Page 11 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

Daxton said a beautiful blessing over the meal and then ended with, “Dig in!” He stabbed a pancake and plopped it onto his plate. “Lillian, this looks delicious. Where did you learn how to cook like this?”

She scoffed. “Pa, I’ve been cooking for a while now.”

He narrowed his eyes, realizing how much he had come to depend upon them. They were children and here he had been depending upon them as if they were adults. Well, things are going to change. He popped a bite of pancake into his mouth. “Andrew, what have you been using for bait?”

Andrew shrugged. “Worms.”

“Why don’t you try fly-fishing?” Daxton asked, stacking the dishes after the meal. “It’s the best way to get cutthroat and rainbow trout.”

Andrew’s eyebrows raised. “Thanks, Pa. I’ll try it,” he replied, finishing up the last of the pancake on his plate. “Wanna go?”

Daxton shook his head as guilt filled his chest. It had been a while since he had gone fishing with his son, and it was long overdue. “Maybe later. I have a lot of things to catch up on around the house first.”

Lillian took a dainty bite of her pancake. “Aren’t you going in to work today?”

“No.” Daxton sighed. “While we’re over at the Hill’s place, I’m going to ask Colton if he can take over for me as sheriff this week.”

Lillian’s eyebrows rose in concern. “Why?”

Daxton chuckled. “Because I want to catch up around the house and spend time here with you, for starters.” Then he turned toward his son. “I’ll tell you what. Let me take a day or two to catch up around here and then we'll go fly-fishing together. How does that sound?” Daxton didn’t want to go far and leave the woman unattended for too long, if he could help it. But he welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with his son, too. It had been too long.

When he was finished eating, Andrew rose from the table and set his plate in the sink. Then he reached for one of the metal buckets sitting in the corner, but his father stopped him.

“You go ahead.” He nodded toward Lillian. “Both of you enjoy yourself today. I’ll clean up when I come back from taking Lillian over to the Hill Ranch.”

Andrew’s face beamed with excitement. “Thanks, Pa!” Then he quickly grabbed his cane pole and headed out the back door,headed toward Whiskey River.Daxton made a mental note to get him a decent fishing pole soon.

“If you see a bear, get out of there!” Daxton called after his son and then glanced over at his daughter.

A broad smile spread across her face as she pumped water into one of the buckets. “I’ll be ready in a moment—”

“I said, I’ll take care of the dishes when I return. Now, grab your things and I’ll take you over to see Mrs. Hill.”

“Oh, she wants me to call her Ella now,” Lillian corrected, trying to sound very grown up. “But I’m not sure I feel comfortable with it yet.”

“Well, then. Call her what you feel comfortable with.” Daxton took his hat off the peg by the door and slid it on. “Come on. Grab your things and let’s go.”

“Pa? Guess what?” Lillian asked, clearly excited. “Mrs. Hill helped me fix up a sewing kit yesterday!”

“That’s wonderful.” He didn’t say anything about her mother’s sewing kit. After she was so quiet the day before when he had broached the subject, he had no intention of bringing it up again anytime soon. He guessed that she would bring it up again when she was ready. She was probably still angry with her mother for leaving, even though she probably didn’t even remember her. But Daxton hoped that one day Lillian, and Andrew, would come to forgive her.

“Get ready and I’ll be right back.” Daxton headed toward his bedroom, when Lillian stopped him.

“Pa, is everything all right?” Lillian asked, carrying her sewing box to the door.

He smiled. “Yes, of course. I just forgot my wallet. Go on out and I’ll be right there.”

Lillian returned the smile and then headed out onto the front porch to wait. Daxton knew that she loved taking in the fresh morning air on pretty, summer days.

When she was outside, Daxton poured another glass of water and slowly opened the door to his bedroom. Inside, the woman was still sleeping, so he walked in and set the glass of water by the bed. Her face was angelic, but troubled as she slept. Daxton wondered what her story was, where she came from, and what she had endured to bring her to his barn.

Daxton let out a deep breath. One thing was sure: He wasn’t going to get any answers until she woke. But right now, what she needed was rest. He felt her forehead and she was still burning up with fever. Daxton rinsed out the washrag in the basin and placed it back on her forehead. She didn’t even stir. A crease formed between his eyes. If her condition didn’t improve soon, he was going for Doc Morgan, whether she wanted him to or not.

But there was nothing more he could do at the moment and his daughter was waiting. So, he walked out and quietly closed the door behind him. Then he headed out to the barn, hitched up the team to the buckboard, and drove it around front. Lillian was sitting prim and proper on the front porch with her sewing box on her lap, trying to be so grown up, even though she was just nine years old. Guilt grabbed his chest again, knowing that his daughter’s childhood was quickly slipping away before she could have a chance to experience it.

“What took you so long, Pa?” Lillian daintily stood and skipped down the stairs to the buckboard, carrying her sewing box.

“I had to do something first.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either. But Daxton wasn’t going to tell the children about the woman. Not yet.

---