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

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Okay, now can we open presents?" Langley exclaimed as he flopped himself onto the sofa after completing his chores.

Rose couldn't help but notice that Duke sat at the far end of the living room, as far from Rose's seat at the kitchen table as he could get. She had to wonder if his distance was because of the confrontation between himself and Marston—she rolled her eyes as she slid her knife through the skin of the potato she was peeling.

"Alright, I reckon we can open them now," Marston agreed. "Come on, Rose," he added. "You're supposed to be taking it easy. I'll peal the potatoes after we're done with gifts."

Jeremiah batted his lashes and laid his hand over his heart. "Aww, have you ever peeled potatoes in your life?"

"He sure has!" Langley was quick to respond as he hopped to his feet. "He peeled some for me the first day I met him and he cooked us dinner. He even used the big old knife!" he added before running into his room.

Jeremiah shivered. "Yeah, I know all about that knife. I've been on the sharp end of it a few times."

Rose's eyes widened as she walked to the back of the sofa and laid her hand on Marston's shoulder. "You've stabbed your brother?"

Langley positioned himself on the sofa next to Marston with a burlap sack from his room clutched tight in his hands. Jeremiah nodded toward Rose. "That's not the half of it!" he assured her. "He's shot me, stabbed me, left me for dead in the desert, sent a posse in my direction so they wouldn't be going in his and has stolen my horses over and over. That's a real winner of a man you got there, Rose."

Rose glanced down at her man who was simply sitting on the sofa with a bored expression, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms crossed over his chest. "Marston, did you truly do all that to your own brother?" Rose asked.

Marston grunted. "First off, he's annoying so he deserved to be shot and stabbed and he's shot and stabbed me plenty of times as well. Second, I didn't leave him for dead in the desert, I just left him. Third, ask him who sent that damn posse after me in the first place and fourth, damn near every horse he's ever had he's stolen from me."

Rose attempted to wrap her head around that mixed up relationship but was unable to. "That make me very thankful that I don't have any brothers or sisters," she admitted. Langley and Duke were quick to nod in agreement.

Duke stood from his chair. "Come on, Jeremiah. It's present time and our gifts for these fine folks are outside."

Marston frowned at the duo's retreating backs. "I'll be right back." Without further explanation, he followed them out the door. As Duke and Jeremiah stepped out of the barn with a burlap sack, Marston's frown deepened. "Where exactly did the two of you go last night?"

"How the hell do you know we went anywhere?" Jeremiah demanded.

Duke chuckled. "The bastard can hear a gnat take a shit from a hundred yards."

"So what's in the bag?" Marston pressed.

Duke held it up higher. "Presents for Christmas."

Marston scratched at his jaw. "You're saying you went out in the night on Christmas Eve and stole presents for Christmas?"

"Maybe we bought 'em," Jeremiah countered, the grin on his face making it clear that was not the case.

Marston shook his head. "There's a special place in hell for people like you."