Chapter 1

Meredith St. Claire sat on the trunk of the car. Steam dissipating from the open hood, she squinted at the deserted highway in front of her. As far as she could see, a rural asphalt road, damaged by winter snows and erosion on the edges, drew a line between the rich fields on either side. The fifteen-year-old Fiat she was driving had hissed and smoked while she traveled from Donetsk to Kiev in the Ukraine, forcing her off the highway.

Looking down at her black-screened phone, she cursed technology and Internet maps and short-lived batteries. She swore at the app on her phone that had assured her the rural route was faster than the congested E40 highway, the more common road into Kiev. Of course, if the car hadn’t overheated, if her phone had been charged enough to keep giving directions, and if she could read the jumbled Cyrillic letters on the blue road signs, it might have been good advice. But reality was the same regardless—she was lost in a foreign country and completely alone.

In every direction were fields of corn, wheat, soy, and even sunflowers. The sun, just falling in the sky, cast a golden haze on the acres and acres of plants around her. The air was thick with the rich scent of irrigation water tinged with mulch. It would have been beautiful, if she weren’t so scared. She breathed deeply, cleansing her thoughts and grounding her focus. Surely someone will come along and help.

But, no cars approached. Leave it to technology to put me on the most underused highway in the Ukraine. Even if someone approached, she didn’t speak Ukrainian, so communication would be impossible.

She slid off the trunk and gathered the wool blanket and food basket the other volunteers at the clinic prepared for her before she left. Opening the driver’s side door, she settled in, knowing that without help, she would probably need to stay here for the night. This was so not what I hoped for when I signed up with Doctors Without Borders.

The summer between graduating with her Bachelor’s and starting medical school, Meredith had the opportunity to volunteer with the mobile clinics in the Eastern Ukraine. She was assigned to go to Donetsk, right in the middle of the fighting between the Ukrainians, the Russians, and an independence movement of local rebels.

Meredith had hoped to get some real-time experience before starting classes, but her role as a volunteer meant she often got stuck doing mundane jobs the doctors and nurses didn’t want to do. Even worse, she still didn’t feel like she was trusted doing many tasks yet, so a lot of her time was spent getting out of the way and watching. Going to Kiev to retrieve needed medications seemed like her chance to do something of value, so when it came up, she impulsively volunteered—or at least offered before she had fully considered it.

Two days later, she was supplied with a car, directions, and an emergency gas container in her trunk.

How things can change in just ten hours.

In an ideal world, she would already be at the hotel in Kiev, getting ready for bed. Tomorrow she’d have picked up the medications and returned to Donetsk, a heroine to the doctors and nurses, worthy of respect and trust. What would they think if they found out she was lost and alone on an abandoned road in the farmlands of the Ukraine?

Somewhere between the waning fear of being lost and the warmth of the wool blanket, Meredith started to doze. As her mind fell into sleep, she dreamt of performing important surgeries but was disrupted by a man looking in from the gallery.

Meredith’s eyes opened. There was a man knocking on the window.

A traffic-stopping gorgeous man saying words she couldn’t understand.

With a sleep-panicked heartbeat, she ran her hands through her travel-tossed hair and used the crank handle to roll the glass down an inch.

“Tobi potribna dopomoha?” He spoke gently, his tone deep and rich. His large hands rested on either side of the driver’s side door, bracing his tall frame as he bent to talk through the window. With dark hair and a shadow on his angular chin—evidence he hadn’t shaved for several hours, if not a day or two—the man could have been threatening, but his eyes eased her fears. Two deep pools of dark blue outlined in thick lashes looked down on her with genuine concern. “Tobi potribna dopomoha?”

She stared blankly, then suddenly realized his intention. He’s offering to help. She bit her bottom lip, forming her thoughts in broken Ukrainian. Say hello, Meredith, she scolded herself. “Zdravstuvyte.” She was sure she mispronounced even this most basic greeting, but the man smiled at her. Ask if he can speak English. Slowly she tried again. “Um…Mozhesh…” She sighed, frustrated. “Do you speak English?”

“Tak. Yes, I speak English.” His grin made her feel comfortable despite her awkwardness. He gestured to the open hood of her car. “You need help, dushen’ka?”

“Yes. I mean, tak.” She opened her door and stood next to him. He wore a green military jacket, American Levis, and brown lace-up work boots. She couldn’t help but notice his height, well over six feet, and the angles that didn’t stop at his chin. Every inch of his body was defined as if created with a sculptor’s chisel. His wide shoulders slanted into defined abs and a slim waist. Her gaze dropping farther, she bit her lips to rein in a sigh. Yep, he had the whole package.

Walking to the front of the car, he asked, “What happened here?” He ducked under the hood and fiddled with some of the connections.

“I think it overheated.” Meredith stood behind him, worried about what he would find wrong with the car, but not hating the view of him leaning over the engine.

“Overheated, yes. Fire, perhaps too?” He chuckled and ran his finger across the underside of the hood, pulling a line of black onto his finger. “You had smoke?” He gestured, making billows with his hands.

“Tak. Yes. Lots of smoke. But no fire that I saw.” She hoped there hadn’t been flames coming from the engine, something a reasonable driver would see.

He shrugged out of his jacket and threw it into the bed of his truck. Meredith’s eyebrows lifted as she studied the form-fitting black t-shirt and the two powerful arms he uncovered. He disappeared farther under the hood, and she stood back to watch. Between the car breaking down, a possible fire, and their inelegant introduction, she wondered what this very attractive man must think of her. Let’s try not to act like a total idiot, Meredith. Circling to the other side of the hood, she leaned in to observe, hoping she didn’t seem completely clueless. “Can you see anything that’s wrong?”

“There’s no water, for one thing.” His eyes twinkled up at hers over the engine, and he smiled crookedly. She caught herself staring again and then swooning when he looked away to test another connection.

“Oh. Water. That’s pretty important.” She cringed as she said it, realizing how silly she sounded. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he mocked her or showed contempt for her ineptness, but his eyes held warmth.

He pointed to the radiator, and she leaned onto the frame of the car toward him. “Without water, the engine will get too hot.”

Water! I’ve got this! “I have a jug of water in the back,” she volunteered, finally feeling helpful. “We can fill the reservoir, and I’ll be off.” Meredith stood to go retrieve the jug and smacked her head—hard—on the edge of the raised hood.

The man winced as Meredith staggered back from the car. Before she knew it, he was by her side, leading her to sit in the passenger side of her car. “Are you all right?”

With his arm around her, she felt a little woozy, and it had nothing to do with the knock on her head. Her cheek pressed up against his shoulder as he guided her down to the seat, and she breathed in the scent of soap and leather.

“I’m okay. I’m good,” Meredith insisted, but as she spoke, he retrieved a white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed it on her hairline where she had hit.

“Hold still. It’s bleeding a little.” His voice was commanding but calm.

She blinked and tried to sit still but it was impossible with this man kneeling in front of her, holding a cloth to her head and gently stroking her hair out of the way. “Here, let me,” Meredith offered, her face heating. She reached up to take hold of the handkerchief, brushing his fingers with her grasp.

Oh my!

As their fingers touched, their eyes connected. Whether it was a minute that passed or an hour, when he held her gaze and touched her, she forgot everything from the clinic to the broken-down car. For that moment, her fears turned to hopes, and her frustrations became possibilities. Not wanting to the break the spell, she hesitated before speaking. “I-I’ll probably get a goose egg, but I’m fine,” she stammered, dropping her eyes awkwardly.

“Why would you get a goose egg?”

His blank look made Meredith laugh. “It’s a saying in English to describe the bump a person gets after getting hit on the head. See?” She moved his hand, still pressing the cloth to her hairline and put it gently over the wound. She grimaced slightly as his fingers touched it. “The swelling is rounded like an egg.”

“A goose egg.” He looked down to her with his hands still holding back her hair, grasping it just a little longer than he should have. “Interesting.” He slid his hand off her scalp, never losing eye contact with her. “Stay here while I finish looking at the engine,” he said with a gravelly voice. She nodded, and he stooped under the hood.

Meredith sighed. The most interesting man I’ve talked to in months, and I can’t do anything right. Between being helpless with a broken-down car and clumsy with a bump on her head, she was doing little to impress anyone, let alone a gorgeous Ukrainian on a deserted road. She pressed the cloth against the developing bump on her head and lamented her bad luck. Well, at least the bleeding had stopped.

After a few moments, he stepped out and slammed the hood down. “It’s a bit more than the radiator. I can fix it, but I’ll need some tools at home.” He pointed at Meredith. “You can come home with me, too.”

Go home with you? Was he asking her to go to his place? She couldn’t cover the apprehension that must have shown on her face. This guy isn’t hitting on me, is he?

He must have read her expression because he held up his hands. “No, no!” He smiled kindly and spoke softly. “You can come so I can fix the car. Mama will like to help you. The farm is a short distance away. Tomorrow before mass I can use the farm truck and bring my brothers to help get your car.”

Meredith stood up while she weighed her situation. She had no working cell phone, no idea where she was going, and a car that was not moving. Although well taught in avoiding stranger-danger scenarios, few choices existed at this point. Besides, something about the man standing in front of her allowed her to trust. Yes, he was ruggedly dark and handsome, and he had eyes a shade of blue so deep they reflected shadows in the dark, but it was his smile, mischievous and repentant at the same time, that convinced her he was sincere. His mother probably saw that face every time she caught him misbehaving, and she likely forgave him every time. Seeing it made the corners of Meredith’s mouth involuntarily turn up. Her heart melted for the little boy behind the grin, but was wary of the man who had learned how to wield it.

“Is your mother at home?” Meredith asked, trying to get a feel for what she was walking into. “You don’t live alone?”

“No, no. I live in Kiev.” He laughed and flashed those dimples again. “Here is my family’s home. We all come home for, um…” he struggled for the word. “Brother’s baby to get name, and priest…” he pantomimed a priest blessing a baby and finished by crossing himself.

“A christening?” she prompted. “Your brother’s baby is to be christened tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said proudly. “I am to be godfather.” Scanning the car and Meredith he said, “You can come, too. Stay with my family, and I will help with the car.”

“No, no. I couldn’t intrude on your family.” She bit her lip and looked up at him. “Could you just drop me at the nearest town? I’ll get some help tomorrow.” Somehow. The truth was she didn’t know what to do.

The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he watched her refuse his help. Again he addressed her with the soft endearment. “Dushen’ka, I don’t know your name.”

“Meredith. Meredith St. Claire.” She glanced up and found his eyes locked on her.

“I am Kostya Dychenko.” He offered his hand, and she unconsciously placed hers in it. Although a simple handshake, his closeness sent pulses across her skin. Kostya must have felt it too, because he hesitated to let go, holding longer than she expected. She raised her gaze to his, and he studied her with a comfortable intensity as he leaned into her. “Mer—ee-dit?” he sampled the unfamiliar name. She nodded. “Mer—ee. Meri, I will not leave you without help. Please, come with me.”

Her mind weighed her options, and finding few, Meredith relented, and he helped her gather her things. She locked up the car and breathlessly jumped into his little truck.

The windows were rolled down, and the outside air, cooled by the nearby channels of irrigation water, circulated through the cab. Around them, the endless acres of crops were indistinguishable except by their shadows in the bright moonlight. It was a few months until harvest, but the earthy smell of green filled the air as they drove between the fields. At first the noise from the engine and the blowing air discouraged conversation, yet an unexpected charge ran through Meredith as Kostya glanced at her, setting her head spinning with curiosity about the stranger sitting next to her. She longed to discover more.

“What do you do in Kiev?” she asked, awkwardly raising her voice over the sound of the truck. She found herself leaning into the center of the bench seat, her foot tucked under her thigh and her hips turned toward him. Kostya, she noticed, rested one hand on the seat just inches from her knee.

“I am student at University of Kiev. I study computers.”

Meredith knew that Kiev was a becoming a center for outsourcing computer work, so his major was not surprising. “Programming? Engineering? Software?”

“Engineering. But I have classes in programming, too.” His answers were concise, but she believed it was due more to his developing English skills than to clipped conversation. He glanced again in her direction, seemingly amused by her interest. Even in the dim light of the truck’s cab his eyes soaked up the light, and her image was reflected in them. Meredith couldn’t breathe until Kostya looked back to the road.

Kostya awkwardly ran his hand through his hair, and set it back down, nearly brushing her knee. Her stomach fluttered at his closeness, and the possibility of his hand touching hers danced through her mind. She forced herself to focus on their conversation. “What do you want to do when you graduate?”

He pressed his lips together. “It is not so much what I want to do, but what I find to do.” He grabbed the wheel with both hands as the car jolted over a pothole in the road. “Here, choices are still controlled by the country, but there is hope for more freedom.”

In her preparation to go to the Ukraine, she had studied the political clash between westerners who wanted to join the European Union and those in the east who wanted to align with Russia. This conflict was the basis for fighting all over the country. Interested in his ideas, and hoping to impress him a little with knowledge of his homeland, Meredith asked, “Do you think joining the European Union will help?”

He laughed and glanced at her as they hit another bump. “I think getting road workers to fix the roads will help.” When he smiled the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“I guess that’s true.” Meredith blushed, realizing her question was somewhat controversial. Leave it to a politician’s daughter to make it all about politics. She watched his hand as it returned to the seat beside her, his fingers thrumming nervously. Coyly, she wove her own fingers around her folded leg, bringing her knee close to her body. Kostya’s lips twitched, and he returned his hand to the steering wheel. They sat silently, and uncomfortably she glanced around hoping for inspiration to keep the conversation going.

“When I was in the Spetnaz, we worked with the E.U. countries’ military forces,” he said, breaking the lull. She sensed hesitation in his words, but was grateful he had offered them, easing the awkwardness she felt.

“What is Spetnaz? Is it the military?”

Kostya nodded. “Army. Spetsnaz is Special Forces,” he said. “I was Spetsnaz-Alfa until a few years ago.” He pointed to a military-style patch hanging from the rear-view mirror. She leaned forward and reached to touch it and get a better look. It was black with a gold sword in the center. At the base of the sword was a blue cross with a pair of wings that unfurled along the sides of the shield-shaped badge. A letter “A” marked the top part of the cross.

“Special Forces. That must be hard work.”

“It is.”

“Why did you leave?” she ventured, hoping she wasn’t being too pushy.

“Sometimes soldiers want power more than honor.” Kostya shrugged. He turned, his eyes resting on her for a moment, and then returning to the road. “I believe in honor and doing what is right.” His focus seemed to drift away for a moment, but he quickly shook off whatever thoughts he was having and smiled at her. “Besides, my family needed my help to keep the farm.”

Meredith returned his expression, but sat silently for the next several moments, allowing his confession to settle. When he spoke about honor, his deep voice was full of conviction. He’d returned home for honor and family. She’d sensed something in him earlier, so perhaps this depth of character was what she felt when she chose to trust him.

Turning on a dirt road marked only with a reflector post at the corner, Kostya gestured to her door. “Now it will be dirty, so your window is better up.” She rolled up the glass as Kostya navigated across a narrow wooden bridge taking them over the main irrigation ditch. The dirt road inclined to the crest of a small hill, and from the top she could see lights and shadows from a group of buildings in the small valley.

“This is our farm. It is Dychenko land for five hundred years,” Kostya explained proudly.

“It’s beautiful,” Meredith said. “I can’t wait to see it all in daylight.”

“My parents expected me from Kiev earlier,” Kostya said. “I hope I haven’t kept everyone awake.”

Meredith felt her stomach knot, unsure if her presence would be as welcome as Kostya promised. “Who is here?”

“My two brothers, Anatoli and Bohdan, and Bohdan’s family, a couple aunts and uncles, and, of course, my parents.”

Meredith snorted. “Is that all?” she mumbled to herself. Taking a deep breath, she studied the simple home they approached.

They pulled up to the largest building, a house with a stone foundation, walls made of a straw and mud adobe-like material, and a roof covered in thick thatch. Bright lights shined on the outside dirt lot where several cars were parked, and the front porch was lit to welcome their arrival. Every part of the house except for the roof had been whitewashed recently, giving it a clean, homey feeling that contrasted with the dark browns of the roof and the rich black soil. The porch was small, but yellow and purple flowers had been planted in colorful terracotta containers placed on the steps and beside the door. The effect was rustic and charming.

As soon as they pulled up, the front door opened and the family rushed to Kostya. Meredith smiled as Kostya embraced and laughed and teased and praised his family. She didn’t want to intrude, so she stepped back, planning to observe. Kostya, however, grasped her hand and quietly said, “Sliduy za mnoyu, Meri. Come with me.” Bringing her to the center of the group, he stood before his mother. He put her hand into his mother’s and placed his hand over both while talking to his mother softly in Ukrainian. His mother grasped Meredith’s hand with fingers swollen with arthritis and smiled, showing lines at her deep blue eyes similar to those Meredith had noticed on her son.

“Laskavo prosymo, Meri,” she proclaimed, and held Meredith’s hand to her heart. Kostya quickly translated, “Welcome,” as the family surrounded her with traditional hugs and light kisses on her cheeks. As an American, the physically close greetings were awkward at first, but feelings of warmth and welcome surrounded Meredith as Kostya’s family embraced her.

Meredith was both comforted by Kostya’s presence and distracted by him. As they swirled through the family, she found her eyes searching for and finding his gaze over and over again. With each look, she felt more light-headed and giddy, like a love-struck teenager shadowing her upper-classman crush after the Homecoming game. At the same time, she was anxious about making an impulsive connection with Kostya, who had been a stranger just a short time ago. She needed to focus on the real world. Reality was a broken-down car and acquiring medications to transport from Kiev, not dreaming of a way-too-handsome man rescuing her, sweeping her into his arms, and embracing her in the moonlight.

Jeez, I need to cut back on the romance novels I read.

As the family moved inside, Kostya led her to the car to get their things. He carried both of their bags inside and tiptoed into the house. The Dychenkos’ home was humble but clean and comfortable. Lavender, which must have been growing nearby, was fragrant in the air that circulated in the space. The ceilings were lifted by square wooden beams that were darkly stained making the otherwise cramped space seem more spacious. Rustic wood floors ran the length of the house, where the others were disappearing into a couple of small rooms that shared a washroom between.

The main room took up nearly half the house. One side of the room served as the kitchen with a stove that had a chimney running up to the ceiling. A large wooden table with benches was pushed up against the side wall, ready to be pulled out for meals. On the other side of the main room was a seating area with a sofa and several chairs.

As they approached, Kostya gestured for Meredith to be quiet and whispered, “It is late and the children are sleeping.” A few children were bundled in blankets rolled out onto the floor. “It is not much, but Mama felt you could stay here with the children.” Twinkling in the dim lights, his eyes held her breathlessly for a moment then dropped tentatively as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing the curls off his forehead.

“This will be perfect. Thank you, Kostya,” Meredith said. “I am so grateful to your family for helping me.”

“My brothers, Bohdan and Anatoli, and I will go tomorrow morning and tow your car.” He raised his gaze to hers again. “We will be back to dress and eat before mass.”

“Where are you sleeping, Kostya?” Meredith looked around at the small home.

“Anatoli and I will sleep with the boys in the hay loft.” He grinned. “It will remind me of the summers I spent there as a boy.”

Meredith couldn’t help but return his smile, his energy contagious. They stood quietly, eyes locked for a moment more than was comfortable. But all at once she realized how much she liked the awkwardness and discomfort of Kostya looking at her. It made her cheeks flush and her hands shake, but she couldn’t stop smiling if she tried. She wondered if he kissed her if his lips would be soft against hers, or a little rough like his work-calloused hands were. Would he sweep her into his arms or cup her face in his hands?

As Kostya turned to leave, Meredith hastily added, “Good night, Kostya. Thank you for saving me today.” She gave a friendly smile, a difficult thing to do with his imagined kiss replaying in her mind.

He’d definitely be a sweep-me-into-his-arms type.

Kostya hesitated and looked at his boots for just a moment. Then, as if he heard her thoughts, he decisively stepped forward. For a moment Meredith braced for it. He drew closer, almost touching her.

“Dyadʹko! Dyadʹko Kostya!”

Startled by the eager voice beside them, they peered down at a child with a pair of chocolate brown eyes outlined with curls, clapping her hands and jumping in excitement. He laughed. “My niece, Daria.”

Kostya picked up the little one with one arm and groaned, pretending she was too heavy, only to be met with giggles and hugs when he did lift her. Flipping her up in his arms, he kissed her liberally on both cheeks and carried her back to her place on the floor. Meredith watched as he whispered back and forth with the youngster and smiled when they both looked over at her and talked some more. He tucked blankets in around her, kissed her again, and after a few words wishing a good night, came to Meredith, leaving contentment on the little girl’s face.

“She’s very fond of you,” Meredith observed.

“And I of her. She is Bohdan’s daughter.” He grinned and teased, “She wanted to know if you were a princess.”

“A princess? Why would she think that?”

“She was impressed by your golden hair.” Kostya fingered a curl on her shoulder and stepped closer. “And she said you are very beautiful.” Meredith could feel her face warm as Kostya raised his hand and gently brushed the bump on her forehead. “Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head no, and he dropped his hand. “We must sleep, dushen’ka.”

“Yes, we should.” Meredith exhaled a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. He stepped back, and taking her hand, he kissed it quickly. “Good night,” he whispered, and he pivoted toward the door and out.

She stayed in place for a moment, enjoying the bubbles of intoxication that were racing through her body. Putting the hand that he just kissed to her cheek, she leaned up against the wall. Was this even possible? She slowly surveyed the room, enchanted by every detail: the copper teapot on the stove, the colorful plates decorating the wall, the table and benches that were scratched and dented and loved by a close-knit family. She contemplated the three children snuggled in blankets on the floor. Even so small they knew they had a place in this world and in this family. They were so free to welcome me, too.

Ever since she reached the Ukraine, she’d felt alone. At the clinic she was flotsam and jetsam, useless debris that floated around and got in the way. Only here an hour and she knew she had a place. How could they have known that she needed to belong?

Then there was Kostya, a man she met just hours ago. She had always been so careful with her relationships with men, never taking emotional or physical risks, avoiding anything that would cause a scandal or tarnish her father’s name. Tonight, with Kostya, she felt reckless and impulsive, and she had never felt more alive.

Just thinking about Kostya’s endless blue eyes and his roguish smile made her blush. I think he wanted to kiss me, and I would have let him! The confession was liberating, especially since nothing would ever come of it. Their existences were too different from one another, their lives half-a-world apart. But fate had thrown them together, and Meredith looked forward to the strange possibilities that a broken-down car, a foreign land, and a handsome rescuer offered.