If only Laura felt as confident as Owen. “He’s smarter than you think.”
“Smart or not, he’s hurt and not capable of doing much until he gets his injuries treated. We have more pressing matters to attend to right now. If the fire flares up and spreads, there’s more at stake than just our lives. The last thing we need is a wildfire.”
Then he gave her a look filled with such disdain, Laura wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. “I know it’s asking a lot since you seem completely unable to follow directions. But please, just do as I ask.”
He looked almost defeated when he said those words. The condemnation Laura felt couldn’t have been greater. She’d completely ruined his life because she hadn’t listened to him, and there was nothing she could do to make up for it.
“I will,” Laura said, then picked up the bucket to get more water.
She followed Owen out of the barn but stopped at the well while he continued to the house. Laura had no real sense of how far it was to town, or how long it would take help to arrive. But she’d do her best to help the Hamiltons for as long as it took.
Returning to the barn with the water, Laura carefully looked to see if there were any signs of the fire coming back. There didn’t seem to be anything glowing red, but she wasn’t going to leave it to chance. Her arms ached, her legs ached, and now her head was starting to ache. But she wasn’t going to leave her post.
When she’d first been in the girls’ room with Lena, Lena had paused to pray. In all the confusion, Laura hadn’t even thought to do so. She thought of herself as a good Christian, but maybe she wasn’t even good at that. Not when she’d made so many mistakes born out of her pride. She thought about where it said in Proverbs to trust in the Lord with all your heart.
As she stared at the smoke rising from the ashes, Laura had to admit that she hadn’t trusted in the Lord at all. Not once since being told James had escaped had she gone to the Lord in prayer on the subject. She certainly hadn’t prayed about how to handle Owen and his forceful attitude toward her. No, she’d just plunged headlong into what she thought was right, even though she had no experience in these matters.
She’d insisted on her own way, and even in a dangerous situation, Laura had thought of herself first.
Lord, I’m sorry.
They were the only words she could pull out of her aching heart, and they seemed so insignificant compared to the damage she’d done. Lena might die, and Laura could see that many of the boards in the barn would have to be replaced. To say nothing of the horses running wild out there. How they’d catch them, she didn’t know.
And then there was the fact that James was still on the loose.
Who else would her ex-husband hurt before he was captured again?
Laura heard a noise behind her and she turned.
Owen stood in the doorway, exhaustion written all over his face.
“How is Lena?”
“She’ll live. I got the bullet out, and it looks like it missed any major arteries. But she’ll be off that leg for a while. I’ve got her bandaged up, and I gave her something for the pain and to make her sleep. She’ll be madder than that stupid rooster when she wakes up, but she needs to take it easy and heal.”
Then Owen looked around. “Speaking of that rooster, have you seen him?”
Laura stared at him, then glanced around. “No. Why?”
“I owe that bird a debt of gratitude.” Owen sounded almost disgusted to have to admit it.
“How so?”
He made a noise as he shook his head. “He distracted James enough to get him to drop his gun. There are a lot of things you can plan for, but no one ever thinks a crazy rooster is going to attack.”
Owen chuckled for a moment; then his face grew somber. “You need to know that I’m mad. Real mad. I can’t ever remember being this angry. If you had just stayed put...”
He didn’t need to finish his thought as he shook his head. Laura knew. If she’d obeyed Owen, none of this would have happened.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
His nod told her that while he understood she was sorry, he wasn’t ready to hear her apology.
“I’m not one to accept excuses. But I have to know. What were you thinking, coming out of a safe place that I’d asked you to stay in after we all heard a gunshot?”
Put that way, Laura sounded almost reckless in her behavior. And from Owen’s perspective, she could see why he would view her in that light.
Laura swallowed. “I was scared of the small space. The girls said it was probably a snake.”
Her answer only made him look more disgusted. “You trusted six-year-olds over my word?”
Now she felt like she’d been completely ridiculous. Of course six-year-olds knew nothing about what it meant to be safe on a ranch. Laura shook her head. No, they knew more than she did because they at least knew to listen to Owen.
“They said it had happened before,” Laura said weakly.
He closed his eyes and pursed his lips in the way he did when he was particularly annoyed. “Did it ever occur to you that we might tell the girls things like ‘It turned out only to be a snake’ to protect them from the knowledge of what was really going on? This may be the first I’ve ever brought my work to the ranch, but that doesn’t mean trouble hasn’t come calling.”
Could she feel any more stupid?
“I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down her face as she shook uncontrollably. It hadn’t been enough for her to have to come to terms with God over her willfulness. She deserved every bit of Owen’s wrath.
Owen took a step toward her, and Laura shrank back. She might deserve what she got, but it didn’t mean she’d accept the pain willingly.
But instead of continuing toward her, Owen turned away. He clenched and unclenched his fists, then spun back in her direction.
“You know, I’m trying to understand. To be patient with the fact that you’ve been hurt by a man time and again. But every time I come near you, you flinch. Have I once raised a hand to you? To my children? To anyone?”
His voice was raw and full of anger. But as Laura considered his words, she had to admit that he hadn’t. Not even in protecting her. She’d never seen Owen resort to violence. True, she’d watched him almost shoot James, but that was part of his job.
“No,” Laura said quietly.
Owen stared at her, hard. “I want you to remember that. You have put my family in grave danger. That would push many men over the edge. But I am standing here, trying to reason with you, trying to understand, and...”
He turned away, shaking his head. “I need to round up the horses and figure out what to tell the girls. You do what you’ve got to do, but I’d sure appreciate it if you’d make sure my barn doesn’t burn down.”
She’d thought he’d sounded defeated before, but now he sounded like he’d been crushed into the ground. Still, there was one more thing they hadn’t considered.
“What about James? Are you sure he won’t come back tonight?”
Owen stopped but didn’t turn to look at her. “I doubt he’s that stupid. He’s been bitten and kicked by a horse and is walking with a noticeable limp. From what I could tell, the rooster clawed up his face pretty good, too. The excitement of the moment has worn off by now, and he’s probably hurting pretty badly. I suspect he’s gone somewhere to lick his wounds and figure out his next move.”
Then Owen continued out of the barn. Laura would have liked to have found confidence in his explanation, but she had no confidence at all where James was concerned. Not that she would say that to Owen. She’d lost all credibility with him, and she didn’t blame him.
* * *
From the dust swirling in the distance, Owen knew that help was on the way. For all the good it did him now. How had James gotten here undetected?
Troy came up to him a
nd gave him a nudge. Owen patted the horse. “Hey, buddy. I knew you’d come back. Where are all of your friends?”
Some people might think it weird that Owen talked to his horse like he was a person, but Troy had been there for him through a lot of rough spots, and sometimes he thought the horse understood him better than most people. Definitely better than Laura did.
Owen tried to push her out of his mind. It didn’t matter if Laura understood him or not. His only job was to protect her, and while he technically had been successful in that mission, her complete disregard for anything he told her was proving to be a liability. Maybe he needed to get someone else to do the job. But who?
As he mentally went through the list of men he knew, his gut twisted at the reminder that he’d promised. Laura probably didn’t remember, or she’d at least gracefully let him out of it, but what did Owen have if he didn’t keep his word? Lena would tell him to pray about it.
Owen’s stomach sank even further. The bullet had come out easily, and the wound was clean. He’d doctored many a bullet wound in his day, and he hadn’t killed a man yet. But this was Lena. He was supposed to protect his sister, not get her shot.
As he looked in the direction of the meadow, he saw Rascal and Beauty grazing. They were probably happy to have the fresh grass for a change. But no Daisy. Daisy and Rascal were like two peas in a pod, kind of like the girls. That was part of why he’d gotten the horses for them. The horses hated being separated, and Owen liked the idea of having them watching over his children.
Hopefully Owen would be able to find Daisy when they found James so his daughter could have her horse back.
A loud crowing sound next to him made Owen jump. Then he smiled and bent to pick up the rooster. “Hey, Henry. You did good work today. Makes me glad you didn’t end up in Lena’s stew pot.”
As he stroked the rooster, he felt the one spur he’d failed to cut off. “Sorry about that, old boy. I’m glad I didn’t get it, because with your claws and that good spur, you might have saved my life.”
Henry made what Owen thought must be a satisfied noise as Owen stroked him. “But if you hurt one of my girls, we might have to have a different conversation.”
The girls! Owen still had no idea what he was going to tell his daughters, but they’d been stuck in the root cellar long enough. They didn’t enjoy going in there, but it was the only way to keep them safe.
Carrying the rooster, he walked over to the root cellar and knocked on the door, then said their special word. The door opened, and Anna smiled at him.
“Oh good. Henry is all right. I was worried about him.” Anna stepped aside to let Emma come out, as well.
The girls looked at each other, then at him. “Where’s Laura? I hope you’re not too angry with her. She just wanted to help,” Anna said.
“We did tell her not to,” Emma added.
He didn’t fault the girls at all for Laura’s actions. She’d made the decision on her own.
“You’re not in trouble,” he said, smiling at them.
“But is she? Don’t be mad, Papa.”
Anna didn’t usually take to most people, but here she was, defending Laura, even though she had no idea what had gone on. Owen still wasn’t sure how he was going to tell the girls about Lena’s injuries. How did one explain a gunshot wound to children?
“Promise us you’re not mad,” Emma said.
Owen took a deep breath. He tried not to lie to them, which was why coming up with an explanation was hard enough. But to promise something when every bone in his body was screaming in frustration with the woman...
“Girls—”
“Who’s that coming?” Anna asked, pointing behind Owen.
Automatically, Owen put his hand on his gun belt as he turned. Then he relaxed.
“It’s Uncle Will.”
“Do you think he brought everyone with him? That’s a lot of horses,” Emma said.
Once again, he was going to have to disappoint the girls.
“I’m afraid not.”
“You have to go to work again, don’t you, Papa?” Anna’s voice was tinged with sadness. When they’d moved to the ranch, it was with the promise that he wouldn’t be gone for days on end anymore. That he was going to remain here with them.
Today wasn’t just the day when his barn was damaged and his sister was shot, it was also the day his promise to his daughters would be broken.
Hopefully, Will would have some good advice. It seemed like everything Owen had been doing was all wrong, and he didn’t know how to make it right again.
The girls ran ahead to greet Will, and Owen followed, still carrying the rooster. When Will saw him, he’d probably think he’d lost it, but there was something oddly comforting about stroking the soft feathers of an animal who’d once been the family nemesis but was now the family pet.
The yard was filling up with riders, and Owen was grateful for all of them, even if they hadn’t gotten here in time to be much help. He spied Richard McDonald, one of the men who worked at the Leadville Fire Department. After nodding at Will, Owen continued to Richard.
“We had a small barn fire. I think it’s out, but I’d appreciate it if you’d take a look.”
“Sure thing.” Richard dismounted and handed his reins to another member of the posse then followed Owen to the barn.
Laura sat on a stool, staring at the charred bits like she thought they were going to jump up and bite her.
“You can go on into the house now. Richard will take it from here.”
Her jerky nod told him that she was still upset over everything that had happened. She probably thought he’d been too harsh with her, and maybe she was right. But thanks to her, his sister had been shot, the barn had nearly burned down and James had gotten away. He supposed he had the right to hang on to his anger for a while longer.
Owen took a deep breath and reminded himself of God’s mercy, and how God forgave him all the stupid things he’d done over the years, so he needed to extend that mercy to Laura. But it didn’t keep his insides from burning.
But there were more important things to worry about right now than the morality of his anger.
“On your way, would you ask Will about a doctor and see if he’s got someone who can check Lena’s wound? Then show them to the girls’ room?”
Her expression softened at his request. “Of course.”
Without any other comment, Laura got up and did as he’d asked. Or at least he assumed that’s what she was doing.
After giving Richard a brief explanation of what happened, Owen exited the barn, just as Will was arriving.
“What happened here? Laura said Lena got shot.”
Owen nodded. “Did you happen to have a doctor with you?”
“No, but I’d trust Jake with a bullet wound more than I’d trust half the doctors in town.”
He knew Jake. Jake had pulled a bullet out of him once and had done the best job of it. A man shouldn’t have multiple experiences getting bullets taken out him, but at least Owen had always been on the right side of the law.
“Me, too,” Owen said.
Will gave him a strange look. “Can we start with the rooster? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man carrying around a rooster like it was a baby.”
He hadn’t even realized he was still carrying the animal. Owen set the rooster down, but it continued following him. Even though it couldn’t possibly have known what it had done, the rooster seemed to have formed an attachment to Owen.
So Owen launched into the tale, knowing that all the men would have a good laugh at the idea of a life-saving rooster. He also had to include Lena’s crazy horse in the life-saving category, something she’d probably hold over his head for the rest of his life.
But he’d take the teasing if it meant having his sister around awhile longer, a lot longer.
A
scream came from inside the house, and Owen and the men all ran in the direction of it. It was Anna or Emma, he couldn’t tell. But it felt like he was wading upstream trying to get to them, even though it had probably taken less than a minute.
The girls were standing in the kitchen, where Lena’s blood was all over the place. A bloodied rag sat on the table, and in the eyes of two little girls, it was a frightening sight. Owen was a grown man and even he wanted to be sick. But mostly, that was because he knew whose blood it was, and it was a reminder of how close he’d come to losing Lena.
A breathless Laura entered the kitchen. “Are you all right?”
His daughters just stood there, holding each other, not saying a word.
Laura went to them. “I’m so sorry about the mess. Your aunt hurt her leg, and I got carried away trying to help her and I didn’t get a chance to clean up. You remember what it was like with Henry’s leg.”
At the mention of the rooster, the girls relaxed.
“Where is Auntie?” Anna asked.
Emma nodded, and Owen noticed that she looked to Laura, not him. His girls had taken a shine to Laura, as evidenced by the way they’d defended her earlier and looked to her now. Did Laura understand how rare that was?
“She’s upstairs,” Laura said. “She’s got someone who knows leg injuries better than me looking at it right now, but we can go see her in a while. Why don’t we go into the library and make her a nice get-well card?”
And just like that, Laura had taken care of the problem of helping his daughters understand what had happened while they were in the root cellar. At some point, they’d want to know how Lena had hurt her leg, but at least now, they were reassured and happy.
“She’s good with them,” Will said.
Owen let go a little of the anger he felt toward Laura. “She is.”
“You know, it’s none of my business, but—”
With a glare at his old friend, Owen said, “When you start a sentence with it being none of your business, that’s where it stops. What’s most important right now is that we figure out a new plan for catching James and keeping Laura and my family safe.”
Honor-Bound Lawman Page 12
