Page 10 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered where she was… and who this wonderful man was that would care for a complete stranger without question.

Chapter 4

Daxton

Daxton watched her sleep, settling into a chair in the corner of the room. His eyes traveled over her features. Even though her face was dirty, and her hair was filled with straw and leaves, she was still beautiful.

He studied her face, wondering who she was running from and why. Then he noticed the bruise on her cheek and the bruises on her arms. Daxton sighed, knowing that she was probably running away from an abusive husband or lover.

Daxton heard the clanking of dishes in the kitchen and realized that the children were up. He glanced over at the sleeping woman, having no intention of letting her near his children until he talked to her first.

As quietly as he could manage, he slipped from the room, closing the door behind him.

“Morning, Pa,” Lillian called from the kitchen. “I’m making pancakes. Want some?”

Daxton nodded, walking in. “I’m going over to see Colton Hill this morning. Would you like to visit Ella again today?”

Lillian’s eyes lit up. “Would you mind? We’re making clothes for her children.”

A smile lit his lips. “No, not at all. I have a few things to do around here, so you go ahead. I’ll take you over in just a bit.” Daxton knew it was a good idea for the children to be out of thehouse away from the woman until he could get to the bottom of her situation. If he needed to, he’d gladly swear out a warrant for the arrest of the man who had harmed her.

“Don’t worry.” Lillian placed a pancake on a plate. The skillet sizzled as she added more batter. “I’ll do my chores before we leave.”

Daxton shook his head, proud of his daughter. “No, I’ll take you over and then I’ll come back to do the chores. It’s summertime. Enjoy yourself. I’ll take care of the house.”

Her eyebrows rose, clearly excited. “You don’t mind?”

Daxton smiled. “You’ve been taking care of the house long enough. Now, it’s my turn.” Guilt grabbed his chest, realizing how much he had been leaving to the children lately. “Besides, I need to clean out the barn.” He had only one milking cow and a few horses. He had planned to get Andrew a horse soon, since he was getting older now, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. But what they had was enough to care for themselves without having to hire someone to help him.

Andrew came in, pulling his suspenders up over his shoulders. “What’s going on?”

Daxton waited for a minute, wondering if he knew about the woman. “What do you mean?”

Andrew took the plate of pancakes to the table, helping out without being asked. “I heard that Lillian is going over to visit Mrs. Hill again today.” He shrugged. “I was just wondering what was going on.”

Daxton set a glass jar filled with maple syrup on the table along with the place settings. As exhausted as she was, he knew the woman would sleep for a while. “You going fishing today?”

Andrew’s eyebrows rose almost into his hairline, confused. “I just went fishing yesterday—”

“And you didn’t catch any fish.” Daxton smiled. “I was hoping to have fish for dinner tonight.”

A broad smile spread across Andrew’s lips. “You don’t mind?”

Daxton laughed, enjoying his son’s surprise. “I think you two’ve been holding down the fort here long enough. Go have some fun. I’ll take care of the house and the barn this week.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure? The barn—”

“Can surely survive a week without you.” Daxton motioned toward the kitchen chairs. “You’re both children. I want you to enjoy your childhood while you still can. You’ll be grown up soon enough.”

“I don’t mind.” Lillian pulled the skillet off the stove and plopped the last pancake onto the stack sitting on the table. “I like taking care of the house.”

“Well, this week, you’re going to be children.” Once his children were seated, Daxton sat down at his place at the head of the table. “I insist.”

“Thanks, Pa,” Andrew reached for a pancake, but his father stopped him.

“Not before we say grace.”

The children folded their hands at the edge of the table, bowed their heads, and waited.

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