Page 27 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

“Let’s not count our chickens just yet. I still have to reel it in.”

“You want me to help you?” Andrew asked, clearly excited. A true fisherman indeed.

Josey shook her head, smiling. “No, I have it, but thank you.” Then she began talking to the fish. “Come on, baby. Come on in here.” When it got close to the shore, Andrew jumped in and snatched it up with the net.

“Just look at her, Josey!” Andrew lifted the net so he could get a good look at it. “She’s a beauty!” Then, he looked excitedly at Josey. “You want me to string her for you?”

Josey nodded, enjoying watching his excitement. “Sure, if you like. Just be careful taking out the hook. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”

Andrew scoffed. “Don’t worry. I do this all the time.” Within seconds, he had the fish off the hook and rushed up with the net. “Look at her! She’s so pretty!”

Josey smiled. In the net, the fish shimmered in shades of red, blue, and yellow, and was adorned with black spots. “She’s a rainbow trout. They’re the ones that shimmer like that.”

“Yes, and she’s a beauty.” Andrew pulled Josey in for a quick hug without thinking about it. “Congratulations!” Then he released her and backed away, as if it had been the most natural act in the world. “You caught the first fish of the day!” He ran over to the water’s edge, strung up the fish, and sank it back down into the water to keep it fresh.

“I haven’t seen him this excited in a long time.” Daxton stood by her side, watching his son. “But if he keeps hollering like that, he might just scare off the rest of the fish.”

“It’d be worth it, seeing him react like that.” Josey loved watching him just as much if not more than she had enjoyed catching the fish. “He sure loves fishing.”

Daxton smiled proudly. “That’s my son.”

Josey nodded, understanding. As she watched Andrew, a sense of pride welled up in her chest, as well. She knew that she could come to think of him as her own son… because she already did.

“Well!” Josey yelled to Andrew. “Are you going to play all day or are we going to catch some fish?”

“Coming!” Andrew called out, rushing back to get his pole.

“You made my son very happy today,” Daxton whispered, his breath gently brushing across her ear. She looked up at him and he gazed into her eyes. “Thank you.”

She nodded, enjoying him whispering in her ear a bit too much.

“Well, if we want fish for dinner, I suggest we get cracking.” Daxton looked up at the sky, the spell of the moment broken. “The sun’s not going to stay up for long.”

They spent the afternoon fly-fishing, having fun by the river, until the sun set, sending shoots of red, orange, pink, and purple across the summer sky.

“I think we did okay today.” Andrew grinned as he threw the stringer filled with fish over his shoulder.

Daxton laughed. “I think nine fish is more than okay. We had a good day.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “Hey! Why don’t I go over and get Lillian, and I’ll ask Colton, Ella, and the kids to come over. We’ll have a fish fry. We haven’t had one in a while.”

Josey’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Well… I…”

Daxton took her pole. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”

Josey gave him a small smile but didn’t say more as they walked back to the house.She felt comfortable with Daxton and his family, but any more than that and someone might recognize her before she could tell Daxton, although she didn’t know how. Despite Logan’s crimes, she had always stayed out of trouble… until now.

Andrew and Daxton chatted animatedly as they headed back to the house. But Josey was lost in thought. What if someone recognized her? What if someone knew that her husband had been Logan Slater, the outlaw? She let out a deep breath. Josey guessed that since she killed him, that made her an outlaw, too. But on the other hand, spending a night with friends sounded good. She just hoped that everything went well.

When they got back to the house, Daxton and Andrew cleaned up, and then Daxton put on his hat, ready to retrieve his daughter. From what Josey understood, Lillian went over to the Hill’s to help with their twins. She sensed that Daxton missed his daughter, and she wasn’t going to stand in the way of him bringing her home. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting her. But what she was having doubts about was meeting people other than his family.

Over the past few years, most of the people that came over to her and Logan’s house were members of Logan’s gang. And his family was worse. Or, at least, his brother, Austin, was. Their mother had died when Logan was little, and he had been raised by his brother and his father. She had never met his father, but from what she knew, he had been the pinnacle of meanness—the devil himself. He died in a bank robbery years ago, leaving Austin to raise Logan alone.

“Andrew?” Daxton asked his son, bringing her from her thoughts. “Would you like to go with me over to the Hill’s ranch?”

“Sure,” Andrew replied, running in with bare feet, adjusting the straps of his overalls.

Daxton motion over his son’s body. “Not like that, you don’t.”

Andrew held his hands out at his sides. “What?”

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