The perfect mid-June morning outside the newly married Stepanovs’ rented home was bright and clear and inside, he was at peace. Strange, how a man could feel so good, so wonderful, cooking for his wife and Tanya while they snuggled in bed and talked. Women made a man’s life good and rich and happy. He shrugged mentally, standing near the stove in his pajama bottoms that Ellie had sewn for him. He’d never asked what drove her to Kamakani’s grave, but he knew—she fought to remove Kamakani’s curse, to protect Mikhail and their love, just as other women had done before her. While women had their secrets, Mikhail did not. The marriage he wanted as soon as possible was a flurry of preparation, with Ellie fussing over the dress she wanted, a traditional lacy Russian style, and Leigh, Bliss and Mary Jo in as much of a feminine flurry. Their preparations gave the Stepanov men and Ed plenty of time to consider house plans with a small pasture for Tanya’s new pony. “It’s a house.
