Laura nodded. “I can understand. I suppose if their mother left when they were small, Lena is the only mother they remember.”
Owen glanced at her, wishing she wasn’t so easy to talk to. There was a reason he didn’t talk about any of this, but Laura made him forget. “She is. The only reason they know any different is that they call Lena Auntie, and some of their friends thought it was odd that they have an auntie and not a mother.”
Laura smiled at him. “That must run in your family. You’ve never spoken of your parents, but you’ve referred to your uncle and the things he’s taught you a lot. I take that to mean that your uncle played a large role in raising you, just as Lena is raising the girls. He must have been a special person, just like her.”
The innocent look on her face told him that she wasn’t trying to pry, but her comment pointed to one more painful family secret he preferred to keep buried. One more reason that falling in love with Laura was a bad idea. Even though they called him uncle, their uncle wasn’t really an uncle, but their mother’s lover. Owen shook his head. He’d thought he married her. Only she’d neglected to tell him she was already married. He’d built this magnificent house for her, her children and the children he hoped to have with her. But it hadn’t worked out that way. His uncle had tried to save a woman who didn’t want to be saved, and he’d gotten stuck with a couple of children in return.
Instead, he said, “Something like that.”
“I hope you’ll trust me enough to someday tell me that story, too,” Laura said, her eyes shining full of the kind of hero worship he’d seen from her before.
“We don’t talk about those things.”
Laura looked wounded, as he’d known she would. But what was he supposed to say? Don’t dig into my heart because sharing the deep parts of my life with you is only going to make it harder to let you go? That so many pieces of his past were too shameful to mention?
Bringing her to the ranch had been a mistake. He didn’t want to get to know Laura better, didn’t want her to get to know his family. It would only make her leaving even more difficult. But when Lena had insisted and Will had backed her up, Owen had felt he had no choice. In her misguided way, Lena probably thought this was the perfect opportunity for Owen to fall in love. Why she wanted him to fall in love, Owen had no idea. They had both been burned, and both agreed on their futures. So what was Lena’s game?
Owen looked in the direction of the house, trying to see if Lena was on her way back. She’d been gone long enough. Too long. And while he would be pleasant to her when she finally did return, he’d find a way to have words with her later.
Laura cleared her throat. “I’m sorry for bringing all those things up,” she said. “You’re obviously not comfortable talking to me.”
The hurt in her voice was evident, and part of Owen wanted desperately to make it go away. But his job wasn’t to keep her from hurting; it was to keep her alive. All this other stuff between them, it was just a distraction, keeping them from the task at hand.
“I don’t mind talking to you,” he said. He looked back over to the girls to make sure they hadn’t gotten into any trouble. And to give him a moment’s space to figure out what he could say to her that wouldn’t encourage the blossoming feelings but would soothe the hurt he’d caused.
He finally turned back to Laura and said, “I don’t like talking about personal matters, that’s all. I’m a very private person, and sharing things about my life, especially my past, is never comfortable for me.”
Few people in his life knew the details. Will did, but that was because they’d known each other a lot of years.
“Do you think the rooster is all right?” Laura asked, looking back at the house.
“The rooster?”
Though the change of subject was a welcome reprieve, Laura’s choice of topics was a bit odd.
“I was just thinking about what you said about water and heat. I know the basket is well ventilated, but I’m feeling quite warm out here. I would hate for the rooster to be roasted before his time.”
A small smile turned the corners of her lips at her joke. She might have chosen an odd topic, but Owen couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t know about the rooster,” Owen said. “But I’m getting parched. I’m not sure what is taking Lena so long with the lemonade, but I’m starting to think that we should go check.”
Laura nodded. “I agree.”
As if to confirm that it was time to go, the girls came running back, their hands full of flowers. “Where’s Auntie with the lemonade?” Anna asked, panting.
Emma nodded. “We’re going to die of thirst.”
Laura grinned as she shook her head. “Now you know how the rooster feels.”
Owen couldn’t help but laugh. Not only did Laura have a good sense of humor, but she was right. If they were all this thirsty, how much more so was that rooster? Hopefully, this would be a good lesson for the girls.
They quickly packed up the picnic things and started for the house. But as they crested the tiny hill that stood between the meadow and house, Owen heard a gunshot.
His stomach fell, and while part of him wanted to go and check on Lena, he had Laura and the girls to keep safe. The root cellar wasn’t too far away, and Owen ushered them in that direction.
“Was that...?” Laura looked at him with fear in her eyes.
Owen shook his head. “This isn’t the time to ask questions. I need you and the girls to get in the root cellar. Girls, you know the special word. Once you get in there, bar the door, and don’t let anyone in unless someone uses that word.”
Owen had heard too many stories about people using a lawman’s children against him, so he and Lena had given the girls a special word to recognize that a person was safe to go with. As they approached the root cellar, he gave a quick glance to the stick that they kept propped against the door. Most people would think that it was to keep the door closed, but for Owen, it was a way to know if anyone had gotten in there. Fortunately, the stick was exactly where it was supposed to be, so he felt safe letting Laura and the girls go in unattended.
He ran toward the house, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure that Laura and the girls had followed his instructions. At least this time, she hadn’t continued badgering him with questions. Maybe she finally understood. As soon as he saw the door close behind them, Owen picked up speed. Once he got to the big pine nearest the house, he stopped. Using it as cover, he pulled out his gun and looked around.
There were no horses, so clearly it wasn’t an intruder. Owen felt his breathing return to normal as he reholstered his gun. Lena had probably seen a snake or something and done away with it. She was fearless, except when it came to snakes.
As he rounded the tree to the back of the house, he saw Lena coming out of the house onto the back porch, shotgun in hand.
“What do you think you’re doing? You scared me half to death,” he said, starting toward her.
Lena’s pale face told him he shouldn’t have been so harsh with his words. Owen ran to her. “What happened?”
Maybe it wasn’t a snake, but a mountain lion or a bear or something else.
“He’s here,” Lena said quietly. “I saw him sneaking around the side of the house when I came back to get the lemonade. Went inside to grab my shotgun. I got a shot off as he rounded the corner, but I think I only winged him. He headed toward the barn. I grabbed some more ammunition from the house, but I’ve been keeping an eye out. He’s still there.”
At least the barn was in the opposite direction of where he’d sent Laura and the girls. But Owen’s stomach twisted at the thought of James finding his way here. How had he known to come to the ranch?
“Did he say anything?”
Lena shook her head. “No. I just saw him trying to open one of the windows, and I asked him what he thought he was doing. He got s
cared and started to run, which is when I made use of my shotgun.”
Owen’s chest hurt. “You’re sure it was him?”
Lena nodded. “Looks just like his picture.”
Owen looked around. “How do you think he got here? Could you tell if he was alone?”
“Beats me. I wish I had something I could tell you. I just saw a man trying to break into our house, and I reacted.”
Then Lena looked around. “Where’s—”
“Everyone is safe in your old playhouse.”
Owen was glad he and his sister shared a history that allowed them to communicate without revealing what they were talking about. In fact, it would only leave an eavesdropper more confused. Another good thing about being close to his sister.
Lena nodded. “Good idea. What do we do now?”
“Send a signal to town. I’ll head to the barn.”
“Not on your own, you won’t. I’ll cover you with my shotgun. You’ve got too many feet of open space between here in the barn, and I won’t have you be a sitting duck.”
They went through the house and out the front door to get to the barn without being in the open. At least for part of the way. When they got to the front door, Owen looked out, trying to see if James had noticed his arrival. And if he could ascertain James’s position, so he wasn’t walking into a trap.
Owen’s hope was that James thought Lena was just some ranch woman defending her property and not realize that she was defending something far more precious.
Movement by the side of the barn caught Owen’s eye. James was positioned by the wagon, hidden in the shadows, but Owen could see him. Not enough to get a clean shot off, but eventually James would get impatient and move to a spot that would be easier for Owen to get to.
In fact, as he watched the other man fidget in the shadows, Owen suspected that James didn’t realize that Owen was there, watching. Catching James Booth might be easier than they thought. Owen turned and let Lena know his plan.
Chapter Eight
Owen had done it again. He’d dismissed her without even discussing her options. Yes, there had been a gunshot, but Laura could shoot. She could have helped.
Laura took a deep breath as she looked around the inside of the root cellar. The girls had shown her where they kept a lantern, and Laura had lit it, giving them light in the windowless space. The area was neat, and the shelves were full of supplies for the family.
A very nice place, if one didn’t hate being in enclosed spaces with no light. She took another deep breath and tried to settle her nerves. Even though they’d barely entered the root cellar, she could feel the walls closing in on her.
James had locked her in the basement once, refusing to let her out until she’d signed some papers giving him access to part of her fortune. At first, she’d refused, but the longer she stayed there, alone in the dark with all sorts of strange noises, the more her mind played tricks on her and the more afraid she became.
It had taken two days for her to give in, and even though it seemed like a relatively short period of time, it had been enough to make her hate enclosed spaces forever.
The girls pulled out a blanket and started sorting their flowers. They seemed perfectly content here in the root cellar, but even with the light from the lantern, Laura’s skin was starting to crawl.
“Do you do this often?” Laura asked, trying to find a way to stay calm.
Emma and Anna looked at each other, then shook their heads. “We’ve practiced several times,” Anna finally said.
“But Papa is a scaredy-cat. He always thinks things are dangerous.” Emma gave a dramatic sigh. “It’s probably just another snake. Auntie hates snakes. She’s always shooting them, and if Papa hears the gun, he makes us come here until it’s safe.”
Laura could relate to having an overprotective father. Most of the time, Owen seemed like a reasonable man. He was very patient with the girls, and took the time to make them feel comfortable. But clearly the forcefulness he showed with her wasn’t limited to her.
At least the children didn’t act afraid.
Whereas she was about to go crazy from being cooped up in here even for this short period of time.
Still, it seemed silly for Owen to turn something as simple as a snake into a big ordeal.
“How long does he make you stay in here?”
Anna let out a long sigh. “For ages. It’s why we have a few toys and things in here. Sometimes Papa takes hours to check the whole perimeter.”
The exasperated way Anna said perimeter and stumbled over the pronunciation, made Laura smile. Clearly Owen said the word often in front of his daughter. Though it was obvious they all loved each other very much, even the children got annoyed with their father’s heavy-handed ways. Especially with the drawn-out way the little girl said ages. Laura knew Owen was concerned with his family’s safety, but this seemed to be taking it a little too far.
As Laura replayed in her head the scene of when Owen told them to go to the root cellar, she didn’t think they had anything to worry about. After all, she’d seen the house. It didn’t appear as though anyone was there. No horse, no carriage, no sign that the threat was from a human being. And with the watchful way Owen had constantly looked out over the horizon, they would have seen someone coming.
“Maybe I should see if I can help them to make things go faster,” Laura said, looking at the girls.
Emma shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. If you disobey Papa, he might send you to bed with only bread and water for supper.”
Anna nodded. “And you don’t get any butter or jam on it either.”
Once again, Laura fought the urge to laugh. To the girls, this was a dire punishment indeed. But if that was the worst wrath one could expect from Owen, she would take her chances.
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell him that you girls had no part in my leaving. But you mind your Papa, bar the door behind me and stay here as he instructed.”
Wide-eyed, the girls nodded at her. Clearly, they were stunned that someone would go so far as to disobey their father. But Laura wasn’t a child; she was an adult. And it was ridiculous that Owen continued to treat her like she was as helpless as his daughters.
Laura wasn’t afraid of snakes. When she was a child and her parents refused to let her have a pet, she’d found a snake in the garden. She’d kept it hidden in her room, and she’d take it out to play with it. Had the snake not gotten loose, no one would have ever known. But sadly, it did. One of the chambermaids had found it in her room, and the results were not pretty. Since then, Laura had always had a soft spot for snakes. If no one else would like them, she would.
Laura unbolted the door and slipped outside. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she could hear the bolt slide back in. At least the girls knew what to do. It was just a shame that Owen had such a tendency to overreact.
As she walked toward the house, Laura caught a glimpse of a flash of light against metal. She turned in the direction of the light and saw Owen standing on the front porch behind a pillar, gun drawn.
All this over a snake?
Was he crazy, pointing his gun at the air?
Sighing, Laura drew closer to the house. Owen must’ve noticed her movement because he turned in her direction. Though she couldn’t see the expression on his face, she could see the shake of his head as he pointed back at the root cellar. Then he lowered his gun, seeming to aim it at the barn.
He shook his head again, then turned to the front door. She assumed Lena was standing there. He said something to the other person, and sure enough, a few seconds later, Lena stepped out the back door.
What was going on? For the first time, Laura had to wonder if maybe there was something dangerous out there after all. Some wild animal? If it were James, he’d have already been causing a ruckus.
She noticed that while Ow
en kept his gun pointed at the barn, he had turned his gaze in her direction. He whistled, then Lena ran to the pine tree that stood about halfway between the house and where Laura was.
Lena looked in Owen’s direction, and Owen nodded. Then Lena gestured at Laura to come to her.
Laura ran to the tree, and when she got there, Lena said, “What do you think you’re doing? Didn’t Owen tell you to stay in the root cellar?”
Breathless, Laura nodded.
“Well, why didn’t you listen?” Lena said, looking disgusted.
Having finally caught her breath, Laura said, “The girls said that he does this sort of thing all the time and it was probably a snake. It’s ridiculous to have to stay in such an enclosed area over a snake.”
Lena shook her head. “I suppose your ex-husband could be considered a snake. But now he probably knows you’re here. It’s not safe for you to go back to the root cellar, so come with me to the house. On Owen’s signal, run.”
Before Laura could process Lena’s words, Lena looked over at Owen, who nodded. As they ran toward the house, Laura heard the crack of a gun, then felt the force of being roughly shoved to the ground.
The weight of Lena’s body on top of hers was heavy, almost too heavy, but then Laura heard Lena say softly in her ear, “Crawl. As fast as you can, stay low to the ground and crawl.”
More shots rang out, and by now Laura had oriented herself enough to know that they were from Owen’s gun. The first shot had come from a different direction. Laura moved as quickly as she could. She continued to crawl up the stairs across the porch and didn’t stand until she opened the back door. Lena followed, but Laura noticed she was walking funny.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
Lena looked pale. “I’ve been shot. In the leg. I don’t think it’s bad. But it sure hurts. I’m going to sit here for a minute. You need to go to the front door, and if Owen is still standing there, you need to crack the door and tell him you’re safe.”
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