Read Online Give My Love to Rose by Nicole Sturgill - Free Book Online

deposit his armload.
    Rose heaved out a sigh as she gave up on
getting the stains out of Langley’s shirt and tossed it over into
her basket. If Rose were being completely honest, she’d tell her
son that yes, it would be nice to have a man like Marston
around.
    Rose had been on her own for ten long years.
She had lived in this house with Langston for nearly nine months
before he’d been taken away and while they had never lived as true
husband and wife, they had been friends. Rose missed that the most.
She missed having a friend. She missed having another adult around
to help carry the load—and with Marston’s broad shoulders, he could
certainly handle quite a bit of the load.
    Rose smiled at the foolishness of her
thoughts. Marston was clearly a man with a dark past and many
demons. More importantly, he didn’t seem to have any interest in
staying around. As a matter of fact, he seemed annoyed that he’d
been pulled into doing what he had.
    Rose couldn’t shake the memory of what his
touch had felt like against her hand. The thought of sharing a bed
with any man terrified her, Rose couldn’t help but wonder what it
would feel like to have him sit beside her on the sofa at night.
She wondered what it would mean to her to have him beside her in
the firelight and talking about the day. How safe and protected
would she feel with his strong arm around her? Rose sighed
wistfully, knowing her dreams were pointless but enjoying them
anyway.
    Her daydreams were suddenly interrupted by
something large trampling through the woods. Rose was preparing to
run to the house to grab the rifle when Marston’s gray came into
the clearing. Patty was secured to the other horse, but they were
alone. There was no rider in sight.
    “ Marston?” Rose called,
rushing to the horses and grabbing the gray’s reins. Panic clutched
at her heart, but she forced it back down. Panic would not help a
single thing. Marston had to be fine. Rose needed a friend so he
had to be fine.
    “ Why are the horses back
without Marston?” Langley asked as he stepped out onto the
porch.
    Rose glanced back at him. “I’m sure it’s
nothing. You go back in the house and lock the door. Keep the rifle
handy just in case.”
    Langley nodded and did as she said and she
couldn’t help but feel proud of the young man she was raising. She
waited until he was in the house and then led the skinny mare to
the barn and secured her inside, giving her a handful of oats.
    Rose stepped back outside and looked at the
gray. The horse was massive. It took her several tries but finally
she managed to get herself up in the saddle. Never before had Rose
ridden a horse this broad and tall but with Marston’s size, she
figured a horse this large was a necessity.
    As rose followed the muddy tracks and broken
branches into the forest, she prayed that she would find Marston
alive and well. Surely God would not send such a blessing to her
and Langley only to rip him away from them so quickly.
    Her breath caught in her throat when she
caught sight of dead coyotes ahead and then her heart stopped
beating when she saw Marston lying motionless on the ground beside
them.
    Rose leaped from the horse and ran to him,
falling to her knees on the damp forest floor. “Marston?” she
whispered, running her hand over his beard covered cheek.
    He gave a little moan and his eyelids
fluttered, but he didn’t awaken. Rose let her gaze go to his body.
There was a bloody bite on his shoulder and another on his lower
leg, but the worst was on his thigh where a chunk of flesh had been
ripped away.
    His clothes were drenched in blood, but none
of these wounds should have made him unconscious. Rose moved her
gaze back to his face. He seemed so peaceful as he lay there. The
hard lines and anger were gone and he was a gentle sleeping giant.
There was no more dangerous aura and no tension.
    Rose found herself wondering what he would
look like without that beard. She wondered how all those hard line
and