Tuesday Teaser 2/17/2015: Rose

It’s mid February! Wolf’s Princess is still not done, but I’m really moving forward on it now. I have three main scenes left to write, or about 12,000 words. It is at 91,200 right now, so that will put us over 100,000 words.. I am considering a short-ish epilogue too. I have hopes the rough draft will be complete by March 8. It’s sad that I hurt my shoulder shoveling snow. (The one and only day I had to go out is the one and only day this year we had snow!) It slowed me down in my writing. You wouldn’t think typing would hurt a shoulder, but it does!

Anyway, here is a snip of what I wrote Sunday. It should be interesting to those of you who want to know what happens with Sara and Stone. 🙂

Even taking her time, Rose finished the dishes in less than an hour. She was wiping down the sink when the mudroom door opened and Stone came in. Rose blinked at the beaming smile on his face. She had rarely seen that open, happy smile since he had come back from Kansas two years ago. It chased away all signs of grimness, leaving him a handsome young man of twenty-one.

“Rose!” He came to her with a bounce in his step, oozing excitement. “She said yes! She agreed to my mate claim, and the marriage is going to stand.”

“You forgave her? You love her?”

His eyelids swept down and then up, showing a sheen of moisture. “Yeah, I love her. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been so hurt. But we’ve talked about it, and we’re going to put it away and never talk about it again.”

“That’s good, Stone. I’m so happy for you. Have you…” Rose cleared her throat. “Are you going to spend the night at her uncle’s house? Or will you wait to, um.” Doggone it, she was blushing!

Now his smile shaded into knowing male satisfaction. “Tonight.” His caramel-colored eyes glowed. “Tonight,” he repeated, “we’re going to… Tonight is our wedding night. But where can we go? I don’t want her walking through the streets tonight, even with me for her escort. Whichever way the vote goes, things could get rowdy.”

Rose smiled. “I know exactly where you should spend tonight. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

She led him up the steep, narrow staircase to the third floor. “This is the room Ms. Mary used. I think it will work just fine for your wedding night.”

She opened the door to the pink room and flicked on the light. Stone sent a quick glance around the pretty, feminine room, but his gaze settled on the bed for a long moment. He turned to her and gripped her hands. “It’s perfect,” he said, squeezing her hands.

“I’m happy for you, Stone,” she said again. “You’re a special man, and I believe Sara truly loves you. I’ll take some time and clean up in here.”

He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them with brotherly affection. “Thank you, Rose. You’re the best.”

The day passed slowly for Rose. She finished tidying the kitchen, and then changed the sheets on the bed in the pink room and tidied it. She stood in the doorway when she was finished, looking around the room. It was pretty, a more appropriate place for a wedding night than the boring gray room across the hall where she and Sky had lost their virginity. She smiled a little. She didn’t care what the room looked like as long as Sky was in it.

She stilled, staring blankly at the wall. As long as Sky was in it. Did she care for him? Yes, of course, she cared for him. Did she love him? She wasn’t sure it was love. Did he love her? She’d seen what true love looked like. It was Taye, face white with terror, when Carla’s labor went too long with Little Feather. It was Tracker sitting side by side in the firelight with Tami, telling her without words he would always be there for her. It was bossy Shadow, sitting patiently while his wife laughed at their  daughter braiding his hair into ridiculous loops. It was the pride on Quill’s face when he watched Ellie play with their children.

She closed the door on the room, and on her thoughts, and went downstairs to see if Katelyn needed help with lunch.