I tell her?

  Little Gus skated up beside her. “Ma says we should be going now.”

  “All right.” Rebecca heaved a sigh. All good things had to come to an end. They skated over to the bench where Penny and Linnea waited, their skates already tied together.

  Kurt held her hand until she was seated, then knelt in front of her to unbuckle her skates.

  “Thank you.” She stared at the wave in his hair, the deep blue of his scarf deepening the gold-strea
ked locks.

  He handed her the skates and sat on the bench. “I hope you’ll let me walk you all home.” He smiled at Penny.

  “Will that be out of your way?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Rebecca caught her breath. What a romantic thing to say. Was this the way things really were, or was she living in some dreamland? She glanced over at Penny, whose eyes were twinkling. As they followed the shoveled path out of the skating area, Gus insinuated himself between Rebecca and the man who strolled beside her.

  Rebecca tried to keep herself from staring at a streetcar that passed them. The streets seemed to be in constant motion between horses, sleighs, streetcars, and people. The houses here were so large that the ones in Blessing seemed like doll houses. But then, Thorliff said they would be building a lot of new houses come the thaw. Would Blessing one day look like Bismarck? And why was she thinking all this with a handsome man walking next to her? Maybe the dream was easier to handle than the reality.

  Gus broke into her thoughts. “You know that boy who knocked you down?” He gazed up at her with question marks all over his face.

  “Yes, Little Gus, I most assuredly remember. Do you know him?”

  The boy shook his head. “No, but he goes to my school.”

  “What school do you go to?” Kurt asked.

  “Bismarck Primary.”

  “That’s where I went to school. Do you know Mr. Guthrie?”

  “He teaches sixth grade.”

  “I know. He was my teacher for the sixth grade.”

  Gus slipped his hand in hers. “You could come to see my school on Monday.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “And I’m not Little Gus there. I’m just Gus.”

  Rebecca swung his hand. “I’ll remember that.” She’d always called him Little Gus so people would know she was talking about her cousin’s son rather than her brother.

  “Would you like to come in for coffee or hot cocoa?” Penny asked Kurt. “We’re going to have some, and I’ll be making fried cheese sandwiches.”

  “I’m sorry. I would be delighted, but I told my mother I would escort her during her errands this afternoon. Do you have a telephone?”

  “Yes.”

  He turned to Rebecca. “Would you mind if I called you?”

  She looked over to Penny, whose shrug covered laughter. “I would like that.”

  He repeated the number aloud, memorizing it, after she said it. “Good-bye, then. For now.” He turned to Penny. “And thank you for the invitation.” As they walked up the shoveled path to the front door, Rebecca glanced over her shoulder to see him striding down the street. She could hear a whistled song floating back. A grin tickled her cheeks. What a shame that she had to fall on the ice to get his attention. That definitely had not been on Maydell’s list of instructions on how to meet or entertain a man.

  As they hung up their outer clothing, Linnea chattered about skating and how well she did, Gus gathered all the skates and hauled them out to the back porch, and Rebecca hummed a little tune.

  “I know someone who sounds really happy.” Penny picked up Rebecca’s scarf and hung it back on the hall tree. She tapped her cousin’s shoulder. “Hello in there.”

  “What?” Rebecca realized she’d been staring at the diamondshaped leaded panes on either side of the door. And had no idea for how long. She turned to Penny. “What did you say?”

  “Nothing important. Come along and we’ll make dinner. Then we can go to Benson’s.”

  “All right. Penny, are all the men in Bismarck so friendly to strangers?’’

  Penny started choking with laughter. “Most definitely not. And especially not Mr. Kurt von Drehl. According to church social gossip, no one can get his attention.”

  If her feet touched the floor, Rebecca was not aware of it.

  Later that afternoon as they opened the door to Benson’s, a bell tinkled over the door, announcing their arrival.

  “Doesn’t that sound just like the bell over the door at my store?”

  Rebecca nodded, staring around the establishment. She was really here. Her dream was based on a real place with real people. See, Gus, it is possible.

  A family of five took up one of the red-painted booths that lined one wall, a woman and child were being served at the counter, and two girls giggled at one of the round tables. A mural on one wall showed a man riding a bicycle with a huge front wheel, a brown dog barking at him, people strolling down a sidewalk, the girls wearing wide-brimmed straw hats and eating ice cream. The sign on the pictured store said Benson’s Soda Emporium.

  What a good idea, Rebecca thought. I wonder who I could get to paint something like that on my wall? She almost laughed to herself. Here she was planning the wall painting when she didn’t even have the building for sure yet. Although Haakan had said she could have it when she was ready. She watched a young man behind the counter serving ice cream into a dish for the woman and one for the little boy. Freckles sprinkled his nose and dusted the tops of his cheeks, rosy as if he’d been outside in the cold. Strange that people were indeed buying ice cream in the dead of winter, something she had wondered about and many had also questioned. It didn’t appear to be a problem here. But were there enough people in the Blessing area to support her dream? That was the question. Whether in winter or summer. And not just enough. Would her hardworking town see a stop at the soda shop as too frivolous?

  Penny and the children stopped in front of the refrigerated glass-f ronted case that held the ice cream in straight-sided metal containers.

  “What can I get for you?” the young man asked the children. He glanced up to see Rebecca watching him, and his face turned as red as the stripes on his apron. Immediately he jerked his attention back to Penny.

  “I want chocolate,” Gus stated, as though he ordered one every day. At the clearing of his mother’s throat, he added, “Please.”

  “One scoop or two? You can have two different flavors if you want.”

  Gus glanced up at his mother, who nodded. “Two please. One vanilla.”

  The young man slanted a look at Rebecca, who had now joined the others, and scooped out the chocolate. When he handed the dish to Gus, he leaned over the case and smiled at Linnea. “And what for you, miss?”

  Linnea beamed up at her mother. “Can I have a bowl of maple nut, please?”

  “Are you sure you want to try that new flavor?”

  “If she doesn’t like it, I’ll take it.” Rebecca grinned at the girl. “What do you think of the peppermint candy one?”

  “If you get that one, we can swap tastes.”

  “Very true.”

  Linnea accepted the dish of ice cream from the man and tasted it. “It’s good,” she said, holding the dish up to Rebecca.

  “Of course it is good. Benson’s only makes good ice cream.” The young man darted a glance at Rebecca and quickly looked down at the counter. “One scoop or two?” His voice cracked, making him blush again.

  “One, I think. The peppermint candy, please.” She watched him dip a metal scoop into a glass of water before digging into the ice cream. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Dip the scoop in the water.”

  “Cleans off the other flavor and makes the ice cream slide off easier.” He held out the dish and turned to Penny. “And you, ma’am. What flavor?”

  Rebecca tasted her ice cream. Vanilla with smashed peppermint candies in it. How delicious.

  “What flavors have you thought of serving in your shop?” Penny asked her after telling the young man to make hers peppermint too.

  “I hadn’t thought that far. I could freeze all kinds of berries in the summer to use in the winter. Keeping enough ice for ice cream on a daily basis seems like a mighty tall order.”

  “Are you planning an ice-cream emporium?” he asked as he took the change from Penny.

  “I am. In Blessing.”

  “Where is that?” His voice seemed more stable, not
hitting high notes like it had before.

  “On the eastern edge of North Dakota.”

  “I’ve never been that far. Did you come on the train?”

  “Yes. Last night.” Ask him if you can see the rest of the store. I can’t do that. Of course you can. That’s why you came. “This is good ice cream. Do you make it here?”

  “No, my pa makes it out at the creamery.”

  “You are a Benson?” Talk about nosy. Rebecca Baard, mind your manners. This breach of etiquette must be catching.

  “Thomas Benson. My grandfather and two of his sons started the creamery twenty years ago.”

  “How many flavors do you make?”

  “Five usually. The maple nut one is new. Ma tries different things, and sometimes we have contests to name new flavors.”

  “Do you run this store, then?”

  “Me and my older sister.” He cleared his throat. “You know my name now, but I don’t know yours.” The red flowed upward over his cheeks.

  Rebecca smiled at him, tipping her head slightly forward. “My name is Rebecca Baard.” She finished off her ice cream and wiped her fingers on her napkin. “Thank you, Mr. Benson. You have been most informative.”

  “Would you like to see the rest of our store? I mean, if you’re not in a big hurry, or if you’d be interested?”

  “That would be wonderful.” She could hear Maydell in her mind. “Now be demure. Act as if you’re not interested.” Did that have to do with the ice-cream business also?

  By the time he’d shown her the walk-in freezer—where a half a beef hung, since as he said, this was the biggest refrigerator in town—the various boxes of food that sat along the wall, the ice-cream containers, the closet with cleaning supplies and a mop, and pointed to the necessary, she realized how much work there would need to be done to open her own shop. Could she actually do it in Miss Christopherson’s former shop, even with renovations?

  “Thank you, Mr. Benson,” she said with a smile. “I really had no idea what opening my shop was going to entail.” She glanced at the counter and saw the cash register. Would she need one of those too? What was wrong with keeping the money in a box with divisions in a drawer? After all, she’d be the one behind the counter for the hours the shop was open. Penny would know.