Her Silent Burden_Seeing Ranch series

by Florence Linnington

  Noah smiled to himself. Though this was his favorite place on the mountain, he’d been slightly worried about bringing Rosalie there, not knowing whether she’d like it or not.

  Tying the horses to a tree, he set the picnic basket on one of the smooth rocks and spread out the blanket, and pulled out the sandwiches, apples, and filled the tin cups with water.

  “Ah. So you can cook,” Rosalie said.

  Noah looked up and found she’d wandered over to the rock, where she now stood looking down at him.

  Her lips twitched, and she nodded at the sandwiches. “I was joking.”

  Noah laughed, but more out of happiness over being with her than humor at any joke.

  “This looks wonderful.” Rosalie perched on the edge of the rock, took her bonnet off, and smoothed the front of her skirt.

  Noah pushed her lunch closer toward her, waiting while she took the first bite.

  “As I expected,” she announced, “Delicious.”

  “Good.” Noah stretched his legs out and nodded in satisfaction. He was too nervous to be hungry, but he made himself take a bite of the apple. It would be rude to force someone to have a meal alone.

  “How is the saloon?” Rosalie asked.

  “Busy. Always busy.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered as she inspected him. “And you enjoying working there?”

  “It’s a good job. I miss being outside all day long. I will say that.” He paused. “And I know it’s not the most respectable job and all, but it’s a job.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t think it’s a position to be disrespected.”

  Noah couldn’t tell whether she told the truth or not. “Oh?” he asked.

  Rosalie nodded. “It seems to me you run as honorable of a saloon as a saloon can… well, be.”

  Noah laughed. “That’s all Wakefield’s doing. He set the place up. All I did was take it over.”

  “Well, you are doing a wonderful job at it.”

  “And I hear you’re doing a wonderful job at teaching.”

  Rosalie’s cheeks turned pink. “Says who?”

  “The whole town. Those children love you.”

  Rosalie turned her apple around in her hands. “That is sweet.”

  “How is Jacob taking to school here?”

  “He’s…” Rosalie sighed heavily.

  Noah waited her to continue, but the silence stretched on.

  “He’s what?”

  She twisted her lips. “He has never been very sociable, and I had hoped coming here would change that some. So far, it seems it hasn’t. I am still the only person he spends a significant amount of time with.”

  “Ah, well, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. He seems to be a real thinker. Some people aren’t that interested in being around others all the time.” Noah chewed his apple for a bit, thinking about it some more. “He seemed pretty keen to talk to me, though. I will say that.”

  “I’d like to tell you something about that, actually,” Rosalie quietly said.

  The serious tone of her voice made Noah put the apple down and look directly at her. “What is it?”

  “When I told him about this picnic with you, he seemed very… unsettled. I have attempted to bring up the subject of you a few times since then, and he has been equally unresponsive.” Rosalie’s eyebrows pinched together, and she touched her fingers to her forehead. “I apologize. Perhaps, I should not have told you that.”

  “No, it’s all right.”

  “I did not mean to dampen the mood.”

  “You didn’t,” Noah answered.

  Rosalie sighed. “This is supposed to be a carefree afternoon.”

  “It can be anything we want it to be.” Noah stared at her until she looked directly at him. “Right?”

  A slow smile stretched across her face. “Right.”

  “I think I know why Jacob acted the way he did.”

  “You do?” Rosalie’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “I have a guess, that is.”

  “And?”

  “He might feel like I’m stealing you away.”

  Rosalie blew out a harsh breath. “That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking.”

  “It’s understandable.”

  She nodded, face down, still looking glum. “It’s been the two of us for so long. My parents have both passed, and my sister is in Texas. I am the only family Jacob has.” Rosalie looked directly at Noah. “I suppose you are wondering about his father.”

  “Uh…” Of course, Noah had been burning to ask about that, but he wasn’t planning on letting himself.

  “We married when I was eighteen,” Rosalie said. “Jacob was born a year later. When he was three, my husband left. He took off while Jacob and I were spending a few days at my sister’s. That was seven years ago, and I haven’t seen him since.”

  Noah harshly exhaled. “Rosalie, I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “It was a long time ago, and I’ve come to see I’m much better off without him around. I don’t believe Jacob has any memories of him… At least, I hope he does not.”

  He nodded, marveling at the strength and determination of the woman sitting in front of him. In all his life, Noah had never met anyone quite like her.

  “And then you came West,” he said, “to a dangerous and uncertain place. Not many people would do that.”

  Rosalie dipped her chin. “I needed to leave Wisconsin. I wanted to for years, but our family was there. With them gone… I thought, why not? Why not take the leap and go now?”

  “Why did you need to leave?” Noah asked, unable to raise his voice above a whisper. The moment felt too intimate for speaking at even a medium volume.

  “Ghosts of the past, I suppose.” Rosalie looked over at the creek. “And I’d always envisioned more for myself. Before I married, I saw myself traveling the world.” She laughed lightly. “I didn’t know just how I would manage that, but that was the dream. Maybe it’s silly.”

  “Not at all,” Noah said right away, feeling that truth with every fiber of his being. “I did just that, soon as I could. Left Virginia and set off.”

  Rosalie looked back at him. “And Whiteridge? Is this another stop on your endless journey?”

  Noah knew, somehow, that she was sending him a deeper message. She wanted to know what this little town on the side of a mountain meant to him. Was it a long-term deal? Could she be a long-term deal?

  Noah gulped. “I like it here, and I would stay… assuming there’s something… or someone… for me to stay for.”

  Rosalie’s lashes fluttered, and her throat rolled as she swallowed thickly. Without Noah’s noticing, they’d drifted closer as they talked, and their faces were now less than an arm’s length away, their fingers so close on the rock that Noah would only have to move a few inches in order to touch her.

  Rosalie’s eyes traced a line across his face, their gaze as strong as that of a hand. A fire simmered in Noah’s belly and rose, burning the most intensely in his hands and lips.

  “I am glad I met you,” Rosalie whispered, “Mr. Hahn.”

  Noah chuckled. Formalities were so out of place in such an intimate setting.

  “I’d like to be Noah to you,” he said.

  Rosalie’s lips parted. “That sounds nice.”

  Noah was aware of someone’s breathing speeding up, but he didn’t know if it was his or Rosalie’s. Maybe it was both of theirs. They’d been looking at each other for an awful long while, and the gentlemanly thing to do would be to draw away, but right then Noah didn’t want to be a gentleman. He wanted to cut loose, to give into his urges, and take Rosalie’s lips against his own.

  Had any man touched her since her husband left? Noah couldn’t imagine that deserter had known how to properly attend to her needs. He’d likely been too distant. Not tender enough.

  Noah could do it right. All he needed was one chance. If Rosalie only gave him that, he’d take care to cherish her till the end of time.

  Before he could have anot
her thought, Rosalie moved forward and pressed her lips to his. For a second, Noah was too surprised to react.

  Rosalie had already begun to draw back, maybe regretting what she’d done. Noah moved fast, though, lightly cupping her cheek and bringing her mouth back to his.

  He swept his lips across hers, making the kiss firm yet still keeping it gentle. She was as soft as velvet and tasted like honey, apples, and fresh air.

  Noah dropped his hand, and Rosalie leaned back, her cheeks bright pink.

  “I thought maybe you did not want me to do that,” she said, her words all breathy.

  Noah laughed. “You can do that any time. You’ll never hear me complaining.”

  Rosalie bit her bottom lip. “Good.”

  “Good,” Noah repeated, giving the word some extra enthusiasm.

  One of the horses snorted loudly, as if agreeing as well, and Rosalie and Noah both laughed.

  Chapter 10

  only good things

  10. Rosalie

  Chapter ten

  Rosalie broke the rosemary into little pieces and artfully arranged it on top of the pork. Taking a step back, she surveyed the dish and nodded with satisfaction.

  She was being silly, she knew, but it would be Noah’s first time over for supper. It was a special occasion.

  Three weeks had gone by since he took her down to the creek for the picnic, and not a day had passed where she’d gotten enough of him. He was a very busy man, but almost every day he made time to stop in and say hello to her at school. The last two Sundays, they’d had dinner together after church, once at Noah’s and once at the hotel. Both times, Jacob had joined them, bringing with himself a quiet and sullen attitude.

  Rosalie sighed, thoughts of Jacob bringing her anguish. She had tried talking to him about Noah several times more, but he had been unresponsive. And it wasn’t just over Noah. Jacob now refused to speak to her about much anything anymore. Not school. Not books. Not even his ever growing rock and leaf collections.

  Rosalie knew he was entering an age where that could be expected, but she also knew the move, and the sudden arrival of Noah in their lives had something to do with it all. She wanted to bridge the gap that had appeared between her and Jacob, but she did not know how to.

  As she set the pork on the table, there was a scuffling behind her. Jacob appeared in the front doorway, the setting sun illuminating his profile. As he stepped further inside, the oil lamp showed the dirt covering his hands, face, and pants.

  “You were down in the creek?” Rosalie asked, being careful to not sound disdainful. She’d told him Noah was coming over for supper, and that he needed to keep his clothes clean.

  “Uh-huh.” Jacob acknowledged but continued to look down at the table. “That’s fancy.”

  “We’re having a guest tonight. You remember, right?”

  “No.”

  Was he lying?

  Rosalie felt her back straighten. “Please go wash up and change into your Sunday pants. Noah will be here at any time.”

  “Why does he have to come over for dinner? Don’t you spend enough time with him as it is?”

  Rosalie could feel her temperature climb. Enough being nice. Placing her hands on her hips, she took a step toward Noah.

  “He is coming over to spend time with both of us,” she said. “Now, how dare you speak to me that way? I am your mother, Jacob, and don’t you ever forget that! Now go out back and clean up.”

  Jacob’s jaw set hard, but he obeyed, stomping out the front door. Rosalie closed her eyes, her temples pounding and her heart racing. Jacob had had almost a month to get used to the idea of Noah. Yet he had not been any friendlier with him, still unwilling to revert back to his initial awe of the man.

  Rosalie, for her part, had become increasingly enamored with Noah. He brought her a kind of comfort she had never, felt before he arrived. She never wanted that to go away.

  Her lips pressing hard, Rosalie opened her eyes and finished preparing supper. By the time Noah arrived, with his hair combed back and the delicious scent of soap and aftershave wafting off him, Jacob was in his seat and dressed in a clean pair of pants. Supper, it seemed, might just pass fluidly after all.

  After saying grace, Rosalie passed Noah his plate. His fingers lightly grazed hers, and a delicious shiver went through her. She smiled his way, unable to contain her joy.

  On the other side of the table, Jacob shoveled a giant forkful of food into his mouth.

  “Jacob,” Rosalie gently said. “Slow down.”

  Jacob swallowed, eyes on his plate as he cut his meal into lots of small pieces.

  “How are rehearsals for the play going?” Noah asked Jacob.

  “Fine,” Jacob mumbled, still looking at his plate. He glanced up, caught Rosalie’s disapproving look, and then looked directly at Noah. “I mean they’re good… sir.”

  “I heard you have the lead.”

  Jacob nodded.

  “What’s it about?” Noah asked.

  “My mother didn’t tell you?”

  Noah glanced Rosalie’s way. “She, uh, told me a bit about it. I thought you might have a better insight on it, though, seeing as you wrote it.”

  Jacob fiddled with his fork. “I only wrote a bit. The whole class wrote it together.”

  “That’s something.”

  Jacob went back to eating like he hadn’t had a meal in days. Rosalie’s face burned. Was he knowingly ignoring every single manner she had ever taught him?

  “Well, I can’t wait to see it,” Noah replied, still attempting to be amicable despite Jacob’s desire to be anything but.

  Jacob wiped his mouth and set his napkin next to his plate. “May I be excused?”

  Rosalie gaped. “You did not finish your supper.”

  “I’m not very hungry. And I need to study for that quiz tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t announce anything about a quiz.”

  “No, but I saw you getting the questions ready for it.”

  “Jacob.” Rosalie was about to admonish him, but it was not the time. The supper was going poorly enough already.

  “Yes,” she said, her hands curling into fists under the table. “You may be excused.”

  Standing, he took his plate away from the table, set it on the cook stove, grabbed a candle from the shelf, and went into his bedroom. The door swung shut behind him. He didn’t bother saying anything to Noah at all.

  Rosalie wanted to crawl under the table, she was that embarrassed.

  “He hasn’t always been like this,” she told Noah in a low voice.

  Noah lifted a shoulder. “It’s his age.”

  “I’m afraid it is more than that.”

  “And the move.”

  “And…” Rosalie hesitated, afraid to say more.

  “Me,” Noah finished for her.

  Rosalie cringed. “The truly frustrating part of it all is that I know he likes you. After meeting you that first day, he could not stop gushing about you. And now…”

  “Should I talk to him?” Noah asked.

  Rosalie bit her lip, thinking. “I am not sure. Perhaps not.” She quickly set her hand on his wrist. “Not because I think you would say the wrong thing.”

  “You’re worried it might make things worse?”

  “Perhaps.” Rosalie’s shoulders slumped, and she stared at her plate, her appetite gone.

  “Cheer up. It’ll all work out.” Noah rested his other hand on top of hers, and a deep comfort flowed through Rosalie. When he was around, she truly felt everything would be all right.

  “He needs some more time to warm up to me,” Noah said. “Maybe I can take him fishing or something. Could be he needs a little one-on-one time.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  Rosalie gave him a smile, but she knew he could tell it was forced. “I want him to care for you as much as I do.”

  “You care for me?” Noah smiled wickedly.

  “Stop.” Rosalie smiled for rea
l. “You know I do.”

  “How much?”

  “A lot.”

  “A lot, a lot?”