Catching Kent Read online

  Turning to her sister, she knelt by the large tub and took the washboard and sheet from her. “I’ll wash the rest of the sheets and you can hang them up.”

  Her sister indicated her agreement and stood up so she could stretch. “I hate laundry day.”

  “I do, too. If only there was something that would wash it for us so we could sit back and let it do all the work.”

  She chuckled and gathered a clean sheet from the basket. “Did you check on the young man in Adam and Eli’s room?”

  She thought about saying she’d been detained with another chore but knew Harriett would see right through her lie, just as her mother had. “Yes. Aren’t you curious about him?”

  “Of course, I am. It’s not every day Pa brings home someone who’s been hurt.”

  “I want to know everything about him. You think he has a love interest he’s on his way to meet?”

  “Unlikely. Usually, it’s the woman who travels to be with the man.”

  Rose hoped so. She hated to think he was already promised to someone. “He’s handsome, don’t you think?”

  “It’s hard to tell with his face bruised.”

  “I can tell. He’s got a wonderful masculine beauty about him. In that book we saw in school, our teacher showed us pictures of some princes and kings. You remember that book?”

  Harriett shot her an amused grin. “That book also had pictures of princesses and queens.”

  “Who cared about them?”

  “I cared. Their gowns were exquisite.”

  “Well, so were the men.” She paused while rinsing the sheet and sighed. “There was one man in particular who haunted my thoughts for weeks. I snuck into the schoolhouse during lunch to take another look at him. His name was Philip and he was the best looking one in the book.”

  Rolling her eyes, Harriett selected another clean sheet to hang up. “Don’t remind me. I had to listen to all your daydreams about him.” After a moment, she added, “Please tell me you haven’t saved any of the letters you wrote to him and from him.”

  “It’s no fun to write a letter unless you get a reply.”

  “I don’t even want to know if you still have those. At least you’re no longer fantasizing about him.”

  “Do you think it’s wrong I pretended to have a courtship with him?”

  “Not wrong. Just ridiculous.”

  “I like to think it was good practice.” Yes, that’s what it was. Just practice for when the right man finally came along. With a mischievous grin, she said, “Kent is much better looking than Philip.”

  “Is that the guest’s name?”

  “Yes. Kent Ashton. It sounds noble, doesn’t it? Ashton. It’s classic and regal. It matches him very well. Do you think he might be a prince who is in hiding?”

  “Oh, Rose! You need to spend more time in the real world.” Harriett laughed and threw a pillowcase at her.

  Chuckling, Rose returned her attention to the wash.

  Chapter Five

  The next day, Kent was able to sit up in bed without assistance, though he had to be mindful of his sore ribs. After Adam took away his breakfast, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

  He called out for the person to enter and the young blonde woman came into the room, carrying a couple of books in her arms. “I heard you were more alert so I thought you might like something to read.” She paused and glanced at the books. “Can you read?”

  “Yes, I can read,” he replied. He studied her as she approached the chair by his bed and sat down. “Forgive me. I know your mother said your name, but I can’t remember it.” He knew it was the name of a flower but not which one.

  “Rose Larson.”

  He offered a slow nod. He didn’t understand what she wanted with him. He’d had no past dealings with her, and yet she seemed strangely interested in him. His gaze went to the books. “You wanted to give me some books to read?”

  “Yes.” Instead of showing them to him, she smiled and added, “I’ve lived here my entire life. My ma didn’t, though. She came out here from Maine. I’ve never been to Maine. Have you?”

  “No, I can’t say I have.”

  “My pa said you came off the train. Mind if I ask where you came from?”

  Though he wasn’t sure why she cared, he decided to oblige her since her family had taken good care of him. “I came from Ireland.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I arrived here on a ship and got on a train heading west.” She didn’t look satisfied with his answer, so he asked, “You don’t believe me?”

  “Well, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but I met someone from Ireland a couple years ago and they sounded different.”

  “I wasn’t born there. I didn’t even grow up there. I’m from the East but I spent the past few years in Ireland.”

  She seemed satisfied with that reply. “So, where back East did you grow up? Did I mention my mother’s from Maine?”

  He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and winced when his sides ached in protest. “I was born in New Jersey but grew up in New York.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “How did you get to Ireland?”

  He took a deep breath, not wishing to dwell on that part of his life. He’d left Virginia and all those unpleasant memories behind him when he went to Ireland to live with his uncle, and he had no desire to share that part of his past with a stranger. “My uncle wanted me to visit him,” he finally hedged. It was the truth, and it was all she needed to know.

  “What about your parents?”

  He clenched the sheets, and her gaze lowered to the bed. Feeling the heat of her curious stare, he released the sheets and slowly exhaled. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “Alright.” She paused. “So you came here from Ireland. Where were you going? Are you staying in Omaha?”

  “I was heading for California. And no, I’m not staying in Omaha.”

  Her smile faltered for a bit but then returned. “I hope you’ll stay for a while. There are many wonderful things about Omaha. I think it’s the best place to live.”

  “I thought you haven’t been anywhere but Omaha.”

  “Oh. Well, yes, that’s true.”

  “Then how can you know this is the best place to live?”

  She shrugged. “Because it just is. If it wasn’t, I’d find somewhere else to live.”

  Her reasoning confounded him. “That doesn’t make sense. You have nothing to compare Omaha to.”

  “I don’t need to compare it to anything else. I just know it’s true. I think after you stay here for a while, you’ll learn that, too.”

  “I don’t think so,” he muttered low enough so she didn’t hear him. He had no desire to get into an argument with her, not when her logic only served to give him the beginnings of a headache. “Can I have a spoonful of medicine?” He gestured to the bottle by his bed.

  “Oh, of course!” She set the books on the bed and turned to do what he wished. “Are you in pain?”

  “Yes, it’s my head.”

  “You poor man. Don’t you worry. We’ll have you feeling better in no time.” She held the spoon to his mouth. “Open wide.”

  Surprised, he took the spoon from her. “I can do it myself.”

  “I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect. Do you forgive me?”

  He swallowed the bitter medicine and gave her the spoon. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

  “Yes, there is. I was treating you like a child. But I didn’t mean to. I thought your sides might hurt too much to hold a spoon.”

  “And yet you thought I could hold a book?” He picked one up and read the title. “Or did you plan to read it to me?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Oh, can I? If you tell my mother you want me to, I can.”

  “Uh…”

  A knock on the door made him turn his attention from her. Her father and a man carrying a medical bag entered the room. “Rose, what are you doing here?” her father asked.

 
“I was going to read our guest a book,” she replied and glanced at Kent. “You said you wanted me to, right?”

  Before Kent could respond, her father said, “Go downstairs and help your sister.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “But I don’t want Kent to get bored.”

  “He won’t. Your uncle needs to examine him. Now go.”

  With a heavy sigh, she trudged out of the room.

  Her father closed the door and shook his head. “I swear, she is the spitting image of you, Joel. She does everything she can to get out of her chores.”

  Joel chuckled. “You can’t blame her. Living on a farm is boring.”

  “Yes, but she doesn’t want to do women’s work. How is that going to benefit her when she gets married? Anyway,” he turned his attention to Kent, “this is Joel. He’s a doctor.”

  “And I’m Dave’s brother,” Joel added, patting Rose’s father on the shoulder. He sat by Kent and opened his bag. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good,” Kent replied, glancing at his body, “all things considered.”

  “Do you know who beat you up?”

  “No. I’ve never seen those men in my life.”

  “Dave said they were riding out of town. I doubt we’ll ever find them. It’s a shame. I hope you didn’t lose anything important.”

  Kent shook his head, a slight lie since his uncle’s pocket watch had been the most important thing he’d ever owned. But that had more to do with sentiment than actual value. Sure, it’d been gold but he had more then enough money to see him to the end of his life, as long as he was responsible with it. With a sigh, he leaned his head against the headboard.

  “This won’t take long,” Joel told him. “Then you can get back to sleep.”

  Kent was about to tell him that wasn’t why he sighed but decided it didn’t matter. Very little in his life seemed to matter. He seemed to go through one miserable situation to another, some of it his doing, some not. And it was hard not to give into the desire to give up. Still, he managed to go through the motions as Joel checked him over, answering his questions, trying to be pleasant. By the time Joel left more medicine for him, he realized he was exhausted. Ignoring the books Rose brought for him, he settled onto his back and went to sleep, the one place where he was free from the battle between hope and despair.

  ***

  “‘The tempest surrounded them as they made their way to the abandoned house that sat on the hill,’” Rose read from a dime novel the next day.

  She shifted, adjusting her skirt. She wasn’t used to wearing them except for church and special occasions, but she thought she’d start wearing them more now that she had someone to impress.

  Turning her attention back to Kent who was asleep, she smiled and continued reading, “‘Though they’d been warned never to go there, they did, unaware that they were being watched, unaware that they had sealed their fate. If only they had known the consequence of their decision, they never would have stepped foot through the front door.’” She released an anxious breath. “My sister-in-law Emily is right. This story is hard to put down. These dime novels are much more entertaining than those books.”

  She glanced at the books on the table by his bed then turned her attention to him. If Emily hadn’t come by that morning and shared a couple of her dime novels with her, she’d be missing out on some very entertaining stories. As soon as she finished cleaning the downstairs, she’d hurried upstairs in hopes of reading to Kent. Unfortunately, he was sleeping, but even so, she pulled up the chair and started in on a horror story that sounded intriguing. She kept hoping he’d wake up but so far that hadn’t happened.

  She marked the page in the dime novel and closed it. Leaning forward, she took the time to study his face. He’d shaved that morning. Biting her lower lip, she glanced at the partly open door. No one was upstairs. Before she lost her nerve, she touched his cheek and his chin, noting how smooth he felt. He had a strong jaw, a very masculine one. Bringing her hand up to his hair, she gently ran her fingers through it. If she guessed right, Adam had helped him wash his hair. It was softer than before and the dried blood was gone.

  Her gaze lowered to his lips. There were some romance stories in the dime novels where the hero kissed the heroine. She wondered what a kiss felt like. Emily said kisses were one of the best experiences in the world. Rose traced Kent’s lips, noting how soft they were. Her heart raced. Did she dare kiss him? Just to see what it was like? She looked at the door again. Still no one else upstairs.

  She took a deep breath and lowered her head. She closed her eyes just because it seemed more romantic than if she was staring at him. Plus, since his eyes were closed, she could pretend he wanted to kiss her. Maybe she could even pretend he asked if he could kiss her. Yes, that seemed like a good way to think about it. Her lips touched his and a thrill of delight raced up and down her spine.

  He jerked away from her and she straightened up in surprise. “You’re awake,” she said.

  “What are you doing?” He struggled to sit up but winced and grabbed his ribs.

  “Don’t hurt yourself.”

  She hurried to help him, but he shoved her away. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Startled by his tone, she stopped and stared at him. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m trying to help you.”

  He shook his head. “You’re not helping.”

  “What do you need?” She picked up a glass of water. “Are you thirsty?”

  “Leave me alone.”

  She watched as he struggled to sit.

  When he finally managed to settle his back against the pillow, he was out of breath and holding his ribs. She shook her head. He was obviously in no condition to do much on his own and yet insisted on it.

  “I don’t understand you,” she said, placing the glass back on the table. “You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard.”

  “And you shouldn’t come into a bedroom without a chaperone to kiss a man you don’t know,” he snapped then grimaced.

  “You’re in pain.” She picked up the medicine her uncle had left and poured him a spoonful. She held it up to his lips.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m giving you something for the pain. This will make you feel better.”

  “Why do you insist on treating me like a child?” He gingerly lifted his arm and took the spoon. Once he swallowed the medicine, he gave it back to her. “Where’s your mother? Where’s your father? Where are the others?”

  “They’re busy. I’m done with my chores, so I came to read to you.” Recalling the dime novel, she found it on the floor by her feet and picked it up. “Here it is. My sister-in-law dropped a couple of these off earlier. I was reading to you. It was the beginning of a wonderful tale. There is this old curse placed on a house out in the middle of nowhere and—”

  “I don’t care what it’s about.” Grunting, he shifted and released his breath.

  “Oh, but you should,” she protested as she sat back in the chair and flipped the dime novel open. “You’re the main character. Let’s see…” She scanned the opening paragraph. “Leonard, that’s his name. But it’s alright because I’m pretending he’s you, and he’s with his wife. Her name is…um… Here it is. Fannie. But we’ll pretend she’s me.” Ignoring the way he rolled his eyes, she continued, “Anyway, they got stranded at a train station that’s run by a really creepy old man who refuses to give them a ticket until the next day, and they need somewhere to stay. They try the inn but it’s full. Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you that when they were on the train, they were warned about the old house on the hill.”

  “I don’t care,” he said.

  “But don’t you want to find out what happens to us?”

  “No. And there is no ‘us’.”

  “Not yet, but there will be.”

  He blinked several times and shook his head. “You’re behavior is scandalous. Are your parents aware that you do this to men you don’t know?”

  “All I’ve done is r
ead to you.” Really, she didn’t see what was so scandalous about that.

  “And when I woke up, you were kissing me.”

  “Oh, that. Well, that’s alright because we’ll get married. I won’t do anything else until we’re married so don’t get any ideas. But there’s nothing wrong with a little old kiss.”

  “How many men do you go around kissing?”

  “None. You’re the first.”

  He rubbed his head and groaned.

  “Are you in pain?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “Please tell me I’m stuck in a bad dream.”

  Amused, she laughed and closed the dime novel. “You have a wonderful sense of humor, Kent. I just know we’re going to have a lot of fun together.”

  Lowering his hand, he glared at her. “We aren’t going to have fun together because there is no ‘together’ like you’re saying. As soon as I’m well enough, I’m getting on the first train out of here.”

  “Then you’ll take me with you?”

  “No!”

  “But you have to if you marry me.”

  “I’m not going to—” He winced and pressed his hand against his ribs. “Never mind. I’m not up for the fight.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?” she asked, reaching out to touch his arm.

  He shook her off of him and yelled out, “Someone! Anyone! I need help!”

  Surprised, she stared at him. Why didn’t he accept her offer of help?

  Footsteps hurrying up the stairs alerted her that someone decided to answer him. Disappointed, she rose to her feet and reached the door just in time for her mother to arrive. Her mother glanced from her to Kent and sighed. “Rose,” she began in a low voice, “I told you to leave him alone. He needs time to heal.”

  “I gave him some medicine. He was in pain, Ma,” she replied. “I couldn’t let him sit there clutching his sides like that, could I?” she gestured to Kent who was taking deep breaths and holding his ribs.

  “Clean up the downstairs.”

  “I did.”

  “Then go help your pa clean out the stalls.”

  She frowned. “But I’ll smell like the barn.”