Her red curls were falling around her face, having come loose from the pins in her temper. Her light skin was flushed and her heart shaped lips were set in a stubborn line. Her blue eyes sparkled like the clearest of autumn skies.
“Don’t you dare do that,” Rose snapped breathlessly.
“Do what?” Marston whispered, his gaze dropping lower. His eyes drank in the smooth skin of her throat, danced across the mole on her collarbone and fell to the swell of her breasts beneath the yellow fabric of her dress. The indent of her waist and the swell of her hips made Marston’s hands itch to touch her.
He saw the trace of swelling in her stomach where his child was growing and Marston’s heart swelled with emotions. Pride, love and joy all mixed together and so intense he nearly cried out.
“Don’t look at me like that…” Rose replied, taking an involuntary step toward him.
“Like what?” Marston asked, stepping into the room.
“Like you loved me,” Rose breathed. “Like you missed me.”
Marston frowned as he tilted his head and looked into the deep blue eyes he had missed so much. The eyes that he had dreamt of so many nights in that cell. Eyes that he had tried hard to lose himself in as death had been coming to claim him as he’d swung from the rope.
“That’s like telling the sun not to burn your skin or the rain not to get you wet. No matter how bad they might want to do what you say and make you happy, they just can’t help themselves.”
“Oh Marston…”
Rose flung herself at him and he happily caught her in his arms. He wrapped himself tight around her soft body and breathed in the scent of her curls.
Tears poured from Rose’s eyes as she pressed her face tight against Marston’s chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating beneath her. He was dirty, he stunk and he had been a complete idiot outside but, God help her, she loved him with every bit of her heart.
“God, how I’ve missed you,” Marston whispered gruffly. Rose laughed with happiness as she pulled away and looked up into his eyes. His rough thumbs slid gently across her cheeks to dry them. “Are those the really happy tears or the other kind?”
“They’re the happy ones,” Rose promised.
Marston kissed her brow and Rose’s body trembled. Marston’s hands trailed up and down her back. “Am I allowed to stay then? You aren’t going to run me off for being a jackass?”
“Yes, you’re staying,” Rose replied, her tone stern. “And if you ever leave me again, I’ll shoot you myself. We stay together, Marston. Do you hear me? No matter what.”
Marston looked into her eyes and nodded, though he knew he’d gladly sacrifice himself again just to offer her a few more seconds of life. “No matter what.”
Rose pulled herself out of his arms and took him by the hand. “Come sit with me.” He was happy to let her lead him to the spacious bed and even happier to collapse down upon the mattress. The last few weeks on horseback after the month of hell before that had taken a toll on his body.
“Damn…” he muttered as he sank into the mattress. “This is a bed.”
Rose smiled. “Yes. It’s like a cloud.”
Marston flopped onto his back and put his hands behind his head. “I’ll bet you’ve enjoyed it.”
“I’ll enjoy it more now that you’re here to share it with me,” Rose replied, her eyes trailing the length of his body.
Their eyes locked. “I want to make love to you, Rose.” Blue and gold gazed deep into each other and the room grew warmer. There suddenly wasn’t enough air to breathe and Rose laid her palms on his chest.
Marston was going to raise up for a kiss but a yawn suddenly came bursting from him and he covered his mouth sheepishly. Rose simply laughed lightly and laid down beside him, curling her body up to his and resting her head on his chest. “You’re tired,” she observed.
Marston sighed. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
A comfortable silence filled the room as Marston held his woman and felt a peace he hadn’t known in months. He glanced around the room and saw the shattered crystal glasses beside the window.
A smile deepened the creases around his mouth. “What did those fancy glasses do to you?”
Rose flushed bright red and buried her face in his chest. “Nothing,” came her muffled response.
“Then why’d you do that to them?”
Rose glanced up. “Well you throw things when you get mad so I figured I’d give it a try.”
Marston nodded. “I punch people from time to time.”
“Yes, well, you have a big head and I have little hands.”
Marston worked hard to hold back his laughter. He rubbed at his chin. “I’ve been known to shoot folks now and then.”
Rose winked. “You should be glad I don’t carry a gun.”
Marston laughed. “God, I missed you.”
“How did you get away, Marston?” Rose asked after several more quiet moments.
Marston sighed. “Duke showed up with a stampede of cattle and sent them running down main street. Everyone was too busy running for their lives to notice him cutting me down.”
“Cut you down? You mean you had already been hanged?” Rose’s blue eyes were full of horror.
Marston stared at the ceiling as he shivered. “Yeah. But my neck didn’t break. Duke had altered the knot so it wouldn’t.”
“Thank God for Duke,” Rose whispered, her bottom lip trembling.
Marston shook his head. “You better not let him hear you say that. You’d probably make him sick.”
“Yeah, but that won’t stop me. It didn’t stop me from saying them to you did it?”
Marston smiled as he rolled onto his side and slid his arm around her. “I’m not God’s gift to anyone, Rose. You all are His gift to me. I’m not sure what the hell I did to deserve the gift but I damn sure ain’t gonna complain.”
Rose laid her hand on his cheek and when she slid her thumb along his lip, Marston kissed it quickly. He saw the hunger spark in her blue eyes. “Marston…” she gasped. He let out a growl before flipping her onto her back and covering her body with his. “I thought you were tired?” she reminded him.
Marston flashed a wicked grin. “I’m never that tired.”
Rose’s hands buried themselves in his hair and she pulled his face down to hers. Their lips met and Marston lost all control. Too long he had been without her. Too long he had dreamt of feeling her kiss, her touch, her soft body pressed against his own.
He devoured her hungrily, running his tongue along her bottom lip to urge her mouth open so he could taste her. His hand slipped down to her hip then came up her soft stomach and cupped her full breast. He groaned in protest when Rose pulled her mouth away from his kiss.
“Make love to me, Marston,” she pleaded, her breathing labored.
Marston was beyond the point of forming words as fire raged in his blood. He growled as he once again attacked her lips with a vengeance and Rose surrendered herself to his hunger.
***
“Marston.. what happened to your back?” Rose whispered as they lay spent together beneath the covers a long while later.
Marston sighed with contentment as he traced her bare arm with his fingertips. “The Marshall.”
Rose propped her chin on his chest and looked up at him. “Did they punish you for trying to escape?”
“I didn’t try to escape.”
“Why?” Rose asked, her brow furrowing. “I know you and lying down and dying just isn’t your way.”
Marston ran his thumb along the line of her jaw. “It is when they tell me that fighting back or getting away will result in my family being killed.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “But they’re lawmen! They can’t do that!”
Marston chuckled. “They’re lawmen and that’s exactly why they could.”
Rose was silent for a moment and then kissed his shoulder, causing him to tremble. She buried her fingers in the dusting of hair on his chest and sighed.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, I really hope you killed that Marshall.”
“I did.”
“What took you so long to come back to us?”
Marston’s lips danced across her hair. “I was in bad shape when Duke rescued me. It took a long time before I was fit to travel.”
“Did they break your hand too?” Rose asked, running her fingertip over the knot the bones had formed when they’d healed.
Marston cleared his throat. “No.. uh.. I broke my own hand.”
“Why would you do something like that?” Rose demanded, swatting his chest.
Marston chuckled and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips. “Because I was mad that every time I closed my eyes I saw this beautiful red hair.” He twirled a curl between his fingers. “And this soft white skin.” He kissed her bare shoulder. “And those deep blue eyes.”
“I missed you, Marston.”
“I missed you too, love,” Marston assured her. “More than you could ever know.” He splayed his fingers across her belly. “I didn’t miss him move for the first time did I?”
“No,” Rose promised. “I’ve felt her flutter a couple of times but nothing you would have been able to feel.”
Marston nodded. “Good. A pa should be around for those things.”
Before Rose could reply footsteps came racing down the hall and someone pounded on the closed door. “Pa!” Langley’s voice rang out. “Pa, I want to show you how good I’ve gotten at shooting! Are you about done talking to mama? You’ve been in there a long time. If she’s still mad just give her some time to cool off. She’s been having even more of those mood swings you complain about now that she’s with child.”
Marston laughed loudly as Rose glared at him. “Mood swings?”
Marston tried to quell his laughter but it was useless. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he offered.
Rose rolled her eyes but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought back a smile.
“Pa!?” Langley called again.
“I’m coming, kid,” Marston replied. “Just go on outside and I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Okay, pa!” His footsteps disappeared back down the hall.
“Your brother has taught him things you wouldn’t believe,” Rose muttered.
“Oh trust me, I’d believe them. Jeremiah taught me the same things.” He kissed her nose and then leapt away when a gunshot sounded outside.
“Damn you, Duke! You just about took my head clean off!” Jeremiah bellowed.
“Well get your scrawny ass out of my firing lane and I wouldn’t come so close to shooting you,” Duke shouted back.
“Well gee, Uncle Jeremiah, it seems like just about everybody wants to shoot you!” Langley noted.
Rose sighed. “Welcome home, Marston.”
Marston smiled and knew he could never be happier. “It’s damn good to be home.”
Epilogue
Five Months Later
“Ugh.. I forgot how much this hurts!” Rose exclaimed as the birthing pains wracked her body.
Marston was sitting behind her in the bed and she was sitting between his legs with her back against his chest. He had his hands on her large, firm belly and he could feel it tensing and tightening beneath his palms.
Hearing her cries of pain filled Marston with pain—as did the fingernails that she was currently digging into his thighs. He used his bandana to swipe some sweat from her brow before it ran into her eyes.
Marston kissed her damp hair. “If I could take your pain away, I would.”
“I know you would,” Rose gasped as the pain began to subside. “And if you ever get me with child again, I will shoot you in the foot.”
“Shooting me in the foot won’t stop me from getting you with child,” he reminded her.
Rose snorted. “No, but it will make me feel better!” The last words was louder than the rest as yet another pain hit her body. Her grip on his thighs tightened and Marston knew there would be bruises. He didn’t voice a word of complaint, though he knew there was a chance he was bleeding.
“You’re almost there,” the doctor spoke comfortably from beneath her nightdress. “The next time you feel a pain I want you to…”
“Yeah, yeah! You want me to push. This isn’t my first time!” Rose snapped impatiently.
Marston hid his smile in her hair but the smile quickly turned to a grimace when she let out a scream and her nails dug into him once again.
Ten minutes, multiple screams and several curses later, Marston was holding his brand new baby girl. Never had he felt a love so all-consuming as the one he felt staring down at her squishy, pink face.
“She’s beautiful,” he whispered.
Rose beamed with tired pride as she watched him.
Langley and Kaitlyn tentatively came into the room and perched themselves on the side of the bed. “Can we see her?” Langley asked.
Marston motioned for them to come closer and they stared down at their sister with awe. “What’s her name?” Kaitlyn asked.
“Lucy,” Rose spoke.
“Eleanor,” Marston said at the same time.
Rose stuck out her stubborn chin as she met his gaze and he found himself chuckling. “Lucy,” he agreed.
Rose yawned as she curled up beneath her covers.
“Children go downstairs,” Marston said, motioning to the door. “I’ll be down in a minute. Your mama needs to rest.”
“Love you mama,” Langley and Kaitlyn said in unison as they kissed Rose’s pale cheeks.
Rose smiled a tired smile. “Love you too.”
Langley and Kaitlyn left the room and Marston laid a sleeping Lucy down in her mother’s arms. Rose kissed the girl’s dusting of dark hair. “Thank you, Rose,” Marston said gruffly as he watched the scene.
“For what? “she asked softly.
“For giving me purpose,” he replied. “For giving me a family and a home.”
Rose laid her hand on his rough cheek. “Thank you, Marston.”
“For what?”
“For giving me love.”
Marston smiled and pressed a tender kiss to her full lips. “I’ll be giving you that until the day I die, love. You and this family are all in this whole world that matter to me.”
“Langley, give that back!” Kaitlyn’s angry voice from downstairs interrupted the peace of the moment.
“I guess you’ll have to catch me if you want it!” Langley called.
“Pa!” Kaitlyn yelled.
Marston sighed as he stood up. “Get some rest, beautiful. I have some official pa business to tend to.”
Rose offered a sleepy smile. “Go get ‘em, pa.”
Marston gave Rose and Lucy one more tender kiss before slipping from the room and closing the door behind him.
He stopped for a moment in the hall and sent up a prayer of thanks to the Heavens. He had never imagined that he’d want this kind of life. He was a true family man now. He ran a gun shop, had learned to farm, came home to his wife every day and tucked his children into bed every night.
Jeremiah and Duke still loved to give him hell when they came around, which was getting to be more and more often these days.
Marston loved his new life. He was still an outlaw, through and through, and always would be, but now he was an outlaw with a family.
“Pa!” Kaitlyn yelled again. “Langley took my sewing and won’t give it back!”
“Pa, Langley took my sewing and won’t give it back!” Langley imitated her shrilly.
Marston laughed quietly and then put on his sternest face to head down the stairs and take care of his children.
Hope you enjoyed the Give My Love to Rose by Nicole Sturgill.
The first book of the Outlaw Series.
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http://dreambigpublishing.net
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