The coffee was brought, and they both helped themselves to a helping of tasty sponge cake.
Determined to get her to break her silence he spoke: "About last night, Rosalind, up at the ranch" he said. "Where did you learn how to deal with wounds?"
She took a sip of coffee and set her cup down on the saucer. "My mother taught me," she said. "She did some nursing work before she married my father. She passed on some of that knowledge to me. Working on the farm, there were always injuries of one sort or another. Cuts. Bruises. Sometimes worse than that."
Gideon nodded, understanding now. Rosalind's mother seemed to have been the main influence on her life. Gideon wouldn't have expected anything less.
"She seems to have been an amazing woman," he said.
Rosalind's gaze softened. "She was. I've never known anyone like her. She had so much love for other people. She would do anything to help others. And she made so many sacrifices for me and my father."
"You must have loved her very much," he said.
"I did," she said quietly. "I still can't believe she's gone."
Gideon gazed across at Rosalind and saw the pain in her eyes. The sadness. The vulnerability. It was such a contrast to the woman who had faced Calhoun down only a short time before.
"I'm sure there's a reason why she was taken," Gideon said.
Rosalind lifted a brow. "You think so?" she asked.
"I'm sure of it," he replied. "We don't always understand why things happen the way they do. But, I believe there is a reason, even if we can't quite see it at the time. Sometimes we just have to trust in the will of God."
For a few moments, Rosalind seemed to think about what he'd said. "So, you're saying my mother's passing was God's will. It was what He wanted?"
He shook his head. "I can't say, Rosalind. All I know is that, every day, I say to Him that I know His will must be done here on earth. And that means I have to accept that I won't always understand what happens. I just have to accept and trust in His will."
Rosalind nodded slowly and was quiet for a few moments. She seemed to have been affected by his words. He wondered if he'd gone too far. Maybe it was time to change the subject.
He smiled at her. "What other secret parts of your past are you hiding from me?" he asked casually. The second he spoke, he realized he should have been more careful with his choice of words. He'd meant it to sound funny, but it hadn't come out like that.
She frowned. "What do you mean?" she said, a hint of irritation suddenly present in her voice.
Trying to backtrack, he stumbled over his next words. "I don't know," he said awkwardly. "It's just that you've only given me the barest hint of your family upbringing. And almost nothing about the last year or so."
"Why do you need to know that?" she said testily. Her gaze was steady, almost accusatory.
He frowned and tried to think what he could say. "I've shared with you as much of my recent past as I could," he said. "I've shown you almost all of my life at the ranch, and here in town. The only thing I haven't shared with you yet is a Sunday at church."
"You want me to go to church with you tomorrow?" she asked. She sounded unsure.
"Would you?"
Rosalind thought for a long moment and then she nodded. "I guess so."
Hope rose in his heart. "That's great," he exclaimed. "My whole family attends every Sunday, here in Inspiration."
He saw her brows furrow. She was still thinking about what he'd asked her. His intrusion into her past was still troubling her. He could see that.
"Is that a promise?" he asked.
She lifted a brow. "Promise?"
"That you'll come to church. Then maybe you can join us for lunch at the ranch," he suggested.
He saw her eyes narrow. She smiled and shook her head. "You don't give up, do you?" she said.
He grinned. "No. I don't." Their eyes met. She seemed to measure him for a moment, as if she was thinking about what he'd said to her. Did she understand what he was trying to do? That he was determined to draw her closer into his world? That he had made a decision, one he wasn't going to go back on? And part of that was pursuing the truth about her. He needed answers.
Gideon leaned forward. "So, you were about to tell me what your life has been like this past year."
Her expression changed instantly. The gains he'd made in winning her over vanished in a moment.
Rosalind sat back against the chair. Her chin lifted, she peered across at him, drew in a deep breath, and folded her arms. "Has this to do with what Calhoun said back at the office?" she asked.
"Maybe," he replied.
"So you're on his side," she snapped.
He stiffened and gazed across at her. "What do you mean?"
"You want to check up on me," she said sharply. "Make sure I have no skeletons in my closet."
Emotion flared within him. That wasn't what he'd meant. Not at all. "Rosalind," he said. Instinctively, he reached his hand across the table. "You misunderstand me. I'm certainly not on Calhoun's side on anything. You should know that."
Her gaze intensified. "But you're happy to ask the exact same questions. Digging into my past."
"I'm not digging into anything," Gideon said. He glanced at the other six guests in the restaurant and saw that their gaze was turned in the direction of himself and Rosalind. The last thing he wanted was to do anything which would encourage gossip. Inspiration was a small town and news traveled fast.
Gideon lowered his voice to a quiet murmur. He peered across at Rosalind. Her lips were set into a tight pout which, he had to admit, was, as always, curiously appealing. But, there was no denying the fire in her eyes.
"If we are to marry, Rosalind, then surely you agree that we should be truthful with each other," he said. "How can we be anything but truthful with one another if we are to become man and wife?"
Her mouth opened and she looked genuinely shocked for a moment. He'd mentioned the possibility of marriage.
Again.
He done it bluntly and clumsily, and she'd been completely taken aback. Her gaze dropped to the table and he heard her sigh heavily.
When she looked up at him again, he saw a sudden softness in her gaze. The fire had faded, to be replaced by a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
She leaned her hands on the table and looked at him. "How can you say such a thing?" she asked. "When you know that there is still an unbridgeable gap between us."
Gideon moved his hand and laid it gently on her arm. "Until today, I thought that barrier was insurmountable, Rosalind," he murmured. He leaned his head closer. "But a lot has changed. Not least my own affections."
Rosalind gasped. "Affections?"
Gideon nodded. "Haven't you noticed?"
She shook her head. "No, Gideon," she said quietly. "I have not."
He saw her glance down at his hand. He realized she had done nothing to move his hand away.
"And you?" Gideon asked.
"What about me?" she asked.
"Do you still think about me in the same way you did when we first met?" he asked.
Rosalind sighed. This time she did move her arm. His hand slid gently from the soft fabric of the sleeves of her gown. She leaned back against the chair. The former distance between them both had returned in an instant.
"What do you want me to tell you, Gideon?" she asked.
"As much as you want," he replied.
"Everything?"
Gideon shook his head. "Not everything. There'll be time for us to get to know each other. But, is there anything I should know?" He still wanted to ask her about Calhoun's mysterious remark.
Rosalind frowned. She glanced at the other people in the dining room. "I can't speak here," she said. "And I'm not ready. I need to be sure."
His heart tightened. "About what?"
"About everything, Gideon," she said sharply. "Surely you understand that."
"I'm trying to, Rosalind," he replied.
Rosalind sipped the remains of her cof
fee and put the empty cup back down. "I have to go."
Alarm rose within him. He'd gone too far and too fast. "Now?"
Rosalind nodded. "I have to get back to the house."
She stood quickly. He rose and went around the table, and followed her out of the restaurant. He paused at reception to pay for what they'd eaten. By the time he emerged from the hotel, Rosalind was striding down the boardwalk. It looked like she couldn't get away from him fast enough.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The following morning, Rosalind rose early and readied herself for church. She would accompany Sophie and Nathan who went every Sunday. Rosalind had given Gideon her word she would attend, and she was determined to keep her promise and go to church.
Rosalind hadn't been in a church since the time her mother had died. The long time away wasn't something of which she was proud. She knew her mother would have been disappointed in her for making such a choice. And that hurt her feelings just thinking about it. Maybe today, she could take a step closer to fixing that part of her life. After all, wasn't that why she'd come to Inspiration? To fix her life?
She had been awake for much of the night thinking about her conversation with Gideon at the restaurant. They'd had a disagreement, she'd told herself over and over during the night. It was quite simple, really. Gideon had tried to find out about her past, and she had resisted his efforts.
Many times throughout the night, Rosalind had asked herself why she'd done that. Surely, Gideon deserved the truth, she'd told herself. If so, why had she rejected his efforts at finding out about her recent life? It wasn't as if she had some awful secret to hide, she reflected.
Over and over, during the night, she'd recalled Calhoun's threat. His thinly-veiled threat. It was nothing less than a promise to expose her, she told herself. From his words, she could only conclude that Calhoun had been digging into her past. Perhaps he was even making inquiries in Helena.
She didn't doubt that someone like Calhoun could be resourceful. Especially since he didn't want Gideon marrying her. That was what it was really about, she reminded herself. He wanted to stop any wedding taking place between herself and Gideon.
During the night, she'd asked herself what she could do. She'd forced her mind to consider all the options, including leaving Inspiration for good. But, she knew she wouldn't do that. For one thing, it would mean handing Calhoun an easy victory.
And, there had been one thing her mother had always told Rosalind. One piece of advice which had Rosalind had lived by. Stand up to evil. Don't let it win. That was also why she had left the man who'd threatened to trap her in a miserable marriage. Evil had to be denied, she told herself.
That was why she had spoken to Calhoun like that yesterday, Rosalind told herself. It had been her mother's memory which had driven her to do that. Her mother's strength of character. And it had felt right. Seeing the indignation on Calhoun's face, the partial defeat, had made it all worth it.
She'd seen a change in Gideon yesterday. There had been something different in the way he'd spoken to her. It was almost as if the events at the ranch, and those at the sheriff's office, had altered his opinions of her.
Not just his opinions.
His feelings toward her.
That had certainly taken her by surprise. Hadn't Gideon previously made it clear that her lack of faith was an insurmountable barrier to any wedding? So, why had he spoken to her like that at the restaurant? Why the sudden warmth? The obvious compassion.
Of course, he'd been right when he'd spoken about accepting the will of God. And loving God, too. With her whole heart, mind and strength.
Deep down she knew what he'd said was true. It would have been what her mother would have wanted her to believe.
That, ultimately, good would come of the sadness.
Rosalind had thought about her mother's favorite verse from the Bible. It was from Paul's letter to the Romans. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
In the darkness, during the quietness of the night, Rosalind had asked herself if the reason her faith had weakened was because her love of God had faded. If that was so, then surely her mother would not approve of such a choice. That realization had made Rosalind's heart ache. It had made tears stain her pillow.
Before falling asleep, Rosalind had resolved to speak plainly and truthfully with Gideon. She would explain to him about her recent past, and accept whatever consequences came of her confession to him. She hoped he would understand, but trust was only beginning to grow between them.
She rode to church in the carriage with Sophie and Nathan. Arriving at the church after a short ride through town, they arrived to find a crowd outside the doors of the small, wooden church building. Every one of the church attendees was immaculately dressed. Rosalind was glad she'd chosen one of Sophie's more sober and elegant gowns, a subdued brown-colored outfit. A matching bonnet protected her from the sun which was becoming warmer by the minute.
Rosalind saw that the entire Buchanan family had already arrived. They were standing together at the foot of the church steps. From where she sat on the carriage, the conversation between family members sure looked animated. She felt an immediate trepidation, wondering what she was going to say to Gideon. But, she succeeded in hiding her worry from Sophie and Nathan.
Stepping down from the carriage, she saw Gideon make his way toward her. He was dressed in a fine, dark suit and wide-brimmed hat. She thought he looked incredibly handsome. In spite of all her troubled thoughts from the night before, she felt a stirring in her heart.
Rosalind realized she was glad to see Gideon this morning. That simple sentiment surprised her a little. She'd told herself she could resist the handsome rancher's charms. But, judging from how she felt right now, that was pretty far from the truth.
She felt a pleasing warmth in her middle as she gazed at Gideon's smiling face. She couldn't resist the impulse to smile back at him as he greeted her by removing his hat and bowing his head reverently.
He glanced up at the blue sky. "Mighty fine morning," he said in a bright voice. "Don't you think?"
She nodded. "It's a beautiful morning for church," she agreed.
"Every morning is a fine morning for church," he announced with absolute sincerity.
She glanced over his shoulder. "I see all your family over there."
"We like to get here early," he said. "You still want to come to the ranch for lunch?" Sophie and Nathan moved to Rosalind's side. Gideon glanced at both of them. "You both are invited too, of course," he added.
Sophie peered up at Nathan. "I think we could spare some time after church to go to the Buchanan ranch," she said. "What do you say, Nathan?"
Nathan grinned. "Sure. As long as there are some good steaks on offer."
"There sure are," Gideon reassured Nathan.
"In that case, we'll be there," Nathan stated.
Sophie prodded Nathan in his side. "Nathan Cameron. Do you always think about your stomach before making a decision?"
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