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

Cole waited for his turn. He had already made up his mind he wasn’t going to roll over as easily as his brothers had. Elliott had hurt Mary Rose. He should have to pay before they started being hospitable to him.

“Where’s the mean one?” Elliott asked.

“Right here, sir,” Cole answered before he could stop himself. Then he smiled. “Harrison told you I was mean?”

“It was given with a great deal of admiration,” he assured the brother. “I’ve heard a great amount about you. Some of the remarks were made by a young lady named Eleanor. She seemed to believe you would try to shoot me and told me to be careful around you. As to Eleanor,” he continued. “I was wondering . . .”

Cole raised an eyebrow. “What’s that, sir?”

“Would all of you mind taking her back?”

The brothers shouted the word no at the same time. Elliott laughed. So did Cole. “Sir, you’re stuck with her.” he said then.

“She’s happy there,” Mary Rose insisted. “Father, you must be hungry. We’ve already had our supper, but we’ll sit with you while you have yours. Take a chair now. You must be weary from your journey.”

She didn’t wait to hear his agreement but hurried on into the kitchen. She couldn’t quit smiling. She was going to have to get down on her knees and give God a proper thank you for helping her father.

Harrison caught her around the waist and pulled her up against him in the hallway. He leaned down and kissed her ear.

“It’s good to see you happy again,” he whispered. “Turn around and make me happy. I need to kiss you.”

She put her heart into the task. She wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and drew him down for a long, passionate kiss. One wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t long before they both realized that if they didn’t stop now, they wouldn’t stop at all.

She was breathless and flustered when she pulled away from him. She was just the way he liked her to be.

“You made him understand, didn’t you? Thank you, Harrison.”

“No, you made him understand when you left. You gave it all up, and once he realized what you considered valuable, he began to understand. I’m happy he’s here too, sweetheart. I’ve been looking for an edge.”

“For Adam?”

Harrison nodded. “Elliott won’t let me miss anything. He’s the edge I need.”

“Let him have his supper before you tell him about Adam. I don’t think he’ll feel like eating . . . after.”

Harrison knew the brothers wouldn’t mention it to Elliott. He went back to the table and sat down next to Cole. Adam was seated adjacent to Mary Rose’s father. They were talking about the sleeping arrangements.

Cole grinned at him. Harrison should have known something was up. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it either, because Cole only smiled when he had sorry news to give.

“It’s already been decided, Harrison. He’s taking Mary Rose’s bedroom. You two can sleep in the bunkhouse. You’ll have more privacy out there.”

“When you were out of the room,” Travis told him. “We voted.”

Harrison wasn’t about to sleep in a bunk bed with his wife. He started to argue, but was waylaid when Mary Rose came back into the dining room. She didn’t look happy.

“Cole, Samuel’s waving his butcher knife at me again. He won’t let me feed Father. Do something, for heaven’s sake.”

“I’ll do something,” Harrison roared. He started to stand up. Cole shoved him back down.

“Now, Harrison, he’ll only cut you if you go in there. He’s not quite ready to like you yet. I’ll go.”

Elliott looked stunned. “Someone’s in the kitchen with a knife . . . threatening my daughter?”

“Yes, sir,” Cole answered on his way to the door. He paused to draw his gun, cock it, and then shoved the door open.

“Samuel, you’re sure a trial to my patience,” he bellowed.

“Good Lord.” Elliott couldn’t think of anything more to say.

Harrison relaxed. He turned to Elliott and smiled. The man looked completely befuddled. “They pay him a wage too. Makes you want to pound your head against something hard, doesn’t it, sir?”

Elliott nodded. Harrison burst into laughter. Honest to God, there was never a dull minute at the ranch. Adam shook his head and looked sheepish. He guessed maybe to outsiders it did seem crazy to put up with Samuel.

“Samuel’s our cook,” he explained.

Mary Rose stood tapping her foot against the floor while she waited. Cole finally called to her. She let out a little sigh and went back into the kitchen.

Her father was given a proper supper a few minutes later. The men drank coffee while they waited for him to finish. Mary Rose took his empty plate back into the kitchen.

“I’ll be a while. I have to make up with Samuel. He’s going to make me beg. I just know it.”

“You going to tell him?” Cole asked Harrison with a nod towards Elliott.

“Yes. Sir, we’re all a bit irritable these days. You see, next Friday . . .”

Adam interrupted him. “I’m going to be tried for murder.”

Elliott blinked, but it was the only outward reaction he showed to the news.

“Did you do it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s the last damned time you’re going to admit it, Adam,” Harrison snapped.

“Don’t curse, son.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Were there extenuating circumstances?”

Adam nodded and then proceeded to give him a full explanation. Elliott listened intently without once interrupting.

“Harrison, are you prepared to defend him?”

“Not quite yet, sir, but I’m getting there. I still have quite a lot of work to do.”

Elliott gave him a piercing look. “Do you have a specific plan of action?”

“Yes.”

“Will I like the approach you’re going to take?” he questioned.

Harrison stared right into his eyes when he answered him. “No, sir, you won’t like it at all.”

Elliott nodded. “I need paper, pen, and ink. We’re going to start all over again, Adam. Harrison, I would like to see your notes.”

“Tell us your gut feeling,” Cole requested. “Do you think . . .”

Elliott slammed his hand down on the table. “I won’t have it. That’s what I think.”

He leaned back in his chair and waited while Harrison went to get the writing supplies and his notes.

No one said a word. They all knew Elliott was thinking about the case, and they didn’t want to interrupt him. Mary Rose came back into the room and joined them at the table again.

The silence continued. The air became charged with anticipation. The brothers and their sister sat on the edge of their chairs while they waited to hear Elliott’s opinions. They all felt something was about to happen but couldn’t explain why. They just knew.

When Elliott finally spoke, he addressed Adam. His voice was whisper soft and somewhat chilling.

“He’s the best there is, you know. I almost pity your accusers. He won’t show any mercy, not in a courtroom, and not after the grievous insult done to his family. Oh, yes, I almost pity them.”

Goosebumps covered Mary Rose’s arms. “Didn’t you train him, Father?” she asked.

“I taught him the law. He has his own unique way of arguing it. He’s brilliant, yes, but he’s also ruthless. He becomes a predator when he walks into court. I’ve seen him, watched him, and I’ll tell you now, there have been a few instances when I’ve actually feared him. I would never go up against him. You see, I’ve only just figured out what he’s going to do, and when he’s finished, your accusers may not be able to get out of this town alive.”

Harrison came back into the dining room a few minutes later with his notes and the writing supplies for Elliott. He noticed the silence immediately. They were all staring up at him, and he knew something significant had happened. He waited for someone to tell him.

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No one said a word. And then he noticed something else. He saw it in Adam’s eyes.

Hope.

Mary Rose saw very little of Harrison during the next week. He and Douglas went into town together on Monday and didn’t return until twilight. Douglas had the five rental horses from the town’s stable with him. Neither her husband nor her brother explained why they’d taken the horses.

On Tuesday Travis accompanied Harrison into Blue Belle. They both looked grim when they returned home. Harrison made love to her that night. He was far more demanding than usual. He did things to her she hadn’t thought were possible, and she climaxed three times before he gave in to his own fulfillment.

On Wednesday Harrison spent all day going over his notes. The next morning Dooley rode out to the ranch to pass along the news that Judge Burns got tired of fishing and was back at Belle’s house again. Elliott was anxious to read the evidence against Adam, but Harrison didn’t take him into town until almost eleven o’clock. He was fully occupied taking care of his sick wife.

She’d been throwing up since ten. She tried to get him to leave, insisting she was fine, really, but then she’d start in gagging again, and Harrison got all worked up.

She started feeling better an hour later. She knew she looked like hell. She was draped over the bed, flat on her stomach with her hair hanging down over the side. Harrison squatted down beside her while he mopped her brow with a cold damp cloth.

“This is all my fault, sweetheart. I hurt you last night, and now . . .”

“You didn’t hurt me ... well, you did, but it was a nice kind of hurt. I liked it. I’ve been feeling nauseated for several days. It isn’t your fault. It’s the trial. I can’t help fretting about it.”

Douglas came in the bunkhouse to check on his sister.

“Where the hell have you been?” Harrison demanded. “She’s been sick for over an hour now. Do something, for God’s sake.”

Douglas was a bit taken aback by the fury in Harrison’s voice. “She scared you, didn’t she? She doesn’t get sick very often. I’ll take care of her. She’s got some color back in her face. I think she’s already recovering. Dooley’s getting ready to leave. Didn’t you want to talk to him?”

“Your sister is going to have to promise me that when I get back this afternoon, I’ll find her in bed. Give me your word, Mary Rose, or I’m not going anywhere.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “All right. I’ll be in bed.”

He lifted her hair away from her face so he could kiss her. Then he let it drop back down again.

Douglas waited until he’d left before broaching a rather delicate subject.

“Do you know what this is all about?” he asked.

“I’m sick. That’s what it’s about.”

He sat down on the side of her bed. “What kind of sick? Did you eat something that made you ill?”

“No. I’m just worked up about the trial, Douglas.”

“Could you be pregnant?”

The question astonished her. She had to think about it a long while.

“Have you missed your monthly?”

She turned beet red in less than a minute. “You’re embarrassing me. You’re my brother, for heaven’s sake. You shouldn’t ask such personal questions.”

“Have you?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Two . . . no, three.”

Mary Rose lifted her head off the pillow. “Do you think . . .”

She couldn’t go on. The wonder of it all was just settling in. A baby. She might really be having a baby. She was suddenly overwhelmed with joy.

“I think I’m going to become an uncle.” Douglas said. He patted her on her shoulder and smiled down at her.

“We can’t tell Harrison. Don’t tell anyone until I’m certain, Douglas. My husband has enough to think about. He’ll be happy about my news, but he might become distracted. We can’t have that.”

Douglas agreed. Harrison left an hour later to take her father over to Belle’s house so he could look over the evidence against Adam. Then he went back into town again. He spent the day there and didn’t return to the ranch until suppertime.

He went directly to the bunkhouse to make certain Mary Rose was where he’d left her. He took one look at her and knew she’d gotten out of bed.

She wasn’t about to admit it.

“Did you rest all day, sweetheart?”

“Yes, I did.”

He smiled. “You stayed in bed?”

She smiled back. “You should be happy with me,” she answered, which wasn’t a proper answer at all. “You didn’t think you’d find me in bed, did you? I could tell you were surprised. How did your day go?”

He decided to force her to lie outright. She hadn’t yet. She’d evaded his questions. She looked damned proud of herself too.

“Did you rest in bed all day?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Now, why would you ask me that again? Don’t you believe me, Harrison? You’ll have to trust me, I suppose.”

He shook his head. His sweet wife had completely disregarded his instructions. He didn’t know what he was going to do about that. He let out a loud sigh. There really wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. She was stubborn and willful, and unless he tied her down to the bed, she’d do what she thought best.

“Just promise me that when you feel ill, you’ll rest. All right?”

She sat up in bed. “Why don’t you believe me?”

He didn’t answer her. “I’m going up to the house. You might want to put something on your face before you join me, sweetheart.”

He knew she’d ask him why, of course, and he couldn’t wait to tell her. He started counting to ten as he opened the door and started out.

“Wait,” she called out. “What’s wrong with my face?”

“It’s sunburned.”

She wasn’t the least bit contrite, but she was thoughtful. He’d give her that much. She waited until he’d pulled the door closed before she started laughing.

Was it any wonder why he loved her?

Everyone had just finished supper when Alfred Mitchell came riding down the slope.

“Stranger’s here. Take a look, sir. Is he one of your relatives?”

Elliott squinted out the window. “Can’t tell from this distance, but I don’t believe I know the man.”

“Then it’s Alfred Mitchell. Harrison, do you want us to wait inside while you talk to him?”

“Yes.”

“Offer him some refreshment,” Mary Rose called out.

She wasn’t sure if Harrison heard her or not. He’d already gone outside. Harrison didn’t wait for the attorney on the porch. He went down the steps and kept walking. The two men met halfway across the meadow.

Mitchell let out a loud groan when he dismounted. The two men shook hands and introduced themselves.

“You look worn out,” Harrison remarked.

Mitchell nodded. He looked up at Harrison, for Mitchell was quite a bit shorter. He appeared to be several years younger as well.

“I am worn out,” he admitted in a slow southern drawl. “I’ve gotten what you asked for, but I also bring you some terrible news. Can we walk while we talk? I’d like to work the cramps out of my backside before I ride back to my campsite.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night here, Alfred.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep quiet about what’s happening if I do stay. I’ve made camp close to town. I think I’ll stay there tonight, if you don’t mind my being unsociable.”

“You’ll have to testify tomorrow,” Harrison reminded him.

“Yes, I know. I’m eager to do so, sir. Very eager to tell what happened.”

Harrison and Alfred started walking toward the mountains. Mary Rose watched from behind the screen door.

Harrison was strolling along with his hands clasped behind his back for several minutes, then he suddenly turned to Mitchell.

“Y

ou can’t hear anything from here,” Douglas whispered behind her back.

She jumped. “Harrison doesn’t like what Mitchell is telling him. Look how rigid both men are. I don’t think it’s good news, Douglas. It’s bad.”

“The only bad thing would be that Mitchell didn’t get the signed papers, Mary Rose, and you can see Harrison’s holding something in his hand. My guess is that Mitchell couldn’t get Livonia to sign one.”

Harrison and Alfred continued to talk for over twenty minutes. Mary Rose thought the conference was over when they turned and started walking back. She went outside and stood on the porch to wait.

Alfred shook Harrison’s hand and climbed back up in his saddle. Mary Rose almost called out to the man to invite him to stay for the night. Harrison turned toward her, and when she saw the look on his face, she couldn’t have spoken a word to anyone. Her husband looked devastated.

He walked closer, then stopped and stood there staring at her.

He wanted her to come to him. Mary Rose didn’t hesitate. She ran to him.

He didn’t say a word to her, but took hold of her hand and turned around again.

They walked clear across the meadow before he stopped.

“I’m going to lie tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re going to lie in court?”

He didn’t answer her. “I won’t lie to you unless you give me permission to.”

She didn’t know what to say. They started walking again, their heads bowed, as each thought about tomorrow.

It only took Mary Rose a few minutes to understand. “You would never lie in court. No, you’d never do that. It’s unethical . . . and so, you’re going to lie to my brothers. You’d like to lie to me too, but you . . .”

“I promised you I would never lie to you again. I won’t ever break my word.”

“Unless I give you permission.”

“Yes.”

“All right.”

She turned and smiled at him. “I trust you. Do what you must. Now isn’t the time to worry about me.”

He was humbled by her. He closed his eyes and slowly nodded. “Thank you.”

“For trusting you?”

“And loving me ... and being who you are.”

“Kiss me, and I’ll know you mean it.”