The Pink Rose of the Prairie

by Ginger Ring

  The Pink Rose of the Prairie

  Ginger Ring

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Acknowledgments

  Other books by Ginger Ring

  About the Author

  Hell Yeah!

  Copyright © 2018 by Ginger Ring

  Originally published as Kindle World Book, 2016

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design and Interior Format by The Killion Group, Inc.

  To Patrick:

  For finding me

  1

  If there was one sure thing in the world, it was that the McCoys’ threw one hell of a party. Always the police officer, Seth Peterson watched the barbeque with a cautious eye for any strangers that didn’t belong. These people were like kin to him. Actually they were the only real family he’d ever known. In past years, the McCoy’s and their extended family had had to deal with all kinds of near tragedies and they came through every one even stronger and tighter than before.

  Seth took a sip of his sugary sweet iced tea and surveyed the crowd once again. With the six McCoy brothers, their wives, cousins, and other relatives, the clan had expanded so fast it was hard to keep track. As in most social situations, everyone seemed like they were in their own little worlds. Each carrying on lively conversations with the person next to them while balancing a plate heaped high with some delicious food probably made with love by Liberty Belle McCoy.

  He recalled the first time he made her acquaintance. Libby was a tiny fireball of energy who battled leukemia while conquering the heart of Aron, the oldest of the brothers. She loved to cook and she’d refused to let him leave the ranch without a belly full of the best barbeque ribs and brownies he’d ever tasted. Just thinking about those chocolate goodies had his eyes about to roll back in his head. They were orgasmic. Taking another sip of the tea, he could taste the love put into everything made by the women surrounding him. He envied all the laughing children running around the place. The giggles and squeals of the youngsters playing brought a smile to his face, a feature that had been missing often when he’d seen his reflection in the mirror of late. His childhood had been sadly lacking in all accounts.

  Determined to not recall bad memories, Seth pushed off the tree he’d been leaning against and headed for the large spread of food set up for the partygoers. As his cowboy boots sounded on the temporary wood flooring set up for dancing later, he struggled to recall what the party was for. He spied Avery and Jessie on the way. Jessie rested a hand on Avery’s expanding belly. Was it a baby shower? He shrugged and kept on walking, nearly colliding with Nathan. The young man apologized and went back to texting.

  Young love! Seth shook his head. Rumors floated around that the guy was dating a member of the British royal family. In his eyes, the McCoys were Texas royalty and he couldn’t cover the smirk on his face thinking about the Queen of England eating ribs with white gloves on. Focusing on the buffet table, Seth again had to stop short or get run over.

  “Sorry about that.” Skye chased a toddler that was getting away. Her husband, Noah, followed close behind. Those two would make wonderful parents. Unfortunately Skye couldn’t have any. Seth had been abandoned as a child, how lucky he would have been to be adopted by such a loving couple as them.

  Thirty minutes later, he held a plate overflowing with delicious food made with care. It would have taken less than two minutes to go through the line but he spent the other twenty-eight visiting with the ladies behind the table. All the McCoy, LeBlanc, and other women that made up this special family had asked about him. How he’d been, what was he up to now, and if he had a special lady in his life.

  Usually he would have enjoyed all the friendly chatter, but lately things just hadn’t been right. His life was out of whack. Even the thought of having to sit and make small talk with others seemed like too much work. Lively music playing in the background even rubbed him the wrong way.

  Picnic tables were scattered everywhere. Canning jars filled with roses and wildflowers sat atop checked tablecloths. Spying an empty table, Seth headed in that direction. As he sat down, the sweet smell of roses drifted his direction. They were pink. Usually he would avoid such a girly decoration like it was a rattlesnake nest, but today they seemed to calm his restless spirit.

  As he shoved a large forkful of potato salad in his mouth, he recognized his boss’ voice in the distance. It was Kane Saucier showing off his new baby boy. His wife Lilibet stood by his side. The sight of those two together never failed to bring a blush to his cheeks. It didn’t bother them but it still embarrassed the hell out him that he’d caught the two of them making out in their car. He’d been working the night shift and thought the people in the car might be in distress. They were anything but.

  Shaking his head, Seth returned his attention to the cornbread spread with honey. Growing up with poorly made and meager portions of food, he never took such abundance for granted.

  “Would you like some more tea?” A petite young woman held a pitcher almost as big as she was. Well that might be an exaggeration but he held out his red plastic cup. The ice clinked in the pitcher as she poured. Drops of condensation ran down the side of the glass.

  “You look sad cowboy.” The woman didn’t wait for an invitation but sat the pitcher down on the table and took a seat across from him.

  “I do?” He raised an eyebrow and placed his cowboy hat on the bench beside him.

  “I’m Harley.” She reached a hand across to shake his. Hers was still damp and cool from the pitcher. “You’re Seth right?”

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  Harley’s laugh sounded, it was the kind of pleasant sound a man could get used to. “I know many things. Are you enjoying the annual barbeque?”

  Seth nodded. So that was what it was, the McCoy’s famous annual event. He eyed the wedding ring on her left hand and quickly glanced around for any intimidating men the size of buffalos headed his way.

  “Don’t worry, my husband isn’t going to kill you for talking to me.”

  “Ha. How do you know that?” He relaxed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I’m a cop. I’ve seen people killed for less than that.”

  “I told you, I know many things.” She narrowed her eyes and laced her fingers together on the table in front of her.

  “Yeah, like what?” This time he dug into the baked beans. Damn they were tasty.

  “You’re searching for something.”

  He stopped eating and gave her his full attention. “You’re good.” He pointed to her with his fork. “I could use some pepper. That’s what I was looking for.”

  “No it’s not, but here you go anyway.” Harley reached for the shaker and tossed it his way. “You’ve been restless, edgy, not wanting to be around people.”

  His right shoulder lifted and fell. “Yeah, I guess so. Everyone has good days and bad. Times they need to themselves.”

  “Yes, but yours has lasted for quite a while.” He scowled as she continued. “Am I right?”

  He set his utensils down and rested his elbows on the table. “Yeah, I’ve not been myself lately. I love
my job but recently it just hasn’t been enough.” It wasn’t like him to open up to a stranger, but he’d heard about Harley from others. That she could sense things. If she could figure out what was going on with him, he wasn’t going to ignore her.

  “Because it should never be enough.” She waved her hands in the air. “Look around you. I think you are searching for someone. Someone that you have been missing for a very long time.”

  “You mean like a wife?”

  She nodded vigorously. Did he really appear that desperate?

  “I’ve been looking. Hell I even tried some stupid dot com thing but it never seems to work. Maybe it’s me, I don’t know.” He took a deep breath.

  “It’s not you.” Harley briefly touched her hand to his. “You haven’t found her yet.”

  “Lady.” He chuckled. “If you know where my soulmate is please let me know.”

  “I know she isn’t here.” She stared him straight in the eyes. “Let your heart guide you. It may take time...” Harley gazed off in the distance before continuing. “It could be a very long time but you will find her and it will be worth it.”

  “You make it sound like I’ll be an old man before I run into this mystery woman.”

  Harley grinned and stood up. “No, you’re a good man. You won’t stop until you find her. I don’t know where she is, or when you’ll meet.”

  “Is there something that you do know?” His hopes rose.

  “Yes, she’s not here.” Harley stared him straight in the eyes. “Just remember sometimes you have to go to the ends of time to find what you’re searching for.”

  “Dear, sit up straight.” Her mother, Charlene, placed a cloth napkin in her lap and called for one of the servants. Rose McAlister used to know all their names but she’d lost track. Everyone was new from the last time she’d been home. “I don’t know why you hate me so much that you would take a job in such a—what is the word I am looking for?” She waved her finely manicured hand. “Rural. That’s it. Such a rural area. Why, you might as well be going to a third world country.” Charlene lifted her nose as if something smelled bad. “At least if that was the case we could say you were doing charity work. What will people think?”

  “They will think that I finally have a job after you’ve black listed me from every school in the area.” Rose clamped her hand across her mouth. She had a tendency to speak her thoughts out loud.

  “I’ve done no such thing,” her mother denied.

  It was true her mother hadn’t blacklisted her, but just being the daughter of the most busy-bodied, snobbish woman in the city hadn’t done her any favors either.

  The elderly servant placed her dinner plate in front of her. It was lamb with mint. Rose hated lamb but it was her mother’s favorite. “Figures,” she mumbled under her breath. Would it hurt to have something that she liked to eat for once? Maybe even something simple like mac and cheese or hamburgers, heaven forbid.

  “What did you say?” Charlene picked up her shiny silver cutlery.

  “I said thank you,” she lied.

  “You don’t need to thank the help. It’s their job.” And that right there was one of the many reasons that no one ever stayed very long.

  “Everyone appreciates being thanked for a good job well done.”

  At that her mother rolled her eyes. It was a rare thing but it often meant she’d reached her limit. “Why can’t you be more like your sister Ivy? She married that nice looking doctor and they have that lovely property on the shoreline.” This time it was Rose who rolled her eyes. The doctor was not handsome and their property was so ostentatious it could never be considered a home. A castle maybe, but it would never be a warm and inviting home.

  “Ivy does nothing but shop and eat antidepressants like they were candy.” Rose slapped a hand over her mouth. Her mother dropped her utensil on the table and glared. She’d stepped over the line with that one.

  “And what about you? Your father is concerned as well. Just look at your hair. Have you turned into one of the Goth girls?” Rose chuckled at that one which irritated her mother more. “And that car out front. The neighbors are going to think I let the help park in the front driveway.”

  “My car may be old but it is paid for by money I earned myself. As for my hair, I’m trying to be my own person and I want my students to know that they can be successful but keep their identity.” She’d always been the perfect daughter, the perfect student but that hadn’t brought her happiness. There was something else out there for her, something more to make her life worthwhile. Not too long ago she’d broken out of the mold and chalked a pink strand through her hair. Oh the horror! If her mother knew she’d gotten a tattoo also, the poor woman would probably have a stroke.

  “I just want you to be settled and taken care of.” Her mother laid a hand on hers.

  “I can take care of myself.” Truth be told it had been a struggle. With no experience it was hard to get a job other than working at a coffee shop. The only teaching offer she’d received was for a small school district in southwestern South Dakota. It was exciting but also scary thinking about being so far from home. Rose was twenty-five but growing up in this family had left her sheltered from most of the world. At night she’d dreamed of adventures like she’d read in romance and history books.

  “Still, I wish you could find a nice young man to marry.” The troubled tone of her mother’s voice brought her back to the present.

  “Maybe I will there.”

  Rose bit her lip as she watched the other woman at the table shudder as if chilled to the bone. “Just remember Rose, it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it is a poor one.”

  This time her inner voice stayed quiet, but Rose heard it loud and clear. She didn’t care if the man was rich or poor. Her dream was for a good and honest man to love her. Not just that, but a man that would never let her down and one that would never give up until he found her.

  2

  Rose McAllister never cared for convertibles but the view of wide open prairie had her yearning to be driving one. Even the metal of the antique locket she’d just bought at the antique store a few miles back felt hot against her skin. Too bad her old clunker didn’t have a sunroof. After cranking the window handle down, she held the locket between her fingers and played with the chain to relieve the scorching against her skin. She took a deep breath of the warm, fresh air. Fragrant wildflowers covered the fields. Their perfume permeated through the air. Prairie grass danced in waves with the wind. The rolling hills were endless. What would it be like to ride a horse bareback through those fields? She could see it now, the wind blowing through her hair, a smile on her face, and a handsome cowboy by her side.

  What would her mother, sister, and their society friends think of that? Oh, right, the same thing they said when Rose told them she was taking a teaching job in the tiny town of Harvest, South Dakota. “Are you nuts?”

  As the old saying went, it wasn’t the middle of nowhere but you could see it from there. Everyone always told her she was the perfect young lady. In her heart Rose knew she danced to the beat of a different drum and that was certainly true in this case. The challenges of working in a small school and having an impact on youngster’s lives was both overwhelming and promising.

  She’d left Milwaukee many hours before, beaming with excitement. A new job as a school teacher in a small town was a dream come true. The prospect of finding a job looked dim until the teaching position popped up online. Apparently they’d had a hard time finding people to teach in such a desolate area. Sure her parents had worried. They’d always been overprotective and it was a long way from civilization. In their minds, that was. To her it was an adventure waiting to happen.

  It was also the chance to start new and find a nice guy. Well, hopefully a nice guy. They had been few and far between in her life so far. The last one left such a bad taste in her mouth there wasn’t enough mouthwash in the world to cleanse his presence away. She’d fallen head over heels for the n
ew history teacher who had stopped in for his morning cup of Joe. He’d swept her off her feet and in only a couple of months he’d emptied her bank account and broken her heart. The jerk even went so far as to bad-mouth her to her employers and get her fired. Were there no honest, hardworking men left in the world?

  All her dreams would come true if this new job worked out and she met a trustworthy guy. Despite the beautiful view, her apprehension grew. When was the last time she’d seen a house, a telephone pole, or even a car? Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere? Rose had been traveling the same red dirt road forever. Her cell’s GPS app had lost signal over half an hour ago and had yet to gain another one. At least she had plenty of fuel. The school’s interviewer had warned her on the phone about going any long distances without a full tank. “Gas stations are few and far between out in this area.” Dropping the necklace back on her chest, Rose peeked in her purse. Even her cell phone had no bars.

  Her left cheek burned from the warmth of the sun’s rays. She shoved the visor to the side to make some shade and tried to smooth her windblown locks. Rose let out a deep breath. They may be desperate for a teacher, but once they saw her in person they might change their minds. They probably weren’t expecting someone with white hair accented with a pink streak, let alone a rose tattoo, and a vintage, thrift store wardrobe. Sure, she didn’t look like a fashionista but she wasn’t a carbon copy of everyone else either. Rose shrugged her shoulder. “Maybe I was just born in the wrong era. Oh great, now I’m talking to myself.” A nervous habit that kicked in whenever she felt things were beyond her control.

  It really was time to get over her self-doubt and low self-esteem. Growing up in a perfect, over-achieving family didn’t need to affect the rest of her life. Not everyone was meant to be a social butterfly or live life in the fast lane. Actually, the more the interviewer had talked about the desolation of the area, the more excited she’d gotten.