The Pink Rose of the Prairie

by Ginger Ring

  Not able to sit still any longer, Rose got up to see what was going on. A crowd had formed in front of the door and she had to stand on her tiptoes to see. One of Alice’s friends dabbed her eyes, headed down the hallway, and slammed a door behind her. She had to fight back the urge to follow and lend her sympathy but Rose was a stranger in town. These people didn’t know her but human kindness didn’t care. Rose took a step to follow when the discussion in the room dragged her attention away and back to the crime.

  A spot by the door was vacant now and she stepped up to the doorway. As if the smell wasn’t bad enough, the sight of the poor woman almost knocked her to her knees. Blood soaked the front of the woman’s nightgown. Rose quickly glanced away from the body but the image would probably never go away. What had caused someone to end the life of someone so young? The woman’s room was sparse but clean. Only a few personal belongings could be seen. A simple dresser with drawers and few hooks on the wall held her dresses.

  At the sound of Seth’s voice, her attention focused again on him. “Her neck was slit just like the other girls. Was there a knife found anywhere? The guy that did this would’ve gotten blood on himself as well. Did anyone see anything at all? A new stranger in town perhaps?”

  A few shook their heads or said no. She was a stranger but no one seemed to consider her a suspect.

  “That’s enough.” The guy in the red shirt yelled and everyone stared his way. “No one wanted you for sheriff, Peterson, they voted for me. So get the hell out of here before I arrest you for disturbing the peace.”

  What was he talking about? Seth’s eyes met hers and his face turned bright red.

  9

  He’d always hated Hank Anderson but never more than now. The townspeople hadn’t had a chance to vote for Seth for sheriff. When the last lawman died from a fall off his horse, Anderson came in and forced a few of the town’s elders to hire him on the spot. The man had fought in the Civil War and was handy with a gun. So was Jesse James and he didn’t see any town hiring Jesse and his brother Frank to take up the badge any time soon.

  As much as he wanted to argue with the man, it would do no good. Like it or not, Hank was the law and if he didn’t do what he said, Seth would be behind bars and then who would look after Rose?

  “You know where to find me if you need any help.” Seth nodded to the few that would meet his eyes and he left the room.

  Rose looked wide-eyed and confused. “What’s going on?”

  He grabbed her hand in his and led Rose down the stairs and out the front door of the house.

  “You said you were the sheriff.” She waved her finger in his face.

  “No, I didn’t. You thought I was the sheriff and I never corrected you because I thought you would feel safer with me. With the way you were talking about time travel, I didn’t want someone to take advantage of you.”

  “I did feel safer but now I just found out that I can’t trust you either.” The hurt was evident on her face. After she’d shared the fact that a former beau had broken her heart in just the same way as this had to hurt even worse. Dammit he felt like a fool.

  “That was never my intention.”

  She threw her hands in the air, spun around, and took off walking.

  “Where are you going?” He followed and matched her step for step.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You really need to rest and get your wits about you.”

  “My wits?” Rose stopped and stamped her feet. “That’s it isn’t it? You still think I’m ‘dim witted’ like you said. You thought I would believe anything you told me.”

  “No. Yes. I mean.” He stammered as she took off again. “How do I know this wasn’t all an act? I find you out in the middle of nowhere. Talking crazy. I couldn’t do anything to help these other girls but I thought if I could save one, I would. I just didn’t think I would fall for you.”

  “What are you talking about?” She’d slowed but stepped off the wood walkway and into the street as if unsure of where to go. His heart ached. Rose had nowhere to go.

  “I do care for you but we need to find out where you came from. What if you have a husband at home? Children? What if we’d have crossed lines that you couldn’t return from?”

  “What lines? Do you really think I care that your mother was Indian?”

  “It matters to a lot of people.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter to me. Lying does.” They stood in the middle of street. A horse trotted by pulling a wagon that covered their shoes in dust.

  “I’ll take you to the Brink’s. You can stay with them until we figure this out.” He took her elbow but she shook it loose.

  “I know the way and there is nothing to figure out. You think I’m lying and you are a liar.” The statement hurt as much as if she’d struck him. Rose stormed off and left him standing in the middle of the street.

  After watching her reach the general store in one piece, he hurried back to his horse. There was nothing to do. Her rejection hurt worse than anything ever had. She hadn’t rejected him because of his heritage but because of his character. Seth was only doing what he thought was best for her. Climbing into the saddle, he kicked Kadoka into a gallop. Rose was where she belonged. Not with him. She deserved better.

  He’d gone several miles before he pulled back on the reins. No sense running his horse into the ground to try and outrun his pain. In just the short time since he’d known Rose, she’d come to mean so much. It hurt to think of her all alone. It hurt worse to think he might never see her again.

  “Was this love?” he spoke out loud and Kadoka snorted. Obviously even his horse thought he was just as loco as he first thought Rose was. Was she really from the future? The great spirits were powerful. Perhaps she’d been sent from the future but for what reason?

  His cabin came into view and his mood lightened. If only she were here with him the place would be complete. Kadoka whinnied and some wild horses in the distance answered. His stallion pranced on three feet. Even animals did crazy things for love. There, he’d said it again. Never had he felt so alone.

  Seth took care of rubbing down Kadoka. The more he thought about Rose being on her own as well as what had happened to Alice and the other girls, the jumpier he got. He was not going to give in to the urge to return to town. It was time to think about what to do next. He needed a plan. In the past, he’d let others dictate what direction he would go but no longer. Next time he chose a path, it would be the right one and the one that he wanted to take.

  There should have been a vote for sheriff but would the townsfolk have picked him? He brushed his stallion with vigor. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the stud when he got done. With a pat on the hindquarters he sent his horse out to pasture. The horse deserved it after all the trips back and forth to town. It took all he had not to saddle him back up and stand outside the Brink’s place to watch over Rose and keep her safe. She didn’t want him there and that hurt more than anything.

  He was still hot. This part of the territory was like a desert of sorts in the summer. It was hotter than hell during the day and cold at night. The winters were nothing to brag about either but it was the only home he’d ever known. What was it like where Rose was from? It was hard to imagine wagons that had wings and flew like birds across the sky with people inside. He shook his head. Even to go so far as to visit the moon in the sky. It was just too much to comprehend.

  Seth wandered down to the creek. He needed a bath. Stripping off his clothes he dove into the still warm water to take a swim. The water soothed his mind but not his body. It was too easy to imagine Rose here with him swimming in her night shift. When his feet touched the sandy bottom he stood. No, knowing what he did of Rose so far, she would be bathing naked just like him. Even the freshness of the river couldn’t keep that image of her from causing parts of his body to rise to the occasion.

  The woman was fearless. She had spirit, even if she didn’t realize it herself, and the west needed women like that. Many women
that he’d come across that were traveling west were like flowers. They were beautiful to look at but withered with the first storm. Rose was like a wild rose. Rare, yet strong. Protected by thorns to keep away those that might want to uproot them from where they belonged.

  He combed his hair with his fingers. Rose may not be from here but she was where she belonged. That he knew in his heart. Tomorrow he would go to her and tell her. She was going to listen to him as he told her so and, the spirits willing, she’d be home with him and if she’d have him, in his bed tomorrow night.

  Stepping on the shore, the water trickled off his skin in the fresh night air. His hair was wet and heavy on this back. The sky burst with flashes of light. A storm was coming as it often did in the summertime. Thunder would rumble for hours. As often happened, rain would come through before morning. The livestock had been blessed with green fields to eat this year.

  A coyote called out to his mate. Seth dried off with his shirt before pulling on his pants and boots. It would be a long night but they both needed time apart to think. Already he felt better about the situation. Tomorrow he would tell Rose how he felt and even though he found it hard to believe she was from the future, he really didn’t care. He just wanted to be with her.

  Rose settled into the small iron bed but tossed the quilt to the side. It was stuffy in the attic of the Brink’s general store but at least she had a place to stay. Even her bones hurt from the exhaustion the last few days had caused or maybe it was just time travel lag. She smirked. She was so tired that giddiness had set in. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be giddy about.

  What an unbelievable day of ups and downs. First a murder, then finding out that Seth wasn’t sheriff, and now having to stay with people she barely knew. The Brinks were nice but you could tell they weren’t real excited about having her there. She was sure to keep her mouth shut about being from the future. They held the sheriff –she rolled her eyes, correction, they held Seth in high regard. When the name Anderson came up they held their tongues.

  The real sheriff of Harvest had stopped by to talk to her a few hours after she’d arrived. The guy was a bit rough around the edges but said he would try and locate her mustang. She was careful not to elaborate the details. As far as he was concerned her ‘horse power’ had four legs and a tail. That’s all she needed was to be committed to some sanitarium because she claimed to be from the future just as Seth had warned. He did ask some questions about the other towns she remembered stopping at and she just named the last one she’d gotten gas in. Of course she omitted the part about gassing up her ‘horse’.

  Anderson also asked if she was married or had any male members of her family that might be looking for her. Several times she had to stop herself from calling the man a male chauvinist pig and remind herself that a single woman should not be traveling alone. They weren’t even allowed on wagon trains traveling west unless married.

  She tossed and turned but couldn’t get to sleep. The ends of the feathers in her pillow kept poking her in the face which added to her frustration. What she wouldn’t give for a hot bath to relax her muscles and a wine cooler. Being on horseback wasn’t something that she did everyday either. Rumbles of thunder had echoed for hours but so far no rain.

  As much as Rose didn’t want to admit it, she missed Seth. They’d not been apart since she arrived here. So he stretched the truth a little, well a lot, he did protect her. A coyote howled somewhere in the distance. What if the monster that had killed those girls had found her instead of Seth finding her? She slid under the blanket and shivered. Her body would be food for the buzzards now and she’d never find her way home. She may never get back to the future but as least with Seth it hadn’t seemed to bother her as much.

  His kiss was like no others. Never had she enjoyed long hair on a man but on him it fit. It was gorgeous just like him. The man was swoon-worthy in every sense of the word. He could handle a gun, keep her safe, and even though he wasn’t quite sure what to think of her story, the man never talked down to her. Seth wanted to know more about the future. Even his horse seemed to like her. Was that the equivalent to one’s cat or dog taking a shine to you in modern dating? What a mess.

  The bed creaked as she turned over on her side. Her whole history of dating had been a disaster. Blind dates hadn’t worked. The internet was too scary and the last guy shattered her faith in men. It was too bad. That thought crossed her mind as she finally drifted off to sleep. Seth Peterson was a man she’d like to know better.

  10

  Morning came way too early. After a quick sponge bath, Rose dressed in her underwear that she’d washed out and left to hang dry overnight. Running water was definitely what she missed the most so far. She’d always enjoyed wearing dresses but long sleeves in the summertime was something she never did before. It was just too hot. Using some of the pins that Mrs. Brink loaned her, she piled her hair on top of her head. That helped a little.

  Last night’s storm had left the air hot and humid. The wind would pick up before long. It always did. That was the one thing that had remained consistent since she’d arrived in the 1870’s. In exchange for staying at the Brink’s she’d agreed to help in the store. That was the way things worked here she found out. Funny how Seth had never asked for a thing, yet he fed, clothed, and gave her a place to stay without asking for anything in return.

  He weighed heavily on her mind. She briefly considered asking to borrow a horse to go talk to him but she’d probably get lost. After a simple breakfast of bread, jam, and coffee, she began familiarizing herself with the store. If there was some way of transmitting this stuff to her home in the future, she’d make a fortune selling it to antique dealers. As it was, she dusted the shelves, organized can goods, and swept off the wood sidewalk in front of the store. It was a losing battle with the dust stirred up from horses and buggies. Even last night’s rain was quick to dry in the early morning breezes. By mid-morning she was exhausted.

  “Morning Miss McAllister.” She jumped. It was the sheriff and she placed her hand across her racing heart. Damn, Seth for being in her thoughts 24/7.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Sheriff Anderson dismounted his horse and stepped up the two stairs to stand on the walkway, his boots dirtying the place she’d just cleaned. Her eyebrows lowered.

  Setting the broom aside, she brushed the back of her palm across her forehead. “That’s all right. I was just sweeping.”

  “Helping out the Brink’s huh?” He removed his hat. The sun shone on his badge. Despite him being the law, she really didn’t feel like making small talk with the man right now.

  “Yes, they’ve been kind enough to let me stay until I can find my way back to the...I mean back to where I came from.”

  “That fall from your horse must have really caused some harm.” He nodded a greeting to a few cowboys riding by.

  “Yes. I’ve been out of sorts ever since.” She crossed her arms across her chest.

  “I still can’t figure out why you were out riding by yourself. Your friends and family allowed that?” He frowned and shook his head.

  “They didn’t know. I just went out for a morning ride by myself and must have gotten lost.” The lie was all she could come up with.

  “Still, I can’t believe no one came looking for you.”

  Rose just shrugged her shoulders. It took all her strength to stay listening. The strong coffee had made her jumpy and she wanted to see Seth.

  “I do have good news for you.”

  That got her attention. “What?”

  “Your family showed up at the next town. A wire just came over to the office. They’ve been searching everywhere.”

  The caffeine jitters were replaced with hope. Could it really be true? “My family?”

  “Yes, they’re real worried. Said they’d been looking everywhere for you.”

  As much as she wanted to believe it was true, it just didn’t seem possible. Her family had their issues just like everyone else but there was
no doubt that they loved her. “For real. Robert and Charlene McAllister are here?”

  “That’s your parent’s right?” He grinned.

  “Yes, I just can’t believe they’re here.” It didn’t seem possible.

  “Did you think they would go somewhere without you?”

  She tried to keep the stories straight. Rose had told the sheriff she was with her parents who were traveling in the area. Had her parents, in fact come looking for her and were just over the hill in another town. Was that her gateway back home? Before she could get her wits, the Brinks walked out the front door of the store and the sheriff retold the story.

  “That’s wonderful Rose. You best go pack your things and the sheriff can take you right there.” The woman beamed with excitement.

  “Yes, ma’am. I got an extra horse for you right here.” The sheriff gestured to the pair. Funny, she hadn’t noticed until now that there was another horse tied to his saddle horn.

  “Um, I, ah.” For so long she’d wanted to return yet it didn’t seem like the time to go. The way things were left with Seth just didn’t seem right.

  “I can’t wait all day miss.” The sheriff put his hat back on his head. “I got a lead on those rustlers that I have to go check out.”

  “I’m not sure.” This was too sudden. She took a glance around town hoping to spot Seth. He wasn’t anywhere in sight.

  “I got to go to the jail house. If you’re not ready when I get back, I’m leaving without you.”

  Her lower lip quivered and she nodded her head. That said the sheriff stepped down, got on his horse, and rode off.

  Before Rose knew it Mrs. Brink ushered her back in the store and sent her upstairs to get her things. What little there was had been packed in a pillowcase Seth had given her to put her clothes in. It must have been his. She pressed it to her nose and it smelled like him. Her eyes misted. There was so much left unsaid. He may have lied to her but she’d never thanked the man for all he’d done for her.