Rose(23)

George felt strongly about his family—as far as Rose could discover, it was the only thing he did feel strongly about—but she didn’t see them showing a similar interest in him. They didn’t realize they had a corridor straight to his heart, that everything they did, everything they wanted, everything that hurt them affected George, sometimes more than it affected them. Jeff and Monty would soon forget their fight. They would have other fights. They wouldn’t remember any of them for very long.

But George would. He would agonize over ways to bind the family together while they mindlessly went on tearing it apart. It made her so mad she wanted to tell them that if they didn’t want to try for their own sakes, at least they could try for George’s.

But she didn’t have the right. She was an outsider. She would only make things worse.

She had already said too much. She shuddered when she thought of the things she had said to George about his own brothers. She was lucky he hadn’t fired her on the spot.

Rose got out of bed and walked over to the tiny window. She looked out over the countryside. There wasn’t much to see. An impenetrable wall of brush reaching miles in all directions ringed the house. Anything could be out there and she wouldn’t know.

A chill ran down her spine.

The moon flooded the land with an amazing amount of light. Odd. In town it always seemed so dark at night. She could see other buildings only by the light that shone from their windows. Now she could even see the leaves on the trees as they hung listlessly in the warm night air.

Everything seemed absolutely still, so peaceful and quiet, so far removed from all the things that used to threaten her.

The people in Austin didn’t seem frightening now. She wondered why she had been worried about the looks the women gave her when she walked down the street, the things they whispered behind her back, the things Luke and his friends might do.

None of it frightened her anymore. Unpleasant, irritating, but not frightening. Not as long as she was here. Not as long as she had George to protect her.

Even this past evening didn’t seem so bad anymore. These were strong, stubborn men doing a difficult job, trying to get used to other strong men, trying to curb their tempers and bend their wills for the good of all. That was bound to make things difficult from time to time, but it also was exciting to watch. These were no weaklings bullying people weaker than themselves. These were no cheating, deceitful men turning against the loyalties and beliefs of a lifetime just to get on the right side of the Reconstruction officials.

Just good, strong men trying to sort out what was right for all of them.

She couldn’t imagine anything more rewarding than being part of a huge family that worked together for the good of all. She could do without the fighting, but she wouldn’t shy away from it. She was a fighter herself.

The three years following her father’s death had hammered every bit of softness out of her. The successive shocks of the Robinsons leaving for Oregon, her father’s death turning her into an outcast, and the bank failure making her a pauper would have crushed almost anyone else.

But even when things were most bleak, she had never given up hope that she would someday have a home and a family of her own.

And this was the kind of place she wanted.

You’re just the housekeeper, she reminded herself.

Rose felt her excitement wane. How was it possible she could have become so involved with this family so quickly? It wasn’t like they had welcomed her. She didn’t feel the anger they felt any more than they seemed to have experienced the fear that stalked her.

They were fearless. Nothing and nobody daunted them. Maybe that’s why she liked them. Even Zac rushed to spend his day in that menacing brush without a moment of hesitation. It must be nice to feel that confident, that secure. She couldn’t remember what it was like to be completely without fear, to know with perfect certainty that tomorrow would come, and that it would be another beautiful day. These men didn’t realize what a blessing that was.

But she did, and she knew that if she had her way, she would never leave this place.





George decided he wouldn’t get up just yet. He needed some time to think. His dreams disturbed him.

George considered himself a very sensible person. He took pride in being able to look at life with a critical eye, and to make decisions without emotional foot-dragging. From time to time he had to make some unexpected adjustments to his plans for his life, but he had never let himself get derailed, never let himself lose sight of his objectives.

Until Rose.

Not that she had actually done anything. Except look as captivating as any woman he could ever remember, fight like a bantam when she felt slighted, and cook the best meal he’d ever tasted.