Tom's Angel (14 page)

“
That's mighty generous of you, Gabriel. I'll tell Paw. I'm sure he'll be obliged to you, as I am.”

“
Hell, we're family. We have to help each other.”

Trina
burst from their hiding place into full view of the men on the porch.

“
Who does Richard Strickland think he is, calling in Paw's notes like that?”

“
God Almighty, Trina, what are you doing down there?” Gabriel glared at her. Rosalie stepped into the sunshine beside her. “Rosalie, too? Trina, before long, you'll have Rosalie turned into as big a sneak as you are.” He turned to Tom. “Trina talked her into it, you can bet your life.”

But Tom wasn't angry.
Rosalie had a twig of juniper in her hair and squirmed as though she'd been caught in the honey pot with both hands and her mouth dripping. He allowed a slow grin to emerge.

“
I know who put her up to it. I lived with that redhead a lot longer than you have, Gabriel.”

Trina
stomped her way up onto the porch. “Never mind all that. What's to be done about Strickland and Paw's notes? Can he do that?”

“
Yes, little sister, he can. It's only a month early, and we have the money waiting to pay him.” Tom offered his hand to Rosalie, coming up the steps.

“
What are you talking about?” Trina brushed juniper twigs from her skirt.

“
Next month, Zane is taking over as President of the Bank. We suspected he'd call in our notes and refuse to loan us what we need to buy that bull. The fact that he's talked his father into doing it now isn't that much of a surprise.”

“
What are you going to do, Tom?” Gabriel draped one arm around Trina's shoulders. She put both arms around his middle and rested her head on his ribcage.

“
I don't know. I guess we'll figure it out once I get back to Denver.” He took Rosalie's hand. “We're going to have to get Lizzy ready to travel a little earlier than expected.”

Rosalie nodded, then explained to
Trina and Gabriel about Elizabeth and the second chance Tom had offered.

“
That's my big brother, all right. Don't you worry about this business with the bull. There hasn't been a Strickland born who can tangle with the McCabes and come out standing.”

Tom grinned at his sister.
“I hope you're right.”

<><><><>

They spent the afternoon in pleasant conversation until the ladies decided to have a nap before dinner. Marietta announced that the dance would go on until midnight.

Upstairs, Rosalie took off her dress and hung it carefully in the wardrobe, then splashed her face and arms with water from a blue porcelain pitcher and bowl on the chiffonier.
The breeze coming through the window felt hot, so she closed the curtains and lay down on the bed to rest.

A soft knock at the door sent her scrambling for something to wear.

“
Just a minute!”

In the wardrobe, she found a dressing gown and pulled it on.
Marietta would surely forgive her for borrowing it. She opened the door and found Tom.

“
May I come in?”

“
I'm not dressed.”

“
I'll close my eyes, if you insist. I need to talk to you.”

“
Very well. Come in.” She pushed the door almost shut, but didn't let it latch.

“
Please don't mention the notes or anything about the bull to Phillip Mallory.”

“
I had no intention of repeating a word of it to anyone.”

“
I know. But Phillip is a persuasive man. He can have you telling him your darkest secrets if you aren't careful.”

Darkest secrets.
The words made her tremble. “Couldn't he be of help to your father?”

“
Yes, I'm sure he could. But Paw is a proud man, and as stubborn as they come. He won't ask for Phillip's help unless there's no alternative.”

“
I understand. I'll be on my guard. Have you spoken to Trina?”

“
Not yet, but I will. she's the one with the big mouth. I didn't expect you to blab the McCabe business like she does sometimes.”

He turned to go.
“By the way, as pretty as you looked in that blue dress, you're incredibly beautiful without all those clothes.”

“
Thank you, kind sir.”

“
I don't suppose I could have one kiss, since I'm here?”

“
I don't see why not.”

He pushed the door completely closed, the click of the latch resounding through the room.
Two steps, and his arms closed around her.

Rosalie caught her breath at the
thought of Tom seeing her in nothing but a chemise and a thin dressing gown.

Tom could feel
the heat of her body through the flimsy gown. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman. Would she push him away again?

She knew she should make him leave, but his hands, working their magic on her, blotted all sensibility from her mind.
Dizzy with desire, she inched backward until she touched the bed, then sat down slowly, carefully, coaxing him to sit beside her.

Tom stretched out
behind her on the bed, massaging her back, pulling gently at her waist until she pivoted and lay down beside him, face to face. He kissed her cheeks, eyes, her neck and finally her lips, teasing her deliciously while his fingers trailed down her neck to her shoulder, across her collar bones to the hollow at the base of her throat, and then to her side and down.

Rosalie backed away enough for him to open his eyes wide, questioning what she was thinking and wanting from him.

She opened the front of her dressing gown, pushed it away, then reached for the bottom edge of the camisole. There, she hesitated. Should she take it off? What would happen if she did? She knew exactly what would happen. But should she allow it? She could hardly take a deep breath. Her breasts rose and fell with the increased beat of her heart.

Bare skin.
His hand lay on her bare side, his fingers kneading her slender waist. Inching upward, his hand carried the camisole along until, in a few seconds, her breasts would be exposed in the dim, curtain-filtered light.

“
Tom…”

He
removed his hand and stroked her neck, then kissed her again, softly, urgently. He trailed kisses along her cheek until his lips hovered near her ear, kissing, sucking her earlobe into his mouth, his tongue soft and alive, his breath causing tingles and shivers while his hands trailed down her back, then around to resume the path upward, beneath the camisole.

“
Tom, we can't.”

“
I know. We won't. I just want to give you pleasure.”

Tom reminded himself to go slowly.
He must not frighten her. She’d decided to allow him these intimacies with her. He knew the struggle she must be going through, wondering how far they should go. He couldn't have her feeling guilty afterward.

“
Tom, I'm not sure.”

He stopped, but didn't withdraw his hand.
“Do you want me to stop?”

“
I should. But I don't. How can I decide?”

Never taking his eyes off hers, he pushed the camisole upward until his hand found the swell of her breast and closed around it
.

Her eyes widened, then closed, her lips open slightly,
her breaths getting deeper, her face flushed. He knew to go slowly, to give her time to adjust to the touch of a man on her bare skin. When he moved his hand to her other breast, she sighed, obviously loving this new experience as much as he loved giving it to her.

Rosalie
didn't know if she should laugh or cry, so she lay there in his arms, reveling in his desire to pleasure her. With their futures so uncertain, she decided to embrace the pleasure, and to cherish their time together. In spite of all her resolve, she'd lost her determination to remain proper in his eyes. If she encouraged him to complete this act of love, he would discover her impurity for himself. Would he want her after he knew? Dear God, why had she been so weak? She turned her head and tears ran down her face and soaked into the pillow.

“
Rosalie, what's wrong?”

She shook her head, unable to speak.

“I'm sorry. I thought you wanted this as much as I do.”

She nodded.
“I do.”

“
Then why the tears? Is it because you feel you're betrothed? If that's what you're thinking, you’re mistaken. There's no way I'll ever let him near you again. You hear me?”

She saw anguish in his eyes.
“Tom, it isn't that. There’s something you don’t know about me.”

“
It doesn't matter. We’ll have all the time in the world to get to know each other.” He kissed her again, tasting her tears. “I love you. I think you might love me, too.”

“
I do love you. That only makes it worse.”

He peered into her eyes, trying to understand.

“You have to go now.”

“
Not until you tell me what this is all about.”

She pulled the dressing gown across her breasts and closed her eyes.
She wanted to tell him the truth, but she couldn’t bear it if he stopped loving her once he knew.

After a long moment, he got up from the bed and left the room.

Chapter 11

All the guests were gathering, dressed in their finest for dinner and the dance to follow. Tom scanned the room again, hoping to see her, yet knowing why she'd chosen not to come downstairs.

Trina
laced her way through the room. She wore a royal blue dress that shone like firecrackers under the gasoliers.

“
Where's Rosalie?”

Tom shook his head.
“Don't guess she's hungry.”

“
Did you two have a fight?”

“
I guess you could call it that. I don't know what's wrong, Trina.”

“
Try not to worry. I'll talk to her. Women go through moods.”

“
Yeah. Moods.” Only this was more than a mood. He'd gone too fast, dammit. Asked more from her than she was ready to give. Yet, at the time, she seemed perfectly willing. He knew he’d given her pleasure. The reaction in his own body now, at the memory, emphasized the pleasure they'd both felt. So, what happened? He watched Trina climb the stairs. Maybe she'd find out. Hell, if she couldn't wrangle the truth out of Rosalie, no one could.

Gabriel pushed through the tangle of guests.
“Something wrong with Rosalie?”

“
Trina's gone to find out.”

Tom needed to talk to someone.
Similarities in the way Gabriel had met Trina, and the way Tom met Rosalie, suggested Gabriel might cast some light on the problems at hand.

“
Let's go outside for a minute. I want to ask you something.”

On the veranda, they sat in chairs next to a rock wall.
The hot late afternoon wind had diminished until now only a warm breeze remained.

“
Gabriel, I apologize ahead of time for being blunt, but I need some advice.”

“
Sounds serious. No need to apologize. Just spit it out.”

“
You and Trina were intimate before you married.”

“
Yep.”

“
Did you know, the first time, that you were going to marry her?”

Gabriel didn't answer for a minute.
“I knew then that I wanted to marry her. I didn't know if I'd live to do it or not, though.”

“
Because of Blackburn.”

“
Yep. I think I know what you're getting at, Tom. You love Rosalie but you don't know yet if you’ll have the chance to marry her. Or if she’ll say yes if you ask her. Is that it?”

“
Yep.”

“
Things are getting serious between you. I won't ask how serious, because it's none of my business, but I suspect you've come to the point of not knowing whether to proceed or to back off. Am I right?”

Tom released a long sigh.
“You're right. The problem isn't with what we want, it's with Rosalie's mother.”

“
You've lost me.”

Tom told him about Rose
Kincannon's wish for Rosalie to be “proper,” and not to make the mistakes Lizzy had made. “So, Rosalie feels she'll betray her mother if we let our feelings get the best of us.”

“
I understand. Seems to me, Tom, you have to ask yourself a hard question.”

“
What's that?”

“
How much do you love her?”

“
More than I can put into words.”

“
Enough to want to live the rest of your life with her?”

“
I think so.”

“
You'd best be sure. There was a time, when I first met your sister, I just wanted her to go away and leave me alone. She was like a mosquito, always buzzing in my ear, drawing blood at times. I told her I couldn’t commit myself to her until I’d settled things with Blackburn. She still didn't go away, and I'm glad, but, at the time, she was nothing but a pest. Have you felt that way about Rosalie?”

“
Never. The first time I met her, she filled me up, just like pouring water into a pitcher, all the way to the rim. Cool water, on a hot day.”

Gabriel smiled.
“I think you've answered your own question. No one can tell you what to do. You have to make this decision on your own.” He stood, stretched his back, then gazed over the honeysuckle vines on the wall toward the range beyond. “In this country, having a woman you love makes life worth living. I can't imagine living without Trina and Hannah. Life wouldn't be worth two cents alone. Maybe you ought to reflect on going home without Rosalie, never seeing her again, and see how that makes you feel.”

“
Empty. That's how it feels.”

“
Now, picture going to bed with her every night and waking up next to her in the mornings, with her hair scattered all over the pillow, and sometimes into your face, and what it would be like to see her heavy with your child. Your answer won't be long coming, is my guess.”

Tom nodded, lost in the images swirling through his mind.

“Thanks, Gabriel.”

“
I hope Trina was able to get Rosalie settled. I'm hungry enough to eat a cow raw. Almost.”

They went back inside.

Tonight. He'd ask her tonight.

              <><><><>

A knock at the door followed by Trina's voice woke Rosalie.

“
May I come in?”

She sat on the side of the bed, pulled the dressing gown around her, then went to the door.

“Rosalie, what's the matter? Are you sick? Have you begun your monthly miseries?”

“
Nothing like that. I'm just not hungry, that's all.”

“
But you have to come down to dinner. Have you forgotten about the dance?”

“
I didn't forget. I'm not going to the dance.”

Trina
's expression hardened. “Tell me what he did.”

“
Who?” As though she had to ask.

“
My brother. He must have done or said something he shouldn't have.”

Rosalie tried to smile at
Trina's indignant expression, but the attempt dissolved into one raspy sob.

“
Oh, honey, tell me what happened. Please.”

They sat together on the bed, just as they had at
Trina's home, holding each other.

“
I love him, Trina.”

Brightening,
Trina hugged her tighter. “Have you just now realized it? I knew it the moment I set eyes on the two of you. Of course Tom had no idea of it then, and neither did you. But I could see what was about to happen. Is that why you're crying? You're in love?”

“
He says he loves me, too.”

Trina
laughed. “Well, then you really do have troubles, don't you?”

Rosalie cried harder.

“There's something you aren't telling me. Come on, now. I'm not leaving this room until I've heard it all.”

She had to tell someone.
If she couldn't unburden her soul to Tom, then it had to be Trina, the only person she felt might understand and love her anyway.

“
I'm not pure, Trina. Not for a long time.”

Trina
didn't say a word at first. Then, she whispered, “Tell me what happened.”

“
I was fourteen. Mama had warned me for two years not to pay any heed to the handsome young cowboys who came to The Yellow Rose. Lizzy's head had been turned two years before. There would never be any honor for Lizzy. So, Mama said the honor in our family lay with me.” Rosalie hated to say anything bad about her mother, but the story wouldn't be complete without the whole truth.

“
What happened to mess that up?”

As she’d come to expect, Trina had seen past the little she’d said to the core of the problem.
“Mama was a dance hall girl, in East Texas. My father fell in love with her, married her, and they eventually moved to Fort Worth and opened The Yellow Rose.”

“
Uh huh.”

“
My father had always had trouble, gambling and drinking. Mama loved him in spite of it, because he'd rescued her from the dance halls. He never treated her with anything but respect and kindness.”

“
There's good in everyone.”

“
I once believed that, too. I wanted to be good and virtuous, for Mama.”

Trina
grasped her hand and rubbed little circles on her wrist. “What happened?”

“
One of those handsome young cowboys saw me in the kitchen, talking to Mama, and asked me to dance. Mama sent him packing and scolded me for smiling at him. When she had to go home to check on Paw—he'd been drunk for most of a week—I sneaked into the dance hall and told the cowboy I'd be pleased to dance with him.” Rosalie shook her head. “I don't know what I could have been thinking. Star struck to be noticed, maybe. He couldn't have been much older than I was, sixteen at most.”

“
So, you danced with a cowboy. Is that all there was to it?”

Rosalie smiled through her tears.
“No. He wanted me to go to one of the back rooms with him. I refused, of course. Foolishly, I told him I'd promised my mother I would never do such things with a man unless we were married.”

“
What did he say to that?”

“
He laughed. Then, he said if I had to be married, he'd marry me.”

“
He didn't!”

“
Yes, he did. He told me to wash my face and comb my hair and come back to the front room in ten minutes. He’d fetch the preacher.” She stopped to dab at her eyes with the back of one hand. Trina pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and gave it to her.

“
What happened?” Trina’s eyes had widened. She didn’t smile.

“
When I came back, a man stood at the bar, holding a Bible. Joe said he was the preacher, come to marry us.”

“
Joe was the cowboy?”

“
Yes. Joe Tilly.”

“
And the preacher married you?”

“
He made it sound so official. Before I knew what had happened, Joe kissed me in front of everyone, the preacher announced we were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tilly, and Joe swooped me up in his arms and carried me out the front door.”

“
So. You were married.”

Rosalie couldn't bear to face
Trina. She went on, almost whispering.

“
He took me to a hotel, paid the manager for one night, and carried me up the stairs.”

“
Take your time. Do you need some water?”

Rosalie nodded.
Trina filled a glass from the pitcher on the sideboard and gave it to her. Rosalie took one sip, then held it in her hands like a baby bird, fallen from the nest.

“
That night frightened me more than anything in my life.”

Trina
took the glass from her and gripped both of Rosalie's hands in her own.

“
He pushed my dress up. His hands...all over me...and then...then...”

“
I think I understand. There's no need to tell it all.”

Rosalie nodded.
“The next morning when I woke up, so sore I could hardly sit up, Joe wasn't there. I got dressed and went looking for him. I found my mother, downstairs, yelling at the hotel manager.

“
'How could you let it happen?' she screamed at him. Then, she saw me and started to cry. I guess she could see what had happened, just from the look on my face. She wrapped her arms around me and cried and cried, as though I'd been swept away by a river and drowned, then been saved somehow. Maybe it would've been best if I'd drowned.”

Trina
tipped her chin upward. They were both crying now. “He left town?”

Rosalie nodded.
“I never saw him again. The man who'd supposedly married us was a bartender, from the saloon across the street.”

“
So you weren't married at all.”

“
Mama was so heartbroken, she took to her bed with a terrible headache and pain in her stomach so bad she couldn't keep anything down. I tended her night and day. On the third morning, she died.”

“
Oh, my dear Rosalie. What happened?”

“
The doctor called it a brain hemorrhage, a stroke. He said she'd gotten too upset and her brain couldn't take it. Consumption had weakened her to the point she couldn't recover.” Rosalie stared at the ceiling. “I killed her.”

Trina
hugged her tightly. “No! Oh, no!”

“
Before she died, she said I'd have to start working in the saloons and dance halls because now I was just like Lizzy. Just like her, too, before she married my father. She knew I'd never be accepted as a real lady after what happened. I was her last hope for honor in the Kincannon family.”