Give My Love to Rose (44 page)

“
I did.”

“
What took you so long to
come back to us?”

Marston’s lips danced across her hair. “I
was in bad shape when Duke rescued me. It took a long time before I
was fit to travel.”

“
Did they break your hand
too?” Rose asked, running her fingertip over the knot the bones had
formed when they’d healed.

Marston cleared his throat. “No.. uh.. I
broke my own hand.”

“
Why would you do
something like that?” Rose demanded, swatting his chest.

Marston chuckled and caught her hand,
bringing it to his lips. “Because I was mad that every time I
closed my eyes I saw this beautiful red hair.” He twirled a curl
between his fingers. “And this soft white skin.” He kissed her bare
shoulder. “And those deep blue eyes.”

“
I missed you,
Marston.”

“
I missed you too, love,”
Marston assured her. “More than you could ever know.” He splayed
his fingers across her belly. “I didn’t miss him move for the first
time did I?”

“
No,” Rose promised. “I’ve
felt her flutter a couple of times but nothing you would have been
able to feel.”

Marston nodded. “Good. A pa should be around
for those things.”

Before Rose could reply footsteps came
racing down the hall and someone pounded on the closed door. “Pa!”
Langley’s voice rang out. “Pa, I want to show you how good I’ve
gotten at shooting! Are you about done talking to mama? You’ve been
in there a long time. If she’s still mad just give her some time to
cool off. She’s been having even more of those mood swings you
complain about now that she’s with child.”

Marston laughed loudly as Rose glared at
him. “Mood swings?”

Marston tried to quell his laughter but it
was useless. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he offered.

Rose rolled her eyes but he could see the
corners of her mouth twitching as she fought back a smile.

“
Pa!?” Langley called
again.

“
I’m coming, kid,” Marston
replied. “Just go on outside and I’ll be down in a
minute.”

“
Okay, pa!” His footsteps
disappeared back down the hall.

“
Your brother has taught
him things you wouldn’t believe,” Rose muttered.

“
Oh trust me, I’d believe
them. Jeremiah taught me the same things.” He kissed her nose and
then leapt away when a gunshot sounded outside.

“
Damn you, Duke! You just
about took my head clean off!” Jeremiah bellowed.

“
Well get your scrawny ass
out of my firing lane and I wouldn’t come so close to shooting
you,” Duke shouted back.

“
Well gee, Uncle Jeremiah,
it seems like just about everybody wants to shoot you!” Langley
noted.

Rose sighed. “Welcome home, Marston.”

Marston smiled and knew he could never be
happier. “It’s damn good to be home.”

Epilogue

Five Months Later

“
Ugh.. I forgot how much
this hurts!” Rose exclaimed as the birthing pains wracked her
body.

Marston was sitting behind her in the bed
and she was sitting between his legs with her back against his
chest. He had his hands on her large, firm belly and he could feel
it tensing and tightening beneath his palms.

Hearing her cries of pain filled Marston
with pain—as did the fingernails that she was currently digging
into his thighs. He used his bandana to swipe some sweat from her
brow before it ran into her eyes.

Marston kissed her damp hair. “If I could
take your pain away, I would.”

“
I know you would,” Rose
gasped as the pain began to subside. “And if you ever get me with
child again, I will shoot you in the foot.”

“
Shooting me in the foot
won’t stop me from getting you with child,” he reminded
her.

Rose snorted. “No, but it will make me feel
better!” The last words was louder than the rest as yet another
pain hit her body. Her grip on his thighs tightened and Marston
knew there would be bruises. He didn’t voice a word of complaint,
though he knew there was a chance he was bleeding.

“
You’re almost there,” the
doctor spoke comfortably from beneath her nightdress. “The next
time you feel a pain I want you to…”

“
Yeah, yeah! You want me
to push. This isn’t my first time!” Rose snapped
impatiently.

Marston hid his smile in her hair but the
smile quickly turned to a grimace when she let out a scream and her
nails dug into him once again.

Ten minutes, multiple screams and several
curses later, Marston was holding his brand new baby girl. Never
had he felt a love so all-consuming as the one he felt staring down
at her squishy, pink face.

“
She’s beautiful,” he
whispered.

Rose beamed with tired pride as she watched
him.

Langley and Kaitlyn tentatively came into
the room and perched themselves on the side of the bed. “Can we see
her?” Langley asked.

Marston motioned for them to come closer and
they stared down at their sister with awe. “What’s her name?”
Kaitlyn asked.

“
Lucy,” Rose
spoke.

“
Eleanor,” Marston said at
the same time.

Rose stuck out her stubborn chin as she met
his gaze and he found himself chuckling. “Lucy,” he agreed.

Rose yawned as she curled up beneath her
covers.

“
Children go downstairs,”
Marston said, motioning to the door. “I’ll be down in a minute.
Your mama needs to rest.”

“
Love you mama,” Langley
and Kaitlyn said in unison as they kissed Rose’s pale
cheeks.

Rose smiled a tired smile. “Love you
too.”

Langley and Kaitlyn left the room and
Marston laid a sleeping Lucy down in her mother’s arms. Rose kissed
the girl’s dusting of dark hair. “Thank you, Rose,” Marston said
gruffly as he watched the scene.

“
For what? “she asked
softly.

“
For giving me purpose,”
he replied. “For giving me a family and a home.”

Rose laid her hand on his rough cheek.
“Thank you, Marston.”

“
For what?”

“
For giving me
love.”

Marston smiled and pressed a tender kiss to
her full lips. “I’ll be giving you that until the day I die, love.
You and this family are all in this whole world that matter to
me.”

“
Langley, give that back!”
Kaitlyn’s angry voice from downstairs interrupted the peace of the
moment.

“
I guess you’ll have to
catch me if you want it!” Langley called.

“
Pa!” Kaitlyn
yelled.

Marston sighed as he stood up. “Get some
rest, beautiful. I have some official pa business to tend to.”

Rose offered a sleepy smile. “Go get ‘em,
pa.”

Marston gave Rose and Lucy one more tender
kiss before slipping from the room and closing the door behind
him.

He stopped for a moment in the hall and sent
up a prayer of thanks to the Heavens. He had never imagined that
he’d want this kind of life. He was a true family man now. He ran a
gun shop, had learned to farm, came home to his wife every day and
tucked his children into bed every night.

Jeremiah and Duke still loved to give him
hell when they came around, which was getting to be more and more
often these days.

Marston loved his new life. He was still an
outlaw, through and through, and always would be, but now he was an
outlaw with a family.

“
Pa!” Kaitlyn yelled
again. “Langley took my sewing and won’t give it back!”

“
Pa, Langley took my
sewing and won’t give it back!” Langley imitated her
shrilly.

Marston laughed quietly and then put on his
sternest face to head down the stairs and take care of his
children.

Hope you enjoyed the Give My Love to Rose by
Nicole Sturgill.

The first book of the Outlaw Series.

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http://dreambigpublishing.net

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