Catching Kent (11 page)

“
He told you
this?”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t have
to. I just know by the way he plays music. The only time he feels
at peace is when he’s playing the piano.”

Her pa hesitated to answer and finally
sighed. “Honey, I know you mean well. You’ve always been more
perceptive about people than your brothers and sisters. But there’s
a reason Kent hasn’t mentioned his past, and we need to honor that.
Try not to push him to tell you things he’s not comfortable talking
about, alright?”

“
I won’t.”

Besides, it wasn’t his past she was
interested in. She wanted to be in his future, to make a life with
him as his wife and have his children. Whatever happened in his
past didn’t have to affect his future. She only hoped he understood
that. She glanced at her pa who was staring at the flat land
surrounding their house. The corn was growing nicely and if the
weather cooperated, they’d have a good crop that year.

“
Pa?” she asked.

“
Hmm?”

“
Do you like
Kent?”

“
Yes,” he replied. “He’s a
nice young man who has respect for others.”

“
So you wouldn’t mind
having him as a son-in-law?”

“
Rose, there are some
things you can’t, and shouldn’t, try to control. If things are
meant to be, they’ll work out. If not, then they won’t. Don’t force
it and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Alright?”

“
Alright.”

He stood up and patted her on the
shoulder. “Don’t stay up too long. I’d like your help washing the
horses tomorrow.”

“
I’ll go back to bed soon,”
she promised.

After he went into the house, she
turned her attention to the sky, watching the stars as they
twinkled. She loved watching them. They were incredibly romantic,
and she couldn’t help but think of the many times Kent had looked
up at the sky, maybe even on the same nights she had in the past.
Perhaps there were even nights he sat under the stars and wondered
if someone would ever come along who would love him.

Biting her lower lip, she tried to
figure out her best course of action. She wasn’t a great cook like
Harriett, so there was no sense in winning Kent over by tasty
meals. If that was all it took to win him, then he’d already be in
love with Harriett anyway. But since he wasn’t, it couldn’t be that
important to him. She’s tried tending to him, helping him walk and
reading to him, but he wasn’t the type who wanted to be
pampered.

All she could do was what her father
suggested: just be herself. She needed to get him to spend enough
time with her so he could get to know her better. The question was
how was she going to put him in a situation where he had to spend
time with her? It had to be a situation where he could relax and
enjoy her company.

After a few minutes of deep thinking,
she wasn’t any closer to the answer. She yawned and stood up.
Perhaps she’d think better after a good night’s sleep. Deciding
that would be the best course of action, she headed back to
bed.

Chapter Ten

A couple days later, Rose intercepted
her uncle before he left the house. “How is Kent doing, Uncle
Joel?”

He halted in mid-step and laughed.
“You often appear out of nowhere, Rose.”

She moved aside so he could go out the
front door. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been curious about his condition.
Is he doing better?”

“
Yes. He doesn’t need the
crutch anymore. He’s not back to his old self yet, but he’s close
to it.”

“
That’s good.” She followed
him as he headed toward his horse. “Don’t you want to stay for
supper?”

“
Usually, I’d say yes, but
I promised your aunt that I’d be home early tonight. Lisa is
bringing over her baby and if it’s one thing us grandparents can’t
resist, it’s a chance to see our grandchildren.”

“
Oh, alright.”

He untied the horse from the post.
“I’ll try to stay for supper next time I come out.”

As he hopped up on the saddle, she
noticed his medical bag. “How old is that thing?”

He glanced at it and shrugged. “Not
sure. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.”

“
Do you keep it because it
reminds you of all the years you’ve been a doctor?”

“
No. I keep it because I
can’t afford a new one. There are always other things—more
important things—I need to buy.”

She considered his words. “Do you need
money?”

“
I’m not in the business of
taking money from your parents, Rose.”

So he did need it. Before he could
leave, she grabbed the reins and smiled. “I have an idea! Why don’t
you have a bachelor auction to raise money?”

“
A bachelor
auction?”

“
Yes! I read about it in a
dime novel. There was this man who needed money to buy a train
ticket to help his brother on his farm. He entered a bachelor
auction to get it and headed out to Kentucky. But the train ended
up in a terrible accident and the man had to walk the rest of the
way. He got stuck in a thunderstorm so he went into a bar where he
ended up getting into a brawl. Then he got sick with consumption.
He died and locusts ate all of his brother’s crops so he couldn’t
keep the farm. His brother decided to hang himself. It was so sad.
My heart ached for two whole days.”

Her uncle grimaced. “You need to read
happier books.”

“
Don’t worry. I’m now
reading a comedy.”

“
Good.”

“
Oh, I remember what I was
going to say. You should have a bachelor auction to raise money so
you can buy things you need, like a new medical bag. That thing is
ready to fall apart.” Her eyes lit up and she patted the horse’s
nose. “Have women bid on the man of their choice.”

He tilted his hat back.
“What?”

“
It’s perfect.” She’d been
wondering what she could do to get Kent to spend time with her, and
this was the answer she’d been looking for. “Have the women bring a
lunch to share with the man they bid on.”

“
I don’t know. Shouldn’t
the men be bidding on the women? Or maybe bid on the lunches and
end up sharing it with the woman who made the lunch?”

“
No. That’s a silly idea.”
Especially since she didn’t think Kent would bid on her or anything
she made. What she needed was a guaranteed way to get time with
Kent, and if she bid high enough, he’d have to share a couple of
hours with her. “I think women should get to choose the man they
share their meal with. They will go through all the trouble of
making it, after all.”

He hesitated. “It is an interesting
idea. Do you really think enough men and women will agree to this
to make it worth doing?”

“
I wouldn’t have suggested
it if I didn’t.”

After a moment, he nodded. “Alright.
What can it hurt?”

“
It’ll be
wonderful!”

He chuckled and lifted the reins. “I
got to hand it to you, Rose. You come up with some of the best
ideas of anyone I’ve ever known.”

“
Really?”

“
Sure do. If anyone’s in a
bind, you’re the perfect person to help them.”

Pleased, she grinned at his
compliment. For once, having an imagination seemed to work in her
favor.

“
I’ll stop by next week and
we can work out the details then.”

“
I’m looking forward to
it.”

He waved and she returned the gesture
as he rode away.

***

“
Thank you for taking me to
town,” Kent told Mr. Larson as he gingerly climbed into the wagon.
Even if he didn’t need a crutch, he still had to take it easy
because his ribs were sore. Sometimes he wondered if he’d ever
completely heal.

As he settled into a comfortable
position, Mr. Larson smiled. “I’m heading to town
anyway.”

“
Wait for me!” an
all-too-familiar voice called out.

Kent hesitated to look over his
shoulder because he already knew who it was, but he couldn’t stop
himself. Sure enough, Rose was hurrying toward them, her golden
waves bouncing off her shoulders as she ran across the lawn. He
told himself he needed to stop watching her, but her hair wasn’t
the only thing bouncing. He didn’t like the way his thoughts were
going. Nothing could be more inappropriate with her father close
by. Forcing his eyes off her chest, he finally managed to turn from
her, relieved when he realized her father hadn’t noticed how he was
watching his daughter.

Rose reached the wagon and shot Kent a
smile that somehow didn’t irk him today. He told himself it was
only because he’d soon be on a train going to California. Surely,
this explained his improved mood. That had to be it. It had nothing
to do with her. Besides, what man wouldn’t notice a woman’s breasts
if she was running toward him? He’d have to be blind not to look.
And really, why didn’t she know better than to run anyway? She
should stroll toward the wagon like a lady was supposed to
do.

“
Ma told me to come along,”
Rose told her father. “She wants me to pick up some items from the
mercantile.”

After a moment, her father nodded.
“Alright.” Glancing at Kent, he said, “I forgot a couple supplies
last time I went, and Rose has a great memory.”

“
And I can’t ruin supper if
I’m not cooking it,” she joked as her father helped her into the
wagon. She sat between her father and Kent, and unfortunately for
Kent, the wagon wasn’t wide enough to avoid touching her. “I’d like
to say the incident with the stew was rare, but I don’t share my ma
or sister’s talent for cooking,” she told Kent.

Kent supposed he could have told her
that he’d never marry a woman who couldn’t cook, but for some
reason, he didn’t have the heart to do so when he recalled how Adam
and Eli had hurt her feelings about the stew. Instead, he offered a
slight shrug, figuring it was best not to say anything. Who knew if
he’d say something to encourage her without realizing it? For sure,
he’d never come out and say something stupid like, “With the amount
of money I have, my wife won’t have to cook because the servants
will do it.” He wasn’t going to take a wife—ever—so there was no
point in worrying about it.

“
Pa, do you mind if I stop
to see Uncle Joel while we’re in town?” she asked.

“
I don’t see why not, as
long as he’s in his office,” her father replied.

Though she wasn’t looking at Kent, her
hand brushed his. He quickly pulled his hand away, but as her
father urged the horses forward, her arm touched his and she made
no move to position herself so she was no longer touching him. He
sighed. This was going to be a long ride, and he couldn’t decide if
it was because she was intentionally finding a way to touch him or
because his body actually liked it.

Kent decided not to talk while Rose
spent the next hour rambling away about all the wonderful dreams
she had the night before. He honestly didn’t know how her father
patiently listened to her through it all. If she hadn’t kept
finding a way to brush her thigh or arm against him, he would have
fallen asleep. When they finally arrived to town, he breathed a
sigh of relief.

Mr. Larson stopped in front of the
mercantile and set the brake. “The bank is just down
there.”

Kent looked in the direction he
pointed.

“
Rose,” her father began as
he helped her down from the wagon, “I’m going to take Kent to the
bank. You go ahead and start collecting the items your ma wants.
I’ll join you soon.”

To Kent’s relief, she didn’t insist
that she should go to the bank, too. He waited until she was
entering the mercantile before he stepped down from the wagon. As
he joined Mr. Larson who was chuckling, he asked, “Am I walking
funny?”

“
No.” He shook his head and
slowed his pace so Kent could keep up with him. “I love my
daughter, but I also realize she’s not for everyone. To be honest,
I’m so used to young men trying to court her that it’s nice to know
I don’t have to worry about one who’s a guest under my own
roof.”

It took him a moment, but Kent caught
his meaning. “Even if I was, I wouldn’t do anything.”

“
I know. I didn’t intend to
imply you’d take advantage of a situation. Some men would, but I
know you wouldn’t.”

Curious, Kent studied him. He seemed
sincere. Maybe he meant it. Either way, Kent was afraid to ask
about it. After all he’d been through, it’d be nice if there was
someone like his uncle who could believe the best about
him.

When they entered the bank, Mr. Larson
led him to a middle-aged man working there. “How are you doing,
Doug?”

“
Doing good, Dave. Who do
you have with you?”

“
This is Kent Ashton. Kent,
this is Doug Connealy.”

Kent shook his hand and greeted
him.

“
Kent’s here to transfer
some money to this bank,” Mr. Larson said. “He’s an honest young
man, so you can trust him.”