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

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Rose snuggled deeper into her blankets and stretched her arms over her head. She was lying directly in the middle of the vastest bed she had ever slept in. She'd chosen the middle so there wouldn't be so much empty space and perhaps she wouldn't feel the ache of loneliness so sharply in her chest—it hadn't worked.

Rose had been quite shocked when they'd arrived at this massive home two days ago. It was two stories tall, painted white with black shutters and a wraparound porch. It was fully furnished with heavy gleaming furniture that was sturdy and made to last—no more rickety, scratched up kitchen tables for her family.

There were two large barns, spacious corrals and vast fields for farming to the west of the house. The land in all directions as far as a person could see belonged to her family.

And they didn't need to worry about bumping elbows inside. The home had six bedrooms, a vast kitchen with stone countertops and gleaming copper pots and pans, a sitting room, a game room with a billiard and poker table, a small den complete with sewing table and a desk behind the kitchen, two water closets and an attic.

Jeremiah had laughed after they'd done some exploring and said that rich men shouldn't play poker. Rose thought the house was nice but it wasn't home.... There was no Marston.

Rose rolled onto her side and stared at the bright yellow curtains over her glass bedroom window—Rose had never before lived in a home with glass windows. She thought about the time that had passed since they'd lost Marston.

Langley and Kaitlyn were adjusting well thanks to the resilience of children. When Marston was mentioned or something reminded them of him, they would experience a few ad moments but as a whole they were moving on with their lives rather quickly.

Jeremiah was clearly getting tired of being cooped up and tied down but the man was staying true to his word and had been with them, keeping an eye out for danger without fail.

They were all doing okay—all of them except Rose. She put on a brave face for Jeremiah and the children but when she was alone, as she was right now, she could never stop the tears from pouring from her eyes.

Marston was gone.

Rose knew he was gone. Her mind knew he wasn't coming back to her. But she couldn't seem to convince her heart. Every night she dreamed that he would come riding across the plains and wrap her tight in strong arms. He would whisper gruffly against her ear and tell her how much he loved her. She would find herself lifted into his arms and cradled against his broad chest with her head against his heart. He would carry her up to this giant bed, lay her down and love her body until they were both far too tired to move.

Rose sniffed and wiped desperately at her tears. Rose imagined she could hear Marston's heart beat beneath her ear—as if the pillow were his chest—and it made her smile.

"Hey Rose?" Jeremiah's voice came from the other side of her closed door.

Rose pulled the blankets up higher and dried her face with the sleeves of her gown. "Come in."

Jeremiah opened the door and poked his head inside. "I'm going into town. Langley wants to come with me. Is that okay with you?"

Rose hated the annoyance the saw on his face when he caught her in tears. She squared her shoulders and glared back. Sometimes she hated having the man around. He was nice enough to them all but he was cold and not the least bit comforting and what she hated most about having him around was his eyes—his golden eyes that reminded her so much of his brothers.