“I intend to,” George said. “I can’t count the times during the war when I would have given almost anything for a decent stream to bathe in. I can’t resist the temptation of a hot bath, especially when it’s already waiting in my room.”
“Hell!” Tyler exclaimed, apparently taking George’s desire for a bath to mean he had to take one, too.
“Wait a minute,” Monty said and headed for the kitchen. He came back a moment later, surprise and indignation on his face. “You don’t have dinner ready. You really mean to starve us if we don’t wash.”
“If it were ready this early, it would be cold before everyone finished their baths,” Rose told him.
“No, it wouldn’t. I’d eat now.”
George could see I told you so written all over her face.
“I’ll go first,” Hen announced, stunning his twin by heading for the house without further comment.
“I’m next,” Tyler called, apparently resigned to the inevitable. “Before the water gets too dirty.”
George nearly laughed at a boy as filthy as Tyler being concerned about dirty water.
“How about you?” Monty demanded.
“What about me?” Rose asked.
“You ought to take a bath, too.”
“I’ll have my bath in the kitchen after I’ve cleaned up.”
“How do we know you’ll really take one? Nobody will see you.”
“You’ll know because she says so,” George said, impatient with Monty’s teasing. At least he thought Monty was teasing. He looked truly angry, even vengeful, but then Monty hated to be forced to do anything he didn’t want to do.
“I think one of us ought to make sure,” Monty said.
“Don’t be stupid,” George said.
“We can supervise her. I’ll take the first watch. It shouldn’t be a bad duty. Sure beats watching for rustlers.” Monty took Rose by the arm. “Come along. Might as well get it over with.”
Rose resisted, but Monty was stronger. He pulled her toward the house.
“I don’t think Rose finds this amusing,” George said. He found it surprisingly difficult to hold his temper.
“I do,” Monty replied.
“Let her go. Nothing in her contract says she has to bathe.”
“It ought to.” Monty kept his hold on Rose.
“Maybe you should take your bath after Hen,” George suggested, his calm voice belied by the look of sternness in his ebony eyes.
“You going to make me?” Monty said.
“I don’t care if you never take a bath,” George said, “but I’m afraid you will have to let go of Rose.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Don’t be a fool. You can be as mad as you like at me, but you can’t go about mishandling women. There’s been enough of that in this family already.”
Monty let go of Rose with a curse, shot George a look of cold fury, then stalked off toward the house.
“I’m next,” Tyler protested, as anxious to defend his place in line as he had been moments ago to avoid the bath altogether. Monty shoved him aside.
“We’ll throw the water away after Monty,” George said. “Why don’t you see if Zac needs help with the milking or picking up the eggs? You might ask Rose if she needs anything from the garden.”
“That’s not my job.”
“Do it or stay home tomorrow,” George snapped.
The younger boys went off, Tyler complaining loudly, Zac crowing in triumph. Jeff drifted off toward the corrals.
“You do seem to have a knack for turning things upside down,” George remarked, his irritation at Monty causing him to speak sharply to Rose.
“I did ask them,” Rose said.
“I know,” George said, upset he was taking his irritation out on Rose. But he was even more upset by the suspicion that he was angry at Monty not because he had been rude, but because he had threatened Rose. He had been ready to fight his own brother. He didn’t want to feel that strongly about anybody, especially not Rose.
“You’ve worked awfully hard since you got here. You must be exhausted.”
“I am a little tired.”
“Why don’t you take tomorrow off.”
“Do you mean to ask Tyler to do the cooking?”
He could have sworn he saw imps of amusement in her eyes. “I didn’t mean the cooking.”
“You don’t think that’s work?”
Now he knew she was teasing him.
“I guess I didn’t say that very well. Why don’t you take a book and sit under a tree tomorrow. I’ll leave the boys here to do the chores.”
“We’ll see.”