Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

Rose looked at him blankly for a moment.

“My name is Reg, ma’am. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry, let’s give you a hand up,” he murmured, stepping forward with Barnaby to haul her upright.

Before Rose could even draw breath, the stranger picked her up as though she weighed nothing and nodded to Barnaby, who swiftly climbed onto his horse. Once there, the stranger lifted her into Barnaby’s waiting arms with such gentle care that Rose immediately wanted to cry.

Barnaby settled her against him and placed a tender kiss against her temple as he wheeled his horse around. While manfully acknowledging that he shouldn’t feel anything for this woman, he knew he did, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. This incident had been the biggest lesson of his life. He knew now that for all of his blustering protests he could never walk away from Rose. He wasn’t entirely sure what had changed between the

m, or when, but that didn’t matter right now. She was his, it was as simple as that and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, to keep her safe, make her happy, and ensure she remained where she belonged – by his side. She just didn’t know that yet.

“We need to get you out of Portsmouth,” Reg warned.

“She can’t travel like this. She isn’t going to be well enough for at least a couple of days,” Barnaby protested. Just the thought of asking her to ride on a horse, even sharing a horse with him, was something he couldn’t agree to.

Reg lapsed into thoughtful silence for a moment or two as he studied the horizon.

“What would you do if I said that I know the perfect place you can hide out, and make sure she gets medical help, and have the opportunity to rest as much as she needs to while you both leave the area relatively unchallenged?” Reg asked thoughtfully.

“I would ask you if you have had a smack to the head as well,” Barnaby replied ruefully. He was aware of Rose’s huffing laugh and smiled down at her. “I think he has lost his faculties,” he said, pleased to hear her try to laugh.

“Brace yourself then because all I need is an hour and then we can get you on your way again,” Reg retorted.

Before Barnaby could reply, he moved to ride closer to Ryan and murmured softly to his friend before he turned around and raced out of sight.

“Now what is he up to?” Barnaby murmured as he watched him go.

“You don’t trust him?” Rose asked peering up at him.

“I would trust him with my life, and yours, but he has a tendency not to tell anybody what he is planning until it is all arranged. Everyone then has to play catch-up.” He looked deeply into her eyes and saw cloudiness and confusion there. “I have to confess that his plans usually work though.”

Rose tentatively nodded but didn’t speak. Right now, even thinking hurt but what troubled her the most was the gentle rocking of the horse. Her already churning stomach began to protest at the slightest movement until she knew she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Barnaby,” she whispered, swallowing harshly against the need to be sick. “I need to get off.”

“We have to keep going,” he murmured with a frown. If at all possible, Rose had gone paler than ever before. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“The world is swirling,” she replied honestly. If she let go of him now she was going to end up face first on the ground again, and the next time she did that she knew she wasn’t going to get back up again for a very long time.

“Is it just your head?” Barnaby demanded. “Can you move all of your limbs?”

“I feel sick,” she whispered.

Barnaby stopped the horse and helped her down. Her feet had barely hit the floor before she lost the contents of her stomach on the ground beside them. Left with no other way to comfort her, Barnaby held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back while she steadied herself.

“She needs to be lying down. Reg’s plan to get you out of here is perfect given how poorly she is,” Ryan assured him. “I just think that we can’t waste a single moment. We need to get you moved on as fast as possible.”

“She is ill,” Barnaby protested.

“Yes, but wait until you see what we have planned,” Ryan replied. “We aren’t going to go to the safe house.”

“Where are we going then?” Barnaby asked looking from Ryan to Ben.

“Just follow us,” Ryan replied.

Barnaby was too distracted to pay much attention but nodded anyway. He didn’t want to give it too much thought. He needed to keep his attention on Rose so he was there if she needed anything. At times like this he had to rely on his colleagues’ wealth of experience to get him and Rose out of the area without encountering any further skirmishes with Chadwick’s employees.

“I am sorry,” she whispered when she had finished.

“It is because you have had a knock to the head,” Barnaby murmured gently.