"Are you hungry?"
"No, are you?"
"No."
She turned to look at him. "Don't worry about my brothers getting the wrong idea. Cole's the only one who will try to make an issue out of our situation, but he'll have to work at it. He'll probably hit you. That's all."
"No, he won't hit me."
"He won't?"
"I won't let him. Once was enough."
"He might not see it that way."
"It won't matter. I won't let him hit me."
She let out a sigh. "I'm pleased to see you haven't lost any of your confidence," she remarked. "Spending the last week on your backside didn't affect your spirits at all."
"I did not spend the last week on my backside."
"If you say so."
"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" he asked.
"Yes," she agreed. "I just want you to know that Cole is actually the easiest of my brothers to roll over for me. He's really a very nice person."
"I didn't say he wasn't nice," he countered. "You've got him wrapped around your little finger, don't you?"
"No. He just doesn't like to see me unhappy. If he can take my side, he will."
He thought his interpretation was more accurate. "Was it difficult for you growing up without a father and mother?"
"I have a mother," she replied. "Mama Rose."
"Why doesn't she live with you and your brothers?"
"She can't… not yet. She'll join us as soon as possible."
"Do all of your brothers call her Mama?"
"Yes, they do. Why do you ask?"
"I just wondered. What about your father?"
"I don't have one of those."
"Don't you miss having one?"
"How could I miss what I've never had?"
Mary Rose decided her blouse was dry enough. She folded it and put it behind her, then went to work on her skirt.
Harrison watched her every movement. He thought she was an extremely graceful woman, wonderfully feminine and yet very practical. It was a fascinating combination.
"You're as unspoiled as your paradise."
"I am?"
"Mama Rose is Adam's mother, isn't she?"
"And mine as well."
"But she gave birth to Adam."
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Simple deduction. She lives in the South. You've never seen her, have you?"
"Not deduction, you guessed," she countered. "You don't know where my other brothers came from. They could have lived down south too. No, I haven't ever seen Mama, but I know her very well. She writes to me at least once a week, sometimes more. She never misses, not once since I started writing to her. During the war, when I was too young to read or write, she did miss sending letters a couple of times. I don't remember the time, but my brothers were very worried. She survived, of course, just like we did. When the time is right, she'll join us."
"But the time isn't right yet."
"No."
The quickness in her reply told him not to press the issue. He let it go.
Several minutes passed in companionable silence. He kept thinking about how pretty she looked wearing his shirt.
She kept thinking about how awful she'd looked wearing her brother's socks.
"What are you thinking about, Harrison?"
"How pretty you look."
She laughed. "You've been away from the city too long if you think I look pretty tonight. My hair's a mess and I'm wearing a man's shirt, for heaven's sake."
You're wearing my shirt, he silently corrected. And that made all the difference in the world to him. Seeing her in his favorite, worn-out shirt made him feel extremely possessive toward her. Everything about her aroused him. He wanted to protect her from harm, comfort her, hold her, love her. And in his heart, he wanted the same from her.
Harrison tried to think about his life back in England. Nothing about his daily routine appealed to him now, however. How cold and empty his life had been. Until he had come to Montana, he hadn't known what it was like to feel alive. He had always felt as though he were standing on the outside of life, looking in. He observed. Hadn't Mary Rose used just that word to describe him? He wondered if she had any idea how accurate her evaluation was.
"Now what are you thinking about? You look worried. Are you?"
"No."
"I was bemoaning the fact that I wore such a heavy skirt. It's taking forever to dry. Now it's your turn to tell me what you were thinking about. I shall only hope your thoughts weren't nearly as boring."
"You were thinking about practical matters. I wasn't. I was thinking about my life back in England."
"Don't you mean to say Scotland?"
"All my work is in England. I have a town house in London. I rarely have enough time to go back to the Highlands."
"Because of all of your work?"
"Yes."
"You miss the Highlands though, don't you?"
"I miss what it represents."
"What is that?"
"Freedom."
He hadn't realized he was going to use that specific word until he said it.
"You've let duty become your chains, haven't you?"
"A man has to repay his debts before all other considerations."
"Do you owe your employer this debt? Is that why you've never had enough time to pursue your own dreams?"
"Yes and no," he answered. "Yes, I owe him a debt. But it's more complicated than that. My dreams have changed. I used to love what I was doing. I don't any longer. I think maybe you're right, Mary Rose. Winning isn't everything."
"I'm pleased to hear you admit it," she said. "You like our paradise, don't you?"
"Yes."
"And you're happy here."
"Yes."
"Then quit making everything so complicated. Stay and be happy. See how simple it is?"
"No, it isn't simple at all."
"I'll only ask you one more question," she promised. "If it were simple, would you stay here?"
"In a heartbeat."
She knew she'd just promised not to ask any more questions, but she couldn't stop herself from asking one more. "Have you made up your mind to leave then?"
She was gripping the edge of her skirt, praying he would tell her what she desperately wanted to hear.
"I haven't made up my mind about anything. I'm not being evasive, just honest. I don't have enough information yet to know what road I should take."
"I don't understand."
Her arms were aching from holding up the skirt to dry. She finally gave up and put it away. Then she moved back, covered her legs, and leaned against the rock wall next to Harrison. She sat so close to him her upper arm pressed against his.
She stared into the fire and let it mesmerize her. She didn't want to think about the possibility of Harrison leaving, not when she was just about to decide to fall in love with him, and so she tried to think about something else.
"I know you must be hungry. I'll be happy to find something to eat."
"Where?" he asked.
"Out there," she answered with a wave of her hand toward the mountain.
"I'm not that hungry. If you are, I could go outside and find something for you to eat."
She smiled but didn't look at him. Harrison had sounded arrogant when he spoke.
"You haven't had to stay out overnight much, have you?"
"Actually, when I was in service, I did," he replied.
"Do you mean the military?"
"Yes."
"Tell me about London. What's it like living there?"
"It's beautiful. The architecture is remarkable. Cole would appreciate the quality and the workmanship. I think you would like living in London," he added. "Once you got accustomed to the differences."
She couldn't imagine living in a city. Paradise was all she needed, or wanted. Why couldn't Harrison understand?
"Have you ever had to stay outside with a woman in the Highlands or in England?"
The question made him want to laugh. "I'd be married now if I had."
"Why?"
"The woman's reputation would have been ruined. Marriage would be the only honorable solution."