Catching Kent (19 page)

“
But you married Ma the
first day you met her.” Eli gave Rose a look that indicated he’d
heard the story of how their parents met so many times he was sick
of it.

“
I did, but that didn’t
mean I didn’t want to be with her every chance I got.”

“
It was really romantic how
you and Ma met at the train station,” Rose said. “And you knew
right away she was the one for you?”

“
I did. It was love at
first sight,” their father replied, “though at the time I didn’t
realize it. I just knew she’d make a good wife.”

“
Just like I knew Kent
would make a good husband.”

“
Kent was asleep when you
first saw him,” Eli was quick to point out.

“
So? That doesn’t mean I
didn’t know he was the one for me.” She’d never tell anyone that
she knew it when she first talked to him, specifically after she
kissed him and he woke up. They didn’t need to know everything. “I
think what Pa means is that sometimes you just know when you’re
supposed to be with someone.”

“
Even if that person
doesn’t realize it?” Eli pressed, not looking convinced.

“
Kent only protested
because he was afraid I’d leave him like the young lady in his past
who broke his heart, but I’ve proven I won’t give up on him and now
he admits we belong together.”

Their father slowed the horses as they
neared the mercantile. “You want me to drop you off at the boarding
house where Kent’s staying?”

“
Yes.”

“
What are you going to do
if he’s not there?” Eli asked her.

She shrugged. “I’ll find you and Pa.”
Glancing at her father, she asked, “Are you going anywhere but the
mercantile?”

“
I thought I’d stop by and
invite your aunt Sally and uncle Rick to supper. Your ma hasn’t
seen her in a while. I’ll do that before I go to the
mercantile.”

“
There.” She smiled at Eli.
“I’ll check with Aunt Sally if he’s not at the boarding
house.”

Her brother sighed and shook his head.
“I figured that much after Pa answered you.”

“
Well, then you should have
asked Pa what I was going to do if Kent isn’t at the boarding
house.”

Rose fidgeted on the seat. As much as
she struggled to hide her excitement, Eli snickered in a way that
let her know they weren’t fooled. When her father finally pulled
the wagon up to the boarding house, she hopped down.

Sensing her father’s bewilderment, she
glanced at him. “I got impatient. Sorry, but I just couldn’t wait
for you to help me down.” Without waiting for her father or brother
to respond, she hurried up the porch steps.

“
Aunt Sally’s and the
mercantile,” her father called out.

She waved at him to indicate she heard
and knocked on the front door as he led the horses down the road.
Clasping her hands in front of her, she smiled and tapped her foot
on the floor as she waited for someone to answer the
door.

An old lady opened it and scanned her
up and down. “Let me guess. You’re the girl Kent’s going to
marry.”

“
How can you know that? I
haven’t introduced myself.”

“
Ah, but you have hair the
color of sunshine and eyes the color of the Atlantic Ocean and a
smile that lights up the world around you.”

“
Kent said that about
me?”

“
Not in so many words, but
I’m good at telling what a man means when he’s in love. Am I right?
Are you Rose Larson?”

Blushing, Rose adjusted her hat so
that she could see the woman better. “I am. Is he here?”

“
No, my dear. He left a
couple hours ago.”

Rose hid her disappointment. It was in
the middle of the week. She couldn’t expect Kent to be sitting
around the house all day. He was probably running around doing his
investments. She didn’t understand everything his job involved but
understood he didn’t work regular hours. His hours were much like
her uncle Joel’s. When people wanted to talk to him, he made
himself available.

“
Could you tell him I
stopped by to see him?” Rose asked. “I’ll be at the mercantile for
about an hour if he happens to come back before then.”

Looking over her shoulder, she winked
at her. “Or you could see him now. Your timing is
excellent.”

Rose turned around and saw Kent
walking up the steps.

“
I hope you’re looking for
me,” he said as he went over to her.

“
Is there another Kent
Ashton in town?” she teased.

“
I’m glad you stopped by.”
He took her by the arm and glanced at the older woman. “I’ll be
back in time for your great roast.”

She nodded and told Rose, “It was nice
meeting you, my dear.”

Rose returned the sentiment and walked
down the porch steps with Kent. “Where are we going?”

“
I want to show you my new
office,” he said.

Noting the pride in his voice, her
smile grew wider. “You have an office?”

“
I figured it was time I
did. That way if anyone wants to find me, they can.”

“
I heard Uncle Richard
decided to do business with you.”

“
Yes, he did. That just
goes to prove how smart he is.”

She laughed at his joke. “I knew you
had a sense of humor. When I first met you, you seemed so serious,
and everyone in my family thought you were always that way. But I
knew there was more to you than they did.”

“
Well, then that means
you’re smarter than them.”

“
I won’t argue with you on
that one.”

She scanned the buildings around them
as they continued their stroll. She loved how wonderful it felt to
be by his side and walking through town. It was such a thrill.
Nothing could be better than knowing he was all hers and she was
all his.

When he came to a stop, he motioned to
a small building tucked between a tailor shop and a bakery. “What
do you think?”

Her gaze went to the door which had
his name and the word “Investor” written under it.

“
The building is pretty
much the office,” he explained, “but I don’t need anything bigger
than this, at least for now.”

“
For now?” she asked as he
opened the door and motioned for her to enter.

He followed her in and shut the door.
“I might hire a man or two in the future as I gain enough
businesses to invest in. At that time, I’ll get a bigger
place.”

She examined the cozy office with the
nice oak desk and chair with a filing cabinet in the corner of the
room. “It’s a beautiful office! It’s just as I pictured the office
in a story I read where a man spent a lot of time counting pennies
because he was lonely and had nothing else to do. He took a lot of
comfort in those pennies and counted them every day. As the story
went on, he gathered more and more pennies and before long, he
filled up the whole room with them. Then when he died, there was no
one to give the pennies to. The story was about missing out on the
important things in life. You can’t spend all your time alone. You
have to enjoy getting out and being with people.”

He nodded and sat on the edge of his
desk. “I can’t argue the moral of the story. I’ve been alone and
it’s not pleasant. Of course, being around the wrong person isn’t
any better.”

She walked over to him and held his
hands. “What was your life like, before you came to
Omaha?”

“
I’d rather not think about
it. Suffice it to say that being in Ireland with my uncle was the
best thing that ever happened to me.”

A moment of silence passed between
them then she squeezed his hands. “I’m glad you had someone like
that in your life.”

“
Your father’s a good man,
too.”

“
I know. He thinks the
world of you.”

“
Does he?”

Noting his pleased smile, she nodded.
“He does. And wait until I tell him you have your own
office!”

“
It’s not as impressive as
you make it sound.”

“
Sure, it is.”

“
It’s small.”

“
It’s still yours, and
knowing you, you’ll make it grow into something huge.”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t say
huge.”

“
Everyone in town, maybe in
the state, will know who you are.”

His carefree laugh turned into an
uneasy chuckle. “I’m happy with being where I am.”

She wondered why he didn’t want to be
well-known, but she also knew she couldn’t ask him without making
him uncomfortable. There were some things she’d have to let him
deal with on his own, and apparently, his past was one of them.
Leaning forward, she kissed him. “I’m happy because we’re together,
and as long as we’re together, I have all I need.”

He examined her face and whispered,
“You really mean that, don’t you? Even if I didn’t make a lot of
money, you’d be content.”

“
My parents don’t have a
lot of money, but they would do anything to make the other one
happy. I can’t think of anything better than that, can
you?”

“
No, I can’t. Your parents
are lucky.”

Giggling, she kissed him again. “And
so are we.”

“
You’re sure about that,
aren’t you?”

“
I’ve known it from the
moment I saw you. But you need more time to be convinced.
Fortunately for you, I can wait for you to see things the way that
I do. Now,” she continued and squeezed his hands again, “do you
have time to go for a stroll in the park? It’s a beautiful day, and
I’d like to go back to my favorite bridge.”

He stood up and nodded. “As it turns
out, I have an hour until I need to meet with someone.”

“
Wonderful!” Tugging on his
hand, she led him out of the building.

Chapter Seventeen

In November, Rose finished brushing
her hair before pulling it back with a yellow ribbon that matched
her yellow dress with white polka dots on it. She’d spent
considerable time making the dress and she was thrilled with the
results. She could only hope Kent liked it, too.

She turned around to study her
backside then turned back and examined her front. Smoothing her
dress, she took a deep breath and let out an excited
cry.

From where she sat on her bed,
Harriett glanced at her and chuckled. “I hope you can survive until
May.”

Surprised, Rose pinched her cheeks to
make them pink then turned to her sister. “I didn’t say anything
about being anxious to marry him.”

“
I thought I’d say it
before you let out a subtle hint, like, ‘I can’t wait to see what
house Kent got for me’ or ‘What do you think of this for a girl’s
name if we don’t have a boy?’”

“
Those are all simple
questions any bride-to-be would ask. That doesn’t mean I won’t
survive until May.”

She shot her a pointed look, though a
smile tugged at her lips. “I stand corrected. You have not come
right out and said it.”

Satisfied, she nodded and studied her
reflection again. “Thank you. Despite what people think, I do have
patience.”

Even if it was getting harder and
harder to stay patient, but she decided not to add that. She hadn’t
seen Kent for two very long weeks. He had made it a point of coming
out twice a week ever since he left, but he had gone to Kansas City
because someone already doing business in Omaha was thinking of
branching out there.

Rose wondered if part of her life with
Kent would involve traveling to different places. It sounded
exciting. Her mother had come from Maine and Rachel had gone to
Montana. It seemed to her that going somewhere new would be a grand
adventure. Maybe sometime in the future, Kent would have to go back
to Kansas City and she could join him.

Harriett approached the mirror and
pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

“
Aren’t you going to dress
up in something else?” Rose asked, scanning her sister’s faded blue
dress.

“
Why should I bother? I go
to Uncle Tom and Aunt Jessica’s harvest dance every year. It’s
always the same people who go. Well, except for Kent. But he’s
coming to take you there.”

“
Stan might be there
again.”

Harriett grimaced. “After the disaster
I went through with him at the bachelor auction, I refuse to say
another word to him.”

Rose started to protest that her
sister shouldn’t give up so soon but closed her mouth. Kent was
right. Her sister was smart enough to make her own decisions and
unless her sister asked for advice, Rose would do better to keep
her mouth shut. With a smile, she said, “But there might be someone
else.”

“
All the young men there
will either be those we’re related to or will already have someone
they’re interested in. It’s depressing when I think about it. I
feel like I’m going on Noah’s Ark and I’m the only one without a
mate.”

“
Adam will be there, and he
doesn’t have anyone.”