She looked down at her lap and fiddled with the sleeve on her dress. “I don’t even know what to sing.”
Owen smiled. He thought it was cute that she was shy about singing for him. “Anything will do. What about the Star-Bangled Banner by Francis Scott Key?”
“I like that one,” Jeremy agreed.
“There. If your son wants it, then you should sing it for him.”
She shifted on the bed and cleared her throat. “Alright.” She licked her lips and straightened her back. She took a deep breath before she began singing.
Owen’s mouth almost dropped open. He thought she would have a pleasant voice, but he wasn’t prepared for how good she really was. Jeremy stopped playing with his toy and watched, probably just as transfixed as he was. The sound of her voice evoked a wave of emotions that surprised him. When she finished, he struggled to find the right words to express what he thought, but had to settle for a simple, “That was beautiful.”
She shrugged, her face a bright shade of red. “It’s the song.”
He shook his head and laughed. “Granted, the song stirs the spirit, but I’ve never heard anyone do it the justice you just did.”
She peered up at him. “Really?”
“Yes, and I’m not just saying that.”
“Thank you.”
“I told you, Ma. You’ve got the best voice in town.”
“In town? I’d venture to say she’s got the best voice in the country,” he told the boy.
“I doubt that,” she said. “What about you, Owen? What kind of things do you like to do?”
He wondered what Irving told her about him. He decided to feel out the question she just asked so he wouldn’t inadvertently say something contrary to what Irving already said. “You know, I’m having trouble remembering what I wrote. I was busy that day, when I wrote the letter—” assuming, of course, that there was only one letter—“so could you refresh my memory?”
“Were you locking up the bad men?” Jeremy asked, his eyes wide.
“Yes,” he lied.
“What did they do?” Jeremy dropped his toy and sat beside him on the bed.
“Uh...bad things.” He glanced at Jenny who looked at her son in amusement. Realizing the boy wanted to hear something exciting, he continued, “They were wanted men. They robbed five banks in three months.”
“Wow! Did you catch them in a bank?”
“I did. Actually, they came in to rob the place when I was making a deposit.”
“What’s a deposit?”
“A deposit is when someone puts money into their account.”
“What’s an account?”
He paused, wondering how to best explain it to the kid. “The bank holds money for me. So I took my money into the bank so they could put it into my account...for safe keeping.”
“Why? Can’t you hide it under your mattress like Ma does?”
“Jeremy,” Jenny interrupted, “some people like to keep their money in banks.” She looked at Owen. “Go on.”
Owen nodded. “Right. Actually, there were six of them.”
“Six?” The boy’s eyes grew as big as saucers.
“They were tall too. I think three of them were seven feet tall.”
“Seven feet tall?” Jenny asked, obviously not believing it.
He winked at her, and she grinned. She’d recognize the tall tale for what it was, but a boy had to believe in little guys like Owen taking on men the size of monsters. It made for good daydreams. At least it did for him when he was a kid. He patted Jeremy on the shoulder. “I had to be calm through the whole thing. It wasn’t easy. They were huge and mean.”
“Did they have guns?”
“You bet they did. That’s how they were able to talk all those other banks out of their money.”
“Did you shoot any of them?”
“No. I did shoot the guns out of their hands, but it took a careful aim in order to do that. You see, when you’re outnumbered, you got to use your head and think of how to outwit the bully. I threw something across the room to distract them and was able to shoot the guns out of their hands, just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
“You mean you’re a quick shot?”
“Well, I don’t want to brag...” because he’d never shot a gun in his entire life...“but they didn’t call me fast fingers for nothing.”
“Wow.”
“I then lassoed them all together in one fell swoop and dragged them off to jail.” Not that he’d ever held a lasso before, but he had to finish with something credible. How else would he get six large men rounded up so they didn’t run off?
“Ma was right about you,” Jeremy said. “You really are the best!”
“Is that what you said?” Owen asked her. Was Irving that great of a deputy?
She nodded. “It showed in the way you wrote. I’ve never seen a man more dedicated to his career.”
“Oh.” Oh boy. Owen exhaled. If Irving had the potential to be that good, then he had a lot to learn about being Irving when he was on duty. He wondered if he could possibly fill Irving’s shoes.
Chapter Six
Owen groaned and rolled over in the bed. Maybe he should sleep on the floor. Laying next to Jenny in the dark was driving him insane. The bed wasn’t that big, and the fact that Jeremy was asleep in the small bed next to them wasn’t that much of a deterrent. At least, it wasn’t as much of a deterrent as it should have been.
He closed his eyes and tried to focus on what he needed to do. Really, he had some serious problems coming up. If Irving had been a fisherman, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. But Irving wasn’t a fisherman. He was a deputy. And apparently, a good one. In fact, from reading Irving’s note, Owen could tell that the man took his job seriously.
Owen tried to imagine doing the things deputies did...whatever those things might be. Chasing the outlaws, naturally, was one of them. He never thought that he’d be one of those outlaws. Seeing his face on a Wanted poster had been a chilling experience. Killing Mitch had been as well, but that wasn’t intentional. The man was coming after him. What else could he do? If he hadn’t defended himself, he’d be dead.
Don’t think about that. He had to concentrate on being Irving. Irving was brave. And Irving was large. How tall was he anyway? A good six feet at least. Maybe six and a half. He recalled how happy Irving had seemed to run into Big Roy and his men. Owen shivered. Those were scary men, but Irving looked at them in the same way a cat looked at a mouse. Irving, it seemed, enjoyed tracking down outlaws with great enthusiasm. The man didn’t just like his job. He lived for it. It was in his blood. How was Owen supposed to imitate that kind of dedication?
Jenny sighed in her sleep and snuggled against his back. He gritted his teeth. This was horrible. She was full of softness and curves. His body insisted he act on the urges coursing through him, but how could he when Irving was impotent? Tears sprang to his eyes. This wasn’t fair. Of all the things the invincible Irving could do, making love to his wife wasn’t one of them. She wrapped her arm around his waist. He winced. Was she trying to kill him?
He explored the floor. Was there enough space for him to sleep there? Probably not. The room was way too small. He wondered what was going to happen once they got the house. Would he get his own room or would he be forced to endure this hardship there too? And that brought up another good question. Just when would they actually move to the house? They really needed a bigger place, especially with the three of them. He hoped he’d get his own room. No. That’s not what he hoped for. Not really. What he really wanted was for Irving to overcome his problem. He would have to come up for a way to make that happen because he had every intention of doing more than cuddling with his wife.
***
Owen stopped in front of the jailhouse. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his new vest and wiped imaginary lint from his denims. He did like his new clothes. The tailor did an excellent job. Alright. Enough stalling. It was time to report to work.
He stood up straight and stared at the door. He could do this. Everything would be fine. All he had to do was follow the sheriff’s instructions and things would work out. He had to believe that because if he didn’t, he’d doom himself. The optimism had worked when he got his aunt’s money back, and it would work this time. Always think positive.
He opened the door and walked into the jailhouse. Currently, two cells were inhabited. A quick glance around the large room showed him that the sheriff was nowhere in sight. He approached the desk with a pile of papers on it and wiped his sweaty palms when he realized that one of the top pages on the stack was information about him.
There it was in black and white. Owen Russell was last seen heading west on a train. He is 5’8” and has blond hair and a beard. He is wanted for murder. If you see him, apprehend him and notify the Baton Rogue, Louisiana marshal.
Owen took the piece of paper and stuffed it into his pocket. He glanced over his shoulder. One prisoner was asleep and the other had his head bowed in a book. Owen took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. Why was it so hot in Nebraska? He couldn’t recall sweating this much in Louisiana. Then again, he hadn’t been on the run when he lived there. He knew it was nerves caused him to break out into a sweat.
The door behind him opened and he whirled around to see the sheriff enter the building. “Good to see you, Irving. You know, you could have asked for more than three days off to be with that bride of yours.”
“Really?” Owen had assumed he’d be expected to show up for work as soon as possible. He mentally kicked himself for that assumption. He’d rather spend the day with Jenny and Jeremy than be here.
“But I shouldn’t be surprised. I know that yours is a marriage of convenience.”
Lucky me. Owen decided not to voice the sarcastic thought. Instead, he shrugged. “So, what are you going to have me do today?”
“The first thing I need to do is show you your desk.” He pointed to the desk against the wall. “There it is.”
“At least I won’t get lost on my way to it,” he joked.
The sheriff chuckled. “I know that the last thing you want to do is sit behind a desk, but I really need you to sort through all of this paperwork. Meanwhile, I need to escort Benny over there to the judge.”
Owen looked at the man who was reading in his cell. “What did he do?” He lowered his voice so Benny wouldn’t overhear him.
“He got into a brawl at the saloon the other night and shot a man. It wasn’t planned or anything. In fact, some witnesses say that he was defending himself.”
Owen tuned into everything the man was telling him. “Oh. What will happen to him?”
“I’m not sure. That’s up for the judge to decide. The witnesses are due to show up in court.”
“Well, you’ll let him go, right? I mean, he had to shoot to save his life.”
“If the judge finds him innocent, then yes. But you see, the issue is proving that he did shoot in self-defense. That’s the part that matters.”
“Right. Of course.” Owen rubbed his stomach, hoping to ease the crazy knots it was making. What if no one could prove that he killed Mitch in self-defense?
The sheriff patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll be back around lunch. Then you can take your break. For the time being, I need you to file all these papers. And don’t worry. We’ll get you out chasing outlaws soon enough. I know you’re eager to get into the action.”
“That’s alright. I don’t mind doing this.” Actually, he much preferred doing this. It was safer than being in the line of duty where men used guns and knives.
Sheriff Meyer unlocked the prisoner’s cell and led him to the front door. He stopped and told Owen, “Try not to let Danny back there bother you. He has a habit of mumbling in his sleep when he’s drunk. I see him a lot.”
Owen nodded. A regular. He suspected he’d be seeing a lot of Danny in the future. Clearing his throat, he told the man who walked beside the sheriff, “Good luck.”
The sheriff raised an eyebrow at him.
The man looked as scared as Owen secretly felt. “Thanks.”
Owen could tell the man was innocent just by looking at him. Couldn’t Meyer see the same thing?
After they left, he went to the window and watched as they crossed the street. He prayed that the man would be acquitted. If the man was released, then maybe Owen stood a chance as well...should his secret be discovered.
The sleeping man snorted and muttered something about red dancing dots.
Owen shook his head and turned to the desk. Being drunk made some people say strange things. He sorted through the stack of papers and was relieved when none of them pertained to him. Good. At least he could relax for the time being.
***
Jenny finished dressing Jeremy as Owen walked into the room at the boarding house that Sunday. She smiled at her husband, relieved that he was friendlier than he seemed to be in his correspondence. She did like him, and Jeremy did too. It was nice to know that the marriage was leading to a friendship between them.
“Are you ready to meet my family?” she asked as she tied Jeremy’s shoes.
“Sure. I’ll have Jeremy here to keep everyone nice, right?”
Jeremy nodded. “You bet, Pa.”
“See? Jeremy will make sure that no one picks on me.”
She grinned at her son. “You have a tough job.” She glanced at Owen. “Fortunately for you, my brothers are very fond of their nephew, so since he likes you, they will too.” She stood up and took a deep breath. “Let’s go. We’ll be going to Sally’s house after church.”
“As long as Jeremy doesn’t leave my side, I’ll be just fine.” He patted Jeremy on the shoulder.
Jenny grabbed her shawl.
“Here. Let me help you with that.” Owen moved over to her and put it around her shoulders.
Her face flushed at the nearness of him. She hadn’t expected to feel the fluttery sensation in her stomach. Pushing it aside, she turned to hold Jeremy’s hand. “Well, here goes nothing.”
Owen opened the door and waited for them to leave before he stepped out of the room. “I think we’re a nice looking family. Don’t you?”
“I sure do, Pa,” Jeremy said.
She hoped her brothers would approve. Though she knew they couldn’t do anything about her marriage, she longed for them to accept her husband. After she made the huge error in judgment with Clyde, it’d be nice to know she could do something right...even if the sheriff had to arrange it for her.
On their way to the church, Owen slipped his hand through hers. The contact felt natural, as if they had always known each other. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing she was safe with him. He wouldn’t run off on her or Jeremy. Somehow she knew that this was the kind of man she could trust.
When they reached the yard, Sally waved to the other family members. “Oh good! Irving’s right over there.”
Owen must have noticed Jenny’s anxiety, for he squeezed her hand. “Everything’s going to be just fine.” Then he let go of her and picked Jeremy up and told the boy, “Now you make sure to tell them lots of good things about me, alright?”
“I sure will,” Jeremy assured him, looking unusually serious about his new mission.
Sally ran up to them with Tom, Jessica, and their girls. “This is Irving Spencer,” she told them. “He’s Sheriff Meyer’s new deputy. Irving, this is our brother Tom and his wife Jessica and their pretty little girls.” She turned to Owen. “Did you bring your badge?”
“No,” Owen replied. “I only wear it when I’m on the job.”
“Oh. That’s a shame.”
“It sure is,” the oldest girl agreed. “I’ve never seen a deputy badge before.”
“I’ll have to grab it before I head on out to your grandparents’ farm for the family get-together,” Owen promised.
“Can I try it on?”
“Sure.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Tom asked. “You won’t be a deput
y.”
“It’s just for fun,” Jessica said. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Tom shook his head. “You won’t let them climb trees because you say they’re acting like boys, but you’ll let them wear a badge?”
“They won’t fall and break a limb if they put on a badge.”
“They could get stuck with the pin. Those things are sharp.”
She rolled her eyes. “You manage just fine around the sharp objects, and they will too.”
“I managed to help build our new house, didn’t I? I stood high up on the roof for that one. That means the girls can climb trees without breaking a bone.”
“Yes!” the girl jumped up and down with her two sisters. “It’s true. We saw Pa up there. He even hopped on one foot.”
Jessica gasped. “You did that on the roof?”
“To make sure I wouldn’t fall through it.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I hate to think what chances you take when I’m not looking.”
“I’m fine. The girls are fine. Everyone’s fine.”
Sally groaned. “That’s enough. This is about Irving, not girls climbing trees.” She scanned the yard. “I’ll get David and Mary. They usually get people to stop arguing.”
As she ran off, Jessica furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Tom. “What is wrong with your sister? Why does she think we’re arguing?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? Sally has a tendency to go overboard on things.” He smiled and shook Owen’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Irving. I see that Jeremy likes you.”
“I now have a pa!” Jeremy said.
“That you do,” Jessica replied.
Owen chuckled before looking between Jenny and Tom. “I can tell you’re related. You look a lot alike.”
“Oh really?” Tom’s eyebrows rose in a challenge. “Can you tell where the other siblings are in this crowd?”
Jenny watched in amusement as Jeremy leaned forward to whisper in Owen’s ear. She nudged her son in the side. “There’ll be no cheating. He has to figure this one out on his own.”
“That’s right,” Owen agreed. “It wouldn’t be fair to make this easy for me.”
Wrong Husband Page 5
