One Pink Rose; One White Rose; One Red Rose (39 page)

She wasn't quick enough. He had already refolded the paper before she could see anything.

“What is it?”

“A telegram.”

“That's Genevieve's,” she said. “I was standing next to her when Clarence gave the wire to her. Shame on you, Adam. You shouldn't have read it. It's confidential.”

Cole came up behind his sister in time to hear her protest and offered his opinion.

“Sure he should read it. Who's it from, Adam?”

“A woman named Lottie.”

Adam finally looked at him. Cole could tell from the look in his brother's eyes that it was serious. Mary Rose didn't seem to notice, however.

“I know what it says,” she announced.

Adam turned to her. “You do?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn't tell anyone?”

“Don't yell at me,” she snapped. “Genevieve told me her friend was expecting a baby and promised to have her husband send a wire to let her know if she had a boy or a girl.”

“Is that so?” Adam asked.

Mary Rose nodded. “She had a girl,” she said. “I can't understand why you would get so upset over someone else's personal . . .”

She stopped talking when Cole put his hands on her shoulders and suggested she take a good look at Adam's expression.

Their brother looked furious. “How bad is it?” Cole asked him.

In answer, Adam handed the wire to him. Cole unfolded the paper and read the message out loud.

“Run for your life. They know where you are. They're coming for you.”

“Good Lord,” Mary Rose cried out.

Cole whistled at the same time. “Son of a . . .”

“How could anyone want to harm such a sweet, loving young lady?” Mary Rose asked.

“I thought you told me she wasn't in trouble,” Cole said.

“That's what she told me,” Adam muttered.

“She lied.”

“No kidding. Of course she lied.”

Mary Rose shook her head. “She must have had a good reason not to involve us.”

“We are involved if trouble is coming here,” Cole replied.

“I thought we had become good friends over the past week. She acted as though she didn't have a care in the world. Are you going to go after her, Adam?”

“Hell, yes.”

“Mama Rose is going to be beside herself with worry when she hears about this.”

Adam gave his sister a hard look. “She isn't going to hear about it. There isn't any reason to worry her.”

Mary Rose agreed with a quick nod. “Yes, you're right. I won't tell her.”

Adam started for the door, but Mary Rose grabbed hold of his hand to detain him.

“Why are you so angry?”

“It's a hell of an inconvenience to drop everything and go chasing after her, and I don't much like knowing trouble's coming to Rosehill. Cole, you're going to have to put off your trip to Texas for another week or two and stay around here.”

“I will,” he assured his brother.

“If anyone comes looking for Genevieve—”

“I'll know what to do.”

Adam left Rosehill fifteen minutes later. Genevieve Perry was about to find out what real trouble was.

G
enevieve was trying hard not to be afraid and failing miserably. She sat in front of her campfire with her legs tucked underneath her, gripping a gun in one hand and a heavy tree branch in the other. There weren't any stars out tonight, and it was so dark she couldn't see beyond the circle of the fire. She had never been bothered by the dark before, not even as a child, but then she'd always lived inside a nice strong house in the heart of the city with locks on every door and a mother and father to look after her. Now she was all alone and sitting in the middle of the forest, where all sorts of wild animals roamed about looking for food. She couldn't see the predators, but she knew they were there because she could hear them, and that made the dark all the more terrifying.

At night, the forest shrieked with life. Every sound was magnified. A twig snapped nearby and she flinched, her heart pounding frantically. She was certain an animal had made the noise, and she began to fervently pray it wasn't anything bigger or more dangerous than a rabbit. God only knew what she would do if a mountain lion or a bear wandered into her camp. The idea of becoming some animal's next meal didn't sit well with her, and she began to imagine all sorts of horrible ways she would die.

She began to hum one of her favorite hymns to take her mind off her dark thoughts until she realized the hymn was about death and redemption. Then she stopped and sagged against the tree behind her. She slowly stretched her legs out, crossed one ankle over the other, and willed herself to stop having such crazy thoughts. She would get through this night the same way she'd gotten through the past two. She would keep her eyes open and her wits sharp. Sleep was out of the question.

She never heard Adam coming. One second she was all alone, and the next he was sitting beside her and had her gun in his hand.

She was so startled to see him she screamed. She jumped back, struck her head against the tree, and cried out again. Her heart felt as though it had just leapt into her throat. How in heaven's name had he managed to drop down beside her without making any noise? As soon as she could find her voice, she would ask him that very question.

He didn't say a word to her. She watched him drop the gun on the ground between them. She stared stupidly at the weapon for several seconds before she turned to look up at him.

She had never been so happy to see anyone in all her life. He didn't look happy to see her though. His anger was more than apparent in the darkening of his eyes and the set of his jaw.

She wanted to hug him. She frowned instead and put her hand over her heart. “Adam, you scared me.”

He didn't have anything to say about that. She took another breath and then admitted, “I didn't hear you coming.”

“You weren't supposed to hear me.”

They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity without saying another word. He was trying to calm his temper and kept telling himself that he had gotten to her in time, that nothing godawful had happened to her, and that she was all right—for the moment. Relief intensified his anger, and, honest to God, he wanted to kiss her and shake some sense into her at the same time. He didn't give in to either inclination.

She was so thankful not to be alone any longer, tears welled up in her eyes.

He saw them. “What are you doing out here?”

“I'm camping. What are you doing here?”

“I came to get you.”

Her eyes widened. “You did? Why?”

He didn't explain but asked another question instead. “Why did you leave the ranch so abruptly?”

She turned away and stared at the fire. “I felt it was time for me to leave.”

“What kind of answer is that?” he demanded.

“Lower your voice,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“I don't want to . . . The animals will . . .”

“What about the animals?”

“If they hear us, they'll know we're here and they might come into camp.”

He tried not to smile. “Animals are also directed by scent.”

“I heard a mountain lion a little while ago.”

“He won't bother you.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes.”

She visibly relaxed and leaned into his side. Her arm rubbed against his when she turned to him again. “There aren't any stars out tonight.”

“Why did you leave in the middle of the night without telling anyone good-bye? Why were you in such a hurry?”

He already knew the answer, but he was curious to find out if she would tell him the truth. If she did, it would be a novelty, he decided. His frown darkened as he thought about what an adroit liar she was.

His scowl was hot enough to set her hair on fire. Her spine stiffened in reaction. “I know you're angry, but—”

He cut her off. “Hell, yes. I'm angry.”

“Why?”

He shook his head at her. “Don't you realize what could have happened to you? A beautiful woman like you can't go riding off in the wild without escorts. Do you have some sort of a death wish, Genevieve? Is that it? I know you're smart, but honest to God, I can't figure out why you would do such a foolish thing. Don't you care about the danger you're in?”

“I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and if you came all this way just to give me a piece of your mind, then it was a wasted trip. Go back home.”

She had tried to sound as angry as he had, but she was so rattled at the moment she didn't know if she'd accomplished the feat or not. He thought she was beautiful. The comment, made so matter-of-factly in the middle of his blistering lecture, took her by complete surprise. No one had ever called her beautiful before, and she had certainly never thought of herself that way. She was built all wrong. She was too tall, too thin, and her hair was too short. Yet Adam thought she was beautiful.

He couldn't figure out what had just come over her. She was staring off into space, a dreamy expression in her eyes. A hint of a smile crossed her face, and if he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was daydreaming.

He heard her sigh. It was long and drawn out, the kind of sigh a woman makes after she's been satisfied. Ah, hell, he thought to himself. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.

“You were about to tell me why you left the ranch in the middle of the night without a word,” he reminded her in a voice that sounded like a bear growling.

The reminder jarred her out of the fantasy she was having about living happily ever after.

“It wasn't the middle of the night. It was evening, and I wanted to say good-bye, honestly I did, but I was in a hurry and there wasn't time.”

“Obviously not,” he said. “Do you want to tell me why you were in such a hurry?”

“No.”

Her abrupt answer didn't please him. He held his patience and said, “You left something behind.”

“I did? What did I leave?”

“The telegram.”

She closed her eyes. “You read it, didn't you?”

“Oh, yes, I read it.”

She heard a faint rustling and gripped the branch with both hands as she squinted into the darkness. “I think something's out there. Did you hear that noise just now?”

“It's just the wind kicking up the leaves.”

“I'm not so sure,” she whispered.

“I am,” he insisted. “You haven't done a lot of camping, have you, Genevieve?” His exasperation was obvious.

“No, I haven't. It's an adventure for me.”

“You're trembling.”

“It's chilly tonight. I will admit I was a little nervous before you arrived. I'm not nervous now. I'm glad you're here, Adam, even though you're angry with me.”

“There's a town less than five miles from here. The Garrisons are a real nice couple who live on the outskirts. They rent out rooms. If you had asked—”

“I can't afford to spend any more money,” she interrupted. “The trip to Rosehill cost more than I had anticipated. Besides, it wouldn't have been an adventure if I took a room for the night. I'm experiencing life. I'm not content to read about it the way you are.”

He ignored her barb. “You could probably put that branch down now. What were you planning to do with it?”

She tossed it aside before she answered him. “I was going to swat animals away with it.”

He didn't laugh at her, but the look he gave her suggested he thought she had lost her mind. She lifted her shoulders. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“You have a gun,” he reminded her.

“I know I have a gun. I hoped I wouldn't have to use it. I'm the intruder here, not the wild animals. This is their home.”

“Have you ever fired a gun before?”

“No.”

Her answer made him angry all over again. It was a miracle that he had found her in one piece. Didn't she have any sense at all?

“You're going to start lecturing me again, aren't you?”

“You have no business being out here on your own. You're totally unskilled. Why didn't you tell me the truth back at Rosehill? Why did you lie?”

“I didn't want to lie to you.”

“Then why did you?”

She moved away from him and leaned back against the tree again. “My problems aren't your concern. Your brothers made you come after me, didn't they?”

The question was so ludicrous he felt like laughing. “I'm here because I want to be here. Who wants to hurt you?”

“Besides you?”

“Answer me, Genevieve.”

“No one wants to hurt me.”

Her hands were clenched in her lap.

“Do you ever tell the truth?” he asked.

“Yes, I usually do,” she replied. “But this is my problem, not yours, and I don't want you to get involved.”