The Country Rose

Chapter 5: Painted Smiles

Chapter 5: Painted Smiles

"Good morning," John greeted as Rose shuffled down the hall and towards the small kitchen. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," she said through a yawn.

Pushing the sleep out of her eyes, Rose took a seat at the little table. The grand tour of John's country home took only a few minutes the night before and yet Rose loved every inch of it. It was quant with only two bedrooms, but the simple décor was staged to perfection. A soft smile crept over her lips as she remembered John telling her that her grandmother was responsible for the charming cottage feel. Even years after her passing, John refused to change a thing. Rose was glad he didn't. It made her feel close to the grandmother she never knew.

"I must say, I'm surprised you are up this early. Your Aunt Daphne often mentioned that there were days you'd sleep until noon," John said as he rummaged around the kitchen. "Coffee? I stocked the fridge with the fancy coffee creamer your aunt also said you liked."

Rose was touched by his thoughtfulness. Meeting his bright blue gaze, she smiled and said, "Yes, please. Thank you. And I usually only sleep that late if I went for a morning run. There doesn't happen to be a good trail near by, is there?"

John placed two mugs on the table before turning back towards the refrigerator. He pulled out three different flavored creamers and snatched the sugar bowl off of the counter before taking a seat across from Rose. For a man in his early seventies, he was certainly in good shape. The years had wrinkled his skin, and yet Rose had a feeling he was a handsome man in his day.

"Actually, there's one about two miles east of here. It wraps around the lake. It's a beautiful trail, but just be careful of what time you go."

Rose clenched her mug between her hands and paused mid-sip. "There are no bears or anything, are there?"

The lines around John's eyes crinkled together as he tossed his head back with a deep laugh. "Oh, heavens no. But sometimes the kids like to sneak off the path and have a big ol' bonfire in the clearing."

"Oh." Rose smiled into her coffee and thought about what life would have been like had she grown up in Briarville instead of Dorn. The familiar figure of a tall country boy flashed through her mind. Her cheeks warmed as she remembered the way he looked at her. Even now, it had the power to send all her nerves tingling.

She had half the mind to ask John if he knew anything about the mysterious Austen who had saved her from being stranded, but the moment she opened her mouth she lost the nerve. She would be gone soon anyways. No good would come from daydreaming about a man she would probably never see again. Keeping her mind from going astray, she asked, "So how often would you and Aunt Daphne talk?"

"About once a month she would mail a letter and tell us what you would be up to, how the holidays were, things like that. That reminds me..." Slowly, John rose from his seat and crossed into the living room. He returned with a stack of bound letters in his hands. "These are for you. A few years ago, your father began writing letters too, but he never mailed them. Just kept them here in a box. I think he feared that if he ever sent one out it would be returned. But they are all addressed to you."

"Me?" Rose looked down at the letters he placed before her. "But why?"

"I believe he always regretted not going after your mother. Had I known then, what I know now, I probably would have encouraged him to go after you two. I certainly wouldn't have said some of the things I did."

The pained look in his blues eyes pulled at Rose's heart. "It's okay. You didn't know."

John smiled softly. "That's what your grandma always said too."