Free Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) by Jaclyn Hawkes Page A

Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and then helped to clean it all up when it was over.  Afterward, they went to Slade’s house to watch A Christmas Story in his theater room.  The movie was funny, but Kit couldn’t keep her eyes open and when Isabel noticed, she suggested Kit go into the bedroom next door to rest on a real bed.
                  As she led her in, Isabel mentioned, “This is actually Rossen’s room.  He lives here with Slade, but I’m sure he won’t mind letting you rest for a few.”  Kit glanced around in interest.  Rossen always seemed to be around his parent’s house, but then so did Isabel and Slade, and she knew his office was there.  Kit had, had no idea he didn’t live there.  Looking around, she got a whole new sense of who Rossen was.  On the wall were his Petroleum Engineering degree and a plaque about serving a mission to Peru.  There was a photo of him whitewater rafting with his family and Slade, and another of him posing beside a massive, dead bear with a bow. 
                  When she saw the huge gold belt buckle on the dresser that held the title World Champion Team Roper she couldn’t even believe it!  She picked it up to finger the intricate design and was surprised by its weight.  She knew they'd been on the way home from a big rodeo the night they'd rescued her.  Everyone had been talking about it a lot, but world champion?  He’d never even mentioned it. 
    She wondered if she'd somehow taken some of the importance of it away by showing up in his life that night.  She knew he’d spent the next three days beside her in the hospital.  He hadn’t had any chance to celebrate.  She was feeling decidedly guilty about it all when he knocked. 
                  She stood there holding the buckle in her hand as he looked in.  “You’re a world champion and I didn’t even know.”  Her voice was low and miserable as she looked up at him with sad eyes.  “It was the night you found me, wasn’t it?”  He nodded and she went on, “I’m so sorry.  You were sitting in a hospital room when you should have been celebrating the accomplishment of your life.”  She looked down and her shoulders drooped.  She felt like she'd messed up something priceless.
                  He touched her arm and she looked up at him.  “It’s okay.  All we were doing was coming home.  It sounds ungrateful, I know, but we were tired and just wanted to come back to the mountains.  The only plans I had were to eat, shop and watch football.”
                  She looked down again.  “And you never even got to do that.”
                  He lifted her chin.  “I did something much more satisfying than any of those things.  It’s been nice to be needed.  Helping you was important to me.  Don’t begrudge me that.”  She still felt terrible about it all.
                  He changed the subject.  “I brought you something.  I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone because it’s kind of personal.  I hope you can understand and take it in the spirit it’s given.”  Now he had her worried.
                  He pulled a small package and card out to give to her.  “I hope you’re not offended, but I wanted to make sure you knew . . .  ”  He hesitated.  “I wanted to make sure you remembered that even though your foster father uh abused you, it wasn’t your fault.  You're still the same sweet virtuous girl you would have been, had you been raised under better circumstances.” 
                  She looked up in surprise and her eyes were wide as they searched his.  Could he really believe this?  How could it be true after what she had been through?  Her foster father had made her feel filthy and worthless and used up.
                  He must have been able to see her thoughts in her eyes, because he said, “Our Father in