Free Tom's Angel by Linda George

me know about that bull calf.”
    “ I will, Gabriel. Thanks.” Tom slapped the reins on the horse's rump and they headed for the ridge and Fort Worth, with Rosalie turned backward in the seat, waving to Trina and Gabriel until they were out of sight.
    “ I declare, Tom, you have the nicest sister in the world. And she's married to the nicest man.”
    “ Nice? I've never thought of my sister, or Gabriel, as nice.”
    “ You know what I mean. Courteous and friendly, open to strangers and willing to share who they are and what they have.”
    “ If that's your definition, then I guess 'nice' is the right word after all. Trina can be as stubborn as a mule, though.”
    “ I noticed. But Gabriel loves her. He really, really loves her.” She lapsed into contemplative silence.
    Tom didn't interrupt. He knew what had her occupied. Trina and Gabriel were the first people in a long time—hell, maybe ever—whom Rosalie had met who didn't live in the Acre and make a living in a despicable manner. No wonder she'd taken to them like a chick to a mother hen.
    Mother. His little sister, the mother of a baby girl. Without Rosalie, something bad might have happened. But she'd been there, and Trina and the baby were healthy and sound. The McCabe and Hart families would owe Rosalie a debt of gratitude for the rest of their lives. He smiled. Trina didn't have to worry about Rosalie being all alone in Denver. Tom would see to it she never lacked for companionship.
    “ Which family will you be living with in Denver?”
    Oh, dear, she thought. Here it comes. “I...I don't know the family name. My father arranged it. I never asked.”
    “ Well, when we get back to your place, we'll find out from your father. It might be we know the family. I'm sure my father will. You said they were well-to-do?”
    “ Yes, that's my understanding.”
    With a grin as big as the sky above them, Tom said, “You know, the McCabe ranch has gotten pretty lax since Trina married Gabriel. I think my father might welcome the idea of having someone to get our house back in top shape again. And I know he’d love your dumplings as much as I did.”
    Rosalie knew what he was about to say and held her breath.
    “How would you like to come to live at the McCabe Ranch instead? Whatever you're to be paid, I'm sure we could match or beat it.”
    “ That would be wonderful, but my father has promised this man I'll be coming. And, with your cattle problems, I don't imagine your father would appreciate your saddling him with additional expense.”
    Tom frowned at that. “I'm sure something could be worked out.”
    If it only could . “Let me get settled in Denver first, and we'll go from there. If I could, of course I'd choose the McCabe Ranch over any other well-to-do family in Denver. You understand, don't you?”
    “ Sure. Just thinking out loud, that's all.” Damn, but that had been a stupid thing to suggest. She was right about Paw. He'd hit the ceiling if Tom obligated him to pay a house maid. But Rosalie wouldn't be just a house maid. She'd be like a member of the family, as she'd been at Trina's house. A member of the family...
    They'd just pulled up at the Kincannon house when a girl who came running to meet them, her face twisted with fear.
    “ Rosie, thank the Lord you're here. That man who cut Lizzy before came back. You gotta come quick.”
    “ Not Lizzy again!”
    “ He said he didn't finish with her last time. We tried to tell him she was sick and couldn't see nobody, but he pushed his way into the back and found her.” A sob escaped her cracked lips. “Please come, Rosie.”
    Rosalie ran inside. Tom felt his jaw tighten at the thought of Rosalie's life in Hell's Half Acre. Dirt and filth, blood and violence were daily fare in this abomination. With a sigh, he followed her into the dance hall.
    Putrid odors assailed him again. He made his way down the hall toward the room where Mary died in childbirth. Rosalie sat in a chair beside the bed, bent