Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (23 page)

The only fly in the ointment was Ben.
 
“Tom, you have to have a talk with him.
 
He won’t talk to me.
 
He’s still angry at me.”

She was right.
 
For the last two weeks Ben was sullen and angry.
 
If he spoke to Rosie it was one word answers to her questions.
 
Tom agreed it was time.
 
He’d had enough and this talk was long over due.

“Ben, you and I need to have words about your attitude, young man.
 
You know your Mama’s leaving and her death were not Rosie’s fault.
 
Why are you so angry at her?”

“Because if she hadn’t been here, maybe Mama would’ve stayed.”

“No, Ben, she wouldn’t have.
 
Your Mama left because she hated it here.
 
She hated everything about her life here.
 
She only came back to get money.
 
Nothing else.
 
You were a way for her to get that money.”

“It was only because Rosie was here that she did what she did.
 
She would have stayed for me.”

“Son, she didn’t stay the first time, why would you think she’d stay this time?”

“Because she came back.
 
For me.”

“Listen to me and listen to me good.
 
Do you think your Mama wanted anything except money?
 
Would she have kidnapped you and tied you up?
 
Would she have gagged you when you cried?
 
Would she have done any of those things if she wanted to come back into our lives?
 
There is no way to sugarcoat this, Ben.
 
It’s time you grow up and realize what kind of woman your Mama really was.
 
She wasn’t a good person.
 
She loved only herself.
 
But, Ben, there is someone who loves you very much.”

He looked up at his father, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
 
“Rosie?”

“Rosie.”

Ben let the tears fall.
 
“Do you think she’ll forgive me for the way I’ve treated her?
 
I was just so angry and I couldn’t be angry at Mama.
 
She was dead.”

“I’m sure she will.
 
She forgave me and I treated her very badly when she first came.
 
But she’s still going to marry me.
 
Marry us.
 
Rosie is marrying all of us, Ben.
 
You, me and Suzie.
 
We’re a package.”

“I love Rosie, too.
 
I really do.”

“Why don’t you tell her that.
 
I’ll go get her and you can tell her here in private.
 
What do you say?”

“Thank you, Papa.
 
I’d like that.”

“Be right back.”
 
Tom hugged his son.

A few minutes later Rosie and Tom returned.

“Hello, Ben.”

“Hello.”

Suddenly he ran to Rosie and threw his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach.
 
Crying, he said, “I’m so sorry for the way I acted.
 
I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, honey, don’t cry.
 
It’s okay.
 
I understand.”

“You forgive me?”

“Of course, I forgive you.
 
I love you.
 
You’re my son now.”

“I love you, too.”

Tom watched as two of the people he loved most in the world cried in each others arms.
 
It was going to be all right.

“Rosie,” said Ben between sniffles.
 
“Do you think…I mean would you mind…if I called you, Mother?”

“Nothing would make me happier.”

Tom stepped in.
 
“Good.
 
I’m glad that you two have made up.
 
I have a question for you, Ben.”

“What is is, Papa?”

“Would you be my best man when I marry your new mother?”

“Yes, sir.”
 
He sniffled and wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve.
 
“I’d be honored.”

“Good.
 
Now we’ve got all of that settled, why don’t you go see Agatha about some milk and cookies.
 
Tell her you have my permission.”

“Thank you, Papa.”
 
He gave Rosie one last hug before hurrying off down the hall toward the kitchen.

“Well, now, you’re official.
 
You’re the mother of my children.
 
Suzie already calls you Mama and now Ben.”

“He’s had a lot to deal with.
 
First me coming, then his Mama coming back, kidnapping him and then dying, practically in front of him.
 
That’s a lot for anyone to handle much less a ten year-old boy.”

“I know.
 
I’m so proud of him.”

“Me, too.”

“So, soon to be Mrs. Harris, how about giving Mr. Harris a kiss?”

“Anytime, Mr. Harris.”

Lowering his head, he took her lips with his.
 
Then he caressed her breasts without breaking the kiss.

Rosie pulled back.
 
“We can’t.
 
Not now.”
 
Then she gave him a quick kiss and turned to leave.

“I mean to finish this later, woman.”

“I mean to let you.”
 
She grinned at him and sashayed out of the room.

*****

Rosie descended the stairs and at the bottom of them took Ben’s arm.
 
Ben agreed to give Rosie away to his dad and to be the best man, too.
 
Rosie and Tom were both so proud of him.
 
He’d grown up a lot in such a short time.

She wore her mother’s wedding gown.
 
It was long sleeved pink satin with small seed pearls at the cuffs and the off-shoulder neckline.
 

The pink color highlighted Rosie’s pale alabaster skin.
 
The combs she wore in her hair had seed pearls that matched her dress.
 
She used them to bring the sides of her hair up then left the rest cascading down her back in loose waves to her waist.

As she walked down the aisle on Ben’s arm, she watched the emotions play across Tom’s face.
 
Love, pride and even desire, there, for the entire world to see.

Suzie sat on Agatha’s lap until she saw her brother with Rosie.
 
Then she scrambled off and ran to her papa.
 
Agatha tried to stop her but Tom shook his head and said, “Let her come.”

Tom and Suzie waited for Rosie and Ben at the hearth.
 
Reverend Black stood with them.
 
Ben walked her slowly up the aisle just like they practiced.
 
What they hadn’t practiced was having Suzie throw herself at Rosie’s legs when she and Ben reached the fireplace.

Rosie took it calmly.
 
Simply handed her bouquet to Catherine and picked up her daughter.
 
She held Suzie through the ceremony.
 
When it came to the point where the reverend asked, “Do you take this man,” Tom stopped him and whispered in his ear.

The Reverend smiled and when he commenced he said “Do you Rosemary Louise Stanton take this family, Thomas, Benjamin and Susan Harris to be your family, from this day forward till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Then by the authority vested in me by the State of Colorado and Mineral County, I pronounce you a family.”

Tom kissed Rosie, Ben hugged her and Suzie watched it all with her thumb in her mouth.
 
Rosie gently tugged Suzie’s hand and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
 
“No, no Sweet.”

“I told you.
 
I’m not sweet.
  
I’m Suzie.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

EPILOGUE

Nine months later

Tom paced back and forth across the floor.

Duncan said, “You’d think this was your first child.”

“Not mine.
 
Rosie’s.
 
What if there are problems.
 
What if….”

“You worry too much.
 
Catherine is with her and so is Doc Johnson.
 
She’s going to be fine.”
 
He leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“I know.
 
But Rosie is so delicate.”

Duncan spit out the coffee he was drinking.
 
“Delicate!?
 
Are we talking about the same Rosie?
 
The one you nearly worked to death?
 
Who never complained?
 
Who married you anyway?”

“Yes.”

Duncan choked on his laughter.
 
“You’ve got to be kidding me.
 
Rosie could have a baby and go back to work without breaking a sweat.”

Tom stopped pacing.
 
“You don’t understand.
 
Rosie is …,”

There was a cry from upstairs and Tom took off at a run, taking the stairs two at a time.
 
He went into the bedroom and saw Rosie holding their baby.

“We have a boy.”

He went to her and kissed her.
 
“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For loving me enough to forgive me.
 
For giving me back my life, my family, my joy.”

“You’re welcome, my love.
 
Now what shall we name our son?”

“What was your father’s name?”

“Raymond Noah.”

“Then Raymond Noah Harris it is.”

Tom sat on the bed with Rosie and Raymond.
 
Ray started to cry and Rosie put him to her breast, teasing him with her nipple until he took it.

“He appears to be hungry for his mama.”

She smiled up at him.
 
“No more than his father.”

He leaned down and kissed her again.
 
“I love you, Rosie Harris.”

“I love you, too.”

THE END

SNEAK PEEK

TAME A WILD HEART

by

CYNTHIA WOOLF

PROLOGUE

John Morgan’s heartbeat drummed in his ears.
 
Keeping a tight rein on himself so he wouldn’t shout with elation, he looked down and watched the sunlight sparkle off the tiny yellow nuggets resting so unassumingly in his hand.
 
Never had he seen anything quite so deadly wrapped in such a pretty package.

He’d been looking for it, for so long.
 
Father never believed there was gold in this country, but he knew better.
 
Too bad he couldn’t have the satisfaction of saying ‘I told you so’ to the old man, but he was long gone now, not that it mattered.
 
Only the gold mattered.
 
The bright, glittering stones were the answer to everything.