Give My Love to Rose(1st in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Nightmares had Rose gasping for breath as she shot upright in bed. She ran her hand over her sweaty curls and pulled her blanket tighter around her, clutching it in her fingers.

Tonight the nightmares had been her time spent in that wagon. Her adoptive father had started up his own sex slave business and he had kept her and several more daughters prisoner inside and sold their time and their bodies for whatever money he could get. She had dreamt of the night that he himself had raped her...The night that Langley had been conceived. She knew that had been the night because it had been the only night that month that she had been raped.

Her adoptive father had beaten her face so badly after that she'd been unwanted by the men who showed up and three weeks after the rape, Langston had come and paid nearly one hundred dollars to take her away and have her as his own.

Her adoptive father had been all too happy to let her go for that small fortune.

Rose shivered and slowly got to her feet, her weak legs protesting the movement. She shuffled across the room using the furniture for support and took her robe from the hook by the door. After sliding into it, Rose went into the kitchen, lit the lamp and laid her head against the cabinets to try to force the memories away.

"You okay?"

Marston's voice caused her to open her eyes and turn quickly. He was laying on that sofa that was several feet too small for him and his golden eyes were watching her closely. Rose hadn't realized he'd been sleeping inside....

"I didn't mean to disturb you," she apologized.

Marston shrugged but he didn't get up. "You didn't. Bad dreams again?"

Rose poured a glass of water and took a shaky sip. "Yes."

"You want to talk about them?"

"No," she quickly snapped and then she saw his hurt and she sighed. "Not yet."

"You need to go rest, Rose," Marston insisted.

Rose knew he was right. She took one last sip of water and placed her glass on the counter. She turned toward her bedroom but her weak legs had finally done all they could and they gave out beneath her. She prepared herself for the fall she knew she was going to take and nearly cried out with shock when instead she found herself once again lifted into Marston's arms and cradled against his chest.

"How did you move so fast?" she gasped.

He laughed lightly. "I've been told I'm part Indian. Maybe that has something to do with it."

As he carried her to her bed, Rose marveled at the fact that being held by Marston this way didn't frighten her. For some reason her fear of being touched disappeared when it was Marston doing the touching.

She found herself placed gently upon her bed and her covers were pulled up to her chin before her hair was smoothed from her face. "I've never been tucked into bed," Rose admitted.

She saw Marston's throat work as he swallowed hard. "I've never tucked anyone into bed."

"You do a good job," she assured him as he made sure the blanket was snug around her. Rose could definitely see herself getting used to being pampered this way.

Marston smiled. "I'm glad you think so." He wanted nothing more than to kiss her but he could see the uncertainty in her blue eyes. It was hard for Marston to deny urges that he'd never once in his life bothered to deny before but somehow he forced himself to settle for pressing a light kiss to her soft cheek.