Page 23 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

“Yes, that’s what I thought.”

He led the milking cow from the barn and began milking her. Before long, several buckets were filled with milk. “Feel better, girl?” Daxton ran his hand along the cow’s side. “I’ll come back to milk you again later.” Daxton didn’t realize how much he had come to depend upon the children until now. He was going to have to change that.

While he was doing his chores, his thoughts kept going back to Josey. He wondered where she came from and how far she had journeyed on foot. She had told him that she had been traveling for a week, so that meant that she could have come as far as from Laramie. But he doubted that she had traveled farther than that. She was a brave woman to run away from her husband like she did. During his time as sheriff, Daxton had seen a few cases of spousal abuse, and it was never pretty. Sometimes, even the children were abused, as well.

Daxton shook his head. In his opinion, women were to be cherished. Why some men got drunk and abused their wives, doing unspeakable things to them, was beyond him. While he and Priscilla were married, he had tried to care for her and had treated her well. Even after the children were born and she became mentally unstable, he still cherished her… right up until she walked out the door with another man. But no matter what she had done, he would never have thought of abusing her or touching her in any manner that wasn’t respectful.

Daxton was glad that Josey had the courage to run away. He just hoped that when her husband came for her, his children didn’t get caught in the crossfire. But somehow, Daxton had the feeling that he wasn’t coming for her. If he was coming for her, he would have caught up with her while she was on foot. Daxton shuddered at the thought. If he would have caught her, he would have probably killed her. Abusive men didn’t want their wives to leave and would rather see them dead first. No, Daxton was glad that, somehow, Josey had found her way to his barn.

At that moment, he vowed to protect her until she was stable enough to stand on her own two feet. If she was interested, he would ask Harrison if he needed another waitress. Or maybe she had some other interest. Perhaps sewing? Maybe Kenzie Baker, the new dress shop owner, needed help. Her business was growing, after all.

But one thing was certain: He needed to talk to her first. He just hoped that she would come to trust him enough to open up to him. Only then could he help her to overcome her past and go on with her life.

After a while, most of the chores were finished and his stomach started to grumble. He knew it was lunch time, and he wanted to check on Josie, so he headed toward the house. But as he drew near, someone passed before the kitchen window, wearing a straw hat.

“Oh, my God!” Daxton ran toward the house, wondering if Josey’s husband had tracked her down while he was out. But when Daxton burst in through the door, his son, Andrew, was sitting at the table with Josey, eating a bacon sandwich, wearing a straw hat.

He beamed up at his father, smiling from ear to ear knowingly. “Well, hello, Pa.”

“Take the hat off,” Daxton said. “You know better than to wear a hat at the table.”

Andrew reached up and pulled it off quickly. “Sorry, Pa.”

Daxton let out a deep breath. “Where did you get it, anyway?”

Andrew looked over at Josey and smiled. “Josey gave it to me.”

Josey was sitting across the table from Andrew, smiling, and then looked up and smiled at Daxton. She was bathed, her golden blonde hair was pulled up into loose curls and pinned into place, and she was wearing a dark blue dress that made hergreen eyes sparkle. Josey truly was a beautiful woman. “I hope you don’t mind. He said he was going fishing again later, so I thought he could use a hat to keep from getting sunburned.”

Daxton smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. He was going to get a plate, but Josey already had one out for him. “No, that’s quite all right.” He looked over at his son. “Sorry. I just didn’t know you were home. When I saw someone wearing a hat in the house, it scared me.”

Andrew’s lips turned up into a crooked grin. “It’s okay, Pa.” He nodded toward Josey. “So, how did you and Josey meet?”

Daxton laughed. “No, it’s not like that. Josey and I met a few days ago. She’s just staying here until she gets back on her feet.”

Andrew nodded. “Well, I vote that she stays here with us permanently.” He nodded to the house, now spick and span. “Look at the house! It looks great! She cleaned everything from top to bottom. It hasn’t looked this good in a long time.”

Josey blushed as she glanced over at Daxton. “I thought I’d repay the kindness you’ve shown me. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind?” Daxton chortled. “No, I don’t mind a bit. But I thought you were resting.”

She shrugged. “I did, but I’m feeling better now… especially now that I’ve had a bath.”

“Well, make sure you lie down when you get tired.” Daxton looked over at the plate of bacon sandwiches setting in the center of the table when he thought of something. “Say, that’s a good idea. Would you be interested in staying on to look after the children and take care of the house?”

She looked up at him sheepishly. “Like a housekeeper?”

He nodded, smiling. “If you don’t mind. We could use the help, and frankly, I would feel better knowing that someone was with the children while I’m at work. I couldn’t pay you much, but you’d receive free room and board. Also, if you need anything for you or the children, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you for the offer, but may I think about it?”

“Yes, of course.” He gave her a smile. “In the meantime, let’s enjoy this good meal.”

It would be a way for her to be able to stay there without the town gossip’s tongues wagging. If she took the job as his housekeeper, then her living there would be easier to explain. Although he knew she may not stay long, she would be a big help to him while she was there. That’s what he told himself, at least. In reality, he just wanted more time with her. What she may not realize was that, if she worked for him, she wouldn’t ever have to go. But he would discuss it with her later.

He took a bacon sandwich and laid it on his plate. “Andrew, I’m glad you’re home and can help us eat some of this bacon. Josey fixed enough for an army.” Daxton glanced over at her and smiled.

Andrew laughed. “Yes, even Lillian doesn’t fry this much.” He finished chewing the bite in his mouth and swallowed. “I got tired of staying at Shawn’s house. He has a lot of brothers and sisters, and it was just too loud. Even Shawn needs to get away from it sometimes.”

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