Madison left as soon as they buried her. That meant Hen and Monty had to take over. They never forgave Pa for leaving Ma. I don’t think they forgave Madison, either.”
“Where did he go?”
“Nobody’s ever heard from him.”
Rose could imagine how that must hurt George, especially when coupled with the fear that Madison might have died in the war.
“The rustling got pretty bad at times,” George continued. “I’ll never know most of what the twins had to do. Certainly things no fourteen-year-old boys should have to go through. They fought for their lives as much as for this place. Naturally they resented it when I came back and started telling them what to do.
“I know Jeff shouldn’t antagonize them, but he’s bitter over the loss of his arm. He thinks that no matter what the twins went through, it doesn’t compare to his years in a prison camp.”
Rose thought of her own miserable years in Austin. They would probably seem like nothing compared to the dangers of a war or rustlers, yet they were very real to her. Would Jeff feel she had nothing to complain of? Probably, but she knew that in some ways she would rather have lived in fear of her life than have to face the hatred and anger of the citizens of Austin.
“None of us is capable of judging the suffering of another human being,” she said. “What’s easy for one person might be impossible for another.”
“I don’t think Jeff will understand that until he starts to accept the loss of his arm.”
“I hope it won’t be too late. It won’t do him a lot of good to come to terms with his loss if there’s nobody left to care.”
“Maybe I should let you talk with him.”
“I’ll do the dishes,” Rose said, rising. “I have a feeling it’ll be the easier task.”
“I’m not my brother’s keeper.”
“Yes, you are. Whether you know it or not, you’re the only one with any real desire to bind the six of you into a family once more.”
“Seven.”
Rose reminded herself to be careful to talk of Madison like he was still one of them. Regardless of her own private certainty that he was dead or would never come back, George obviously expected him to return.
She wished there were something she could do to lift the burden of worry from his shoulders. There was so much she didn’t know, so much she didn’t dare ask about.
One thing she did know. There was something inside George that he was afraid of. He was too busy with his family to deal with it just yet, but it lurked there just the same. She didn’tknow what it was, but it was the something that made him keep his distance from her.
The responsibility for his brothers hung over George like a pall. There were times when he was tempted to throw it all over and head for the nearest fort and a commission he knew would be his for the asking. It was there just for the taking, the rank, the command, the career he had always wanted, doubly bad after his father’s last scandal had cost him his appointment to West Point.
The war had given him a second chance. If he joined now, he’d have his choice of commands. If he waited until the boys were settled and Zac old enough to get about on his own, he would probably be too old to work his way up through the ranks.
But he couldn’t leave. The only people he really cared about were here.
Did that include Rose?
He hadn’t meant to say so much to her. More than that, he hadn’t expected so much understanding. He had been able to control his attraction to her only by cutting himself off from her.
But one evening had changed that.
He wished he’d been in the room when she turned the table over. He could just see his brothers’ faces. Jeff was used to weak women who never stood up to a man. Why shouldn’t he be? Their mother never stood up to their father. Monty expected people to listen to him, but he respected anyone who fought back. George didn’t know what Hen thought. He never had.
It would take them a while to get used to
“Where did he go?”
“Nobody’s ever heard from him.”
Rose could imagine how that must hurt George, especially when coupled with the fear that Madison might have died in the war.
“The rustling got pretty bad at times,” George continued. “I’ll never know most of what the twins had to do. Certainly things no fourteen-year-old boys should have to go through. They fought for their lives as much as for this place. Naturally they resented it when I came back and started telling them what to do.
“I know Jeff shouldn’t antagonize them, but he’s bitter over the loss of his arm. He thinks that no matter what the twins went through, it doesn’t compare to his years in a prison camp.”
Rose thought of her own miserable years in Austin. They would probably seem like nothing compared to the dangers of a war or rustlers, yet they were very real to her. Would Jeff feel she had nothing to complain of? Probably, but she knew that in some ways she would rather have lived in fear of her life than have to face the hatred and anger of the citizens of Austin.
“None of us is capable of judging the suffering of another human being,” she said. “What’s easy for one person might be impossible for another.”
“I don’t think Jeff will understand that until he starts to accept the loss of his arm.”
“I hope it won’t be too late. It won’t do him a lot of good to come to terms with his loss if there’s nobody left to care.”
“Maybe I should let you talk with him.”
“I’ll do the dishes,” Rose said, rising. “I have a feeling it’ll be the easier task.”
“I’m not my brother’s keeper.”
“Yes, you are. Whether you know it or not, you’re the only one with any real desire to bind the six of you into a family once more.”
“Seven.”
Rose reminded herself to be careful to talk of Madison like he was still one of them. Regardless of her own private certainty that he was dead or would never come back, George obviously expected him to return.
She wished there were something she could do to lift the burden of worry from his shoulders. There was so much she didn’t know, so much she didn’t dare ask about.
One thing she did know. There was something inside George that he was afraid of. He was too busy with his family to deal with it just yet, but it lurked there just the same. She didn’tknow what it was, but it was the something that made him keep his distance from her.
The responsibility for his brothers hung over George like a pall. There were times when he was tempted to throw it all over and head for the nearest fort and a commission he knew would be his for the asking. It was there just for the taking, the rank, the command, the career he had always wanted, doubly bad after his father’s last scandal had cost him his appointment to West Point.
The war had given him a second chance. If he joined now, he’d have his choice of commands. If he waited until the boys were settled and Zac old enough to get about on his own, he would probably be too old to work his way up through the ranks.
But he couldn’t leave. The only people he really cared about were here.
Did that include Rose?
He hadn’t meant to say so much to her. More than that, he hadn’t expected so much understanding. He had been able to control his attraction to her only by cutting himself off from her.
But one evening had changed that.
He wished he’d been in the room when she turned the table over. He could just see his brothers’ faces. Jeff was used to weak women who never stood up to a man. Why shouldn’t he be? Their mother never stood up to their father. Monty expected people to listen to him, but he respected anyone who fought back. George didn’t know what Hen thought. He never had.
It would take them a while to get used to
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