by Jody Kaye
“Owner bred her once before and sold the foal. It was a colt. Don’t reckon they named him ‘Magenta’. He was more like a ‘Chartreuse’ anyhow.” Ross winked and Rose half-scowled half-blushed.
“They’re willing to part with her? She’s so beautiful. How can anyone want to give up something this gorgeous?”
“I don’t know,” he said with sincerity. A similar question had been on his mind since the altercation in Eric Kingsbrier’s office.
“Oh, she’s the sweetest thing ever. I want a hundred like her. Can’t you imagine them all running like mustangs in the fields at Kingsbrier? It’d be breathtaking.”
Ross wouldn’t go as far as to encourage Rose, although, he could see how she felt that way. Lavender was the type of animal that made people into horse lovers’. He’d been smart enough to know there was no talking her out of buying an animal and considered it his responsibility to make sure she got the right one.
Guiding Rose through her pipe dream, Ross began speaking of square footage and an adequate number of stalls. He’d done a bit of research in his off-hours; compiling supply lists and pricing materials. He still needed to pull permits and ensure that the facility had adequate electrical hookup and running water. He tossed out a number, looking for tentative approval to get the ball rolling. Then he’d pull together all the paperwork, find a crew, and set up a schedule to begin.
“Are you cutting me a deal here?” she asked. Her finger tapped her lip as she pondered what Ross quoted.
“It’s a barn Rose, not a gourmet kitchen… Because it’s you, I’ve padded the estimate because you’re bound to be a thorn in my side about something or other,” he joked.
“I’m not prickly,” she said, adding, “all the time,” with enough haste to stop him from arguing.
Ross watched her try to stifle a wide grin, making them both laugh. He touched the back of her neck, letting his fingers linger too long.
“Why aren’t you mad at me, Ross Cavanaugh?” As Rose saw it he had every right. Here he was, though, treating her like a friend, forgiving the position she’d put him in. Her father could’ve destroyed the company he built with the stroke of a pen. No. Rose had taken that power and still Ross forgave her.
“It takes too much effort to be cross with everyone all the time. Life’s meant to be enjoyed. And your final check cleared the bank this morning,” he mocked her in a whisper.
Rose swatted Ross, thankful for the reason to touch him. Did he feel the same tingles that shot up her spine whenever they came in contact with one another? If they were going to have any shot at staying friends she hoped not. It was a rather disappointing notion.
Rose met the old man that owned Lavender. He wasn’t longer in years than her own father, but grizzled by arduous hours in the sun doing labor-intensive work on his property. She told him that she’d changed her mind and was no longer interested in Bramble, inquiring on Lavender.
Ross nudged her several times with the appropriate questions to ask about the horse’s health and particulars of her daily care. Satisfied that neither man was leading her in over her head, Rose purchased the horse and agreed to the cost of rent to keep Lavender onsite until her own stable was complete.
“That wasn’t so hard! You worry too much.”
“Do you have a vet?” Ross bantered back, a trace of wry humor taunted her.
“Marley.”
Who else in these parts would Rose call?
“Farrier?”
“Surely, someone will have a recommendation. I can use the one who’s been shoeing her.”
“What are you planning to buy for feed?”
“Oats.” It was more a question than declarative statement. She’d seen horses graze and knew they had oat bags. What else did they eat? “I’ll stop in at the feed and seed to get whatever she needs.”
Ross huffed in that way that made a chuckle come out.
“What’s so funny.”
“Imagining you tossing a bag over your shoulder and hauling it out to your import. If you don’t collapse under the weight,” he sniggered, “the feed will pop open and you’ll track it out to the parking lot. You’ll be driving off with what’s left being taken by the wind. Consider hiring someone, Rose.”
“Want the job?”
“I most certainly do not. I have my own business to run.”
“Who am I going to get to do it then?”
“You have a bit to figure that out. Place an ad. Interview someone.”
“It seems a lot to have one person for one horse. I can get some chickens so that Benita has fresh eggs, or a goat, sheep, something to keep Lavender company. Should I go back and get Lilac too?” No one liked being lonely. For all intents and purposes, Rose lived in a big house by herself. She should have thought out her original plan. It wasn’t often she considered herself as selfish as other people made her out to be. She hoped caring for Lavender helped change that personality flaw.
Rose felt let down as they approached Kingsbrier’s circular drive. In truth, she hadn’t expected Ross to take her up on the proposition to be her hand. However, the idea that there was so much more to learn and plan for was overwhelming. She wanted a partner to help guide her through.
“I thought you mentioned Lily Anne was out for the day,” Ross commented as they pulled up to the house.
There stood Lily Anne on the front porch waving to them with excitement. She danced from foot to foot on the granite steps as if she had to pee. It struck Rose that she might be waiting her turn to go inside and use one of the gazillion bathrooms in the right wing. Rodger could’ve left her and polite Lily Anne didn’t realize she had to go until he’d gone inside to the loo. It was funny how hearing someone needed to go to the bathroom was like that. The whole idea made Rose need to use the facilities. She squirmed in her seat as Ross parked his beat up truck behind the blue Cadillac convertible that Rodger drove.
Rodger was home from school to see Lily Anne one last time before she returned to Atlanta. She’d told Benita not to expect her for dinner and, as usual, Eric was traveling so Rose gave the housekeeper a day off.
Rose perked up. Now there was a possible distraction from the disillusionment that Ross had no plans to stay as the bright spot her dark world, and Rose wouldn’t be alone. At least for the rest of the afternoon anyway.
Kingsbrier’s large front door opened and closed, the wood making a sucking sound as it sealed itself back together. Rodger paced forward on the large granite slab, standing next to Lily Anne. She looked at him, rosy pink overtaking the tan on her cheeks and her lips pursing into a knowing smile. Rodger seemed about ten feet tall.
Rose lingered after jumping from the truck, waiting to see if Ross would say good-bye and drive away or if he was going to stay. The engine cut off and she feigned nonchalance striding for the steps. She wasn’t sure what made her happier; Lil’s sudden reappearance or Ross bringing up the rear. Whatever glorious moment she was reveling in, something told Rose that the afternoon was about to get better.
Lily Anne continued shuffling about. She was doing a very bad job of trying to hide a wide grin and turning toward the door or looking from Rodger to the ground under Rose’s feet, unwilling to make eye contact.
Ross shook Rodger’s hand.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Rodger remarked, tugging Lily Anne to his side to calm her. She gave him a dreamy look while exchanging pleasantries with Ross about how well the remodel had turned out.
It was wonderful that her friends were all getting along. However, Rose’s intuition had peaked and she tapped her boot against the granite slab waiting for them to get to the point. “What’re y’all doing back so soon?” she interrupted.
“We thought that you’d want to come celebrate with us… Being the first to know and all.” Lily Anne didn’t give Rose a chance to ask what she was finding out before the rest of the world. The back of her graceful left hand popped up, sparkling.
Rose squealed, jumping up and down as she hugged Lily
Anne. She’d hoped that Rodger was sensible enough to propose sooner rather than later.
“You didn’t tell me!” She grabbed Roger by the shoulder, shoving him and then pulling him into a long hug.
“I don’t remember the rules saying to seek your permission before asking Lily Anne to marry me. And you couldn’t keep something like this a secret.”
“I keep secrets fine, Newhouse.” Rose hadn’t spilled to a soul what she’d overheard in the wood.
Ross offered Rodger his heartiest congratulations.
“Please come with us,” Lil begged Ross to join them too. Rose hated being a third wheel and no matter what she said, Rose liked this man. The evening was a great opportunity for them all to get to know each other better.
“I’m supposed to meet a guy about a horse.” Ross chuckled.
“We did that already, silly.”
“Did you get her, the one you wanted?” Lily Anne clung to Rose, excited that they both had news to share.
“No. My girl is even better.” She smiled at Ross, acknowledging he was right. Lavender was perfect.
“Actually, I’d been talking to a stock contractor about helping out in the pit. I was going to see him tonight, but I’ll give him a call to reschedule. Heading out with you seems like a good excuse to postpone.”
“I for one think that is a great idea.” Rose encouraged. Ross’s sport of choice seemed dangerous. She was glad he hadn’t been in the ring since the last day of the fair and thrilled that he’d consider joining them. “Where are we going to go?”
Rodger made reservations for six o’clock at an upscale steakhouse near Houston. The lighting was dim the and circular booths surrounding the dance floor gave a secluded feeling, like they were dining in private. Lily Anne and Rose sat next to one another, continuing to shift the conversation back to Rodger’s proposal. Rodger and Ross flanked them on the sides, sliding in and out of the discussion.
“Disappointed that you didn’t make your meeting?” Rodger asked Ross.
“Not in the slightest.”
“What’s the thrill of riding for you?”
“Controlling the uncontrollable.”
“You do it well.”
“Sometimes. More often than not, I get in over my head. It’s the right balance of cockiness, confidence, and humility or one’s liable to get tossed off quicker. Riding’s something I missed when I was overseas and started doing it again mostly for fun. Stops me from taking life too seriously, or maybe there’s more to life when you take chances than play it safe.” Ross disavowed that the older he got the harder it was to get up for work on Monday after landing on his ass throughout the weekend. “I’m not a professional rider following the circuit so my skills aren’t up to par.”
“Says who?” Rose balked. “Shimmy over. Lil and I need to go powder our noses.”
The men let them out of the booth and slid back to their spots. Ross watched Rose walking away, her heels accenting the sway of her hips.
“She’s not like other girls,” said Rodger when they were finally alone.
“You don’t think Rose knows her place, her station in life. You’re warning me off of her.”
“On the contrary. She knows her place and it’s not where she is right now. That’s the problem… From what Lil’s told me you’re a good friend for Rose to have when my fiancée goes back to Georgia this week. I don’t feel compelled to toss you out on your ear.”
Ross huffed, grinning, but not laughing. “You seem like a direct enough man to lay your cards on the table.”
“I’ve known Rose my whole life. We have a cardinal rule between the two of us. She’s the type that does as she pleases. I go along with it and any caustic remarks I make, she has to take the ribbing without becoming offended.”
“How often do you make caustic remarks?” Ross asked Rodger.
“Enough to keep her on her toes so that she can’t railroad me.”
“You like having things to hang over her head?”
“I do, but only to remind her that someone cares about her and the shenanigans she pulls aren’t being ignored. Rose wants to be more than a phantom of a past life.” Rodger paused. “You’ve met my uncle. The man clings to his need to induratize as if it’s indentured servitude. I’ve never met a colder heart.”
“That’s a rather brutal way of describing your kin.”
“He wasn’t always the man you see now. When we were growing up—before Rose’s mother died—he was as normal as any other man. Miss Joy was the one who kept him on the straight and narrow. There’s so much of her in Rose. He doesn’t like to remember that, though. Uncle Eric blocks Rose out because he misses his wife something fierce. She was soft, that woman. Kindest heart that ever was. He’s broken without her. Rose isn’t able to see that either. She refuses to show her momma’s traits so that she doesn’t come across as weak. That girl’s convinced one parent died and the other’s heart went along with them. She doesn’t believe Eric loves her at all. Reality is the opposite is true. Eric is trying to shield Rose from the kind of loss he felt by marrying her to someone who capable of increasing the family wealth and continuing on in the style she’s accustomed to. That’s his way of taking care of her in the long run… Once he’s gone she has no one.”
“But you and Lil.” Ross countered.
“You see my point.”
“I expected you to be more concise.”
Rodger laughed out loud. “I speak to those worth taking to when I have something to add to the conversation.” He nodded across the table at Ross. “Let me tell you something: The less you say, especially to or near Rose, the better off you are.”
“Taking your own advice with your wife-to-be?”
“Damn straight.” Rodger held his remaining drink up. They clinked pilsner glasses. “Is it more—You and her?”
Ross didn’t have time to answer Rodger before the girls returned. He wasn’t sure what he’d say anyway.
It was an odd sensation to all at once not be able to get enough of this woman and also comprehend that she wasn’t the one for him. Rose was too young, too wild, and too well off for anything to of substance to come from a night’s transgression. He needed to stop thinking that way. He hadn’t when they’d first met, but more often now Ross imagined the way Rose would feel underneath him, the soft noises she’d make and if she’d call out his name. The last complication either needed in their lives was winding up in bed together.
While some ventured to tell Ross that his goal of turning Cavanaugh Construction into the biggest residential builder in East Texas was a long-shot if Ross kept his focus that outcome was far more certain than a long-term relationship with Rose. It was attainable even if that meant sticking with it until he was hoary with age and crows feet stomped over the corners of his eyes. Rose, she was chaos to his order. Mayhem wrapped in an elegant package. The person who’d make him stumble on the path to success.
Above all, Ross wouldn’t want what he couldn’t have. Might she grant him a stiver of the beautiful coupling their attraction warranted? Of course. That small amount had the propensity to throw Ross’s world topsy-turvy because Rose was able to crush Ross’s soul and his livelihood. The friction increased between the two of them, lighting like a fuse on a firecracker, they both knew it. It was Ross who’d tamp down those feelings for both of their sakes. Rodger expected Ross to become someone whom Rose relied on in Lil’s absence this fall. It was clear from the way they’d spoken at the restaurant this wasn’t a long engagement. Lily Anne planned to join her husband by the new year.
The couple extended an unwritten invitation to Ross to attend. Flattered, Ross’s immediate desire to accept it faltered believing that it wasn’t good for Rose or himself for that matter. She’d be better off bringing a date and he didn’t want to see her with another man. Sticking around for a double-stuffed envelope with RSVP card and checking off the chicken or beef option wasn’t realistic. He and Rose were likely to go their separate ways before stamps got lick
ed.
Although, for the second time today Ross was returning Rose to Kingsbrier in his beat-up truck. It was a warm night and, when the vents stopped blowing entirely on the ride back from Houston, what little relief they’d have provided was moot. Instead of complaining, Rose twirled her hair into a bun and used a long-forgotten rubber band that she found on the floorboard to secure it. Wisps of curls that straightened out from the wind blowing through the windows, fell forward and framed her face in the moonlight whenever Ross hit the brakes.
“I should have insisted we take your car.” Ross apologized again. “We’re dressed to the nines. So pulling out of a classy—”
“I liked the wind blowing past me. It’s freeing. I’m anxious to get Lavender here. When do you think you’ll be able to raze the old stable and start work?” Rose’s words rushed out. She disliked when anyone acted subservient or like the things they had weren’t as good as what she’d been given. And she’d been given more than she’d ever earned.
“Demolition’s easy. It’s ensuring there aren’t any last-minute changes to the blueprints.”
“I wouldn’t.” Rose put her hand over her heart.
“You would.”
They smiled at one another and the equal ground his comment put them on. She knew better than to try to put one past him again.
“Thank you, Ross, for being such a good sport and coming along,” Rose said, breaking the silence that ensued.
“It was no bother. I had a great time. Let me walk you to the door?”
“I’ll be fine. Steps aren’t ten yards away.”
She bit her lip, wondering where Ross went after he left Kingsbrier.
“Rose?” Ross pushed through her thoughts.
“Yeah?
“You’re still in the truck. Sure you don’t want me to walk you?”
“No. No, thank you.”
She leaned over to peck Ross on the cheek. He’d been a gentleman tonight, even changing his plans to go with her.
She didn’t mean for her lips to graze his. The shock of it stopped her from moving back. Rose saw the porch light reflecting in Ross’s wide eyes. She was sure she was wrong about it happening when their mouths met again. And when Ross’s finger’s brushed the side of her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She didn’t know she’d put her hand on his chest until she felt his heart beating. His palm touched the back of her neck, sending chills down her back that made Rose gasp. Ross’s tongue danced against hers. Soft and lingering as if there were no barriers between them. She let him lead, recognizing the heat as a smoldering sizzle, promising gratification if she’d only learn patience. It was a lesson that Rose wanted to follow his step by step directions for.
