When he noticed her normally rosy cheeks getting rosier after her second glass of champagne he cut her off. She tried pouring herself a third glass, but he took it away much to her disappointment and resorted to drinking directly from the bottle.

“Nein, Katarina!” yelled Thomas as he took the bottle from her hands, trying not to laugh. She bit her plump bottom lip and gazed at him with doe eyes that melted his insides.

“We’re leaving. Now,” he said, gulping the last of his whiskey and standing up.

“Already? Why?”

He leaned over and replied in German, “Because sometimes, a man just wants to go home and fuck.” When his eyes fell on her cleavage, a familiar ache flowed through her body. He took her hand and began leading her out of the saloon when she heard a woman’s voice.

“Hello, stallion! I thought I’d never see you again.” She toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt. “Did you bring that rosemary water?”

Kate heard him mutter and curse in German. He forgot about his last visit. She tilted her head to the side to see the woman being blocked from her view. The two redheads made eye contact and the smile on the painted lady quickly disappeared.

“Hello, stallion,” repeated Kate in German as she glared at Thomas, who was unable to do or say much of anything. Kate looked at the pretty redhead who wore a beautiful green dress with a bustle and had jewelry and ruby red lips. A vast contrast from Kate’s simple prairie attire and effortless beauty.

Thomas finally gathered enough courage to look at Kate and attempted to say something, but all he was able to muster was a low mumble as he shook his head.

“Mmhmm,” replied Kate, who held her head up high and walked out of the saloon.

The remaining redhead in the saloon scoffed as Thomas chased after his sister.

He trailed behind her like a puppy as they walked back to the Cavendish, scratching his head and hesitating every time he was about to speak. He had no idea what to say or do at the embarrassing scenario that had just unfolded. Kate walked silently up the stairs and went into their room, letting the door hit Thomas as he straggled behind her. He removed his hat and jacket and sat in a chair like a child awaiting punishment, not sure what to expect.

“It happened before we…” He stopped speaking when she shot him a menacing glare, but to his surprise, she began slowly undressing in front of him until she was completely naked. Kate quietly crawled into bed, slipping under the soft sheets and lying against the fluffy pillows while watching Thomas. Taking it as an invitation, he got up, walked to the ethereal vision in front of him, and as he leaned in to kiss her, she spoke in a soft voice that sent bolts of lightning coursing through him.

“Nein. The stallion can sleep on the floor tonight,” she said as she gently handed him a fluffy pillow and turned her back to him, leaving him to pick up his jaw off the floor.

It was not unusual for men to frequent prostitutes and Kate was well aware of that, but she never thought she would be confronted with one he had been with and didn’t know how she felt about the fact that they shared physical traits.

“Yes, my love,” replied Thomas in German. After standing in place for what felt like an eternity, he finally sat on the floor next to the bed and removed his shirt and boots, frequently looking at Kate’s bare back splayed beautifully in the most decadent bed he had ever seen. Kate heard him sigh a few times before he eventually fell asleep while she lay awake thinking about the night’s events.

It was still dark out when Thomas woke up on the floor to find Kate completely draped over him. Her head was on his chest with her hair cascading to one side and she was tracing the muscles on his arm before resting her chin on Thomas’ chest to look up at him through the dark.

“I’m sorry you saw… that. I n—”

“Thomas?” Kate sat up, holding the sheet over her chest, her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight.

He brought his arm behind his head and waited for her question.

“Have you always fucked whores who look like me?”

He pressed his lips together and drew in a long breath before nodding.

“And you made them spray with my rosemary water?”

Thomas scratched his beard and ran his hand down with a shameful groan before admitting it.

She watched him for a moment, tilting her head to the side as her eyes moved over his bare chest. Before he knew it, Kate was straddling him and kissing him aggressively. When he removed his hand behind his head and brought it to the back of her neck, she grabbed it and pinned it above his head on the hardwood floor, doing the same with his other arm. Thomas’ breath hitched when she began kissing his neck and working her way down his chest, her soft curls brushing up against his skin. He tightened his jaw and let out a groan when he felt the bite on his pec. Kate reached the top of his trousers and without hesitating, unzipped them, letting the sheet that had been wrapped around her fall away, revealing her breasts. Unable to control himself, he tried to sit up and touch her.

“Nein,” she barked.

The dominant look she flashed at him was enough to make him lie back down in complete silence, watching in awe as she pulled down his pants and firmly gripped his length. He cursed under his breath the moment her lips wrapped around him, kissing and licking ravenously. Thomas raked his fingers through his hair, grabbing a handful of it and moaning as Kate continued her raid of him. She looked at him as she ran her tongue all the way up to his tip, stopping and giving him a wicked smile that set off fireworks through his entire body. When he tried to sit up again, she pushed on his chest and slammed him down on the floor, climbing over him and pinning his arms over his head. The passion percolating between them reached boiling point and Kate grabbed his thickness, positioning herself over it and enveloping him in one forceful move that made them both hiss.

“You’re mine,” she declared.

“All yours,” responded Thomas.

He gripped her thighs and pulled her harder onto him as she bounced on his length. The sound of her skin slapping his mixed with their moans resonated through the room.

When she sat upright and leaned slightly back with her body on full display, Thomas went off the rails and sat up.

“My turn,” he groaned before devouring her mouth.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, he got on his knees and turned her over so he was on top. Kate cried out and arched her back as Thomas squeezed in and out of her, raising her hips off the floor as his hands gripped her thighs. He watched her breast bounce wildly as she continued to cry out in ecstasy with each thundering thrust. Kate thought the whore at the saloon had christened him correctly. He felt like a stallion between her legs. An overwhelming desire to be one suddenly came over her and she tightened her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper. Feeling her burst all around him made him come and he continued to plunge into her until there was nothing left.

Both out of breath and completely sated, Thomas rolled over onto his back, lying next to Kate, panting. Barely a minute had passed when he felt a slap across his face.

“Don’t you ever go see one of those girls again,” said Kate, following the slap with a kiss, leaving a wide-eyed Thomas nodding without so much as a peep.

He looked up at the empty bed they would likely never get a chance to sleep in again and chuckled. Kate turned over on her stomach, resting on her forearms, and asked him what was wrong, laughing with him when he told her. They got quiet and stared at each other.

“Thomas?”

“Mmhmm?” He took the pillow on the floor and adjusted it behind his head.

“Do you really think that book is real?” she asked in a whisper.

He frowned and asked her what book she was talking about.

“You know, the lake. The devil. Heaven… hell.”

He pressed his lips together and reached over to brush away a lock of hair from her face. There was guilt he carried, not for himself but for her and the repercussions she would have to face either in life or in death.

“If it is, then I suppose we know where we’re going,” he said half-jokingly, lifting her chin. “Don’t let those silly stories of Dante and his seven circles of h—”

“Nine. Nine circles,” corrected Kate with a chuckle.

“Nine circles of hell get to you, little one. It’s just a story. But even if I’m wrong, which I’m not, the devil himself would probably walk right up to us and thank us for a job well done.”

A storm was brewing one chilly afternoon in December and the Streicher women were busy cooking Ma’s German stew for a family of travelers that decided to spend the night at the haberdashery. Getting your wagon wheels stuck in mud during a storm was not something any traveler would wish on their worst enemy. Expecting even more customers because of it, Kate went outside to fetch some extra meat from the root cellar. Pa had butchered a cow the previous month in preparation for winter and the women salt cured the beef. It was an arduous process, but the meat could be shelved or bagged for months. As Kate ascended the root cellar ladder, she saw what looked like the postman approaching. They had never received a piece of mail as they had no other family, so she found it odd and stood by the porch stairs, watching the man ride right up to their cabin.

“Kate Streicher?”

Kate silently nodded with wide eyes, holding the basket of salted meat for the stew. She felt a couple of rain drops hit her arm.

“I have a package from Mr. William Bartlett,” said the postman as he dismounted his horse and sorted through the saddlebag, pulling out a small box about the length of her palm, wrapped in burlap and twine with a letter attached.

Thomas and Pa were attempting to beat the rain and keep the firewood dry as they rushed inside. Ma, Kate, and the family sitting at their table were all admiring what looked like little eggs wrapped in colorful foil.

“I think I’ve heard of these. They’re chocolates. You eat them,” said the matriarch of the other family.

“Oh, I’ve heard of chocolate before, but I’ve never had any,” she replied as she peeled the foil just enough to see under it, smelling the dark chocolate and smiling. She held the box up for Thomas to smell and he gave her a look. He reluctantly sniffed the chocolates, which must’ve piqued his interest because he took one and began inspecting it himself.

“A man named Cadbury makes them. Well, he began the business, but his sons now own it. They’re gaining quite a following in the big cities especially,” explained the husband.

“Well, I can’t wait to have one after dinner,” said Kate, looking over at Thomas, who had already popped two in his mouth. “Thomas!” she yelled at him.

Thomas put the box down and winked at her. The men were headed to the porch to smoke when he noticed an opened letter peeking from under the burlap cloth. He grabbed it and started reading, mumbling profanities in German unbeknownst to the women at the table, who had just started a game of cards. Kate walked over to the kitchen to soak the cured beef while Thomas finished reading William’s letter.

“Your emerald eyes shine brighter than a thousand suns,” he reread out loud, letting out a snort.

Kate grinned as she rubbed the salt off the meat in the pot of water, chastising him for making fun.

“I think it’s rather lovely,” she said, turning her head to look at his reaction.

His smirk dissipated. “You like shit like this?”

She could see the jealousy brewing.

“It’s romantic. When was the last time you wrote me a poem or a letter?”

Thomas remained quiet for a brief moment and scoffed.

“I don’t write fucking letters.”

Kate tilted her head. “Mmhmm.”