And he’d never stopped missing her.
That couldn’t be happening again. He wouldn’t let it.
Robert reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. The sight of it made bile rise up his throat.
“Give it to me.” His hand shook as he reached for the note, his fingers clumsy and uncooperative. As he opened it, the paper felt too light, too fragile to carry the weight of what it represented.
He forced his eyes to focus on the words, though they swam in and out of clarity. Rose’s handwriting, neat and careful despite the obvious haste.
I’m sorry, but I need to leave. It’s best I not burden you with my presence any longer, considering the unwanted memories having me in your home will bring on. Thank you for your kindness. I wish you all the best.
The words blurred as he read them a second time, then a third. Each pass brought fresh pain that had nothing to do with his broken leg.
She thought she was a burden. Thought he blamed her for what Vincent had done.
And he’d let her believe it.
He’d been so caught up in his own shock, in processing the horror of his mother’s possible murder, that he’d failed to give Rose the one thing she needed most.
Love. Unconditional love.
The fog in his head burned away under the force of panic flooding his veins. He pushed himself onto his elbows, fighting past the tilting of the room and the screaming in his leg. “When? When did she leave?”
“We’re not sure exactly. I found the note after we got you settled.”
It could have been any time after she’d fled the barn. Hours ago maybe.
“Did she take a horse?”
Robert shook his head. “I don’t think so. None are missing from the barn or the closest pasture.”
She’d been walking out in the cold for hours then, with nothing but whatever she could carry. No horse, no supplies.
His fault. This was his fault.
And he had to fix it. Now.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his vision graying at the edges as blood rushed to his head. The splint on his leg felt like an iron shackle, but he reached for his walking sticks anyway.
“James, what are you doing?” Robert stood, his hand already reaching for James’s shoulder.
“Going after her.” The words came out steady despite the way his hands trembled on the walking sticks. He couldn’t let Rose disappear from his life again. Couldn’t let her believe for one more second that he blamed her or her mother for Vincent’s sins.
“That’s not a good idea. Not in your condition.”
James met his brother’s gaze, forcing his thoughts to find clarity again. The doctor was here with Mandie. Mrs. Wang and Enoch were with her too. Thomas or Robert could run for anything they needed.
They didn’t need him. But Rose did.
He pushed himself up to his good leg, blinking back the dizziness that threatened to pull him under again. His injury screamed. But he’d ridden through worse to fetch his brothers. He could manage a wagon ride to find Rose.
He met Robert’s gaze. “I’m not sure I can ride astride, but maybe you can help me hitch the team.”
Robert’s jaw tightened, that stubborn look settling over his features that meant he was about to dig in his heels.
But, at last, he sighed. “Thomas and I are going with you then. We might need all the help we can get.”
CHAPTER 25
