Give My Love to Rose (42 page)

As good a shot as his pa was. Not is because
Marston was dead. Damn, but Rose missed that man! It had been
months since he’d been taken away and yet Rose still couldn’t seem
to convince herself he was truly dead. She kept waiting for him to
come riding over the hill and have them pick up where they’d left
off.

And where was Duke? Surely he’d intended to
join them in the Dakota’s hadn’t he? What was keeping him?

Rose took a deep breath to push down the
pain she’d gotten so good at hiding and continued to hang up the
laundry.

“
Langley!” Kaitlyn called
from the porch, her voice raised with annoyance.

“
What?” Langley snapped.
“Can’t you see I’m busy here?”

Kaitlyn put her hands on her narrow hips.
“You forgot to make your bed this morning. Do I look like your
maid?”

“
Do I look like your
maid?” Langley imitated in a shrill voice which made Kaitlyn glare
and Rose smile. Those two were always at each other’s throats about
something but they also always had each other’s backs.

“
Langley…” Kaitlyn
warned.

Langley dismissed her with a wave of his
hand. “What you look like is a nagging little girl who’s
interruptin’ my shooting practice. Ain’t that what she looks like
to you, Uncle Jeremiah?”

Jeremiah scratched at his belly and
shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.”

Kaitlyn gasped and Rose knew it was time to
step in. “Langley, you know you’re supposed to make your bed every
morning before you come out of your room. It’s not your sister’s
responsibility.”

Langley grumbled under his breath and Rose’s
eyes narrowed. “Excuse me, young man?”

He handed the rifle to Jeremiah and
swallowed hard. “I said yes ma’am,” he assured her before darting
up to the porch. He stuck his tongue out at Kaitlyn as he passed
her and in a moment so comically out of character for Kaitlyn, she
mimicked his motion, and went in after him.

Rose sighed and went back to the clothes.
She heard Jeremiah walk up behind her and after he simply stood
there for several long moments, Rose stood straight, turned and
looked at him. “What is it, Jeremiah?”

He rocked back on his heels and rubbed at
his thin neck with his hand. “I guess I didn’t handle that very
good. I’m not very good with those kids. I’d say if Marston were
here he’d have handled it a lot different.”

Something inside Rose snapped. Words,
thoughts and feelings that she’d been keeping bottled up all came
bubbling out in a heated rush. “Yes, Jeremiah, he would have
handled things a lot differently! For starters, Langley would be
doing his chores before target practice. He’d be learning his
numbers and studying history instead of simply learning to cuss,
shoot guns and taught how to tell the perfect lie. Kaitlyn would be
doing more studying and playing and less working because Marston
would ensure that he took on some of the load around here himself.
Langley wouldn’t be mouthing off and disrespecting me because
Marston wouldn’t have allowed it. There would be no fear when I
laid my head down at night because I would feel safe with him
beside me. I wouldn’t be crying day and night when the smallest
thing makes me think of him. And most importantly….” Rose’s voice
broke as tears streamed down her cheeks. “…he would have noticed
that I’m not okay long before now and he would have taken me into
his arms and promised me that he was going to make everything okay
again.”

Jeremiah stood there in stunned silence and
Rose felt quite foolish. She flushed bright red, tucked a stray
strand of curls behind her ear and bit down hard on her lip.

In an attempt to pretend that the last
thirty seconds had never happened, Rose stooped down to grab a pair
of Jeremiah’s trousers but he grabbed her arm a little too roughly
and pulled her back up.

Rose was about to complain about the
pressure he was using as his fingers dug into her skin, but her
words died on her tongue when she saw the pained expression on his
face.

“
Do you think this has
been easy on me?” he whispered hoarsely, his golden eyes rimmed
with red. “Marston was my baby brother and when push came to shove
I wasn’t around to keep him safe. So I did the next best thing I
could think of to do and vowed to take care of his family. Hell, do
you think I don’t realize that I’m not half the man my brother was?
He had something inside of him that I just don’t. I ain’t cut out
for being a pa or taking care of kids. And I noticed that you
weren’t okay before now but what the hell was I supposed to do
about it when I wasn’t okay either?”

Rose looked up into his golden eyes so much
like his brother’s and, for a moment, she let herself believe it
was Marston’s eyes she was looking into. She reached up and laid a
gentle hand on his gaunt cheek and smoothed her thumb along his
jaw. Jeremiah stiffened under the contact and his eyes narrowed,
but he said nothing.

“
I loved your brother so
much,” Rose gasped before throwing herself against Jeremiah’s chest
and wrapping her arms tight around him. She wanted to feel the
warmth of human contact. She needed to know that she wasn’t alone
in the world.

Jeremiah simply stood there a moment and
then he wrapped his long arms around her and rested his cheek on
her hair. “It’s okay, Rose,” he promised. “I’m gonna make sure
everything is okay again.”

Rose knew he was only saying what he thought
she wanted to hear, but she was thankful for the words anyway as
they clung to one another with desperation. Each of them felt the
pain of the loss of Marston clear into their souls and they found a
kinship in that pain.

The wind whipping across the plains blew
Rose’s skirt around Jeremiah’s legs and caused long tendrils of her
red hair to swirl around him and still they simply held one
another, neither having the strength to pull away just yet.

***

“
I can hear critters. I
bet that’s the homestead!” Marston exclaimed, knowing he sounded
like a child in his excitement but unable to care.

Hell, but he suddenly felt like a brand new
man! His family was so close. In mere minutes, he’d be able to hug
Langley tight, see Kaitlyn’s pretty face and finally hold his
Rose.

A picture of her smiling face, her loving
blue eyes, and her full cheeks red from lovemaking came to his mind
and he urged his horse faster. “Take it easy on that poor thing,”
Duke scolded with a chuckle. “You’re already so damn big you’re
breaking her down.”

Marston ignored him and topped the hill. The
view he was met with was breathtaking. Rolling hills, a two-story
white home with black shutters and a wraparound porch. Two large
barns, spacious corrals and outbuildings nicer than the cabin he’d
once called home with Rose and the kids. Wheat and barley fields
spread out to the west and…

Marston’s blood suddenly boiled hotter than
it had ever been before. He gripped the reins so tightly that his
knuckles popped. Blood rushed into his head causing his ears to
burn.

Duke rode up beside him and followed his
gaze. “Why that sly old dog.”

Marston could do little more than grunt. Sly
dog his ass. Jeremiah was fixing to die. That no good,
backstabbing, son of a bitch was about to die. No more empty
threats this time. Stealing horses was one thing. Leaving him to
die in the desert was one thing. But Jeremiah had his arms wrapped
tight around Rose and that was something entirely different.

Her head was resting on his chest and his
face was in her hair. They held each other like lovers and it
caused every ounce of Marston’s good sense to take off in a
hurry.

“
Oh dear…” Duke mumbled at
the mask of fury on Marston’s face. “I’m sure there’s a good
explanation.”

“
Yeah and the good
solution is going to be my revolver a good two foot up his ass and
me pulling the trigger,” Marston hissed. “That woman stealing
jackass.”

“
Is it really woman
stealing if they both think you’re dead?” Duke wondered.

Marston’s eyes narrowed as he slid his
revolver from his holster. “You choosing sides?”

Duke held up his hands and shook his head,
clearly amused with the whole situation. “Nope. I ain’t got a dog
in this fight.”

Duke’s amusement merely served to fuel
Marston’s anger and his let out an angry yell before kicking his
mare hard and sending it into a hard gallop toward the
lovebirds.

***

Rose and Jeremiah heard the hoof beats
thundering toward them and Jeremiah instantly grabbed Rose’s arm
and thrust her behind him to shield her body as he pulled his
gun.

A gun shot rang out, echoing painfully close
and Jeremiah cried out in pain. “You stupid, good for nothing,
worthless son of a bitch!” Jeremiah bellowed, though Rose couldn’t
see who he was cursing at from her place behind him. “If you and I
didn’t have the same damned mother I’d blow your brains all over
this yard!”

“
Yeah, well, you might as
well get to it then, brother, cuz it’s either going to be my brains
or your brains.”

Rose’s knees grew weak and her legs nearly
disappeared beneath her as she clung to the back of Jeremiah’s
shirt.

That voice. She knew that voice.

“
M..marston?” she
gasped.

Jeremiah jerked away from her and stepped to
the side. “Damn straight, it’s Marston. And Duke’s with him.
Apparently they found some way to keep him from swinging and then
took their slow, sweet time in getting here!”

Despite the pain and the temper in his
voice, Rose could hear an undercurrent of relief and happiness in
Jeremiah’s voice. Rose focused all her attention on the tall
silhouette lit from behind by the sun. His face was lost in
shadows, but Rose would know that hard body anywhere. His gun was
still drawn but his free arm went up to pull off his hat and Rose
nearly collapsed at the sight of him after so long believing she’d
never see him again

He was thinner than she remembered and his
hair was longer, but there was no mistaking the man she loved.
Marston had come home.

“
You’re wrong, Jeremiah,”
Marston snapped, his eyes quickly leaving Rose.

She felt cold and her heart fell into her
feet. Why was he so angry? Why wasn’t he was overwhelmed with
happiness at the sight of her as she was seeing him again? In her
dreams, it had been so different…

“
How’s that?” Jeremiah
asked, picking at the bloody tear in his shirt sleeve.

“
I went swinging,” Marston
assured him. “But Duke cut me down before I strangled to death.
It’s a long story but in the eyes of the law Marston Jacobs is a
dead man.”

“
Well good to know!”
Jeremiah grumbled. “So why the devil did you shoot me?”

“
You worthless coward, I
shot you because you were putting your hands all over my damned
woman! Apparently you were satisfied with just stealing horses from
me anymore.”

Rose realized Jeremiah was simply sputtering
and seemed unable to come up with a response, Duke was watching on
with amusement and Langley and Kaitlyn were standing on the porch
watching the scene with varying degrees of disbelief while Jeremiah
and Marston continued to hold one another at gunpoint.

Rose threw her hands in the air. “I can’t
believe this!” she exclaimed, her own temper flaring. This was not
the reunion she had dreamed of! Even in her worst nightmares it
couldn’t have gone this badly! Marston was finally home! He had
lived through something that should have killed him and instead of
being happy to see her he was accusing her of being with his
brother? Had the man gone completely daft?

“
I know what I saw,”
Marston growled without looking her way.

“
You need to have your
eyes examined, little brother, if you think I have any interest in
your woman!” Jeremiah assured him.

Rose snorted with indignation and Marston’s
eyes narrowed. “Why the hell wouldn’t you? Are you insulting her
now?” Marston demanded, cocking his gun.

“
No, you overgrown
jackass,” Jeremiah grumbled without batting an eye. “I ain’t got no
interest in her because she’s head deep in the crazy with
you!”

Marston shook his head. “No she’s not. I saw
her clinging to you.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. Anger and disappointment
warred and clashed within her heart and caused hot tears to rush to
her eyes. It was all too much. Marston was alive, he was home and
he was an ass!

Rose let out an animalistic shriek of rage
before storming forward and shoving the men apart. “God, men are
ignorant!”

Duke chuckled. “We never said we was
smart.”

Rose glared at him. “Not helping,” she
hissed before storming onto the porch, past the children and into
the house.

***

“
Care to put those away
now?” Duke asked, tipping his head toward the guns the brothers
still had drawn.

Marston stared at the empty doorway for
several long moments before sliding his gun back in its holster.
Jeremiah did the same and then returned his attention to his nicked
arm. “I think you overreacted,” he stated.

Marston’s jaw tensed. “I owed you one,” he
reminded him. “Besides, what the hell was I supposed to think?”

Duke rocked back on his heels. “That
Jeremiah the beast had done swooped in and stole your woman.”

“
Duke, my bullets will
make you bleed too,” Marston warned. Duke took a step back and
pulled a cigar from his pocket, his shoulders bouncing with silent
laughter.

Jeremiah shook his head. “Marston, I ain’t
done nothing with Rose. I just brought the family up here and I’ve
been keeping them safe.”