Exhausted from the happenings of the day and the lack of sleep, Rosie paused in front of their door and stared at the large red paper taped to the panel beneath the eyehole.
Eviction Notice. Tenants have thirty days to vacate apartment.
Her blood chilled. They’d been kicked out of their home. When they’d never missed a payment. Never had loud parties. Kept everything clean. What had they done that was so terrible?
Feeling like the world worked against them, Rosie threw her head back and breathed in deep. She straightened and pushed the door key into the lock. “Something tells me we’re not wanted here anymore.” She ground the words from between her teeth. Dropping all attempts at caution for the respect of their landlord, Rosie pushed open the door and stomped around the living area.
Stepping onto the couch, she walked on the cushions before jumping with a loud bang onto the floor.
Sara Beth stood in the doorway, watching. Her gaze added an insane zing to Rosie’s attitude.
Rosie pointed her finger to the bedroom. “Go pack whatever you want to take. We’re leaving and not coming back.” Fury spurred her, carried her away from the party and the craziness that Phillip had showered down around her.
Her anger helped her fight the tears that threatened to fall. She’d never felt so alone as she did with everyone glaring at her and judging her. Even with Sara Beth inches from her, she’d been alone on that lawn. Labeled a whore. The worst word in the English language. She glanced at her sister, who still hadn’t moved. “Go. We need to leave.”
Eyes wet, Sara Beth scurried past Rosie into their room as if whatever insanity Rosie had caught was contagious.
Heck, maybe it was! How had Rosie’s five years in Colby been dashed to nothing in the span of a couple days? What kind of reward was the Federal government offering? How much was Phillip paying Madam?
Rosie needed to ask Ronan for as much information as he had. She had no doubt that he had more than he’d shared with her. The man’s many resources outnumbered any she’d ever read about. If anyone knew what was going on, Rosie would be willing to bet her bag it was him.
Joining Sara Beth, Rosie yanked a large duffel bag from the top of the closet. She tossed it to her sister who lay on her bed. “Here, I have one too. You should be able to fit everything in there, including your bedding. Your pillow can go in your lap in the car. Let’s say, thirty minutes to pack it all? I’ll race you.” She winked at Sara Beth, offering the game they placed when a chore needed to be finished that neither wanted to do.
Sara Beth moved jerkily to her feet, compliant with Rosie’s demands but not responding to the game.
Rosie tamped down the regret and sentiment swelling inside her as she grabbed the shirts from hangers and rolled them to fit in the bag. She had so little to her name, that filling the bag wouldn’t be a problem.
The apartment wasn’t much, but for just under five years, it’d been their only home. Whether leaving by choice or by force, they were still leaving.
And it stung.
Movements robotic, Rosie worked to hold back her tears. She dumped her underwear and socks into one of the cavernous side pockets.
“Hello?” A man’s voice called out followed by a loud knock on the front door, making them whip upright.
Rosie met Sara Beth’s eyes. She mouthed. “Crap. We left the door open? Who is it?”
Sara Beth nodded, leaning backward to see through the crack of the bedroom door. Without moving or making a sound either, she mouthed back to Rosie. “I can’t tell. Some guy.”
Fear arched up Rosie’s back. Phillip. He’d come to finish what he’d started. She reached out and motioned for Sara Beth to make her way to the closet. Her stomach twisted and she fought down the nausea creeping up her throat.
Walking as quietly as possible, they crossed the carpeted floor. Rosie reached for the cheap lamp her neighbor had tried throwing away. Unplugging the cord, she wrapped it around her wrist and pressed her finger to her lips. She eyed Sara Beth in warning.
Lifting the lamp high above her head, she tip-toed from the closet to the doorway. Trying to catch a glimpse of the man, she rocked back and forth with barely perceptible distance. He’d moved out of view of the crack.
Rosie stepped into the doorway, ready to slam the lamp over his head.
She moved forward another few inches, and more. Going slow until she saw him. If she didn’t move too fast, she might be able to hold onto the element of surprise – what little of it she had.
Glancing behind her at Sara Beth, Rosie then faced forward again, coming face to face with Michael.
She screamed. Loud and long. Dropping the vase, she jumped to the side as it crashed at her feet, the cord uncurling from her wrist. “Oh my word. Holy cow.” She breathed in, gasping for relief. It was only Michael. He wouldn’t try to kill them. Her heart pounded hard for so many reasons.
“Rosie, you’re here. Are you okay? I wasn’t trying to scare you.” He stepped close to her side and bent at the waist with her, trying to see her face.
Adrenaline pounded through her veins. Gathering her composure, she stood and wiped at her cheeks and hair. “I’m fine. Everything is under control.” She looked at the wide-open door and back at him. “What are you doing here?”
What she wanted to say was that they were supposed to meet at the barn raising. But she didn’t. As much as she cared about him, might even love him... okay, yeah, she loved him, but that didn’t matter. She and Sara Beth had to leave. Colby wasn’t in their future which meant Michael Rourke wouldn’t be able to make her nerves sing anymore.
Getting rid of him faster would help her and Sara Beth as they tried to escape the cold town. Getting rid of him faster would help Rosie’s heart heal sooner, too. Maybe.
Turning, Michael walked the few steps and closed the door, tapping the red notice before the panel shut. He returned to Rosie and guided her by the shoulders to her couch. “What’s going on? I get here and the door’s open with an eviction notice plastered to it. You tried to assassinate me with a lamp. And now you’re about to pass out.” He sat beside her, rubbing her back and holding her hand.
How had her fingers gotten into his warm grasp? She wouldn’t lie. At least not to herself. The electric zings from his touch made her want to run screaming down to Mrs. Norton to beg her to let them stay.
Hypnotically dark and sincere, Michael’s eyes trained on her, like a laser beam. She couldn’t get out. With his thumb brushing her palm and his gaze intent on her, Rosie struggled to gather her thoughts. She blinked a couple times and then pulled her hand from his. “Where were you, Michael? I waited... but...” She wiped tears distorting her vision from her eyes. Shaking her head and thrusting her shoulders into almost perfect posture, Rosie pasted a pseudo-smile on her lips. “It doesn’t matter now. What can I do for you?”
Inside, her heart wanted to jump out of her chest and run to his. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to see where they would go in their relationship. He reminded her of the gentlemen in a Jane Austen novel, courting and sweet, rather than vulgar and rude.
How could he not know how she felt? Couldn’t he feel it? The sting of unrequited love. She bit her tongue to hold back the begging. They hadn’t been together long and she didn’t have the nerve to push him for more. No matter how much she wanted to.
“You don’t have a place to stay now?” He glanced toward the bedroom where Sara Beth had stayed. Maybe she waited with an equally inept weapon in her hands.
“Nope. We’re just packing right now. No job. No apartment. No problem. We can go anywhere, you know? Not a big deal. Washington, Idaho. Somewhere. I don’t know.” She shrugged. If only he would get his hand off her back, she’d be able to collect her thoughts. But each time his hand rubbed over her bra strap her breathing hitched which didn’t help with her talking. She sounded like she had the hiccups or something.
Michael lurched backwards. His jaw dropped and he stared at her for a long drawn out minute. Fina
lly, he shook his head a small amount. “Go? Out of state? No. Where are you really going? You can’t leave Colby. Right?” He took off his hat as he waited for her answer.
Rosie pushed up from the couch to get away from his distracting hand and the close proximity his heat made her desperately aware of. Frustration brought more sting to her tone. “Sure. Why not? Nobody even likes us here. Why should we live amongst people who don’t want us? I’m sure we can find a town that would welcome us.” She pointed her finger at the floor. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve worked my butt off for Sara Beth and me. I lost my job. My job! I have no money. No. We didn’t deserve any of this. We’re leaving.”
He shoved himself to stand beside her and grabbed her upper arms, but with yearning not force. His hat had left a ring indent around the crown on his hair. In a different world, or alternate universe, she might have reached up and twisted a curl around her finger. But right there in that moment, there’s no way it wouldn’t have been misconstrued by both of them. Not when she was trying so hard to leave.
But he didn’t hesitate to sweep a strand of hair from her cheek, leaving his callous-rough palm to cup the back of her neck. The distance between them closed until mere inches separated them. The heat of his breath warmed her chin as he spoke so softly yet earnestly. “Don’t go. I can’t let you go.”
Rosie lifted her gaze and searched his face. “Why?” His reason had to be good, almost life threatening, but better.
“Honestly? I want the reason to be because Ronan asked me to help protect you from whoever is looking for you girls. Keep you here where we can watch over you. But that reason doesn’t leave a raw hole, here.” He pulled from her and thumped his chest.
He paced in front of her, still at arm’s length. “Ronan isn’t the reason I haven’t been able to think of any other girl since the first time I saw you.”
She couldn’t breathe. His words rushed over her, like warm water, almost dropping her to her knees.
He stopped his back and forth movements and studied her, as if he’d never had sight before. “The first time... you had this over-sized jacket on and you held Sara Beth’s hand at the store. Perfect. You’ve always been perfect.” He glanced at the floor, then back at her. “Do you know how long I’ve felt like this? So long, I can’t even breathe. It hurts to talk about it.”
Something snapped inside Rosie, like melting ice over a thawing stream. Disbelief shadowed the effect of his words. She had to know. Had to hear more. “Felt like what?”
Michael’s jaw flexed and he rammed his hand through his hair. “Are you pushing me, Rosie? Because, I’m sitting here trying to express how much I love you and it feels like you’re teasing me.”
Rosie covered her mouth with both hands.
He said he loved her.
The ring to it was a little off, probably because he’d almost yelled it, but he’d said it. She lowered her hands, awestruck by the power of such simple words. “You don’t love me. I’m not respectable or anything. I’m not good for you or your family.” Despair at the truth of her words crushed her. He’d realize the facts and turn and leave. Like he should.
Brushing at the air, Michael grew more insistent. “No. You’re better than my family. In this instance, I’d be marrying up.”
Rosie froze. His words seemed to push pause on the entire world. No car sounds or birds from outside. No breathing in the apartment. Nothing moved or made a sound.
She licked her lips, staring at him. “What?”
Eyes wide, Michael took her hand in his. “I... well... It’s early, I know. We haven’t had a lot of dates or anything. We don’t know all the details about each other yet, but that’s okay.” He looked at their fingers and then back at her. “Rosie, I... I know who you are, the stuff that matters. Discovering the rest of the details the rest of our lives would be the greatest adventure. I spoke rashly, I know, but I think if we spend enough time together, we’ll find ourselves married before we know it. Get to know me.”
Her mouth worked, but nothing came out. A thump-thump rushed in her ears in sync with her pulse. She didn’t really want to stay in the area with everyone in town hating her. “Nobody likes us here.” She reached up and ran her thumb down his scratchy cheek. He felt the same about her that she did, but she couldn’t hide in a house forever because she wasn’t welcome anywhere else.
“No, you didn’t see the people standing up for you after you left. So many of them.” He raised his right hand, fingers flat with the palm down. “No one got in my way.”
Furious red scratches and rubs marred the ruddy skin of his knuckles. She gripped his hand in hers, heedful of how much he’d hit to get wounds like that. “Wow, Michael, I... I don’t know what to say.”
As if sensing her doubt that he wanted her to stay, he rushed on, turning his hand over and gripping hers. “I’m serious. You don’t understand. I haven’t had a chance to see you or even call.” He shook his head, his voice tight. “My grandfather died. That’s where I’ve been, taking over a lot of his things and dealing with other details. I’m...”
He swallowed and looked at their hands and then over her head before focusing on her face. “I love it there. Rourke Ranch. It’s where I grew up, where I’d like to raise children and later die. But none of it is worth anything unless I have a partner – someone who could love it like the home it is.” He smiled, just enough to soften his words even more.
Rosie waited in disbelief. He continued ignoring her pleas that she wasn’t good enough, refused to hear them. In seconds, he restored her value by seeing so much more than she’d ever seen.
He met her gaze, his eyes hot with eagerness. “You could do that. We could make it our home. I don’t care about your past. Honestly, after tonight, I don’t think Phillip Nelson will either. He’s not going to be bugging you anymore after this.” He pulled her into his arms. “The marriage thing was a little early, I get that. But I know we have something... special. I can feel it.”
Stiff and unyielding, Rosie couldn’t grasp the meaning behind his words. She lifted her hand to her face, amazed at her dry skin. After his poeticism she was surprised she hadn’t cried enough to drown them all.
But she couldn’t let herself drop the emotional walls completely because she wanted to make sure he understood... she couldn’t even believe him completely until he knew about her. “You don’t understand, I’m a Caracus —”
“I already know. I’ve known for about a week now.” He tucked her face to his chest and rested his chin on the side of her cheek.
“What?” Incredulous, Rosie pulled back and searched his face. “You knew? And you didn’t say anything?” He’d known and he’d still pursued her? Still spent time with her?
“When I first heard it, I didn’t know what to think. Until I realized that your past doesn’t matter to me. Who your dad is doesn’t define what’s important. Just you are.” He kissed the top of her forehead, the heat of his lips searing in the cool apartment.
Could it be possible? He’d known about her past, who she is and was, and he hadn’t pushed her away? Or treated her the way Phillip had? Hope sizzled the edges of the doubt and despair wallowing in her chest. She muttered. “Sounds too good to be true.”
“Nah, it can always be better. Come live with me. You can have your own room – Sara Beth, too – and we can get to know each other better. Date. Please, you don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t want to lose the chance to see where this is going.” He kissed the shell of her ear, his breath hot and moist on the sensitive skin.
“What if it doesn’t work out?” She closed her eyes as his lips tickled her lobe and then her neck. She couldn’t keep her lips from parting or the small sigh from escaping.
His hands moved to her waist. “Why wouldn’t we work out?”
Rosie couldn’t think of a logical reply. Not when he nuzzled the curve of her neck. And why was she fighting the chance to live with him? Spend more time with him?
He’d already told
her his intentions which she’d never imagined would be possible for herself. Marriage. He’d pretty much proposed. And honestly? She didn’t have a compelling reason not to – and every reason to go along with his plan – with the top one on that list being she probably loved him more.
He pulled from her skin, watching her.
She nibbled the inside of her bottom lip, as he waited for an answer. Unable to hold back the smile any longer, she grinned. “Okay.” Giddiness matched the desire he’d stirred in her stomach. She could kiss him anytime, if she moved out to his place.
“Okay?” His questioning look would never lose its appeal. “To what part?”
“How about all of it?” She pressed her lips together and lifted her eyebrows.
Michael’s slow side smile reached his dark eyes. He pulled her arm until she was pressed against his chest. “I like that answer.”
“And I think I might love you, too.” She tilted her head back to see him fully.
He didn’t hesitate when he moved his head to push his lips against hers. And they melded. Dancing. Pushing and pulling as he drew her bottom lip between his teeth. He ran his warm hands up her arms and shoulders, raking his fingers through her hair and clasping the back of her head.
Softly angling her head, he delved the depths of her mouth with his tongue, licking and stroking as she gave as good as she got. She gripped his arms and hung on as her legs weakened.
Holy cow, the man made her head spin.
He pulled back, kissing her lightly on the lips once, twice, three times before meeting her eyes with a half-lidded gaze. “Do you want to tell Sara Beth, or should I?”
Lips swollen from the thorough kissing, warmth flowing to her fingertips and toes, Rosie whispered. “You can.”
Holding her gaze, he called out just loud enough to fill the apartment. “Sara Beth, grab your stuff. It’s time the Scott girls livened up Rourke Ranch.” He pulled Rosie in for one more lingering kiss, leaving her with an elevated heart rate and shallow breathing.
Romancing Redemption Page 14