Give My Love to Rose (21 page)

Rose swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.”

Marston headed toward the door. “Do you need
anything from town?”

“
No.. Marston, where did
the money you’re using come from?”

Marston’s jaw tightened as he turned his
gaze away from her. “Does it matter?”

Rose stared down at her dirty fingernails
and shook her head. “No, I don’t suppose it does.”

“
Glad that’s settled,”
Marston grumbled. “You stay and rest. Langley and I will be back
after awhile.”

Rose watched him shoulder his rifle and
scoop up his saddlebags. Rose had tried talking him into unpacking
those saddlebags, but he said that would feel like he’d cut off his
arm. He said he’d been packing them around for most of his life and
couldn’t see himself not packing them around.

As she heard him call for Langley, Rose sent
up a silent prayer of thanks for Marston. She truly had no idea
what would have become of her and Langley if Marston hadn’t come
around when he had.

Chapter Nineteen

“
I don’t like that banker
man,” Langley admitted as he and Marston rode down the winding road
toward town.

“
Why is that?” Marston
asked, moving the cart around a deep puddle in the muddy
road.

Langley pulled his coat tighter to ward off
the cool December air. “He says mean things to mama and she’s
always upset when he leaves.”

“
Bankers get mad if you
don’t pay them their money,” Marston assured the boy.

“
It’s not just that,
Marston,” Langley insisted, a seriousness in his tone that wasn’t
generally there.

“
What else is there?”
Marston demanded. A silence that frightened him followed Marston’s
question. Buck’s hooves slapped in the mud, the river rushed beside
them and the birds sang in the trees, but Langley remained
completely silent.

“
Boy, you ain’t never had
a problem talking so don’t start having one now,” Marston scolded,
his voice tense with unease. “What else is there?”

Langley picked at the knee of his trousers.
“Last time he was here he told mama he’d get his payment from her
one way or the other even if it wasn’t money he got and he was
touching her face… Mama was scared, I could tell. I don’t know
exactly what that means, but I know she’s been real worried ever
since.”

Marston’s clutched the reins in a
white-knuckled grip and his jaw popped as his teeth clenched. “And
what did your mama tell him?”

Langley shrugged. “She just promised him
she’d have his money and she begged him not to make us homeless.”
Langley met Marston’s gaze, his blue eyes pleading. “You won’t let
him hurt mama, will you Marston?”

Marston shook his head and patted Langley’s
hand. “No, kid. There ain’t nobody gonna hurt your mama.”

Langley seemed satisfied with that answer
and instantly his demeanor changed and he was once again bouncing
around in the cart seat. “Do you know what’s coming in a few days?”
Langley asked.

“
No,” Marston replied
honestly, his mind still on that bastard banker and the way he’d
been threatening Rose. “What’s coming?”

Langley laughed. “Christmas! How could you
not know that? Mama doesn’t ever have money for a present from the
store but she always make me a new sweater and I always smile real
big and tell her it’s the best one I’ve ever gotten.”

Marston felt his throat get tight. Langley
was lucky to have a mother like Rose—there weren’t very many like
her. “You’re a good kid, Langley.”

Langley sighed. “I wish I could get mama
something this year. I never have been able to get her a present
for Christmas.”

“
You can,” Marston
replied. “Just pick out something at the mercantile and we’ll see
that she gets it.”

Langley shifted in the seat and looked up at
him. “But Marston I don’t have money—I can’t steal a Christmas
present!”

Marston couldn’t see why that would be a
rule, but he didn’t tell Langley so. Instead, he smiled. “You do
plenty of work around that house, Langley, and you’ve earned a bit
of money.”

Langley’s excitement increased ten-fold and
the boy launched into a rambling, long-winded dialog about just
what he was going to get for his mama. Marston simply sat there
grunting in response now and then.

His mind was on things other than Langley’s
conversation such as that bankers threats toward Rose and the
realization that Marston had no idea what in the world to buy for
the woman.

The first stop that Marston and Langley made
upon arriving in town was Doctor Brinkley’s office to send a wire
and money to the bank in Millerton. Doctor Brinkley insisted that
Rose usually sent her payment directly to Winston Meade, but
Marston had refused and demanded it be sent to the bank.

When Marston and Langley stepped into the
H&H Mercantile the boy’s eyes widened. “I can really get mama
anything I want?”

Marston nodded as he walked to the case
where the guns and ammunition were kept. “Yep. Whatever you
want.”

Marston knew exactly what he was going to do
for Langley for Christmas. He was going to fix up that gun of
Langston’s. The boy was constantly rambling on about that gun and
had even shown it to him more than once. Marston had known
instantly that the gun was a good one and just needed to be
cleaned, oiled and worked with. He knew he could have it working
good come Christmas.

“
Well, my stars! If it
ain’t Marston back again,” Hester sneered as she came breezing in
from the back office and pushed her giant spectacles up on her thin
nose. Her cow eyes blinked several times as she stared up at him.
“I see you finally got rid of that horrid beard.”

Marston put on his smoothest smile and
leaned against the counter. “Hello there, Hester. How did I survive
live without gazing upon you all these months?”

“
Probably about the same
way I survived without the sight of you,” she sniffed. “Tell me,
are you still keeping the Widow Howell company?”

“
Sure am,” Marston
replied, refusing to let he woman’s mouth get under his skin. “I
would like to purchase a few items.. that is if you ladies have
figured out that’s how a store works.”

“
Of course we do, sir,”
Hattie assured him, waddling in on her stump-like legs. “Tell me,
how is Rose? Are you still carrying her supplies?”

‘
I say we hit her right in
the nose,’ that voice chimed in. ‘Or would hers be considered a
snout?’

‘
Aren’t you my conscience?
Shouldn’t you be telling me not to hit her?’ Marston
demanded.

‘
What the hell gave you
that idea? I just like to make you talk to yourself.’

Marston let out a cough to cover his chuckle
and shook his head to clear his rambling thoughts. “Nice to see you
again, Hattie. You’re looking well. You know my Rose is a real good
seamstress. I’m sure she’d be able to let that dress out a foot or
two.”

“
Well, I never!” Hattie
exclaimed, covering her heart with a meaty hand.

The charming grin never left Marston’s face.
“Now ladies if you’ll be so kind…”

“
Tell me, Marston, are you
going to make an honest woman out of that trollop or simply live in
sin with her forever?” Hester inquired.

Marston’s patience snapped. He slammed his
fist upon the counter with so much force, the dried fruit rack fell
and scattered across the floor. Hester and Hattie both leaped
backward and Langley gasped from across the store.

Marston’s golden eyes flashed. “Your bravery
is commendable, ladies. Not many grown men have the nerve to rile
me.” Marston leaned closer and lowered his voice. “There’s a good
damn reason for that too and it’s a reason you sisters are gonna
learn all too well if you speak another ill word about my
woman.”

“
Yeah you witches need to
leave my mama alone,” Langley agreed.

Hester’s jaw trembled while Hattie’s
wobbled. “Of course,” Hattie whispered politely. “We apologize. My
sister and I were out of line.”

“
Glad we could agree on
that,” Marston snarled. He turned his attention to Langley who was
watching him as if he were some kind of hero. It turned Marston’s
stomach to be looked at in such a manner. “Aren’t you supposed to
be finding something for your mama?” he grumbled and Langley
quickly went back to searching.

“
So, what is it we can do
for you, Marston?” Hattie questioned accommodatingly.

Marston turned back to the sisters and
forced a polite smile to his own face. “That’s more like it,”
Marston said. “That’s the treatment I expect to receive when I come
into a store to spend my hard earned money.”

Hester snorted. “I’m sure you earned that
money at gunpoint.”

Hattie elbowed her in her bony ribs. “Hush
or he’s going to kill us,” she whispered sharply.

Marston raised a brow. He was fairly certain
that he hadn’t threatened to kill him but if these women wanted to
think him capable of their murder that was fine with him. It might
just cause them to hold their tongues a bit better.

“
If you ladies would be so
kind as to gather up some gun oil, rags and cleaning rods for me,
I’d be much obliged.” Marston tipped his hat. “I’ve gotta find the
trollop something for Christmas.”

Hattie nodded and quickly rushed off to do
as he asked while Hattie stood there and stared him down. Marston
simply shrugged and turned away. He had no interest in having a
battle of wills with the scrawny, cow-eyed bitch of a woman.

Marston began searching the store over for
something he could give to Rose. He’d never in his life given a
present to anyone and he’d never in his life celebrated Christmas.
What did a man buy the woman he loved?

As far as Marston knew Rose didn’t own a bit
of jewelry. Wasn’t every woman supposed to have jewelry? Marston’s
mind made up he made his way to the tiny glass case that held what
small selection of jewelry the H&H mercantile had to offer.

“
We have a larger
selection in the catalog,” Hattie informed him, stepping over. “You
can place an order and it will arrive in two weeks.”

“
Well ma’am, this is going
to be a Christmas present so I don’t really have the time to wait.”
His eyes found a necklace. The cameo was soft pink with a cream
flower motif and the gold chain was delicate but strongly
forged.

It was perfect—just like his Rose.

“
Are you interested in the
necklace?” Hattie asked, circling the counter and pulling a key
from her pocket. Marston nodded and while Hattie went about
fetching the necklace, Marston glanced behind him and saw Hester
scrambling about the story attempting to pick up all the dried
fruit Marston had scattered.

Marston’s first instinct was to let the
damned woman pick it up herself, but then he remembered that
Langley was watching and he thought of what Rose would want the boy
to learn. Grudgingly, Marston stooped down and helped gather up all
the pieces he could find.

Once the mess was picked up, Marston walked
to the cash register. “Langley, you about done?”

The boy shook his head. “Why don’t you just
go on and I’ll finish up and meet you outside?”

Marston frowned. “Why the devil would you
want me to do that?”

Langley stuck his hands on his thin hips.
“Please?”

Marston threw his hands up and turned to
Hattie. “How much do I owe you for my things?”

Hattie jotted down numbers on a piece of
paper. “That’ll be fifteen for the necklace—” Marston whistled low
but nodded. “And another fifty cents for the gun supplies.”

Marston pulled twenty-five dollars from his
pocket and he could feel Hester’s eyes burning holes in those paper
bills as he did so. “This’ll cover that, the fruit I spilled and
whatever the boy chooses to get.”

Hattie nodded and put the money in the
register. She wrapped the necklace in a piece of soft clothes and
placed it in a tiny sack before handing it and the sack of gun
cleaning supplies to Marston.

“
Take your time, Langley,”
Marston urged as he headed for the door. “You wouldn’t want to miss
something and make the wrong decision.”

Langley simply nodded and Marston was
chuckling as he left the store. Marston placed his new supplies in
the cart and led Buck and the cart over to the blacksmith.

The man currently pounding a horseshoe,
stopped swinging his hammer and smiled welcomingly at Marston.
“You’ve been around here before—I recognize you.”

“
Yeah, I’m back,” Marston
replied to the man who was nearly as big as he was.

Tray Narramore held out a dirty hand and
Marston shook it. “If it wasn’t for you being a brute like myself I
probably never would have recognized you without that beard.”

Marston rubbed at his jaw. “It was
itchy.”

Tray just chuckled and folded his arms over
his chest. “So what can I do for you?”

“
Buck here seemed to be
favoring his left front leg on the way into town and I thought you
might be able to work on his shoe.”

“
Sure I can do that,” Tray
agreed. “I figured you for a man who did that work
himself.”

Marston shrugged and pulled a cigarette from
his pocket. “When I take a notion to I do. Today I’m not feeling
the notion.”

Tray laughed. “Well, I’m glad for that. If
folks took a notion to start doing everything themselves I wouldn’t
make near as much money.”

“
Alright then,” Marston
hoisted his saddlebags from the back of the cart, unwilling to
leave them for long. “I’ll be back in a while to pick him
up.”