For the Roses (16 page)

Travis was suddenly kneeling by Mary Rose's side. He gently lifted her into his arms and stood up.

"Dear God, sister. Are you all right?"

He sounded frightened. She didn't nod for fear the movement would make her head hurt more. "I'm fine, really. You've got blood on your shirt. Are you all right?"

"It's your blood, not mine. It's all over the side of your face. He really belted you, didn't he?"

"Travis, what took you so long to get here? I've been waiting and waiting."

"Mary Rose, it all just happened. You must have gotten knocked senseless. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Why is Harrison pounding Bickley? He isn't supposed to know how to fight. Go and stop him before he gets hurt. Bickley's mean enough to kill him, Travis."

"Now, why would I want to do that? We all saw what the bastard did to you. Harrison's fast, isn't he?

He was on top of Bickley before Cole or I could even get to the corner."

"Please put me down. I can stand on my own."

"You'll only go after Harrison if I let go of you. He won't kill Bickley," he promised. "Cole probably will though. Just wait until he gets a gander at your face. You're a real mess, little sister. You've got blood spewing out of your forehead and more pouring out of the side of your mouth." Henry and Ghost hovered like old-maid aunts behind the pair. Travis turned to the men. "Watch my sister while I go help Harrison, will you?"

"Give her to us," Henry said. "We'll protect her. Won't we Dooley?"

"Of course we will," his friend promised. He was still panting for breath. He had only just reached the general store to get the brothers when Bickley came outside and started hurting his Miss Mary.

"Everything happened mighty fast."

"That's the truth," Henry agreed. "Lickety-split was how quick it happened." Henry lifted Mary Rose into his arms and held her tight against his chest. In his attempt to comfort and shield her, he was inadvertently making it impossible for her to breathe.

"She don't weigh more than a feather," he remarked.

"Please put me down. Let me lean against you and Dooley."

"All right," he agreed. "But if you get dizzy, I'm picking you up again."

"Make her promise to stay here," Dooley suggested.

Henry thought that was a grand idea and made his hostage give him her word. Ghost had come outside the saloon and was standing near the doorway. Henry turned to him. "Go and fetch a chair for Miss Mary, will you, Ghost? We'll sit her down against the wall. Then get us a bowl of water and some clean towels. They're behind the bar. We got to clean up Miss Mary before Cole sees her."

"I'm thinking you should be more concerned about that Harrison fella. He's a bigger worry than Cole."

"He's already seen her," Henry said. "Why do you think he's so mad?"

"Looks like he's about finished with Bickley. Think he killed him?"

"No. Bickley's still wiggling in the dirt."

"Could be the death wiggle," Dooley suggested. He rubbed his jaw and squinted at the man writhing on the ground.

"Knowing Harrison and how he feels about the law, I don't think Bickley's a goner." Dooley didn't agree. "Make you a nickel wager."

"You got it."

"If Bickley's dead, I win."

Henry nodded. Mary Rose sincerely hoped both men would stop talking. She kept her attention focused on Bickley's cohorts. Douglas was forcing the five men to walk toward Harrison. They were still armed, and she was worried one or two of them might decide to try to shoot Harrison or Cole.

"I saw one of them fellas kick our Miss Mary right in her gut," Henry whispered. "Another one stepped on her, hard. Yes, sir, he did. Ain't it a pity for men to treat a lady like that?" Dooley agreed it was a pity. He thought about it a few seconds more and then felt compelled to tell her brothers and her avenger what the men had done. He hurried over to the edge of the walkway.

"Harrison? Cole? One of them fellas kicked your Miss Mary right in her gut. The ugly one stepped on her. Hard too. Almost killed her, he did. Someone else tore her pretty dress. Yes, sir, that's what they did all right."

Mary Rose wanted to strangle Dooley. He was deliberately inciting Harrison and her brothers. Before she could hush Dooley, it was too late. Harrison had heard every word. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. His expression said it all.

"Why'd you go and tell Harrison? Cole's better with a gun," Henry remarked almost absentmindedly. He half dragged Mary Rose closer to the road so he'd have a better spot from which to watch the fight brewing.

"I told Harrison and Cole," Dooley said. "But I'm thinking Harrison's much meaner. You see how he took after Bickley. Besides, Cole heard what I had to say. Those men do anything else to you, Miss Mary?"

She gave Dooley a scathing look. If Bickley's friends had done anything else to her, she wasn't about to tell the town crier. She pulled away from Henry and made it past Dooley before they realized she'd gotten away.

"Catch her," Henry called out. "If there's shooting, she'll get herself done in trying to interfere. She's still in a daze, Dooley. You can see she is."

Dooley caught her around her middle and pulled her back to stand next to Henry again.

"What was I supposed to fetch?" Ghost asked the question from the doorway. Henry patiently reminded him what his errand was while Mary Rose once again edged her way to the corner. She never took her attention away from Harrison. He stood ten or fifteen feet in front of Cole and Travis. Her brothers protected his back and had their attention on the men coming toward them. The ugliest one of the bunch reached for his gun. Cole shot the weapon out of his hand before it had completely cleared his waistband.

The other men immediately raised their hands. They apparently didn't want to get into a gunfight. Harrison turned to Cole. "Stay out of this," he ordered. "They're all mine." Cole grinned. Travis shook his head. "You'll get killed and Mary Rose will get real pissed," he whispered so only Harrison and Cole could hear him.

Harrison had already turned back to Bickley's friends. "Take your guns off," he ordered. He waited until they had complied with his order, then removed his own belt and gun and tossed both to Travis. Cole kept his six-shooter trained on the group. He had five bullets left, and that was all he needed to kill every one of them if they tried anything underhanded. He wouldn't put anything past the vile creatures. One could very well have another gun tucked away. He hoped to God someone did. He really wanted to shoot at least one of them.

He was denied the opportunity. Harrison beckoned to the men to come to him.

"Is he going to take all of them on at once?" Travis asked his brother. Harrison answered. "Damned right."

Cole smiled again. Both he and Travis stepped back to give Harrison more room.

"This ought to be good," Cole drawled out.

Mary Rose suddenly wished she had her gun with her. If it had been handy, she was certain she would have shot everyone in the street, including her brothers and Harrison. Cole actually looked as if he was enjoying himself. She'd shoot him first.

She refused to watch any longer. Harrison disappeared into the middle of the group of men. Then bodies started flying.

She had seen enough to give her nightmares for a week. She turned around and walked inside the saloon. She sat down in one of the chairs near the window but refused to even glance outside. Ghost was standing in front of the bar, having a drink. When he spotted her, he put the bottle down, scratched his head, and tried to look bewildered instead of guilty.

"What was I supposed to fetch, Miss Mary?"

"Never mind, Ghost. Enjoy your beverage."

"It's a might better than my brew."

"Don't you want to watch the brawl like everyone else in town?"

"I'm getting ready to watch," Ghost said.

Mary Rose closed her eyes. She ached everywhere. She felt like crying. Lord, she'd actually looked forward to today's outing. Oh, well, at least things couldn't get any worse. She found some comfort in that belief.

She was wrong though. She wasn't through being tormented.

"You can come on outside now, Miss Mary. You really ought not to be in the saloon. What would Adam think?"

Dooley asked the question from the doorway. "Ghost, ain't you fetched…"

"What was I supposed to get?"

"Water, bowl, towels," Mary Rose wearily supplied.

Ghost smiled. "Now I remember." He poured himself another drink while he nodded. "Yes, sir, I do remember."

"Here comes Harrison and your brothers," Dooley said.

If there had been a back door, she would have used it. She didn't want any of them to see her like this. At least that was the excuse she gave herself. She didn't want to think about the real reason. Harrison had completely changed his behavior. She didn't know how she felt about that. He'd looked so ruthless. Honest to God, she hadn't thought he had it in him.

"I don't want Harrison to see me, Dooley. Make him wait outside." Dooley hurried over to her. "He already seen you good, Miss Mary. Who do you think it was who moved you? He made sure you was breathing and all, and then he went after Bickley." Cole and Travis both came inside just as Dooley finished his explanation. Harrison followed.

"I don't remember," she admitted. She kept her gaze on her lap, still not certain how she was going to react when she looked at Harrison again.

"You were knocked out, Mary Rose. Of course you don't remember. You should have killed him, Harrison, or at least let me at him," Cole muttered.

"Harrison broke Bickley's hand," Mary Rose said.

"No, he didn't. He just twisted it peculiar," Henry told her. "Douglas is dragging them all into the warehouse while Morrison gets some rope."

"How come?" Dooley asked. "Are we going to have us some hangings?"

"No," Henry returned. "Some of the folks are going to drag them back to Hammond. The sheriff there will probably lock them up."

"Isn't there a doctor around here we can take Mary Rose to?" Harrison asked. Cole shook his head. "Closest one lives in Hammond."

"That's too far," Travis interjected. "Let's take her to Morrison's house. Mrs. Morrison will take care of her."

"I would like to go home."

"In a little while," Cole promised. He squatted down next to his sister. In a whisper he asked, "Why won't you look at us?"

"I don't want to," she answered. "I want to go home. Now."

"Are you mad at us?"

She nodded, then promptly winced over the pain the movement caused. She never should have sat down, she realized. She'd gone all stiff. She wasn't even sure her legs would work.

"Then why don't you yell or something?"

"It would hurt too much," she admitted. She tried to stand up and promptly let out a loud groan. Cole was suddenly shoved out of the way. Harrison scooped Mary Rose up into his arms. He was incredibly gentle with her. When that fact registered in her mind, she could almost look at him.

"What's the matter with her?" Travis asked. "Is she scared?"

"No, she's mad," Cole told him. "I don't want to be around when her temper explodes."

"I'll wager you've never seen anything like it, Harrison," Travis He and Cole both burst into laughter. Mary Rose was offended by their callous attitudes. "I cannot imagine what you two find so amusing," she snapped. "We're laughing because we're happy you weren't killed," Travis said. She didn't look as if she believed him. Cole tried to calm her down. "Look at it this way. The day has to get better, doesn't it?" She grasped the hope. Yes, things did have to get better. Unless Harrison started showing off again. September 1, 1863

Dear Mama Rose,

Your daughter has quite a mouth on her. Yesterday morning she told Cole to hush up, and just a few minutes ago, she told Travis to mind his own business. We're always so astonished to hear her talk like that, we have to work real hard at not letting her know how funny we think it is. She loves to try to boss us around, and lately she's been repeating cuss words she's heard Cole say. We all learned an important lesson, of course, and we're trying hard not to say anything improper. She's spending quite a lot of time sitting by herself, and, Lord, can she cry. She can be a little stinker all right.

We have started taking turns teaching her the alphabet. She's still too young to get the hang of it, but she enjoys having the attention. Travis got her a chalkboard and two boxes of chalk. She ate one of the pieces of chalk, and that made her sick. I don't think she'll eat any more of them. Everyone's worried about you, Mama Rose. What with the war going on, and none of your letters getting through to us, we get anxious. We pray you and Miss Livonia are safe. It sure would help us get through the days if we'd get a letter from you. We know you write, but the post service is in such a confusion now, we aren't even sure you're getting any of our letters. I believe God will look out for you, and that when this is over, you'll be a free woman, and you can come join your family. The baby needs youso…

God protect you,

Douglas

She never should have tempted fate. Things progressed from worse to horrible. Ten minutes after she'd suffered her humiliating attack, she found herself in the most ludicrous position. She was seated in a chair with her feet propped up on a stool in the Morrisons' parlor. She was all by herself. Everyone else had disappeared into the kitchen. Catherine's mother had gone to fetch cloths and water so she could clean up Mary Rose's face, while her daughter entertained their other guests at the kitchen table. Mary Rose told herself she deserved the misery she was suffering. She had made unkind remarks about Catherine, and even though most of the uncharitable opinions were true, she couldn't complain when Catherine lived up to her every expectation. At first—when Mary Rose walked inside the house, anyway—Catherine had pretended sympathy. She'd had an audience then. She gave quite a grand performance. Why, she even became tearful over what she kept calling her dear friend's hideous condition. Mary Rose wasn't fooled. She'd figured Catherine out years ago. Even as a little girl, Catherine pretended to be the perfect child in front of her parents and Mary Rose's brothers, but the second their backs were turned, she'd grab hold of Mary Rose and take a bite out of her. Time, unfortunately, hadn't improved her disposition or her behavior. Her sympathy for Mary Rose ended the minute Mrs. Morrison ushered the men into the kitchen. Catherine haphazardly slapped a towel her mother had given her against Mary Rose's face and went chasing after Harrison.

Travis, Cole, and Harrison were all seated around the kitchen table eating portions of the blackberry cobbler Mrs. Morrison had only just taken out of the oven. Dooley joined them. From where Mary Rose sat, she could see Harrison clearly. And Catherine, of course. She was hanging all over him. When she served him some dessert, she put her hand on his arm and draped herself over his shoulder to place the bowl in front of him. It took her an eternity to straighten back up. Harrison didn't seem to mind. Having to watch Catherine flirt and not being able to do anything about it was purgatory. Travis wasn't about to be left out. He was competing for Catherine's attention, throwing out one perfectly stupid compliment after another. Catherine preened like a cat.

"It sure was something the way you got so mad, Harrison," Dooley praised. "I thought you were out of your mind taking on all them fellas, and I'll bet you didn't even feel the punches you were getting."

Harrison shook his head. "No, I wasn't out of my mind. I knew exactly what I was doing." Dooley wasn't finished talking about the excitement in town. "Who would have thought it possible," he remarked. "A fancy lawyer like you being able to fight so mean." Cole went completely still. "He's a lawyer?"

"Sure is," Dooley said.

Cole slowly put his spoon down and turned to Harrison. Then he punched him in the side of his jaw. Harrison flinched in reaction. The punch stung. He rubbed his jaw and glared at Cole. "What'd you do that for?"

"Cause you're a lawyer," Cole answered.

He picked up his spoon again, turned to his bowl of cobbler, and then said, "Why in thunder didn't you tell us you were a lawyer?"

"It weren't no secret," Dooley blurted out. He walked over to the stove and leaned against the edge of it. There weren't any seats available unless he went into the parlor, and he wasn't about to leave the kitchen for fear he would miss some important piece of gossip.

The old man shoveled in another heaping spoonful of dessert and then said, "Everyone in town knows what Harrison does for a living, Cole. We even talked over the notion of him opening an office across the street from the general store. Yes, sir, we did."

"You hit me again, and I'll flatten you," Harrison said.

"I hate lawyers."

"Apparently so," Harrison said dryly. "Mind telling me why?"

"I would have punched you myself, but Cole was quicker," Travis muttered.

"Cole pretty much hates everyone, Harrison. Ain't you figured that out yet?" Dooley asked. Travis finally answered Harrison's question. "We hate lawyers because they're always poking their noses in where they don't belong. Someone ought to round them all up and hang them. We could have a picnic after."

"We almost had us a bunch of hangings this morning, Miss Catherine," Dooley said. Harrison looked into the parlor to see how Mary Rose was doing. He'd been looking every other minute just to make certain she was all right. Mrs. Morrison was taking forever getting her supplies ready so she could take care of Mary Rose, and Harrison had about used up all his patience waiting for someone to help her.

"What are you staring at?" Cole asked him.

"Your sister," he admitted. He started to stand up. "I think I'll go see if I can help…"

"Let the Morrison women see to her," Travis advised. "Women like other women nursing them." Harrison sat back down again. In a low whisper, he said, "It's taking the women a hell of a long time to get to it, isn't it?"

"All in good time, Harrison," Travis said. He glanced over his shoulder to look at his sister, then turned back to the table. "She's fine. Don't worry about her."

"Someone has to worry," Harrison stubbornly insisted. "You and Cole act as though she skinned her knee. She was knocked out, for God's sake. She could be…"

"Don't let her know you're concerned."

Cole gave the warning. Travis grinned. "Sound advice, Harrison. You'd do well to remember it." Harrison couldn't believe how unfeeling the brothers were. Cole guessed what he was thinking when he saw how incredulous he looked.

"She's little, but she's tough."

"She's probably feeling like hell," Harrison said.

"For God's sake, don't ask her how she feels," Travis warned.

"Why not?"

"You're a lawyer, you figure it out," Cole answered. "You really thinking about giving up on the law and learning to ranch?"

"Yes," Harrison replied. "That's exactly what I'm thinking about."

"Mr. MacDonald, I just love the way you talk," Catherine Morrison said. She leaned forward to brush against her guest while she put a linen napkin down in front of him. "It's so unusual. Isn't it, Travis?"

"I think he sounds like he's got something caught in his throat," Travis muttered. He wasn't at all happy to hear Catherine say anything nice about another man since he was thinking about becoming interested in her in the future.

"Oh, Travis, you're just adorable when you tease like that." Cole and Harrison shared a look of exasperation. Harrison thought the young woman had taken coyness to a new height. She was extremely transparent. Cole wasn't as kind in his opinion. He thought Catherine was acting like a desperate, husband-hunting old maid.

Travis thought she was about the sweetest little thing in Blue Belle. Catherine wasn't finished flirting, but Mary Rose was finished listening. She couldn't stomach sitting in the parlor any longer. She wanted to go home and get some comfort and some care. If the cuts on her forehead and her mouth hadn't stopped bleeding on their own, she figured she'd be dead by now for all

the attention she was getting. Probably no one would even notice she'd died, at least not until they ran out of cobbler. She knew she was feeling sorry for herself. That was all right. She might even decide to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day.

Sitting in the chair had made her stiff. She stood up and almost lost her balance. She staggered forward, straightened up, and then turned to look in the kitchen to see if anyone noticed. They hadn't. She wasn't surprised, of course, for everyone was still fully occupied gobbling down cobbler. She went outside and saw the horses were tied to the fence. Douglas came riding up just as she stepped off of the porch.

"You look a sight, Mary Rose."

"Is it any wonder? I was attacked, Douglas. When I think of all…" He stopped her before she could really get into her list of ills. "Now, now, no use complaining." Her brother dismounted and started toward the porch. "Where is everyone?"

"Inside, having some of Mrs. Morrison's mighty fine cobbler. I wouldn't know, of course. No one offered me any."

"There you go again. Complaining won't make you feel better." He reached her side and awkwardly patted her on her shoulder.

"Yes, it will," she assured him. "I like to complain."

"I know." He sounded resigned.

Then he smiled at her. His amusement set her off again. What in heaven's name did she have to do to get a little sympathy around here?

"When I think about all I've been through today, I…"

"Where were you going all by yourself?"

"Home," she answered. "And don't you dare try to stop me." It finally dawned on him that she really was feeling miserable. She looked close to tears. "All right," he soothed. "We'll go home. You wait right here. I'll go get the others. We'll all ride together. I'll hurry, I promise."

She pretended to agree so he would leave her alone. She knew what was going to happen. Douglas's promise was sincere, but once he got into Mrs. Morrison's kitchen, he was going to forget all about taking her anywhere.

Men. They were all so incredibly easy to sway. Pat them on their heads, give them something to eat, and they'll follow you anywhere. Add a smile and a few stupid compliments, and they'll immediately forget all about their other responsibilities.

Like a sister dying on the front porch, she thought to herself.

By God, someone was going to comfort her, even if she had to go all the way to Hammond and hire a complete stranger to be sympathetic.

It took her a long while to get comfortable in the saddle. Then she started for home. She forced herself to brush off her bad mood. She didn't feel allthat bad. Mary Rose was a big believer in measuring each awful incident with something else awful that had happened in her life. Each painful and or humiliating trauma was immediately categorized in her mind as being as bad as, or not as bad as, or worse than something else. And as bad as being attacked by Bickley was, it still wasn't as bad as the bee attack. To date, nothing had even come close.

She'd almost died from the bee stings, at least Adam told her she'd been standing at heaven's door. She didn't have any recollection of being that ill. She just remembered the pain. She hadn't complained, even when her brothers begged her to.

"Mary Rose, slow down and wait for us."

Douglas shouted the order. She did as he demanded, but when he reached her side and she noticed he was wearing several crumbs of cobbler at the corner of his mouth, she gave him a hard frown and then ignored him.

"Can she ride on her own?" Harrison asked her brother from behind.

"She's trying," Mary Rose answered.

"Would you feel better if you rode with me?" Cole shouted the question.

"I doubt it. My backside is killing me. You've obviously forgotten what happened."

"And you're gonna remind me, right?"

She almost smiled. She stopped herself in time. She didn't want any of her brothers to catch on to her game. It would ruin all the fun for her if they realized that one of the reasons she complained was because they hated it so.

"I was brutally kicked and…"

"No use going over it, Mary Rose."

Cole reached her side and took her into his lap. "There. Now you'll feel better." She might have agreed if he hadn't sounded so damned cheerful. He was acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. All the men were, even the showoff, Harrison. She decided to make Cole miserable and immediately started complaining again. Her brother really was trapped with her. She could whine all she wanted, and he couldn't do anything about it. Usually, the minute she started listing her grievances, everyone would leave. She'd figured that out years ago. And that was exactly why she'd begun her game. Whenever she wanted privacy, she would start complaining, then sit back and watch her brothers trip all over themselves in their haste to get away from her. Her ploy was effective, and when something worked, one didn't mess with it.

Her goal now was to get back on her horse and be left alone. She needed privacy so she could think about Harrison's bizarre behavior. In the blink of an eye, his entire personality had changed. It was as though he'd been caught up in some sort of a spell. What in heaven's name had happened to the gentle man she'd liked so much? She was going to have to sort it all out in her mind before she could look at him again without getting angry.

Cole didn't want to let her ride on her own, but he soon got tired of listening to her. He gave her to Douglas. He didn't even last five minutes. Then Travis got stuck with her. Three down and one to go, she thought a bit smugly.

"Listen, Mary Rose, you're making my teeth hurt listening to you," Travis muttered. "Why don't you wait until we get home and then sit down and write a long letter to your mama. You can tell her all about how poorly you're feeling."

"No, I can't," she replied. "Mama doesn't want to hear it. She told me it wasn't proper for a young lady to complain, even when she enjoys it so."

Travis laughed. "You used to write and tell on us, didn't you?"

"I was very young then," she defended. "Mama made me stop. She said I wasn't being loyal to my brothers and that I shouldn't ever tattletale. Mama would be sympathetic if she could see me now. Why, I was punched and…"

"Harrison, you want to take a turn?" Travis shouted.

"Never mind," Mary Rose whispered. "I'm finished complaining." Travis didn't believe her. He all but tossed her into Harrison's lap. She let out a loud groan when she landed on his hard thighs.

He told her to lean against him. Once she had adjusted to his steel-like frame, she finally relaxed just a little. She kept her gaze directed on the trail ahead and thought about the tender way he was holding her in his arms.

Her mind began to wander. She suddenly realized she must look a fright. What an odd thing to think about now, she decided. Her foolish worry about her appearance was yet another contradiction floating around in her head. She knew she wasn't being logical about Harrison. She couldn't make herself look at him just yet. Granted, he had all but scared the curl out of her hair when he'd gone after Bickley and his friends, but then, ten minutes later, she hadn't been able to stomach watching Catherine flirt with him. She must still be befuddled from hitting the side of her head against the post. Harrison couldn't stand the silent treatment any longer. He moved her hair out of his way and leaned down close to her.