Chapter 9: (Eugene’s Story)

IT SEEMED CATHERINE was on the side of Eugene staying with Sasha. She begged the two to stay a few more days because travel would be difficult with the number of people fleeing the city. The roads would definitely be dangerous, and she was worried larger gangs of ruffians would be flooding into The Patch.

Eugene spent his day doing more cleaning of the yard and grounds around Catherine’s home. He learned the names of some of the neighbors who returned from the river to assess the damage to their homes and collect precious heirlooms from the ashes. He helped move charred timbers and reinforce fences or partial walls.

The day passed quickly. Sasha and Catherine joined Eugene in cleaning and repairing. Two neighbors joined them for dinner and told of their flight from the flames and losses they had seen. The two men took Catherine’s son’s room for the night and were up early in the morning to continue their salvage operation. Eugene and Sasha again spent the night in the daughter’s bedroom, which solidified her unavailability to the other men. They treated her as Eugene’s wife and respected boundaries.

Those boundaries were becoming less firm between Sasha and Eugene. Sasha became more aggressive with him, insisting he help her remove her frock and help her into the nightdress Catherine had provided. She trembled beneath his touch. He could tell she was scared or worried or aroused or all three. As the nightdress slipped over her bare shoulders, she let her chemise fall to the floor. The nightgown draped over her breasts, and she pulled Eugene’s hands around her to hold them.

“Sasha, it is not a good idea to become involved with me. I cannot stay with you. As soon as you return to Joliet, you will marry your cousin and I will disappear,” Eugene explained, unable to keep his hands from enjoying their perch.

“When I am married, will my husband want to do this?” she asked, continuing to hold his hands to her breasts.

“No doubt he will.”

“Will it feel as good as your hands on me?”

“I suspect it will.”

“Then I will anticipate his caress as much as I crave yours. Come to bed and hold me, Eugene.”

There was no question that Eugene’s body was ready for much more than the caresses being offered. He restrained himself with unrealized discipline, so he did not cross any line she had not erased. She could not help but feel his arousal against her and subtly shifted her weight and position to rub against him more.

“Sasha, my dear, we must constrain ourselves to sleep. When a man is aroused as I am, it is difficult to restrain himself from the desire to mate. In your innocence, you are encouraging the drive,” Eugene said.

“I know how it all works,” Sasha said. “I was raised on a farm and have seen all manner of animals breeding. I believe I may be coming into season myself. What difference will my husband know if I am already gravid when we marry?”

“I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Eugene said. “You are still suffering from the shock of the fire and the intense labor of helping Catherine with the cleanup. Sleep now, love. We should move tomorrow.”

Idiot! How will you explain to Wells that she offered herself to you and you declined?

“I think instead of a conscience, you are the devil on my shoulder!”

“Let me be an angel on your shoulder instead,” Sasha whispered back, rolling to face him and kiss him.

The kiss was soft and tentative, demonstrating Sasha’s inexperience. Eugene struggled with himself to avoid giving in to the sensations Sasha aroused in him and eventually she slept on his shoulder, her lips still inches from his.

That wasn’t enough. Your kisses were not deep enough to transfer the genetic material. You are hopeless!

The morning was a replay of the previous day with the addition of the two men at breakfast, who returned to their own ruined homes to continue their salvage work. At about noon, Catherine’s son, James, returned with a wagon laden with supplies. He was happy to see Eugene there to help with the reconstruction. They framed an open shelter for the livestock and unloaded hay beneath it. The chickens were happy to get into the yard when scratch was scattered for them. Overnight, two more chickens had arrived.

The neighbor men left to return to their wives, sheltered on the outskirts of town, taking Catherine’s horse and empty wagon with them to load their own building supplies.

“I believe we need to move on toward Joliet tomorrow,” Eugene said. “Now that your son has returned and there are soldiers patrolling the streets, you should be safe from the gangs.”