Some readers have indicated on some of the chat loops that I participate in, that they’d like more heroines that are older. I’ve written about heroines who are in their twenties, but most of mine are in their thirties or forties. For this book, since Ivan is an older man, I’ve decided to write about a relationship between two people in their fifties. This means they both have a place in life, with commitments to family that younger people might not have. Stella is the mother of Kelly Sheridan, the actress who stars with Raul in the movie being made in the 1st book. Due to her mother being in the CIA, her parents got divorced when Kelly was very young, and she’s only now reaching out to her mom to create a relationship. Stella quickly agrees to spend a week with her daughter up north at a resort in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The resort is owned by Ivan…who is ex-KGB. Not a problem, right?
Since there was still no sign of Ivan, Stella headed up the staircase that led to a dining room lit by a huge wall of picture windows with a panoramic view of a beautiful lake. No one was seated at any of the tables set for meals, but it was obviously a popular restaurant judging by the worn spots on the hard wood floor that led to the tables closest to the windows.
“Hello?” Stella called, still seeking someone to check in with. “Is anyone around? I’m looking for Ivan.”
“And you have found him,” a large booming voice said from behind her. She turned around to get her first glimpse of her host.
****
When Ivan walked into the dining room from the bar, he was busy working through the details of his part in an upcoming yearly party. He usually supplied many of the servers and his chef liked to contribute one of the courses. He looked up in surprise when he entered the room and unexpectedly saw the back of his newest guest. She had an attractive figure with an athletic build, and the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned arms and the curve of her shoulders. But when she turned around to face him, he was immediately struck by two unusual sensations.
The first was a distinct feeling that he had met her before.
But that’s impossible! I’ve never met the mother of my good friend Kelly. She told me that her mother and father got divorced when she was young, and that her mother traveled a lot for her job. Maybe that’s it? Maybe I saw her when I was newly-arrived in the U.S.? I used to travel a lot also.
When the woman smiled, he was too involved with his thoughts to respond.
Is it just that she resembles her daughter so much? Their coloring is different of course. Kelly is blonde, while this woman has light brown hair with the faintest streaks of gray. Kelly is light-skinned, but this woman appears to be from the Mediterranean, based on her olive skin and her dark brown eyes. But they have similar features. And her smile shows me the origin of Kelly’s dimples.
The second feeling was harder to dismiss…literally. Ivan had gradually become resigned to the reality of being a fifty-year-old man, whose hormonal surges were a thing of the past. But at this moment, he felt himself hardening as if he was a teenager again.
She’s so beautiful! I want to do strip her naked and push her over the table!
His breathing sped up and he could feel and hear the pulse of his blood as it abandoned most of his body parts to rush down to where it felt it was needed the most. His nostrils flared as he tried to control the urges he’d thought were behind him.
Damn! I hope my reaction is escaping her notice. She’s expecting to be greeted by her genial host, not by a sex-crazed lust-monster! I must get control over myself.
He cleared his throat, wondering if it had really been only a few seconds since he’d walked into the room, but unsure because the smile on her face seemed to be fading as she waited for him to speak again.
****
Stella smiled at her host, wondering why he seemed so hesitant to speak again. She waited politely for a few moments, then spoke to break the silence.
“Are you Ivan? Kelly told me to ask for you if I arrived before she did. I sent her a text when I pulled into the parking lot, but she had warned me that cell phone signals are problematic up here.”
“They are indeed,” he said, forcing himself to concentrate on her words and how he should respond. “Kelly hasn’t arrived yet, but she asked me to show you to your cabin, and to give you a tour of the grounds, so you would know where to find whatever you need.”
“Well if I need alcohol or leeches, I certainly know where to find them,” she remarked with a nod of her head back towards the stairs she had climbed.
Suddenly the awkwardness of the moment was interrupted by the arrival of two huge bounding masses of fur and wagging tails. Both dogs resembled wolves, but had the infectious enthusiasm of pampered pets who expect to be welcomed anywhere. Their toenails beat a tattoo on the floor as they raced up to slide against their master, almost knocking him over in their zeal to cover him with saliva. They both turned to greet the new guest as well, and Stella steeled herself to avoid being pushed backwards as they shoved their heads against her, demanding affection when it wasn’t immediately forthcoming.
“Muddy! Buddy! Down boys! Behave yourself around our new guest.”
He gave a weak grin to the woman, “I’m sorry, but they expect to be adored by everyone. It’s my fault, really. I have no children, so I spoil them to death.”
Stella had by now surrendered to the obvious and was rubbing both of their necks behind their heads, making both dogs lean against her. She grinned back at Ivan.
“It’s okay. At least they are on opposite sides of me, so I’m not being knocked over…yet. What did you call them?”
He inclined his head towards the offenders, “The bigger one with black on his head and feet is Muddy. The one with the big brown spots is Buddy.”
“Named after the blues guitarists, right?”
His smile was one of delight.
“You are a fan of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy?”
Stella smiled back at him.
“I love screaming guitar solos, and those two are some of the best. I saw Muddy play in New Orleans, and I’ve seen Buddy Guy a few times at his place in Chicago, as well as in other countries.”
“It’s always nice when my guests enjoy similar interests to me,” Ivan began. “At the very least, you won’t object to the background music that I often play during mealtimes. But I was never lucky enough to see Muddy play live. You’ll have to tell me about that sometime.”
She nodded, “I will. Now can you show me to my cabin? It’s been a long drive, and I’d like a chance to rest up from the road.”
“Of course. Do you want to go to your car first, so I can help you with your bags?”
She shrugged, “I suppose. I only have the one bag, but I’ve got a laptop also. Do you get wi-fi up here?”
“It’s dependable only in the main building here,” he said over his shoulder as he led the way back down the stairs. “As you saw, the main dining room is upstairs, and there’s a bar on the side, with two pool tables and a darts board. There’s a balcony that you can get to from either the bar or the dining room. There are a few tables out there for anyone wanting to dine al fresco, but mostly that’s used by my guests who are smokers.”
Stella sighed, “Silly rules. Some of us haven’t been able to quit yet. But I’m getting sick and tired of having to freeze my ass off to smoke outside in the winter.”
Ivan chuckled, “When it’s cold out, I’m not usually that busy. If my guests want to smoke in the bar, I let them. Hey, it’s a free country, right?”
She smiled, “Not like where you grew up, huh?” She stopped at her car and hit the fob to pop open the trunk.
“Why do you say that?” He asked as he picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder as if it was as light as a feather.
“Your accent and your name indicate you were born in Russia. Back when it was still the Soviet Union, if I’m not mistaken.”
He nodded solemnly, “Da. But I was lucky enough to travel for my job, and I saw a lot of the rest of the world. Enough to know that when I retired, the last place I wanted to be in was one where waiting in line for toilet paper was a routine occurrence, vodka was scarce and expensive, and running your own business was a dream reserved only for those with connections in high places.”
Stella slammed the trunk after removing her laptop. She followed Ivan as he walked around the side of the building to a well-worn path that led into the woods to the cabins she could see now that she was back there.
****
What do you think? Do you want to read about older characters falling in love? With this book there are actually 2 relationships developing, because the love between a mother and child is as strong as romantic attachments. During her 30 years with the CIA, Stella hasn’t had time for love in her life. Now that she’s retired, that is about to change.
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