Authors: Shirley Hailstock
“She’s my sister-in-law now. She was the biological daughter of my adoptive parents. So you see why I find it so interesting that you know your history back to the 1800s.”
“Have you ever tried to research your own history, to find who your parents were and what happened to them?”
“I thought of it, but I never did,” she said. “Two of my brothers are biologically related. They found their birth mother several years ago. I thought of my mother then, trying to find out something about her. After my adoptive parents had both passed on, I thought of it again, but realized I was so lucky to have them as my parents. My family is my family. They’re the only ones I’ve ever known. I love them all as if we were blood relatives. I don’t want to know that there was another alternative, another road I could have taken.”
“Alternative? It doesn’t need to be that,” Bailey said.
“It would plant the seed in my mind. My mother abandoned me and she died. There could have been aunts, uncles, even sisters and brothers. But no family could be more loving and supportive than the one I have.”
“That’s wonderful,” Bailey said. Adam noticed he glanced at him when he said it. “And it’s a good attitude. Although they couldn’t help being proud of you and what you’ve accomplished.”
“It’s not a path I’m willing to pursue,” she said. “The Claytons are enough.”
She was decisive, Adam thought. His father pushed himself up out of the chair. “I’ll be back in a moment. I have to go take a pill.”
He left them alone. Adam took a seat in front of Rosa. She hadn’t moved since he walked in, only uncrossed her legs and pushed herself up in the chair. He leaned forward, buying himself a moment to try to determine what he wanted to say.
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” he started.
“I had an appointment.” She looked toward the door that Bailey had used.
Her voice was soft and quiet. Sexy, even, Adam thought. He remembered it against the pillow of her bedroom. “You could have told me.”
“You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you,” Rosa whispered conspiratorially.
Rosa lifted her lemonade and took a drink. She set it down on the table next to her and looked him directly in the eye. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Wrong? There’s nothing wrong.”
“You have regrets,” she stated. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“You’re blind, then,” he replied. “I don’t regret a single moment of today.”
“But…” She led, trailing off, waiting for him to tell her what was on his mind. “You’re not going for that way-you-look story again. It would be a little thin at this point.”
“Rosa, today was…” He didn’t know how to express it. He was used to reporting what other people thought and felt, not himself. “Today was unbelievable. But there was nothing behind it other than sex and lust.”
Rosa stood up. “What makes you think it was more than sex and lust for me?”
She turned to leave.
“Rosa, don’t.” Adam stopped her. “We need to talk about this.”
“What is
this
? You had a little fun today. But it’s over now and you don’t want me getting any ideas about the great Adam Osborne. You’re a man who travels alone, and no woman with a pretty face is going to tie you down. Well, here’s a news flash, you jerk, you’re not the only man on the planet.”
She left him, her steps sure as she crossed the carpeted room and passed through the door where generations of his ancestors had walked. She didn’t look back, only held her shoulders level and moved as if there was a runway in front of her.
Adam felt as if his insides were being ripped out. She had gotten to him. She was in his blood and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get her out.
Rosa took a horse and rode into the hills again. She didn’t go to the usual place, the place where this day had begun, where Adam had found her and where they’d eaten and started making love. She didn’t want to go to that place ever again. Yet her eyes insistently looked in that direction. Even the horse seemed to want to go that way. She had to steer the filly differently.
She walked the horse for several yards before she came to a clearing. She needed a place where the sky was open and the wind was calm. Dismounting, Rosa took her laptop from the backpack she carried and sat down on the ground. As it booted up, she wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth as if she were doing a routine from her daily workout. She wasn’t. Her body was tight to the point of breaking a spring. She was trying to work Adam out of her mind and all the other places he’d infiltrated. Talking to her family would help with that. In all her travels she’d never met another person who stayed in touch with family the way she did with hers.
The computer beeped as it went through the last set of security checks. She looked down at the screen. Her customized wallpaper of the last family wedding, Dean and Theresa’s, played over the screen. Everyone was smiling. They were a growing clan, looking out from the machine. The photo made her smile as it always did.
She plugged in the headset and fixed it over her ear. In seconds she had a signal and the screen changed.
“Hi,” Dean said as his face filled the screen. “How’s it going in Big Sky Country?”
“It’s great,” she lied for the first time that she could remember when talking to her family. “I came out here so you could see a little part of the sky.” She angled the camera up at the sky.
“Looks pretty much like any sky,” he said.
Rosa laughed. She put the camera back in place. “I’ll tell Robert Redford that next time I see him.”
Dean winced as if hurt. As a filmmaker he admired Robert Redford and it was common knowledge that the actor/director loved Montana.
Moments later the rest of the group joined the chat. The normal round of hellos took up the first few seconds.
“Rosa, you look great,” Erin, her sister-in-law, said. “Montana must agree with you.”
“It’s beautiful out here,” she said, keeping the subject to the entire state.
“Any more bears?” Brad asked.
“None that I’ve seen.” Rosa tried to keep her voice casual. The story had been distorted enough. “I’m keeping away from areas where they are likely to be found.” She paused. “And I always carry a rifle.” Picking it up, she held it in front of the small computer camera.
“I’m serious, Rosa. You be careful.”
“Brad, I will. I don’t go exploring anymore. And that story was greatly embellished. It wasn’t as bad as the story sounded.”
“Met anyone interesting yet?” This was a question she got whenever the family got together. This time she was grateful for a change in subject. In the last few years, there had been a wedding a year. She was the last remaining unmarried Clayton and her sisters-in-law were all paying matchmakers.
“Everyone out here is interesting.”
“Forget the people,” Digger said. “Tell me about the car. Does it…”
Rosa answered all their questions. They often got together for family meetings when there was an issue. There hadn’t been any since Stephanie’s surprise revelation that she was actually the biological daughter of their adoptive parents. Dean’s news that he’d been nominated for an Academy Award for his first directorial effort had them all flying to California for the event and eventual party. And Luanne’s announcement of her preganancy. Now they met to catch up.
“Rosa, are you getting any rest?” Brad asked. Brad was a pediatrician. He was a quiet, moody guy, but he saw deeper into all of them than they sometimes felt comfortable with.
“Not much. I’m very busy.”
“Doing what?” Owen, her architect brother, asked. Owen still lived in the family home where they gathered as a family whenever they were in Dallas.
“I met a man named Bailey Osborne whose family has lived here for generations. He’s telling me the history of the town and I’m writing it down.”
“Why?” Dean asked.
Rosa saw Theresa elbow him in the side.
“I mean, why you? You haven’t decided to become a writer and not told us, have you?”
Rosa smiled. “Nothing like that.” She told them the story of the librarian asking her to see if she could influence Bailey to tell his stories of the history of the area.
“He must have really taken to you to do something like this after knowing you for such a short time,” Stephanie said.
“Bailey is a character. He’s charming and funny and loves to talk.”
“How old is Bailey?” Luanne asked.
Rosa knew where they were going with that question. “He’s old enough to be my father. Don’t get any ideas. There are enough women vying for his charms. I’m not one of them.”
“How’s he related to
Adam
Osborne?” Mallory spoke for the first time since saying hello.
“Father and son,” Rosa said.
“And is Adam just as charming?” Erin asked.
Rosa stiffened, hoping no one would notice her reaction on the small screen. Memories of them making love rushed into her mind. On its heels was the argument she and Adam had had at his house only a couple of hours ago.
“Help me out here, guys,” she appealed to her brothers. “This isn’t a get-Rosa-a-man call.”
“Rosa, I might be coming out that way,” Dean said.
“Why?” Rosa’s back went up. Dean’s statement was news to her. She hoped he wasn’t the family designate selected to check up on her. Being the baby of the family had its drawbacks, and an overprotecting family was something Rosa had to live with.
“It’s still up in the air, but we’re looking for a movie location and one of the scouts thinks Montana is best.”
“When would you be here?”
“Not sure. These things change from moment to moment.”
“Maybe you can get Adam to show you around, Dean,” Erin suggested. When all eyes seemed to focus on her, she said, “I’ve seen him. He’s gorgeous.” Digger looked at his wife as if he was surprised she’d looked at another man. They laughed and kissed.
“Is he as good looking in person as he is on television?” Stephanie asked.
Rosa thought of many ways to answer that question, but discarded them all for honesty. “Yes,” she said simply.
“Hi, Aunt Rosa,” Samantha said. She was nine now. Her entrance saved Rosa from answering any more questions about Adam. She was grateful to the niece and made a mental note to send her a present. For the next few minutes they talked about the kids—Samantha, Digger’s adopted daughter, and Chelsea, Dean’s adopted daughter. It seemed the adoptees were adopting. As far as she knew, no one was pregnant. Her sister Luanne had delivered an eight-pound baby boy last year, but her sisters-in-law were still as thin as they ever were.
“Rosa, now that you’ve met Adam Osborne, I suppose we’ll never break you of your addiction to the news,” Erin said.
Rosa hoped her smile wasn’t too off center. “You’ll be glad to hear, I don’t even listen to the news.”
“What? Why?” Brad asked.
“The house I rented doesn’t have good reception. The Internet is better, so I get a little, but I don’t watch it like before.”
“So in a way, Montana is weaning your addiction,” Dean said.
“Maybe you can get Adam to read it to you,” Stephanie teased. Everyone laughed except Rosa.
She blushed. She could feel the blood under her skin. Memories she’d been trying to banish rushed into her mind. She saw Adam’s head on her pillow, remembered the feel of his body inside hers.
Shaking her head, she tried to remove the image. “I’ll think about it,” she told Stephanie.
They rang off and Rosa closed the computer top. She remained sitting in front of it, looking at the sky, the trees, the mountains. The place was serene, as beautiful as any location she’d been in, yet Adam was back in her head. She had to do something to clear him out.
Getting up, she replaced the laptop in her backpack and mounted her horse. Later she’d drive into Butte and buy Samantha the most popular video game they had. She’d also get something for Chelsea and Luanne’s baby. But right now there were other things on her mind.
Namely rejection. Adam Osborne’s rejection.
Rosa hadn’t fooled them. The moment she came in the door the phone was ringing. It was Stephanie asking if she was all right. As soon as she hung up, Brad called with the same question. And then Digger was on the phone. She told them it was just that she was tired from so much work, but that things were going well here.
That wasn’t totally a lie. Things were going well with everyone except Adam. She was sure they believed her story of being tired. But to avoid any further calls, she grabbed her camera and left the house. This time she headed for Butte. She had enough scenery photos of the mountains. Her collection could do with some buildings and faces if the people would agree.
Rosa didn’t make it that far. Going through the Valley, she saw the library and thought of Joy Stapleton-Jones. She turned and parked in the small lot.
“Rosa, good to see you again,” the sixtyish woman greeted her warmly when she opened the door. “How are things going with Bailey?”
“Very well,” Rosa said.
Joy nodded.
“Bailey’s telling me a lot of stories. I’m recording them, so you’ll have an oral history along with the written one. He’s a very good storyteller.”