Winter's Rose
Chapter Ten
Diamond Barn
Heath stood in the barn and watched as "Delilah" opened a trunk that sat in the far left handed corner of the building recalling the conversation that had taken place just a mere hour ago.
"What have you done with Rose, Delilah?" Heath asked. He wasn't surprised by the startled look that came onto the young woman's face. Why should he expect anything else? After all, he wasn't supposed to know "she" was anything but an outside threat. However, the surprised look quickly faded as Delilah squared her shoulders back and started laughing. It wasn't an eerie laugh, like you'd expect from someone who had lost their mind, but more of a child like laugh….a giggle.
Heath wanted Rose back. He wanted to help her even if it meant talking to one of "those doctors", but he also knew if he brought up that of subject at the moment. "Delilah" would, most likely, fight him with everything she had. How could she not? To do otherwise would be the end of her.
"I made her leave!" Delilah glared at him before she glanced down at the dress she wore while she ran her hands over the skirt of the dress she wore. "Her father gave her mother this dress the day he came into some money when they were living back east. He said he didn't have much, but that she deserved one fine dress. It didn't take him long to give her other fine things." Delilah looked back at Heath, her fires ablaze, as she paraded around the room while half laughing and half crying. "He always gave the mother and Will whatever he could, but he never gave Rose anything, never gave me anything! He had no time for us! Not after that fire he didn't! Anytime I showed up he would yell at me, told me to stay away from his little girl! But I wouldn't stay away!" Delilah stopped walking as she took a step towards Heath. "I wouldn't stay away so he brought Rose up here. Told her it was to make her happy, but I knew the truth! He was trying to leave me behind and hide Rose!"
Heath stiffened slightly as Delilah lifted her hand and ran her fingers down the side of his face. "Rose turned out the same as her father. I saw you first. I wanted you, but she took you. Now, it's my turn, but we ain't stayin' here!"
"We're staying right here." Heath kept an unwavering eye on "Delilah". Heath knew, if he was to help Rose, he would have to be careful with his words and actions around this other person in her that insisted on existing.
"Oh, but we aren't." Delilah smiled and laughed as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
Heath frowned at the memory of Delilah whispering in his ears words that tore his world apart. Afterwards, she had slowly drawn back from his ear and brushed her smiling lips across his cheek. It made his stomach churn.
Heath now watched as Delilah threw the items she'd retrieved into her saddlebag. "Shouldn't you be saddling your horse?" She threw him a chilling smile and chuckled as her eyes laughed insanely.
In spite of his love for Rose, Heath might have turned around and left the barn only the words Delilah had whispered in his ears while he stood in front of the fireplace kept ringing in his ears. He didn't know whether she was telling the truth or not. All he knew for sure was that he couldn't assume anything. He said nothing as he threw his saddle on Charger and prayed for a way to get Rose to come back to him. Also, he prayed for the blessing of finding a good doctor for her, one who would be successful in getting rid of this woman named Delilah. On top of all that, Heath prayed and hoped that someone in his family would find the two things he'd barely had time to leave as proof he'd been in the home. Okay, so the second one had not been easy to leave, but since Delilah had had to go back into the house for the key to the trunk, Heath had taken advantage of the few minutes he had. He just hoped it paid off.
Diamond Home hours later
It was almost three in the afternoon when the back of the Diamond home came into Nick's and Ross' view. While Nick could see nothing to be alarmed at, the fact that Ross's faced paled somewhat, did not pass him by either. "What is it?" Nick barked without meaning to.
It did not faze Mr. Hunter though. The only answer he got was Ross all of a sudden pushing his horse as fast as he could, not hard to do since the snow on the ground had melted to the point where the ground was simply covered with a thin coat of snow.
Nick hurried to catch up with him, though Ross was off his horse and standing next to the graves behind the home. Nick flew off his horse and was standing next to him in no time flat. As he read the last name, Nick sucked in his breath. WILLIAM DIAMOND, along with his birth and death dates were engraved on the wooden cross. The uncomfortable silence was broken when Ross and Nick both hurried around the front of the house, tied their horses to a nearby tree and flew up the stairs. Nick didn't argue with Ross knocking on the door; he figured this Rose Diamond was more likely to open the door to the mountain man than she was to him.
When no one answered, Ross knocked again. When still no one came, Nick grew impatient, opened the door and stepped inside. Ross followed him. Their eyes roamed over the room. Everything looked in order, but where was Rose? "Miss Diamond!" Ross called out as he and Nick walked through the living room. "I don't like this." Ross looked into the fireplace; it held ashes that were giving off an extremely small amount of heat. He turned and looked at Nick. "I'm looking through the rest of the house."
"So am I."
Ross started to climb the stairs and Nick began searching the rooms below. By the time Nick opened the door to the room Heath had been using, he was growing more concerned by the minute. Once he was in the bedroom Nick looked around. Instantly he was on alert. The bed was missing its blankets and a bible lay open on the bureau drawers, along with what looked to be a man's pocket watch. Nick hurried over to the drawers and picked up the watch. His blood ran cold as he recognized the watch; he was sure was the one he'd given to Heath before they'd started on the hunting trip. He turned the watch over and sure enough he read TO HEATH FROM NICK. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Heath had been in the home!
When he heard footsteps, Nick whirled around to see Ross standing in the door way. "Did you find anything?" Nick asked as he crossed the room and stood next to the man.
"No," Ross shook his head, "and I should have. I told you, Will and his sister both live…" he stopped and shook his head, "Guess I should say Will lived here with his sister. She should be here."
Nick held up the watch. "It's my brother's." He then hurried past Ross and headed for the door. Knowing the Diamonds, like everyone else who ever lived outside any town, had to have horses, Nick said as he opened the front door, "We should check the barn." It was a fact that Ross wasn't about to argue with. It didn't take but a minute or so for the two men to make their way to inside of the barn.
Ross's eyes widened as one very empty barn met his eyes. Ross assured Nick the first stall should have housed the horse Rose and her brother used. Nick's eyes caught sight of what looked to be a small pocket knife in the corner of the second stall. When he bent down to pick it up, his heart stopped and he let out an involuntarily gasp.
"What is it?" Ross hurried over to the stall and looked inside. He saw nothing unusual until Nick pointed to the back of the stall. Someone had carved what looked to be a brand into the wall.
"That's my family's brand!" Nick bellowed after looking closer. He then held up the pocket knife he had found. "My brother had to have used this pocket knife to carve it. He has to be in trouble and left that here as proof he was here, probably left the pocket watch on purpose too! He's telling me that leaving me signs." After what Jarrod had said in his telegram, it was the only reason Nick could come up with for the brand on the back of the stall wall and for finding his brother's watch in the bedroom.
"We best start looking for tracks." Ross turned and headed for the barn door.
As the two men hurried towards their horses, Nick kept his eyes wide open and did his best not to allow himself to think of anything but finding his brother very much alive. He knew from experience that when you were looking for someone you would, most likely fail, but only if you allowed yourself to start panicking and thinking of all the negative possible outcomes.