For the Roses (Claybornes' Brides (Rose Hill) 1)

“The sooner you leave the better as far as I’m concerned,” Travis said. “You didn’t have to tell us about Elliott, you know. He’s an old man, isn’t he? And he’d already given up. Why did you have to take over his hunt?”

“Because I felt it was my duty to take over for him. If you knew him, you would understand.”

“I think you should leave before we tell Mary Rose,” Adam said.

“Why?”

“It will be easier for everyone,” Adam replied.

“Exactly how will it be easier?” Harrison asked.

Adam refused to explain. The set look on his face told Harrison it would be pointless to argue.

“When are you going to tell her?” he asked.

“When we’re ready. My brothers and I are going to discuss the situation first. We’ll decide what’s to be done, and when. I don’t want you to leave just yet, however. I’m certain I’ll have more questions I’ll want answered before Mary Rose finds out anything.”

Harrison pushed his chair back and stood up. “I know you’ve had quite a blow. If I could have changed things, I would have. Hell, Elliott didn’t ask to be thrown into purgatory. You’ve had her long enough. You’ve watched her grow up. Her father never experienced any of the joy of her childhood. Let him at least meet her now. He needs to see her, to know she’s all right.”

“I’ve already explained Mary Rose will want to do that much,” Adam responded.

“Don’t put it off,” Harrison pressed. “I’ll give you one week, two, if I can wait that long. I hope to God you decide to tell her soon. I think you’re wrong to want me to leave before you talk to her, but the decision is yours to make and I will respect it. I’ll wait fourteen days. If you haven’t gotten all your questions answered by then, it’ll be too late. Don’t you dare ask me again, Cole,” he added when he caught the look on the brother’s face. “I’ve given you my word. I won’t tell Mary Rose about her father now, and I won’t tell her in fourteen days. I’ll simply leave. I’m going back to London, and I will tell Elliott the minute I see him.”

Harrison started to leave the room. “You have quite a lot to talk over. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait a minute,” Cole called out. “Are you planning to seduce our sister before or after we’ve told her about her father?”

“I should wait, but I’m not going to.”

“Son-of-a ...” Cole whispered.

Harrison interrupted him before he could complete the blasphemy. “I’ve given you my intentions and my terms. I suggest you accept them.”

He pulled the door closed behind him.

The younger brothers turned to Adam. Cole asked, “What are we going to do?”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Douglas argued. “You heard Harrison. He said Elliott wouldn’t come here.”

“He also said Elliott wouldn’t have to,” Travis interjected. “Mary Rose would go to him.”

“I want to hate him,” Cole whispered, his voice harsh with worry.

“How can you want to hate Elliott?” Adam asked.

“I was talking about Harrison,” Cole said. “He’s trying to tear this family apart.”

“He isn’t trying now. He’s done it,” Travis said.

“We have to do the right thing,” Douglas whispered. Oh, how he hated having to admit it. “She’s got to go and meet him.”

Travis and Cole exchanged a worried look. Of the four brothers, they were the most vulnerable and the most afraid. The future was filled with unknowns, and each was thinking he would have to face it alone.

Mary Rose had been their reason for joining together and becoming a family. She was the force that held them all together. When she left, wouldn’t their purpose for being a family end?

Cole had known the day would come when she married and moved away. He had stubbornly refused to think about it. England was an ocean away, however, and the possibility that he would never see his sister again filled him with anguish.

“Our sister is all grown up,” he said. “It happened overnight, didn’t it? I knew she’d leave one day, but I didn’t . . .”

He left the sentence unfinished. “Is it time for all of us to move on?”

“It’s too soon to think about plans like that,” Douglas said. “Cole, you wanted to buy that piece of land near the ridge that joins our land. Weren’t you thinking about building your own place there?”

“You know I was,” Cole said.

“I don’t see how anything changes. Travis does so much traveling around, he isn’t home much. Even if the family breaks apart, we’re still in business together.”

Adam let his brothers worry out loud for a long while. Finally he had had enough of their self-pity, and forced them back to the immediate problem.

“Talking about our future plans can wait until later. Mary Rose is our concern now. She’s going to be upset about all of this. I don’t believe she should have time to worry about it. She can get used to the idea of a father on the way to England.”

“Are you saying she should leave as soon as possible?” Travis asked.

Adam nodded. “Yes.”

Cole reluctantly agreed. “The sooner she leaves, the sooner she’ll be back.”

“If she comes back,” Travis said.

Everyone worried about the possibility once again. Then Adam said, “You heard Harrison say Elliott’s a very wealthy man. Mary Rose has led a sheltered life here.”

“She went to school in St. Louis,” Douglas interjected. “She’s seen some of the world.”

“The boarding school was isolated from the city. She was sheltered there as well,” Adam said.

“What are you worried about?” Cole asked. “Do you think her head will be turned by all the glitter?”

“No,” Adam replied. “I just don’t know how she’ll handle the changes. I don’t want her feeling . . . vulnerable.”

“She makes friends easy,” Douglas said.

“I don’t like the notion of anyone hurting her feelings. I don’t want her thinking she’s inadequate,” Adam said.

“Who will go with her?” Travis asked.

“All of us,” Cole answered.

“Be reasonable,” Douglas said. “We can’t leave. We have responsibilities here.”

“We’re her past,” Adam said. “As much as it pains me to say it, none of us can go with her.”

“Are you suggesting we send her off alone?” Travis asked. He was appalled by the idea.

“Harrison could take her,” Travis said.

None of the other brothers liked his suggestion. Adam finally came up with another one they found more acceptable.

“Eleanor could go with her. They could look out for each other. They’re getting along just fine now, aren’t they? Mary Rose has a good head. She’ll do the right thing. I don’t have any doubts about that.”

“She came back from St. Louis alone,” Cole said. “She knows how to handle herself around strangers. I made sure she could use a gun too. Adam’s right. She’ll be all right.”

“The Cohens are going back east for some sort of family celebration. I have to go to Hammond again to sell those two horses. I’ll stop by and find out the particulars. Maybe it would work out, and Eleanor and Mary Rose could ride with them.”

“It sure would be nice if it worked out. I trust John Cohen,” Cole said.

“We have to give the money back.”

Douglas made the announcement. Everyone turned to him. “What money?” Cole asked.

“Elliott’s money,” Douglas explained. “Whoever kidnapped Mary Rose must have taken the money too. We used every bit of what was inside the envelope, and so now we have to give it back. Adam, do we have enough set aside?”

“Yes,” Adam said. “And I agree. The money was probably stolen from Elliott, and we should give it back. We’ll be stretched tight for a while. I’m sorry now we purchased the cattle, but we already gave the money and it’s too late to back out.”

&nbs

p; The brothers continued to discuss their concerns well into the night. Adam finally decided to go to bed.

“We’ll tell her together.” he said.

“When?” Cole asked. He stood up and stretched his muscles.

“Let’s ponder the ‘when’ tomorrow,” Adam suggested.

Travis and Cole both acted as though they’d just been given a stay of execution from the hanging tree. They had at least twenty-four more hours to pretend everything was all right.

“What are we going to do about Harrison? Why didn’t you want him to stay until after we told Mary Rose?” Douglas asked Adam.

“I need to question him about Elliott,” Adam explained. “I have to find out what she’s walking into. I want to know all about Elliott and what kind of life he leads. I have to be able to prepare Mary Rose. Harrison is the only one who can give me the information I need.”

“We’re going to have to make sure he stays away from our sister,” Travis insisted.

Cole shook his head. “Damn it all, a man should have to say his vows before he claims his bride.”

Adam leaned back in his chair. “I believe that’s exactly what Harrison just did.”

February 7, 1867

Dear Mama Rose,

We have a surprise for you. My brothers and I have been tucking a little money away for this fine day. We believe we have enough now for Cole and Douglas to come and fetch you. Hear me out, Mama, before you start shaking your head. First of all, if you’re worried about the cost, then don’t. We have worked everything out and once you get settled here, you’ll see we’re just doing fine. It’s still winter, of course, and my brothers won’t be able to leave until after spring roundup. I have to chuckle about our herd. We started with two breeding cows and now we have ten. We’ll have five more after the birthings. It won’t take us any time at all to gather ours up, but neighbors help neighbors, and so we’ll give a hand to the Pearlman family. They have around eighty steers now. They’ve been mighty generous to us. They don’t charge us for the services of their bull. We’ve promised to buy one of our own, and when we do, we’ll reciprocate the kindness.

You’re worried about Livonia, aren’t you? I know she’s blind, Mama, and depends on you for every little thing, but we need you too. If you train someone else to take over your chores, Livonia will get along just fine. She has two sons to look after her. I know they’re bad-natured, but they are her sons and therefore responsible for her. Livonia will understand. Please don’t argue with us. We’ve waited long enough and so have you. Our minds are set. Unless we hear from you, Cole and Douglas will be knocking on your door around the first of June.

Love,

John Quincy Adam Clayborne

13

They wouldn’t let her out of their sight. Travis, Douglas, and Cole must have organized a schedule so each would know exactly when it was his turn to follow Mary Rose around or trail Harrison. The brothers’ behavior was outrageous, especially given the fact that Harrison stayed busy from morning until night and rarely even saw their sister. He took the brothers’ behavior in stride and went right along with his duties.

Adam thought his brothers were acting like children. He told them they were protecting their sister from the man who had, in effect, already pledged himself to her. Harrison had vowed in front of four witnesses to love her and protect her. He had used the word “forever,” and Adam translated that to mean until death did they part. In his mind, the commitment had been made.

Travis told him he was crazy. Mary Rose hadn’t made any such commitment.

“Only because you haven’t given her enough time alone with Harrison to allow her to,” Adam replied. “There aren’t any preachers around here. Are you going to go all the way to Salt Lake to get one? Mother Rose married my father in front of her family without my father even being present. A month later he spoke his vows.”

“Did he have a pistol pressed against his back?” Travis asked.

“No, he didn’t. He wanted to pledge himself to her. Leave Harrison and Mary Rose alone.”

Adam’s reasoning might have made good sense to Travis if Mary Rose hadn’t been his little sister. She was, however, and that fact changed everything. He didn’t care who promised what. The thought of his sister being intimate with a man just didn’t sit right. He couldn’t even think about it without becoming nauseated.

Mary Rose knew something was wrong, but no one would tell her what it was. There was a lot of tension in the air. Three of her brothers were acting peculiar too. While she was pleased to have their company, she couldn’t imagine why they needed to be around her all the time.

They wouldn’t let her spend any time at all with Harrison. She asked Cole to tell her why everyone was on edge. He muttered something about money problems. She told Cole he should have more faith in God and in himself. They had gotten along during rough times before and they would do so again.

Her disappointment over the talk Harrison wanted to have with the brothers was difficult for her to get over. Eleanor’s guess that he was going to ask to court Mary Rose turned out to be wrong. Travis told her Harrison discussed business matters. He couldn’t give her any reason why she’d been excluded from the meeting, though, and she guessed Harrison was the only one who could tell her why he hadn’t wanted her there. He seemed to be avoiding her. He did wink at her when he passed by her every once in a while, but he hadn’t spoken more than ten words to her in almost a full week. She fretted about him and finally made up her mind to find a way to get him alone. Eleanor would help her. Now that she’d softened her attitude toward the family and opened her heart, she’d become a good friend.

Mary Rose went to see Corrie three times during the week. She made the trip more often than she needed to, but she’d hoped her brothers would be too busy to escort her, and Harrison would tag along. Thus far, the plan hadn’t worked. She wasn’t going to give up, however.

Each time she returned from a visit, she had wonderful news to report to the family. When she arrived at Corrie’s cabin on Monday, she found a rocking chair had been placed in the center of the yard. She thought it was extremely thoughtful of Corrie to be concerned about her comfort. Wednesday she found the rocking chair in front of the window next to the steps. Corrie was letting her get closer with each visit. Now when she visited, Mary Rose wouldn’t have to shout every word.

Friday was the best visit of all. The rocker was on the porch, directly outside the window. The chair faced the yard. Mary Rose admitted at supper she was a little nervous going up the steps. There wasn’t a shotgun visible through the open window though, and she thought perhaps Corrie was testing her to see if she had enough courage to sit with her back to her.

Harrison’s quiet reserve vanished when she told everyone what had happened. His heart nearly stopped beating. He bounded to his feet and began to roar.

“Are you out of your mind? Travis, you were with her, weren’t you? How could you let your sister get close to ...”

“Calm down,” Travis said. “I had my shotgun ready. It wouldn’t have taken me any time at all to get to the porch.”

“She could have been dead by then,” Harrison bellowed. His fury didn’t seem to have any bounds.

Before Travis realized what he was about to do, Harrison reached over with one hand, grabbed hold of him, and lifted him out of his seat. The chair went flying backward. Cole glanced down, saw that Travis’s feet weren’t touching the floor, and then looked up at Harrison again.

There was admiration in Cole’s gaze for the feat of strength Harrison was showing. Travis wasn’t a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination, but Harrison didn’t appear to be the least strained.

“Now, Harrison, is that any way to behave at the table?” Cole drawled out.

Harrison ignored him. He kept his gaze on Travis. “Corrie could have shoved a knife into her back or slit her throat or God only knows what else. Did you think about any of those possibilities while you had your damned shotgun up and rea

dy, Travis?”

“Let go of him, Harrison.” Adam issued the order.

Harrison finally realized what he was doing and immediately let go of the brother. Travis took it all in stride. He was still too surprised by Harrison’s violent reaction to work up any real anger.

Cole picked up his chair for him. He waited until Travis was about to sit back down, then tried to pull the chair out from under him. Travis was used to the old trick. He shoved Cole hard with his shoulder and got settled again.

“Since you were hot and bothered about Mary Rose’s safety, I won’t have to hit you. You’re lucky you didn’t tear my shirt,” he muttered. “I’d have to hit you then.”

“I would be happy to mend it for you if Harrison did tear it,” Eleanor blurted out. “Wouldn’t I, Mary Rose?”

She kept her gaze on Harrison when she answered Eleanor. “Yes, of course you would.”

Harrison was at it again. Mary Rose didn’t know what to make of him. The sweet and gentle man she liked having around so much had once again turned into a barbarian. It was happening more frequently these days, she realized. She should be used to his spells by now. She wasn’t, though. At least he didn’t frighten her, she considered. He just stunned the breath out of her.

She decided she didn’t like his unpredictability one bit. He was becoming extremely aggressive. What had caused the change?

She looked around the table for someone to blame. Her gaze settled on Cole. He winked at her.

“Harrison sure got your attention,” he said. “You look astonished.”

She didn’t appreciate his humor. She frowned with displeasure and pointed her finger at him.

“This is all your fault, Cole Clayborne. You’ve been a bad influence on Harrison since the day he got here. He used to be a perfect gentleman. Now look at him. If you’ve ruined him, I’ll never forgive you.”

“Mary Rose, don’t point your finger at anyone,” Adam instructed. His attempt to correct her manners was halfhearted. He was trying not to laugh at his sister because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. If she believed Cole had ruined Harrison, Adam wouldn’t try to change her mind.