Page 81 of Viking Unchained

Her mother, Lanny, even Itchy. She shuddered to think how Dave’s parents would react when they met him tomorrow.

One thing was for certain. She would never, ever forget the image of Finn’s face on seeing Mike for the first time. Oh, that every father had such pure love for his child!

“Mikey certainly took to him right off the bat.”

With good reason. “Yes, he did, but then Mike is a friendly boy.”

He made a scoffing sound. “Not that friendly.”

“What are you trying to say, Dad?”

“Don’t know exactly. Except somethin’s fishy.”

“I know we’re overrun with uninvited strangers, but don’t you want all these strong men here to help protect us and the Dentons? I for one would be a little leery of only having the four-man Farmdale police department protecting us.”

Already, the eight men staying here—some of whom would be sleeping in the house and some in the barn— had set up patrols around the clock. The house and farm certainly seemed to be secure now.

Tomorrow everyone was meeting at the Dentons’ with the FBI, whose noses were a bit out of joint at the SEAL invasion.

“I’m not dumb enough to turn away good help.”

You have no idea how good, Pop. “That’s that, then.”

“One more thing, honey. Are you in love with the guy?”

I’m afraid so. “Maybe.”

Surprisingly, her father wasn’t surprised. He just nodded his head approvingly.

He thinks there’s going to be a wedding. He’s probably hoping we’ll come back here to farm. I can’t let him set himself up for disappointment. “There’s no future for us, though. Finn’s military, and you know I can’t go through that pain again.”

“Honey, that’s nonsense. Let me ask you this. If Dave were to suddenly come back, if his death were all a mistake, would you push him aside, just because he was military? ”

“That’s different.”

Isn’t it?

Lydia was so confused.

They did more than milk cows

in that barn . . .

Thorfinn was so confused.

He nodded to Lydia’s father, the hired man Lanny, and his son as they left the barn and walked up to the farmstead house. Dinner would soon be ready now that the nighttime milking was done. Lydia was still in the barn, and that was the direction he was headed. This was the first chance he’d had to find Lydia alone.

“Lydia.”

She jumped from where she was standing before a sink washing her hands. Who ever heard of running waterin a barn? Bloody hell, they did not have running water in homes where he came from, even royal estates.

But that was neither here nor there. He had more important things to accomplish here. To seduce Lydia.

After his talk with Torolf on the airplane, he was not sure he had a flair for finer skills. Mayhap I should just say, “Come here, Lydia. Let us reconcile with a good tupping.”

No, no, no! Behave yourself, Thorfinn. She needs to be calmed, like a skittish mare afore the mounting. Oh, bloody hell. I hope I do not blurt that aloud.

She dried her hands as he came closer, her eyes troubled and scared. Why? She had no need to be frightened of him.