Prairie Rose

by Catherine Palmer

  “Rosie! Rosie!” the boy cried.

  “I’ve got you, Chipper. You’ll be all right.”

  “Stop runnin’, Rosie! We gots to go back. I don’t want Papa to kill Uncle Jack!”

  Rosie set the sobbing boy on the ground at the edge of the bridge. “Chipper, you can’t save them both,” she whispered, kneeling in front of him. “You have to let them see it through. Let God settle this thing.”

  “No, Rosie! Sometimes we gots to do what’s right, even if we ain’t had time to pray it over. Now come on with me!”

  Taking her hand, the little boy pulled her down the trail, back toward the half circle of light in front of the barn. She could see the two men there, slugging each other, fists flying left and right. Blood spattered into the air—a shower of droplets—and the gathered crowd drew back. Seth fell to the ground. Cornwall leapt at him, but Seth rolled over and came at his assailant from the side. They tumbled across the trampled earth.

  Rosie and Chipper pushed through the crowd toward the two men. Chipper was sobbing, crying out, begging them to stop. Seth came to his feet again. Cornwall lunged. This time Seth was ready with a swift blow to the man’s right jaw. Cornwall crumpled and sprawled backward.

  “Uncle Jack?” Chipper rushed forward and fell to his knees beside the fallen man. “Are you all right, Uncle Jack? Papa, is he going to die?”

  Seth limped over and looked down. He prodded his rival with the toe of his boot. “I reckon he’s still with us, Chipper, though that shoulder doesn’t look too good. Must be the place where I winged him a couple of months back.”

  Chipper ran a hand over his uncle’s forehead. “You okay, Uncle Jack?” he asked. The man’s eyes fluttered open. Chipper bent and kissed him on the cheek. “Uncle Jack, you didn’t have to hit Papa just ’cause I said I wanted to stay here. Papa’s been good to me. I love him, Uncle Jack. I love my papa.”

  Rosie looked over at Seth. Though he was still breathing hard and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lip, he knelt beside Chipper. One big hand slipped protectively around the boy’s shoulders.

  “Jack,” Seth said, “can you hear me?”

  The man’s eyes slid open again. “I hear you.”

  “This boy is my son. I know you care about him. I know you loved … loved his mama. But I did, too.” Seth wiped the blood from his mouth with the side of a finger. “Chipper’s the child of my marriage to Mary. He’s half of me. Maybe you don’t like to hear that, but it’s God’s truth. I mean to keep Chipper with me, give him a home, raise him up right. He’s my boy, and I love him. Three times now, you’ve tried to take him. I won’t let you do that. Not ever.”

  Jack Cornwall struggled up to his elbows. The pain in his face told of an agony that went beyond his bruised jaw and wounded shoulder. “All right,” he said, his words slurred. “I surrender. You win, Hunter. But it’s not because of Mary. And it’s sure not because of you. The only reason I’m giving my word I’ll back off is because Chipper’s made his choice.” He turned to the boy. “You want to stay out here on the prairie with him, Chipper? You don’t want to come live with Gram and Gramps?”

  Chipper’s lower lip trembled. He looked at his father; then he searched the crowd for Rosie. When he caught her eye, he let out a deep breath. “I want to stay here,” he said. “I love my papa, Uncle Jack.”

  “All right, Chipper.” Cornwall edged up onto his knees and then stood. Rosie was sure the man would collapse. Blood had soaked his shirt around his shoulder. He clamped a hand over the wound. “I’m going back to Missouri now.”

  “Uncle Jack, why don’t you stay with us for a while?” Chipper said. “You look awful bad hurt.”

  “That’s okay, little feller. I’d best be getting home to help your grandpa bring in the harvest.”

  The man staggered away from the barn and made his way through the gathered guests. As he vanished into the darkness, the crowd began to murmur and swarmed around Seth. “You done it, Hunter!”

  “You whopped him good!”

  “You sure gave him what-fer!”

  “You got your boy back for good now, Hunter!”

  Rosie slowly let out her breath. She could see Chipper clinging to his father’s hand, his blue eyes shining up in adoration. It was going to be all right now. Cornwall wouldn’t come back. He had given his word.

  “Ready to head out, Rosie?” Mr. Dixon touched her elbow. “I held up the coach to see how this thing came out. But I’d best be pulling out. The next station’s a good piece off.”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “It’s all right now. I can go.”

  CHAPTER 18

  ROSIE squeezed between two men in the backward-facing seat inside the stagecoach. She tugged her shawl tightly around her shoulders and tucked her hands in her lap. As the coach began to move, she shut her eyes tight and swallowed the lump in her throat.

  Yes, it was time to go. She had done everything God could possibly have wanted her to do. She had looked after Chipper during the difficult months of summer. She had helped Seth learn to be a good father to the child. She had kept his household running— food on the table, clothes washed and mended, floor swept clean. She had assisted in saving the homestead after the grasshopper plague. The toll money was safely stored away in the buried crocks, and Seth, Rolf, and Jimmy could use it as they saw fit. Her goal of leaving Seth and Chipper with something of value had been met. It was time to go.

  “Quite a little to-do there,” the gentleman next to her commented. He was clad in a fine gray coat and matching trousers. “Did you know the man who prevailed, madam?”

  “Not very well.” Rosie struggled to hold in her tears. Truly, she hadn’t known Seth well. The pieces of his soul he had revealed to her, she had grown to love. But he kept back his heart. Always his heart. “I worked for him, that’s all.”

  That was all. She had worked for Seth. Worked hard. Done her part. That was enough. It had to be.

  The stagecoach clattered down the trail, and Rosie bid a silent good-bye. Good-bye to Sheena and Jimmy. Good-bye to all the children. And good-bye to Caitrin Murphy. Envy had not won a victory. Rosie truly liked Caitrin. They had become friends.

  “Where are you off to, then?” the man asked. “Topeka?”

  “Kansas City. I have a job there.”

  “A job? May I inquire as to your new position?”

  “The Christian Home for Orphans and Foundlings. I’ll be the cook.”

  “I should imagine they could find someone in Kansas City to do their cooking, couldn’t they?”

  “I am someone,” Rosie said. “I’ll do it. They need me.”

  “I’m sure you know best, but—”

  His words were cut off by the sound of rifle fire. Rosie clapped her hands over her ears as the stagecoach began to sway. “It’s Cornwall!” she cried out. “He’s after us!”

  “Cornwall? The man in the brawl?”

  “That’s him. He’s come after us!” Rosie could hear men shouting outside as the horses whinnied and the coach began to slow. “Don’t stop!” she hollered out the window. “Don’t stop for him, Mr. Dixon!”

  The stagecoach had barely halted when the door flew open. “Rosie?” Seth stuck his head inside. “Rosie, what are you doing in here?”

  “Seth!”

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To Kansas City.”

  “Is this the man?” The dandy beside Rosie pulled a small pistol from his coat pocket. “Merely say the word, madam, and I shall put a ball through his heart.”

  “No!” Rosie cried out. “No, it’s Seth. Seth Hunter.”

  “Get off the stagecoach, Rosie,” Seth commanded.

  “I can’t.” She shook her head. “I have to go to Kansas City. I can’t marry Rolf because I don’t love him, and it’s autumn, and Mrs. Jameson needs me to cook.”

  “I need you to cook.”

  “She needs me more.”

  “I need you more. I need you, Rosie. I need you to sit wi
th me by the stove in the middle of winter and read stories to Chipper. I need you to walk through the fields by my side. I need to talk with you … dance with you … wrap my arms around you. And I’ll take care of you, Rosie. I gave you that bonnet as a promise that I’ll always provide for you, always meet your needs. I want … I want you to be my wife. Will you do that?”

  Rosie gulped as Chipper’s head popped through the stagecoach door beside his father. “Hi, Rosie! Where ya goin’? We need you at home.”

  She looked up at Seth. His blue eyes were shining. “Chipper’s right,” he said. “We need you at home, Rosie.”

  “Well, my dear young lady.” The man beside her slipped his pistol back into his coat. “I recommend that you give this gentleman the courtesy of an answer.”

  Rosie tried to breathe. All her life nervousness had made her talk a blue streak. But now … now she couldn’t say anything.

  “Mary,” she managed. “You still love Mary.”

  “Mary’s not with us anymore,” he said in a low voice. “I know that, Rosie, and I’ve let her go.”

  “I need a new mama,” Chipper said. “I pick you!”

  “But how?” she whispered. “How can we be a family? I didn’t give Chipper life. I don’t know anything about … about being a wife … a mother. I never had a family, and I don’t know how—”

  “We’re already a family,” Chipper said. “It don’t take flesh and blood to do it, Rosie. It just takes love.”

  “That’s right,” Seth said. “There’s something you need to hear, Rosie. I love you. I love you in a way I never understood before. It’s deeper … stronger … crazier than I ever thought possible. Be my wife, Rosie. Let me love you for the rest of my life. No matter what the years bring us, let me love you. Will you do that?”

  Rosie closed her eyes. Father? What shall I say? Can you give me an answer? Is this what I’m supposed to do?

  “Come on, Rosie,” Chipper said. “Sometimes you just gots to do the right thing.”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Seth Hunter.”

  His face broke into a grin, and the others in the stagecoach began to applaud. Seth reached in and slipped his arms around her. “Come here, my beautiful prairie rose,” he murmured.

  “I love you, Seth,” she whispered as she drifted into his embrace, allowing him to carry her out into the brisk autumn air. As the stagecoach started up again behind them, his lips met hers in a tender kiss that sealed their vow. Joy flooded her heart, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, savoring the promise of a lifetime with this man.

  Seth turned his shoulders toward home and the bridge that linked his new family with a future he had placed in the hands of his heavenly Father. Then he lifted his heart toward a vision of Hope.

  AFTERWORD

  Prairie Rose mirrors the story of early settlers on the Kansas prairie. Seth’s small soddy, barn, and pontoon bridge are similar to structures found on homesteads where struggling farmers battled to grow their crops. Six grasshopper plagues were recorded from 1854 to 1877, eight floods occurred from 1826 to 1892, six deadly blizzards hit between 1855 and 1886, fourteen prairie fires burned between 1890 and 1916, and countless tornadoes cut across homesteads, destroying homes and taking lives. Still the farmers toiled on, holding firm to faith in God and family.

  Other settlers made a living running mills, mercantiles, and stagecoach stations. Bridge and ferry tolls earned a steady income, while post offices and churches provided a welcome means of communication for lonely farmers. Immigrants brought their traditions, their foods, and their languages with them from Europe. They also brought their enmities.

  Prairie Fire tells the story of Caitrin Murphy and Jack Cornwall, whose blossoming love fans the flames of a fire that threatens everyone in a town called Hope.

  To learn more about life on the Kansas prairie, please read:

  Dale, Edward Everett. Frontier Ways: Sketches of Life in the Old West. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989.

  Dary, David. More True Tales of Old-Time Kansas. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1987.

  Hertzler, Arthur E., M.D. The Horse and Buggy Doctor. Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Press, 1938.

  Ise, John. Sod and Stubble. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1936.

  Massey, Ellen Gray. Bittersweet Country. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986.

  Schlissel, Lillian, Byrd Gibbens, and Elizabeth Hampsten. Far From Home: Families of the Westward Journey. New York: Schocken Books, 1989.

  Stratton, Joanna L. Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981.

  Prairie Rose

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Rosie says that she’s been lonely all her life, yet her faith in God is apparently strong. She knows that her heavenly Father is always with her and watches over her. How can one be lonely yet sense God’s presence? How does God make a difference in one’s experience of loneliness?

  2. In chapter 2, Rosie and Seth discuss what makes a good marriage. Who do you think is right? What makes for a good marriage in God’s eyes?

  3. Rosie never had a family, a mother, a home. Yet she seems to know something about giving love. From where did she learn how to be compassionate with Chipper? Seth also grew up with an absence of love from his father. And in chapter 4, Rosie hints that he is going to be just like his own father. How does a person overcome his or her past in order to become a different kind of parent than what he or she knew growing up?

  4. The verse in Deuteronomy about the illegitimate not being allowed to worship upsets both Rosie and Seth. What are we to make of such dictates from Scripture? How does it affect Rosie’s faith? How does she overcome that stumbling block? Is her perspective at the end of chapter 8 correct?

  5. Rosie talks about listening to God as well as talking to him. How do you listen for God’s voice? How can you tell if a message is from God or from someone else? What guidelines does Rosie give Sheena? Are there any you would add?

  6. Does Rosie bear an obligation to the Christian Home for Orphans and Foundlings? Why or why not?

  7. Rosie often seems to assume that God’s will will entail exactly what she doesn’t want: returning to the orphanage, Caitlin showing up so that Seth could marry her, etc. Why is it so easy even for a person of Rosie’s faith to think of God’s will as negative? How do we discern whether something is truly God’s will? Is God’s will usually contrary to our own desires? Why or why not?

  8. Do you agree that God always answers prayer, one way or another—yes, no, or wait? What evidence is there from the story? from Scripture?

  9. How is Rosie able to hold on to her faith after the grass hoppers come and eat everything? How does the grass hopper incident affect the rest of the story?

  10. What ultimately enables Seth to commit his life to God, despite his struggles to believe?

  11. What evidences does this story give as to God’s goodness and sovereignty in the lives of the characters?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CATHERINE PALMER lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim, where they serve as missionaries in a refugee community. They have two grown sons. Catherine is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master’s degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then she has published more than fifty novels, many of them national best sellers. Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Christy Award, the highest honor in Christian fiction. In 2004, she was given the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Romance by Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine. More than 2 million copies of Catherine’s novels are currently in print.

  With her compelling characters and strong message of Christian faith, Catherine is known for writing fiction that “touches the hearts and souls of readers.” Her many collections include A Town Called Hope, Treasures of the Heart, Finders Keepers, English Ivy, and the Miss Pickworth series. Catherine also recently coauthored th
e Four Seasons fiction series with Gary Chapman, the New York Times best-selling author of The Five Love Languages.

  Visit catherinepalmer.com for more information on future releases. To learn more about her work as a missionary to refugees, visit palmermissions.blogspot.com.