Rosalind sighed and turned away from Gideon. She looked back in the direction of the crowd of revelers. "Maybe we should get back. Sophie and Nathan will be wondering where we got to."
Gideon nodded. "You're right."
They both started toward the gate. Just as she reached it, Rosalind halted and peered at Gideon. "What did he mean?" she asked. Her voice cracked slightly with emotion. "When he said I need to know what I'm getting myself into here in Inspiration."
Gideon frowned. "Hasn't Sophie explained it to you?"
"Explained what?"
Gideon sighed and lifted his gaze up to the starry sky. This was going to be awkward, but he was determined that, if he was to have any hope of a future with Rosalind, he would tell her the truth. Right from the start.
He faced Rosalind and looked sincerely at her. She was waiting for his answer, but he hardly knew where he could start to explain the situation with the Buchanan ranch and the greed of Brett Calhoun. And the danger it held for the future of the whole Buchanan family.
"I don't know where to start," he said softly.
"The beginning is usually a good place," she suggested.
Gideon smiled at her, appreciating her simple wisdom. "I told you we've had the ranch spread since my parents bought it way back. In those days, it was simple. They put down the payment and the government granted land rights. Over the years, the ranch became successful. Then me and my brothers came along, and things just got better and better."
She was listening carefully to him, watching him with an intent expression on her face the whole time. She really wanted to know the truth, and he desperately needed for her to understand the choice he had to make. And what stood in the way of his making that choice.
"However, recently there was a change to the land deal. The government wants to encourage occupation, not just rearing cattle," he said. "There are so many people who want to come and live here. Settle down and plant some roots."
"Homesteaders?" she asked.
"Right," he replied nodding.
Gideon sighed and frowned, barely believing what he was about to tell her. "It turns out when my father purchased the land, somewhere in the fine details, the spread was originally parceled into five sections. But sold as one. The middle portion where the ranch house is, and there are four others which border on adjoining spreads."
"Is that normal?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I think it's the government playing games. Rewriting the rules."
"I guess they can do that," she said.
"You're right. It might be legal but it isn't just," he complained. "Not according to what I've been brought up to believe."
"Just or not, they can do whatever they like. Especially out here on the frontier," she said. "You said the government wants to encourage occupation on the land. What kind?"
Gideon nodded and hesitated. He cleared his throat. "The married kind." His voice cracked in spite of his effort at self-control. He fixed his gaze steadily on her, waiting for her reaction.
Rosalind's brows lifted. "They'll only let you keep the land if each of the parts are occupied by a married couple?"
Gideon nodded. "In this case, me and all my brothers. Each one with a new wife."
He saw her cheeks flush. She looked genuinely taken aback. She took a few steps away from him and seemed lost in thought for a few moments. When she turned back and faced him there was a new concern in her eyes, and her lips had pursed into an expression he found curiously attractive.
"Is that why your brother Zane married Johanna?" she asked. There was a new sharp edge to her voice.
"It started like that," Gideon explained. "But they pretty soon fell head over heels for each other. It wasn't just an arranged marriage. There's real affection between them now."
Rosalind's eyes narrowed. Gideon wondered just how much Sophie had been telling Rosalind about the situation at the Circle Cross. If he had hoped Rosalind would understand, that she would appreciate his predicament, judging by the look on her face, he realized he might just have to prepare himself for a disappointment.
"And that's why Sophie is bringing mail order brides to Inspiration?" Rosalind asked.
He nodded. "Right now, it is. I think she's got plans for the longer term. This town needs plenty of brides."
Rosalind gazed steadily at Gideon. He could sense the rising tension in her. It wasn't easy for him, either, he told himself. She nodded slowly and bit her lip, momentarily lost in thought.
"So how does Calhoun fit into this?" she asked.
Gideon knew the time for truth had come. He wasn't going to hold it back any longer. She had every right to know. "Calhoun wants the spread. And the whole ranch. If he can get his hands on it. He's the only one around here with the money to buy the entire spread."
Rosalind's eyes widened. "No," she exclaimed.
Gideon nodded. "If me and my brothers don't marry before the Summer, and establish homes on each of the four parts of the spread which are up for grabs, the entire land will be forfeit."
Gideon sighed heavily. In fact he felt like groaning out loud, so acute was his distress. He gazed into Rosalind's eyes, seeing the sudden concern in them. "My family will lose everything. Thanks to an unjust government which looks like it only wants to reward evil men like Calhoun."
Rosalind let out a cry. "That's terrible," she exclaimed. "How can they allow that to happen?"
"It'll happen sooner than you think," Gideon said. "We've got three more weddings to arrange, and it's taking longer than we thought it would."
Had he made it sound too clinical? Too cold? Like an arrangement that would be empty of any affection? He hoped not. But, he could see the fresh worry on her pretty features. Her brows were furrowed now, and she was thinking really hard about what he'd just said. His brother, Zane had already proved that these marriages need not be mere arrangements. They could also be a means of mutual happiness.
Rosalind breathed out a heavy sigh. "Now, I understand," she said idly.
"Understand what?" he asked.
"The urgency," Rosalind explained. "I got the impression from Sophie that there was some kind of deadline in place. That explains why she was so relieved to see me when I arrived."
"Sophie has a good heart," Gideon countered. "She wants to help our family as much as she can. And we love her. Especially after the way she brought Zane and Johanna together."
Rosalind peered at Gideon. "And you're the next to get married?"
He nodded slowly. "I am," he announced. The simplicity of the admission instantly lifted a weight off his shoulders.
Rosalind lifted her eyes upwards. He was sure he could see emotion in her eyes, a soft glistening in the light cast by the lamps over by the dance floor.
Suddenly he was the one who felt embarrassed. Her directness of manner had caught him off guard. But, at the same time, he was beginning to like the way she seemed willing to face situations head on. As if nothing really made her want to back down. Gideon played with a thought which had hovered in the back of his mind all evening.
In spite of his reservations, despite the awkwardness of his first meeting with her yesterday, he was beginning to think Rosalind might, in fact, be a suitable wife for him. She was undeniably attractive, he told himself. But, there was so much more to her than a pleasing appearance. Gideon had already discerned a firm, determined personality behind the beguiling mask she presented to the world.
But, one, unavoidable doubt tugged at him.
If only she were a completely devout woman, he told himself. If only he could be sure that her faith in God was as strong as his. It was so important that he take a wife who shared that with him. Not to have such a wife would risk creating a household riven with strife and discontent. And he wasn't willing to do that. Not if it could be avoided.
Could she be a devout wife for him?
He had to find out the answer to that question. "Rosalind," he said quietly. He moved a few steps closer to her. She didn't move,
simply watching him advance toward her. "I have a question to ask. And I would like the truth from you."
Rosalind squinted at him. "The truth about what?"
"Yesterday, we spoke about our religious convictions," he said. "And you told me about your mother and her deep, abiding faith. But, you didn't tell me one thing," he added.
"What is that, Gideon?" she asked.
"Your own faith," he said firmly. "You didn't tell me how important it is to you."
He saw her mouth open slightly in surprise. He'd heard a sharp, quiet intake of her breathing. She seemed genuinely taken aback by the change in the conversation.
"It's just that I've made it clear to you the place God takes in my life," he explained. "And I wanted to ask you where He fits in with your life. Where He fitted in after your mother's death. Did that leave your faith even stronger? I know sometimes that can happen."
Her jaw tightened and she gazed at him wide-eyed. For a very long moment, she seemed lost for words. He saw her clasp her hands tightly. Her knuckles were white as she held her hands. He wondered if he'd chosen the wrong moment to ask her this question. But, when would it be the right moment to ask such a thing?
It was as well to get things out in the open, he told himself. So that they could make progress with their potential arranged marriage. Because that was what they were doing, wasn't it? Trying to forge a union based on respect and mutual need. Perhaps some time later, affection, and even love would take hold of the union. And then, perhaps, children. But for now, all they needed to take the next step, was truth.
Finally, Rosalind gazed into his eyes. "After my mother died, I'm afraid my faith in God was damaged, Gideon." She paused and gazed at him. "That is the truth. I did not lose my faith in God completely. It was just broken. The pain was so bad, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to turn to."
Rosalind sighed heavily. There was real distress written on her features. "That's all I can say," she said abruptly. "And it was the same for my father. He couldn't understand why a woman as good as my mother, someone so devout, so loving, could have been taken from him at such a young age."
Gideon stared at Rosalind, scarcely able to believe what she had just said. Had she just declared to him that she could never be a woman of faith? That her pain was so strong that she could never turn back to God?
"We cannot know all the ways of the Lord, Rosalind," he said. "We can only trust that all things turn out for the Good in the end. We have to live with hope. No matter what trials come our way. They only make us stronger if we allow them to strengthen our faith."
Rosalind's brows furrowed. "Really, Gideon? You believe that?"
"I do," he replied.
Rosalind shook her head abruptly. "If you had seen my father, seen the way he literally faded away before my very eyes, in the months after my mother died, you wouldn't be able to say that." She peered into Gideon's eyes. "Have you ever lost someone close to you?"
He nodded and in doing so seemed to startle Rosalind. "I had a brother. He died very young."
He heard her gasp and she lifted a hand to her throat. "A brother?"
"He was the eldest of us. It happened a long time ago," he explained. "But, it had a profound effect on me. On all of us."
"I'm sorry, Gideon," she cried. "I had no idea. I shouldn't have said such a thing. Forgive my insensitivity." She turned away from him and faced the darkness over beyond the tree.
"There is nothing to forgive. You weren't to know, Rosalind," he said.
She looked at him. "You want the truth, Gideon? I've told you. My faith was weakened. Damaged. And it has never recovered." She sighed and lowered her head. "What can I tell you?" She sighed heavily and gazed at him earnestly. "I'm not sure if it ever will."
Gideon felt something heavy sink into his stomach. Her words cut into him like the sharp edge of a knife. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to compose himself. Disappointment seized hold of him.
Had she just told him that she could never embrace her faith again? That she had been hurt so badly that nothing could heal that damage?
This was a blow. He had no doubt about that. And, somewhere deep inside himself, he knew that he had suspected the truth. Even yesterday, when he had spoken to her about these matters, she had seemed distracted. Hesitant. Now he knew why.
"I'd like to go back to Sophie," Rosalind declared. She walked quickly through the open gate. And as she passed him, he was sure he could hear the beginnings of her very own quiet and subdued sobs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Back at the Cameron house an hour later, Rosalind sat in the kitchen watching Sophie making some coffee. Nathan had stayed behind at the dance because some men had let their enthusiasm get the better of them, so they'd started making a nuisance of themselves. And Nathan knew how to deal with that, Sophie had told Rosalind.
Now, though, it was all Rosalind could do to contain her disappointment. After speaking with Gideon, she had gone back to the dance to find Sophie still standing by the side of the floor. Rosalind had walked so quickly she had left Gideon trailing behind her.
Sophie, perceptive as ever, had instantly noticed that Rosalind was upset about something. Rosalind had resisted Sophie's gentle, quiet questioning. Rosalind, confused and slightly bewildered by what had happened, was speechless for a while, feeling suddenly out of place amongst so many happy people.
Rosalind had tried to stay a while longer, thinking that to leave would be seen as rude. But the presence of Gideon had been just too difficult to take. He had stood quietly alongside her for a while, until eventually he'd excused himself so he could go and find his brothers. The way he'd wished Rosalind a good evening had triggered a surprisingly intense reaction in her. One that mixed longing with a slight indignation. As she'd watched Gideon ease his way through the crowd, she'd felt regret that her evening with him had turned out to be so brief and so unsatisfactory.
So, after a short while, Rosalind had asked Sophie to take her home. Her evening at the dance had proven to be a memorable one. And for all the wrong reasons. As she'd walked back to the Cameron house with Sophie, Rosalind had thought hard about what had just taken place.
It wasn't that she was mad at Gideon. Far from it. He'd been the perfect gentleman in the garden. Even though they'd just met, she already knew that Gideon was the kind of man whose conduct could rarely be faulted. She was sure he would always try to be kind to her.
But, he had revealed something else to her. A condition of marriage which she was sure she would not be able to meet.
Gideon Buchanan needed a wife. That much was clear. And, since his first visit, Rosalind had begun to play with the idea that all her problems might be solved if she married the handsome rancher. That had been the dream she had secretly entertained.
However, like so many things in her life, it seemed that the reality was far different from her hopes. He didn't only need a wife in order to solve his family's problem. She could understand that. And, like most mail order brides, there was usually a good reason why someone would urgently need a wife.
Gideon needed a devout wife. A wife whose faith in God was deep and abiding. And, since she was determined to be truthful with herself, and with Gideon, she knew, deep down, that she might not be able to be such a wife to him.
Her faith in God had been so badly damaged, so shaken by her family's tragedy, that she had turned away from everything she had been brought up to value. Especially when it came to trusting in the will of a God who, it seemed to Rosalind, had taken away her precious mother and father far too early.
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