February 1

Afternoon

After hanging the freshly laundered shirts to dry next to the stove in the parlor, Rosemary yawned and went to the settee to lift her feet up. Pulling the afghan close, she hardly realized it as her eyelids drooped, heavy from the day's work. Perhaps she would just rest her eyes a moment.

A good two hours later, she awoke to the sun descending behind the mountains outside her window. She gasped. She hadn't meant to sleep so late! She was supposed to visit Harriet, and thanks to the wise advice of both Abigail and Lee, she was ready to forgive. Regardless of Harriet's response, she was ready to move on with her life, to close this tumultuous chapter of her past. She stretched and her arms felt heavy and achy after this morning's scrub session. It was amazing what drained this pregnant body out of its' energy these days.

After standing up and folding the blanket just so, she heard the powerful sound of metal splitting wood. She walked toward the back door, and peered out the window. Lee was there, clad in his scarf and tartan plaid jacket, lowering the axe into the solid chunk of wood below. After he finished chopping the piece apart, he stuck his axe in the chopping block and with a stack of firewood now in his arms, came to drop it in the pile off to the side of the house. He caught sight of her watching him from the window and motioned to her that he would be right in. Sure enough, just a moment later, he entered the back door and stomped the snow off his feet and began to peel his coat off.

"I was wondering when you'd awaken." He said, and then wandered past the various shirts and sweaters hanging to dry to the stove where he promptly rubbed his hands together to warm them.

"I wish you hadn't let me sleep so long. I truly did attend to go into town to see Harriet." She frowned.

"How could I disturb a sleeping angel?"

She scoffed. "I sure don't look like an angel, not with this belly protruding so." She looked down at her work skirt which was becoming tighter by the day, and she'd already let it out once!

"Yes you do. I'd even go as far to say— you simply glow." Lee came close to her and placed a light kiss on her lips.

She gave him a shy smile, but then shifted her thoughts to reality. "Do you think we could still go into town? Perhaps we could catch dinner at the saloon and meet up with Harriet."

Lee paused, considering her words. "Is that what you'd like?"

"Well, I need to face her sometime. I just didn't imagine the saloon would be the place. But Abigail's wouldn't be much better with the dinner rush. I don't know," she said flopping on to the settee. "I just know it is something I have got to do."

"Okay, well I can take you into town if it's what you'd like."

"I'm not sure what I'd like…" the frustration welled up in her. While a conversation over supper at the saloon did not sound ideal, she knew she needed to face Harriet soon. It was already going on the third day since her arrival.

"Okay, well let me just get changed and we can go on into town." Lee gave her a squeeze on her shoulder as he passed her to go upstairs.

She sat on the settee, chewing on a fingernail. It sure wasn't what she had imagined. Dinner at the saloon? Why, her mother would have a fit. And speaking of less than ideal, Rosemary hadn't truly readied herself for the day. After Abigail had caught her by surprise at breakfast time, and her chore of scrubbing the clothes, why, she must look a fright.

She was just about to call up to Lee to forget the whole outing when a knock sounded at the door.

"Rosie? Can you get that? If it's for me, I'll be right down." Lee's voice came from upstairs where he was in the midst of cleaning up.

"Okay." She called up the stairs, and then as she went to answer the door, she caught a glance of herself in the looking glass. She'd looked as if she had just woken up, which of course she just had, and her hair… my, it had a mind of it's own today! She smoothed down the rebellious locks and wondered who could possibly be at the door. Perhaps Bill or… What if it was Harriet? Here, now? Her heart pounded double-time in her chest. She was not one wit prepared for their encounter. She'd feel less than stellar with her tight work skirt and mussed hair, and she hadn't even a moment to rehearse what she'd say.

Another knock came at the door.

"Rosie? Are you going to get that?" Again came Lee's voice from the stairs.

She walked over to the stairs and whispered up. "I… I can't."

Lee walked to the landing in his stockinged feet as he pulled a suspender over his shoulder. "Why ever not?" He buttoned the rest of his shirt and then, realization dawned on his and he pulled her close. "Oh— Come here," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "It will be okay."

She felt as silly as a school girl with her refusal to open the door, but, after soaking up the strength of his embrace, she felt up to the task at hand.

"I'm right here, okay?" He pulled her hand into his and together they approached the door, just as another knock sounded.

Lee opened the door to the cool, wintry air, and sighed audibly when he recognized their caller. "What's brought you out this way? I hope things went well at the office today?"

Rosemary peeked out. "Hickam, what a delightful surprise."

Hickam nodded a greeting and then proceeded to shift from foot to foot as he must have been cold. "I just dropped by to deliver a message." He lifted a folded note. "Ned must not have noticed you weren't at the office today. After my lunch break, I returned to find this on your desk. I hope you don't think I was prying… but I thought I ought to deliver it in case if it's important." He handed the paper over.

"Oh, thank you." Lee took the paper from him. "You were right in delivering it straight to me. Would you like to come in and warm up for a mite?" Lee opened the door further.

"Oh, thank you, sir, but actually, I have dinner plans." Hickam's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink.

Rosemary's ears began to itch at that remark. "Hickam, could your plans have to do with our pretty Nurse Carter?" She edged forward to gauge his response.

Hickam's eyes flew to his bosses and a dark crimson blush rose to his cheeks.

"Don't embarrass the poor guy, Rosie." Lee jumped to his friend's defense.

"Well, if, by chance, you happen to dine with Nurse Carter, please remember not to slurp the soup so."

"Rosie!" Lee turned around and regarded her with surprise.

"Well, if he hopes to secure her as his date to the Valentine's dance, he best make a good impression." She shrugged, for it was true. And hopefully, thanks to her tactful reminder, Hickam would gather up enough courage to ask the pretty nurse to accompany him to the dance in two weeks time.

If Hickam could have turned any redder, he did. "Okay, I'll be on my way now." He waved awkwardly as his voice cracked.

"I'll see you at the office tomorrow." Lee called out to Hickam's retreating form, then closed the door. He turned to her. "Rosie, did you need to embarrass him so?" Lee chided, yet he had a mischievous smile on his face.

"How else will he know what to do? Men need help in these matters you know." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, is that right?" He countered in a playful tone, "I'd like to remind you of this one charming man who didn't need any help in the courting department. He was a natural, if I do remember right." He lowered his head until his warm breath tickled her ear.

She tapped his chest. "Even that charming man needed some prodding along."

"What?" He said flabbergasted. "I didn't need—"

"Remember how I had to coax you into buying my basket of cookies? A good suitor would have done that on his own."

"I did that on my own. I offered you a price—"

"Yes, much too low, if I remember right." She countered.

"I did end up paying a pretty penny for that basket of cookies." He conceded with a smirk.

"Yes you did. And it was worth it, no?" She batted her eyes at him.

He laughed. "Every penny."

Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Although she sensed his longing for her lips to linger on his, she backed away.

"What's it say?" She said motioning to his hand, where he held the note.

Lee blinked twice, obviously still engrossed in the wonderment of their shared kiss. "What?"

"The note, silly. What's it say?"

Lee gave her a look like the last thing on his mind was the message, that he'd much rather have her in his arms. "Oh, it's probably just a telegram from one of our business partners, or something uneventful like that."

"Let me see." She grasped at the paper, but Lee, with his reflexes quickly moved it to the side. She grasped at it again, and again, he kept it out of reach.

"Lee!" She stomped her foot.

"Oh, you want this, do you?" He held it close to her and then again pulled it away, teasing her.

"You give that to me this instant, Leland Coulter."

"Okay, but it will cost you." He said through a grin.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, I see what you are doing… payback, is it?"

He nodded.

"Okay, so what is the price?"

Lee's eyes simmered. "Just one, long, heartfelt kiss— right here." He said, tapping his lips.

She rolled her eyes and then sighed, "Oh, alright."

She leaned into him and gave him a doozy of a kiss, which lead to another, and another. Oh, how she wished they could simply get lost in one another for the remainder of the evening. Instead, she pushed gently on his chest. "There isn't time." She whispered.

"There's always time." Lee countered, his own voice husky and low.

"No. I've got to— Harriet… she's waiting."

Lee pressed another kiss under her ear and she shuddered.

"I really ought to—" she couldn't bring herself to break the moment, but Lee must have understood for he eased back.

"Okay, if you are sure that's what you want to do."

"Need to do." She said, her eyes sad. She'd much rather stay here and enjoy Lee's presence instead of journeying out into the cold to face her past.

"Okay, let me just get my boots on." Lee stood and rose from his spot on the settee, the note fluttering to the settee behind him. She reached for it. In all their passionate kisses, she had almost forgotten all about it.

She slid her finger under the seal and opened the page before her. Flowery script met her eyes instead of Ned Yost's usual scrawl, causing a sense of alarm to rise in her. She gasped.

"What is it?" Lee said from the corner where he was struggling to put on a boot.

She held up the note. "This isn't from Yost… it's from Harriet."

"What does it say?" Lee shuffled to the back of the settee where he could look over her shoulder.

"It says—" her eyes quickly scanned the brief note before her, "She requests a meeting with us tomorrow. She'd felt quite under the weather most of today."

They both considered the news.

"Well, that's a turn of events, isn't it?" A smile curved onto Lee's face.

"Yes, Leland Coulter, I do say it is." She threw him an enticing look. "I suggest we continue what we started."

Lee abandoned his boots in the corner and seconds later, his lips pressed against hers, picking up right where they had left off.