Travis told him he was crazy. Mary Rose hadn't made any such commitment.
"Only because you haven't given her enough time alone with Harrison to allow her to," Adam replied. "There aren't any preachers around here. Are you going to go all the way to Salt Lake to get one? Mother Rose married my father in front of her family without my father even being present. A month later he spoke his vows."
"Did he have a pistol pressed against his back?" Travis asked.
"No, he didn't. He wanted to pledge himself to her. Leave Harrison and Mary Rose alone."
Adam's reasoning might have made good sense to Travis if Mary Rose hadn't been his little sister. She was, however, and that fact changed everything. He didn't care who promised what. The thought of his sister being intimate with a man just didn't sit right. He couldn't even think about it without becoming nauseated.
Mary Rose knew something was wrong, but no one would tell her what it was. There was a lot of tension in the air. Three of her brothers were acting peculiar too. While she was pleased to have their company, she couldn't imagine why they needed to be around her all the time.
They wouldn't let her spend any time at all with Harrison. She asked Cole to tell her why everyone was on edge. He muttered something about money problems. She told Cole he should have more faith in God and in himself. They had gotten along during rough times before and they would do so again.
Her disappointment over the talk Harrison wanted to have with the brothers was difficult for her to get over. Eleanor's guess that he was going to ask to court Mary Rose turned out to be wrong. Travis told her Harrison discussed business matters. He couldn't give her any reason why she'd been excluded from the meeting, though, and she guessed Harrison was the only one who could tell her why he hadn't wanted her there. He seemed to be avoiding her. He did wink at her when he passed by her every once in a while, but he hadn't spoken more than ten words to her in almost a full week. She fretted about him and finally made up her mind to find a way to get him alone. Eleanor would help her. Now that she'd softened her attitude toward the family and opened her heart, she'd become a good friend.
Mary Rose went to see Corrie three times during the week. She made the trip more often than she needed to, but she'd hoped her brothers would be too busy to escort her, and Harrison would tag along. Thus far, the plan hadn't worked. She wasn't going to give up, however.
Each time she returned from a visit, she had wonderful news to report to the family. When she arrived at Corrie's cabin on Monday, she found a rocking chair had been placed in the center of the yard. She thought it was extremely thoughtful of Corrie to be concerned about her comfort. Wednesday she found the rocking chair in front of the window next to the steps. Corrie was letting her get closer with each visit. Now when she visited, Mary Rose wouldn't have to shout every word.
Friday was the best visit of all. The rocker was on the porch, directly outside the window. The chair faced the yard. Mary Rose admitted at supper she was a little nervous going up the steps. There wasn't a shotgun visible through the open window though, and she thought perhaps Corrie was testing her to see if she had enough courage to sit with her back to her.
Harrison 's quiet reserve vanished when she told everyone what had happened. His heart nearly stopped beating. He bounded to his feet and began to roar.
"Are you out of your mind? Travis, you were with her, weren't you? How could you let your sister get close to…"
"Calm down," Travis said. "I had my shotgun ready. It wouldn't have taken me any time at all to get to the porch."
"She could have been dead by then," Harrison bellowed. His fury didn't seem to have any bounds.
Before Travis realized what he was about to do, Harrison reached over with one hand, grabbed hold of him, and lifted him out of his seat. The chair went flying backward. Cole glanced down, saw that Travis's feet weren't touching the floor, and then looked up at Harrison again.
There was admiration in Cole's gaze for the feat of strength Harrison was showing. Travis wasn't a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination, but Harrison didn't appear to be the least strained.
"Now, Harrison, is that any way to behave at the table?" Cole drawled out.
Harrison ignored him. He kept his gaze on Travis. "Corrie could have shoved a knife into her back or slit her throat or God only knows what else. Did you think about any of those possibilities while you had your damned shotgun up and ready, Travis?"
"Let go of him, Harrison." Adam issued the order.
Harrison finally realized what he was doing and immediately let go of the brother. Travis took it all in stride. He was still too surprised by Harrison 's violent reaction to work up any real anger.
Cole picked up his chair for him. He waited until Travis was about to sit back down, then tried to pull the chair out from under him. Travis was used to the old trick. He shoved Cole hard with his shoulder and got settled again.
"Since you were hot and bothered about Mary Rose's safety, I won't have to hit you. You're lucky you didn't tear my shirt," he muttered. "I'd have to hit you then."
"I would be happy to mend it for you if Harrison did tear it," Eleanor blurted out. "Wouldn't I, Mary Rose?"
She kept her gaze on Harrison when she answered Eleanor. "Yes, of course you would."
Harrison was at it again. Mary Rose didn't know what to make of him. The sweet and gentle man she liked having around so much had once again turned into a barbarian. It was happening more frequently these days, she realized. She should be used to his spells by now. She wasn't, though. At least he didn't frighten her, she considered, He just stunned the breath out of her.
She decided she didn't like his unpredictability one bit. He was becoming extremely aggressive What had caused the change?
She looked around the table for someone to blame. Her gaze settled on Cole. He winked at her.
" Harrison sure got your attention," he said. "You look astonished."
She didn't appreciate his humor. She frowned with displeasure and pointed her finger at him.
"This is all your fault, Cole Clayborne. You've been a bad influence on Harrison since the day he got here. He used to be a perfect gentleman. Now look at him. If you've ruined him, I'll never forgive you."
"Mary Rose, don't point your finger at anyone," Adam instructed. His attempt to correct her manners was halfhearted. He was trying not to laugh at his sister because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. If she believed Cole had ruined Harrison, Adam wouldn't try to change her mind.
Cole wasn't as disciplined, or as sensitive to his sister's feelings. He burst into laughter. "He was only pretending to be a gentleman. He's just like the rest of us, Mary Rose."
"He may be like Adam, but he certainly isn't like you or Douglas or Travis."
"What's wrong with us?" Douglas wanted to know.
She ignored his question. She turned to Harrison. He was still standing at the end of the table.
"I think you should stay away from Cole from now on. He's rubbing off on you, Harrison. You've picked up some bad habits."
"Such as?" Harrison asked.
"Such as rudeness," she answered.
"Come here, Mary Rose."
She let out a sigh. The look in his eyes told her it would be pointless to argue. She put her napkin down, got up from her chair, and walked over to him.
She put her hand on his arm. "It was rude of you to pull Travis out of his chair."
"Yes," he agreed. "It was rude."
She was pleased he realized it. "And you're sorry," she said, thinking to help him with his apology.
"No, I'm not sorry at all."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harrison. I wish you'd stop having these spells. They're very unsettling."
"He's only acting like a normal man, Mary Rose," Douglas said. "I think it's kind of refreshing."