Catching Kent (3 page)

“
Yes, Pa,” she
said.

“
Good. Fill that pitcher
and leave what’s left over there.” He pointed to the table by
Adam’s bed. “We should get out of here so he can have some
quiet.”

“
I don’t think he hears us,
Pa,” Eli said. “I don’t hear nothing when I sleep.”

“
No,” her mother began,
“but if people are talking around you, you might wake up. Now, come
along. We need to grab something to eat and finish up our chores.
Then we’ll go to bed.”

As much as Rose wanted to stay and
watch the stranger sleep, she joined her family as they headed
downstairs to the kitchen. There were so many questions she had,
and her mind ran through several possibilities of who the stranger
was and why someone would beat him and leave him in an alley. Was
he an outlaw?

Perhaps he killed someone and the
person’s brother sought vengeance? Maybe he was on his way to elope
and the lady’s brother found out and was stopping the wedding? She
hoped it was the elopement. Not only did she hate the idea of an
outlaw being in her house, but a foiled elopement was a romantic
notion. Imagine how it’d be if a young man loved her enough to risk
everything to run off to marry her.

“
I can’t believe you,
Rose,” her sister said, interrupting her thoughts. “Even now when
we have all this going on, you stop everything to
daydream.”

“
I was just wondering about
the man upstairs.” Rose grabbed some bowls and spoons.

“
You’ll have time to think
about him when Pa and Eli are done eating.” Harriett shook her head
and adjusted her bun. “I’ll be glad when it’s autumn. I’m tired of
sweating every day.”

“
It won’t be long.” She
passed her mother and set the bowls and spoons on the table in
front of her pa and Eli. As she turned to help her ma with the
soup, she saw Harriett standing in front of the window, fanning
herself. On impulse, she grabbed a clean cloth, dipped it in the
pitcher of cool water by the sink and pressed it to her sister’s
forehead. “Is that better?”

With a pleased smile, Harriett nodded.
“Much. Sometimes I envy you, Rose. The heat doesn’t seem to bother
you as much as it does me.”

“
To be fair, you spend most
of your time inside. It’s hotter in the house.”

“
Yes, that’s
true.”

“
Why don’t you sit in the
parlor and rest? I’ll help Ma.”

“
Thank you.”

As Harriett left the kitchen, Rose
went to the shelf to collect the cups.

***

The next afternoon, Rose couldn’t hold
back her curiosity. She slipped into her brothers’ room where the
injured man still slept. She heard he’d waken once during the
night. He hadn’t woken again since then, but she wondered if he
might wake up while she was with him.

She sat on the chair by his bedside
and touched his forehead. So far, he didn’t have a fever. Smiling,
she brushed aside his brown hair which had blond highlights in it.
Even though his face was bruised, she could tell he was a handsome
man. High cheekbones, thick eyelashes, soft lips, a strong jaw…
Curious, she brushed his jaw, surprised the stubble should tickle
her fingertips.

She smiled and removed her hand from
his face. Examining the rest of him, she noted that he was strong,
much like her father and brothers, but unlike them, his shoulders
were a little broader. She guessed he was an inch or two taller
than them, too. She turned his hand over and noted how smooth it
was. There was no dirt under his fingernails either. This was also
different from her family. She placed her hand in his. Even though
his palm was smooth, it by no means made him soft. He was
wonderfully masculine. So much about him intrigued her.

Releasing his hand, she set her elbows
on her knees and resumed her study of his face. “Will you wake up
so I can talk to you?” she whispered, willing him to open his
eyes.

But he continued to sleep, his
breathing even and slow.

Despite her disappointment she said,
“That’s alright. You’ll wake when you’re ready. I’m just a little
impatient to learn about you, that’s all.”

She continued to watch him, wondering
what his past had been like, what brought him to Omaha, where he
was going. Her heart went out to him.

“
We’re not all like those
horrible men who hurt you,” she said, her voice soft. “It’s sure no
way to welcome a stranger to town.”

She leaned closer to him and brushed
aside his bangs again. It wasn’t that she had to. They weren’t in
his eyes or anything. She just had the urge to touch him. Had he
been awake, she never would have taken such liberties. But he was
asleep and no one could see her, so she could safely explore him.
His hair was soft, so unlike his facial hair. She brought her
fingers to his jaw again and noted the difference. He was so
fascinating.

The sound of footsteps made her
straighten in the chair and she clasped her hands in her lap. Her
heart pounding, she glanced over her shoulder, relieved no one had
seen her being so familiar with him.

Her mother and Eli entered the room,
and her mother frowned. “Rose, what are you doing here?”

“
I was curious about the
stranger,” she replied, her cheeks warm. Her curiosity had been
more personal than her mother would have preferred, but it was
still curiosity.

“
I don’t think it’s a good
idea for you to be in here alone with him,” her mother said and
placed a clean washcloth and towel by the water basin. She turned
to Eli. “Adam will be in here soon to help you tend to the young
man.”

“
Tend to him how? He’s
asleep,” Rose said, not hiding her surprise.

“
He needs to be woken up so
he can take his medicine and tend to other things,” her mother
replied.

“
Oh!” Of course, there
would be more practical reasons why she couldn’t be here when Eli
and Adam took care of the stranger. She hadn’t even thought that he
couldn’t visit the privy.

“
Why don’t you help your
father clean out the stalls?” She motioned to Rose’s pants. “You’re
already dressed for it.”

“
But then I’ll smell like
manure,” Rose protested. “What if he wakes up and wants to meet
everyone?”

“
He won’t be in any shape
to talk to us for a couple of days. The medicine your uncle gave
him will make him sleep most of the time.”

She nodded and left the room. A couple
of days? It would take a couple of days before she could talk to
him and learn all about him? How was she going to survive that
length of time? With a sigh, she headed for the barn.

Chapter Three

During church that Sunday, Rose had a
hard time focusing on the sermon. She couldn’t stop thinking about
the man resting in her brothers’ room. He’d been alert for such
brief periods of time that she didn’t get a chance to talk to him.
She’d managed to sneak in a couple of times to see him while he
slept, but her curiosity was bothering her more and more each
day.

When the sermon was over, she joined
the others as they filed outside to enjoy the nice sunny morning.
Usually, she’d love to stand around and talk with her friends and
family, but today, she wanted to get back home. She stood by her
mother, hoping she’d be done visiting with her aunts soon so they
could leave.

After a few minutes, she gave up and
turned toward the other people. Harriett was sitting by their
thirteen-year-old niece Esther, helping her braid her hair.
Harriett was so much like their mother. She had a tendency to take
care of others. It was a wonderful quality, one that Rose admired.
And at the moment, she had the urge to talk to her. At times, she
felt closer to her than anyone else.

As she headed for her sister, Stanley
Craftsman called out her name and jogged over to her. She glanced
around but didn’t see anyone close enough to run to. It was no
secret he wanted to court her but was to shy to ask, something she
hoped he’d never get up the nerve to do.

She cleared her throat and offered him
a polite smile, fiddling with the strings on her bonnet. “Hi,
Stan.”

“
You’re looking pretty
today,” he said, his hands in his pockets.

“
How can you tell the
difference between me and Harriett?”

“
You’re easier to
notice.”

She frowned and lowered her hands. “I
don’t understand.”

“
You’re the one who is
talking to people and doing things. She’s usually out of the way,
in the corner somewhere or,” he scanned the church yard, “helping
your cousin with her hair. You might look alike, but you’re nothing
like her.”

“
Oh.” That made sense.
“She’s got a lot of wonderful qualities.”

“
I know but so do
you.”

“
How’s your family?” she
asked, opting to change the topic before the conversation took a
turn she didn’t want.

“
Everyone’s doing fine.
I’ll be getting my own land before the end of the year. Then I’ll
get a house up before next summer.”

Her smile faltered. She didn’t like
the sound of this. She knew what he was hinting at and didn’t want
to hear any more. “That’s good, Stan. It really is. Adam plans to
get his own land soon, but he’s twenty-five. You’re only
twenty-one. You got time before you need to run off and get your
own farm.”

“
Actually, it’s time I left
home. I want to start thinking about the future.”

Something tugged on Rose’s dress, so
she looked down, relieved when she saw it was a one-year-old girl.
“Ida!” She reached down and picked her cousin up. “Why, you’re
walking already?”

Lisa Baron came over to them, an
apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry. Ever since she learned to
walk, she’s been all over the place.”

“
Oh, I didn’t mind at all,”
Rose said. And really, she didn’t! Ida had just rescued her from a
dangerous conversation. “She wants to go out and explore the world.
And who can blame her?” She tapped the girl’s nose and was rewarded
when the girl laughed. “There’s so much to see.”

“
I hope she doesn’t try to
explore too much too soon,” Lisa replied. “I want to enjoy the time
I have with her while she’s still a child.”

“
Oh, I’m sure you’ll have
more children soon enough. Then Ida will be running off and
exploring with all of her brothers and sisters.”

“
You know,” Stan began,
shifting from one foot to the other, “there’s lots of places to
explore on the land I’m going to buy. It’s ideal for
children.”

Rose bounced Ida in her arms and cooed
at her, intentionally avoiding eye contact with him. It wasn’t a
good sign that he was hinting at having a future with
her.

“
Rose, do you mind if I ask
about the stranger your pa took home this week?” Lisa
asked.

“
Stranger?” Stan looked at
Lisa. “What stranger?”

“
My pa tended to his
wounds,” Lisa told him.

“
Her pa is my uncle Joel.
He’s one of the town doctors,” Rose clarified.

“
Oh, right.” He nodded. “I
know who he is. What’s this about a stranger?”

Lisa shrugged. “Pa didn’t tell me much
about it. He got beat up pretty bad, from what I hear.”

“
He did,” Rose said. “He
came off the train and a couple men ran off with everything he had
except for the clothes on his back. We have no idea who he is or
what he’s doing in Omaha.”

“
Even now you don’t
know?”

“
He sleeps most of the
time. I think your pa is due out this week to check on
him.”

“
Yes, he said something
about that,” Lisa replied and shrugged. “I was hoping you knew more
than my pa did by now.”

“
I was hoping for that,
too.” Ida squirmed in her arms, so she handed her to Lisa. “I think
she’d rather be with you than me.”

“
I think she wants to walk
again. I don’t know why I wanted so badly for her to learn to
crawl. Ever since she has, it’s hard to keep up with her.” With a
chuckle, she said good-bye to Rose and Stan then headed for her
husband.

Rose’s mother patted her on the
shoulder. “It’s time to leave. Tell your sister it’s time to go
while I get Eli.”

“
I will, Ma.” Rose silently
thanked her mother for her excellent timing and smiled at Stan. “I
have to go. It was nice talking to you.”

He tipped his hat. “I’ll talk to you
next week.”

She managed to turn her back to him
before she grimaced. It was getting harder and harder to think of
ways to avoid the inevitable. Sooner or later, he was going to get
impatient and come right out and state his intentions. If only she
had the courage to tell him she had no interest in him. But she
didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Her brother Isaac was married to
his sister Emily. That made them family, in a roundabout way. That
connection only made it worse because their families got together
once in a while. And she didn’t want to be known as the girl who
broke Stan’s heart.