Give My Love to Rose by Nicole Sturgill Read Free Book Online Page A

eyes
widened. The man seemed to fill up every inch of space. His broad
shoulders were accentuated by the saddlebags he had thrown
carelessly over one of them. Rose found herself struck once again
by his handsomeness and by his eyes. He was dressed exactly the
same as he had been the day before and yet somehow something was
different.
    Here in the mercantile he seemed more
predatory than he had inside her cabin. There was a glint in his
eyes as he stared down Hester and Hattie that hadn’t been in them
yesterday—she also noticed that he seemed to be avoiding looking at
her.
    Hester adjusted her glasses. “Well of course
she does, sir, but we have to have money…”
    “ What makes you think the
lady doesn’t have money?” Marston asked. He tipped his hat to Rose
and Langley without glancing their way as he made his way to the
counter. He sat his saddlebags on the floor by his feet and leaned
his bare forearms against the glass, lowering himself to the
sister’s level.
    “ My his eyes are
something….” Hattie whispered, laying a hand over one watermelon
sized breast. Rose shifted her feet awkwardly and wondered exactly
what Marston thought he was doing.
    “ Why thank you, Miss
Hattie,” Marston replied with a smile. “Now back to the lady and
her money. Am I correct in saying that you all are running a
business here? A business folks come in and ask you for certain
items and then you give them said items in exchange for
money?”
    “ I’m impressed,” Hester
intoned dryly. “The outlaw knows the general workings of a
store.”
    Marston smiled. “That’s right. Now the woman
gave you a list. You fill her order and she’ll give you money. It
should be a simple transaction.”
    Hattie shook her head sadly. “Yes, but this
is nearly fifty dollars’ worth of goods and she owes us so much
already….”
    “ Did you fine ladies ever
stop and ask the woman if perhaps she has the money to pay her
debts?”
    Hattie and Hester gave Rose a disbelieving
glance. “Do you Rose?” Hattie asked.
    “ Yes I do,” Rose replied,
her voice quiet as she picked at a string hanging from her
bonnet.
    Marston grinned and swatted the counter with
his big hand. “Glad that’s settled.” He picked up his saddlebags
and stood straight.
    “ It’s funny sir,” Hester
noted, tapping her chin.
    “ What is,
ma’am?”
    Her lips pursed even more tightly. “My
sister came in this morning to find that our whiskey had been
looted and here you are this morning smelling very much like a
whiskey vat.”
    Marston’s grin just grew and her cow eyes
bulged behind her glasses. “Mighty big coincidence, I’d say,” he
stated. He tipped his hat to the sisters and then turned quickly
only to find himself face to face with Rose. Well, not exactly face
to face since the top of her head barely came halfway up his
chest.
    “ Thank you, Marston,” she
said softly. “Again, I seem to be finding reasons to be grateful to
you.”
    Marston wasn’t comfortable with her
gratitude and he found his stomach rebelling once again. “Don’t
mention it, ma’am,” he insisted. ‘Please!’ he added silently.
“Y’all have a good day now,” he added and with that he looked away
from those big blue eyes and left the mercantile.
    He stood outside, leaned against the post
for several long moments to gather his thoughts. It just wasn’t
right for a woman to be so damn pretty, gentle or innocent in
appearance. All that soft pale skin and red hair stirred something
deep within him—and that dainty white bonnet she’d had over her
head had merely served to frame her soft face and cause her blue
eyes to stand out that much more.
    Out of here. Out of here. Out of here.
Marston Jacobs needed to get the hell out of here. No more doing
favors for dead men was one lesson he’d certainly learned. He
didn’t need the complication in his life. He strode off the porch
and then heard tiny footsteps racing after him.
    “ Marston wait!”
    Marston cursed