Rose(126)
“She’s right,” Jeff said. “I vote for Circle Seven.”
There were no objections.
“When did you think of that?” George asked Rose as he slipped into bed next to her. She moved into his arms as if she had been waiting all day for nothing else.
“A few days ago. It occurred to me that the ranch had no name. As soon as I thought of the name, I realized it could be a brand as well.”
“I mean the part about the ring.”
Rose hesitated. She didn’t want to ruin his amorous mood.
“Every now and then people need to be reminded of the things that are most important to them. Especially your brothers. You face the world in a circle, women and children in the middle, ready to fight all comers, yet you don’t even suspect how much you depend on each other.”
George held Rose a little tighter, his lips against her cheek. “We owe you a great deal.”
Rose twisted in his arms until she faced him, her lips on his lips, her breasts against his chest, her thighs against his thighs. “I think every man ought to pay his debts,” she said, covering his face with nibbling kisses.
“Should I start now?” George asked, biting her neck.
“I’m counting on it,” Rose countered, finding her own point of sensitivity.
The brothers heard their brother’s yell from across the breezeway. They weren’t sure what caused it, but since it wasn’t repeated, they figured the damage wasn’t too severe.
“I’m not going with you,” George said. He didn’t know he’d made the decision until the words were out of his mouth.
“Of course you’re going,” Monty said, his tone sarcastic. “You know you don’t trust us out of your sight. No telling what kind of mistakes we’ll make.”
“A month ago you’d have been right, but not anymore.”
“What’s so different now?”
“I don’t like leaving Rose by herself. I know the McClen-dons have gone into hiding, but I don’t trust them not to come out the minute our backs are turned.”
“Leave Salty here.”
“He’s staying, but I’m staying, too.”
“I didn’t realize you were so taken with the married state,” Monty said, giving his brother a dig in the ribs.
“Neither did I until I thought about being gone for several months. That put everything in a different light.”
“I’ll bet it did.”
“Don’t be vulgar,” Hen told his twin. “He is really worried about the McClendons.”
“They won’t show their faces again,” Monty said.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t trust that old man not to attack the devil if he turned his back.”
“I’m tired of the McClendons,” Monty said. “Who’s going to be in charge of this drive? I hate taking orders from George all the time, but at least he’s got some sense.”
“And nobody else does?” Jeff demanded.
“Certainly not you.”
George interrupted what promised to turn into a heated argument. “You know, when I came home I thought it was my responsibility to hold this family together. I worried myself sick about every decision I made. I didn’t realize until later that I can’t hold you here. You’ll only stay as long as you want to stay.”
“So?” demanded Monty.
“The four of you can all be in charge.”
“That’s crazy,” Monty said.
“You have all the skills you need to get the herd to King’s ranch. Nobody knows more about cows than you, Monty, or Jeff about the business end. Hen can be in charge of seeing you get there safely. And Tyler can fix anything that breaks.”
“Maybe so, but ain’t nobody else can make these fools work together,” Tyler said.
“Excruciatingly put, but true,” Jeff added.
“You can’t desert us now just because you’ve got an itch that needs scratching,” Monty said, giving a knowing nod in Rose’s direction.
“I’m not deserting you,” George said, ignoring Monty’s jibe. “I’ll run this ranch as long as you want me to, but I can’t do everything myself. It’s not fair to you or me to try. It’s especially not fair to Rose. You’re going to have to learn to do your part without me standing over you. If you can’t manage one drive together, you’re no better than an ordinary cowhand.”
“He’s right,” Hen said. “We spend too much time fighting. That’s something Pa would do. Well, I don’t mean to be like Pa. And I don’t mean to let any of you.”
The brothers stared at Hen. It was a long speech for Hen, and it was especially forceful. George couldn’t remember when he cared what anybody else did.