Give My Love to Rose(1st in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Fourteen

Marston chuckled. "Floppy?"

"Yes," Rose snapped with irritation. "I can hardly move at all on my own."

"Probably your medicine and the fact that you've been so sick and in this bed for so long," Marston guessed. He picked the bowl back up and blew on the steaming contents.

The scent of chicken broth teased her nose and Rose felt her mouth begin to water. "You made that?" she asked.

Marston nodded as he scooped up a spoonful and moved it toward her lips. Rose frowned. "Can't I feed myself?"

"Nope," Marston replied. When she glared he let out a long breath. "Give me a break, Rose. I've never cared about anybody in the world enough to want to take care of them. Let me take care of you."

Rose's heart skipped a beat. "You care about me?"

Marston's golden eyes narrowed. "Open up."

Rose did as he ordered and was happy that she did. The broth was delicious and full of flavor on her tongue. She swallowed it quickly and opened her mouth for more which Marston seemed more than happy to give to her.

"Gosh mama, me and Marston have been busy," Langley said as he sat at the foot of the bed. "We patched the walls up so they're not drafty anymore and we fixed the hole in the barn roof so the horses don't get snowed and rained on. Marston even let me chop down a tree and the woodshed is so full it's busting apart! You should see it, mama!"

"That's good," Rose whispered, feeling overwhelmed. She was exhausted, her body weak and her mind fuzzy. She had very nearly died... she had very nearly left Langley all alone in the world. But once again Marston had come. Marston was back, he was changed and he seemed to want to stay.

Rose wondered what had happened to bring about the change in the man and return him to her. She suspected that she probably did not want to know. All that mattered was that he was with them now. With Marston here, life would be so much easier.

Winston Meade would no longer be able to harm her. And even if he did take her cabin away, Rose knew that Marston was the type of man who knew how to survive and he would help her ensure that Langley had a place to live. They would never go cold or hungry as long as they had Marston.

But it wasn't just having him to share the load with that made Rose happy Marston was back. Rose wanted to know what it felt like to be loved and cherished by a man. All of her life she had only known harshness from them, at least until Langston, but Marston was not the father figure that Langston had been. Marston was a young, strong, handsome, man who could very well be her man—that though both thrilled and terrified her.

And then there was the pain that Rose knew Marston carried inside him. She was pleased that he had returned to them so that Rose could care for him. She wanted to help his soul heal. She knew he could help her heal what was still broken inside of her. The gentle, caring Marston sitting beside her now was exactly what her abused heart needed.

"Thank you, Marston," she whispered. "For coming back, for taking care of Langley, for taking care of me... thank you."

Marston growled and shoved another spoonful of broth into her mouth. "What have I told you about thanking me for things?"

Rose simply smiled and Marston sighed. "You're welcome."

Langley laughed at Marston's pouting before launching into another long winded story about all the fun they'd been having while she'd been unconscious.

***

"I need to clean up," Rose stood her ground as Marston glared. The doc had come and gone and confirmed that Rose was indeed on the road to recovery but would need rest.